Words on Wednesday

Thistles and Kiwis,

It was a lovely sunny day on Sunday, so we hopped in the car and drove over the Remutaka Hills to the Waiarapa. The sun was shining, the sky was blue and it really almost felt like summer.

We stopped first in Featherston for lunch at Brac & Bow, found inside The Royal Hotel. I know this has featured in the blog before, as it is a favourite of ours. I had the Buffalo Mozzarella Flatbread with rocket, pecorino, fresh pear, onion jam and prosciutto, while Karl had the chicken burger. I also had a sneaky glass of rose from local Margrain vineyard. The restaurant is called after the two dogs you can see pictured on the wall, who belonged to the previous owners.

We then drove to Martinborough for a stroll around in the warm. spring sunshine. Below you can see Karl strolling through the park in the centre of the town, and one of the buildings around the square, which I believe is now a wine tasting venue and shop.

There are quite a few lovely shops to spend time in browsing. One of my favourites is Mint, a lovely little homeware shop. I picked up a lovely wooden serving spoon, that reminded me of one I saw in Sweden last year, and a small teak butter knife (see below).

We also popped into the lovely little deli, The Grocer, which I always like to visit when we are in Martinborough. This time I picked up some goat camembert and tomato relish and a bag to put them in. We also got some local wine from one of the wine shops in town. Just a short day out, but lovely to get out of the city.

Also entered in Wednesday Words and Whimsy hosted by hosted by Min of Write of the Middle.

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

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Published by Thistles and Kiwis

Loves summer, sunshine and cats. Beginner gardener, likes eating, cooking and reading about food

40 Comments

  2. I love the notion of Wednesday words and Whimsy. Right up my alley, that’s for sure.

    Looks as though you had a perfect outing. That wooden spoon seems as though it would be just the thing for soups.

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  3. What a delightful place to visit, Barbara. It reminds me a little of the shops at Mt Tambourine which Min has written about this week. I’ve been trying to get into a weekly outing for Mike and I to explore areas not far from Brisbane. Since joining Probus we’ve had a lovely outing to the Bay area and Mike and I did the Scenic Rim the week before. So far, so good. Have a lovely week. Sue xx #TeamWWWhimsy

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  10. This sounds like a really nice day out! I love browsing in small shops like that. And obviously, as a Swede, I love wooden spoons! They’re essential for baking!

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  22. What a wonderful day out. Just a smal change of scenery can do wonders for one’s spirit. When I feel like a day trip I usually go to one of the small towns?villages around lake Siljan: Rättvik, Tällberg or Mora. If I crave a slightly longer trip I get up early and drive to Särna and Fulufjället. I think day trips and shorter 2-3 day trips are my favourites now. I used to LOVE longer trips when I was younger, not so much now. Perhaps I love the comforts of my home too much. I always enjoy your photos and seeing some of New Zeeland, a place I have never visited.

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