Wine tasting in Hawke's Bay

 

Hello chic friends :)

 

Yesterday was such a beautiful day for wine tasting. It’s the first time we’ve been this summer and it’s almost autumn - oops!

We visited Bostock Wines and tried a selection of local varietals. Our cellar door host Victoria was so knowledgeable and lovely.

 

 

It really felt like we’d been on a little holiday even though we’d been gone only a few hours.

Especially since we had taken a picnic lunch with us and got to eat it in the beautiful surrounds of the winery.

Cellar doors mostly don’t do food, and if they do it might be non-celiac friendly pizzas and platters. And the few that have restaurants you have to book ahead.

This is the second time we’ve brought a picnic lunch out for a local jaunt and it’s so nice. The first time we went to the beach a few months back.

Yesterday we had a chicken and avocado salad, and fresh blueberries with greek yoghurt.

The doggies greeted us like we had been away from home for years, not a couple of hours 😁

It’s nice to be missed! 😍

 

Wishing you a fabulous new week :)

 

xx Fiona 

Soft, Calm Life Inspiration

 

 

Hello friends!

I’ve been loving my outdoor walks lately, even though it’s winter. Although, perhaps winter is better for walking outside… it’s not so hot, I get to rug up warm, take an audiobook with me for company, and appreciate the outdoors. Sometimes I’ll carry an umbrella too if the weather looks dodgy 😊

I take the doggies for their walk, then drop them home, poke them inside the front door and escape for my own walk. A dog walk is not really a person walk as you will know if you have a dog or three. A dog walk involves stopping to sniff 100 times, plus getting under your feet if it’s our Daphne dog. The other two are better at not tripping me up, phew!

Today I thought I’d share tip no. 30 from my newest book ‘100 Ways to Live a Soft, Calm Life’. It goes along with the topic you see 😊

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:: Be in your body ::

“Do a ten-minute full body stretch, or a ten-minute sensual dance routine. Follow a video on YouTube for ideas.

Move your body. Love your body. She wants to flow and sway, not be rigid like a dry twig.

Set up a yoga mat permanently if you have the room or at least have it rolled up nearby so you can have five glorious minutes lying on your back stretching your hands above your head and pointing your toes in the opposite direction without having to go to too much bother.

Get into the habit of letting your body feel meltingly soft. Let yourself feel like you are filled with warm gooey gel. It’s a delicious way to be!”

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Walking is one of those ‘delicious’ things for me. I just love it. I like things to be simple, and there really is no prep work for walking other than putting on your shoes. Sometimes I’ll change into leggings and a top, and other times I’ll just go for a stroll in my clothes I have on.

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You can read ‘100 Ways to Live a Soft, Calm Life’ for free on Kindle Unlimited, and it’s available to purchase on Kindle and in paperback from Amazon here.

 

 

I am continuing my fun series of reader photos to celebrate the launch of '100 Ways to Live a Soft, Calm Life', where I invite readers to send in photos of anything that depicts living a soft, calm life in their eyes.

I have a real treat for you today. One of my writing students, Ann in Arizona, USA has sent images from her travels. They are stunning!

In Ann's words...

'Nothing beats floating in the private lagoon at the Silica Hotel in Iceland. 7 minute walk from the Blue lagoon.'

'So calming to watch the feluccas sail along the Nile early in the morning.'

‘Wild horses grazing by the ocean on Easter Island. (fun fact: the horse outnumber the people 8:1)’

Thanks so much Ann, for your beautiful photos 😊

There's nothing so exotic here in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, but we have enjoyed a beautifully mild, blue-skied winter's day.

I've not long returned from another walk outside and I'm nicely buzzing. You know that blissful feeling when after you've done a little invigorating exercise? I wasn’t even walking that fast; just noodling along listening to an audiobook but it was simply lovely.

 

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My sister Catherine took these gorgeous photos during the week. They have had a number of foggy mornings where she lives, and she was out walking her dog when she snapped these.

 

I asked for her permission to share them because I thought they went so well with my current series of soft, calm photos to mark the release of  '100 Ways to Live a Soft, Calm Life'.

Walking your dog and taking in the gentle foggy sights, feeling the cool dampness on your skin, capturing beautiful images... and even the enveloping feeling of low cloud and fog promotes a feeling of calm and softness. Like there is no-one else in the world except you at that moment.

 

Isn’t she such a talented photographer? I love how everything is tones of grey, even the bird below. (Apparently this is a White-Faced Heron according to the AI description in my phone's Photo app.)

 

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this week's images, and I wish you a happy rest of your weekend and week to come. I am going for 'calm and productive' as my mantra from the upcoming week 😊

 

xx Fiona

 

PS. You can read '100 Ways to Live a Soft, Calm Life' instantly on Amazon Kindle, and order the paperback too.

And the audiobook is on its way! It’s been recorded and submitted, now it just needs to filter through all the various audiobook channels, hopefully in a week or two it should pop up on Audible.

