For my siblings. Fifty years ago our family moved house. The council-owned one we lived in was due to be renovated and the work couldn’t be done while we were in it, so we had no choice. Mum and Dad weren’t unhappy about the move, having been ‘on the list’ for a larger house for […]
Walking?
On a sunny day there’s nothing better than putting on hiking boots, grabbing a pack and a picnic, and heading out for a walk. Walking: putting one foot in front of the other, sometimes going uphill, sometimes downhill; the path may be smooth or maybe a little rough, meaning you have to tread carefully to […]
Mis-steak-en
A couple of weeks ago a friend mentioned she was cooking a piece of brisket for dinner. I’d never cooked brisket, although I knew it was a cut that required long, slow, cooking, and had seen a recipe that I fancied trying so I dug it out and went shopping. Traditionally, such meats are the […]
Brave?
I don’t consider myself a brave person. I’m not someone who thinks feel the fear and do it anyway, more feel the fear and not bother, sit down with a cup of tea. There’s another one: do something that scares you every day. No thanks. When it comes to fight or flight I’m up for […]
Alps to Ocean: Part Three
Day five of the Alps to Ocean and we open the curtains to cloud. The forecast is for ‘possible’ rain but the hills beneath the dark mass glow orange so I’m hopeful it will stay fine. What has arrived is a fierce wind, which makes crossing Benmore Dam challenging – even Neil is nearly blown […]
Alps to Ocean: Part Two
I wake on the third day of the Alps to Ocean with my stomach in knots. Today we cross the highpoint of the trail and it is rated grade 3 rather than the grade 2 of the previous sections. Words like rockier and rougher, coupled with exposed to mountain weather and sustained climb, jump out […]
Alps to Ocean: Part One
As we went to bed on our last night in Akaroa the wind hit the side of the house with such a loud roar I thought a plane had landed on the deck. It lasted all night, the gale accompanied by rain and we woke to, as Neil said: ‘A fire hose aimed at the […]
L’Akaroa
The lowering sun blinds us as we walk to dinner on our first evening in Akaroa, the small town on Banks Peninsula in the South Island originally settled by the French and retaining their influence. The rough-pebbled beach is dark, the sea brown and murky, not inviting a swim. On our return the light from […]
Evie: Mk II
When we were looking to replace my stolen bike in 2020 Neil mentioned doing so with an e-bike. I was aghast – did he think I could no longer pedal a ‘proper’ bike? Probably he was just fed up of having to wait for me at the top of even the slightest incline, let alone […]
Goodbye 2024
A lot of people are glad to see the back of 2024, with a feeling that 2025 can only be better. I don’t want to bring the mood down but I remember similar comments at the end of 2020; I hope this optimism is better rewarded. I had to pause to think about my own […]
Tracy Annenberg 