Catching the Magic

Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!

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Author: BritMumInNZ

Things I’m Loving… News with a silver lining

August 16, 2012August 16, 2012 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Loving & Not Loving, Sarah, Sophie

There’s a hint of spring in the air this week in Wellington and it’s something to love. This time last year it snowed in Wellington, a once in fifty year event. At Wellington Zoo, vets took care of an Emperor Penguin discovered on Peka Peka beach, a very long way from home. It seems the […]

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Gateway to the Outdoors – [a poem for Lyrical Sunday]

August 15, 2012 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Lyrical Sunday, photography, Walks, Writing

Our gateway to the outdoors is guarded these days, By children who test us in various ways. We start with encouragement and gentle persuasion – Trying to resist bribery and coercion. We are often surprised by who resists – And struggle to find the solution to enlist. Eventually, after tears and raised voices, We all […]

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Snapshots from a sunny Saturday ‘avo at Lyall Bay Beach

August 12, 2012August 12, 2012 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Alice, Dan, photography, Sarah, Sophie

Sunshine on the beach on a winter Saturday afternoon. A fine time for families to revive, refresh and reconnect. Lyall Bay, Wellington, you have our hearts x Ice-cream for the little ones, coffee for the bigger people. Friends from Napier, sharing our little patch of beloved New Zealand. Toys made by nature for big and […]

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Silent Sunday

August 12, 2012 BritMumInNZ 8 Comments Sarah, Silent Sunday

The rules: Use just one photo in your post.You must have taken the picture.Use a photo taken in the week leading up to your post.You don’t have to do it every week.No words in the post OR the title. ________________________________________________

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Looking at Wellington from its high points

August 11, 2012August 11, 2012 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Sarah, Walks

Everyone should be a tourist in their own town from time to time. We don’t live on one of the high hilly ridges that make Wellington’s topography so famous – though we used to. When we first arrived in Wellington we rented a place in Haitaitai, on Mt Victoria, overlooking Evan’s Bay. We’d watch the […]

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Things I’m Loving – Visitors to Welly from Napier!

August 10, 2012August 10, 2012 BritMumInNZ 5 Comments Loving & Not Loving, Sarah

It’s been a lovely week of new friendships. We’ve had Jen, and her son Billy, staying with us all week from sunny Napier (though she tells me they’d seen nothing but rain for the past couple of weeks). Wellington has only thrown them one seriously typical weather day – the rest has been calm with […]

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Wet Wednesday in Welly

August 8, 2012August 16, 2012 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Alice, Art, Charlotte, Sarah, Sophie, Writing

Scorching Bay in the rain – Some may say it’s not the same – But for those of us young at heart – Dancing in the rain is just the start. In Welly a rainy day, without wind, is special – It’s a Dr Seuss day of Up for Umbrellas! But hands free is better […]

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10 things to do in the winter sun on the beach

August 6, 2012August 6, 2012 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Learning & growing, Sarah, Sophie

Draw a giant snakes and ladders games in the sand and play with pebble markers. Make a dice substitute by drawing six rings in the sand (with number 6 in the smallest, centre ring, and number 1 in the largest, outside ring). Choose an object to throw at the rings to score (could be a […]

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Changing times

August 6, 2012August 6, 2012 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Sarah

Our two computers in the house don’t seem to be enough at the moment. Miss 6 and 9 command them whenever they can – even Miss 2 requests her favourite ‘Starfall Phonics’ or ‘Peppa Pig’. The hours Miss 6 and 9 stay up till at night also encroaches on any blog time I used to […]

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The Gallery | Delicate

August 2, 2012August 2, 2012 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Dan, photography

del·i·cate [del-i-kit] 1. fine in texture, quality, construction, etc.: a delicate lace collar. 2. fragile; easily damaged; frail: delicate porcelain; a delicate child. 3. so fine as to be scarcely perceptible; subtle: a delicate flavor. 4. soft or faint, as color: a delicate shade of pink. 5. fine or precise in action or execution; capable […]

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I’ve received an invitation to latch on – do I go?! World Breastfeeding Week

August 1, 2012 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Sarah

For those in the know (breastfeeding mothers), it’s ‘World Breastfeeding Week‘. I’ve been invited to a ‘Latch On’ at 10am (for a 10.30am ‘latch on’) this Friday 3 August (if you’re keen visit ‘Big Latch on 2012‘ for a venue near you!). What is a ‘latch on’ you ask? It’s where mothers gather in large […]

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Olympics | A Poem for Lyrical Sunday

July 28, 2012 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Lyrical Sunday

What an incredible opening ceremony of the Olympics in London! We woke to a brilliant day of winter sunshine in New Zealand and watched the opening ceremony on the television with great excitement and awe. The most amazing history lesson of Great Britain unfolded before our eyes (fabulous slide-show of photographs on the IOC website). […]

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Slices of life | 18 – 28 July | #PhotoADayJuly

July 28, 2012July 28, 2012 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment photography

18 plate | 19 animal/pet/insect | 20 eyes | 21 9 o’clock | 22 upside down | 23 mirror | 24 a stranger | 25 heart | 26 sunshine | 27 on the road | 28 cup 18. Plate The plates in our kitchen have seen a lot of pancakes of late (children on a […]

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Weekend highs, simmering lows and why bother to blog?

July 23, 2012 BritMumInNZ 15 Comments Loving & Not Loving, Sarah

I don’t feel like writing at all at the moment, but I look back through the archives and all the memories and I feel I must ‘carry on’. I feel I must record every moment of magic, to remind myself of what life is all about and leave the drudgery in the gutter to waste. […]

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