There’s nothing worse than flu to knock a person off kilter. It’s worse when the whole family, children and all, are affected. It’s forced us all to slow down and write off the first week or so of this New Year. The only silver lining for the adults, particularly me, has been a forced detox […]
Grandma & Granddad
Sharing a final fix of New Zealand’s flora & fauna in Wellington
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, […]
The Gallery | Bond
The youngest of my three daughters, Alice, has an incredible bond with her Grandfather. She runs to her Grandma with equal affection and words of love, but the laughter and smiles on her face, when she’s with her Granddad, are something saved just for him. When they can’t be together they chat away on ‘Skype’, […]
Little Miss Explorer – Wellington’s South Coast
Every Sunday, throughout the summer, there’s a special place in Island Bay that we often visit. Its flags flutter, in the almost certain breeze, and giant fish kites welcome passers by into the old bait house that is now a treasured centre of marine education for locals and visitors alike. Located on the shores of […]
Summer Saturday on Wellington’s South Coast with family
Today was all about water. It started with a bath – when Miss 2, Alice, discovered an old Thomas Tank Engine bath toy (in much need of a scrub) and persuaded me to run a bath (and scrub the toy), which we then wallowed in for half an hour. After the bath she wondered into […]
The Gallery: Landscapes – from Stonehenge Aotearoa
Set on the expansive landscape of the rural Wairarapa, where big skies, wide valleys and small towns full of character lie, is Stonehenge Aotearoa. A marvellous full-scale working adaption of England’s Stonehenge, located just outside of Carteton, an hours drive from Wellington. ‘It incorporates ancient Egyptian, Babylonian and Indus Valley astronomy, Polynesian navigation, and Celtic […]
Lyrical Sunday: Memory
We can’t have the happy, without the sad, The interaction of yin and yang. The merge of hearts and the touch of hands, Together – now apart – leaving a pang. The memory – of a summer spent playing, Long, lingering nights and days to create. The love of family, brought close together, Often reliant […]
Things I’m Loving: Where I live – Love ya Wellington!
I’ve been sharing my loves of Wellington with my folks this last week of their stay, from the high windy tops of the hills that this vibrant city nestles in… … where children really can experience the feeling of flying like fairies or having a ‘Peter Pan’ moment… … to the city waterfront delights, with […]
Swinging through the vines at Te Kairanga
The vineyard of Te Kairanga Wines swung to the music, celebrating the fruits of the rich soil, on Wellington Anniversary Weekend for ‘TK Day’ 2012. We arrived to the soothing sound of a voice reminiscent of Frank Sinatra and sat back to enjoy the crisp, dry tones of a 2009 Rose. Sophie was transformed into […]
A ride to the wild side of the South Coast
The swell of the incoming tide sprayed on the rocks by the shore. The sun beat down and the pull of the water, after a bike ride on the south coast, was too tempting to resist. Granddad hung up his bike tour guide hat and exchanged it for his emergency life-guard cap. The water wasn’t […]
Loving not being outnumbered
I’ve lost a few of my regular jobs these past few weeks, thanks to my wonderful parents being on deck to keep me sane these long summer holidays in New Zealand. It’s going to be a major shock to the children and I when they return to the UK on 4 February. The bench tops […]
Do what you love, one day a week: A walk in the bush
The wind ruffled our feathers wildly, whilst the sun teased us with blue sky, oyster clouds and dashing streaks of white. A sky that if painted wouldn’t look real. A day that held promise but so easily could have been spent hidden, sheltering from the gale force winds. Not a day for being whipped by […]
Feeling vulnerable, but LOVING the feel of Love Reawakened
There are two special people here in my immediate life right now. They’ve travelled the world to see me and my family. They are my parents. I am so grateful they made the long journey, from England to New Zealand, to be with us and share six weeks of our crazy family life. My love […]
Bouncing into the New Year at a beach house on the Kapiti Coast
I’m writing this on return from seven wonderful nights away on the Kapiti Coast. The sleepy beach side settlement of Te Horo welcomed us with rural tranquility and bird song. For seven nights we forgot about work, school and house-keeping and focused on making every moment about spending quality time together. Time was the biggest […]
