I took a drive, after dropping Charlotte in late to school yesterday (she’s a diligent, hard working student – but is unfairly afflicted with hay-fever). I ended up at the Lady Norwood Rose Gardens in Wellington. I was pretty sure the roses would be in bloom by now (I’ve been away on holiday and only […]
Author: BritMumInNZ
Things I’m Loving…
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 […]
A Royal Visit & A Partial Eclipse
It was a trooper of a day in the coolest little capital of Wellington this Wednesday. The cold southerlies and rain of Monday took a hike, over the hills and far away, whilst the sun sat strong in the sky (albeit partially eclipsed by the moon). It was definitely a day for royalty- as Prince […]
Lemonade stand for Red Cross and the ‘Hurricane Sandy Appeal’
So proud of the girls this week. They made their own lemonade, having looked up a recipe on the Internet themselves, and then decided to set up a stand and sell it to raise funds for the Red Cross and the ‘Hurricane Sandy Appeal’. I first got an inkling of their idea when I walked […]
Things I’m Loving – Holiday memories connecting to our everyday lives…
⤠I’m slowly getting back into the groove of multi-tasking madness that is family life, but with plenty of post holiday memories still lingering on… It’s not only me that’s still reflecting on all we did – even young Alice is a chatter of her holiday memories. As we made our way downstairs the other […]
I’m an old-fashioned gal – when it comes to arcades…
I’m not really a great lover of the modern game arcades. The decibel level of the games is my biggest gripe and the flashing lights are a little too overpowering for my delicate nature – though I did enjoy the close proximity of one within a bar at the end of Pier 39, in San […]
Reflecting and processing all the memories of our trip away
Whilst I was away a friend wisely said, ‘Take your time in processing all your feelings.’ There was so much to take in, during our whirlwind time away. Old friends, familiar places of my childhood, family reunions, different places, people, cultures, architecture, scenery, seasons and nature… my senses were overwhelmed and bombarded from every angle. […]
The Photo Gallery – Frightful (from frightful elegance to reality)
Frightful is returning from holiday to piles and piles of dirty washing. The last four nights of our trip away to the US and UK were spent in absolute luxury. There’s only been a handful of days in my life that I’ve enjoyed such absolute decadence. I didn’t think once about cleaning, washing, cooking, clearing dishes and […]
A Friday by the pool in style – living the dream!
We hired a cabana by the pool for the day and lapped up the sunshine, swimming and friendly service. Since it’s off peak here we had the pool mostly to ourselves for the day and, as my nine year old daughter rightly said we were, ‘living the dream’! I felt like an Egyptian Queen (albeit […]
Things I’m Loving… whilst keeping my head shifting time zones
I’m sat in the dark in a lovely villa in Santa Barbara and the clock tells me the time is 3.30pm on Friday 28 October. The computer I’m typing on is still set in UK time and tells me the time is 11.30pm on a Friday night. Over in New Zealand, where we are destined […]
Goodbye England – leg one of our return to NZ complete (thank goodness!)
Our taxi swept us away to London Heathrow at midday yesterday. The emotions of saying goodbye were quelled with the thought of ‘Chicken’ Grandma & Granddad visiting us in New Zealand, almost ten weeks to the day of our departure from England. As we made our way from the taxi, laden heavily with baggage, a […]
Autumnal fun in England this past week
Our time in England is drawing to a close. Tomorrow we chase the sun to the United States, where we’ll spend four nights in Santa Barbara, before journeying back home to New Zealand. In the week and a half we’ve been here the autumn leaves have really started to turn in earnest. The trees are […]
PRICKLES | Lyrical Sunday
I’ve temporarily shifted hemispheres and seasons – from spring to autumn – from New Zealand to England. I’m walking country lanes untrodden by my feet for many years. I’m finding treasures I used to know so well – seasonal markers of the year in England. On Saturday I came across a sweet chestnut and it […]