We arrived here in early August. It’s nearly Halloween, end of October, and today, for a couple of hours, we had PROPER rain! We’ve had a couple of hours of attempted rain only once in the past three months. This was real rain, that created hundreds of circles on the surface of the swimming pool, […]
California
Fun at the Fair in the sunshine of Santa Cruz
“It’s ‘Blackpool Pleasure Beach’ in the sun!” we both said in unison as the children ran around us in excited circles waiting for their tickets. Old-fashioned rides blended with fair-ground games, candy floss and hot dog stalls were on every corner and the sound of screams, mixed with shrill laughter, filled the air. The only […]
Prose for Thought | Gliding in with the Fall
Autumn in Santa Barbara is not like any autumn I’ve ever experienced. It feels like summer, minus the long, light evenings. But there is still a change in the air, however slight it may seem to this British born lass, used to living in windy Wellington, New Zealand, for well over a decade! There are […]
Back from our road trip to San Francisco
What a trip! Exhausting with three children and a husband working hard in the office Monday to Friday! It wasn’t a holiday, but most certainly an adventure and an experience – with some amazing sights either side of the working week and a couple of incredible weekends either side. The drive back, from San Francisco […]
The Photo Gallery | ‘Selfie’
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 […]
Silent Sunday
Things I’m Loving
Merry-go-rounds and sisters Sunshine and convertibles Pretzels and chilled drinks Shopping areas with architectural flair Sea creatures and an inquisitive child Water fountains and wishes New cafes, tastes and children who are willing to try (at least two out of our three are!) ____________________________________________ Joining in this week with the wonderful Meghan of ‘The Adventures […]
The Photo Gallery | World Photography Day
To my dear husband, A special photo I took today. A moment in time. The marking of a new chapter in our lives. We are going to have an amazing time here, I am sure of it, especially once we are properly settled. We are so fortunate to have been blessed with wonderful childhoods in […]
Prose for Thought | First Touch of the Pacific
It’s been just over a week since we landed in L.A. We are settling in, doing all the usual necessities of any new expat; setting up bank accounts, getting ourselves some wheels, getting to know the money, the shops, the food and become accustomed to the climate (which, as we already anticipated, is very favourable). […]
The Photo Gallery | Relax
She naps, I read, her older sisters are happily playing. For a moment I enjoy the still. No one asking when breakfast, lunch or dinner is ready. No one asking where socks are or how to work some technological gadget. A voice inside tells me to ‘relax’ and enjoy this moment. After weeks of preparing […]
First Impressions on California #1
People are genuinely friendly here on the Californian coast – not a single, ‘Have a nice day!’, with a cheesy grin, yet to be encountered. People have time to help, and sometimes go out of their way to help with advice or assistance in a store or cafe – especially when they hear we are […]
Our adventure in California has begun!
Some might say, ‘Start out as you mean to go on,’ when they see the pics of us in a stretch limo driving from Los Angeles airport to Anaheim for a few days at Disneyland and California Adventures. But really, it was just a nice distraction from the reality ahead. We’ve left behind all we […]
Silent Sunday
The beginning of a new chapter
Three sleeps to go! On Wednesday 7 August, my British husband and I, along with our three children, shall be boarding a plane to a new adventure, living in Santa Barbara, California, USA. We’ll be leaving our home of some fifteen years, Wellington, New Zealand. The place where our adventure began, when we started out […]