For the last few weeks the chefs from The George Hotel have been doing cooking demonstrations at The Colombo shopping centre on Colombo Street. I finally got down there today to check things out. Two of the MasterChef contestants (Matt and Dave) were there this morning cooking Hereford Beef.

Not only did I learn a few tips on how to age and cook top quality beef I got to taste some samples and oh boy were they good! And the smell was just amazing.

The cause they are cooking for is the Canterbury Charity Hospital Appeal. The demonstration is free to attend but donations to the appeal are welcome.

More info from The Colombo’s website:

Andrew Brown, The George’s Executive Chef, will ensure that the sessions are social and engaging as well as informative and suitable for keen cooks at any level. Some sessions will involve input from growers and suppliers and recipes will be provided. Many of the ingredients and equipment used can be found at The Colombo.

Might I add that The Colombo is looking fabulous now I’m really liking the mix of shops and eateries that are there now.

This is the site of what will be EPIC or the Enterprise Precinct & Innovation Campus – which will be home to a number of IT companies who were displaced due to the earthquakes. According to the EPIC website the building process may be complete as early as August. The site is on the corner of Manchester and Tuam Streets.  According to the sign I saw on the street it is a company called Timbercore who are doing the build.

About 12.30pm

I went down at lunchtime and checked out the demolition of this apartment complex. It was too badly damaged from the earthquakes to repair, so has had to come down. It has not been a popular building as many think it’s not suitable to its environment (it has rather dominated the estuary). Still it was someone’s property, investment and home so I feel sorry for those who’ve been adversely affected by it.

And progress shots of the demolition below were taking at about 4.40pm.

I got a bit of a shock when I drove down Moorhouse Ave today and saw that Hoyts 8 had been demolished. I used to go here a lot as I used to live about 10 minutes drive from it. Sometimes I’d be bored on a Sunday and decide at the last minute to go and see something. It was a good ‘compromise cinema’ if you had friends meeting up from different parts of the city! I’m not sure what the plans are for this site. Guess we shall wait and see.

What a glorious day today – the weather felt like Summer. A great day to go and do the Rapaki Track.

If you were near the back entrance to Ballantynes today, you may well have seen this Charlie Chaplin busker by the door. He was kind enough to pose for me – but he got me to put on a high viz jacket for the photos. It was only after I took the jacket off that I realised it said ‘stalker paparazzi’. Very funny. Hope he does well there. It’s nice to see the buskers back in town – there was another one performing in the restart mall (I didn’t catch his act as we had shopping and coffee to do!) and there were also several musicians playing as well.

It is indeed, and just what the doctor ordered for Christchurch folk

ReStart Photos

Some photos I snapped today using my cellphone and a photo app. I really want to take some photos of the surrounding area as it’s going to change quickly. But let’s face it, some of this material is not the most photogenic, so I’ve played around with my camera and the photo apps I have (quite a few now!).

This is Upshot Coffee on Bridle Path Road which now operates out of a shipping container (they are located inside the Heathcote Riding School). I noticed the chairs out on the path today as I walked past and smiled when I saw the little table which is an old primary school desk (well looks very much like the one I used to sit at many years ago!).

Despite all the devastation in the CBD, these trees (located in the car park at Les Mills in the city) have not only survived but look to be very green and healthy.

Take a look at the end of the brick wall – it’s a little jagged!

Echium candicans

I had originally mistaken this plant for Buddleja Davidii (Butterfly Bush), but I’ve been told it is actually Pride of Madeira. You can see it flowering all over the hill and sea-side suburbs of Christchurch.  I’ve been amazed at how they replicate all over the garden and in great numbers – and seem to even thrive in really poor soil including clay banks. I do pull them out, but then almost seemingly overnight they are back!

Echium candicans

Spotted in Latimer Square. I have no idea what it is about (probably something deeply philosophical that I haven’t the time to think about!).