Our Covid 19 Staycation
The covid 19 mantra for the past 4 weeks has been: • Stay Home • Stay Safe • Be kind And generally kiwis have abided by these guidelines even though many of us are itching to get travelling again! However, we are experiencing difficult times where there is a feeling of absolute uncertainty around us…
Christchurch
An Impromptu Getaway! We had not really thought about a few days in Christchurch, but when our daughter-in-law, who is working there at the moment, suggested we spend a few days at her inner city apartment, we thought, ‘why not?’ Our first impressions were how empty the city was. We actually quite enjoyed the leisurely…
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Algies Bay
Another interesting settlement in our neighbourhood is Algies Bay; in fact we are fortunate to be surrounded by a variety of beach locations. It is a little hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. Since it’s winter mow, and the residents have the place to themselves, it is a peaceful, tranquil place. During…
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It’s Right Under Your Nose!
I remember years ago exploring London and sharing our adventures with family who lived there. Many times their reaction would be “Oh we’ve not actually been there, but hear that it is a great experience.” Those memories came rushing back recently when we visited Tawharanui with two of our grandchildren. We have lived in this…
Posted in Our Place
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Our Covid 19 Staycation
The covid 19 mantra for the past 4 weeks has been: • Stay Home • Stay Safe • Be kind And generally kiwis have abided by these guidelines even though many of us are itching to get travelling again! However, we are experiencing difficult times where there is a feeling of absolute uncertainty around us…
Christchurch
An Impromptu Getaway! We had not really thought about a few days in Christchurch, but when our daughter-in-law, who is working there at the moment, suggested we spend a few days at her inner city apartment, we thought, ‘why not?’ Our first impressions were how empty the city was. We actually quite enjoyed the leisurely…
Algies Bay
Another interesting settlement in our neighbourhood is Algies Bay; in fact we are fortunate to be surrounded by a variety of beach locations. It is a little hideaway from the hustle and bustle of the city. Since it’s winter mow, and the residents have the place to themselves, it is a peaceful, tranquil place. During…
It’s Right Under Your Nose!
I remember years ago exploring London and sharing our adventures with family who lived there. Many times their reaction would be “Oh we’ve not actually been there, but hear that it is a great experience.” Those memories came rushing back recently when we visited Tawharanui with two of our grandchildren. We have lived in this…
The essence of a holiday – while at home.
Holidaying, for us at any rate, is more than just traveling to a new place and seeing the sights. It’s true that we’ve ‘been there, done that’, in many parts of the world, but what we really enjoy is discovering a ‘feeling for’ a new place. Behind the Tourist Hot Spots, what is it about this place that’s different; that the locals value; that epitamises their cultural values and social mores? What is special about the landscape or ‘Terroir’; how does the climate impact on the lives of locals?
There’s nothing we enjoy more than setting down in a new place, in a house or apartment amongst the locals, away from the Hotels and Resorts, and experiencing something of their life for a short while. It’s invigorating and it expands your life view.
In fact we choose not to spend all of our lives on holiday. We like home. It’s always a thrill and a lovely warm feeling when the coast of our country comes into view on our way back after a long holiday. We think we’re lucky to feel like that.
And then, thinking about our ‘holiday values’ and what we call the ‘essence’ of our holidays, we have come to see that these values exist at home as well. We won’t stop taking holidays away, but we have become conscious that we live in a place that attracts lots of tourists who enjoy lovely holidays here. We notice that many of the values we look for on holiday are around us at home too. Just as, when on holiday we need to search out the hidden and interesting facets that make the essence of the place interesting, we find that home has those values too.
So, now there’s a new project. In between holidays away, we are going to try to find and uncover interesting aspects of ‘Our Place’ and to record them in the same way. Stories and pictures will be on this page, rather than among the main blog stories and will be supported with pictures and comments on our Instagram account – greysenior2018
As always we’d love you to join us and to join in the conversation and discussions.
It’s a Holiday Life – At Home & Away!