Birthday time for the man of the house is a little different with three energetic daughters to contend with. One daughter (young Alice) decided to pick the eve of his Birthday to wake up and do some midnight star-gazing with her Daddy. Any chance of a lie in to catch up on lost winks was […]
cafes
A ride to the wild side of the South Coast
The swell of the incoming tide sprayed on the rocks by the shore. The sun beat down and the pull of the water, after a bike ride on the south coast, was too tempting to resist. Granddad hung up his bike tour guide hat and exchanged it for his emergency life-guard cap. The water wasn’t […]
Things I’m Loving…
♥ LOVING the feel of summer, with reflections of sunshine, blue sky and time on the beach with my youngest daughter. This makes the sleep deprivation worth it! ♥ LOVING a visit to the rose gardens at Wellington’s Botanic Garden after school to smell the scent of summer, feed the ducks and have our fingers […]
Time Alone & Together
Me and my two feet, striding out alone. Walking on the beach at a pace of my own. No voices to listen to, but those in my head. My eyes focused on the surf, relaxed and at ease. I’m on my way to meet with a friend. A friend who is a mother, just like […]
Something Blue
It’s been a weekend of blue, in a very happy, sunshine kind of a way! This was our Saturday afternoon… We made the most of the sunshine at wonderful Scorching Bay, where we rocked climbed, dug in the sand, tossed a frisbee around and drank coffee at Scorch-O-Rama (whilst feeling a little ‘star struck’ at […]
A weekend of markets & beach fun
It’s been a while since we’ve hung out at the Wellington Underground Market of arts and craft at Frank Kitt’s Park, on Wellington’s waterfront. So, after a Saturday morning of play dough making we ditched the flour covered kitchen and escaped into the sunshine (with a few sneaky flour hand-prints here and there) to enjoy a […]
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 […]
Silent Sunday
The Gallery – Shapes from Stoneridge Cafe & Maze
Whilst on holiday in Nelson we visited the wonderful Stoneridge Cafe & Maze. The cafe is set in a beautiful villa, with tranquil gardens and expansive grounds for the children to run freely on. A special highlight for young and old is the well-maintained hedge maze. We set off with Chinese Granddad in tow. Grandma […]
Chocolate Fish
On Wednesday we finally visited the ‘new’ Chocolate Fish cafe at Shelly Bay. It had all the charm of the old one at Scorching Bay, with the painted chairs, artwork adorning the walls, friendly staff and a little something extra for the children… pedal cars and, as always, chocolate fish with the drinks and food […]
Blue Sky!
After last night’s post of gloomy weather we woke this morning to such a treat – blue sky! It’s calm, sunny and the day is full of promise. Heading out around the bays for some fresh sea air and to check out the new Chocolate Fish at Shelly Bay. School holidays are over and spring […]
Mind, body, soul
In the garden… Busy bees (aka Charli & Sophie) have been exercising their green fingers in the garden. They’ve planted a wonderful assortment of sunflower seeds in every conceivable corner of the garden, from giants and teddy bears to dwarfs and a red petaled variety. At the end of the driveway, where our letterbox stands, […]
Chugga, chugga, choo, choo!
A few week’s back Sophie was being a little testing so Charli created a sticker chart, laminated it, pinned it up in the kitchen and ensured every measure of good behaviour was rightly rewarded. When the sticker chart was completed Sophie got to choose a treat and, being into Thomas (brings back memories to when […]
Hot, hot, hot!
The past two day’s I’ve actually been thankful for the wind! It’s been hot and I’m not complaining! Friday was cooler but, with it being Waitangi Day (yah! Three day weekend!), we were determined to enjoy a good family day out. We met up with Kathy and Mark in Eastbourne for lots of ice-cream (basically!). […]