A walk on Waitangi Day

Today is Waitangi Day in New Zealand, the national day and the anniversary of the signing initial signing on 6 February 1840 of the Treaty of Waitangi. The Treaty of Waitangi was an agreement between the British crown and the Māori chiefs and is regarded as the founding document of the country. The day was first celebrated in 1934 and became a public holiday in 1974.

The sun was shining, with summer having returned for now at least, so we headed over to Zealandia, the wonderful urban sanctuary in Wellington.

This week’s small pleasures #477

Can you believe it is February already? January seems to have flown past.

If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…

If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we would be enjoying a freshly baked scone along with our tea. You would say how nice, just the thing.

This week’s small pleasures #476

I can’t really believe it is almost the end of January already and only 5 weeks until we head to the other side of the world. Before that, there is a lot going on from the theatre, to a visitor next month to a couple of dinners out.

Cook Book Club: January

When I saw Jo’s cookbook challenge for January – Scandinavian summer – my mind turned to Swedish midsummer, to strawberries…

This week’s small pleasures #475

Today is the Wellington Anniversary holiday, so those of us who live in and around the capital, it has been a long weekend. This will mean a 3 day working week for me too – a small pleasure in itself.

What’s on your bookshelf: January

So here we are in the middle of January so time to reflect on the past month’s reading. I will confess the year has not got off to a racing start. A short trip, doing other things and spending too much time on YouTube watching cooking or tiny house videos.

Eat, drink and be merry…or more holiday eating

Regular readers know I love food. I enjoy cooking (for me, chopping vegetables is an exercise in mindfulness), reading about food, listening to podcasts on the latest in nutrition. It isn’t just about eating, it is about trying new things, enjoying old favourites, being happy with the simple and appreciating the art of good cooking.

This week’s small pleasures #474

Today saw us back at work after 3 weeks of holiday. I was wide awake before the alarm went off, caught the earlier of the two buses I normally take to town, and got to the office to spend the first hour catching up and wishing colleagues a happy new year.

A seat at the table: Craggy Range

This summer we decided on just having a mini break up in one of our favourite parts of New Zealand, Hawke’s Bay.