The junior school field was a sea of clover in the summer. I was at that magical age of seven when everything seems possible and the world full of intrigue and mystery. I’d heard about the legendary four-leaf clover and with a sea of clover under my bare-feet I couldn’t resist the thought that one…
Category: Random Musings
Snapshots from the Pennine Way
My sister is nearing the end of her fortnight walking the Pennine Way (see earlier posts here and here) and I have been thinking so much of her as she strides out each day, whilst I sit in the night time of the Southern Hemisphere feeding Alice. The updates from my Dad have been greatly…
Dancing through the generations
The music feels like a switch flicking on my body. Limbs move with ease to the rhythm, heart feels full with the mood of the melody and mind is clear of all thought. Shoulders back, tummy in, toes pointed with practiced precision. Face and body expressing a story without words. I reach out with graceful…
Because
She left the breakfast dishes with guilty abandonement. She knew she had an hour, if she was lucky. She wasn’t really dressed warm enough, but baby Alice was already strapped to her chest, so she grabbed a blanket and wrapped it snug around them both. ‘Exercise and fresh air; both high on the list of…
Changing the way we read – iPad
Dan’s life is I.T. It’s what brings home the bacon and makes his brain tick to a contented tune. When a new gadget comes out on the market I know it is only a matter of time before one crosses the threshold of our home. My first reaction is usually, ‘Not another gadget’ and I…
A short week to get back in the groove
Thanks to Monday being a public holiday in honour of the Queen’s Official Birthday, we’ve had a short week to get back in the groove after our action-packed holiday. Our flight back was a breeze, with Alice sleeping throughout, Sophie enjoying a window seat and Charlotte wowing a fellow passenger with Daddy’s iPad! We left…
Airport musings
When Dan flew into Wellington, on Friday lunchtime, Sophie, Alice and I were there to greet him. He’d only been away a couple of nights, but anyone watching the greeting he got would have guessed at weeks. Sophie threw her arms around him and Alice squealed with delight. Airports fill us all with emotion and…
Sack of potatoes: A father’s love
The magic relationship of a father and his daughters. They adore him, worship him, seek his approval and search out his praise. He is their play thing, their most loved toy. He riles them up and they passionately love it. He throws them in the air, hangs them upside down and struggles to say, ‘No,’…
Bullying at 7?!
Aren’t these supposed to be the golden years of innocence for our children? My daughter is coming home from school with murmurs of bullying. She’s not yet 7, but many of the children in her class are. I talk with other parents and hear of the talk of ‘gangs’ and one girl ‘firing’ other children…
Every day has its highs and lows…
but when the lows are met with humour and acceptance, rather than resistance and annoyance, they are much easier to deal with and quickly forgotten. I have a saying that is frequently used in our home, ‘It’s in the past, put it behind you and move on’. I use this a lot when the children…
Then and Now
Taking my shower on Saturday morning, enjoying ten minutes of ‘me’ time, I found myself reflecting on how at this stage of my life I am more inspired and pleased for friends when they shout from the roof-tops that they’ve done a 5 km run or joined a gym, than stories of downing shots over…
Ugg Ugg
Warm, autumn sunshine continues to grace us this week and my twinkle toes are still happily feeling the air in a trusty pair of jandals. But it shan’t be long before I’m swapping my jandals for something warmer and my wonderful hubbie gave me permission to treat myself to a pair of Ugg boots. So…
The long awaited post baby bounce!
This afternoon I had the liberating experience of bouncing on the trampoline after nearly a year of saying, ‘Sorry, I can’t…’. The first few bounces caught my pelvic floor muscles (or lack there of) by surprise and I had to make a mad dash to the bathroom (Note to self – must do more pelvic…
A Jewel in the Crown: Queen Sally’s Diamond Deli
Lyall Bay hasn’t been quite the same since the devastating fire at the Maranui Cafe and surf life-saving club (reopening in 2010). Thankfully Havana coffee, wholesome food, jams and quality ice-cream is back in the bay with Queen Sally’s Diamond Deli, owned by the Maranui crew. The side-walk deli on Queen’s Drive, with European style…