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| This is the view behind our house |
It has been
a gorgeous spring day today, with the sun being quite warm when out of the
wind.
I bought my
usual groceries this morning and thought it would be interesting to see where
they came from, what their country of origin was.
An average week of groceries for myself
All of my
items, except four, were manufactured or grown in New Zealand. The four exceptions were canned salmon (from
Alaska), canned pineapple (from the Philippines), Lady Grey teabags (from
England), and condensed milk (from Spain).
I expected the first three, but not the one from Spain.
The non-NZ sourced items
I also
treated myself to a magazine, the September/October issue of ‘NZ Life &
Leisure.’ I have not had this magazine
before but it looks interesting and I intend to sit and read some of it this
afternoon.
My mother
used to always buy at least one magazine a week, for perusing and doing the
crossword puzzles, and it has occurred to me that perhaps I should begin doing
the same.
One of the magazine articles I am looking forward to reading
I wonder, does
anyone these days buy a magazine on a regular basis?
Until next
time,
Margaret 😊
That sounds so odd for the condensed milk to come from Spain! Totally surprises me. I bought a couple quilt magazines back in the winter...the first and only ones I have bought in ages and ages.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised as well, especially as we are known to be a nation of dairy cows (and sheep).
DeleteI subscribe to National Review and Consumer Reports and get several magazines with my memberships in several groups, like Defenders of Wildlife. I rarely buy magazines in stores, but do once in a while. I think you have a good idea to treat yourself to a magazine that strikes your fancy.
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a regular magazine for a while now but always enjoy NZ Life and Leisure when it is in a Waiting Room.
ReplyDeleteCrazy with the milk! We in Northern Germany often get milk from South Germany.
ReplyDeleteWe do have loads of cows here!!! Buy local, huh.
I just bought a magazine called "Time-out", "Auszeit", it´s about courage this month. Surprisingly for women and written by men, mostly, but good. I´ll have a look at it next month, also.
Let´s enjoy!
I'm surprised about the condensed milk too. NZ has so many milk products.
ReplyDeleteI used to buy a magazine every two weeks. An English one which our local shop always carried. Then the economic crisis kicked in and I haven't bought one since. I live magazines. Always tell my visitors to buy one to read on the plane and then leave with me
Glad to see you like a Lady Grey...me too! What a surprise about the condensed milk bill have to check where mine comes from. I often read magazines but I use an app on my iPad and get free magazines through my local library by putting in my library number. B x
ReplyDeleteWhen I lived in Napier (and I accept that it might be different in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch) what struck me was that food was generally (apart from oranges etc which came from the US all year round) was eaten in season and was New Zealand grown. Of course that didn't apply to a lot of packaged foods but it contrasts very strongly with even a remote place like the Isle of Lewis where 'fresh' food is available all year round from all over the world. As for milk from Spain when New Zealand has so much is a bit weird. Perhaps the processing factory just wouldn't be worth it.
ReplyDeleteI was surprised that all my fresh produce was nationally sourced as we used to import a lot, especially from Australia and China. Perhaps it is a positive spin-off from Covid that local producers are now supplying the local market.
DeleteWho would have guesses SPain for the condensed milk!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a very interesting magazine to look at with a cuppa in the garden.
I used to buy hobby magazines each month, but they are not cheap, so now I get a gardening one in summer months, and a craft one on a rare occasion. They always look so full of promise and then not be as good as I wanted.
ReplyDeleteI knew Nestle are big in Europe, but I didn't realize that Highlander (which has been around at least since we were kids) was now Spanish. If you dig deeper you might even find that the milk in it is not Spanish but transported from somewhere else (possibly in some semi-processed form) in Europe to be processed in this factory. The way foodstuffs move around processing plants in Europe is both mind-boggling and worrying as it has been used in the past (and possibly continues to be) to hide the origins of some very dodgy practices. You really don't know what you are eating (or where it originated) in highly processed foods in the European Union. The food industry might be highly regulated but that doesn't mean all the regulations are adhered to.
ReplyDeleteThe label states it is "made in Spain" from fresh milk, sugar, and milk solids. It would not surprise me in the least if the milk came from some source other than Spain (shock, horror, perhaps even imported from NZ!).
