I can’t believe we’ve been back over a month now. With it being winter here I’ve been finding it hard working out what time of year we’re in – a cold snowy July is not something I’m used to.

If you read my previous post, you’ll remember I was talking about gratitude & appreciation, something I’ve definitely had to practice what I preach lately, because this month’s been tough. Only a day after my previous post, we received the sad news that a close family friend of Connors had passed away. He was like a second dad to them all, and was a complete shock.

Connor got a job which was awesome, and then the weekend before he was due to start – he tore all the ligaments in his ankle & broke his fibular (leg) playing rugby. Two months on crutches & off work (without sick pay) is not what you want to hear when you’re trying to get settled. I also had my birthday, which to be quite honest was emotional. I had a great morning because we went and did a factory tour at Pic’s (the world of peanut butter) which was really cool, but then I took Connor to hospital for his operation, and we waited there for 6 hours only to be told that they couldn’t do it that day.. 🤦‍♀️ So we went home and ended up having an early night. I’m incredibly lucky to be living on the other side of the world now, but it certainly comes with disadvantages, and boy have I missed my family and friends more than ever.

There’s not a lot I can do to change what’s happened though, so I’ve been trying to keep my head high, and do what I can. I’ve been ploughing through the photo editing, and also been location scouting so I can start to do photoshoots over here. At home I could just drive five minutes and find an empty forest to take photos, but the landscape is different here, so it’s taking a bit more time to find places to shoot. (The below picture is a great location but not an easy trek up there!)

I’ve got a wedding shoot in September which I’m super excited for. It’s my best friend Kirsty’s, who has been there for me a lot this month, catching up on everything since I’ve been away in England, and also talking graphic design and creativity in NZ. We went and visited the church she’s getting married at, and talked about the plan for the day. Can’t wait to photograph it!

Last week our neighbour took us out on his boat for the day, which involved an early start but we got to watch the sunrise over the hills. It was a beautiful day, and we managed to catch lots of gurnard and some kawhai, and Connor unintentionally caught a skate! (we put it back though).

I’ve been getting back into running (which works wonders on the mind – seriously try it, you’ll feel so good after) and I’m tempted to enter the 10km Nelson run in November (the one I did back in 2016) although I haven’t decided yet. I’ve had to put our intentions of mountain biking/kayaking/snowboarding & hiking all on hold for a while whilst Connor recovers.. 🤦‍♀️ so just running locally has been my easiest outlet. 

All in all this month hasn’t been as productive as I intended it to be, but its not been an easy month either. I’ve learn’t that pushing myself and trying to hit the ground running isn’t a good idea, and that everything will come together in time. For now it’s just important to appreciate the little moments. I’m hoping the next update might be a bit more exciting! 

Thanks for reading,

Harriet 📸