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

creativity

Some recent loves!

March 7, 2018 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Education, Learning & growing

The past week and a half we’ve seen spring drift into autumn, with the weather pendulum swinging more erratically. Hot days, reminiscent of the record summer that we’ve had still linger, as the nights draw in, interspersed with sudden plunges in temperature and days of rain and wind. Our learning days are changing along with the season, as indoor […]

Continue reading


Mini creations from the school holidays

April 23, 2015 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Art, Learning & growing, School hols

I adore the downtime of the school holidays and the opportunity it gives my children to be creative without any constrains on their time. It’s also wonderful to see them create with the freedom to go with whatever is currently in their hearts and minds, rather than have to work on something within the guidelines […]

Continue reading


Prose for Thought – Halloween

October 31, 2014 BritMumInNZ 10 Comments Art, Country Kids, Lifestyle, Poetry, Seasons

Halloween last year was as it should be – in the northern hemisphere, in autumn (albeit living in Santa Barbara, California, wasn’t quite the northern hemisphere type of Halloween I remembered from my apple bobbing youth growing up in England, UK). It was lovely to be living somewhere where pumpkins were plentiful (as we experienced […]

Continue reading


Loving having our creative space back!

October 22, 2014October 22, 2014 BritMumInNZ 6 Comments Art, Learning & growing

There’s a room in our home that I’ve always loved, ever since we first bought the house – back in 2006. It’s the laundry room, off the back of the garage, and is a sun magnet in the afternoon. It’s a large room and a space I’ve always filled with paint, paper and craft materials […]

Continue reading


Things I’m Loving

March 16, 2014August 21, 2014 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Playgrounds & Parks, Running, Things I'm Loving

Had a beautiful week with my daughters and escaping out for runs. The clocks have swung into spring time in the northern hemisphere and having an extra hour of daylight in the evening makes a huge difference to our available ‘play time’. Sharing here a few loves from my week… ❤ Hanging out in the […]

Continue reading


Things I’m Loving on the crazy home front

January 31, 2014August 21, 2014 BritMumInNZ 2 Comments Things I'm Loving

Being away in the UK for five nights, without my children, was a genuine, much needed break. Parenting 24/7 and home educating three active, bright and full on girls, in another country to their home, is exhausting and, as much as I love them and sharing so much amazing time with them, I totally needed […]

Continue reading


Drowning in a sea of paper

November 14, 2008November 16, 2008 BritMumInNZ 7 Comments Charlotte, Sophie

The lounge coffee table, once perfectly polished and gleaming, adorned with fresh flowers and a chosen book or two of the moment has long gone. Underneath are drawers of stickers, stamps, stencils and colouring books. The surface is pot holed and well loved. Glitter, scratches and pen marks hide under a ton of work in […]

Continue reading


Protecting Our House From An Earthquake

June 19, 2007November 28, 2009 BritMumInNZ 1 Comment Charlotte

For the second time in the past fortnight Charlotte has ridden around the house on her bike, with kite string unraveling behind her, and fully ‘wrapped’ the house in a ‘trip-wire’. She tells me it’s to, ‘Protect our house in case of an earthquake’. Today she insisted we practice an earthquake drill, which consisted of […]

Continue reading


Creations by Charli

April 27, 2007November 28, 2009 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Charlotte

Charlotte reports on her creations: ‘Don’t destroy my creation Sophie!’ ‘Mummy take a picture! No, not yet, when I have finished. Now, take it now, before Sophie destroys it!’ ‘Welcome to my art gallery, what would you like today?’ ‘Mummy, I want to Knight you, bend down!’

Continue reading


Letting Go, Nearly

August 7, 2006May 27, 2010 BritMumInNZ Leave a comment Charlotte, Sarah

Charlotte started Montessori Pre-School last week. We lasted one week!

Continue reading


  • 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