Catching the Magic

Two Brits in Aotearoa bringing up three little 'Kiwis'. Our children: Our future. Haere Mai!

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Month: April 2016

School holiday crescendo #NaPoWriMo #Prose4T

April 22, 2016 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Poetry

It’s school holidays here and so my usual hobbies are naturally taking a back seat. Not much time for writing and running, but the day 17 prompt on the 2016 National Poetry Writers Month website caught my interest yesterday. The prompt was; ‘Find, either on your shelves or online, a specialized dictionary. Now write a poem that […]

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Jump | #ThePrompt

April 15, 2016April 15, 2016 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Poetry, Sophie

JUMP! You make it look effortless to jump A fluid body at ease in the air Feet barely touch down before they fly No fear holds you back, again you fly Your body sailing into the next jump Flipping over like a leaf in the air Smile beaming every time you catch the air Arms […]

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Shadow of the evening sun

April 15, 2016April 15, 2016 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Header, Poetry

Playfully, the shadow led her feet, On a merry dance, in the soft grained sand, Illuminated by the glowing sun. The shadow tall, a stranger to meet, And yet, their merry dance, with nature’s band, Was in perfect step, accented well, By the evening light, of the glowing sun, Playing till dusk, when, then, her […]

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Dear Feet… #AprilLove2016

April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Poetry, Sarah

Dear Feet, I am grateful to you, for all the miles we’ve travelled. I am happiest when treading the earth with you. There have been times, trapped behind an office desk, when I’ve felt your restless sadness. You aren’t the kind of feet, that like to be still for long, from the moment I could […]

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Dear Hunger… #AprilLove2016

April 12, 2016April 12, 2016 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Poetry, Sarah

Dear Hunger, I shall never forget the way you looked, expressed on the lips of my first child. The milk she sought was slow in coming, after a prolonged and difficult birth. After several weeks and long, painful nights, of little sleep and endless nursing, her hunger was finally satisfied – but the weight of […]

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Dear Imagination… #AprilLove2016

April 11, 2016May 7, 2016 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Alice, Poetry

Dear Imagination, I see you every day in my child’s eyes, in her creative play and questions, in the songs she sings and stories she tells, straight from the heart, with natural ease. Her mind has no limits, she can travel through changing dimensions, shape shifting her body through time and space. Today, on the […]

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That day when a sick day required fresh air therapy – at Tawatawa Reserve Loop

April 9, 2016 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Country Kids, Header, Sophie, Trails, Walks

I’m a great believer in gentle exercise helping to heal the body and a few weeks back, when my ten year old daughter was fighting off a long lingering chesty cough, with a dose of antibiotics, I took her out to explore a Wellington trail we’d not explored before. The walk, located in the hills […]

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Journey running as opposed to road running

April 7, 2016April 7, 2016 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Header, Running, Trails, Walks

I’m reading a marvellous book at the moment called, ‘The World at My Feet‘, by Tom Denniss “In 2013, Australian Tom Denniss became the fastest person to circumnavigate the world on foot. His epic journey lasted nearly two years, and for each of the 622 days it took him to run around the planet, Tom […]

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Dear morning… (with children on a school day)

April 5, 2016April 5, 2016 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Poetry, Sarah

Dear morning, If it was just you and me, I reckon we’d get on just fine, But, as it is, my morning mood – isn’t mine to own. You see, I share my waking moments – with my children (and my husband). Their voices sway my emotions – though I try so hard not to […]

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Dear Home… #AprilLove2016 & Day 4 of #NaPoWriMo

April 4, 2016April 12, 2016 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Header, Poetry, Sarah

Dear Home… It took me many years to love you, without a gnawing pain in my heart. For many years I ached to return – To the land where I was born and raised, to the family I said farewell to, and the place of my ancestors. It took me years to accept you, but […]

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Dear Love… #AprilLove2016 & Day 3 of #NaPoWriMo

April 4, 2016April 4, 2016 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Poetry

Dear Love, I need to ramble, hand in hand with you, through the woodlands and over hills, snatching tingling kisses on frosty days, warming up in your embrace. Time to plan, wish and dream, seemed endless then. Those thoughts have now become our life – marriage, children, a home to call our own. We’ve travelled […]

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Sunday Photos from Carlucciland

April 3, 2016April 4, 2016 BritMumInNZ 10 Comments Alice, Country Kids, Header, Photo Gallery

Carlucciland never loses its appeal. We drive past it every day on the way to school and my six year old, in particular, always asks when we can fit in a game. Well, today, with hubby keeping our ten year old and her friend amused (with a lovely trip over the hill to Martinborough for […]

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Seeking Renewal in Autumn – a poem as the clocks turn back

April 2, 2016April 2, 2016 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Header, Poetry, Seasons

The days are shorter, closing in, I DEFY them to dampen my mood, (shouting loudly to the sun, setting earlier each night). After all, the weather is still fine, outdoor pursuits remain inviting, I just need to better manage my time, (or start wearing a head torch). I fill my house with candles, repeating an […]

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You lit up the sky… a poem | Day 1 #NaPoWriMo

April 1, 2016April 2, 2016 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Header, Poetry

It’s National Poetry Writing Month (or Global Poetry Writing Month)! This is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April (more information here). I’m not much of a poet, but I do enjoy trying to capture what I see and feel in words. I haven’t written […]

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Welcome to the ramblings & photographs of a British expat Mum living mostly in Wellington (aka *coffee capital of the world*), New Zealand, since 1997.

This blog is a way to preserve sanity whilst raising children, capture the magic in the chaos, and share tales with family, friends, fellow parents and expats.

Along with my British born husband we have been bringing up our three Kiwi born daughters in the land of sheep, kiwi fruit and fine wine, since 2003 (with a brief 16 months living in Santa Barbara, California - where we home educated our daughters). We both first landed on New Zealand soil in 1996 (hubby) and 1997 (myself) - as fresh graduates from the UK wanting to live and work overseas... our 'OE' turned into something a lot longer and more life changing than we could ever have first anticipated!

Thank you for stopping by (if you would like to know more visit the 'About' page!).
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Recent Posts

  • Walking the Paekākāriki Escarpment Track February 1, 2021
  • Patuna Chasm | A river walk like no other! January 24, 2021
  • One week into 2021 January 10, 2021
  • Festive greetings from Aotearoa! December 23, 2020
  • Term 4 and winding down to the last days of school for 2020 December 1, 2020
  • ‘HELLO’ November 24, 2020
  • A spring holiday in Wanaka and Queenstown’s outdoor playgrounds! November 1, 2020
  • End of Term 3! October 2, 2020
  • Before the pandemic! ‘Six’ the musical in Sydney September 26, 2020
  • I miss her, Mum, even though she’s not gone. July 23, 2020
  • Our ‘bubble’ of 5 million has done it! June 9, 2020
  • Reflections on coming out of seven weeks of lockdown in New Zealand May 13, 2020

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The Toll
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