We are now well into the second half of the year and one wonders where the days have gone. Maybe it is because I spent a few weeks in a moon boot, maybe it is just being busy, but 2025 is flying by. Anyway, it is still winter here and there have been a couple of frosty mornings this week – below you can see some crispy herbs in the garden on Saturday at 8am. It does look rather pretty, if rather cold. The little white daffodils are still looking good at least (see featured above) and I have a tub full of crocus to enjoy as well.
Lunches and bread
On Wednesday, I had lunch with a friend at August Eatery. They always do excellent soup, so I opted for this week’s offering with Jerusalem artichoke, chicken, cavolo nero and barley. I was not disappointed and it came with a lovely chunk of sour dough bread. My friend had a salad with all sorts of good things in it and a good portion too. On Friday, I stopped off at cafe/bar Tipple in the Nook and sat with my book, a coffee, and rather good beef salad sandwich for a pleasant work lunch break. I picked up some Danish rye bread on Wednesday that I have been enjoying the past few days – it tastes like the ‘real thing’!
In the shopping basket
The Wonky Box delivered up a pumpkin, onions, parsnips, carrots, red skin potatoes, another head of broccoli (which was not at all fresh), yams (oca) and turnips/neeps/swede. I added a couple of yellow tamarilos, a bag of lentils, tins of tomatoes and chickpeas, chicken mince, coffee, some pasta, a tube of tomato puree and some good cheddar (some of which went into pumpkin and cheese scones – more of those on Wednesday).
Going out and staying in
On Saturday evening, a friend and I went to the latest evening of dance from the Royal New Zealand Ballet. The triple bill offered up two new works along with one choreographed by Australian Stephen Baynes for the Hong Kong Ballet in 2008. This work, The Way Alone, opened the evening, a lovely lyrical work performed to music by Tchaikovsky. This was a charming piece and a good opener. This was followed by one of the new works of the evening, and my favourite, Chrysalis created by Sean James Kelly to music by Philip Glass and with costumes by Rory WIlliam Docherty. The piece had the theme of self-discovery and relationships, and was beautifully crafted, with excellent uses of the costumes which symbolised the transformations. The third piece Home, Land and Sea, was choreographed by Moss Te Uruangi Patterson to music by Shayne P Carter, and also featured dancers from the contemporary company The New Zealand Dance Company. This was my least favourite piece of the evening – it just went on too long.
At home, we have been watching a French drama set on Tahiti on TV5Monde (which we now have access too) Tahiti PK.o, the hilarious third series of BBC comedy Here We Go Again, and more The Marlow Murder Club as well as Masterchef Australia.
Simple things
- Looking at Furry Friday in Stuff (A NZ news site that everyone in the country looks at regardless)
- Eating some good food on Thursday evening at Rosella Wine Bar (more details here).
- Enjoying those moments to just sit down and read.
- Realising that our short break to Sydney is just around the corner.
- Catching up with friends.
- Buying and enjoying a bunch of tulips
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 featured in the weekend coffee share hosted by Natalie.
- Anne of Something Over Tea sees kudu again.
- Natalie shares red squares from Sicily.
- Travels Through My Lens shares memories of Mount St Helens erupting.
- Meanwhile Fred shares beans, cosmos and his gorgeous cat in the garden.
- Lisa has a busy week over at Southern Patches but manages to make bread.
- The Glasgow Gallivanter remembers a not very good climbing expedition.
- Enjoy a coffee and a catch up over at Trent’s.
- The Travel Sketcher has a wonderful week in The Pearl.
- Deb of Deb’s World listened to the top 100 Australian songs.
- Mr Tootlepedal goes for a pedal, makes some purchases and shows us more beauty from the garden.
- And Ilze in Latvia goes for a late night walk.
- There is a jewel garden in Cornwall to enjoy.
- Sue offers us a weekly boost.
- And…Jo gets up to John O’Groats.
- ..…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.
Thistles and Kiwis 
A series of delightful events and good food! We are experiencing a particularly cold spell; a farmer I met in the supermarket queue this morning assured me that the cold is essential to “kill the goggas (insects)” in the soil before the planting season begins 🙂
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Yes a pretty good week! I guess the cold is good for the crops then 🙂
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Sounds like a good week; particularly with seeing a ballet performance. My daughter danced for many years, so I’m partial to ballet. Thanks as always, for sharing my recent blog post!
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It was and I love going to the ballet. My friend and I have a season ticket for the RNZB. Always fun to share others’ posts!
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The white daffs are very pretty as is the frosted sage (?) and that soup looks delicious. I must try using kale and beans next time I make a chicken soup. Thanks for the link up!
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Yes – frosted sage. The soup was very good – that cafe does really good soups.
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Lentils are a staple in our house, and I’ve been making spiced lentils for summer lentil bowls. Too hot for soup right now. Plenty of time for soup in the fall.
Will be looking up the shows that you listed.
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I do enjoy lentil soup – I have a spiced one and one with mushrooms.
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Thanks for linking, though I fear my experience was not small, a pleasure, or one of the good things in life! It’s been fun remembering though and getting other people’s opinions.
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No…judging by your tales it was not a fun experience!
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I am a great believer in shorter works of performance art. It is not often that I come out from a ballet or concert saying, “Oh I wish that that had gone on longer.”
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🙂
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Hi, Barbara – The days truly have been zooming past. I am always glad to read in your posts when it is ‘still winter’ there….which means ‘still summer’ here. We should have one more dependable month of summer…and hopefully a mild autumn. Fingers crossed! ❤
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Yes hope you continue with good weather..especially with a visitor from Australia popping by!
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I am in agreement with you that this year is passing by fast! Too fast. My mind is stuck in June somewhere in June.
Sounds exciting that you have an upcoming trip to Sydney soon.
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Tomorrow is 1 August…!!
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Great variety in the wonky box and in your delightful week. Keep warm. Trying to catch the sun here. ☀️
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I was in Auckland this week and it poured with rain….and the next day was fine. That time of year…
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Yes, we’re having much the same weather here too.
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Winter sounds so strange, when it is warm here 🙂 How exciting to have spring to look forward too! All the veggies in your box looks wonderful. Such great small pleasures.
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Our winters never get very cold at least, and there are already many signs of spring. Thanks for stopping by!
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I love seeing the winter in your posts 🙂 – hearty food and frostbite! Thank you for mentioning me in the post.
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Thank you!
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How lovely Barbara! I adore those tulips too. Thanks for the mention, we’re off on our travels in under 10 days now, so I feel like I’ve been trading water lately.
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Tulips are one of my favourites….will only be 9 days now?!
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Sounds like a very good week. The daffodils and tulips look lovely. Thank you for the mention and for your weekend coffee share.
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It wasn’t a bad week!
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Beautiful flowers and the soup looks really good. I hope your foot has healed completely by now.
#weekendcoffeeshare
-Soma
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Thank you! Hopefully last visit to the physio today.
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You’ve certainly been enjoying some good food! I’m also happy you’ve been able to read and spend time with friends.
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Yes we have!
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All the food in your boxes look yummy, and so much color. That soup looks amazing too. I can start to feel summer winding down…mornings and evenings here are cooler.
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