Kia ora! This week is Te Wiki o Te Reo Māori, or Māori language week, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Voting has also opened for Bird of the Year, now entering its 20th year. And it is week 38 of the year should you be even slightly interested.
Anyway, there has been a fair bit of sunshine here, and I am contemplating putting away my winter coat. Contemplating, as who know what the weather gods will bring us over the next few weeks. Anyway, it is feeling warmer, and I spotted this cheerful and spring-like decorated shop front on Wednesday on Cuba Street. Hope the fabric doesn’t get too wet when it rains.
Lunch time treats
As mentioned, I walked up Cuba Street on Wednesday, and decided to stop off at perennial favourite Floriditas for lunch. I had the Caesar salad with added chicken and white anchovies which was excellent, with crisp lettuce and croutons, salty fish and tender chicken.
Other lunches this week included one of the good egg sandwiches from Dough Bakery on Friday and that Kiwi classic, a mince and cheese pie, with a dollop of ketchup, on Sunday for a quick bite before going out. Sometimes the classics can’t be beaten!
Going out
On Thursday, we headed out to Le Bouillon Bel Air for dinner. I had heard good things about this place, offering French food at affordable prices. I ordered the prawns with mayonnaise to start. The mayo was so good, and took me back to childhood holidays in Paris, and I wiped it all up with some bread. Karl opted for steak frites, which got top marks, unlike my disappointing boeuf bourguignon. The salad though was dressed perfectly. Anyway, it was lovely to go out and it was certainly good value for money.
It was off to the cinema for us on Sunday afternoon, this time to see The Roses. I have to say Olivia Coleman and Benedict Cumberbatch really make the film, and are wonderful as the dueling couple. You will notice Karl had enjoyed one of his Jaffas (an orange flavoured lolly/sweet/candy depending on your preference) already…
Staying in
We watched Lebowitz v Lebowitz on TV5 Monde, a free French streaming service with lots of series, documentaries and films. On Netflix, we watched series one of Dark Winds, which we thoroughly enjoyed.
In the basket
I got a Wonky Box delivery this week with yet another pumpkin (which I am so tired of and never want to eat again), yet more red kumara, more turnips, a leek, 2 parsnips, a large head of broccoli, a lettuce (not pictured) avocados (very cheap at the moment) and…wait for it….3 cucumbers! Well, two were added by me to the order but still…anyway, I made another batch of pressgurka on Saturday to have as a side with salmon. One down, two to go!
I topped up with a large bag of spinach, a couple of oranges and a grapefruit, apples, carrots, a green capsicum, asparagus and a small bunch of golden baby beetroot to roast for weekday work lunches. There was some pork to make a goulash from the butcher, chicken mince for a quick weekday meal, feta, bread, coffee beans and the wonderful fresh orange juice from Moore Wilson.
Simple things
- Enjoying spring sunshine.
- Hearing news from my cousin in Poland post his operation.
- Realising it is 6 weeks to the Labour Day weekend. It can’t come too quickly!
- Enjoying more lemons from a colleague’s garden.
- Following the adventures of a friend’s dogs, Tilly and Spark, on Instagram.
- Seeing this beautiful rainbow on Tuesday (not sure what bird it is, but let’s pretend it was a kaka).
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 comments on comments.
- Natalie takes us on two nature walks.
- Travels Through My Lens writes about a special tribute and some excellent food.
- There is some very sad news from Trent this week.
- Laurie gets ready for a busy September over at Notes from the Hinterland.
- Min of Write of the Middle spends two nights at Bunya Mountains.
- Mr Tootlepedal has a dash before the splash.
- The Travel Sketcher celebrates the week in The Pearl.
- And the Glasgow Gallivanter takes us to an Andy Goldsworthy exhibition. I would love to go to that.
- Fred shares six things from his garden, including some very pretty beans.
- And Ilze in Latvia celebrates a birthday.
- Jude shares a wonderful picture of a wild carrot seed head.
- Finally….Jo shares her cook book of the month over at Brookford Kitchen Diaries.
- ..…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.
Thistles and Kiwis 
White anchovies in a caesar salad sound absolutely divine. I must try it.
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They were so good!
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Your Ceasar salad looks and sounds delicious, as does the other food you talk about. Here in Far North Queensland we have had quite unseasonal weather , with showers and winds, which is lovely given the heat we are expecting. Lots of BBQs here as there is a new kitchen being constructed. Will be great when that is finished.
https://happyretireeskitchen.blogspot.com
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Looks like the weather is turning back to chilly days from Wednesday.
