Catching the Magic

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

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Alice

4 Seasons: Riding the first wave of summer

November 29, 2010November 30, 2010 BritMumInNZ 10 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Garden, Life in action - Videos, Sarah

Officially the first day of summer in New Zealand is 1 December. This past week summer has come early. Normally we have a fair bit of unsettled spring weather all the way up to Christmas, but not this year. Calm, sunny skies have made for some primo beach visits. For the first time ever Charlotte […]

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Poem about the time someone made you smile: ALICE

November 18, 2010November 18, 2010 BritMumInNZ 19 Comments Alice, Writing

A Articulate is not a word we can yet attribute to your name, Although your name does start with A. Adorable Alice, of words yet lame, Although many attractive sounds you say. L Mama, Dada, Baba… all arouse a smile and more. We listen with attentive ears. Learning your language is never a bore, Love […]

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After school Monday at the beach

November 15, 2010 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Sarah, Sophie

Summer is rolling towards us like a beach ball and today we enjoyed one (of hopefully many) impromptu after school trips to the beach. The back of the car is being transformed into a shrine of beach worship with all the essential ingredients for impromptu after school visits. Buckets, spades, towels, changes of clothing, hats, […]

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The Gallery (Week 35): Before and After

November 14, 2010November 15, 2010 BritMumInNZ 18 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Garden, Our pets, Sarah, Sophie

In the past four years, since we moved into our new home, there has been much growth. The garden, once a section with nothing much than a lot of grass and a couple of trees now looks lush and inviting. A little 9 month old Sophie, that chuckled in her Daddy’s arms on the swing […]

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This is my Sunday morning…

November 14, 2010November 14, 2010 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Alice, Sarah

At nearly 9 months old Alice is cutting teeth faster than Charlotte, at 7 years old, is losing them. She has five pearly milk whites and judging by the excessive drool, fingers in the mouth and number of night-time comfort feeds, there are more soon to come. So, after breakfast and listening to Charlotte and […]

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Loving and NOT Loving Today; from blissful naps to burnt scones

November 4, 2010November 4, 2010 BritMumInNZ 19 Comments Alice, Baking, Loving & Not Loving, Sophie

LOVING listening to my intuition. This morning I phoned my Mum in the UK on impulse and she said, ‘I was just thinking of you!’. The miles and miles between us evaporated in a moment. The strong bond between mother and daughter struck a chord of connection on the heart strings. LOVING watching baby Alice […]

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Running in the spring sunshine

November 2, 2010November 2, 2010 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Garden, Sarah, Sophie, Writing

There’s a feeling in the air, Which tints fair skin that’s bare, Turns pretty petals to its stare, And makes children want to run without a care. The school field fills with bare footed running, On daises and clover that bows to their chanting, Potato and spoon races, high jump and long jump, Sack races […]

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Fresh eyes on new life at the Zoo

October 30, 2010October 30, 2010 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Sarah, Sophie

Our local Zoo is a short ten minute drive away and with our annual passes we often pop in for a short walk. It’s not so much the animals we always come to see, but the natural setting of the Zoo. Set on a hill, overlooking Wellington city in the distance, it is a pleasant […]

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All the fun of the fair with a touch of spooks!

October 30, 2010 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Sarah, Sophie

Off to the school fair we went, carrying our contribution for the cake stand… Dan was on the plate smashing… The girls had a blast (with the highlight for Charlotte being a ride on the back of the Head Teacher’s motorbike around the school field!): The crowds gathered for the food, coffee, live music and […]

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Wardrobe Wednesday: Someone’s learned the art of keeping awake!

October 28, 2010October 28, 2010 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Sarah

It’s close to 1am and little Miss 8 month old has decided it’s the perfect time to exercise her vocal chords. She has a beautiful voice and is making the most delightful sounds, only her timing is awful! I have brought her downstairs so she doesn’t wake up the rest of the household. I can […]

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Cuddly toy take-over!

October 20, 2010 BritMumInNZ 6 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Dan, Random Musings, Sophie

After the Kindi Fair on Saturday the girls were inspired to set up their own cuddly toy raffle. They numbered over 60 toys with paper, pen and sello-tape! Then they duplicated the numbers and put them in a bowl. This was a great learning exercise for Sophie in reading bigger numbers. Dan was roped in […]

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Beware of the paper chomping mover!

October 18, 2010October 18, 2010 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Alice

Dear Alice, You are 8 months old! Blimey, time is racing by and already you are crawling! We had bets as to when you would start, as you’ve been working on building up the muscle power for a good few weeks. You nearly had the moves sussed by the end of the school/kindi hols, but […]

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Charlotte makes the semi-finals of the Nestle Milky Bar Kid auditions!

October 16, 2010 BritMumInNZ 15 Comments Alice, Charlotte, Sarah

Way to go Charlotte! What an amazing experience! You made it to the semi-finals of Nestle’s search for New Zealand’s next Milky Bar Kid. Over 1,500 children auditioned and you made the top 59! The call back audition was a lot more work than we anticipated. We turned up, one windy, rainy Friday afternoon, at […]

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Wordless Wednesday

October 13, 2010October 13, 2010 BritMumInNZ 13 Comments Alice

When you are this small and dinner ended up pasted all over, from head to toe, why not have a bath in the sink?! And two big girls wish they could shrink for a moment and join their baby sister… ______________________________________________________________ For more ‘Wordless Wednesday’ photos click here.

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Recent Posts

  • WAI2K 50km trail adventure, November 2024! February 20, 2025
  • Visits back to the UK aren’t always a holiday – when those you love aren’t well. February 6, 2025
  • Celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a long weekend on the Gold Coast – June 2024 January 6, 2025
  • ‘Last time’ moments on a spring visit to the UK, May 2024 January 2, 2025
  • Race Tekapo 50km September 29, 2024
  • Running the stunning Motatapu Trail Marathon May 30, 2024
  • 50km for 50 years! How I saw in the first day of my fifties running the 50km Faultline Ultra! May 21, 2024
  • Six month catch up! March 9, 2024
  • Ten blissful days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands. August 8, 2023
  • Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday Celebration August 7, 2023
  • A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon! May 10, 2023
  • Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles! April 4, 2023

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