At 4pm today, the Prime Minister announced a staggered move to alert level 2. Retail, restaurants, cinema (and best of all, chiropractors and hairdressers) can reopen with appropriate social distancing on Thursday this week. Schools will open on 18 May, and bars on the 21 May. Social gatherings will be limited to 10 and some regional travel will be allowed. The borders though remain closed to all but returning citizens and permanent residents. So, the economy will begin to open up, again, and some normality will return. Let’s hope the strategy works.
Meanwhile, we have had some really, stunning autumn days, with some gorgeous blue skies and sunshine. Today was one of them, which you can see below. The featured image at the top of the post was taken on Thursday. Everything looks quite lovely with some stunning colours.
I, like many others during lockdown, have become even more obsessed with food than normal. Treats abound, and I fear for my waistline. On Friday, there were cinnamon buns for morning tea, and a lovely quiche for lunch, delivered by Squirrel. There was fruit toast for Saturday breakfast and good bread topped with cream cheese, smoked salmon and capers on Sunday. We had pizza delivered for the first time in weeks on Thursday, and on Friday we collected a fabulous meal from Field & Green, beef stroganoff for ‘the boys’ and the mushroom one for me, followed by a slice of Bakewell tart. While we were in that part of town, I couldn’t resist popping into Commonsense Organics next door for some cavolo nero, collard greens, spices, seeds and other things for the pantry. It felt so good to go there again – a real small pleasure.
Quiche, salad and homemade chutney, fruit bread, Sunday breakfast and greens
During the week, I helped a friend out with something (virtually of course), and she sent me this beautiful ginger and pear cake as a thank you. It arrived with our now weekly delivery from Arobake, and was perfect with Earl Grey tea for an afternoon treat.
Along with our bread and the surprise cake, there was a box with rhubarb and custard tarts, which we ate with delight on Sunday afternoon. It was even warm enough to sit outside in the sunshine and enjoy these treats.
Moving on from food, the low autumn sun makes shadow patterns everywhere, like these below, highlighting a little snoring cat. I believe he has enjoyed having us around a lot more than usual.
So that is it for this week. Wherever you are, take care and look out for those little things that bring you joy in these strange times. What were your small pleasures of the week past?
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
Thistles and Kiwis 
Treats indeed! Not good for the waistline, perhaps, but exactly right for the spirit. Lifted my spirits just to look at them. I, too, was the recipient of many treats this weekend. Yay!!!! Good luck to your country with its plans for limited opening. You are way ahead of us in ways too numerous to count.
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I just hope this is the right decision to open up a bit more. Certainly we could all do with a bit more normality.
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Fingers crossed for you.
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Thanks!
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