Happy Easter my friend! So how do we celebrate Easter in New Zealand?
When I lived in Canada, I was really surprised at the lack of Easter going on in the shops. There were no hot cross buns, and no chocolate Easter eggs.
I hunted high and low for chocolate Easter eggs and couldn't find them. You can read more about that in this post.
Here in New Zealand, we're all about the chocolate and the buns.
I was shocked this week when someone commented on my Gluten Free Hot Cross Bun recipe saying that they had never tried hot cross buns. Oh my gosh! Hot Cross Buns are the one true delight of Easter - you just have to try them.
I'm not saying that New Zealanders don't go to Church and celebrate Easter in a religious way, some do, but from January through to Easter the shops are filled with chocolate Easter eggs, Hot Cross Buns and tiny furry chickens.
Easter is also the last weekend that we can pretend that it's still summer. Even though the weather has gotten colder and the mornings darker, we try to hold on to the last of the summer until now.
With a four day weekend, we tend to do those last jobs that we need to before the cold of winter sets in. For example, this weekend, it's my intention to get out into my garden and do an autumn cleanup so that my garden survives the wet, cold days to come. Luckily, today the sun is shining (after a week of rain) so I'm going to cut back and pull out and generally tidy my garden.
Easter is also a time when we get together as a family. I actually managed to get both my children in the same place for dinner last night, which was wonderful. With Jesse now working at a bar while continuing his studies, we see very little of him.
For me personally, Easter is a time of remembrance. My Dad died at Easter 2007, actually the day after the photo of Jesse eating the giant Easter Bunny above was taken. Easter 2017 was also the last time that I saw my Mum before she died. So Easter can be sad for me but I surround myself with my family and that makes it better.
This year I have done a revamp of my Hot Cross Bun recipe. I realised that, over the years I've slightly tweaked the method I use to make these so I updated the recipe and shared it with you.
In this post I also shared a link to the recipe for Hot Cross Buns made by Alison Holst. This recipe won my hot cross bun recipe review a few years ago.
If you've never tried hot cross buns, I really urge you to try them.
My best kept secret is that you can make them without the crosses any time of year and they are just fruit buns!
My video this week was about the tool that changed my jewellery making like.
If you love making jewellery as much as I do, it's worth the few minutes to watch this video.
I thought today that I'd share some spring decor inspiration for my Northern Hemisphere friends as well as some fall decor inspiration for everyone else.
This week my friend Kim from Shiplap and Shells shared a spring tour of her bedroom. I have absolutely fallen in love with Kim's house - it's just so stunning. It's right on the edge of a bay and her garden is just wonderful. You really have to check this out!
While you're over there, check out the house tour as well.
I also found this wonderful hutch all dressed up for Spring. Michelle decorates this hutch for every season so it's worth checking out.
Coastal and fall (or autumn) don't really go together. When we talk about coastal decor we think cool blues and light airy whites, not orange, but I have to say Kristy from Starfish Cottage Blog has completely nailed it!
I love how she has introduced non-traditional fall colours to her home to stay true to the coastal theme but indicate the change of season.
And finally, if you're wanting to decorate your porch in a non-Halloween way for fall, here's a good example of how to do that with a coastal theme.
That's all for me this week. I'm off to spend this beautiful day in the garden.
Have a wonderful Easter and I'll see you back here next week.
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April 2, 2021
Hi, my name is Carol Karl. I live in little old New Zealand. My family and I strive to live the most ‘real’ life we can – by that I mean that we eat real food, we live real lives and just generally be our most authentic selves.
