Can you believe it is the 1st February already? I certainly can’t. There are lots of things I was going to do this month that I haven’t got around to yet, but equally, things I hadn’t planned have got done such as a good tidy up in the garden. Anyway, time to look back on the week’s small pleasures.
Let’s start with news about Charlie. On Monday evening, we had to go and collect him from a neighbours’ house. He had been staggering around, almost as if drunk, and not at all well. We brought him home, and the next day he was taken to the vet, and kept in over night. It appears he has high blood pressure and had had a small stroke. He is now on the road to recovery, has even taken some medication, and is spending many an hour sleeping. Yesterday he went outside for a short while, and seemed happy to see the great outdoors. It is so wonderful to see him make a gradual recovery, retaining his bossiness, and also helping me with the jigsaw. It is such a small pleasure to see him on the road to recovery.
On Friday, Karl and I went out for dinner to celebrate his Name Day and 8 years of being in New Zealand. We headed over to perennial favourite Field & Green for some good food and the usual excellent service. I started with the smoked trevally soufflé with leek and chive sauce, which is a favourite dish I have had before. The combination of flavours is wonderful. I then moved onto the ricotta stuffed courgette flowers with an heirloom tomato salad, olive tapenade and croutons, followed by some delicious pistachio and raspberry ice-cream. Karl had falafel to start and the fillet steak, with hokey pokey ice-cream for afters. A lovely evening all round!
Sticking with food, on Wednesday I went out for an early evening meal with some colleagues from work to Loretta. I had a freekah based salad bowl topped with salmon, pea shoots and fennel which was nice and fresh for a summer day. In the shopping basket this week there was more sweet corn (’tis the season!), white peaches (what a small pleasure to have a choice of peaches), tomatoes, green beans and a small piece of goat camembert. I also picked up a jar of chermoula for some future cooking plans. There was also a bag of new potatoes that I made into a salad with lots of dill.
For the second Saturday in a row, I baked, this time some simple scones to enjoy with a little blackcurrant jam, and of course, a cup of tea out in the sunshine. What a simple pleasure.
Finally we went to the cinema on Sunday to see Druk or Another Round, a comedy drama with Mads Mikkelsen in the lead role. It is the tale of four friends, all high school teachers, who decide to test a theory by a Norwegian academic that they can improve their lives by maintaining a constant level of alcohol in their blood. They agree to keep notes and write things up. Naturally, things go awry, but the ending is positive and joyful. Worth catching if you can. It wasn’t the only thing we watched in Danish and Swedish this week, as well also watched The Investigation about the murder of Swedish journalist Kim Wall which I highly recommend if you can catch it.
So that is it for me for this week, but do check out these posts from my fellow bloggers for some other good things and small pleasures:
- Laurie Graves‘ Friday Favourites tries a new recipe from Cookie+Kate
- Little Pieces of Me‘s Grateful Fridays: enjoys 2 full rainless days and a beautiful sunrise
- There was cake ofer at Nancy Loderick’s Find a reason to celebrate
- Natalie the Explorer‘s Why My January is Great: with lights in the Toronto cityscape (and apologies Natalie for not joining the weekend coffee share this week.
- Trent’s World‘s The Weekly Smile has some very cold weather
- Ju Lyn takes us on a tour of the Light to Night festival in Singapore.
- Su at Zimmerbitch reflects on the month and shares pictures from Port Waikato.
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 
I’ve never tried smoke trevally souffle but anything is possible, it sounds quite yummy
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It was!
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Oh how wonderful it will be to be able to dine out again I just have to savour your writings here of your wonderful moments of dining out thank you
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I was thinking the same thing Keith. It’s cold and dank in darkest lockdown’d Dorset – Wishful sigh 🤣
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Looks like a wonderful and full week. The picture of the garden is beautiful.
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Poor Charlie! So glad to read he’s recovering. I’ve read reviews of “Another Round” and it is on my TBW list. Thanks for the mention!
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The film is definitely worth seeing. Have a great week!
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Thank you for listing my blog. No need to apologize. I mentioned my Weekend Coffee Share blog link-up since I thought your blog is a gem to be shared more widely in the blogging world. Everyone is welcome to join in any week.
I hope Charlie feels much better and is back to his normal self. All your photos look beautiful. We’re in lockdown here so no indoor gathering unless with immediate household, and restaurants are for take-out or delivery only.
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Oh thank you Natalie! I enjoy your blog from Toronto, which is on my to visit one day if we can ever travel again list. Charlie is making a great improvement, but still lacking a bit of energy as to be expected. He is, however, being bossy again.
We keep saying how lucky we are here in NZ at the moment. Long may it continue.
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Hope Charlie makes a full recovery soon. It’s wonderful to see a parallel universe where people go out to restaurants and to the cinema. Scones and tea in the sun is one of life’s simplest but most sublime pleasures – am hoping to enjoy that one in a couple of months or so!
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Charlie is getting a bit better each day I am glad to report. I was in two minds about posting about getting out and about, but that is life here in NZ at the moment, and if it shows that the world is not all doom and gloom, then that is great. Oh I so agree about scones and tea in the sun!
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I love your photo of the Botanic Gardens in Wellington, it was a highlight when we visited Wellington. All the food looks lovely but the food at Field & Green was particularly tasty looking. Always nice to have a favourite place to go to, and one that has good food and good service.
I hope Charlie continues to be bossy… what would we do without our bossy pets!
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Thanks! I love the gardens. We are well served with good places to eat in this city. Yes our pets rule the roost!
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Poor Charlie; hope he makes a full recovery. Your scones look delicious: one of life’s nicest small pleasures.
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He is on the mend at least. Aren’t scones just the perfect wee treat?
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My new favourite scone recipe is from ‘Maw Broon’s Cookbook’ — found in Arty Bee’s in Welly. It’s such a blast from the past (and not always in a good way — my mum’s not much of a cook 🙂 )
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Love Arty Bee’s bookshop! My mother was a pretty bad cook which was why, I believe, all her children had an interest in food….taking over the cooking at an early age 🙂
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My family is exactly the same!
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All those meals look Devine. I love the simply pleasure of the week this past Sunday I made myself some chai and read the whole Sunday paper on my sofa…such simply pleasures. I will end with a question is “name day” the same as birthday ?!!?
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Oh your Sunday sounds wonderful! A name day in parts of Europe is an additional day to the birthday and refers to your saint’s day.
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Hi, I’m a little late, such delicious food yum, to have with great company, wonderful & even better a family member on the mend, I’m so glad your Charlie is on the mend. Have a delicious weekend as well.
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No, I can’t believe we’ve slipped into February either …. I don’t know where my January went.
You must have been so worried about Charlie. Hope he’s recovered and better.
Once again, you have me open-mouthed and drooling over all your delicious food images – that salad is something else! And those scones you made look scrumptious!
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Charlie is getting better, bit by bit, but is so hard to give him his medication.
Oh we ate well last week! The scones were good, I do confess.
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