I’m writing this on return from seven wonderful nights away on the Kapiti Coast. The sleepy beach side settlement of Te Horo welcomed us with rural tranquility and bird song. For seven nights we forgot about work, school and house-keeping and focused on making every moment about spending quality time together. Time was the biggest…
Category: Holidays
Loving a full house this summer!
It’s been just over a week since Grandma & Granddad flew into Wellington to join in our crazy family life for six weeks. We are so loving them being here and extremely grateful to them for making the long journey and being so ‘hands on’ with their grandchildren and the mess, noise and chaos that…
The Gallery: Travel
From ever since I can remember I wanted to travel. When I was a girl my dear father would spend half the year working overseas – in stints of a fortnight in Germany, a week in Norway, a few weeks in France or the United States of America. I only have happy memories of those…
The Gallery: Green – A visit to a Nikau Reserve
Beautiful nikau palms growing in a safe reserve on the Kapiti coast. The nikau is very slow-growing. Research conducted in lowland forests near Auckland found it takes 40-50 years to begin to form a trunk and about 200 years to reach 10 metres tall (ref. DoC). These beautiful palms, with rich green fronds and brightly coloured…
Things I’m Loving: This long Easter weekend…
Loving the most INCREDIBLE sunsets on the stunning Kapiti Coast. Loving that so much pleasure can be drawn from NATURAL toys – pebbles, driftwood, flowers in the sand dunes. LOVING playing in the surf, a stone’s throw (literally) from the beach house we’re staying in. Loving the CREATIVITY that springs forth when time permits. This…
The Gallery: My Blog
It’s what I do when my children sleep. It’s what I think about, whilst I wash their clothes – scrub paint off walls, and food off the floor. It makes me focus on the magic. I want my children to look back one day, in awe at the precious childhood they had. I also want…
A Perfect Birthday
Autumn sunset on the Kapiti Coast, star gazing, from the beach house, driftwood bonfire & guitar strumming, children dancing & baby (mostly!) sleeping. Mama sipping champagne, & eating Belgian chocolates, Tending to her youngest, stirring in happy dreams. Daddy ever patient, being bossed about. Master of the party, torch in hand he tries – to…
You know it’s the school holidays when the weather does this…
It’s that time of year when the weather toys with us and we flit from board games and bagels to ice-creams and boules at the speed of a flying frisbee in a southerly gale. Last night the chest of board games was dusted off, hardly touched since last winter. Charlotte and Sophie reveled in the…
The Gallery – Shapes from Stoneridge Cafe & Maze
Whilst on holiday in Nelson we visited the wonderful Stoneridge Cafe & Maze. The cafe is set in a beautiful villa, with tranquil gardens and expansive grounds for the children to run freely on. A special highlight for young and old is the well-maintained hedge maze. We set off with Chinese Granddad in tow. Grandma…
Things We’re Loving… Chinese Grandma & Granddad
Having Grandparents to stay is wonderful for the children. The first week was ‘getting to know you’ and from then on in we’ve been having lots of fun. It was especially nice to kick off our time together with a wonderful holiday in Nelson and Marlborough (after they’d had a few days to recover from…
The Gallery – Children: A Holiday Special
Three generations Father and son reunited, for a special holiday together, after nearly four years of living on opposite sides of the world. The bond never breaks, but grows stronger yet with a new granddaughter to get to know. Grandparents and grandchildren reunited Stories and laughter, days out and late nights, treats and sweets. The…
Nature at its best in the Marlborough Sounds
The dolphins leaped out of the swell around our boat, turning on their sides to examine us. Their white under-bellies were clear to see as they rolled in the water to get a good look at us. These bottle-nosed dolphins were just as curious about us as we were with them. The energy on-board was…
Mother Nature gives us a sand whipping in Abel Tasman (The Gallery)
We walked with determined, weary legs, head-first into the wind. The sand whipped our exposed skin and scratched our eyes. The scenery was picture perfect (if we were brave enough to open our eyes and look). Laden down with bags of towels, togs and beach toys, we trudged along hoping to catch a boat out….
Too good to blog… but couldn’t resist a ‘quick one’!
The days are long, the nights hot (don’t get too excited – sticky children limpet style in bed rather than honeymoon style passion), the views are breathtaking, the beaches plentiful and quiet, the cafes and eateries plentiful, uniquely special, child-friendly and relaxed. We are half way through a wonderful, much anticipated and awaited holiday. When…