Showing posts with label highlights. Show all posts
Showing posts with label highlights. Show all posts

10 January 2019

Highlights of 2018

We had lots of adventures (big and small!) in 2018. Here are some of the highlights:

 

Once again, this video was created using the 1 Second Everyday app. This time I didn't worry about trying to capture one second every single day, I just tried to take a short video whenever there was something I wanted to remember.


03 January 2018

Highlights of 2017

I'm finally back on this much-neglected blog to share some of the highlights of 2017:



This compilation was created with the 1 Second Everyday app, which is amazing and so simple to use. It's also a lot easier to take videos rather than photos of two energetic kiddos!

I'm carrying on this method of documenting in 2018 (and probably beyond!).

PS I thought about creating a lowlights video as well, but does anyone really want to see all the fighting, tantrums, arguments, and huge piles of laundry? I decided not ;)

30 May 2013

Highlights of My Twenties

Now that I've left my twenties behind I thought I'd have a look back at the last decade and some of the highlights:


27 October 2011

Camping at Lake Benmore

Following tradition, we spent the long weekend at Lake Benmore with some friends for a few days of camping, boating, reading and lazing in the sun.


Feathers in My Cap
  • Keeping our yearly camping tradition going (this is the third year we've all made the trip)
  • Lots of time for doing nothing much
  • Trying damper cooked on the camp fire for the first time
  • Riding on the motorbike with Owen while the dog tried to keep up
  • Barbecue breakfasts
  • Spending afternoons down by the lake napping in the sun

Black Eyes
  • The temperature really dropping as soon as the sun went down
  • Deciding it was too cold for water skiing (I should have given it a go anyway!)
  • Watching the rugby world cup final. I had to hide my eyes for the last ten minutes it was so tense!

25 April 2011

Long Weekend

I've loved having a couple of extra days holiday, long weekends are the best! Some of the highlights:


Feathers in My Cap
  • Taking turns with Owen to make fancy breakfast every morning
  • Going on long walks with the dog in the forest near our house
  • Extra warm weather for the first three days, it felt like summer again on Sunday!
  • Getting my haircut for the first time in years 
  • Family dropping in to our house for coffee
  • Finishing up my photo album (which I've been meaning to do for months and months)

Black Eyes
  • Deciding to go shopping on a rainy public holiday when half of the shops in town were closed (but luckily changing my mind before it was too late!)
  • Having to go back to work tomorrow when Owen has an extra day off

21 December 2010

Highlights: Wedding



Feathers in My Cap
  • Waking up next to Owen and realising that this was the day
  • The weather clearing up and the clouds disappearing just as the ceremony was due to start
  • The huge amount of help we had from friends and family, especially our parents
  • Laughing with Owen just before the ceremony began and feeling my nerves disappear
  • A lot of comments about our vows, which I'd spent ages working on over the last few months
  • The delicious white chocolate gateau cake that Owen made
  • The surprise package that our parents had left for us at the hotel
  • Waking up the next morning and relaxing in the sun, listening to the sea, and eating chocolate

Black Eyes
  • A lot of the guests getting sunburnt when the weather turned out to be nicer than expected
  • Putting off writing our thank you speech until the morning of the wedding
  • Our dog escaping while we were getting ready and eating one of Ma's chickens
  • Not having enough time to really catch up with everyone

29 July 2010

Weekend in Melbourne

My little sister Sorrel moved to Melbourne at the end of last year, and I finally got around to visiting her (along with my mother, grandmother, and assorted aunties). We spent most of the time eating great food, exploring the streets, and shopping.



Feathers In My Cap
  • Spending time with family and realising that the next time we'll all be together will be at my wedding
  • Being in a different country for the first time this year
  • Chocolate fondue
  • Seeing crows (which I love but we don't have in New Zealand)
  • Riding in the combie van that belongs to Sorrel's boyfriend and is in a state of disrepair 
  • Meeting up with friends from home for dinner one night (it was a big coincidence that we were in Melbourne at the same time!)

Black Eyes
  • Colder weather than I would have liked
  • Getting sick of shopping 
  • Missing London! Being in a big city again reminded me of how much I love London and it's sad to think I won't be back there for ages


I'm looking forward to going back to Melbourne sometime, but next time I'm going to make sure it's for longer and during a warmer time of year!

21 January 2010

Summer Roadtrip

I took a long holiday after Xmas which involved nearly two weeks of road-tripping around the North Island with some of my oldest friends. The six of us bought an old van a couple of months ago especially for the trip, crossed our fingers that it wasn't going to break down, and worked out where we all wanted to go.




