Returning home from morning Kindi, with Sophie drifting off to sleep, I had thoughts running through my mind of things to organise for Charlotte’s 4th Birthday tomorrow (and the party on Sunday). I was set on decorating boxes, tidying up the house and making sure Sophie got up to bed for a good nap. Charlotte…
Category: Sarah
When the Sun Shines Get Out and Enjoy!
I grew up hearing these words and they are ingrained in my whole being, so much so that in my old office working days I would feel like a caged animal on a sunny day. In those days Dan and I would live for every weekend and tag our three week’s annual leave onto all…
Winter Solstice Snow
The view across to the Rimutaka Ranges from Te Papa this morning was breathtaking (though my photograph really doesn’t do it justice). Sophie and I enjoyed a lovely morning with our friends Marrisa and Bethany at the museum (Charlotte at morning Kindi now). With the Winter Solstice on Saturday 23 June Sophie thought a little…
Childhood Memories: The Great Outdoors Wins over Technology
In a recent article in The Daily Mail – ‘Modern children miss out on greatest childhood joys: playing outdoors‘, research has shown that our happiest memories of childhood revolve around simple pleasures, such as building sand-castles and flying kites. This probably comes as no surprise to most, but when we look at the time most…
There’s a Kitesurfer at the End of the Rainbow
I remembered my camera today and the heaven’s blessed me with a rainbow! A wicked southerly was blowing at Lyall Bay and the kitesurfers braved the elements to get their thrills. The rain was cold as ice. The wildness of the weather added to the extreme excitement of watching this incredible sport in action. A…
Kite Surfers Getting Close to the Stars this Matariki
It was a wild and windy southerly that greeted us this morning. We were all keyed up to participate in the various Matariki celebrations in Wellington City, but the comforts of home kept us from getting out of the door in time. We stayed put and listened to a ‘Celebrating Matariki CD’, which accompanied a…
Matariki: Happy Maori New Year 2007!
Ma te wheturangi o Matariki, e tiaki mai, e manaaki mai i a koe, i a koutou ranei, mo te tau e taka mai ana. May the gentle light of Matariki guide and inspire you all this year. Traditionally, Maori were keen observers of the night sky, determining from the stars the time and seasons,…
Extended Breastfeeding
In an age when often our first experience of breastfeeding is our own child at the breast, something that’s ‘natural’ isn’t always easy. In the western world we frequently grow up without the first hand opportunity to observe breastfeeding and learn. We don’t tend to walk around with our nipples bared, so the first onslaught…
A Top Day!
Today was perfect. Blue sky, awesome surf at Lyall Bay and everyone got out of bed on the right side. We stopped by Kindi this morning for Dan to mow the lawns (along with a few other Dad’s with ‘man tools’ for a working bee session). The surf at Lyall Bay was stunning and Dan…
Dining Out with Chez Lee
Pizza, potato wedges, excessive chocolate and a splash of fruit for good measure at One Red Dog:
Walks: Before and After
Life is always changing. Before children we’d walk further, faster and higher. That time will come again. Little footsteps will grow and out walk our own. Bodies of energy, enthusiasm and spirits eager to adventure. We used to walk and ponder, on times past and those to come. Always time to stop for a kiss….
Ecological Footprint: How Big is Yours?
Credit: Te Papa This was the question we were met with in Te Papa at the Nature Discovery Centre’s new interactive ‘toy’. Standing on monster-size, interactive, footprints we answered the questions as honestly as possible. The footprints respond to the answers, with green for good ecological behaviour and red for bad. With the wisdom of…
Southern Right Whale (Tohora) Visits Wellington Harbour
Early settlers in Wellington used to complain that the noise of the Southern Right Whale (Tohora) blowing kept them awake at night. Nineteenth Century whaling hit these gentle giants hard and by 1936, when they were protected, they were on the verge of extinction. On the eve of our 8th Wedding Anniversary a Tohora made…
Bloggers Unite at MacKay’s Crossing, Paekakariki
Drawn together at the playground, both with British roots and with no extended family in New Zealand, little did they know how much they had in common. Without a ready supply of babysitters on hand, the Dawes and Lee family spend their evenings affixed to the computer blogging about their lives. Today the blog loving…