LIFE

New Nest | Blackbird Reno Numero Two!

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Although it may seem mad, and today, I would actually agree with you, we are in fact about to embark on a new renovation, again. Pregnant, again. Why!? But seriously, the opportunity for this little gem was just too good to say no, and we have never been ones to shy away from a bit of hard work and a challenge!

So begins the journey to turn this sweet, but pokey 1915, transitional villa, into an open, fresh, family home! And yes, the house really is as crooked as it looks!

Wish us luck! And of course follow the journey both here, and on my Instagram!

Gem x

Baby Bird on the way!

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Romper from Nature Baby | Organic Cotton Blanket and beanie from Blackbird Goods | Knitted Elephant and Rattle are Vintage

Those who follow my Instagram may have seen the announcement a few weeks ago, but I thought I should make it blog official! We are in fact expecting a wee babe in the new year. It has been a bit of roller coaster of excitement and nerves due to our past experiences, but we are forever hopeful, and so far, so good. And with a new trimester, comes new growth spurts and expansions. Although I grew out of my high-waisted jeans fairly early, I have been making do with my normal wardrobe, partly because I now live in Hawkes Bay and find clothes shopping a bit of a struggle at times, and partly because the idea of buying a wardrobe for a few months kinda goes against a lot of what I believe. So minus jeans, maternity tights ( ohhhh man, I love those things ) and other necessities of pregnancy wears, I am hoping to buy things I love, that I can wear throughout, as well as after.

So here is my current ( fraction of a ) wish list!

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Yoli & Otis | Reiner shirt – Light cotton gauze seems perfect for a summer pregnancy, as well as breastfeeding/hiding post pregnancy belly and beyond.

St.Agni Hugo | Loafer Slides – For when it becomes too hard to bend over, slides all the way. I recently stumbled across these guys and gee whizz, I absolutely love them! Picking a favourite was hard, so I may just need to buy more than one pair.

Kowtow | Scenic Crew – I love this trans-seasonal piece, pop it over a dress, or with jeans ( lets face it, it will mostly be worn with tights, at home, with no bra )

Sodashi | Calming Rose Face Mist – My friends at Tonic Room really know how to pick the best of natural skin care and other goodies, and since I am hoping to channel all the calm this pregnancy, this seems like the perfect companion.

Elizabeth Suzann | Harlow Tunic – I have loved Elizabeth Suzann’s gears for a long time now, and have basically just been looking for an excuse to buy anything from her, so I am pregnant, and treat yo self. ( plus free shipping!? perfect )

Kowtow | Building Blocks – Yes, Kowtow features once more, that is because they are awesome, organic and fair trade. Let Liv stocks their building blocks range, and this stretchy number will be my go-to/I will wear it everyday and hope no-one notices or cares.

Sarah Grey | Cashmere Robe – Ali from Tessuti does luxury well, so I chose this robe because  once again, treat.yo.self, plus there is an obvious trend of lounging going on.

Georgia Jay | Suede Roundie –  Although I have been through a full term pregnancy, the other end is completely unknown, but I hear a lot about big/ugly diaper bags, so  I plan on making the most of cute, small bags ( and will probably head to see Georgia to rebel against getting an actual diaper bag anyway. )

 

What were your pregnancy must-have’s or wish list?

 

 

Adventures at Dawn

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One of the objectives for this year was to dedicate time to exploring Hawkes Bay and all it’s goodness. So we have started doing a mid week, overnight excursion, once a month. This time we headed southeast, to Kairakau Beach. We kept it simple, packing a few clothes, the camera, a few good books for those early nights with no tv or cellphone service plus a little food and the fishing rods. 

When the alarm goes off in the morning, there is always a moment where I want to just roll over and go back to sleep, but I love waking up early and seeing the sunrise. There is something grounding and refreshing about it. This crisp autumn morning, we woke up, grabbed our gear and a thermos of hot coffee and walked down to the beach. The light at that time of day is out of control beautiful, and I spent the whole time running around like a mad woman taking snaps and declaring ” how amazing is this light!?” while Nathan attempted to catch breakfast ( unfortunately the small throw back kahawai and crab didnt quite make the cut. )

One of the best ways to start the day. Here’s to many more overnight excursions and dawn fishing trips.

Thailand | Krabi & Koh Lanta

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It’s almost torture editing and posting these photos, seems like a lifetime ago!

After the hustle and bustle of the great city that is Bangkok, we headed to the Islands. Koh Lanta to be exact. And although it was short but sweet, boy was it just the change of pace we needed. 

Before heading across to Koh Lanta we had a day in Krabi town, taking the chance to get up at the break of dawn, scale the 1,237 steps of Tiger Cave Temple mountain and overcome ( not really ) my fear of monkeys. But the view was well worth it. Standing at the top, looking out of the jungle and sea to the sound of the monks morning call was one of my favourite moments of the trip. I would happily do that each morning! Minus the creepy monkeys.

We then took the ferry to Koh Lanta, deciding to stay near the bottom of the island, opting for a little more peaceful than party. And of course island life equals scooter life so each day we wound our way up and down the one sleepy road between eateries and our little beach bungalow. There is nothing quite like whizzing past the palm trees and cruising down the shoreline on the back of a scooter with the one you love. Other than that, most of our time was spent pool side or seaside, with a bit of island hopping, snorkeling and a lot of cocktail drinking thrown in for good measure.