If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we would talk about Friday morning’s offshore earthquakes – a 7.1 at East Cape which was felt across the country (and which woke me up), and a 7.4 and 8.1 in the Kermadec Islands. We would talk about the tsunami threat, about the evacuations from the the north and east coasts of the North Island, and how we were glad that the threat has been cancelled. You remark, well, we live in the Shaky Isles so earthquakes area a part of life
If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea… we would talk about the other news today, the return to Level 2 for those in Auckland and to Level 1 for the rest of the country. We breathe a sigh of relief.
If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…I would tell you I am feeling so much better with some time for rest and recuperation, and none of the stresses of the office. I haven’t thought about work, and have enjoyed starting a new jigsaw, cooking, and having the odd treat like this cinnamon bun at Grace Patisserie. Admitting that I needed this time was a big step.
If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…I would tell you how lovely it is to have time to read. I would tell you I am enjoying Curtis Sittenfeld’s Eligible, and am also dipping in and out of The Best American Food Writing 2020.
If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we would talk about things we have been watching recently. We agree that The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel was interesting, and just how the internet detectives (for want of a better word) got it all so wrong. I tell you that thanks to the VPN we are riveted by Bloodlands on BBC, a police drama set in Northern Ireland. You say you hope it comes to one of the New Zealand stations.
If we were having coffee…or even a cup of tea…we realise that time has moved on and so, as usual, I invite you to stay for dinner. We order take-away, because…well it is Friday.
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
Entered into the Weekend Coffee Share hosted by Natalie the Explorer.
Thistles and Kiwis 
What a nice idea!
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Just watched episode 1 of Bloodlands – excellent.
Will watch episode 2 tonight and then wait for the next – it is being broadcast weekly here.
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It is really exciting!
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That cinnamon bun looks delicious – as is the idea of going out for a cup of tea or coffee. I haven’t done that for nearly a year!
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The bun was delicious! Yes, we can go out for coffees here. Things are more or less normal here, though we need to wear masks on public transport.
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I love these posts so much! It gives such a flavor of where you live, earthquakes and all. Phew! Glad there was no great damage done. Also, glad the pandemic still seems to be under control in New Zealand. Good leadership makes all the difference. And, yes, by all means lets order takeout and continue talking about what we’ve read and watched. My favorite kind of talk. Finally, glad you got the rest you needed. I know all too well what it feels like to be frazzled and exhausted.
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P.S. I’ve read “Eligible” and have some thoughts about it. When you are finished, I would be interesting in hearing what you think. If you have time, of course.
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Will definitely let you know what I think…so far really enjoying it, but will wait to the end.
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That cinnamon bun looks so good, Bloodlands sounds great & I’m googling the American Food Writing as soon as I press send on this. Have a great weekend.
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That cinnamon bun looks yummy. Good to hear things are more or less normal where you live and you can go out for coffees. We’re still in lockdown here until at least March 8. Thank you for linking with #WeekendCoffeeShare.
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That was so good and of course, even better to know your lockdown rules are changing and that NZ stayed safe after the earthquake. Yes, the cinnamon bun looked great. Denyse #weekendcoffeeshare
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Time to read is my favourite thing that I let myself indulge in on my free time. When I have a new exciting book in my hands I feel rich. Thank you for this positive post, and I accept your dinner invitation 🙂
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🙂
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So glad to that the off shore earthquake threat didn’t affect New Zealand…. you live with earthquakes and tremors as we live with bushfire threats. Glad you have enjoyed some time off from work, it is good to have some rest and perspective on work occasionally.
Reading and having coffee and cake with friends are two of my favourite pastimes!
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Sitting in a cafe with a book = one of the best things!
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So glad to hear that you’re okay despite earthquake. I’ve only been in one, a very tiny one that rattled the jars on a shelf back in the 1980’s. I slept through it. Hope this week is better for you.
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So glad earthquake didn’t do damage apparently we had big seas here in Aus as a result no drama though. Was great having a coffee & chat with you. Cinnamon bun looks yum & keep up the chillaxing. I watched The Cecil hotel couple of weeks back, today I had a moment to watch a Shaun the sheep episode, lol one of my favourites.
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Hi TnK, I don’t know that we’ve met, but with all the new guests Natalie is hosting to our weekend share, I may have lost track. I’m one of the old timers (right about 3 years now) of weekend essays and fun.
I live in California so sat right up when you said earthquakes and such large ones. I don’t know if someone who has not been through a real shaker can appreciate how disorienting they can be. Your most recent ones were off-shore it sounds like, so maybe you didn’t feel the inner ear pressure variance that often alerts me first to one happening. Regardless, I’m glad you are all well post rocking and rolling.
I’m one of the story writers in the group and I try to welcome our new guests, so welcome! I’m glad you’re here. Meeting new friends from all over the globe are always a good way to start any day. If you do like to read, I invite you to check out some of my short works. Most of mine are, by design, less than 10 minute reads. They’re all free and fun and clean and meant to be humorous so smiling or laughing out loud is encouraged.
But we’ve just met so I’ll leave you with a sample and let you get back to your day. Stay safe and I hope to see you again next weekend.
https://garyawilsonstories.wordpress.com/the-dark-cave-adventure/
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Hi – we have met – but I am also meeting lots of new bloggers! I think I hate the noise of earthquakes almost more than the shaking. These latest ones were far away, and whilst I was woken by the first one, which was closest to land, my husband and cat slept through it.
Thanks for commenting!
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And because I don’t take earthquakes lightly, I’m thrilled that you and your family (I hope) are okay post-shake-up.
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Yikes on the earthquake….I live in the PNW (washington state) so I’m familiar with earthquakes…we are a few hours away from the coast though but live only about 45 minutes from Mt. St. Helens, and a little further from other inactive volcanos….A few earthquakes we’ve barely felt, others we felt more significantly. That cinnamon bun looks so good.
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Luckily these quakes were out at sea, but were a reminder of living on the Ring of Fire! The bun was good.
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