Another week, another set of small pleasures. There was a visit to the bookshop, some lovely comments from fellow bloggers and a phone call to my older brother in Vancouver to wish him a happy birthday. It was a special one for him, and his children, grandchildren and I contributed to a video wishing him all the best since none of us could be with him on the day. In fact, the video allowed us all to see each other, so very much a small pleasure.
And so to the other small pleasures of the week…and things I spotted on a walk in the Botanic Gardens. I know…I think nearly every Small Pleasures post has pictures from these gardens, but at least these change with the seasons! Below a lily and stunning bright pink dahlia spotted this week. The featured image at the top of the post was taken on the same walk.
I travelled for work this week, up to one of my favourite parts of the country, Hawke’s Bay as I mentioned on Saturday. Below you can see the on-campus vineyard at the institution I was visiting. The weather was lovely, the visit good, and I managed to get on an earlier flight home thanks to the efficiency of the ground staff at the airport – a wonderful small pleasure!
And so to food….I baked a cake on Saturday, and roasted a chicken, in my usual way with lemon, garlic and whatever herbs are around. In the shopping basket there were raspberries, blueberries, plums, courgettes, capsicum, lamb mince and, of course lemons, always.
I will end with Sunday’s sunset, which I just managed to capture. A fitting picture to end the post on the tenth anniversary of the Christchurch quake which killed 185 people. There was a memorial service today in the city at the memorial wall we visited last year.
So those are my small pleasures this week. What were yours? Here are some other bloggers with their favourites from the past week. Please free to join in!
- Check out Ju-Lyn’s happy place, happy space and an absolutely stunning looking pineapple cake.
- Deb’s World has some books and a song to make you smile.
- Laurie over at Notes From the Hinterland enjoys some special donuts, music and a piece in The New Yorker.
- Little Pieces of Me is grateful for 5 things on Friday, including also watching a beautiful sunset.
- Natalie the Explorer goes Lakeside Birdwatching at the Lake Ontario harbour.
- Sanch Writes Weekly Gratitude enjoys writing and catching up with a friend
- Trent’s World‘s The Weekly Smile celebrates the release of his new book
- Susanne writes about a song that means something to her (great post!).
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 
How happy it makes me to see a bee…we are probably 2-3 months before the come back out here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for the mention. The Botanic Gardens are so wonderful that it’s no wonder you want to feature them for, well, whatever post you are working on. I love seeing the Gardens in all their various aspects. So post away. And a very happy birthday to your brother!
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you for the birthday wishes for my brother! I do love the gardens and feel so lucky to be so near. They were our saviour during lockdown last year.
LikeLike
Being able to regularly visit the botanic gardens is a small pleasure much to be cherished
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for reminding us of tenth anniversary of the Christchurch earthquake ..we were in Christchurch last December, and although it is now becoming a thriving city, it was dreadful to see some of the buildings affected.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes since we first visited in 2014 a lot has been rebuilt, though there is still some way to go.
LikeLike
Yes, everyone told us there was still a way to go, to fix the city. I wished I’d seen Christchurch before the earthquake.
LikeLike
Me too – we didn’t arrive here until 2013.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy pleasures for me included driving through thick mist (even though we have had no rain for months). seeing four Blue Cranes in the wild, watching a Gymnogene swoop low over our garden for two days in a row, and (an odd one this) having an eye operation yesterday which will, I hope, improve my vision in the long run!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had to check on what a Gymnogene was and gosh that must have been fun to see in your garden. Hope the operation has gone well.
LikeLike
I love these simple pleasures — and the gorgeous photos of lemons amid such other colors! Your pleasures are now mine.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Beautiful lowers & trees, and good food – not bad things at all to have on a regular basis!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Dahlias are doing really well at the moment, there seems to be different colours just about everywhere.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The flowers are blooming well and memories trickled back for me at the mention of Hawke’s Bay – extended family settled in that region years ago. The Christchurch memories received some news attention here too. It must be a constant and sad reminder for many families in the area.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A lovely roundup of things to make you smile! I loved the area of Hawke’s Bay when we visited NZ a few years ago and really want to return one day. We are up in Queensland (about 1700km drive from home) and enjoying time with my daughter and grandson. Thanks for including my post here
LikeLiked by 1 person