Last night, as I was getting Alice off to sleep, I was vaguely aware of Charlotte and Sophie telling their Daddy (at 8pm) they were going to write up some science (they frequently do unexpected things at unusual times of day!). So, this morning, when I came downstairs (at 4am something with Alice) it made…
Category: Sophie
Walk through the tulips with us…
It’s nearly Spring Festival time in Wellington’s Botanical Garden and the tulips are as glorious as ever. It’s impossible not to smile when faced with all this joyful colour – from bright sunshine gold… To carpets of pinks… They always surprise me with their resilience against the seasonal spring battering of Wellington wind and intermittent heavy…
My Monday in photographs & World Photography Day
Sunday was ‘World Photography Day‘ (but I didn’t know that then – I found out on Monday). I am no ace photographer, but I love photography and seeing the world through different people’s eyes. I only used to take holiday snaps but, with the digital age and having children on the opposite side of the…
Things I’m Loving… News with a silver lining
There’s a hint of spring in the air this week in Wellington and it’s something to love. This time last year it snowed in Wellington, a once in fifty year event. At Wellington Zoo, vets took care of an Emperor Penguin discovered on Peka Peka beach, a very long way from home. It seems the…
Snapshots from a sunny Saturday ‘avo at Lyall Bay Beach
Sunshine on the beach on a winter Saturday afternoon. A fine time for families to revive, refresh and reconnect. Lyall Bay, Wellington, you have our hearts x Ice-cream for the little ones, coffee for the bigger people. Friends from Napier, sharing our little patch of beloved New Zealand. Toys made by nature for big and…
Wet Wednesday in Welly
Scorching Bay in the rain – Some may say it’s not the same – But for those of us young at heart – Dancing in the rain is just the start. In Welly a rainy day, without wind, is special – It’s a Dr Seuss day of Up for Umbrellas! But hands free is better…
10 things to do in the winter sun on the beach
Draw a giant snakes and ladders games in the sand and play with pebble markers. Make a dice substitute by drawing six rings in the sand (with number 6 in the smallest, centre ring, and number 1 in the largest, outside ring). Choose an object to throw at the rings to score (could be a…
Things I’m Loving: Winter colours, fun with my girls & celebrating!
Loving the colours of the winter sun reflecting on the waves rolling in at Lyall Bay on Wednesday evening… And this photograph, my oldest daughter – Charlotte – took, of a plane circling into land at Wellington airport. I love the billowing clouds tinged with the pink and purple colours of the setting sun. Love…
Three sisters, one perfect Monday afternoon & a chocolate fish
Being woken at 5am by my two year old, Alice, after a late night travelling between France and England in the 1400’s, isn’t easy (though, thanks Philippa Gregory for the escapism). I lay on the sofa, trying to sleep, hoping the ‘Peppa Pig‘ DVD would suffice to keep Alice from demanding too much attention. By…
Notes from our Home School Journal, 12 June, 2012
Catching up from last week with this post. I’m finding this weekly review a useful exercise. In my life last week… The whole family, except my oldest, had colds. Blur! I only had three days of my homeschooler and youngest at home – what with the long Queen’s Birthday weekend and Diamond Jubilee, giving us…
A natural tribute to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee
Here in New Zealand we are grateful to always have the first Monday of June as a public holiday, to celebrate the Queen’s Official Birthday. It is our last public holiday till the end of October and before we rug up proper to face three months of winter in windy Wellington. Traditionally, we’ve often been…
Things I’m Loving & Rounding Up Photo a Day MAY 23 – 31
LOVE the surprise of a huge pile of sand on the beach (that appeared literally over night down at Lyall Bay). Photo a Day MAY | 25th | UNUSUAL LOVE seeing Charlotte and Sophie team up and learn to play a few tunes together on their recorders (which were a Christmas present, at least two…
Notes from our Home School Journal, 25 May, 2012
We’ve had a really industrious week. A little planning on Sunday really helped everything flow this week (and the great weather has definitely helped with a positive outlook!). But though I planned ideas for different learning areas – I kept entirely flexible – gauging where there was interest and pursing only when I saw that…
Learning, rock pooling & something ‘PINK’!
This morning we were greeted to sunshine, blue sky and no wind – late autumnal weather of the finest kind. After an hour of on-line work (Sophie has been checking out K12 online school and doing some free trail lessons), we closed off the electronics and headed out the front door for some fresh air…