We spent a few nights camping in the Coromandel, went to Waihi Beach for New Year's to see Gin Whigmore & Dave Dobbyn perform, and ended up in Mount Maunganui for a couple of nights before heading back down south.

Feathers in My Cap
  • Spending time with some of my favourite people
  • Lots of great summer weather
  • Chocolate ice cream in a waffle cone
  • Lounging on the beach for a whole day
  • Making elaborate meals with minimal cooking equipment (and discovering that French toast works well on the barbeque)
  • The van not breaking down at all!

Black Eyes
  • Waking up to a minor ant infestation our first night camping
  • Thinking that the tent was going to blow away on a couple of windy nights (everything was fine though!)
  • Slow holiday traffic on the way home

26 April 2009

One Year Later

It feels like a lot longer than one year ago that I was first heading off on my overseas adventure!

Here are some of my favourite photos from the last twelve months:



And here is an overview of my travels, if you would like to find out more!

03 February 2009

Highlights: European Train Journey



Seven countries in eleven days was a mission, but also a lot of fun! Owen and I started our trip in Slovakia then travelled to Austria, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany and finished in Denmark before flying back to London.

Highlights
  • The flexibility of travelling by train
  • Meeting a lot of nice people, especially other travellers
  • Drinking hot chocolate to try and stay warm!
  • Not knowing where to look becuase there were so many interesting things to see
  • Managing to see a lot of places in only a few days
  • Listening to a brass band performing from the open windows of a palace
  • Being overwhelmed by the history of all the places we visited
Lowlights
  • The cold. I really was not prepared for it!
  • An unnecessarily expensive tram ride in Prague
  • Arriving late into strange cities and trying to find accommodation

12 January 2009

Highlights: Spain



Feathers in My Cap
  • Actually making it to Spain after coming so close to missing our flight
  • Going on adventures with Owen
  • Having a lot of time to relax and take it easy
  • Finding the bean in a Twelfth Night Cake
  • Releasing the Book Crossing book which I found the previous week

Black Eyes
  • Having a cold for the whole holiday (I lost my voice at one stage!)
  • Missing out on seeing flamenco dancing
  • Leaving to go back to the cold weather of England

To see more photos click here.

14 November 2008

Highlights: Paris



Feathers in My Cap
  • Being back in France
  • Exploring the Latin Quarter, Versailles, and the Catacombs
  • Eating madeleines, fresh pastries and chocolate dessert
  • The weather - although it was quite cold it only rained at night
  • Crossing three more things off my 101 in 1001

Black Eyes
  • Leaving after only five days
  • Huge crowds at some of the sights, which I wasn't really expecting for late autumn
  • Having no time for shopping

To read about my Parisian adventures click here and to see more photos click here.


Links
Guide to Paris by the Cherry Blossom Girl
50 Things To Do in Paris
Ultimate Paris on a Budget Part One and Part Two by Charade

27 August 2008

Highlights: France & Northern Italy


The total distance we covered on our road trip was 4,218 miles (6,890 kilometres). The car only broke down once and we managed to see a good portion of France, and part of Northern Italy.

I loved France, especially Brittany and Normandy, and can't wait to visit Paris in a few weeks. I also have plans to go back to Italy to see Venice, Rome and Pompeii once my finances have recovered!

Feathers in My Cap
  • Travelling through the beautiful French countryside
  • Exploring historical sites and fortifications, my favourite being Mont Saint Michel
  • Eating huge chocolate ice-creams in Italy
  • Glorious weather, especially round the Mediterranean
  • Swimming. Lots and lots of swimming
  • Our car making it back to the United Kingdom in one piece (it was touch and go there for a while)

Black Eyes
  • Getting lost while trying to navigate
  • Searching for camping grounds late at night in unfamiliar towns
  • Not finding camping grounds and sleeping in the car or pitching tents on the side of the road
  • Strangers getting intimate in close proximity to where I happened to be
  • No air conditioning in the car
 To see more photos click here, here and here.

15 May 2008

Highlights: Thailand


Feathers in My Cap
  • New experiences and adventures
  • Bargaining with hawkers at the street markets in Bangkok
  • Riding an elephant
  • Meeting new people
  • Having a traditional Thai massage
  • Friendly stray dogs sleeping in the street
  • Restaurants on the beach
  • Seeing a snake
  • Koh Samui and Koh Tao
  • Indulging in room service in Phuket

Black Eyes
  • Leeches
  • Ghoulies and ghosties
  • Managing to get sunburnt half way through the trip
  • Being mistaken for an Australian. All the time.
Looking back, the most memorable and interesting parts of the trip were often the things that weren't that fun at the time! Though I really wouldn't have minded missing out on a close encounter with the leeches.