Time is literally flying away on me and blog writing is very neglected these days, but we are all well here and can’t believe our lovely Christmas and New Year festivities were three months ago! Spring and summer has raced by and now we are on the cusp of autumn here in New Zealand. Since […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
‘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 […]
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 […]
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, […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Grandma & Grandad Aspinall and Mummy and Daddy took me on my first ferry crossing to the South Island of New Zealand.