Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
Last weekend was spent with friends, in the beautiful countryside of the Wairarapa, at our Martinborough home. The weekend was full of special moments in the sun, made all the better for having good friends to share it with. Our three daughters each had a friend, their age, to buddy up with – which made for incredibly…
It’s been a fortnight since we returned from the UK to the US. We are heading back to New Zealand to live at the beginning of October, but for now we’re in limbo; between the two places we love. I haven’t felt like writing anything much, but have tried to fit in a little reminiscing about…
Our oldest daughter has just turned 11 and she celebrated in sunny California (her first ‘summer’ Birthday – as she was born in the middle of New Zealand’s winter – on a particularly wild day in Wellington!). She has grown tall enough to have her first proper bike, with gears and all that jazz, for…
I woke at 5am feeling nervous about whether my ankle was going to hold out for me to complete the half marathon in the beautiful wine country of Santa Barbara, California. I wasn’t just running to achieve a goal for myself, or to take in the beautiful scenery surrounding of the Santa Ynez Valley, but running…
My Facebook feed was flooded with lovely messages of ‘welcome to the club’ and ‘forties are the best’ this weekend. It’s been like reliving turning eighteen again, as I’ve watched friends slightly older than me party into their forties and then, last weekend, it was my turn. It was a fabulous weekend away in Santa…
It started with a treasure hunt, through dinosaur den, bamboo forest and pirate hideout; before quickly rolling into pin the tail on the tic-toc croc and find the gold doubloons in the sand. There was blue jelly with orange boats sailing the high seas, a water melon doubling up as ship and a chocolate cake…
I have missed so many weddings in England over the past fifteen years living in New Zealand. My dearest friends from school, college and University days have met their sweethearts, walked down the aisle, partied like there’s no tomorrow, all whilst I’ve been wishing for someone to invent instant travel through time. Unfortunately, often laden…
With our NZ neighbours visiting us in our temporary home in the USA we had the perfect reason to celebrate and feast. So we spent a relaxed day at home, preparing the table, for a Thanks Giving feast. Young Miss 3 delighted in sticking cloves into oranges, Miss 10 made up some name-places for the…
They arrived today! Our wonderful New Zealand neighbours. Our children are ecstatic and it’s magic for us adults to see them all together. Their ages span from three to ten, but all five children (three of them being our crazy girls) are like a little family in their own right. They mix up play between…
In less than three weeks we fly away from our home of some fifteen years, New Zealand, to start an adventure living in Santa Barbara, CA, USA. Our new adventure may be for just a year, three years, or possibly more. In this past week we flew up to Auckland, from our home in Wellington,…
Yesterday I caught up with one of my dearest old school friends, today I’m visiting a friend I lived with at Southampton University, who now lives in the beautiful, historic city of Winchester. There are so many old friends I’d love to see in the short week and a half we are here in the…
Charlotte approached the international departure gate and was approached by someone waiting for her. She turned to smile and wave us a good-bye. I was aware of her Daddy saying, ‘Can I have a hug?’, whilst I grappled with young two-year old Alice in my arms – who was determined to make a run through…
A friend came round this avo, with her wonderful children and her 9 year old asked to have a go with the camera – amongst the blurry ones, there’s some really cool ones and also many that highlight my poor house keeping! There’s photos zoomed in on dusty shelves, the sofa with the carefully positioned…
There’s a hint of spring in the air this week in Wellington and it’s something to love. This time last year it snowed in Wellington, a once in fifty year event. At Wellington Zoo, vets took care of an Emperor Penguin discovered on Peka Peka beach, a very long way from home. It seems the…