 

(My Amazon links are affiliate, which means I may earn a small commission on items you purchase, at no extra cost to you. I appreciate it if you choose to use my links!)

Audiobook out now, and our weekend away!

 

Hello chic friends,

 

I have exciting news - for me anyway :) and hopefully for you too!

 

She's finally here - my first audiobook, and I chose to begin with '100 Ways to be That Girl'.

You can find her on Audible as well as at most other audiobook retailers.

You can even ask your local library to order in the audiobook. How cool is that?

I hope you enjoy it, and also the narrator I chose. I ‘interviewed’ quite a few, and I loved how this lady sounds, and how she suits my books.

Before I proceed with the rest of my books into audiobook format, I’d love to get a little feedback on my narrator, so please let know directly, or via a review on Audible.

Thanks to all of you who have requested my titles as audiobooks, we’re now on our way!

 

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Also, in local travel news haha, Paul and I went away to Tauranga last week for a couple of nights, and had such a fab time. It was warm and sunny, and there was a real buzz around.

I've shared a few photos from our trip :)

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

xx Fiona

 

 

 

A little Hawaiian holiday...

 

 

Hi everyone!

 

A few days ago we returned from a wonderful five-night Hawaiian trip. It was a work conference trip for my husband Paul and amazingly enough I got to tag along!

 

 

It was so lovely to stroll in the balmy, breezy heat, do a 'little' shopping, and eat delicious food. And swim in the sea most days too. What a treat in the middle of a cold New Zealand winter.

 

 

The day before we left I heard on the news about people being evacuated from Maui due to wildfires and now sadly it has become a devastating and fatal situation. I am so sad for the people of Maui and the beautiful country of Hawaii.

One night I was talking to a colleague of Paul's and he said how his favourite spot was Lahaina and that Front St was fabulous. He said Mick Fleetwood played at his restaurant when he was there last. Of course now the restaurant and the whole historic area is gone. So, so sad, and my heart goes out to the locals. It is all very sobering.

 

 

We actually had eventful flights both ways. On our flight there we were about an hour in the air and the captain made an announcement to ask if there was a doctor on board - just like in the movies! It turned out an elderly lady had a stroke, so the plane turned back and we returned to New Zealand. It was a fast and furious ride and they had to dump fuel to land. After a quick turnaround we were back on our way - and the lady was okay!

 

 

Then, coming home, we had to take fly 'around' Hurricane Dora. I haven't travelled a ton, but this trip had drama in spades, and every day was full too.

 

 

It's so lovely to be back home with our doggies and Ninacat. My mum looked after the dogs - thank you Jo!! What a superstar - and we had a lovely housesitter stay with Nina.

 

 

And now, I get to find space for my lovely new clothes that I bought. I found some nice Ralph Lauren things at Macys, topped up on my Bath & Body Works, bought a few items at the Coach outlet, and some at-home casual gear at Gap and American Outfitters too.

 

It was a fun time! And now back to writing my next book 😍 I took a fresh journal with me and didn't write a single word in it, lol. There wasn't time!

 

 

On our flight to Auckland I got this pretty shot at sunset

And the day before we left I had my hair done - highlights and an ash/pearl shade of toner. I visited my mum afterwards and asked her to take a photo of my new hair. Of course her dog Milly had to photobomb me! She literally made a beeline as soon as the camera came out. Little Diva!

Love to you, and of course, Maui 💔

 

See you next week.

 

xx Fiona

 

Chic and glam aprons, and my travel wardrobe last week

 

 

I received the loveliest parcel in the mail recently, all the way from Canada.

A very kind reader with a fab business called 'Sugar Baby Aprons' (here on Instagram) sent me some of her sweet aprons to try. I love them all!

 

 

 

Now I am all glam in the kitchen and it’s so nice not to have to worry about splashing myself.

A big thanks to my fairy apron mother, and please let me know, which one do you like best? Leopard goes nicely with my shoes, and who doesn’t love a classic houndstooth, but can we ever go past a cute Paris themed print? I get it, it’s a difficult choice!

 

 

 

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Last week my husband Paul and I spent three nights in our capital city, Wellington. It was a work event, so while Paul was working during the day, I got to stroll around the city streets and go shopping. And when that got too tiring I came back to our serviced apartment to rest, read, or write on my little travel laptop.

And, bonus, my brother is staying with us at the moment before he leaves to move overseas this week, so he got to look after our two dogs, his dog, and our two cats. He experienced the mayhem and harassment at mealtimes 😂😂

What I always love about a trip is the chance to create a bespoke capsule wardrobe for the destination, expected weather, and what we are going to do.

