Last Saturday, by a beautiful sunny summer day, we went to Upper Canada Village, a historical reconstruction of a typical Loyalist Settlement in the mid-XIX century Canada.

Why was I told not to go here?? They said, its a bit run down, its a bit rough..I don't know what there is to do there!?? Hmmmm....I had done some research... Mathilda wanted to go on a train.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane is awesome fun for kids and adults. I went there in 2003 before children as my mother and grandmother had visited there many many moons ago and I had always seen this picture of my mum holding a koala and so wanted to do the same thing.

Where can you find a beach with a swimming lagoon next to a river in the middle of a city?? .......... Brisbane, Australia. My husband is working in Brisbane for a few months so the girls and I took a trip to see Daddy for a couple of weeks.

It was Izzy's birthday so a day out was definitly in order so we set off for one of our favourite spots - Piha Beach near Auckland. The sun was out but being winter here it can still be a bit nippy.

After far too much renovating we decided we were in need of a good day out. Since then we've done so many I've hardly had anytime to write a blog. Omana Regional Park, Auckland. We had a great little picnic lunch with the girls up and down keeping the resident chickens away from our freshly baked cheese scones!

Oh to be skiing on the snow! What a wonderful feeling and what a fantastic place to do it in! This weekend we went to the ski slopes of Corralco where Guillaume and I went skiing for the first time in more than a decade (nearly two decades for me!) and where the girls played in the snow for the first time ever, well for Gwen, anyway.

On a super sunny saturday, we decided to go have fun in the Gatineau Park, a giant national park near our home. We headed for the Mackenzie King estate, where my wife has spent countless hours when she was a child. William Lyon Mackenzie King was Canada’s 10th prime minister, and he fell in love with the Gatineau Park. He worked hard to protect it and build a home there, as well as magnificent gardens and trails.

The winter is setting in here in New Zealand but with our Spotty Otter gear we can go anywhere in any weather. We recently took an afternoon trip over to the Waitakere Mountains for a walk with the girls. They are really close to Auckland so easy to get to for a day trip, an afternoon trip or with plenty of trails you can create many overnight expeditions too.