At the moment we are parked in a campground with just a little stream separating the bus from the beach. The boys spend their days casting buckets and unbaited hooks (we’ve resigned ourselves to the fact that there are not, and will never be, fish in that meter-wide trickle of water) from the little bridge … Continue reading River adventures
Ok, just one more. We’re parked up in our home-on-the-road, Liberty the Great, in Te Awanga in the Bay of Plenty. It’s an awesome campground, right on the beach, and we’re loving the feeling of impending summer. There’s a legend in these parts of a beautiful woman called Pania who lived in the ocean, and fell in … Continue reading Bonus Drawing # 101, Pania of the reef
SO here it is, drawing #100. It’s taken me 231 days to get here, as opposed to my proposed 100, but I’ve stuck at it and made it through to the end. I’m good at having ideas and starting things, but not that awesome at getting them finished, so I’m pretty proud of myself. Some … Continue reading Day 100: The deepest sleep
There’s a stream running through the campground here in Paekakariki, and before the crazy torrential rain of the past few days, there were a bunch of eels who would just hang out at a curve, waiting for leftovers, or a small child to come down for a chat. I wonder where they are now.
Life whizzes by, and babies who needed sleep every couple of hours but never would turn into boys who only need a Mittagsschlaf (thankyouthankyouthankyou), and then into bigger boys who don’t nap at all, but can be found, every now and then, zonked out on the couch when you thought they were just reading.
Sitting with Otis as he practiced writing numbers, I got to doodling. Usually he’s pretty dismissive of my stuff, but apparently this “looks like on castles”. Drawing with crappy felt pens was really liberating and spontaneous. I like that the shapes were not planned at all and just evolved this way.
At the moment a lot of my time is spent looking after things picked up off the ground, consoling children who can’t hold all the fallen leaves in their too-small hands, designating places for giant sticks (outside), pieces of gravel (pockets), and sea glass (we could make a bag out of my jersey, but we’re … Continue reading Day 42: Treasure I’ve been trusted with
I’m working on a logo and website for an organic dairy farm in Palmerston North and have cows on the brain.
This guy looks like such a bandit in my bird book, with his masked eyes. I think he’d take off with the family silver, given half a chance.
I’m in love with birthing. I really am. Both my babies were born at home and I loved being able to be in that flow space the whole time, listening to my body and following where it led me.
Summer is the perfect time for insect examination. We have our big magnifying glass always at the ready, and the boys are mastering the art of the patient finger, enjoying the tickle of tiny legs on tiny hands.
“This beach is ok, but the tide comes in too fast and covers our cricket pitch.” True story.
I’m back online! We’ve just had a wonderful few days with my sister and her tribe here, so family catching up, swimming and fishing excursions have taken priority over sitting in front of a computer on a sweltering day. I’ll be posting a couple from the last few days today, and then will be offline … Continue reading Day 22: Shell seekers
Ironically, I’ve often found travelling quite hard work. I find myself disappointed as a tourist because I am an outsider – I don’t have a local pub (no matter what Lonely Planet recommends), I can’t meet a good friend for a chat at my favorite cafe and I don’t know where to find people doing … Continue reading Becoming Arrowtown locals