Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
Windsor is a short drive from my folks home, in North Hampshire, and a few days after landing in the UK they took us to see Windsor Castle. We didn’t have time to look around the inside of the castle, but young Alice, aged 6, was more than content. She was delighted to have a…
We landed in London on Thursday, after three flights from Wellington, New Zealand, taking some serious flying hours! It’s just Alice and I on this trip, whilst my older two daughters are at home with their Daddy. Alice is such a happy and positive travel companion. We managed to get a good stint of sleep…
It’s officially spring here in New Zealand (meaning lots of gorgeous flowers and lambs, trees in bud and time to get busy in the garden!). Our last few weeks of winter weather in Wellington were actually really kind to us. We have had mostly mild weather, not much rain and the wind hasn’t been so…
This beautiful reserve is such a special place and we feel very fortunate to live close by. As we climb up to the incredible viewpoint, over the Cook Strait, Wellington’s harbour entrance, Lyall Bay, and beyond to the South Island of New Zealand, we always feel like we are miles away from civilisation (when in…
I adore the Kapiti Coast, but don’t often go there enough – even though it’s less than an hour’s drive from where we live in Wellington, New Zealand. When our fabulous dog groomer stopped working at a business in Wellington, to set up her own business – Raumati Stylez Dog Grooming Salon – from her…
There are certain events in history, such as the Olympics, that come as natural markers of time when raising a family. Every four years our television screen beams into our living room inspiring stories of courage, dedication and commitments. Each time our children are four years older and the host city is somewhere new. The…
Upon a hill in Mullumbimby, sitting serenely, overlooking the most incredible scenery, is a crystal castle. At its heart is a story of devotion, hard work, commitment and vision, that started in the 1980s. The land that it sits upon, once stripped bare, is now planted richly, with winding pathways that peacefully lead the visitor…
We’ve been home in Wellington four days, after an amazing fortnight on the East Coast of Australia, staying a week in Byron Bay and a week on the Gold Coast. A highlight of our week in Byron Bay has to include the stunning beaches, such as Tallow Beach (that are great for sand art, cartwheeling and headstands!), and…
I’ve been really enjoying having my youngest daughter around at home a lot more and we have been spending time reading books out loud and drawing, taking bush walks and playing around on the piano, doing head stands and dancing, essentially being in the moment, together, and it’s been wonderful. I think all this ‘play’…
I feel the light pulling me out, from the dark enveloping me, I’m clinging to the dappled rays, focusing on their offer of warmth, as the cold air creeps around me. It’s a battle of light and dark, winter’s steely grasp on my hand, leading me into the tunnel. Bright chinks in the darkness save…
It was such a mild Autumn that I wasn’t prepared for winter and its dark nights. I always struggle when there’s less hours of light in the day to play with. If I don’t get out for a day or two I feel like curling up in bed and not emerging till spring. It’s a…
I’m so glad I made the decision to start my forties with a half marathon, as I haven’t looked back in the past two years – only forward to the next challenge. Thankfully New Zealand has an ever-growing array of organised races to participate in, with various distances and terrain. It’s fast becoming an addiction…
The last weekend in April I jetted up to Rotorua, on an Air New Zealand turboprop jet departing Wellington, for a less than 24 hour whirl-wind trip away. I planned to run the half marathon, after my ambitious plans to run the full marathon fell short, due to not enough training time (family commitments and…
In between the ages, is where I am right now, as they write the pages, that their young lives sow. Their grandparents live a time that treasures every moment – knowing life is no mime, but to live in the present. I sit in between, silently observing, holding tight, with hands keen, hoping for smooth…