RSSCategory: Family Life

At Cahoots in Greytown

| January 25, 2013

Cahoots GreytownOn the way to the Wairarapa to visit family we stopped at Cahoots in Greytown.

Cahoots cafe is in the centre of this pretty town lined with boutique shops and eateries.

A welcoming red exterior led us inside the cafe where there was a warm ambiance.

The smell of freshly brewed coffee and baked muffins greeted us along with the very friendly team.

There’s a dedicated coffee culture in New Zealand and I’d forgotten just how much I missed a good strong coffee until this morning at Cahoots.

Greytown

Inside an array of retro trinkets and other fun treasures adorn the walls.

Cahoots Greytown

The cheese scones and blueberry muffins were a delicious treat with our coffees.

Cahoots Greytown

Cahoots Greytown

The Photo Gallery: Adventure

| January 24, 2013

This week’s theme for The Photo Gallery on the blog Sticky Fingers is Adventure.

There’s so much you can get up to in New Zealand and as much as I’d love to be more adventurous whilst I’m here you won’t catch me bungy jumping any time soon.

It’s amazing to see Imogen blossom as a toddler since we’ve been in New Zealand. She’s running faster than ever, climbing higher in playgrounds, throwing even larger stones in the water, jumping over waves in the sea, intrepidly exploring rivers and walking through the forests of Middle-earth.

One of our biggest adventures so far has been at the Kaitoke Regional Park where we paddled close to several large eels, crossed a swing bridge over the river, took a refreshing dip and walked through the New Zealand bush.

Adventure

Adventure

Adventure

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Outside Garden

| January 21, 2013

I can’t stop Imogen from venturing into the garden and I don’t want to, although she would be out at all hours if she had the chance and was allowed to stay up throughout the night.

It’s absolutely wonderful she has green fingers at such a young age. Hubby and I are keen nature lovers and Imogen’s been watching. She’s heard us talk about birds, flowers, fauna, insects and wildlife since she was a tiny baby and we had our first family holiday in Orford.

Outside Garden

Outside Garden

Every morning as soon as she wakes we look outside and assess the weather with Imogen giving me the lowdown. Windy trees, misty, sun, rain or fuffa for cloudy. And then it’s shouts of Outside Garden. This is what Imogen’s named my parent’s garden in New Zealand. It’s not an inside garden is it?

I love being outside and in the garden. My dreams are to landscape our 2.5 acres of land in Brittany, France. It’s in a state at present given that we can’t be there enough to keep on top of the weeding, manage the brambles or prune the trees. But when we are there it’s all hands to the deck and what we achieve is nothing short of a miracle in such a short time.

Outside Garden

Whilst we’re not working on our garden in France I love to use any spare time I have learning about gardening online. There are some amazing resources and very inspiring gardeners who give me lots of ideas and helpful hints for the near future.

Two of my favourite Gardening Blogs are The Enduring Gardener with all sorts of helpful tips and facts on gardening whilst being a thoroughly great read and My Tiny Plot a blog about vegetable gardening, seasonal cooking and family life in Portland Oregon.

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And if you’re after some quick and purse friendly recipes then head over to Love and Olive Oil which is one of my favourite food blogs. When my vegetables are growing in my garden this blog will provide me with the inspiration for some delicious family meals.

What’s your best gardening tip?