Sophie asked me for pancakes for breakfast, again. She’s been asking for days. I keep making promises. I keep breaking them. Oops! But today, I pulled out my wooden spoon and whipped up some batter and fulfilled an overdue promise. It wasn’t till mid-morning I discovered it was actually Shrove Tuesday today! I found a…
Category: Charlotte
Things I’m Loving: Nature abound
It has been a week of celebrating the beauty of nature. ♥ Loved learning of New Zealand’s native trees and the amazing variety of different trees the world over. ♥ Loved identifying different tree species in our garden at home and in Wellington’s Botanical Garden with Sophie and Alice. Sophie worked so enthusiastically and wrote…
Do what you love, one day a week: Paddle boarding!
After my last attempt, in less than calm waters and with a few adrenaline pumping wipe-outs, I went out on the board again this week. It was beautifully calm in Lyall Bay on Sunday. Barely a ripple of a wave broke on the shore. I found my feet quickly and plunged the paddle deeply into…
LOVING that school’s out for summer!
The long summer break is before us with hopefully lots of beach days and sunshine. We’ve had a busy last week or so, what with Charlotte’s wonderful dance show taking up all last weekend, a carol service and a prize giving evening at the Town Hall on Thursday evening. There have been Birthday parties galore…
Things I’m Loving in between the anxiety
It’s been a tough week seeing my Sophie suffering so much with anxiety at going to school. Tears before bed. Sobbing as I help her into her uniform and into the car. She’s only been two days this week. She does have a good day, when she’s there, but has great difficulty leaving the comfort…
Things I’m Loving… Perspective
I have a weakness, I know I am not alone. I find it hard to disconnect from my children’s woes. I sometimes see them teary eyed and behaving out of sorts. I try to say the things I ought and guide them the best I can. Sometimes it pains me to say what I have…
Air – Inspiration Weekly
The house was quiet and the time all mine, ‘Go for a run,’ he said, but there was no time. The vacuum blasted hot air in my face, The air in the room, muggy and moist, A barometer swinging to rain. I could feel the pressure in the air move – my muscles pumped the…
Expressions on a Wednesday at the Strawberry Fair
We went to the Strawberry Fair, where red balloons floated in the air. We feasted on strawberries red, drizzled with cream. And watched the QM College girls sing like a dream. Alice danced, and clapped, along to the songs – dressed in a vision of strawberry red, with a Christmas tree, towering, over her head….
Life: Inspiration Weekly
In this moment I am fortunate to be living in the season of life – Spring. My home is surrounded by plants, trees, flowers and vegetables. They grow easily in the temperate climate of my home. I have children running around my home, reminding me of the energy of life. Less than two years ago…
T is for Touch & Team [The Gallery]
She ran onto the sports field, without giving me a second glance, focused on reaching her team mates. The wind was howling and my voice, calling out, ‘Good luck!’ was lost. I sat, sheltered from the wind in the car, watching her petite figure running to the far end of the field. I wanted to…
Apple bobbing Halloween in the southern hemisphere
Our Bright Light Party did the trick in welcoming the sunshine and giving us a hint of summer to shortly come. Apple bobbing is a whole lot of fun when the weather is warm enough to do it in the garden like this…. Sophie enthusiastically got bobbing too, with great results! And Happy Halloween 2011…
Counting down to the RWC 2011 Final!
With minutes to go till the RWC 2011 Final I’ve been reflecting on the impact of the rugby on our household. Today we wrote our support in the sand, willing the All Blacks to succeed in tonight’s final game. Tonight I sit quietly, watching. Sophie lies on a camp bed in the lounge. Alice is…
A new start is rarely all smooth going
This week has been one of change and adjustment. Sophie joined Charlotte at school. I stepped up a gear with morning school preparations and post school fall out. Alice adapted to moving at her own pace with a little more ‘down time’ during the day. Charlotte enthusiastically embraced the start of term 4 whilst supporting…
The SHAPE of Death: Lyrical Sunday
My daughter Charlotte challenged me to use ‘shapes’ as inspiration for Lyrical Sunday this week. I’m linking up here (where she’s written a fun Haiku). If you’d like to join in too then please do! My poem is also a Haiku and I’ve met the challenge of using ‘shapes’ to inspire me, but my poem is…