Travels in New Zealand and beyond, going back to 2003!
Term 4 in New Zealand is always a short and fast one. My youngest daughter gleefully reminded me that Christmas Day is fast approaching – and there’s me thinking that surely we’re still in September – but one look at our dog, on pick up from his pre-summer groom, and there’s no denying the festive…
What a term it’s been! With so many parts of the world unable to function as normal due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we feel extremely blessed to be able to live pretty much as normal, for now! Most of New Zealand, with the exception of Auckland, has had a pretty normal school term, but a…
May in New Zealand is a month of shorter days and candle-lit nights, a month of celebrating mothers on Mother’s Day and cross-country running. It’s a month when the colours of a summer well spent are trying desperately to cling on – but fading with every short day of light and howling storm. I love…
Black and white is the theme this week on ‘The Photo Gallery’ and it is especially poignant as I struggle to let my youngest child ‘go’, and settle her into school. I feel like my wild butterfly is being closed up in a box, of sorts, and having her wings clipped. The vibrant colours of…
There have been so many momentous changes in our family life this year so far. This week, by far, has been the biggest. I have experienced, for the first time in nearly twelve years, having all three of my daughters AT SCHOOL! I have soooo many feelings about this. My emotions are on a non-stop…
Our 11 year old daughter has been awesome in supporting her 9 year old sister settling into a new school this week. Friends, family and regular readers will know that our 9 year old daughter has been homeschooled these past three years, due to school anxiety; but having made a lot of progress in overcoming…
Her face was just like all the rest, on pick up time at three. The adrenaline that had twisted thick, buried for a spell. The anguish of the morning, the torment of the night. The constant torture of anxiety, that steals family time. It even creeps upon us at weekends, when we’re trying to forget….
School commenced for two of our three children yesterday. Our ten year old has been attending school in New Zealand for five years and, apart from a somewhat dissatisfying, unchallenging experience in her first three years, she has pretty much excelled. She thrived at a private girls school she attended for the past two years…
Tomorrow school starts for the year. Two of our three children will start at a new school, in a new country, in a completely different hemisphere. Our Miss 10 is coming from a private girls school in Wellington, New Zealand. Our Miss 7 is coming from a couple of years of free-spirited ‘natural learning’ (home…
It’s been a week of firsts here in Santa Barbara. First time for driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road; first purchase of a brand new car (a very nice 2014 Acura MDX) in America (serious paper work!), with the driver’s seat on the left hand side; first time dinging a rental vehicle three…
Loving a last blast of summer sunshine (and hoping today’s slightly cooler temperatures ease off for a little longer yet). We enjoyed a gorgeous last few days with Grandma & Granddad, at Scorching Bay on Tuesday morning and Zealandia on Monday, (before they flew home to a very cold welcome in England… thankfully their neighbours…
Sunday was ‘World Photography Day‘ (but I didn’t know that then – I found out on Monday). I am no ace photographer, but I love photography and seeing the world through different people’s eyes. I only used to take holiday snaps but, with the digital age and having children on the opposite side of the…
Smartly dressed in her school uniform, my eldest daughter appeared in the kitchen, ready to start the new school term. She had an enthusiastic smile and look of eagerness. Dan and I looked at her with pride and soft hearts of love and admiration. She sat up to have breakfast next to her father, talking…
A snapshot of our week, with one daughter at private school (her choice, our expense!), one being unschooled (her choice, our suffering/joy!), one toddler undertaking experiments in life under her own steam at home! In my life this week… I’ve had a rotten cold and the overwhelming feeling of tiredness and body cramps that comes…