Strawberries, cake and jandals

It may be Thanksgiving in the USA, but here in New Zealand we are all looking forward to summer and Christmas/summer holidays.  Shops are a funny mixture of traditional Christmas symbols from the northern hemisphere – Santa Claus, snowflakes and Christmas trees – and summer holidays – jandals (flip-flops in British English), summer dresses and strawberries.

While the weather is still a bit mixed, there is definitely a sense that warmer weather is on its way.  It’s also the time of year for charity, and remembering those less fortunate than ourselves, either because of health or finance.  At work, we had a fund raising event this week for Movember and Wellington Cats Protection League (the department I work in sponsor a cat, which I think lovely). I baked a pineapple upside down cake (of course) for the event, and enjoyed a slice of cherry cake baked by a colleague, which I hope to get the recipe for and bake for Christmas.

Baking time

The following day, saw the Mary Potter Hospice Strawberry Festival at Midland Park.  This event started in 2005 and raises around $50,000 a year and includes events in Wellington, Porirua and Kāpiti.  Strawberries and ice-cream are for sale, all supplied by a local supermarket.

Midland Park and strawberries

Strawberries and ice-cream

So as we approach summer and Christmas at the same time, here’s how one supermarket celebrates the season.

  Christmas tree with jandals (flip-flops)