It is Monday evening here, and it has been raining all day. It hasn’t been cold, just wet, and I am staring out at grey skies. So, a perfect time to think about the wee things that have brought some pleasure in the past week.
First of all, I managed to get these lovely pictures of Charlie on Saturday, It isn’t always easy to get good shots of him, so I was delighted with these two (one below and one as the featured image).

I picked up some early season apricots at the weekend. I am so looking forward to the main stone fruit season, with peaches, nectarines and plums aplenty. We also enjoyed blueberries and strawberries this weekend. This is really the season for all the best fruit!

On Saturday, I went to see the contemporary students in their end of year graduation performance at the New Zealand School of Dance. The sheer energy and enthusiasm is always impressive, matched with a strong desire to do a really first class performance. This coming Saturday I am off to see the classical students, so will do a proper round up of both shows after that.
There are so many beautiful flowers around just now, that everywhere you turn there is something new to see.


Finally, something sad. You may wonder why something like that would appear on what is normally an upbeat and positive theme. Well, for several years, one of my favourite small pleasures has been my Saturday morning Pilates class. I have turned the whole thing into a routine, catching an earlier bus than is necessary, stopping for tea at Ekor Bookshop and Cafe, spending an hour with a wonderful teacher who inspires and makes us laugh, and then going grocery shopping. Unfortunately, the studio has had to close, and classes moved to the other studio opposite where I work. I will be honest and say I really don’t want to have to walk to work 6 days a week, so I am not 100% sure what I am going to do yet. There are only a few weeks to Christmas anyway, so I will try out a few different things to see what works. So why, you may ask, is this a small pleasure? Well, the past few years of classes have been a great pleasure, and I want to say thank you for that experience and the little nuggets of joy they brought.

Thanks to Mani over at A New Life Wandering for the original idea.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram@thistleandkiwis. As for Twitter….am totally inactive these days. If you want to get in touch, email me on thistlesandkiwis@gmail.com
Those apricots look delectable. I am sorry to hear about the Pilates class relocation, but I am sure you will find a new pleasurable routine.
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They were too! Yes am sure I will find a new routine after Christmas.
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