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 celebrating the fact that we are now at Level 1. We talk about how it is now 21 days since the last new case of COVID-19 was reported in New Zealand, and there are no active cases. We say we hope it stays like this.

If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we would talk about the return to almost normal. The town is still quite empty as lots of people are still working at home, but things are picking up bit by bit. I say I had noticed that restaurants seemed busy when we were out on Thursday, and you replied yes, people are obviously going out again.

If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we would talk about how we will miss the daily walks we took while working at home. How we will miss watching the birds, seeing the seasons change, and having the possibility to cook something at lunch time, even if that just means poached eggs on toast.

If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we would talk about the foods of the seasons, of persimmons and yams, of Jerusalem artichokes and Brussels sprouts. I would say I never manage to eat a persimmon at the right time, and maybe I should just cook them somehow. You say that sounds like a good idea. I show you a new dish I purchased from Small Acorns last week. It is a sieve of some sort from India and looks so lovely filled with fruit. I say I really love it, and you say so do you.

If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we would talk about how we have been mostly lucky with the weather, that it is getting colder, and today, Friday was grey all day. But after all it is winter, and we have yet to have the shortest day.

If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…well, to celebrate Level 1 you must stay for dinner. Of course you say yes, and you produce a bottle of wine from your bag.

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