Glorious weather, from the warmest Autumn on record, has rolled into Winter (though we’re warned to make the most of the sunshine whilst it lasts!). My daughters didn’t hold back when the sun came out in warm splendour yesterday. They had such fun frolicking in the surf at Lyall Bay, skipping seaweed and throwing a […]
Sophie
Winter haul out time at Red Rocks
It’s haul out time at Red Rocks for bachelors that have been out-suited by more dominant male seals. They are making the most of basking on the rocks, resting up through the winter months. Up to 150 of them will spend the winter months on the Capital’s South Coast. Today, Sophie, Alice and I made […]
Courage
When I think of the word ‘Courage’ I think of the ‘Lion’ in the ‘Wizard of Oz’. He spends the story looking for courage, only to find it was there, deep inside. Courage is often something we wish for, want or desperately need. Finding it and keeping a hand on it whilst we walk over […]
Three day weekend – Thank you Ma’am!
A long weekend, thanks to the official Queen’s Birthday, was just what we needed. Colds, coughs and snuffles have us at their mercy. Welcome to winter! Poor Alice is so full of gunk that lying down to sleep isn’t a comfortable option. Dan and I have been a tag team with midnight buggy pushing, starlit […]
Thing’s I’m Loving… Decision Made!
There’s been a niggling, nagging feeling for a while now that someone moved the cheese. We could have stayed and waited it out, to see if another delivery of the good stuff was going to arrive – but we probably would have got awfully hungry, lethargic, zoned out and depressed. From time to time life throws […]
The Gallery: I’m Grateful For
This week a lovely lady and Mum to four, Chris (of ‘Thinly Spread‘ blog), is on an incredible journey to see the children of Mozambique. She has embarked on a journey, with Save the Children, for the ‘No Child Born to Die‘ campaign, which I blogged about recently. Chris hasn’t left her own children for […]
No Child Born to Die Campaign
In January, Save the Children UK launched its most ambitious campaign to date, No Child Born to Die. Every year 8 million children under five die from illnesses we know how to treat or prevent, such as diarrhoea, pneumonia and measles. Save The Children is focusing on the provision of vaccinations and healthcare workers. In […]
The ebb and flow of the tides…
I feel on my heart, like the gravitational pull of a full moon. Those early years with our children, side by side, are like two hearts knotted in a binding beat. Night and day our breath is shared. Learning, growing, getting to know the spirit that drives every conscious and unconscious thought. As our children […]
Balmy May gives way to thunder & showers
Nature has been very kind this month. It’s been so warm that even the bulbs have been confused. Our daffodils decided to pop their heads out the ground thinking it was spring come again. But winter isn’t to be kept at bay for ever. Dark clouds have rolled in this weekend, bringing heavy rainfall, floods, […]
Loving our little Zoo, Zoo, Zoo!
This morning Sophie, Alice and I had a very special visit to our wonderful little Zoo in Wellington. Frances, who is happily living at our place, didn’t have any work on this morning and chose to join us – which was wonderful. She took heaps of photographs (normally I get to hide behind the camera […]
Sophie has a ‘cold’… (warning – school rant!)
but we know it’s not ‘that’ bad. The reality is… she’s just started her second term of her school life. She’s moved classes and has a new teacher. There’s now twenty children in her small classroom. The children in the class are all getting used to each other and a new teacher. Five, of the […]
A few highs (and lows) from the past week
The first week of a new term is never without a hitch. We only had a two week school holiday to enjoy together, after a long, 11-week, first term. We were just getting into our stride, and really enjoying ourselves, when the end of the holidays hit us with a bang. It felt premature that […]
These boots were made for walking
The weather was glorious at the weekend, perhaps a little too warm for what I chose to wear on my feet… but new boots demanded ‘walking in’ and I was too KEEN to resist! As much as I love fashion boots, I’m just not a city slicker these days. Better to face the facts and […]
Comfort Baking
I never used to bake much; always ate to survive, rather than living for the pleasure of eating. I grazed on the run, grabbed a piece of fruit on the way out the door, hurried down a few slices of toast for lunch, downed a glass of milk before bed… all whilst vaguely ensuring I […]