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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  • WAI2K 50km trail adventure, November 2024!February 20, 2025
    In November 2024 I took on the epic endurance event of the 50km WAI2K Ultra, from Woodside Train Station in Greytown, through the hills of the Wairarapa and Kaitoke Regional Park, to Tunnel Gully Upper Picnic Area in Upper Hutt. This mixed terrain course involves around 2,500m of elevation gain through dense scrub, beautiful native… Read more: WAI2K 50km trail adventure, November 2024!
  • Visits back to the UK aren’t always a holiday – when those you love aren’t well.February 6, 2025
    Life is never all sunshine and roses. When we have had the good fortunate of having people in our lives that we’ve loved deeply, and have felt their love in return, it is painful to see that person suffering. Life is all about beginnings and endings, hellos and goodbyes, first moments and celebrations, and also… Read more: Visits back to the UK aren’t always a holiday – when those you love aren’t well.
  • Celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a long weekend on the Gold Coast – June 2024January 6, 2025
    At the end of May 2024 my husband and I celebrated our 25th Wedding Anniversary and took the opportunity to grab a fix of winter sunshine, over the ‘King’s Birthday’ weekend public holiday (beginning of June), with a trip to the Gold Coast – on Australia’s East Coast. We were joined by our children, Sophie… Read more: Celebrating our 25th Wedding Anniversary with a long weekend on the Gold Coast – June 2024
  • ‘Last time’ moments on a spring visit to the UK, May 2024January 2, 2025
    After over twenty five years of living thousands of miles away from my birth country, and many flights back and forth, I am still in awe of the fact I can be on the other side of the world in 24 hours. I remind myself that jet passenger services didn’t start until the late 1950s… Read more: ‘Last time’ moments on a spring visit to the UK, May 2024
  • Race Tekapo 50kmSeptember 29, 2024
    Race registration on Friday night, by the shore of Lake Tekapo, was a ‘hold on tight to your bib’ or you won’t be going anywhere tomorrow affair. The bitingly cold air was a shock to the system, after my husband, daughter and I had driven from a sunny, spring like day in Christchurch. Our flight… Read more: Race Tekapo 50km
  • Running the stunning Motatapu Trail MarathonMay 30, 2024
    This was one of the most beautiful trail marathons I’ve ran and was a great way to celebrate a summer of running and see in the beginning of autumn (though the weather was still very much throwing the heat of summer on event day – which fell on the first Saturday in March). The 42km… Read more: Running the stunning Motatapu Trail Marathon
  • 50km for 50 years! How I saw in the first day of my fifties running the 50km Faultline Ultra!May 21, 2024
    I’ve been on a good running streak for over a year now (meaning no injuries, illness or troublesome hormones to slow me down – thanks to a mix of strength work, good luck and hormone replacement therapy!). When I saw that a new event was going to be held in the city where I live… Read more: 50km for 50 years! How I saw in the first day of my fifties running the 50km Faultline Ultra!
  • Six month catch up!March 9, 2024
    Time is literally flying away on me and blog writing is very neglected these days, but we are all well here and can’t believe our lovely Christmas and New Year festivities were three months ago! Spring and summer has raced by and now we are on the cusp of autumn here in New Zealand. Since… Read more: Six month catch up!
  • Ten blissful days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.August 8, 2023
    With the days dark and short here in New Zealand we jetted off for some warmth and sunshine in the Cook Islands, just a three to four hour flight from Auckland. We have never visited any of the Pacific Islands and it was with great delight that we touched down on the runway in Rarotonga,… Read more: Ten blissful days in Rarotonga, Cook Islands.
  • Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday CelebrationAugust 7, 2023
    Turning 50 is definitely a milestone birthday, but hubby Dan didn’t want a party so in February we decided to head away for the weekend to celebrate at the Marlborough Food and Wine Festival. Dan’s Birthday fell on the same weekend as the festival, in the sunshine summer month of February here in New Zealand,… Read more: Marlborough Food & Wine Festival Birthday Celebration
  • A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon!May 10, 2023
    Round the Bays Wellington, held in February every year, is always an iconic event, generally bestowed with sunshine and an amazing turn out of people of all ages. The atmosphere for this event is like a festival, with entertainment lining the route of the first 6km, between Waitangi Park and Kilbirnie Park (where all the… Read more: A few running events to kick off the year & a sub-4 PB at the Rotorua Marathon!
  • Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles!April 4, 2023
    On Census night in New Zealand we were away from home, up in Auckland (along with thousands of other people from all over the country) to enjoy an epic night of entertainment at Mt Smart Stadium. We flew up first thing on Tuesday morning, giving us plenty of time to enjoy some sight seeing before… Read more: Auckland mid-week break away for Harry Styles!
  • Celebrating a Birthday with a Meerkat Encounter!March 30, 2023
    Our youngest turned 13 in February, joining her older two siblings in ‘teen hood’ (though our oldest will turn 20 in June this year!). Having started high school a couple of weeks before her birthday there was, certainly for me, a moment of nostalgia as I reflected on how grown up my ‘baby’ has become… Read more: Celebrating a Birthday with a Meerkat Encounter!
  • Summer holiday in Rotorua & TaupoMarch 29, 2023
    The last week of January, before the start of a new school year, we drove up from Wellington to the central region of the North Island for a week’s holiday. We’ve holidayed in this area many times over the years and never tire of the endless outdoor activities on offer in the most beautiful natural… Read more: Summer holiday in Rotorua & Taupo
  • Christmas and a Birthday in WellingtonJanuary 12, 2023
    Sunshine was gifted to us on Christmas Day this year in Wellington and we had the most wonderfully relaxed day together (well, almost all together, as our oldest currently lives in Melbourne and so we video chatted and were delighted to see them having an awesome time with a friend and their friend’s family). We… Read more: Christmas and a Birthday in Wellington

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