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More sunshine is so welcome! No jersey or coat for me today 🙂 🙂 I would get tired of pumpkin too – much prefer butternut squash. Roast pumpkin; boiled pumpkin; mashed pumpkin; pumkin fritters; pumpkin soup … pumpkin tart … you have probably tried them all!
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I’m going to pass on this latest pumpkin as cannot face it again. Meanwhile, the sun is shining again today!
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With overnight temps around 9 or 10 here (but with afternoon highs in the low 20’s – much warmer than usual) we’re thinking about unearthing our winter parkas and scarves…I’m looking forward to your summer photos. They really help get us northerners thru winter! Love the rainbow!! (My small pleasure yesterday was seeing the new Downton Abbey movie…very charming and a lovely wrapping up of many story lines.)
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Oh thank you Chris! Spring is always a hard season – when does one put away the winter coats/forget about heating etc. Interesting to hear about the new Downton Abbey movie – I wasn’t sure about it but your comments indicate I might just watch it.
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We have a state bird in Vermont, the hermit thrush, but I love the idea of a bird of the year; everyone gets a turn eventually!
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It is a tough competition with so many native birds to chose from. One year the competition was hacked…can you believe it?
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I think they will hack just about anything just to say they did.
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Your wonky boxes always amuse me – great idea but they seem to get stuck in a groove!
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I would like to keep doing Wonky Box as I think it is a great idea but recently the contents have been so disappointing and repetitive.
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It’s always nice when spring arrives with its beautiful flowers and colors. Sounds like you had a lovely week. Thanks, as always, for linking my blog!
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Thank you – yes it was quite a good week. If work would just calm down a bit…still the sun is shining again today.
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Yes, to finding beauty in every meal and every rainbow!
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🙂
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Glad you liked “The Roses.” They are both such good actors I look forward to seeing it (though with some trepidation, having experienced one–my first–failed marriage). I saw the Downton Abbey movie yesterday with a group of friends, and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. My friend Elaine hadn’t seen a single episode, or either of the other movies, so I whispered salient relationship facts to her (like Tom being the former chauffer, who married one of the daughters, who died in childbirth), which she actually appreciated. Not sure other audience members did, but I was discreet with my whispers.
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Two good reviews about the new Downton film – have a friend who might want to go! I m sure you were very discreet with your whispers!
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I am impressed by the solidity of that egg sandwich. Value for money by the look of it.
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It is a very good sandwich with pickles and greens too.
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I agree with Mr TP the egg sandwich looks delicious and they certainly don’t stint with the parmesan on that Caesar salad! I think I’d cancel the wonky box. You seem to find decent fruit and veg elsewhere and at last can choose what you want.
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I’m thinking of doing away with the Wonky Box to be honest. I have cancelled it for Friday and then will see. As you say, it is easy enough to get decent fruit and veg anyway.
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I love a good egg sandwich and yours looks excellent. The temperatures here are still up and down. We have turned the heating off though and the days are quite nice so hopefully summer will arrive sooner rather than later.
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It is a good sandwich! It is gloriously warm and sunny here today – no coat needed – but fear this isn’t going to last.
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The Caesar salad and the pie with cheese look very good. Saw the Downton Abbey film yesterday and loved it – all ties up very nicely. Have a good week. I’ll swap you my orange sweet potato – you guys call it kumara – for your pumpkin any day. 😀
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The Caesar salad was good. Everyone seems to be enjoyed the Downton Abbey film. I’ll happily swap kumara for pumpkin! Re the pie – Australians have good pies too!
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Yes the ours are good here too. Colin has been known to try a crocodile and kangaroo pie – but not me!
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I have eaten kangaroo…but not sure about a kangaroo and crocodile pie!
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What a delicious week of food! That rainbow is so pretty and I love the colorful shop display.
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It was! The shop display was so pretty.
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Hi Barbara, it’s warming up here too. I’ve not just put away the coat but I’m back in t-shirts! Last week in Melbourne I was wearing coats and winter woollies! Your food piccies made my tummy rumble, particularly the egg & lettuce sandwiches which I love! Your rainbow looks exactly like one I saw here just recently! Thanks for linking up & sharing with us at #WWWhimsy xo
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We are having very mixed weather – one day warm sunshine, then rain – spring weather! Thanks for hosting #WWWhimsy
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The ambiance of the restaurant is so nice! The carrots from your Wonky Box is short and stout. How cute. Our carrots are long.
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Not sure about the carrots….quite a normal size? Maybe it is the angle 🙂
Yes that restaurant is lovely. Thanks for stopping by!
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