One thing that has not been a small pleasure this week has been the weather. On Friday, it rained, there were gale force winds and it was really cold. I stayed in and worked from home and watched the weather from the study window. There were floods, slips, cancelled ferries and flights, and Martinborough, that has featured many times on the blog, was cut off. Wild weather indeed. You can read more here if you are interested, including a heartwarming story about a bird. Below is the rain viewed from the shelter while waiting for my bus to work on Thursday morning.
But are there signs of spring?
We haven’t even got through winter yet, but a warm start to the season has seen things popping up that you might not expect to see, such as these daffodils at the end of our street.
On the table, in the basket
On Wednesday I had lunch at one of my favourite places, Bond Street Deli, enjoying one of their excellent tuna mayo burgers, always over flowing with filling. We needed a quick lunch on Saturday before going to the cinema, so popped into New Zealand chain Burger Fuel. The cardboard on the left is the trade marked ‘doofer’ that folds into a very neat holder for your burger.
In the Wonky Box this week was a little bag of potatoes that we enjoyed with sausages from our local butcher on Friday (luckily we had gone shopping on Thursday), parsnips, broccoli, onions, yams (oca). a bag of spinach and a lettuce (not shown), Brussels sprouts (also enjoyed on Friday) and an extra bags of limes. I topped this up with apples, mushrooms and tamarillos, pork mince, chicken and bread for Sunday breakfast.
Out and about
The French Film Festival is on at the moment, and while we missed part of it, and were otherwise occupied last weekend, we managed to catch two films this year. On Saturday, we went to see Case 137 (Dossier 137), an excellent film I highly recommend. During the gilet jaunes demonstrations in Paris, a young man is badly injured after being shot. Stéphanie Bertrand, an investigator with the anti-corruption unit is tasked with determining responsibility. The case becomes more personal when she finds out the young man is from her home town. While nothing initially points to police misconduct, and officers refusing to talk, Stéphanie discovers a highly incriminating clip of film shot by an hotel chambermaid. I won’t give too much away, but the scene with Stéphanie and her superior at the end of the film is stunning, highlighting the all too human side of the investigation. A film that stays with you after viewing.
On Sunday we went to see a very different film. The Musicians. A wealthy heiress is determined to honour her late industrialist father’s final wish: unite four priceless Stradivarius instruments for a recital of a new composition by his favourite living composer, to be live-streamed for music lovers. With just six days to rehearse, a quartet is assembled, but of course the musicians are at odds and have problems working together. The composer is brought in to rehearse the quartet, adding a fifth person to the dynamics. There are some expected moments in the film: one of the violins gets damages, one of the musicians has an accident, there is a power cut and so on, but it was an enjoyable comedy of manners.
Simple things
- Digging out all the cosy sweaters.
- Breakfasting on good bread, cream cheese and persimmon.
- Finally adjusting back to our normal routine.
- Knowing that the shortest day has now gone by.
- Booking an event at Wellington on a Plate in August.
- Staying indoors and drinking tea during wild weather.
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. Alex Keerie
- Carol Ann shares her wonderful weekly delights.
- And it was so good to see Alex of Scribble and Scran back on Substack.
- Fred’s garden may be suffering in the heat, but there are still many lovely things to see.
- While Jo takes us to Combarro.
- Meanwhile Travels Through My Lens takes us to Kotor in Montenegro.
- Natalie continues on her Great Beaver Quest and hears some live music.
- And The Travel Sketcher reports from Paris.
- Mr Tootlepedal is making a recovery and enjoying some visiting musicians.
- While Ilze shows us a beautiful yellow peony.
- And Maria finds the first poppies.
- Neal is silent on Sunday.
- And Laurie has an enchanting evening.
- Ju-Lyn is slowing down…
- And Jo of Story Crumbs is back home.
- The Glasgow Gallivanter walks to the saltpans in Gozo.
- Finally….Mr Platypus shares a great picture of a windmill.
- ..…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 and good food. Thistles and Kiwis can be found on Facebook and Instagram @thistlesandkiwis
Thistles and Kiwis 
Whatever else fails, you can rely on the food, Barbara. Have a good week and thanks for the link xx
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Yes! Maybe too much comfort eating!
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I love that mug featured!! Have a good week ahead.
