Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
JUMP! You make it look effortless to jump A fluid body at ease in the air Feet barely touch down before they fly No fear holds you back, again you fly Your body sailing into the next jump Flipping over like a leaf in the air Smile beaming every time you catch the air Arms…
I’m a great believer in gentle exercise helping to heal the body and a few weeks back, when my ten year old daughter was fighting off a long lingering chesty cough, with a dose of antibiotics, I took her out to explore a Wellington trail we’d not explored before. The walk, located in the hills…
Always a pleasure to end a week by reflecting on the ‘loves’ from the week (especially whilst sipping a delightful Pinot Noir from dear hubbie!). The little things are often what make a good week, such as finishing a good book. This week I’ve been consumed with, ‘The Sisterhood‘, by Helen Bryan. It holds a…
This was the way to start the last year of my thirties – taking a ride in a Gondola over Queenstown with my family. At the top we geared up for a little action… enjoying an absolute blast of a morning riding the Luge carts down the hill… again and again and again! Alice had…
You have to celebrate the good days when your children try their best, because they want to from their hearts, and achieve a great outcome in what they set out to do. There’s so many other days – that aren’t worth storing in the memory banks (even though they leave a torturous feeling on your…
A long weekend gave us time to be together as a family – even if, at times, my mind wasn’t all ‘together’ with it! In my mind there are always people floating around – physically distant from me, but close in my thoughts, that I wish to be together with – for a moment in…
So much to love this week – but then the sunshine and continued light evenings make it very easy! Loved seeing young Alice write the first letter of her name in the sand at beautiful Lyall Bay… Sophie had a fabulous play at the beach with Alice too. I love Sophie’s enthusiasm for the water…
After six wonderful weeks together, my parents flew home to the UK on Tuesday evening. Their visit was particularly poignant, as it might be our last time together – or at least for a long time – in beautiful New Zealand. The man of the house started a new job mid-way through last year and,…
Top of the list, of things to love, has to be having the man of the house home all week – and rolling into half of next week too! It makes such a huge difference having him home and we are having so much fun (and craziness) that comes with having three highly energetic daughters!…
This was the week that started with three daughters at home. A Monday that witnessed mass paper-chain making, faces in plates of icing sugar and a Christmas elephant made out of an old milk-bottle! A Tuesday and Wednesday spent mostly at home, with two daughters (whilst Charlotte enjoyed end of term fun and shared lunches)….
I took a drive, after dropping Charlotte in late to school yesterday (she’s a diligent, hard working student – but is unfairly afflicted with hay-fever). I ended up at the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens in Wellington. I was pretty sure the roses would be in bloom by now (I’ve been away on holiday and only…
It was a trooper of a day in the coolest little capital of Wellington this Wednesday. The cold southerlies and rain of Monday took a hike, over the hills and far away, whilst the sun sat strong in the sky (albeit partially eclipsed by the moon). It was definitely a day for royalty- as Prince…
So proud of the girls this week. They made their own lemonade, having looked up a recipe on the Internet themselves, and then decided to set up a stand and sell it to raise funds for the Red Cross and the ‘Hurricane Sandy Appeal’. I first got an inkling of their idea when I walked…
The mouths of babes can be very insistent and, after several weeks of asking, my two year old’s wish came true. It was a spur of the moment visit. The stars had aligned to make it all possible – sunshine, no school pick-ups, or rush to be back at any set time, my two year…