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 […]
Sarah
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 […]
New Zealand Ads With Heart
Some of my favourite New Zealand ‘ads’ of old which capture the essence of New Zealand… Air New Zealand: Air New Zealand: Speights Beer: Meridian Energy – Wind Ad: New Zealand All Blacks Adidas Commercial: New Zealand Ad Campaign:
Are We Ever Good Enough? Mothers.
We give all that we can give. We love with all our hearts. Living with children in our midst, we are living with angels. Each action we take is reflected back ten-fold. Children are from heaven and we endeavour to respect them and bring them up with love and limits. Does any mother in the […]
Where Do We Go?
I don’t think you believed you were ready, your death has taken me by surprise. Every one says, ‘Ninety two is a marvellous age. It’s best she went so quickly, without having her independence taken from her for years on end.’ I know this is true and you will come to believe this too. But […]
Harvest the Kumara
‘In bygone days, Tohunga Maori (Maori wise men and women) with a special knowledge of the stars spent much time studying the stars. The movement of the nga whetu (the eternal shining ones) followed a seasonal cycle, as did the Earth below, so that their rising and setting marked the progression of the seasons. Certain […]
Family Time
Weekends are so precious. This weekend started out with atrocious weather on Saturday morning, but didn’t stop us from enjoying ourselves. It was great to tuck up and enjoy music and puzzles together. Dan had a game of soccer to ‘look forward to’ (!) at midday, but beforehand we had some fun at ‘Junglerama’. After […]
Saying Goodbye?
She’s 92, she’s had an amazing life, a life of independence and mental vitality. She’s my Grandma. She is in Wales, I am in New Zealand. We’ve written to each other frequently these past ten years that I’ve been away. We’ve enjoyed brief encounters. She’s commented, in wonder, how lucky she is to have seen […]
Wellington Zoo: 100 Year’s Old and Evolving with the Times
Wellington Zoo, the first Zoo in New Zealand, has just celebrated it’s 100th Birthday. Gone are the Chimp’s tea parties and elephant rides, steel cages are slowly being replaced with ‘open enclosures’ and the welfare of the animals and their psychological well-being is put ahead of all else. In the past ten years Family Lee […]
Slowly, but surely, progress at Kindi
A term at afternoon ‘Kindi‘ and Charlotte isn’t yet ready for Mummy to leave the gates, but is almost oblivious to my presence whilst there. The teachers are incredibly supportive and do an amazing job of nurturing the development of so many three year olds (and assuring me that Charlotte will eventually feel confident enough […]
Sunday Fun on Wellington’s Waterfront
A beautiful sunny Sunday in Wellington and the girls were pushing us out the door as soon as our teeth were brushed. First stop, Frank Kitts Park playground (and ice-cream and coffee – the latter for the adults – at 9.00am!). The BIG slide is always a hit with Charlotte (and is as thrilling as […]
Wellington Playgrounds
It wasn’t till I became a parent that I started to hang out, religiously, at all the playgrounds of Wellington (of which there are 102). Every suburb has one and, thanks to awesome renovations by the City Council, the standard is exceptionally high. What’s more the folk at the playgrounds are all so friendly and […]
Birthday Blessings
I just celebrated turning 33 and it was the most wonderful Birthday. No big party or big presents necessary. The biggest gifts, those of love, friendship, kindness and laughter were all bestowed upon me (and a good dose of sunshine). Having my two daughters to celebrate brought back all the memories of my own childhood. […]
Friendships: Old and New
Keeping friendships alive and being open to new ones is something I’ve learned much about since living in New Zealand. Over the past ten years I have had a series of valued and beloved friends. I have a habit of being drawn to people who are destined to be life-time travelers and so, after a […]