Tag: family

New Zealand Country Life

| February 6, 2013

After a coffee in Greytown we visited my Uncle and Aunt in Mikimiki on a beautiful hot day in the Wairarapa. Their house sits in the middle of several acres of garden, pasture and wooded land. A stream runs by the land and there are some deep spots for taking a dip when you need to cool off in the summer. The perfect setting for New Zealand country life.

Enjoying lunch with Grandma

Enjoying lunch with Gran

Following a delicious lunch al fresco we explored the garden where Imogen found a hammock between the trees to swing in with Grandma and Grandpa, a wheelbarrow, a spade and a bathtub full of rainwater and lily pads. In the afternoon she had fun with her new friend Ellie, playing with a bucket of water.

Country Life

The setting for my Uncle and Aunt’s home is idyllic. My Uncle has built an outdoor kitchen, aka the Man Cave, that is just incredible. It gets plenty of use throughout the year and there’s even hot water for doing the dishes when you’ve finished eating in the outdoors. Don’t you love the Man Cave sign?

New Zealand Country Life

It was a glorious day spent catching up with family and reminded me of how much I’m looking forward to having our own garden and organic vegetable plot one day. As for a hammock between the trees to relax in and read… yes please!

New Zealand Country Life

Imogen’s quite the country bumpkin even in her Vertbaudet skirt and since we’ve been in New Zealand she’s rarely seen without her purple wellies and Grandpa’s large hat.

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Family Picnic Food

| February 3, 2013

We love to have picnics regularly throughout the year. There’s something magical about eating outdoors enjoying good food with family and friends, differing vistas and fresh air.

We eat picnics in the garden, at the beach, in the forest, in the park and on our balcony in the city of London. When it’s too cold to be sitting outside to eat we have been known to get a rug out and have a picnic on the floor of our apartment, with the company of our cats Louis and Mia who will nibble at any leftover cheese.

Picnic Time

My favourite foods for simple baby and toddler family friendly picnics are:

  • Boiled eggs
  • Cheese sandwiches
  • Tomatoes
  • Avocado
  • Crackers
  • Potato salad
  • Mixed bean salad
  • Pasta salad
  • Bananas
  • Fruit Salad with strawberries, nectarines, blueberries, peaches, oranges

Don’t forget a large picnic rug, some picnicware and baby sun cream.

Picnic Time

Picnic Time

Our most recent family picnic was in the Kaitoke Regional Park. I’m linking this post up to the What I Wore Wednesday link for this week.

Sunglasses – Ted Baker
Striped T-Shirt – Dickins and Jones from House of Fraser
Green Vest – Dansk
3/4 Trousers – Board Angels

Here’s my last What I Wore Wednesday post.

The Photo Gallery: Bond

| January 30, 2013

This week’s theme for The Photo Gallery is Bond. Not as in James Bond but as in the everlasting bond that is created between family, friends and pets.

I’ve been surprised at the amazingly strong bond created between Imogen and her cousin Baby Amber and with Molly my beloved rescue cat of 17 years.

The absolute beauty of these intense bonds is that they’ve developed in only four weeks since our arrival in New Zealand.

Imogen and Amber are the best of friends. They share toys (most of the time) and enjoy holding hands and running together, splashing in the paddling pool and most of all they both adore giving one another big hugs.

Bond

Imogen is so loving and gentle of Molly despite being a toddler and wanting to share her exuberant energy. Molly has an arthritic hip which makes her very slow to move and she likes to sleep a lot. Rather than running around the garden Imogen spends a lot of time talking to Molly and giving her plenty of strokes and many kisses.

Molly Cat

My parents kindly took over the care of Molly the cat when I ventured from New Zealand to England in the summer of 2003. It was heart wrenching saying goodbye to Molly and I have been so fortunate to see her again, especially this time given she is such a ripe old age.