These pictures were taken on a little trip we took last week with the kids. We hadn't travelled much in the central North Island of our country, so we decided to make our way to some new-to-us towns and stay in some different places. We visited tiny churches and expansive beaches, and explored geothermal…

I think I'm turning into one of those people who is always knitting socks – not that that's a bad thing! I love to always have a pair in progress and begin them as something to do in the car or on the bus. But then I get completely obsessed with finishing them, and find…

Hello and happy end-of-school-term, if that's applicable to you. We're very happy to see the start of the spring holidays roll around here. The kids are visiting their grandparents and cousins this week and couldn't be happier about that. And we have a plan to go away for a few days with them next week…

Hello! I hope your September is going well so far. It feels like a 'yellow' month – the kōwhai trees are all in flower, even the little one that grows beside the steps up to our place. And the mornings are getting warmer and brighter too. My Dad sent up a bag of his homegrown…

There are hellebores in the garden. I planted three varieties last year and am so happy to see them flowering, although I can't remember the names of the different types. Some have green petals with a pinkish tinge, and some are very dark purple with a greenish tint, almost as if someone has painted them…

It's September! Our clematis (it's this native NZ variety) is out and looking beautiful, draped like fairy lights along the fence. And I finished a knitting project – it was a small one but seemed to take ages. Socks for Arlo – in rather boring but (I think) pretty wearable colours. You can see the…

I've been inspired to dig out my set of watercolour paints lately. Keira is especially keen on drawing and painting, and makes time to do some everyday. I love it too, but never really make the time. Recently we had a quiet morning at home together, so I made us cups of tea and brought…

Hello!  This has been a week of extreme weather – four seasons in one day, some days…I did bring in some lovely little blooms today after spending an hour or two in the garden. Daphne, freesias and hellebores. Winter flowers seem extra-sweet. It's also been a day for baking – Keira and I made these…

Hello! I hope you've had a good week, whatever you happened to be doing. Mine started well, because I bought a big bunch of daphne from my favourite shop and it's been filling the house with its beauty ever since. I love the scent, and for me it's a sign that the coldest and darkest…

Confession: I love cheese scones. I don't know how popular they are in other countries, but savoury scones appear in most cafes in NZ, and i'll usually order one to have with my coffee. Plain and date scones are usually on offer as well, and sometimes you find 'savoury' scones filled with random bits of…