Each day I write down three good things that have happened that day. It could be sunshine when sunshine was not expected, enjoying the flavour of a juicy plum, finishing a book (or starting a new book), Pilates, lunch with a friend or even just being at home and watching something on Netflix at the end of a busy day. There is always something that is a small pleasure even on bad days. These were some of mine this week.
And so to food, and as regular readers know, – cooking, eating, reading about it. From the heady smell of fresh tomatoes to the bright green of feijoas to that first crunch of a lunchtime bánh mì there is always something to grab the senses. For a working at home lunch on Friday, there was witloof, gently browned on a cast iron skillet, and topped with walnuts, ewe milk cheese, hummus, ajvar and a little parsley for some more green. In the shopping basket this week was a big bag of spinach, green beans, courgettes, mushrooms, ginger, green chilli, limes, apples for a cake (to be featured on Wednesday) and a piece of goat camembert for a treat. There was also a bag of split peas for the first autumnal soup later in the week.
A small pleasure on a Sunday morning is reading other bloggers posts on the Six on Saturday gardening theme and the coffee share posts hosted by Natalie the Explorer. There is always something interesting, something new. I’ve also been enjoying a couple of comedies on BBC Radio Sounds the new Conversations from a Long Marriage and the old The Small Intricate Life of Gerald C Potter which still makes me smile.
Another thing that brought a smile to my face was seeing this gorgeous kākā ripping apart this tree in our garden. One of three native parrots, it is an endangered species, though thanks to conservation efforts, the bird can now be seen in lots of parts of Wellington, and we frequently get them visiting our little space.
So that is me for the first Monday in April. What were your small pleasures this week? Here are some other blog posts from a few fellow bloggers looking at the good things in life.
- Carol Ann of Fashioned for Joy enjoys (I hope!) substitute teaching and shares a lovely picture of a hummingbird.
- Ju Lyn at Touring my Backyard contemplates some amazing tigers.
- Natalie the Explorer tells us how she enjoyed March.
- Anne over at Something Over Tea has lots of native birds in her garden.
- Jo at And Anyways has a wonderful trip and wonderful food.
- Deb’s World’s looks back at a month of blogging.
- Laurie at Notes from the Hinterland says goodbye to winter and gets on with finishing her next book.
- Share a coffee with Trent over at Trent’s World.
- There is Monday motivation from Popsicle Society
- Celebrating gorse and lighter days is Scribble and Scran.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. 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 too have enjoyed Conversations from a Long Marriage … it reminds me of some of our conversations on long trips 🙂
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🙂 You are so right!
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What a lovely practice to write down three good things that happened each day. The journals are lovely and I’m sure enrich the practice, as does the reminder to find joy in the ordinary. Yes!
As always, I’m awestruck by your cooking prowess. And today, amazed by the parrot. Glad to hear about its recovery and its visit to your garden! (And thanks for the mention – I am indeed enjoying substitute teaching!)
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Sometimes it is harder to find three things than others…but even just listening to our little black cat snoring can make me smile. I enjoy cooking and spending time in the kitchen, a small pleasure in fact!
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I love the image of listening to your black cat snoring, and how serene and calming that might be. And with your love of cooking, I imagine the small pleasures are as close as your spice rack!
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There are such great, positive reminders in this post. Sometimes all that we really do need is “a bright afternoon to dream things into being.” That is my goal for today!
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Hope you had a great day, dreaming things into being!
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Good to see a Kaka in your garden, they are very illusive, we only saw on our trip to New Zealand.
I liked your working from home lunch, if only we had a chef here to give us interesting meals all the time…. I’m going to try a bit harder, as we have a new kitchen. (after 25 years!) The Asko cooktop and oven make a big difference.
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We are lucky to see lots of kaka where we are, being not too far from Zealandia. Hope you get into the kitchen and try something new.
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Excellent idea of writing three things! And your garden is beautiful ❤️ well shared thanks 😊👍
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Thanks for stopping by!
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It’s my pleasure 🙂🙂 stay blessed 🤗🥰❤️
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Thank you for my dose of small pleasures this morning – it is a good way to start my day.
You have access to such unusual produce – I looked up feijoas … how do you use yours?
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You can eat feijoas just as they are – cut in half and scoop out with a spoon. I have made a chutney with them and apples a couple of times, or you can add to apples in a crumble or add to a cake. Quite versatile.
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Sounds so exciting! Do they taste anything like kiwis?
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No…not as sharp..almost perfumed?
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