My beautiful, free spirited, energetic, bright young Sophie. I love you with all my heart, as I do Charlotte and Alice. You probably won’t understand the depth of my love for you until you are much, much older. But a parent will do anything for their child’s happiness. When you started school at the beginning […]
Sarah
Underground
My skin in rubber I entered the cave. I waded through water, thinking, ‘Be Brave’. The air without motion, no day or night. I would have felt terrified without a light. Our confident guide led us on with wit, His office had no chairs in which to sit. Instead, I positioned my derriere In a […]
Coming out from Underground: Friendships in real-life, Facebook & blogland
I’ve been hiding away for a while. Energy to even think about scheduling time to see friends, let alone do it, has escaped me. I am so grateful for patient, caring friends. I’m also so thankful to friends I’ve made through blogging, who send me uplifting messages first thing in the morning, late at night […]
A day out of the house makes a difference
Yesterday I cleaned a lot (with a brief late afternoon escape to our local zoo). Today I had fun (except for a morning appointment to see the doctor for a warrant of fitness – but even that was plain sailing). The sun shone. The wind didn’t hamper my every step. Nature played ball (and threw in a real […]
So grateful for our ‘Little Zoo’ with a big heart
Wellington Zoo is a little zoo, so don’t expect grand scale exhibits, enclosures and a train to whizz you from one stop to the next. Come expecting to be welcomed to a zoo where the keepers, staff and volunteers are enthusiastic, friendly, caring and conservationists through and through. Come wearing comfortable walking shoes – this […]
Spring cleaning weather & a guitar concert
The recent unpredictable weather in Wellington is perfectly normal for this time of year. One day hail, the next blue sky and sunshine. A morning of torrential rain and battering winds, followed by an afternoon of serenity. It’s the kind of weather that demands a flexible wardrobe (and preferably a back-pack, buggy or car filled […]
A long road ahead
I didn’t make an active choice to ‘do’ extended breastfeeding… I just never used bottles and it was so easy to peacefully feed baby to sleep (tut, tut, no, no!), comfort baby (and then toddler), nurse my child through teething with breastfeeding (did you know sucking releases endorphins – the body’s natural painkillers?). My children […]
Thing’s I’m Loving…
It’s been full on lately, as I wrote in this post, but of course there is always much to love. This Saturday morning, with the sun streaming through the window, I feel so much happier. It’s the weekend. The sounds of a happy family fill the house. Sophie has baked a chocolate cake (in the […]
Children bring out our best & show us our worst
In the before children days a long, stressful stretch in the office was quickly remedied with a few drinks, a long lie in or a weekend away in the bush. Now life is a little different… Endless sleep deprivation. No chance of a lie in (in fact after eight years I’m not sure I know […]
The Gallery – A Happy Memory
For the first time in three years we were reunited in August 2007 when Dan and I took Charlotte (then 4) and Sophie (18 months) to the UK for a visit. We holidayed in the Lake District and took the girls to London. We laughed so much as we talked of the memories, oh so […]
There was a little green fairy in the garden today
Running barefoot, in the grass, a fairy frolicked in my garden today. She stopped to pick some lavender and then hurried on her way. Dressed in green, she blended in, a magic figure of spring. I noticed her stop and rest a while, and wondered what magic she’d bring. I looked at where she’d sat […]
Flying the flag Friday as RWC 2011 kicks off!
Wellington is adrift with flags (it always is…), but never before has it seen SO MANY flags. There is Rugby World Cup bunting hanging from every shop and cafe (in fact the RWC bunting has now sold out, so enthusiastically have Kiwis been hanging it!), giant flags fly along every street and shop windows are […]
Loving saying, ‘Goodbye winter and hello spring!’
Last night we sat around the table, adorned with daffodils and lush ferns, sipping a hearty homemade vegetable soup, to bid farewell to the last day of winter. ♥ The bright joy and hope daffodils bring. ♥ Ferns, so lush and green. My favourite plant to hide under, like a fairy, seeking shade from the […]
Exceptional, enabling, ever ready…
It’s all about ‘E’ on the home-schooling front this week. Whilst Sophie’s busy drawing extraordinary elephants, and exploring the earth with Alice, I am focusing on enhancing my energy levels to ensure I am enabled to entertain, educate and endure. How? Coffee (note the LONG ‘e’ sound there)… There’s nothing better than grinding up fresh […]