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It is fun isn’t it? Thanks for stopping by.
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Wild weather indeed! The view from the bus shelter looks positively dismal. The first signs of spring must be very welcome. Thanks as always, for linking my blog post.
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The weather has not been fun, but it is winter I keep telling myself. The daffodils are lovely to see.
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Your weather have been crazy on the other end of the spectrum, compared to our heat wave. Reading your post it seem to me that you still manage to have a very good week, great meals, movies, and some daffodils 🙂
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Yes our weather has been winter crazy instead of summer crazy. It was a good week despite the weather.
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Wonderful to hear how you created a good week without letting the weather discourage you.
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How lovely to see some early daffodils!
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I know! And even better, they weren’t battered by the wind the other day. They are in a nice sheltered spot.
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Love your Moomin’ mug – still have not ordered mine but have not seen your design . . . We are raining and cool all week but the shortest day is behind us and mine is relatively OK from 7am – roughly 5pm. Your fruit and veg look good . . .
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We have almost too many Moomin mugs…but can you have too many?
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That certainly is a lot of rain. We’ve had unusually foggy mornings well into midday! At least the good food and coffee offers some comfort. ☕️ Have a good week.
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It has been a terrible week weather wise but today it looks as if the sun will shine.
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I can see why you might want to be back in Europe! But it has been a tad too hot. As always your food looks divine.
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At least it looks like today will be sunny. And yes it might have been just a little too hot in parts of Europe.
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Phew, what a storm! From your description, it sounds like a tempest. Both movies sound good. I will add them to my TBW list.
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It just seemed to go on and on. Think you would really like Case 137.
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wild weather does indeed create a need for drinking tea, reading, and contemplating in my books. We’ve had unseasonable rain during our Winter but not wild weather. Hope it settles down for you. I always enjoy reading your posts. Pauline (Happy retirees Kitchen)
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The weather has been much better the past couple of days – we even had sunshine today.
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Your tea mug puts a smile on my face!
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Small pleasures do add up, don’t they?
P.S. I sincerely appreciate your blog, Barbara. Just wanted to let you know why I recently took you out of the notification loop. My email inbox fills up with nearly 1,000 notices every day, so I have to limit it to notifications from those who visit regularly. Good to see you back again, and thank you for being understanding!
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Case 137 sounds like a movie I’d enjoy. I hope the weather improves for you. We’re having a heat wave over here this week. Thank you for the mention and for your weekend coffee share.
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It was a really good film – highly recommended. The weather has improved this week at least.
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You’ve had lots of lovely things going on to enjoy now you’re home again. I hope the weather improves. It’s a glorious 20 degrees here today – perfect mid winter weather.
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I’m glad to say the weather improved a lot this week, with some nice sunny winter days.
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The weather has been wild here, too. Earlier in the week, the thunder woke me. It was loud, and the house shook. It turns out the thunder clap was coupled with a tree coming down in the storm. Just wild.
Great coffee post. Thank you for sharing.
If you get a chance to stop by, here is my Weekend Coffee Share link: The Writer’s Café Journal – Brewing Coffee, Twisting Words & Breaking Pencils
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Thank you! Things calmed down a lot last week, but it is winter so we can’t expect too much.
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Wow, the weather’s been rather bad indeed! That being said, I loved those daffodils, even though I seem to read from your post that it’s not normal for them to be in bloom in mid-winter where you are. A cup of tea in front of the window sounds like one of those small pleasures that I’d be especially thankful for on a stormy day. Have a nice week ahead.
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Yes we have had some wild winter weather. Our seasons seem a bit topsy turvy right now. Thanks for stopping by!
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The food looks yummy! I’ve never seen a French film but those sound really good.
Thanks so much for sharing with Sweet Tea & Friends this month dear friend. I’m so happy you’re here.
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Thank you for stopping by and for your welcome too.
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Sometimes I long for wild rainy weather just to force me to focus on snuggly indoor things, including good bread for breakfast. (The storms sounded bad, though.) I’m glad you found warm sweaters, daffodils and a Moomin mug to cheer you! Thanks, also, for mentioning my blog. 😊
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I keep saying ‘it is winter’ but it doesn’t really help (especially with signs of spring around…). We love all our Moomin mugs. I always enjoy your blog so happy to mention it.
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