How lucky are these children?! They have NO IDEA! The WHOLE school spent the day at the BEACH today! There were sandcastle competitions between ‘Whanau’ groups, boogie boarding (classes taking it in turns to avoid total mayhem in the surf!) & picnics with obligatory sand in sandwiches. We all had a blast! Little Alice got […]
Author: BritMumInNZ
The Loveliness of Nature to Nurture
As I strolled through Zealandia with Alice this morning, I reminisced on the pre-school days when I used to bring Charlotte and Sophie to explore. I watched their little sister noticing words for the first time and so eager to learn in nature’s beautiful surrounds. Nature really is the best place to nurture. And as […]
Theme for Lyrical Sunday (Week 10): Earth
The theme for Lyrical Sunday this week is ‘Earth‘. Charlotte was inspired by the ‘Earth Song‘ by Michael Jackson. She was listening to it at the time when I asked her what the theme should be. Charlotte has already written her poem and would like me to share it now. Please click to link up […]
Things I’m Loving
This week I’ve LOVED being able to open our home to a dear friend of my sister’s – Pam, when she needed a rest from the traumatic Christchurch earthquake and continuing aftershocks. I’ve loved feeling the love of my sister through her and seeing my own children light up in her presence knowing she’s connected […]
Simple Pleasures: The Gallery
I feel a lot of the time I am giving at the moment – to my children, to the house work, to my husband (not nearly enough). I am trying to keep all the minds and bodies of my home happy, with clean clothes, a tidy, healthy home, good food, stimulating activities for mind and […]
Two minutes silence for Christchurch today
On this first day of Autumn in New Zealand the nation stopped in silence, exactly one week after the dreadful earthquake shattered Christchurch. I was feeding Alice at the time, and flicked on the news to watch the scenes from around the country. We are all very much in shock, but everyone is doing so […]
Into the School Groove
Term time routines are all go here. The girls even have a dedicated calendar in the kitchen reminding us when their school library days are, what days they need to have trainers for cross country running, when guitar lesson day is for Charlotte and piano lesson day for Sophie (both new hobbies this term for […]
Night Poems: Lyrical Sunday Week 9
It’s Lyrical Sunday time! A poem from Grandma & Granddad in England, as well as 7 year old Charlotte, this week. NIGHT By ‘Chicken’ Grandma & Granddad in England Stars shine out, the moon is full When we go to bed at night We take a peep to see the sight Of dark – But […]
Things we love: Egyptian Toilet Roll Mummies
What better way to start a Saturday morning… Than with two children standing quiet and still for a few minutes… I did say a ‘few minutes’… didn’t take long for our Egyptian Mummies to break free… And we were resourceful with the toilet paper: – One roll is in a bag by my side to […]
Answering ‘What if?’
I knew when we first came to New Zealand that the land was geologically and historically young. The folds of the hills looked to me like the wrinkles of a new born child. As a geographer I knew all too well the physically volatile nature of New Zealand’s land. But the danger always felt distant. […]
In total shock
Our prayers go out to all those that have lost a loved one in today’s devastating earthquake in Christchurch. So many people are fighting for their lives tonight – with thousands more fighting to free them. As I lay with my children, reading and talking tonight, my thoughts were very much with the people of […]
Theme for Week 9 of Lyrical Sunday: Night
The theme for Lyrical Sunday this week is ‘Night‘. Charlotte was inspired by a poem she read in ‘School Journal‘ (Part 1. Number 2. 2009). Here’s the poem that has inspired this week’s theme. Can’t wait to read what you come up with! Come and link up on Sunday 27 February. Have You Ever? Have […]
Expressions from the beach
It’s been a few days of children’s Birthday parties, fun at the beach and the zoo. Sunday evening, before dinner, was the best of all… just us at the beach (I’m trying to stay focused on the magic and not the extra washing we brought home with us and sand in every crevice of the […]
The new Queen Elizabeth departs Wellington: Bon voyage!
The new Queen Elizabeth visited Wellington harbour today, gliding in gracefully an hour ahead of schedule as the sun was rising. It is the second-largest cruise ship to be built by Cunard, the largest was the Queen Mary 2, launched in 2004. We gathered in Seatoun to farewell her as she departed Wellington harbour, sounding […]