Just sitting here, with a glass of chilled wine, feeling a whole lot better than I did yesterday, and thinking there needs to be some sunshine photographs to mirror my mood on the blog. Here’s a few happy moments from our Nelson holiday… Beautiful Cable Bay… A visit to Founders Heritage Park and a ride […]
Nelson
ADVENTURE this week for The Gallery
Our family is home after a holiday in beautiful Picton and Nelson, New Zealand. We had a blast, especially with Grandma & Granddad over from the UK. As for an adventure? Well, perhaps not so much for us oldies (given we had young children stopping us from too many extended, wild adventures), but more of […]
Holiday loves from Nelson
Time has to be the biggest love of any holiday for our family. No matter where we are, no matter the weather (though sunshine for at least half the holiday is preferable), it is time that holds the highest value. Time to talk idly over coffee or dinner. Time to play. Time to amble at […]
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 […]
Things We’re Loving… Chinese Grandma & Granddad
Having Grandparents to stay is wonderful for the children. The first week was ‘getting to know you’ and from then on in we’ve been having lots of fun. It was especially nice to kick off our time together with a wonderful holiday in Nelson and Marlborough (after they’d had a few days to recover from […]
Mother Nature gives us a sand whipping in Abel Tasman (The Gallery)
We walked with determined, weary legs, head-first into the wind. The sand whipped our exposed skin and scratched our eyes. The scenery was picture perfect (if we were brave enough to open our eyes and look). Laden down with bags of towels, togs and beach toys, we trudged along hoping to catch a boat out. […]
Bon Voyage (at least it was one way!)
‘I’m sad Mummy,’ said Sophie as she hugged her favourite bear and waved bye bye to Wellington. Charli, meanwhile, was focused on drawing a dolphin and was richly rewarded with the sighting of dolphins and orca as we entered the Marlborough Sounds. The crossing to Picton, on Sunday 27 September, was thankfully very calm. We […]
Lost in the Maze
Pacing around the maze, All of a daze, No shade from the haze, But we are not fazed. We have supplies, We’re smarter than flies, But, why or why, As hard as we try, Is the middle so elusive? To be able to fly, Oh me, oh my, That would be cheating, But we are […]
Eight Night’s of Southern Hospitality
Picton, gateway to the South Island, opens its arms like a loving parent to a child returned from a trip away. Since our arrival in New Zealand, in the mid 1990s, we have always had a part of our hearts in the South Island. It offers such a wild expanse of escapism mixed with open, […]
Ahoy there South Island!
We’re off to the South Island on Saturday morning, taking a ride on the ferry to Picton and then driving onto Nelson. We’re renting a beautiful house for the week, with the most stunning views (reminiscent of our stay at The Captain’s Quarters with ‘Chicken’ Grandma and Grandad back in 2003!). Doubt we’ll be blogging […]
A Beautiful Nelson Weekend
Finally, a break from the washing to report on the fantastic Birthday weekend that Dan and the girls treated me to. We sailed on the Interislander to Picton on Friday and had a wonderful calm and sunny crossing. The beauty of the Marlborough Sounds never fails to impress. I have particularly fond memories of this […]
Blast from the past: Abel Tasman National Park
Our last trip to Nelson and the stunning Abel Tasman was six week’s after the birth of our first daughter, Charlotte. It was a trip down memory lane for Dan and I; as we’d spent a memorable trip independently kayaking the Abel Tasman. The Nelson region is simply stunning. With a mixture of beach (Abel […]
My First Holiday
Grandma & Grandad Aspinall and Mummy and Daddy took me on my first ferry crossing to the South Island of New Zealand.