2011 January » Two Little Dicky Birds.html

Hello and welcome!

Two Little Dicky Birds is a collection of things that I love, be it interior design, decor, food, travel, art or craft.

In April 2006, my husband and I purchased our first home and spent four years redecorating. It was such a rewarding process, and fuelled a love of interiors, which is now driven by an obsession with decor blogs!

During April 2009, we moved on from our beloved miner's cottage, to a new family home, where we have been chipping away at renovating and redecorating, all the while raising our two little dicky birds, Noah (3) and Sam (9 months).

My two beautiful boys have ignited a long-forgotten love of photography, which you'll find me dabbling in on a daily basis.

I hope you stay and have a look around. You'll find a selection of just some of the things that inspire me, and hopefully something that inspires you too!

Abby xx

Monthly Archives: January 2011

Jan 31 2011

These Boots Are Made for Walkin’

I’m back, but this computer could go at any moment, so if I disappear off the radar again… well, you know. So, while this piece of “er-hmm” is playing the game, here are some of the photos I’ve been promising.

We spent quite a bit of our trip to New Zealand exploring Tongrariro National Park, not just the fabulous Tongrairo Crossing (more of that later), but some of the other tracks as well. This was our first trip out, a pre-crossing, boot break-in and fitness test. We parked our car just off the desert road and took the short (1.5 hour) track to Waihohonu Hut, part of the Round the Mountain track. It’s a great little half-day walk, with a gentle climb from the car park up to the new (and very fancy) hut, that would put most backpacker accommodation to shame. A short side trip takes you to the original Waihohonu Hut. Built in 1901, it is officially the oldest surviving mountain hut in NZ. It is now heritage listed and serves as a museum. The design is particularly intriguing, with pumice stone sandwiched between sheets of corrugated iron to provide insulation.

We walked on a little further to Ohinepango Springs, which was a lovely little spot. The water was freezing!

New Boots!

Graffiti

Four hours in new boots and no blisters. Thank you Blister Plasters

Posted in Photography Tags: New Zealand, photography, Tongariro National Park, Travel

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Jan 29 2011

Technical Issues

Hi Everyone,

Sadly my laptop, after two short years, has had it’s day and is irrepearable. Gone are the days where computers lasted for ages. I remember our little Amiga 500 going for years. Anyhoo, I’m out of action for a bit, but thankfully all my photos are safe, it may be a little while before I can post them

Take care!

Abby xx

Posted in Blogging

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Jan 17 2011

The Mighty Manawatu

My Mum took the kids and I for a drive in the country around Palmerston North. When I was growing up, I always thought it was a really blah place to live and couldn’t wait to get out (I suspect most kids think this about their home town at some stage). I’m certainly not the only one to think so. John Cleese once remarked “If you wish to kill yourself but lack the courage to, I think a visit to Palmerston North will do the trick.”

But, every time I come home now, it feels like a different place. Familiar, but there’s a new side to it that I never noticed before. A pretty side. I really like it. And I like that we still have dairy’s (that would be a corner store for the non-Kiwi) like the Longburn Store.

There’s shots were all taken as we were driving along, through the car window, just for something different

Are you fond of your home town? Do you like to visit?

Posted in Photography Tags: New Zealand, photography

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laura currie - January 17, 2011 - 8:52 am

Have to say that I am not fond of the place where I stayed the most as a child – not at all! But we did tend to move around all the time, so dont really feel like anywhere was my home town. I like where i am now though, hope my kids feel the same way! your hometown looks so tranquil and peaceful!!
Laura c xx

Chuzai Living - January 20, 2011 - 8:13 am

I know exactly what you mean! I grew up in Tokyo and I always could not wait to get out of Japan! I grew to love and appreciate the city I grew up after I had left. Only the sweet and fun memories of my childhood are brought back when I think of my hometown and my family’s still there which makes me long for visiting them in Tokyo. You have beautiful photos as always!

Jess (Where My Heart Is) - January 23, 2011 - 7:46 pm

I grew up in Townsville (North Queensland) and couldn’t wait to leave to go to university! In retrospect it was a great place to grow up, but at the time it seemed so small and uneventful. Most of my school mates also moved away after finishing school. In fact my school reunion was held in Brisbane as most of the cohort had moved to the “Big Smoke”

Garden Forum - January 24, 2011 - 10:42 pm

Well wherever we are right now we will definitely cannot forget our hometown. Because hometown is where we grew ,met our first friend, neighbor and crush. Anyway nice blog! I really enjoyed reading your articles. Thanks til next time.

Jody Brettkelly - January 26, 2011 - 12:31 pm

Hi nice to meet you. Jody here, living in Oakland California. I love your blog…beautiful photos. hilarious comment by John Cleese about Palmy North. Just went back to Ohope Neach after ten years (!) of not visiting and was surprised how prosperous everywhere was…great roads, wonderful shops…even the old dairies I knew are very swishy with fancy lattes.

Jan 12 2011

The Travellers Return…

…with a lot of excess luggage and a dose of good old Kiwi gastro. Aside from becoming intimately acquainted with the toilet, which (needless to say) was not the highlight, we did have an amazing trip. The four weeks the kids and I spent with Mum and Matthew gave me a chance to catch my breath and spend time with friends, shopping, going out for lunch and dinner and drinks, things I never seem to find time to do any more. The three weeks we spent at Lake Taupo was amazing. Aside from all the eating and drinking, we managed to get out and about to a few of the local tourist attractions. Mike and I spent a few days checking out some of the tracks around the mountains – finally completing the Tongariro Crossing, which was so worth the wait. I have so much to share with you, but I’m going to take the rest of the week to finish unpacking and sorting through all the photos (there are lots!).

Sunset, Motuoapa, view from the upstairs deck

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. Thank you all so much for your messages during the past two months. I’m so sorry I haven’t been able to respond to them, but know that they were very appreciated.

All the best for a pleasant week, and my kindest thoughts and best wishes to those of you in Queensland who are having such a rough time right now.