This week’s small pleasures #138

Coming to you a day early again as I am off on yet another work trip tomorrow, Monday, are this week’s small pleasures. I cannot in all honesty say that getting up at 6:15am this morning to watch the Eurovision Song Contest at 7am New Zealand time was a small pleasure (did it go on longer than usual this year? How bad was Madonna in the interval! And why have her at all?), but at least a decent song won (from The Netherlands). My personal favourite was from Italy. Anyway, it was a gorgeous sunny day, with blue skies and not cold, so that is a small pleasure.

On Thursday evening, I had dinner with a friend at Field and Green, a favourite place of mine as some of you may remember. I started with the rye crepe filled with smoked salmon, tarragon cream cheese, dill and raisin butter, which I had had before and loved. This was followed by snapper with a red onion and tomato tart with a crisp fennel based salad, and then the most sublime Seville orange marmalade ice-cream. A great evening.

Still on food, I tried the third toast at Squirrel, the new cafe on Blair Street I am enjoying visiting on Saturdays before Pilates. Toast three was a thick slice of toasted raisin bread, covered with maple butter and a good sprinkle of cinnamon. A real autumn and winter toast, designed to warm and comfort.

The small pleasures of the week have not just revolved around food, believe it or not! Having a day off work midweek was one, and dipping in and out of Love & Lemons latest book was another. I also really enjoyed Ali Smith’s Autumn. A perfect little masterpiece, with some beautiful writing.

Back to food I am afraid…for a quick look at some things in this week’s shopping basket. Persimmons are now in the shops, a fruit I have a love/hate relationship. You have got to eat them at just the right moment or else they are just no good. There are still feijoas around of course, and I found kohlrabi again, which I am continuing to enjoy as a salad. Essential pasta for midweek eating, chillies to add to Sunday’s dinner and a fig and olive tapenade, which I hope I get around to trying soon with some goat cheese, also found their way into the shopping bag.

Finally, enjoying a quiet Sunday afternoon, reading, drinking tea, having a recover- from-Eurovision nap, and taking a moment to breathe before another busy week ahead.

And that’s it for this week. What were your small pleasures of the past week?

Thanks to Mani over at A New Life Wandering for the original idea.

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