THERE AND BACK AGAIN

Hi folks, 

Wherever you happen to be when you've taken the moment to stop by and read this blog, I hope you've had a tremendous festive season. 

Down here in NZ we've been enjoying the type of summer people write sonnets about. 

This makes a nice change from the weather's usual antics, which is to tease with wall to wall blue skies up until the week before Christmas before declaring all out war on holiday makers - anyone else remember Cyclone Bola?

Not this year. 

Since mid December we've been treated to endless Azure skies that dissolve into a golden evenings so delicious it's as if a honey pot has been tipped over upstairs. I've taken to reading/writing/living on the bench swing in our backyard which I've positioned beneath our plum tree. 

If it sounds quaint, it is. 

This is the life. 

I am exactly where I need to be right at this moment. 

Yet time waits for no one. 

2015…Two THOUSAND and fifteen.

When I was about seven years old my parents would let me and my sister stay up and watch a show called "Beyond 2000" - it was a real treat and not just because New Zealand only had three channels in those days and we couldn't get two of them.

The show profiled gadgets and gizmo's which were going to revolutionize our lives. I'm presume someone in Marketing choose the year 2000 as the target because it sounded snappy and back in the late 80's early 90's truly did seem like the future. 

I often wonder what became of those inventions. Could anyone have fathomed what life 'Beyond 2000" would really be like? As the clock powered towards 12:00am on the 31st of December 2000 I remember thinking, we're nearly beyond 2000…now what? 

This is what. 

Sitting beneath plum tree's. Chubby cheeks dripping with juices from freshly picked strawberries. Impromptu dance parties in the lounge (kitchen, bedroom, hallway…). Slip n Slides. Friends who make a 4 hour car ride seem like 30 minutes and you still can't stop talking. Sprinklers beneath trampolines. Sand (here there and everywhere). Easing in to the day with a long, lazy brunch that suddenly becomes a BBQ with the whole neighborhood. Falling in to bed on sheets that have been kissed by the sun. Adventures in your own backyard. Living. Life. 

Lately I've been feeling the need to unplug. 

I'm a huge fan of the future - the internet, social media, constant and instant connectedness - yet every so often I find it suffocating. I get caught up in the quest for perfection. The house that looks like a show home, a Christmas that would bring Martha Stewart to her knees, a vacation that doesn't involve either cold war between you and your husband or a gastro bug of some description, perfect squeaky clean children that couldn't look more like a Pumpkin Patch catalogue than if you ironed them flat and slipped them into the letterbox…who comes up with these things? Is this a thing or is this just my thing? In any case it's exhausting.

So I've decided to unplug.

Retreat. Perhaps that's a better way of putting it. I've found that if I am open, honest, attentive and loving to my kids, family and friends then things usually end up working out. The big things do at least. The rest truly doesn't matter. 

AND this is what I've been doing with my time. Indulging in an over abundance of every food group not recommended to man and traveling. In that order and, where possible, at the same time. 

I've got more than a few pictures to share - all in good time. 

For now I'll leave you with a few snaps of Mangonui and this "Look Up" video which manages to put into words everything I've been thinking only a bazillion times better…

Deep breath. Small sigh. 

Much love 

x

NESTING...IT'S TASTIER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK

Any holiday spent away from friends and family is a mixed blessing, although there's few challenges chocolate won't rise to...including a pang of home sickness.

We returned from a quick break in Edinburgh just in time for Easter which, as it happened, was one of the coldest on record (imagine a balmy high of 1 degree then drop and give me -10 over night). Now, I'm rather partial to a crisp spring day, but even I have to draw the line at subzero Easter Hunts.

Fortunately for us our wonderful Australian friends had everything under control and arranged some considerably more suitable (and comfortable) in door activities for the Chunky Monkey. In appreciation I decided to make them an Easter cake...short notice...with only the ingredients in the cupboard. Love a challenge.

I'd seen this Ombre Wave Cake over at www.thegirlinspired.com a few weeks back and decided to give it...or something like it...a crack (as an aside this woman's propensity for incredible crafts leaves me quivering with both excitement and inadequacy in equal meassure)

Below is attempt one. I went for a "nest" look rather than structured waves and had to rely on the limited piping devices I had at hand so the finish wasn't quite what I was hoping for.  This said it was thoroughly enjoyed by all so clearly I got the bottom line right.

Hopefully you had a great and safe Easter break, where ever you are in the world - I'd love to see what you got up to.

With love

Jacq

SUPER MUM

So following on from my post about parental failures, there's a person I simply HAVE to introduce you to.

My lovely friend Renee. We go way back. Old school (...seriously, we met in High School).

Renee was one of the first people I turned to for advice when I found out I was pregnant. Why? Frankly, she's the type of mother I aspire to be like.

In a nutshell she has two cute-as-a-button daughters, a wonderful partner and in her own words spends her days like this:

"I blow bubbles, search for fairies, kiss tiny toes, play dress ups, hunt for bugs, care for dollys, dance to music, spin til I'm dizzy and give a constant stream of cuddles and butterfly kisses.  I make wishes on stars and sing two little angels to sleep each night."

Isn't she fab?

I follow her blog Memoirs of a Mother and love seeing all the amazingly creative things she gets up to with her girls. Check out her latest "creation", I've put a snippet below.

PS: Nay - we really, REALLY need to actually seriously catch up.

xoxo

Image courtesy of Renee @ Memoirs of a Mother