The biggest gift my parents bestowed to me was a love of nature. No matter where I am, what my life’s circumstances are, there is always nature to marvel and amaze. As a young girl the mantra, ‘No matter the weather, we’ll have a good time,’ was drummed into my subconscious. We would wrap up […]
gardening
The Gallery: Extreme Close Up
When nature reveals its beauty in such a way, my mind cannot possibly comprehend what my eyes see. It is miraculous, beautiful, incredible, literally breathtaking. A child cannot help but want to reach out and touch – as if to convince their mind that what they see is in-fact real. I almost have to pinch […]
Loving a touch of spring and off with the locks!
Last week snow, this week sunshine and flowers. What a change in the weather! ♥ All of a sudden it’s light till 6pm and with the clocks rolling forward in a few weeks time we are feeling the joy of spring. We’ve had a few lovely days this week. Weather for swinging open windows, flinging […]
Growing in the spring sunshine: The Gallery, Week 34
Today was a blissful day of sunshine. It felt GREAT! Spring is of course a tumultuous time of year. One day I’m reaching for my summer skirt thinking the worst is behind me – only to find my lilly whites shivering and knees knocking as an unexpected southerly blows through; the next day I’m putting […]
Digging up worms and spring planting
There’s talk of Halloween and even Christmas in the air. My own children are already counting down the days till they can start opening the doors on their advent calendars and are walking around with ‘trick or treat’ buckets anticipating a load of treats this coming Halloween weekend. They would love to go knocking on […]
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, […]
A little planting between the partying
Well it wasn’t all play on Labour Weekend, there was a little work too – though planting seedlings in the garden hardly felt like real ‘work’ – more like therapy. Dan took the girls out again on Sunday ‘avo (after a morning together of Pirate Ship mini-golf and swimming at the wave pool in Porirua). […]
Seasonally Unpredictable
I’m no meteorologist and if I was then I could explain the seasonally unpredictable weather we’ve been experiencing lately. Wellington, in particular, goes crazy in the Spring – and it’s approaching – with signs from ‘Mother Nature’ and changes in the fashion outlets window displays. I came across a fascinating read on the Met Service […]
Over Breakfast
Sophie’s love of face-painting knows no bounds! Over breakfast this morning she was transformed into a butterfly. In the afternoon, after a lunch-time swim, the girls turned into a lion and a tiger and roamed wild in the garden. The sunflowers bring so much happiness. Whilst the girls continued to enjoy the sunshine and play […]
The Earth Rocks in New Zealand
Living in New Zealand there is always a feeling of being literally close to nature. This morning I watched powerful waves rolling out onto Lyall Bay Beach; this evening, I felt the whole house shake in a major after shock of a 6.8 earthquake more powerful than the 1987 Edgecumbe earthquake. It was centred 50 […]
A Holiday at Home!
Today really felt like a holiday. The weather has been glorious and we are really revving up for our second summer in our new house. It’s great to wake up and be happy to spend the day in and around your home. This morning we took a leisurely stroll to Island Bay enjoying the stunning […]
Domestic Bliss
It’s been a cracker of a weekend. One of those weekend’s where we got lots done on the domestic chore list, but didn’t feel like we were trying hard. We’re sitting here on Sunday evening feeling very chilled and happy (England winning against France certainly kicked the day off to a good start!). Dan’s tapping […]
Inspirational Living
Ten years ago, when we first arrived in New Zealand, we’d take our lunch (frequently a Big Mac, I’m embarrassed to say), and watch in awe at the number of fitness fanatics along Wellington’s stunning waterfront. We’d say to each other, ‘Tomorrow,’ and make excuses. Eventually the clean-living spirit caught us in its force and […]
Harvest the Kumara
‘In bygone days, Tohunga Maori (Maori wise men and women) with a special knowledge of the stars spent much time studying the stars. The movement of the nga whetu (the eternal shining ones) followed a seasonal cycle, as did the Earth below, so that their rising and setting marked the progression of the seasons. Certain […]