Catching the Magic

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

  • Home
  • About
  • Blasts from the past
  • Country Kids
  • Motherhood
  • Poetry
    • 2011 Poetry
    • 2012 Poetry
    • 2013 Poetry
    • 2014 Poetry
    • 2015 Poetry
    • 2016 Poetry
    • 2017-2018 Poetry
  • Travel
    • Auckland
    • Fiordland
    • Kapiti Coast
    • Nelson, Tasman, Marlborough & Canterbury
    • Otago, Queenstown, Wanaka & Southern Lakes
    • Taupo, Rotorua & Tongariro National Park
    • Wairarapa
    • Byron Bay and the Gold Coast (2005 and 2016)
    • Californian Adventures, 2013-14
    • Canada, Dec. 2018
    • Cook Islands
    • Copenhagen, July & August 2014
    • Japan
    • Singapore
    • Sydney
    • UK Visits from 2014 to 2022
    • England via Santa Barbara & San Francisco, 2012
    • England via San Francisco – July 2007
    • NZ to UK, with our 9 month old, 2004
  • Running
  • Special Days

Art

Things I’m Loving: Creative loves

January 11, 2013January 11, 2013 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Art, Loving & Not Loving, School hols

Lots of creative fun in the house this week, as well as enjoying having Grandma & Granddad over from the UK. Loved painting young Alice’s face and watching her reaction to my artwork on her face! Loved the photos Grandma & Granddad took of a trip into Wellington on the bus, with Charlotte & a […]

Continue reading


Thirty days hath September, April, June and November… FIVE sleeps till…

November 26, 2012 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Art, Charlotte

December countdown to Christmas Day – and thinking up some active ideas and goodies to pop in this amazing advent calendar my nine year old made on Sunday (all her own idea – the little paper cubes even have paper springs folded underneath each one – for easy pulling out from the main box). I […]

Continue reading


When art takes precedence over dinner…

September 19, 2012 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Art

I’m sure Van Gogh would have understood. There are times when eating can wait. Dinner can wait. But art – all that creative energy and impulsive need to pour out emotions into one form or another – sometimes, that cannot wait (at least in our home). So, this evening, I had one child making clay […]

Continue reading


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 […]

Continue reading


Loving… New Zealand You Have My Heart

June 8, 2012June 8, 2012 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Art, Loving & Not Loving

Wherever this life of mine takes me, I feel certain I’ll always have a pull to New Zealand. I fell in love on the first visit, as I flew from Auckland to Wellington taking in the expanse of green, undulating land, surrounded by ocean. Geographically it is so far away from the rest of the […]

Continue reading


Things I’m Loving this ‘Photo A Day MAY’ | Snack | Something I Made

May 18, 2012May 18, 2012 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Art, Baking, Loving & Not Loving, Sarah

LOVING these scrumptious berry muffins I made today, which were a lovely snack for a young house guest, Sophie, Alice and I. The berries were so warm as the muffins came out of the oven that I couldn’t resist adding a little dollop of vanilla bean ice-cream on the side when I served them. And […]

Continue reading


Look what I found in Wellington… A Love Letter!

May 2, 2012May 2, 2012 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Art, Learning & growing, Sarah, Writing

I was sat on a bench by the bucket water fountain on Cuba Mall, Wellington, sipping a latte in the sunshine, and watching my children play on the little playground. I had been feeling quite shaky and flat emotionally. My youngest daughter, Alice, is two and her sleep has been somewhat erratic of late. It […]

Continue reading


Sunshine Monday at The Chocolate Fish

April 30, 2012April 30, 2012 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Alice, Art, Charlotte, Learning & growing, Sarah, Sophie

Sophie, Alice and I spent four hours today hanging out at the ‘Chocolate Fish‘, in Shelly Bay, Wellington, with a lovely unschooler friend and her two amazing children. The children all enjoyed each other’s company so much, that my friend and I enjoyed a lovely chat. I even found a moment to do a quick […]

Continue reading


Things I’m Loving: Laying Low!

April 14, 2012July 4, 2022 BritMumInNZ 6 Comments Alice, Art, Charlotte, Loving & Not Loving, Sarah, Sophie

Midnight on Thursday Alice was sick – I thought it was just the spag bog (quite a rich sauce), but it’s now Saturday morning and she’s still not holding down much. She must be getting some fluids through – as she’s not being sick straight after drinking (and she’s breastfeeding too), but every two to […]

Continue reading


Have you had your pancakes?!

February 21, 2012 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Alice, Art, Baking, Charlotte, Sophie

Sophie asked me for pancakes for breakfast, again. She’s been asking for days. I keep making promises. I keep breaking them. Oops! But today, I pulled out my wooden spoon and whipped up some batter and fulfilled an overdue promise. It wasn’t till mid-morning I discovered it was actually Shrove Tuesday today! I found a […]

Continue reading


Weekend Workout & Recommendations!

February 20, 2012February 21, 2012 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Art, Sarah, Sponsored posts

Some weekends are made for play, others are made for getting down to it and facing up to the moth balls, paper piles, over-grown lawn, dirty windows and piles of laundry. After all, we had enjoyed a beautiful Friday of sunshine – can’t be all play and no work! For our children the weekend was […]

Continue reading


Life: Inspiration Weekly

November 5, 2011 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Art, Charlotte, Inspiration Weekly, Sarah, Writing

In this moment I am fortunate to be living in the season of life – Spring. My home is surrounded by plants, trees, flowers and vegetables. They grow easily in the temperate climate of my home. I have children running around my home, reminding me of the energy of life. Less than two years ago […]

Continue reading


Halloween in NZ at Beltane time: Trying to please everyone

October 11, 2011October 11, 2011 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Art

Here in our home it’s the second week of our spring break school holidays. It’s rained for most of it and the forecast is for yet more rain 🙁 We have escaped into the fresh air whenever possible, but the rain definitely makes us all feel a bit cranky and fed up (especially when the […]

Continue reading


Loving a touch of spring and off with the locks!

August 26, 2011August 26, 2011 BritMumInNZ 6 Comments Alice, Art, Charlotte, Dan, Garden, Loving & Not Loving, Sarah, Sophie

Last week snow, this week sunshine and flowers. What a change in the weather! ♥ All of a sudden it’s light till 6pm and with the clocks rolling forward in a few weeks time we are feeling the joy of spring. We’ve had a few lovely days this week. Weather for swinging open windows, flinging […]

Continue reading


Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Archives

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

Things I Write About

Art (100) autumn (42) Baking (37) beach (67) Birthday (51) birthday party (31) breastfeeding (29) cafes (46) christmas (71) Country Kids (59) family (117) family time (57) featured (34) friends (38) Garden (43) holiday (36) Holidays (133) Lyall Bay (47) Lyrical Sunday (68) milestones (62) motherhood (37) New Zealand (38) parenting (36) photography (39) poem (69) poetry (92) running (62) Santa Barbara (32) school (75) school holidays (50) seasons (45) Silent Sunday (51) sisters (29) sleep (35) spring (38) summer (60) swimming (28) the gallery (62) Things I'm Loving (118) UK (33) Walks (47) weather (34) Wellington (137) winter (42) writing (50)
dazzling Theme by Colorlib Powered by WordPress