DeleteWho would have thought that condensed cow came from Spain??? - that is such a well known brand that I would have thought was local... one lives and learns!
ReplyDeleteI did buy a magazine regularly at one point, just for the reading, but got bored with it after several years - I do buy stamping/card making magazines fairly regularly, but have had to discipline myself a bit as I have loads of stuff from them that I have not used yet!!
Stay safe
Blessings
Maxine
I've heard of people who have huge collections of magazines - I don't want to become one of them, so I guess I would have to be disciplined as well and make sure I pass them on :)
DeleteHello Margaret
ReplyDeleteI've started reading your very interesting blog as I also follow Chris at Dietcokerocks. I live in the Scottish Highlands but my sister has lived in Nelson for many years, and oldest daughter is currently living and working there. We've made a few visits over the past few years and love NZ ! Seems you have a fair bit of Scottish ancestry ? I'm still reading older posts and enjoy your writing. Kind regards
Jane G
Welcome Jane :)
DeleteYes, a lot of my ancestry is Scottish, but I have never visited there. I have family living in the Nelson area and always enjoy going to see them as it is such a lovely place. How wonderful that your sister and daughter are living there :)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see where your food products come from. I am sure the salmon in Alaska is the best. Are there tea plantations in England? I have an Audubon magazine mailed and hubby has several environmental magazines sent to him. Take care, enjoy your day!
I didn't think tea grew in England so went Google searching to find out and it looks like Twinings source most of their tea from India - and produce their products mostly in China and Poland!!!
DeleteI have not bought a magazine in years. As you say the condensed milk from Spain is a bit of a surprise. I am curious what you use condensed milk for anyway.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes used to use it for baked goods, but nowadays it is mostly made up into a 1950s-style salad dressing using vinegar and mustard - a jar will keep for weeks in the fridge.
DeleteI still buy magazines. I enjoy curling up with one. It is a totally different experience to reading articles online.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people read magazines, books, etc. online, but I am not one of them - you can't curl up with a screen!
DeleteHello Margaret,
ReplyDeleteI have family who emigrated to NZ in 1913, unfortunately one couple did not have any children and the other couple only had one and she did not have any children, so know extended family there. My cousin did visit many years ago and cousin Joan from NZ visited us a couple of times. NZ is on my bucket list. Originally I'm from the UK but live in PA, USA. Interesting reading of your Blog. Christine
Welcome Christine :)
DeleteI hope one day you will be able to tick that visit off your bucket list - I am sure you would love it here :)
That sure is a giant Leek dear Margaret! We don;t have them that big here haha. Plus the canned goodies you shared are all my favorite, special mention on the Condensed Milk! We eat that as is with Bread (SO GOOD!) and that Magazine clipping is so inspiring of a beautiful garden make-up. Sending you hugs dearest Margaret :)
ReplyDeleteI've never tried condensed milk on bread LOL and I better not or might start to like it too much! :)
DeleteI love magazines for air travel. Guess I won’t be seeing magazines any time soon.
ReplyDeleteGuess not Marie. Hopefully one day soon we will be able to fly freely around the world again.
DeleteI rarely ever buy a magazine but I do read and reread my old ones. With gardening magazines it doesn't matter if they're a few years old. Same with food related or decorating. I do spend a fair amount of time on Pinterest and in a way that serves as my 'entertainment'.
ReplyDeleteI'm surprised about the milk too. I've hardly bought a magazine since Princess Diana was hunted down by the paparazzi in the 1990s. There might have been the odd one for a specific reason but the usual ones are filled with so much rubbish. The really good ones are so expensive so I've just never bothered. I do read them at the hairdresser though :)
ReplyDeleteThe Earl Grey tea was labelled as from England, but I bet it wasn't grown there!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of cans of condensed milk on the shelf.... I use it for making Scottish Tablet.
Interesting - I'll have to check our groceries next week and see where everything came from! I do buy magazines when I'm in the US for the summer, but magazines in English are just too expensive here in Saudi Arabia. I enjoy women's magazines and home decor.
ReplyDelete