It’s nearing the end of winter in New Zealand, with the days getting noticeably longer and more fine days in between the cold fronts, but still, when the southerly whips up from Antarctica, we need a little hopeful reminder of spring and summer to come. This weekend, whilst away in our holiday home in Martinborough, […]
This is the garden of our home in Martinborough, where we escape to as often as time allows. It’s our weekend retreat in the countryside, where the climate is frequently several degrees warmer than our place in Wellington – on the beautiful, but often wild and rugged south coast of the North Island of New […]
I used to think blue was my favourite colour, like the ocean and a perfect summer’s sky, but more and more it is green that really rocks me. I love all the contrasting shades of green in nature, and the vibrancy of trees after a heavy rain. I love the inviting canopy of a lush, […]
A Monday that started with rain and wind, where the only sign of summer was the strawberries on my muesli, gave us a breather in the afternoon. Sunshine peeked from between the clouds as Sophie and Alice ran around Katherine Mansfield Memorial Park playing ‘peek a boo’ with their little wooden dolls. After school pick […]
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 […]
Couldn’t resist combining these two, as I LOVE the varied GRASSES of New Zealand. So many colours and such varied textures – from coarse and spiky, to fine and wispy. In my back garden we have a steep bank, where nothing much else would grow successfully, and the native grasses that carpet the surface of the […]
It has been a week of celebrating the beauty of nature. ♥ Loved learning of New Zealand’s native trees and the amazing variety of different trees the world over. ♥ Loved identifying different tree species in our garden at home and in Wellington’s Botanical Garden with Sophie and Alice. Sophie worked so enthusiastically and wrote […]
A visitor to my garden on Monday marked the start of a new school year and the end of the summer holidays. I have a special affection for Monarch butterflies. To me they are spiritual guardians, carrying messages from loved ones. After Charlotte set off happily to school on Monday the butterfly soared into the […]
Sometimes it’s so nice not to have to be anyway or even want to go anywhere. It’s great to have a home and garden that we enjoy ambling around in. This Sunday was just one of those that called for some home-time chilling. My view from the sofa… Though Dan did need to take our […]
It’s early October in Wellington. The weather is typically varied. Last week threw us a hint of summer days to come, this week we’ve barely stepped out the door. I don’t mind a little rain and, naturally, the garden LOVES a good ‘ole hose down from the heavens. I’m sure the Irish and Welsh rugby […]
Running barefoot, in the grass, a fairy frolicked in my garden today. She stopped to pick some lavender and then hurried on her way. Dressed in green, she blended in, a magic figure of spring. I noticed her stop and rest a while, and wondered what magic she’d bring. I looked at where she’d sat […]
There’s been a special fella hiding out at Wellington Zoo. He was rescued from a beach on the Kapiti Coast. Poor chap had swam all the way from Antarctica and found himself in a temperate climate with no ice to eat, just a beach full of sand. In a desperate attempt to cool himself down […]
This week a lovely lady and Mum to four, Chris (of ‘Thinly Spread‘ blog), is on an incredible journey to see the children of Mozambique. She has embarked on a journey, with Save the Children, for the ‘No Child Born to Die‘ campaign, which I blogged about recently. Chris hasn’t left her own children for […]
It’s overgrown and wet; my backyard. I look at the grass in despair – much like I look at the smeared, dirty windows. ‘I’ll get round to it…’ I am forever saying, but there’s always something else. Dan summed up my existence perfectly, ‘It’s like you have two tornados in the house – whilst you […]
