I adore the English Countryside!

"He stood staring into the wood for a minute, then said: What is it about the English countryside - why is the beauty so much more than visual? Why does it touch one so?"[Dodie Smith]

 

It touches me very much. I really cannot get enough if it. The kids and I enjoyed a glorious day at Teggs Nose Country Park which was once a quarry years ago. We have been blessed with beautiful weather of late upwards of 20 degrees each day. So this day I was organized for once and we enjoyed a picnic overlooking the green pastures. So relaxing and healing for the soul.

 

I love these village and pub signs. In fact I love the villages and the pubs full stop! I have only been into one pub to be honest but they are so gorgeous to look at on the roadside. Their names are so creative and probably rich with a story from the pubs history.

 

Blue Moon Rising...Man City 2014 EPL Champions

 

[Posted by Richard Jefferies]

The end of the premier league season and City find themselves in an almost identical position to the end of their 2012 season, this time against West Ham United ("the hammers").  The 48,000 capacity stadium packed out on a wet-then-dry-then-wet-again Sunday 11th May.  The atmosphere was electric and at times tense - I've experienced nothing like it.

It was City's game to lose, and West Ham were never going to turn into premier league champion beaters, especially in front of an impassioned crowd of Mancunians.  Samir Nasri and defender Vinnie Kompany make it 2-0 to City and put the club in the history books for only the 2nd time in the last 30 plus years.

Pre game in the morning in City Square.

 

One of City's catch cries of 2014 #Together 

 City's defense was suffocating and frustrating.

 

 Throughout the game the announcer over the PA system advised fans to stay off the field at full time.  I don't think they heard him!

Off to Rovers for a pint!

We were blessed this weekend to have my gorgeous cousin Maree stay with us. The kids absolutely adored having her with us. There were lots of cuddles and fun to be had.

 

 

Maree and I had a lovely day out together. We did the Coronation Street Tour which I figured was a must do when staying in Manchester and when this show meant so much to our Nana. We enjoyed a tour through the interior sets including Rovers Return. Then we stepped out into the street as the heavens opened. Once the rain cleared we got to walk down the famous cobbles and join all the others in taking photos from every angle possible of the street. Only took us about 10 goes to get a half decent selfie of the two of us in front of Rovers.

 

Later we went for the afternoon to an outlet and did a tad of shopping and had a delicious Chinese buffet (thanks cuz!) and of course we both bought a bag full if sweets from the market. We both inherited the Kingston sweet tooth!!!

 

Anyway we arrive home to my find my very lovely husband has our Roasted NZ Lamb dinner waiting for us with two glasses of Baileys on ice on the table. A great day! Thanks for sharing it with me Maree. xo

 

 

Lover of the Light

Dear diary... This week I have felt less than

excited about posting about our times here. Sadly there are people in our lives who have been effected by the most heart-breaking circumstances recently. Without going into specifics but these are things that no one should ever have to go through in their lives. So I have the yearning to dedicate this post to these people and send them all of my love and support.

 

 

So a lesson again for me which is so reoccurring in our lives is to live more in the present moment, be grateful and love those around me as much as humanly possible. But then I drift back into unconsciousness and back into my grumpy old ways. BUT I am so much more aware and snap myself out of it much faster. Practise! Practise! Practise! Life is so short.

So my plan is to 'be' more in my life and not in my head. Starting with getting healthy. The Whangamata half marathon will be my first healthy adventure. By publishing it here I am really going have to commit to this. I have started my training and in the evenings while I am running/stumbling I am noticing the light surrounding me. The rays shooting down from the sky, through the trees. My guides I am choosing to believe this light to be. Telling me to keep going. "This is easy girl! Use your very capable body and keep going!" Funny when I trained last for the Sprint Tri last year my chant was 'Run fat bitch run!' I read this on a book. It was the title! Sad huh? But I am changing my ways. Positivity!!! Gratitude!!! GO! GO! GO!

Anyway enough pouring my heart out. Maybe a tad bit vulnerable this post. But like I said life is short. What is the point in fluffing around with less than meaningful stuff all the time?

Be a lover of the light!

A creative castle, a cute cottage and a cool city.

We visited Alnwick Castle in Northumberland. It is a fantastic place which is so child friendly. The kids were able to dress up as knights and princesses. There were broom stick flying lessons, sword-playing, olden day soap making and calligraphic writing plus old games. There is so much to do for the whole family. I got some great ideas for our carnival at school. Can't wait to share. The grounds are stunning and there is also a huge formal garden which we didn't even have time to get to. The state rooms in the castle are stunning (no photos allowed). The castle has been in the family for 700 years. Currently the 12th Duke and his wife govern it with their family. In the house amongst all of the timeless pieces of furniture and art are modern photos of their family in this day and age (could be any family photos) which is quite refreshing to see. So much fun here and in such a cute medieval town too.

 

This is the gorgeous Burradon Farm that we stayed at. We had a huge cottage for our family. It was just right for us with our loud children. These were horse stables once upon a time. We had wonderful views over the farm and the kids could run free. We really couldn't believe or luck here. There are about 12 different cottages to meet everyone's needs so I highly recommend this place to you if you just so happen to visit Northumberland one day!!! Go on do it!!! :-)

 

 

We stopped in the City of York. This is where we had originally hoped to live while in UK when we first started searching. There is a Steiner school here but it is one and a half hours away from Manchester City so wasn't a possibility in the end. Anyway we discovered today that is just the most beautiful place. So vibrant and exciting possibly due to it being a University town. The York gardens were covered with people enjoying their Bank holiday. Rich and I have decided to come back here one day to stay in about 20 years time...without the kids. Ella tells us she is never leaving home and that she will be with us...Lets see how that works out.
PS...While you are visiting Northumberland make sure you stop in York too.

Great heights!

We also went onto St Mary's Lighthouse at Whitley Bay just a 15 minute drive from Cramlington. I didn't know what to expect from the beaches here but I was really pleasantly surprised. It was quite beautiful. There were many families out enjoying the sunshine and exploring the wonderful rocky shore. The walk up the lighthouse stairs were a challenge to some of us...me! I seemed to be getting worse with heights as I get older. Ella seems to be the same and decided not to join us. My mum tells me when they visited these beaches in 1977 in the winter they were covered in snow to the waters edge! Gorgeous day huh?

Don't forget your roots my friend.

This is our trip to Newcastle over the long weekend. My Dad's family are from this town named Cramlington before my grandparents made the huge voyage on a ship across to New Zealand in 1950. Nana and Granda had 13 children. Their third child was born here but sadly passed away when just over a month old and is buried here. See our photo with Carole Christine's headstone. Dad was the next born after her hence his name Carroll Christopher. This church is St John the Baptist in Cramlington where Carole is buried and also where my great grandparents and grandparents were married and my dad was baptized. We were lucky enough to meet the priest of the church. He said the church is quite new and built by a wealthy lady who converted to Catholicism for 7,000 pounds at the beginning of the 1900s. We were also searching for the grave of my Dad's Aunty Olive and the priest actually remembers her well but she was buried at another graveyard. However between Ella, Rich and myself searching the two graveyards we couldn't find her. So that was a little sad for us. We also drove by the houses that my grandparents, great grandparents and my dad lived. Quite an emotional journey for us and so wonderful to get so close to our special heritage. I am left wondering what life was like here for the first half of the 20th century especially through two world wars. It must have been challenging. xoxo