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

A Forecast to Smile About

October 2, 2010 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Art, School hols

After the deluge of rain that drenched Wellington on Thursday we were so delighted to see the sunshine on Friday. What’s more the forecast for the whole week is SUN, SUN, SUN! Now that’s something to SMILE about, especially on the school holidays! I’d pre-booked to take the girls to a craft activity in the […]

Continue reading


The Rules – just so you know!

September 24, 2010September 24, 2010 BritMumInNZ 5 Comments Charlotte, Life in action - Videos, Sophie

Charlotte has posted up some rules on her bedroom door… Her door is adorned with crafty goodness begging to be tugged and chewed at as soon as Alice is mobile! She asked me to video her spelling them out so she could share them. And Sophie wanted to share her bedtime white-board art with you, […]

Continue reading


Fun simple flower craft

September 11, 2010September 26, 2010 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Art

This week we came across these wonderful cardboard flowers from the Warehouse Stationery. They are so handy to have for impromptu play-dates. The girls have really enjoyed decorating them with a variety of materials. For these flowers Charlotte used wool (left) and glitter glue (right): The beautiful flowers below were decorated using old magazines (left) […]

Continue reading


Spring Crafts with Children

September 2, 2010September 2, 2010 BritMumInNZ 8 Comments Art

The start of a new season always motivates me to search out craft ideas to do with my children. There is an overwhelming selection of wonderful ideas on the Internet. Here are a few lovely finds that I’m looking forward to doing (if I can find an opportunity to get to a craft store and […]

Continue reading


It starts over breakfast…

August 27, 2010 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Alice, Art, Charlotte, Sophie

The mess. It starts over breakfast, after the first round of washing has already been mysteriously whipped into the washing machine. Alice enjoys baby cereal off a spoon – but she hasn’t quite got that you hold the spoon by the handle – preferring to get stuck right into the action on the tip of […]

Continue reading


Dear Mummy…

August 17, 2010September 9, 2010 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Art, Random Musings, Writing

An imagined letter from my children to me: Dear Mummy, We’re sorry for the mess we left everywhere, but do you like the painting we did for you? The painting is of you being busy. You are always busy, but we like that you stop to give us a hug and play with us too. […]

Continue reading


Feelings through Chalk

July 21, 2010July 21, 2010 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Charlotte

On Sunday, Charlotte went out on the driveway with a bucket of chalk and wrote a few words to describe her family and herself… I love that Daddy (Dan) is described as ‘Nutty’! And for me (Sarah) Charlotte writes ‘Racing’ for R – she said, ‘Because you are always racing around.’ I adore that for […]

Continue reading


Mummy says we can put glue on the window!!!

July 15, 2010July 15, 2010 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Art, School hols

When the girls heard about this fun window collage activity, which I discovered via the Crafty Crow, they couldn’t believe their ears… They were actually being told to put glue on the window! They looked at me as though I’d gone mad or been reading too many Roald Dahl books. Madness is part true (makes […]

Continue reading


Drawings in the sand

June 19, 2010 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Charlotte, Sophie

At low tide the wet, flat sand of Lyall Bay makes a welcome canvas. Sophie delighted in writing messages of love and mastered drawing hearts (a little something she’s been working on). Charlotte drew pictures and made trails (with maths questions!) for me to follow. They both asked for me to take a photograph and […]

Continue reading


Flowing with watercolours

May 27, 2010May 27, 2010 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Art, Charlotte, Sophie

Whilst the rain continues to lash down outside we have been flowing with watercolours inside. I know little of art techniques, but I do enjoy a quiet moment to draw or paint. I have fond memories, from my childhood, of whiling away hours drawing and painting, particularly on weekends away visiting extended family. Dan also […]

Continue reading


Swinging clip folk and clocks

April 10, 2010May 27, 2010 BritMumInNZ 9 Comments Art, Charlotte, Life in action - Videos, School hols, Sophie

Charlotte has been busy creating fun swinging clip folk and clocks this week. My favourite is the robot she made for me, which I’ve pinned in the kitchen. In my dreams the robot comes to life and performs the tasks Charlotte has set for it to do: ‘Do all the housework’, ‘Make breakfast’, ‘Tidy up’ […]

Continue reading


Masked Fun at Capital E

April 9, 2010May 27, 2010 BritMumInNZ 3 Comments Art, School hols

Capital E always pulls out the stops to entertain children over the school holidays. We spent Thursday morning making masks and enjoying the wonderful ‘Commedia Dell’Arte Performance’, a form of mask theatre that evolved in Italy, influencing early clowning and ballet. We had a very fun morning of inspiration and comedy. Here’s the girls creating […]

Continue reading


Marzipan Toadstools

April 6, 2010May 27, 2010 BritMumInNZ 5 Comments Art, Baking, Charlotte, Sophie

Marzipan, food colouring and a dash of inspiration…

Continue reading


Punga Fern Easter Art

March 31, 2010August 27, 2010 BritMumInNZ 4 Comments Art, Charlotte, Sophie

The Maori people identify the unfurling Punga fern frond or ” Koru” design, with values of youth, strength and vitality, life unfolding, the family or Whānau, its care and protection. It seems, therefore, a perfect symbol with which to celebrate Easter in New Zealand. Charlotte came up with the idea of Punga art for Easter, […]

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