What weather we had today! Heavy rain, wind and even thunder at one point this morning. Today’s autumnal blasts have been a reminder of the change of season. Darker mornings, cooler evenings and cosy sofa days are all ahead for us in the southern hemisphere. Time to plan some nice things for the season ahead!
I am also feeling a bit under the weather, starting with a sore throat on Thursday and developing into a cold. This of course could not come at a worse time as you can imagine, with our move coming up. Ah well…at least it meant working at home today and keeping out of the bad weather.

In the basket
There was an excellent selection in this week’s Wonky Box – a lettuce, courgettes (zucchini), a cucumber, tomatoes, a bunch of baby carrots, garlic, a leek and a large head of broccoli. I supplemented it with a couple more grapefruit, pears, full sized carrots, capsicum, new season kumara and (not shown) a punnet of raspberries for Sunday’s dessert.
What’s for lunch?
On Tuesday I just felt like a crunchy baguette, and this one filled with lettuce, ham and mustard from The French Baker‘s Wellington shop hit the spot. The pigeons in Midland Park seemed to think it looked good too. I met a friend for lunch on Wwednesday, and we both enjoyed the mushrooms on toast, topped with tomato and cheese at Urban. My Sunday lunch was a semmel roll from Arobake filled with salad and ham, with a couple of tomatoes and a few crisps on the side (and yes some of them are purple), and today was the joy of sardines on toast.




Simple things
- Taking bags of things to the charity shop – more clearing out happening!
- Meeting up online with book club friends (theme – a book with a long title).
- Seeing the sunshine – all be it briefly – after the rain today.
- Cooking some good things (more on that on Wednesday).
- Enjoying reading blog posts from all over the globe.
- Eating a lovely rhubarb tart for Saturday’s dessert from Arobake.

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.
- Green Dreams takes more steps towards her green dreams.
- And Natalie shares her 5 Favourites from February.
- Laurie over at Notes from the Hinterland discusses the weather and climate change.
- Boondock Ramblings shares her weekly Sunday bookends.
- Mr Tootlepedal has a partial spring in his step over at Tootlepedal’s Blog.
- Anne of Something Over Tea spots a spider and an ant….
- Deb’s World was thriving in February.
- Share a morning coffee with Lisa of Southern Patches.
- Sue over at Women Living Well After 50 is taking part in the Mindful March Challenge.
- Meanwhile Donna over at Retirement Reflections has a two part what’s been your calendar post which was great fun.
- Jo wraps up February over at And Anyways…
- Trent shares some excellent coffee in New Hampshire.
- Ju Lyn of Touring My Backyard celebrates the changing seasons.
- .…and all the other lovely bloggers out there. Sorry if I have missed anyone…..
Thistles and Kiwis is a Wellington, New Zealand based blog written by Barbara, who likes cats, summer, good food and pretends to garden.
You can find Thistles and Kiwis on Facebook, and also on Instagram @thistlesandkiwis. If you want to get in touch, email me on lofgren@thistlesandkiwis.com


I’m sorry you weren’t feeling well Barbara and hope you are soon back fighting fit again. The Rhubarb tart looks yummy. I think your diary and planner are from Kikki K?? I have something similar and yes, I’m a planner too. It is still hot and sticky up here in Queensland. We have broken the record for the most number of nights above average and it looks set to continue. Have a lovely week. xx
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The notebook is Kikki K but the diary is from Emma Kate https://emmakateco.com
Your weather sounds a bit grim – I mean, we long for hot weather but not the way you describe it! Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. Enjoy your week!
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Hope you feel better soon Barbara, not good timing for you at all! That rhubarb tart looks the business I must say – YUM!!!
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Thanks – yes not good timing at all! At least the sun is shining and we did enjoy that rhubarb tart!
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all that food looks so good! Hope you are feeling better soon. https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
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Thanks Sherry!
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Great heading photo…what a stormy day! I always like all your tempting veggies, and the rhubarb tart looks delicious, one of my favourites! I hope you feel better soon, and a silver lining is working from home.
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The weather was quite something yesterday, at least back to sunshine today. The rhubarb tart was good and yes it was nice to work at home on a stormy day.
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A punnet of raspberries = great taste and a new word for me! Sorry you aren’t feeling well.
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Punnet – such an ordinary word for me – what would you say?
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Likely a pail as that’s what I pick raspberries in.
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What a great title photo you have taken, it really looks as if you were in for plenty of rain, thunder and lightning!
Hope you get better soon, and good to be able to work from home.
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Thanks! The weather was quite something yesterday – but today the sun is out.
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I hope you’re feeling better soon! We had sunny and 60 degree (f) temps yesterday and it felt wonderful to get out and hike and not need my winter coat– definitely a highlight of my week.
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Hope that dratted cold soon goes away. No matter how much cleaning and sorting we do, it seems there is always more. Enjoy those cozy days of autumn, my favorite season. As always, thank you for the mention.
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I am still feeling under the weather but not quite as bad I think. At least we got rid of a lot of stuff at the last move.
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The food shots are making me hungry!
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With all those healthy fruit and veg you eat hopefully you’ll soon be over your cold. Rhubarb tart! Wow…
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Hopefully! Think I am just a bit stressed about moving too… The rhubarb tart was excellent.
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Soon be here and gone, but yes… stressful.
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Hi, Barbara – Thank you for the shoutout and the kind words. My online book club discussion is tonight (our 3rd of 3 discussions on Tale of Two Cities). Sending warm, healing vibes your way!
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Enjoy your book club meeting! And thanks for your wishes.
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Sardines on toast are always a treat but that rhubarb tart really caught my eye.
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I agree re sardines on toast!
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Wonderful assortment of simple pleasures! Mine were the back-to-back 70-degree days we enjoyed in early March!
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Hope you’re feeling better – and you still managed to eat well and clear things for the charity shop! You are amazing! Hope the autumn winds bring better weather for you soon.
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Thank you! I did spend Sunday on the sofa though…. and today the sun is shining!
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I am so sorry to hear you are under the weather. I started to be bothered by a sore throat on Thursday as well, and I’ve been at home since then. I can’t really say that I am much better. It is nice to be able to rest at home though. I’m going to stay at home one more day, but on Thursday I really need to go to work. I feel som bad for my colleagues staying at home from work.
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Hope you are feeling better! Today I actually feel I have turned a corner….
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Nice Post!!
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