Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
It’s been a busy weekend here of ‘spring cleaning’ in Wellington, New Zealand. The children have been busy playing with their neighbourhood friends, leaving hubby and I with plenty of time to sort out, declutter, get the garden ready for summer and so on and so on… however, it hasn’t all been work and no…
Sunday morning in Martinborough, the wine growing hub of the Wairarapa, hot air balloons filled the blue sky, as part of the ‘Wairarapa Balloon Festival‘. We were lying in bed when we heard a loud, ‘WHOOSH’ of air, and sprang up from our beds – momentarily stunned – before our brains registered what the sound…
A beautiful sunset, on a summer’s evening, in Island Bay, Wellington and our Sophie takes the plunge, as two kayakers glide past the island. Our dog, Cocoa, watching on, but didn’t follow her lead. Hubby paddled into shore, on his stand up paddle board, and our youngest, Alice, ran around in the shallows, skipping over…
Oh my, what a day of weather! In Wellington, today, it was almost possible to forget it was winter altogether. The sun shone gloriously and the calm air let the warmth shine through, without the usual wind chill factor bringing it down. The tide was super high and the waves rolling in, from far out…
Sunshine smiles in California. This is me looking happy on a good day. A day before we started to try and integrate two, of our three, children into a new school, in a new country. A day after getting a lovely new vehicle to cruise around town in – a sunshine red VW Convertible. A…
To my dear husband, A special photo I took today. A moment in time. The marking of a new chapter in our lives. We are going to have an amazing time here, I am sure of it, especially once we are properly settled. We are so fortunate to have been blessed with wonderful childhoods in…
It’s been just over a week since we landed in L.A. We are settling in, doing all the usual necessities of any new expat; setting up bank accounts, getting ourselves some wheels, getting to know the money, the shops, the food and become accustomed to the climate (which, as we already anticipated, is very favourable)….
She naps, I read, her older sisters are happily playing. For a moment I enjoy the still. No one asking when breakfast, lunch or dinner is ready. No one asking where socks are or how to work some technological gadget. A voice inside tells me to ‘relax’ and enjoy this moment. After weeks of preparing…
They play so easily, these two friends. Ideas roll, with fluid simplicity. They talk in a language of their own. Perfectly balanced, like a well crafted bridge. Let’s hope the ocean, that now divides them – Is to them but a stream, to step over. In their imaginations, they can be – Free to fly,…
In less than three weeks we fly away from our home of some fifteen years, New Zealand, to start an adventure living in Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Our new adventure may be for just a year, three years, or possibly more. In this past week we flew up to Auckland, from our home in Wellington,…
I enjoyed a beautiful run as the sun set over the Cook Strait, between New Zealand’s north and south island. It was a perfect winter’s evening, with just enough of a breeze to support me in finding my breath and driving my step. It was the kind of evening that cannot be passed by without…
Winter here in New Zealand and the colours at twilight are often my favourite. It is when I feel closest to family on the other side of the world, basking in a well over-due heat wave. As the light leaves our sky I know it is stirring in their sky. I love the sun, not…
It’s been a blustery few days and I’ve been caught up in life, children and de-cluttering in preparation for our big move, but today I knew a run was definitely needed; especially after a little over-indulgence of champagne the night before – in the grand company of my neighbour… we sneaked out to watch ‘The…