Lovely lazy day.....

I've just had the most wonderfully lazy, mooching day......I started off with my typical weekend croissants and coffee.....just like yesterday......

.....I watched as Big Miss set up a bit of photo styling.....

....I noticed Little Miss playing quietly with her dolls and ponies.....

.....I enjoyed some creative time with the Misses making wallpaper envelopes......

....I listened to Little Lad roleplaying as Indiana Jones around the house.....while I relaxed with a mocha and mags.....endeavouring to catch up with my neglected, of late, magazines.....whilst also gaining inspiration for home titivating at the same time.....

....I indulged in a spot of crocheting......the first in many weeks......

.....I was quietly impressed that Big Lad was getting his things organised to go back to school.....in a week......

.....and here I am now partaking in a bit of blogging.......

.....finally I think I'll finish my day with another bit of hookie in bed......

.....that was hookie....NOT nookie.....

.......before I go to bed.

It's been the most laid-back, relaxing day I've had for simply ages......and goodness it felt good .....I wish all weekends could be like this.....without doing a mountain of jobs.....without playing referee to the Angels.....without feeling guilty for not doing said mountain of jobs...... without the garden needing attention.....although it does, desperately.....just relaxing and going with the flow of the day......spending some time loosely with my Angels....but with each of us also doing our own thing.....it was just the best!

I've also just got into and onto Instagram.....so all these photos come courtesy of that.

-xxx-

Impromptu picnic....

So yesterday, almost....but not quite.....on the spur of the moment, I decided to take the Angels for a picnic dinner.....I quickly made some most scrumptious choc chip cookies from Sarah's recipe over at abeachcottage......she has a lovely blog, with such stunning photos.....but I digress....I didn't have any choc chips.....so I improvised with some Whittakers peanut chocolate from NZ that was open and languishing uneaten in my bedroom.....how was that I wonder.....languishing uneaten, when it is simply the most deelish chocolate......trying to keep the pounds off, that's how..... anyway, I digress again.....the peanut chocolate was an absolute success.....a tasty twist for choc chip cookies.

After the cookies, I hurriedly whipped up some pesto pastry pinwheels.....threw some carrot and cucumber sticks into a jam jar.....grabbed a handful of cherry tomatoes......bottled some strawberry cordial.....flung everything into a French couffin shopping basket.....along with some cups and napkins......and bundled everything and everyone into the car.....I dashed into the local chippy for a portion of chips on route.....they always taste scrummy alfresco......then zippity zipped down to the local ponds for our said impromptu picnic dinner......

I didn't plan on being there too long.....Mrs Sunshine and Mr Cloud had been battling it out all day to see who would be victorious.....but I set off with a hopeful heart and a quick prayer to the angels for a window of opportunity before the heavens opened......we found a relatively sheltered spot......a brisk breeze was rustling the leaves to be sure......where we could easily enjoy casting our view upon the pond......and settled ourselves down directly beneath the cusp of a storm.....Mrs Sunshine bathed us in the last of her rays.....while the hugest, heaviest, blackest Mr Cloud threaten to dump torrential rain on us at any moment.......

......but despite feeling slightly chilly, we were thankful for that brisk breeze, as it held Mr Cloud at bay while we enjoyed our impromptu picnic.......

....it was not the best of days to decide to potter off for a pond picnic....but in true British style, we did not let the weather get the better of us.....it was just nice to be outside enjoying nature and the elements.....the pastry pinwheels and cookies went down such a treat, they were all gone before I realised I didn't even get a chance for a quick piccie....such was the rush of getting ready....

Little Lad & Little Miss

With full tummies, Mr Cloud finally victorious over Mrs Sunshine, and the threat of Mr Cloud opening his flood gates just a little too close for comfort, we packed up and ambled back to the car.....halfway home the rain started to fall.....as we pulled up outside home, the gentle pitter patter of the first raindrops suddenly became deafening as it pelted the car.....we were home safe and dry....but stranded inside the car for almost five minutes while we watched the gutters overflow, unable to take the sheer volume of such a sudden and heavy deluge......but Big Lad is impatient and declared he was going to wait no longer.....he was going to brave the downpour and fetch an umbrella to ferry everyone inside......as soon as our knight with an umbrella returned, the rain eased as suddenly as it had started.....and everyone made it inside as dry as a bone.....

.....thankfully the angels up above heard my prayers and allowed us that window of opportunity to enjoy our impromptu pond picnic.....my Angels and I had a delightful dinner dining out.

-xxx-

Phew....

....it's been a while......my NZ entries were so epic......and took me so long to record here...... but now I'm so pleased to have done so......to have a visual.....and briefly annotated diary of our super duper, most fabulicious adventure in NZ......both for me.....and my Angels......to look back on in years to come......a digital travelogue........to relive and revive our slightly fuzzy memories.....I just hope blogger will still be here in years to come.....still looking after our most precious memories, keeping them as fresh as a daisy......as if they were just yesterday......

But my goodness, this year has seemed to whizz by.......it feels like life has just taken over .....like I've been swept up by a big blustery wind and tossed hither and tither on the wild waves of life, not knowing quite which way I'm going........

......and what of my aim to slow my life down.....to savour my life.....and love my life........ well I'm very sad to say that all kinda went by the by whilst I was on these whipped up waves..... but that's not to say that I didn't think about pausing momentarily to appreciate and record the good things.....because I most certainly did.....and I'd often run through little mocked up lines in my mind of what I wanted to say......I just never managed to actually take the time to do so.......

......and here I am, several months down the line with a chunk of our lives all a bit of a blur .....nothing too huge in the big scheme of things really.....after all, I only started this blog around a year ago......and I don't have any proper record beyond that.....and a few months out of our lifetime is just that, a few months......not a lot actually......

