1. She stops her splashing, to stare at the life she’s saved from the water. There on her fingers, the lady bird clings, resting for a while, before taking flight. Then she exhales, aware of her breathing, and the miracle of life. 2. ‘Look! There’s a rabbit!’ she wants to shout, but muffles her voice with her hand – […]
Photo Gallery
The Photo Gallery | One Word – Metamorphosis
‘One Word’ is this week’s theme over on ‘The Photo Gallery‘ at Sticky Fingers blog and I’m going with ‘Metamorphosis’, after a magical visit to the recently opened ‘Butterflies Alive!’ exhibit at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. I visited on with my youngest daughter, age four. She entered the magical world of the […]
The Photo Gallery | Theme of the week ‘Up Close and Personal’
It’s scorching in southern California and this British Mamma & her Kiwi born daughters are seeking out ways to cool down (especially with the air conditioning broken and the temperature inside the house reading over 88°F 31.1°C!). Outside, around the swimming pool (thank the heavens hubbie rented a house with a pool!) it’s in the […]
The Photo Gallery | Happy – Finding ‘Happy’ at Disneyland California!
Guess where we are? Known as ‘The Happiest Place on Earth’! Disneyland! This visit I am the happiest I’ve been visiting Disneyland California, and it’s not just because of the dashing man by my side (though of course he is a big part of the reason!). It’s also because our Miss 4 has finally reached the […]
The Photo Gallery | A Favourite Place – South Coast, Wellington, New Zealand
Less than fifteen minutes walk from our home in Wellington, New Zealand, lies the stunning South Coast, encompassing Lyall Bay, Princess Bay, Houghton Bay, Island Bay and Owhiro Bay. The bays are met by the shoreline, which gradually rises up into the hills of Wellington. The hills are dotted with houses, balanced out with lush […]
The Photo Gallery | Sport
It’s a special week of celebration on Sticky Fingers blog’s ‘The Photo Gallery’ this week. Parenting bloggers in the UK put their heads together to create an event for Sport Relief this year which had the whole of the community buzzing – the Team Honk Relay. Bloggers up and down the land joined together to travel […]
The Photo Gallery | Yellow
Yellow, in the garden, drawing butterflies in – Yellow, in the setting sun, drawing my eyes to the horizon – Yellow, reflecting off the water, as I finish my evening run – And yellow, of my youngest daughter’s pirate hat, blowing bubbles on a boat with her friend – Linking up with –
The Photo Gallery | Food
Mousetraps. A favourite snack, anytime of day, for two of my three daughters. Simply spread Marmite on toast, sprinkle with grated cheese and pop under the grill till the cheese melts on top. If you feel inclined, like my Miss 3, share with dinosaurs (or any toy that happens to be at hand!). Joining in […]
New | The Photo Gallery
New is the hummingbird sun-catcher, hanging from the tree. New is the hummingbird feeder, dangling near by. New is this scene, just for a year, in a house in Santa Barbara, where all the nature is new to my eyes. Time in this house, with my three children, is ample, Sometimes it feels a prison, […]
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree… | The Photo Gallery
It’s been many years since we’ve seen so many Christmas trees in the build up to Christmas. Visiting Disneyland in the festive season was, as you’d imagine, mind-blowing in a sensory overload of lights, baubles, ribbon, glitter and a touch of fake snow – even in sunny southern California – for good measure. It’s also […]
Feeling Festive | The Photo Gallery
It’s been so many years since we’ve celebrated the festive season in the northern hemisphere. It took me well over a decade to adjust to celebrating in the southern hemisphere – and just when I thought I’d finally done it… I went and jinxed it! Spending Christmas in Santa Barbara is a wonderful ‘best of […]
The Photo Gallery: November
When I read the challenge for this week’s ‘Photo Gallery’ at ‘Sticky Fingers’ blog I was stumped – one photograph for the month of November! How could I possibly sum up a month in one photograph? Then I had my light-bulb moment. This year we are in the USA for November and our contribution to […]
The Photo Gallery: Nature
I don’t enjoy seeing elephants in small enclosures. I’m thankful that the majority of zoos across the world are no longer breeding elephants. The ones that remain in zoos, are hopefully the last. They belong in the wild, or in large landscapes of protected land. They belong with their kin. When I do come across […]
The Photo Gallery | Halloween
We are in sunny Santa Barbara, California, this Autumn. It’s the first time in well over a decade, certainly in my children’s lives, that we’ve been in the northern hemisphere for Halloween. It always irked me that New Zealand chose to follow the commercial line of Halloween, and ‘do it’ on 31 October (in the […]