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 […]
Dan
Togetherness
After six weeks of togetherness we farewelled Chinese Grandma & Granddad on Valentine’s Day. They dropped off Charlotte & Sophie at school and said a brave good-bye. In the afternoon, Dan, Alice and I took them to the airport and had one last coffee together. We don’t know when we’ll meet next, but hopefully it […]
Happy 38th Birthday to Daddy!
Saturday was Dan’s Birthday and it was made particularly special having his parents here. We had a full on, action packed day! Maranui for breakfast, croc biking along the waterfront, fun at the circus in the afternoon and a scoot at Oriental Parade with dinner at The Parade Cafe. Here’s a little video of the […]
Our baby turtle & a shark sighting
It was a surreal day at Lyall Bay. The fog rolling in banked up on the horizon and engulfed the hills around the bay. News of a shark sighting only hours before added to the erie feeling. A fin had been spotted for a few seconds. The beach was closed for swimming, as a precaution, […]
Here’s to a New Year (a little premature)!
Dan and I enjoyed a very rare and impromptu dinner out together this evening. Our friend Frances gifted us some ‘time’ for a Christmas present and our big girls decided tonight was ‘the night’! They excitedly packed their bags, favourite books, teddy and duvet for a sleep-over at Frances house! Alice was too little to […]
The Gallery: Sparkle – Carols by Candlelight
Darkness falls late in this part of the world at the moment, so catching some northern hemisphere traditional Christmas sparkle isn’t easy. The little’uns are going to bed later and later (but not lying in much in the morning to compensate), but rarely up late enough to see the twinkling lights on the Christmas tree. […]
Christmas in the garden & at the beach
National Jandal Day couldn’t have asked for better weather. Wellington was bathed in sunshine with collectors reaping the rewards for Surf Life Saving NZ. Charlotte spent most of the day with her entire school at the fabulous Wainui Summer Pools, whilst Sophie, Alice and I had a quiet morning at home and in the garden. […]
Due Date: Six months of waiting to be with the one I loved.
Joining in with Sleep is for the Weak Writing Workshop: Life on Film this week. I chose the first prompt: Due Date – Tell us about something anticipated and what happened when it arrived. ‘Daniel is leaving tonight on a plane, I can see the tail lights heading for Spain…’ The words of the song […]
The Gallery (Week 35): Before and After
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 […]
Fresh eyes on new life at the Zoo
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 […]
All the fun of the fair with a touch of spooks!
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 […]
Cuddly toy take-over!
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 […]
With love to the man of the house x
A little girl needs Daddy For many, many things: Like holding her high off the ground Where the sunlight sings! Like being the deep music That tells her all is right When she awakens frantic with The terrors of the night. Like being the great mountain That rises in her heart And shows her how […]
Running away with the circus…
‘I can’t wait to go to circus school! Only one more year till I am 8,’ Charlotte enthused to the man supporting her as she balanced on the cog wheel. We were at the Petone Winter Carnival and the Wellington Circus Trust was there giving children and adults an opportunity to run away with the […]