.....but I've actually missed blogging.....taking the time to think about the good things in my life.....to photograph and write about them.....it's not polished with fab photography.....but I enjoy the creativity of it all.....and of taking some quiet time just for me.....doing something I like to do.....

......so here's to a new start......to slowing down......to savouring my life.....to really enjoying and appreciating what I do.....for if I don't, my life will have whizzed by before I know it.....and I'll be left washed out and faded by those ever constant waves of life......wondering what happened to the sparkle of life.....like those tiny twinkles that glint off the waves when the sunlight catches the sea spray, and then vanish in an instant as the clouds shimmy across the sun .....leaving those tiny twinkly sparkles looking dull and grey......here's to blogging again..... and celebrating all that is good in my life......

-xxx-

NZ Treasures.....

Treasures bought.....

Treasured family......

Treasures of the sea.....

Landscapes and flora to treasure....

Fauna to treasure.......

Geothermal landscapes to treasure.....

New Zealand treasures.....

A montage of New Zealand memories to treasure forever.

-xxx-

Farewell....but not forever......

And so, after 3 of the most wonderful weeks, it was sadly time to bid farewell to our friends and family..... newly found and well known.....it was time to board the plane for the long journey back to Blighty.


I'm never good with goodbyes....I'm the most emotional person there is.....I cry at cartoons...... so saying goodbye to Dad, G, A and New Zealand was the hardest thing on earth.....I was still crying on the plane.....Little Miss didn't really understand, asking after take-off why I was still crying.....she didn't understand the concept of not knowing when we'd be back.....or when we'd see our friends and family again.


It was dull and dreary when we left Auckland......

.....but once we cleared the cloud cover it was gloriously blue and sunny....

How exactly do you say......

T H A N K  Y O U

......for the most amazing holiday ever?

Flying over Australia

We packed so much in......we saw so much.....we did so much....the Angels met members of our family they didn't even know they had....I spent a teeny tiny bit of time with my bestest friend....we did things we could never do here in England....the Angels learnt new skills.....I enjoyed catching up with my first real BF after more than 20 years.....the Angels learnt some of my life history.....we played games.....we laughed.....and cried.....I found I really, really miss "home", even though I thought I didn't.....we all learnt a lot.....about ourselves.....about each other......about NZ .......I discovered how wonderful it is to part of, and surrounded by family....and memories were made.....wonderful, glorious memories etched in our minds to treasure forever.....of fun times, family, friends, and faraway places.

And there are so many people to thank.....for their kindness, thoughtfulness, and going the extra mile......for treating us, taking time for us, and being with us.....

.....to all our friends and family who we met, who went out of your way to see us or do things for us....you all know who you are......and most especially to Grandpa and Grandma G......without whom, our holiday would never have been possible.......we say the biggest, loudest, most gratefullest.......

T H A N K  Y O U !

Flying over Australia

We all saw how brilliant NZ could be for us.....we have vowed we will return......

-xxx-

Auckland.....

Our last full day in NZ.....we managed a spot of shopping....some sightseeing.....some swimming .....some snacking on fish and chips.......and some stuffing.....stuffing loads and loads of stuff into suitcases.


The skies started off heavy and ominous.....

Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park, Auckland

....but did lift and lighten a little.....

The Misses

.....for a while.....

Michael Joseph Savage Memorial Park, Auckland

The Angels were desperate to have some beach time before we departed.....so we gathered some things and headed off to find a sheltered beach to indulge them......and bag some precious time for us adults to chill and chat while we were at it. The plan was to enjoy fish and chips alfresco after the Angels had had their fill of sea and sand.....but with the clouds thick and grey.....

The Misses

....the wind whipping everything into a frenzy....

Big Miss, Little Miss & Little Lad

.....and us adults freezing our tootsies off....

Little Miss

....it was time to head indoors for our fish and chip feast....just how Little Lad and Little Miss managed to be in the sea wearing only their swimming costumes is beyond me......I was huddled at a picnic bench wearing jeans and a fleece and wrapped as best I could in the Angels' towels trying desperately to keep warm....and still freezing......it was not the chillin' I had envisaged..... that's for sure!


With heavy hearts the Angels headed off to bed....we had a very early start.....while I started stuffing suitcases.....packing and unpacking......zipping, weighing and unzipping.......jiggling and juggling......we had a L O T of stuff....we came with four suitcases......but we were returning with five.....five very full.....and very heavy suitcases.....it was a mammoth task.... but I got there in the end.....P H E W !

-xxx-

On-Route to Auckland......

And so it was that we trundled off from Rotorua on the last leg of our road trip.....via Te Puke in the Bay of Plenty......for the briefest of briefest visits to Grandma G's friend.....on-route for Auckland.


There was rain on the window.....

.....and scudding skies all around......

.....but our spirits weren't dampened......no sireee.......we were uplifted by a gorgeous garden......refreshed with tea and scrumptious cake.....and I savoured the lovely antiques ......like these beautiful old pewter tankards from over here in Blighty......

 ....but this was all just too much for some of us.....back on the road again......the perfect opportunity for a little shuteye snoozy wooze........

.....before we arrived in Auckland at our good friend A's house.....where Little Lad and Little Miss quickly made friends with Ziggy.......

....a Leopard Gecko.....

Ziggy...the Leopard Gecko

.....who A was babysitting for her grandson......

It had been another long and whirlwind day.....we had experienced the entertaining Agrodome....met new friends......driven far.....and seen lots of the New Zealand countryside whizz by....we were tired.....emotions were starting to run high.....we knew our time was up......we knew our mostest wonderfullest holiday was drawing to a close....we knew we only had one full day left with family and friends in NZ.

-xxx-