 

For this trip I really enjoyed my colour palette. From left to right in clothing, I had an oversized double-breasted blazer with a slight sparkle to the fabric. Next to that, a yummy animal print blouse in gauzy linen/cotton. Then a lightweight black cotton knit top. Next, skinny jeans in washed-out black (they are quite new, they came like that!) And my favourite 'Chanel' jacket in cream boucle. A chiffony animal print blouse again. Wide leg black trousers for evening wear (they are thick, floppy fabric and have silver stud buttons down each leg and feel lovely on). Then a dark blue merino top and blue skinny jeans, and finally a black day coat in a boucle type fabric.

These were the three scarves I took with me and wore each day. Firstly my plaid scarf which is silk and made in Italy but is NOT Burberry. Then my LV cotton scarf which I bought online for $175 original price $750 (yay). And a soft scarf that my brother bought me in Thailand and I love the colour of it.

 

I wore my Prada bag in the evenings (I take the big strap off and just use it with the gold chain for dinner), and my Victoria's Secret bag which is so handy for daywear and I love the colour, snake print and gold studs.

I wore my Nikes to walk around during the day, the boots when we walked to a bar and then the restaurant. I didn't end up wearing the gold/black patterned heels, and wore the lace-up heels to the work event.

I was very proud of my travel wardrobe!

 

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And finally, in case you need a giggle today, may I present little Chloe dog. My sister said her teeth look like someone ‘casually tossed a handful of Tic Tacs in her mouth'.

The unique zig zag teeth don’t stop her from relishing her meals though. And if anyone is a candidate for doggie orthodontics it would be Chloe!

It’s okay Chloe, we’re laughing with you not at you, and we really do love you a lot!

xx Fiona

 

 

 

 

 

 

(If you use my Amazon links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much if you choose to!)

An overland bird safari, and my favourite four-step decluttering process!

My husband Paul and me

 

Hi everyone!

 

We had guests stay for a long weekend and they took us on a gannet trip on the Sunday. It was invigorating and fascinating! We had the best guide in Wayne, with a mere 45 years experience taking the safaris.

It’s so good to be a tourist in your own town :)

(Wayne’s Instagram is here with some beautiful and historic photography - he even met David Attenborough in 1982 and spent the day with him as he showed him around the gannet colony!)

 

Cutie gannets. They build their nests from mud and seaweed, and bury their egg in that. Both the male and the female gannet take turns standing on the nest, keeping the egg warm with their thermal webbed feet. So dedicated!

 

At the bottom of this cliff, on the beach, is another gannet colony. You can see them if you look :) Plus, there were seals hanging out by the gannets too. They looked like big grey rocks, until you saw one move that is.

Peeking out above the clouds you can see Mt Ruapehu which is 3-4 hours drive away. Mt Ruapehu is an active volcano... we have all the fun here in New Zealand I tell you!

So that was our weekend, and this week I have been tidying and organizing our house, because, well, it's not tidy and organized at the moment. My most recent 'success' was our shoe closet. Yes I have a shoe closet! It’s a double width storage space in our laundry which is the perfect place to house our shoes - mine are here on the right and my husband Paul’s are on the left.

 

 

 

I had a clean-out and a tidy up, throwing out one pair of favourite well-worn summer wedge sandals, and donating a dozen other pairs that I just don’t wear anymore.

It feels SO GOOD to have all my shoes neat and tidy, with space for every pair. Before I did this I had a pile-up at the bottom 🙈

But as you can see I still have plenty to wear. Those pairs I decluttered weren’t worn anyway and now I have breathing space. Isn’t that always the way? It can be so difficult to contemplate getting rid of things, but when you do my favourite four-step decluttering process it is so simple, and even dare I say it, enjoyable. Especially afterwards, but during too.

Here’s my process:

1. Take everything out of a space.

2. Clean/dust the space and make it nice.

3. Put back only the items that are your nicest and best, the ones you enjoy the most, the newest and most special etc. Be guided by the size of your space when you decide what to put back.

4. Look at the items left over and decide that you are happy to donate them to someone else to wear and love, since you don’t. You will feel so light and joyous once they are gone. I always feel happier when I do this and I’m sure you will too.

Let me know what area you’d love to have the fairies do for you, and then jump in and start it! I am going to do my plates and dishes next.

xx Fiona

PS. If you need more inspiration to simplify your home and have it feeling so lovely and free. with space to live your dream life, download my newest book here and get cracking. '100 Ways to Declutter Your Home' has all my favourite tried and true practical and inspirational tips, reminders, suggestions and ideas on how to have fun streamlining your possessions.

Any improvements I want to make in my life have to be FUN and EASY, and this book follows the same principles. Otherwise I just won't do it! I don't have children of my own, but I reckon I would have made a great mum, from my experience cajoling and convincing my inner toddler to get with the programme and go for my desires, even though she is screaming and kicking and would rather be sitting on the sofa with a book...

If this sounds like you, you might enjoy this book, and my others as well!

You can find them all here on my Amazon author page.

 

(If you use my Amazon links I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Thanks so much if you choose to!)