This weeks small pleasures #469

Here we are on Monday evening. The working day is over, dinner has been eaten (pasta with courgettes and a big tomato salad with burrata) and it is time to finish this blog post and catch up whatever series we are watching at the moment. Yesterday was the second Sunday in Advent, so we lit candle number two as you can see in the featured image at the top of the post.

I spotted these beautiful roses next to the bus stop the other day, and a bee enjoying a feast. There are two big bushes, just full of gorgeous flowers at the moment. Makes waiting for the bus almost a small pleasure!

In the basket

There was no Wonky Box this week – partly as we have lots of social things coming up this week. We got a bunch of beautiful radishes, fennel, asparagus, spring onions, lemons, burrata, bocconcini, some lumpfish roe (for Christmas Eve), tuna, blueberries and raspberries as well as a bag of rocket and venison burgers for a quick but tasty dinner next week. I got beef mince for a chilli and some lovely tarakihi (a fish) from our local butcher, who always has fresh fish on Fridays.

On Sunday we popped into our local deli to get a gift to take to our neighbour, and also picked up coffee beans, these German Christmas lebkuchen because I can’t remember when I last had one, a jar of anchovies and these other anchovies in chilli oil which will be interesting to try, and a couple of avocados from the supermarket.

Staying in

There is a lot of gorgeous produce about right now, and I made a salad based on one in Peter Gordon’s Savour with broad beans, radishes, asparagus and lettuce along with dill and a good dresssing. Much needed healthy eating at this time of year! We’ve been watching the oil rig drama Rig 45 which also gives me language practice in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian 🙂 We also watched more of The Hack and the Australian political drama Total Control.

Going out

Both our calendars are really filling up with things for the festive season. On Tuesday we headed over to Noble Rot Wine Bar to a special invitation only event to celebrate their 10th anniversary and their acquisition of a local wine importer. There was proper champagne on arrival, and the tasting of various wines along with some fantastic canapés (think beef tartar in a pastry shell for example). We returned there for dinner on Thursday which you can read about here.

After Pilates on Wednesday, I headed over to collect an order from the ever lovely shop, Small Acorns and had lunch next door at one of my favourite cafés, Squirrel. I had one of their chicken sandwiches and a pot of tea which was just the thing I wanted.

On Saturday, I moved my Pilates class to an earlier time so that a friend and I could go to the cinema to see The Royal Ballet’s La Fille Mal Gardée. I think it is great that we get access to seeing one of the top ballet companies in the world on film, especially to see one of Frederick Ashton’s most famous works. I loved it – such a fun ballet (and yes I have seen it on stage).

Quite a different event was Thorndon Fair, which is held on the first Sunday in December each year, and is partly a fund raiser for one of the local primary schools and parly a Christmas fair with stalls, food and music. It was a bit grey when we set out, but not cold, and the sun came out while we were there. I can’t believe there were people wearing winter jackets but you know, some people see grey skies and assume it is cold. Anyway, we grabbed some good sandwiches from a newly opened café, and I picked up some spices, cracker bread (plain and chocolate), a set of three pull on tops for bowls etc (I don’t know what to call them…look like little shower caps but you put them on bowls) and this ceramic flower to put in the garden.

Simple things

• Enjoying bacon rolls for a Sunday breakfast treat.
• Feasting on some wonderful home made stollen and Austrian biscuits at our neighbour’s on Sunday afternoon – and don’t forget the rumkuglen!
• Having lunch and a gossip with a friend on Monday.
• Realising that there are only two weeks to the holidays…..am I counting the days? Yes I am!
• Getting another book from subscription service Bookety Book Books with a surprise bar of Whittaker’s Gisborne Orange and Hazelnut chocolate in the packet- yum!
• Meeting Mrs Duck and her three babies (one was hiding for the photo) at the bus stop on Saturday. I saw them walking back to safety and the stream nearby.

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 entered in the weekend coffee share hosted by Natalie.

• Travels Through My Lens goes on some vacation rambles.
• Meanwhile, Platypus Man of Now I’m Over 64 goes to London…
• And The Travel Sketcher eats well, sketches and visits La Conner.
• Fred in France finds a little gnome in one of his indoor plants, and signs of raspberries outside.
• It is a bit of a dreich day over at Mr Tootlepedal’s blog.
• And the Glasgow Gallivanter goes, well gallivanting in Glasgow and also London.
• Anne of Something Over Tea  spies a fly.
• Deb shares some Sunday Stills and what brings her peace.
• Maria of Green Dreams is silent on Sunday.
• Melissa of Under the Elderberry Tree has snow! And coffee.
• While Natalie finds a library at Schiphol Airport.
• Still Reslessjo takes us to Thursday Doors in Medina.
• And finally…the most delicious sounding biscuits can be found made by Jo over at Brookford Kitchen Diaries.
• ..…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.