As the year draws to a close we pause to reflect on what has been and what is to come. New Year’s Eve is filled with emotions of the past and hope for the future. 2009 has been kind to our family and we are hoping 2010 blesses us with the safe arrival of our […]
Month: December 2009
Otari-Wilton’s Bush
Hidden only 5 kilometres from Wellington City is a large area of original native forest known as Otari-Wilton’s Bush. Weaving through 100 hectares of ancient and regenerating bush are 14 kilometres of track to explore. Classified as a Garden of National Significance by the Royal New Zealand Institute of Horticulture, Otari-Wilton’s Bush is home to […]
Sophie is 4!
Sophie: ‘I’m 4 today aren’t I Mummy?’ Mummy: ‘Erm, yes dear.’ (Thinking, actually in another two hour’s time at 8.30am you will be!) Sophie: ‘I don’t feel any bigger. Should I feel different?’ Mummy: ‘Well you’ve grown a lot in a year.’ Sophie: ‘Will there be presents under the tree?’ Mummy: ‘No, not today, but […]
Christmas Day 2009
After not going to bed till past midnight on Christmas Eve, we weren’t prepared for a 5.30am wake up call! We’ve never been woken quite so early on Christmas morning, but the girls had gone to sleep very early the night before, hoping the night would pass quicker! We’d packed their stockings with enough goodies […]
Christmas Eve 2009
It’s here! The children have been asleep for hours and went without wanting stories and much earlier than normal (Charli even tidied her room!). They have been incredibly excited and there is so much magic in the air. We have (I have) spent most of the day making a ginger-bread house… The girls started off […]
Longest day 2009 – what a beauty!
The sun rose at 5.45am and set at 8.54pm and what a beautiful day it’s been. There’s such a holiday spirit in the air. At the beach this evening folk were kicking back and enjoying the most perfect time. The sound of the waves gently lapping on the shore at Princess Bay were met with […]
A dose of culture
On Friday morning we awoke with no need to rush for the bell and all felt quite strange as a result. We’d become so used to ‘the system’ that we all felt a little lost and miffed as to what to do. We decided to get up and out as per usual and take Daddy-O […]
Inspiration and the joy of music
I was sat having a momentary cuppa and a glance over my friends’ Facebook updates when I came across the wonderful Katie of ‘Kate5Kiwis‘ update. She’d posted up a video of her son, Charlie, playing the most beautiful piano piece by Ludovico Einaudi called ‘Primavera’. I was held captivated and had to get my hands […]
Let the holiday begin!
Well, I’m not quite sure how much of a holiday it will be for me – cook, cleaner, laundry maid, entertainer, driver, organiser of toys, games, arts & crafts… This afternoon Charli finished at 1pm and we spent an hour on the school field having a little picnic I’d prepared earlier. After that, the girls […]
The school year draws to a close
We had a lovely evening at Charli’s school tonight. It was the farewell to the seniors going onto Intermediate school. We feel very fortunate to have such an incredible school for our children to attend and the atmosphere tonight was so touching. The evening of singing, speeches and dashes of humour was finished off with […]
Portable North Pole
The girls have received a very special message from the man in the red-suit… See Charli’s message and Sophie’s message. They were so amazed to receive their messages… asking, ‘How does he know my name? How does he know where we live?’ They were particularly amazed when he said how old they were and what […]
Sophie’s 4th Birthday Party – Fun at the stables
Sunday morning we woke to overcast weather and the threat of rain in the distant hills, but thankfully it held off for Sophie’s 4th Birthday Party in the afternoon. She turns four on Boxing Day, but we decided to throw the party a little earlier this year and it was a lovely, relaxed celebration. Our […]
10 week’s (ish!) to go…
It doesn’t seem that long ago that I wrote the post, ‘11 week’s ago today,’ and now here I am counting down the weeks till bubs arrival! Sophie took this photo today (I’m 30 week’s pregnant tomorrow): With Christmas, the school holidays and my folks visit from the UK in mid-January we have so much […]
Dolphins in Evans Bay
Such a treat! My friend Kathy texted me this evening with the happy news of dolphins in Evans Bay. Dan was on his way home and had caught the news via Twitter. As soon as he got home we rushed down our dinner and bolted out the door. We don’t have a great zoom or […]