This week’s small pleasures #411

Thistles and Kiwis

Today is Labour Day in New Zealand and a public holiday. It was a hard week, work wise (just think of two full days of Teams meetings to start…) and so the long weekend was much needed and appreciated. I also took Friday off as I had to work on Wednesday, so I have had an extra long weekend. The weather though has been very mixed, with lots of rain on Saturday and most of today, but sunny moments too, that allowed me to enjoy the viburnum below and the rhododendron at the top of the post.

Dinner out

On Thursday, to help the transition into the long weekend, we headed down to Daisy’s in Thorndon for dinner. There is always some lovely sourdough bread with olive oil served to start, and then we shared their fabulous paua wontons and crisps with onion dip (a kiwi classic, though this one is a little bit more than reduced cream and onion soup powder!). Karl had one of their excellent steaks, and I had pasta with a lamb ragu, topped with a generous amount of parmesan. We also shared some asparagus. The food as always was very good, but a bit sad to find we were the only two people eating.

In the basket

The Wonky Box delivered shallots, some small kumara, a head of broccoli, some caulilini (which I think looks so pretty and which I roasted for dinner on Saturday) and a bunch of choy sum. There was also this fantastic bunch of watercress, which I will use in a salad with oranges, and no avocados. I am really going to have to get creative this week, and what with a fair bit still in the fridge from last week, will be really focussed on how to use things.

I topped this up with some chocolate from The Wellington Chocolate Factory, which will probably last us until Christmas, strawberries, apples, oranges, the first of the green beans, some still slightly expensive tomatoes and a bunch of purple asparagus. For the pantry, there was a tin of chickpeas, some sauerkraut, feta and parmesan, as well as eggs and a bag of potatoes.

Out and about

On Saturday evening, a friend and I went to see the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s production of Midsummer Night’s Dream. I have seen this production several times, and never tire of it. The costumes and scenery are quite magical, and Liam Scarlett’s choreography makes wonderful use of Mendelssohn’ score. We were lucky to see Mayu Tanigaito as Titania, Laurynas Vėjalis as Oberon and Kihiro Kusukami as Puck.

The British and Irish Film Festival is on just now, and on Sunday we headed out to see High and Low – John Galliano, a documentary about the fashion designer’s rise and fall and rehabilitation. A clearly hugely talented designer, he was plagued by alcohol and prescription drug abuse, and mental health issues. It was a really interesting film.

Simple things

  • Enjoying an extra long weekend.
  • Making tea, reading a book, and keeping out of the rain.
  • Sipping an ice cold ginger beer at the cinema. I hadn’t had one in ages.
  • Having leisurely breakfasts on days off.
  • Listening to podcasts – Dorie Greenspan on The Splendid Table and an episode from Backlisted on The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (thanks for that recommendation Laurie!).
  • Discussing life with our local ducks and getting good advice.

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. Also added to the weekend coffee share hosted by Natalie.

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

42 Comments

  4. I am glad the ducks gave you some sound advice 🙂 🙂 Our weather is very toopsy-turvy at the moment. I have just returned from the supermarket: fresh vegetables tend to be expensive while we are between seasons.

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  8. How awesome that you got to enjoy an extra long weekend! That sounds wonderful. The wonky box looks tempting as usual and so does the chocolate! I got my kids chocolate advent calendars (and my daughter is also going to get one from National Geographic with gemstones.) I love that we are approaching the Christmas season, mostly due to the excitement of the Christmas spirit and all the delicious traditions.

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  10. Hi, Barb – You know that I now skip ahead to see if you had any avocados in your basket. With the spoiler accomplished, I went back to the rest of your post. Man, did it ever make me hungry! Beautiful photos again as well!

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  11. It sounds like a wonderful long weekend and just what you needed. I love all of the flowers. Most of ours are gone now and replaced with some beautiful leaves. That sourdough bread looks great!!! Have a wonderful week!!!

    Liked by 1 person

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  13. we must have the same ducks here in australia. I always feel so sad for restaurants with so few customers. you just know they can’t survive for long. So many places are shutting down or going bankrupt (with my money – grrrr)… Booktopia!! have a good week.

    cheers

    sherry https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/

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  14. You have had a very full week. Barb. I love watching the ducks at the lake. At the moment there are a huge amount of families, and I usually sit and watch for a while after my walk. It’s very peaceful and calming. It’s very sad that there were only a couple of people at the restaurant. I think it’s a sign of the times at the moment. I’m sure restaurant owners are suffering badly. As a previous cafe owner, I know that you need to have a good size crowd in to even break even. Hopefully things will improve soon. Great food photos as usual.

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  16. Thanks for joining us for Min’s #WWWhimsy linkup Barbara. I always enjoy reading about your small pleasures and the way you share the work of others – very supportive!

    Debbie #Teamwwwhimsy

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  17. What a great week, despite the rain. (Flowers and good food are appealing consolations.) The bunch of watercress looks amazing. I recently ate some cooked in a Korean Hot Pot. I loved it. And we are a big fan of roasting cauliflower — and, frankly, most vegetables. You have good options.

    I also love your beautiful writing about the ballet. I enjoyed your account very much. (And it’s a good antidote to two full days on Teams . . . I don’t miss a minute of that!)

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  19. Hi Barbara, isn’t it lovely when you can have an extra long weekend? Your feature flower is just stunning and the colour is so vibrant. Is that an azalea??? I always enjoy your small pleasures which all add up don’t they? I do love the ballet but alas haven’t been for some time. I must book some tickets for next year. Thanks so much for sharing and linking up with us at #WWWhimsy. Have a lovely week. Sue L #TeamWWWhimsy xx

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  22. I love rhododendrons and viburnum in spring time. Looks like you had a great weekend with good food and entertainment. Thank you for your weekend coffee share.

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  23. I’m always a week late commenting…the days just speed by and then the next Friday is upon me and I’m like “shoot, I didn’t go comment”..ugh.

    You can’t beat sourdough and olive oil..yum. Sounds like you had a great week. I love ginger beer. I made some homemade gingerale once that turned out really good. THe Splendid Table sounds interesting. I’m hoping to get a post up for this week before I head out of town. If that doesn’t happen, I’m not sure i’ll get one up this week.

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