Last week was All Black mania in New Plymouth, and really throughout Taranaki. Store fronts were decked out, our gym was a buzz with sights of players working out (there was a lot more lipstick being sported,) and town was alight with activity. We were full and even had dear friends in town from Auckland […]
Winter has arrived! This is only my second one here in New Zealand and each morning I’m still unsure of what to expect. At night, we light the fire, and the house is warm and bright. We’ve also changed over our breakfast menu. No more avocados in our “Full Kiwi” we’ve added hash brown potatoes […]
One of the greatest things about New Plymouth is that it is a small town at heart. Once people know you, they open up their homes and lives to you. Being an immigrant, you share a very special bond with those like you – and friendships forms quite quickly. I’ve been so very blessed to […]
So, the last day of the thirty day challenge and I’m over two weeks late in posting it. Today’s post is a reflection on the experience of writing/blogging for thirty days straight. A few thoughts – calming, grounding, enriching, powerful. Bottom line I LOVED it. Writing allows me to tap into a bit of peace […]
Day 29 – Trading Places Who would you trade places with for just one day? I’d love to be a guest here. To truly experience this house for the first time. Walking in the front door, looking down the long hall. Checking into my room, running a bath, pouring a lovely glass of wine to watch […]
Today’s topic is stress and how we deal with it… There is stress when you have people coming, rooms that need attending, breakfast to be made but most of all – guests to welcome. And I mean truly welcome! You can’t really listen and interact with people if you are thinking of a million things. […]
Today is a day of rest….good thing – this flu/cold won’t go away…I’ve finally waved the white flag, called in sick to work from home and very glad the house is quiet (just for today though – let’s fill it up tomorrow!) […]
Today’s challenge is to identify one thing we would change about ourselves if we could… Tough one. There has been a lot of change for us lately. New country, new town, new house, new business, new jobs…. There are many things about this process of creating Hosking House, that I look back on with the […]
Struggling with a bit of the flu or a cold…so sorry for the sporadic blog posts. Day Twenty Four’s challenge is to tell of our greatest influence. Hands down, ours is Hotel Terra Vina, in the New Forest. Described as: Luxury Boutique Hotel, the New Forest Hotel of Style and Chic, Hampshire The picture above […]
Day Twenty Three – Describe your perfect day. Wake to a hot, dark cup of coffee Time to read the newspaper cover to cover, each section Long trail run, get a bit muddy Help with guest breakfast, nice chat with guests Day to ourselves, a game of golf, or day in the garden Burger for […]