It’s raining cats and dogs. It’s bucketing down. It’s coming down in sheets. This could be because it’s typical for Auckland to reach humidity in the 90’s before early summer storms sweep away the resplendent pohutukawa flowers; cutting off the New Zealand Christmas tree at its knees. It could be caused by global warming, after … More Bucketing Down
There’s a new kind of madness emerging. First there were toilet paper wars in the supermarket isles, then came flour and yeast shortages not seen since Churchill’s post-war Britain, and now, in the plentiful first world, we’re struggling for building supplies. Across the globe there has been, to varying degrees, a year and a half … More New Habitats
Something was said in a Zoom call on Christmas day. It was a relative far away in Cornwall who said he was jealous. Not of our sunshine or our day filled with meals outdoors and play at the beach. He was simply jealous of our Covid free status. The virus permeates everything in 2020. We … More Green Eyed Monster
The North Island got the memo. The South Island got the memo too. The past two weeks have apparently set records for NZ Ski across its three South Island ski fields. Kiwis are throwing themselves off bridges and hiring campervans. For families unlike ours these are new experiences. Time will tell what’s around the corner … More Domestic Travel
We don’t have Covid-19. Yet…. Ruby and I headed up for the test, taking our place in the long line of cars. It was only when we stopped and took our place, realising that we’d be stuck in the car for hours to come, that I noticed the empty red light on my petrol gauge. … More Testing Times
Sophie turned to me before leaving for school today, holding her scooter at the ready and sharing an excited smile. “Mum, Mum. Today’s the day I can hug my friends again”. Our pavements are no-longer decorated with yellow crosses to mark mandatory social distance. The sign in registers are diminishing too. We’ve been subject to … More Nama Kotahi # Number One
It’s a week of beginnings and ends. The beginning of our ‘new normal’ in Level 2 (it’s everyone’s new cliché) and calling to a close our home-schooling experiment. It’s confusing. I was excited to buy a real book from a bookstore this afternoon, and yet I feel like I’ve been through some kind of Orwellian … More Staying Put
I remember the moment. We were backpackers, lounging in the late season Greek sunshine. A passing American woman said to her companion “I hear one’s hit the Whitehouse”. That day, September 11 2001, was the day they said the world changed. Forever. All I wanted to do was return home. To a safe haven. To … More A Bubble at the Bottom of the World
My forefingers pinch a crumpled paper bag, the remnants of a $1 lolly mix. In the other hand are two lemonade popsicles, melting beneath my fingertips. My thumbs are left to steer. We’re rebelliously bareheaded. Barefooted too. We ride our bikes in convoy through the campground along the carefully formed road. 5km per hour read … More The Good Life
Our footprints were distinctly shaped, marking our tracks in the snow. We even found animal prints on ice in this rural part of Sweden. We pondered. Could it be a reindeer come late or a smaller creature playing alongside the neatly carved cross country ski tracks? And then in a heartbeat we’re in flipflops, endearingly … More From Snowboots to Flipflops
They have a terrible reputation. Their sharp bitter personalities do them no favours. Like some US presidents they’re loved or loathed in equal measure. But still, every year they’re trotted out, these small green cabbages. Most people have to eat at least one, because that’s what you do in England. You eat brussel sprouts at … More Living a Christmas Movie
Halloween once marked the end of summer. A time when the ancient Celts prepared to descend into winter, anticipating the cold, dark and often deadly season ahead. Halloween marked change, a time when the Celts believed the worlds of the living and dead became blurred. In Aotearoa New Zealand it’s a festival of costumes and … More All Hallows Eve
It started with a walk, under the stars, with a team of wonderful women trying to crush Cancer. That was two years ago when we were living the old way, before Covid19. So much has changed in the world since then, except so much for those living with Cancer hasn’t. The big takeaway here is … More Lockdown Running, Cancer Crushing
We’re awaiting our fate at 4pm. Although we’ve had enough spoilers to kill any climactic announcements. Even the kids are asking about daily numbers, whether when we’re going to plateau, and whether Jacinda really means it when she says a couple more weeks at the strictest lockdown level. I’m not alone in my reaction to … More Life of Pi
My day started with Cosmic Yoga. The poses were familiar. The young British presenter in a pink troll costume with an energetic screech to her voice was not. This was followed by a quick course of Let’s Dance, hip-hopping around my lounge with Sophie. Meanwhile Ruby’s mastering the difference between kinetic and potential energy and … More Looking Beyond
Sandcastles & Scribbles 