Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
Maroon 5 played repeatedly in the car of our VW Convertible, as we whizzed along the highways of southern California, soaking up the rays and enjoying the sunshine beaches. The year was 2013 and whilst our New Zealand friends, in Wellington, were battling the wild winds of winter, we were basking in an endless summer….
This was the scene into the second kilometre of the half marathon I ran on Sunday morning – The 5 Bridges Half Marathon, organised by Capital Multisports. It was a beautiful winter’s morning, with a fairly gentle northerly to contend with for the first 10 kilometres (I was just grateful it didn’t start gusting any…
Wellington is known for its wind and it’s something that I have a love / hate relationship with. It can make me feel alive and refreshed, or knocked down and eroded like a well worn cliff-face. It takes stamina to live in Wellington and a mental strength that I don’t always have. Before we had…
After an amazing fortnight in Singapore we flew back to New Zealand last Sunday, bracing ourselves for the cold. We had an overnight stay in the comfortable Novetel Hotel at Auckland International Airport, before flying down to Wellington on Monday afternoon (just in time for the northerly to turn to a howling southerly and give us…
There has been colour from afar, by way of gifts and cards, and colour near to me, by way of nature, food and art. There has been colour in my children’s creations and in the candles, lit to warm the dark. I have been spoiled with loving gifts and thoughts this week, in celebrating my…
My first thought, as I walked into the entrance of the St James Theatre in Wellington, was, ‘Wow! All these umbrellas are gorgeous, but they wouldn’t last five minutes outdoors in Wellington for real!’. Thankfully, there were no gusts blowing into the concourse of the St James Theatre for the performance of Singin’ in the Rain, showing…
After twelve years of being a very full-time stay at home Mummy (including three and a half years homeschooling my middle daughter, whilst caring for my third born from home all her first five years, and fifteen months living in the USA, where all three daughters were homeschooled) I am now the very proud (and…
Our 11 year old daughter has been awesome in supporting her 9 year old sister settling into a new school this week. Friends, family and regular readers will know that our 9 year old daughter has been homeschooled these past three years, due to school anxiety; but having made a lot of progress in overcoming…
I can’t say I run because I love it, but I run because I need it. I need how it makes me feel. I love the calm and mental clarity I feel after a run. I love the feeling of elation and satisfaction that I get from setting myself a goal and accomplishing it. I…
The Spruce Goose, in Lyall Bay is a relatively short stroll from our home. Since returning back in Wellington we’ve had this restaurant, cafe and bar, on our list of ‘must do as soon as possible’! I was lucky to have a lunch date with a wonderful friend (who writes wonderful poetry, amongst other things,…
We’ve enjoyed some wonderful moments at the beach in Santa Barbara this week. I often head out for a run when hubby gets home from work, finishing up on the beach, where he then meets me with our daughters. Our youngest two are joining in with a children’s sand race at Ventura Beach soon, as…
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…
This will be my last blog-post from here for a while. We only have eleven sleeps before we fly to the USA, from our wonderful home in Wellington, New Zealand. I will set up a new blog when we are settled over there, and keep this one to look back on (maybe come back to…
I haven’t joined in with this linky in a while, but today the sun is smiling and there’s a hint of spring in the air here in Wellington, New Zealand. The rumbles and shakes from the earthquakes over the weekend seem to be subsiding (touch wood!) and it’s a day for smiling (despite the thought…