It’s normally at this time of year, in New Zealand, that I’m rugged up with a Pinot Noir, glaring at a flickering candle and wishing I was somewhere warmer. There’s a certain romanticism of tucking up and hunkering down for winter – but it wears off pretty quickly (unless of course there’s a ton of […]
Author: BritMumInNZ
The Photo Gallery | Breathe
1. She stops her splashing, to stare at the life she’s saved from the water. There on her fingers, the lady bird clings, resting for a while, before taking flight. Then she exhales, aware of her breathing, and the miracle of life. 2. ‘Look! There’s a rabbit!’ she wants to shout, but muffles her voice with her hand – […]
A beautiful weekend in Monterey
We drove into Monterey on Friday evening, after a stunning drive along the Pacific Coast Highway from San Francisco. If time had permitted we would have stopped a while to enjoy the many picturesque, sandy bays. Some of the bays were carved deeply into high cliffs, with difficult access making them even more appealing to […]
San Francisco’s Pier 39 & our 15th Wedding Anniversary
With three children a visit to San Francisco’s Pier 39 wasn’t something we could skip on. We’d been to San Francisco before and the attractions on the pier were quite the highlight of their last visit. The moment we told them we were accompanying Daddy, on another business trip to San Francisco, they were amped […]
Catching some air in San Francisco!
The children discovered there was a ‘House of Air‘, in an old airplane hanger, in Crissy Field Park, San Francisco… Our first visit was in the evening, when the older girls could play an exciting game of ball tag on a dozen trampolines, but our youngest had missed out on the younger children’s bounce session, […]
Memorial Day in San Francisco
San Francisco is a beautiful city and all the more so basked in sunshine, as it was on Memorial Day. Its hilly landscape is very reminiscent of Wellington, our New Zealand home (all be it on a much larger scale!). There was a welcome familiarity to driving up and down roads at 45 degree angles.The […]
Magic Sunday visiting Santa Cruz
After driving up from Santa Barbara to Santa Cruz on Saturday evening, we woke on Sunday morning ready for some fun at the beautifully set Santa Cruz Boardwalk. We spent a morning enjoying the sunshine, rides and thrills of the fun-fair. Couldn’t believe Miss 4 wanted to go on the Haunted House ride! She spotted […]
Some days…
There are days when the sun shines, but no part of it shines in me, There are days when my heart aches, and my head fights to make it see – This feeling inside is nonsense, though it seems to control me. I run, even though I don’t feel like running, turning off the voices […]
Things I’m Loving
A few gems I’ve loved this week… ⤠Watching my daughters and dear ‘hubbie’, on a Sunday avo at a local school field, being active, having fun and keeping fit together (and eating pizza together al fresco). ⤠An afternoon visit to the marina and maritime museum in Santa Barbara with my three daughters. ⤠[…]
Prose for Thought | ‘Bring it On’ – a parody of ‘Let it Go’ from Frozen, for a friend turning forty x
The time moves forward on the hourglass tonight – Not a frown line to be seen. A kingdom of inspiration, and it looks like you’re the Queen. The date is here now, on the winding path of life – Cannot hold it back; Heaven knows I’ve tried! So bring it on! Open the door! Be […]
The Photo Gallery | One Word – Metamorphosis
‘One Word’ is this week’s theme over on ‘The Photo Gallery‘ at Sticky Fingers blog and I’m going with ‘Metamorphosis’, after a magical visit to the recently opened ‘Butterflies Alive!’ exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. I visited on with my youngest daughter, age four. She entered the magical world of the […]
Magic Moments – Family fun in Solvang
It was one of those Sundays that just ‘worked’. The only pre-planned event was my first ever morning yoga class on the beach (bliss). After I returned from my yoga class, feeling very zen and at one with Universe (carrying Blenders smoothies with a supplement of bee pollen for everyone in the family), everything else […]
Things I’m Loving – whilst I can’t run – WINE :)
It’s International Sauvignon Blanc Day in New Zealand – 16 May – and whilst I sit here sipping a local Napa Valley, Californian white, I came across this beautiful little video about the Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc wines (a fav spot of the hubbie and I – and the sweet spot where he proposed to me […]
The Photo Gallery | Theme of the week ‘Up Close and Personal’
It’s scorching in southern California and this British Mamma & her Kiwi born daughters are seeking out ways to cool down (especially with the air conditioning broken and the temperature inside the house reading over 88°F 31.1°C!). Outside, around the swimming pool (thank the heavens hubbie rented a house with a pool!) it’s in the […]