This week’s small pleasures #221

Here we are, already half way through the month, with holidays fast approaching. I can hardly wait for the summer break, which this year seems more needed than ever. Yesterday we watched the Luciamorgon (the Lucia morning concert) from Jukkasjärvi in the far north of Sweden. You may have at some point in your life seen pictures of girls with candles on their heads wearing white dresses – that is Lucia. Anyway, this year was lovely, with singers in the snow and more traditional music than is sometimes featured. It really feels like Christmas is round the corner.

It has been a few weeks since we received our formal notification of our New Zealand citizenship. Due to Covid, we received our certificates in the post rather than at the official ceremony as is the norm. However, an abbreviated form of the ceremony was held for those of us who wished to attend, and so on Wednesday Karl and I headed along to Te Papa (the national museum) to be formally recognised as citizens. We will both have dual citizenship (me UK, Karl Sweden), which I think in this day and age, can only be a good thing to have. Below you can see us at the ceremony, with the mayor of the city, Andy Foster.

After the ceremony, we had dinner and a glass of wine at a nearby Thai restaurant, for after all we had to celebrate. There was more eating out on Thursday, when we were lucky to get a table at our local Italian restaurant for dinner (carbonara for me), so lots of ‘good eatings’ out this week.

Staying in the world of food, at home, I ate egg mayonnaise again, this time on the Danish rye bread we bought at Thorndon Fair, topped with microgreens and flower petals. There was gnocchi with pesto, fresh peas and cherry tomatoes, topped with lots of Parmesan cheese, and some sunflower sour dough bread for Sunday breakfast.

On Saturday, a friend and I went to hear Handel’s Messiah performed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra at the Michael Fowler Centre here in the city. The choir, The Tudor Consort, and the soloists, were wonderful, making it an excellent evening of music. The picture below was taken before the concert as people were entering the auditorium. Please note that there are no restrictions currently in New Zealand about the size of gatherings, nor a requirement to wear face masks except on flights.

Finally, the blue skies of summer on Saturday morning as I walked to Pilates. A real small pleasure.

Anyway, that is my quick round up on some of this week’s small pleasures. Here are some of my fellow bloggers good things of the week:

• Ju-Lin over at All Things Bright and Beautiful has been getting crafty.
• Laurie’s Friday Favourites over at Notes From the Hinterland are a nice collection of seasonal small pleasures.
• Check out Trent’s Weekly Smiles and Natalie the Explorer’s beautiful Christmas pictures from Toronto.
• Little Pieces of Me lists 5 things to be grateful for on Grateful Fridays
• Check the snow scene over at Zimmberbitch
• Oh and my favourite books of 2020.

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