This past week has been…not sure actually! There was travel, an evening out, an appointment with the eye doctor about the cataract in my right eye (date booked for the operation in January), busy times at work and rain/sun in equal amounts or so it seemed. There was still time to think of the small pleasures of the week…including spotting the Christmas tree in Midland Park (a favourite summer lunch haunt for those who work in nearby offices).
I’ve also been following news about the hikoi, (a sort of protest march) which will arrive in Wellington tomorrow to state objections against the Treaty Principles Bill put forward by the Act Party. No doubt some of you will already have heard about or seen what happened in Parliament last week when Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke stood up, tore up a copy of the aforementioned bill and led a haka to protest about the proposed legislation. Proceedings in Parliament were halted, and she was suspended for 24 hours. You can also read about it here.
Flying around
On Thursday, I had a work day trip to Hamilton, which meant catching the 6:30am flight up and with a half hour delay coming back, not getting home until almost 8pm. Yes….a very long day…but it didn’t stop me taking a few pictures flying up. It was cloudy, so unfortunately it wasn’t one of those spectacular flights when you see Mount Taranaki on one side and Mount Ruapehu on the other. The featured image at the top of the post was taken as we were coming in to land at Wellington.
In the basket
The Wonky Box delivered (mostly) really good things this week – carrots, a head of broccoli, asparagus, two lovely yellow capsicum, a head of lettuce, mushrooms and…..avocados. The season for avocados is typically September to April, so many more months to go! Anyway, I picked up some fresh peas, because I do love them so, a second bunch of asparagus (which is really coming down in price now), lemons, strawberries, blueberries (not pictured), some of the lovely strong cheddar from Moore Wilson’s, and a pot of the new zesty salmon spread from Aoraki, which I wanted to try to see if I would add it to the Christmas Eve table (and yes I will). I popped into our local greengrocer for some garlic on Sunday, and also came out with some lovely little red onions, a couple of courgettes and…the first nectarines of the season. They may be small but they looked too good to pass by.
Out and about
On Tuesday evening, we went to An Evening With Stephen Fry, actor, writer and raconteur, at the St James Theatre. He told tales of his past, his life before fame and read from his latest book. I found this interview on Radio New Zealand which gives an idea of the evening.
Simple things
- Seeing that Shelly Bay Baker have opened a branch in the area where we live.
- Having a very lazy Sunday to recover from the week.
- Spending time in the kitchen – including making these meatballs.
- Hearing that the herring I need for Christmas should be available in time – hoorah! Christmas is saved!
- Finding lots of time for reading.
- Relaxing by shelling peas after work
What were your small pleasures this week? Here are some other blog posts from a few fellow bloggers looking at the good things in life.
- Anne of Something Over Tea writes about Egyptian geese.
- Meanwhile Natalie continues to take us around Norway.
- Deb of Deb’s World shares her happy Friday .
- Admire Horsey Windpump over at Now I’m 64.
- Trent of Trent’s World also reflects on the small things that bring us joy.
- Sue celebrates world kindness day.
- Mr Tootlepedal goes for a song and a stroll.
- Read a review of a cook book over at Brookford Kitchen Diaries.
- Enjoy Jude’s Saturday Sketches over at Cornwall in Colours.
- Fred is back with his Six on Saturday.
- Enjoy Carol Ann’s weekly delights.
- And Lisa of Southern Patches shares a Wordless Wednesday.
- .…and all the other lovely bloggers out there. Sorry if I have missed anyone…..
Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis.