South Island Road Trip
Day 1: Tekapo Day 2: Aoraki/Mount Cook Day 3: A Snowy Day in Twizel Day 4: Travel to Wanaka Day 5: Wanaka: Mountains and Puzzles Day 6: Wanaka to Te Anau Day 7: Milford Sound Return to Darfield
Cora’s (New) Evening Routines
by Mary Beth Cora is fond of routines. She just has to be the one to establish the routine. She dislikes other people’s routines. At dinnertime, Cora is always starving. She may have eaten only an hour or two previously, but her stomach is empty. As soon as she smells food or sees hints of …
Castle Hill, again
by Mary Beth The rules for travel in New Zealand eased a little, two weeks ago. Previously, people were not allowed to drive anywhere – except to the grocery store, the doctor, or the pharmacy. Now, people were allowed to drive short distances, and to go on short, easy hikes that were close to home. …
Photos from Sunbright School
by Mary Beth A Rigorous Academic Environment
Easter Weekend: a few photos
by Mary Beth Saturday: a Day of Dance Easter Sunday
Swabs and Sweats
This morning, as we were sitting down to breakfast, Cora ran over to the sliding doors and pointed a chubby finger towards the east. “Sun! Sun!” she cried. The rest of the family went over to look, and saw a beautiful sunrise – a sky full of clouds tinted with orange and purple as the …
Sunbright School
by Mary Beth Annie and Cora have been at their new school for one week now, and all reviews so far are positive. School runs from 9 am until 3 pm. The origins and meaning of the name, Sunbright School, are shrouded in mist. Annie named it. She was asked to name it and she …
Coco
by Mary Beth In school, Annie and her classmates perform a Mihi during Mat Time. It is uncertain how often she does this – perhaps daily? – but she does it often enough that, when she tries to teach it to her parents, she gets frustrated by their inability to say the words correctly. By …
Who Baked the Cookies?
It was a Monday evening, a little less than a week before the pandemic really hit New Zealand. Everyone was a bit tired after dinner, so Daddy and Annie sat down to watch Mr Rogers on the couch. Mr Rogers was the best thing to watch when you were feeling tired or sad or grouchy. …
Day 9: Hamilton Gardens
by Mary Beth Mommy was sitting on the floor in the playroom. Cora appeared from behind the couch. When she saw her mommy, she frowned and patted the side of her head. “Bonk,” she said. Then she puckered her lips as if she were giving a kiss. She toddled over to her mommy. “Did you …