September at A Deer Cottage

Sep 28

6 min read

A month of learning, creating, family and a little bit of slowing down

My handmade A Deer Cottage sign hanging in its new spot

September has been one of those months that seems to have quietly slipped by.

After returning home from Melbourne just under a month ago, life at A Deer Cottage has settled back into its familiar rhythm. There have been guests arriving and departing, gardens to potter around in, little projects taking shape, family celebrations, and plenty of those everyday moments that make home feel special.

And, of course, we are still missing our daughters and our grandsons. ❤️

There is something about travelling and spending precious time with family that makes you appreciate them even more once you are home again. Melbourne feels like only yesterday, yet here we are, back amongst the hills, our animals and the peaceful surroundings of A Deer Cottage in Kaukapakapa, Auckland.............

And it feels good to be home.

Learning something new

One of the new things I have started this month is learning the basics of Te Reo Māori.

I am learning in the Ataarangi style, using rākau sticks as part of the learning process. I have to admit, I am finding it challenging—but I am really enjoying it!

There is something quite lovely about being a beginner again. You have to slow down, listen carefully, repeat things, make mistakes and try again.

I am also continuing to learn Japanese, and I am hoping my Japanese studies might give me a little helping hand with Te Reo Māori. The vowels are the same, which is certainly helpful when you are trying to remember new sounds and words.

My brain is getting quite the workout!

I think learning languages is a wonderful reminder that we are never too old to learn something new. Sometimes it takes a little longer to make things stick, but that is part of the fun.

A little op-shopping creativity

I have also been enjoying a few op-shopping adventures with two of my sisters.

You never quite know what you are going to find, and I love discovering something that can be given a completely new life.

One of my finds was a cute little bicycle basket. It was never destined to go on a bicycle for very long, because I immediately saw its potential as a hanging plant basket!

With a little imagination, it has now become a sweet little addition to our home.

Isn't this little recycled bike basket the cutest!

I also found two lovely old wooden signs that I thought would be perfect for A Deer Cottage.

Unfortunately, I discovered after purchasing one of them that it was rotten underneath. Thankfully, Kani came to the rescue with his saw and removed the damaged section.

So now they are officially a work in progress.

I am redesigning them to fit in with the A Deer Cottage style and colours, and they will eventually help our guests find their way to the swimming pool, spa and massage room.

There is something very satisfying about taking something old and giving it a new purpose.

Hopefully, when they are finished, they will look like they were always meant to be here!

A little relaxation for us

September has also given Te Kani and me an opportunity to slow down together.

We had a lovely Father's Day brunch at The Gather Eatery, and then enjoyed a very special afternoon at Ikoi Japanese Spa, in Takapuna, where we had an Enzyme Spa and Shiatsu massage. If you wish to find out more about Ikoi you can do so through here

It was a wonderful way to use not only my birthday voucher, but also Te Kani's Father's Day gift.

After all the busyness of travelling, family, running A Deer Cottage and everyday life, it was lovely to simply stop.

No jobs.

No rushing.

Just time to relax and unwind together.

It reminded me of something I think we sometimes forget—rest isn't something we should only do when we are exhausted.

Sometimes we need to deliberately make space for it.

Perhaps that is one of the reasons I love A Deer Cottage so much. We have created it as a place where people can do exactly that. If you wish to find out more about A Deer Cottage, you can do so here

A quiet morning with a cup of coffee.

A soak in the spa.

A swim in the salt water pool.

A massage in our little massage room.

A glass of wine while watching the evening sky.

Or simply sitting outside and listening to the sounds of the countryside.

Sometimes the best part of a getaway is having absolutely nothing that you have to do.

Going back to the 1970s!

September also gave us a wonderful excuse to dress up.

My sister-in-law celebrated her 65th birthday with a fabulous dress-up party, and the theme took us back to the 1970s.

Te Kani went dressed in the type of work attire our fathers would have worn back in the seventies, while I went all out with flared jeans, platform shoes and a Kozmik top.

It was such a fun night.

There is something special about getting together with family, dressing up, laughing and remembering another era.

And yes… the platform shoes survived the evening!

The smell of sourdough

Another new love has appeared in our kitchen this month—sourdough bread.

My nephew, who is currently overseas, gave me some of his sourdough starter (or, as we sourdough people know it, his "feeder plant"!) and I have been making bread for the last few weeks.

I am loving having homemade sourdough in the house.

There is something quite wonderful about making bread from a living starter, feeding it, watching it grow, then turning it into something warm and delicious for the family.

The smell of freshly baked bread filling the kitchen is hard to beat. and then a good dollop of marmite and butter on sourdough, straight out of the oven!

It is another one of those simple pleasures that makes home feel like home.

And perhaps that is the theme of September for me.

The simple things

While we were away in Melbourne, we had such precious time with our girls and our grandsons, and now that we are home, we are appreciating the little things all over again.

The animals pottering around.

The changing light over the hills.

The sunsets.

Fresh bread in the kitchen.

A new language slowly beginning to make sense.

An old wooden sign waiting patiently for its makeover.

A relaxing afternoon with Kani.

Family birthdays and laughter.

And our guests arriving at A Deer Cottage and telling us how much they love being here.

Those moments mean a lot to us.

We have been busy with guests this month, and it is always lovely to see people arrive carrying the stresses of everyday life and then, over the course of their stay, begin to relax.

That is what we hoped to create when we opened A Deer Cottage.

Not simply somewhere to sleep, but a little countryside escape where you can breathe a little deeper and take your time.

Our two bedroom cottage sits amongst the hills of Kaukapakapa, with views towards the Kaipara Harbour and beautiful sunsets, surrounded by the simple pleasures of country life.

There is the salt water pool and spa, our outdoor bath, the little massage room, the gardens, our feathered residents—and occasionally, if you are lucky, a wild deer may even make an appearance.

And there is always somewhere quiet to sit.

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Listen to the magnificent birds and pure sunsetting bliss

Until next month…

As September comes to an end, I am looking forward to seeing what October brings.

Perhaps my Te Reo Māori will have improved a little.

Perhaps I will finally finish those signs!

Perhaps there will be more sourdough experiments in the kitchen.

And, hopefully, plenty more guests discovering A Deer Cottage for themselves.

For those of you who have stayed with us before, thank you for being part of our A Deer Cottage story.

And if you have never visited, perhaps one day you will find yourself turning up our driveway, putting your bags down, taking a deep breath and thinking…

"Ahhh… this is exactly what I needed."

Until then, take a little time for yourself.

Slow down.

Make something.

Learn something.

Spend time with the people you love.

And don't forget to enjoy the simple things.

With love from our little corner of the countryside,

Angela & Te Kani