DAY 31: SUCCULENT IN THE CITY

In life all things had to adapt to the self-isolation we saw ourselves in. These plants had to move from their comfy country life to living the life of a succulent in the city. They have gotten on and grown just fine. We all did. Well done, everyone.

DAY 31: BAY FARMS AND BEYOND

Our team grew obsessed with the delivery options that became available through Level 4 lockdown.  Out with the old and in with the new insanely delicious fare that was on offer to be delivered to your doorstep. 

Bay Farms specializes in advocados and kiwi fruit grown in New Zealand for New Zealanders to enjoy. Freshly harvested, packaged, shipped out and received within a few days of ordering. Brilliant work, team. These just arrived today and despite the alert adjustment, we are pretty sure to be sticking to having these delivered on the regular.

DAY 30: OVERALL ADVICE

IF YOU CAN'T DO IT IN STYLE THEN DON'T DO IT.

- THE GLOBAL STYLE HUNTER

Here is a bit of inspiration as we move from Level 4. 

Just apply this elemental advice to all things in life going forward and the world will be a much better place than it was over four weeks ago.

29: ODDLY GOOD TIMES

DAY 28: REORG GOALS

We are all writing and living with different goals and perspectives from our bubbles. My organizational goal was this image seen above. Almond Tree Designs & Styling My Interior out of Australia posted this and it immediately became my inspiration. So tidy. It still remains just a goal of mine as I have done nothing in regards to organization. I am homeschooling on the fly and baking bread with the best of them. We will be in this for a few more weeks now so perhaps by some miracle it could happen in my home nonetheless, this photo has been pinned to my Pinterest and burned on my brain as one of my primary post-lockdown goals.

DAY 28: ORGANIC TO GO

Today should have been the last day of the blog. However,we have been told today that there will be some additional time in lockdown. This is a smart measure considering staying home has actually attributed to us staying safe and healthy reflected in lower Covid cases across the board in NZ. So we will continue on until who knows when while we socially distance ourselves for at least another few weeks. In the meantime, we will make a real effort to undo the damage that the last few weeks of gluttony have created. Huckleberry is the online organic grocery store. It has most everything stocked from groceries to home care, personal items and earth-friendly essentials can all be found online all delivered direct to your doorstep in line with current shipping rules and regulations. We have a few more weeks of this so perhaps setting some short-term goals with small changes for the sake of life longevity. Food is life so eat the best of it.

DAY 27: EARTH DAY AND BEYOND

Today we celebrate Earth Day. How fitting it falls within the confides of Covid. We are all reflecting in our own way and hopefully found our own personal ways to give back to Mother Nature and all that she does for us. She feeds us, fuels us, sustains us. We should all give thanks and look towards the future for guiding more considered decisions these days. Plant a tree. Refuse to use a product that is bad for the environment. Grow a garden. Donate to a worldwide foundation. Just showing consideration is key to moving towards a better world for all. Big brands are doing their part for the day and let Maggie Marilyn set the example for us all. Her brand abides by some of the strictest of style ethics in clothing manufacturing that fully embodies the eco-luxury lifestyle that we are all seeking these days. See her promise to the planet through her eponymous label that sets the sustainability bar in many areas. With NZ roots and living under retailer rules for lockdown, Maggie Marilyn has found other ways to stay connected on instagram and check this helpful guide on caring for your own clothes while at home.

DAY 26: SINGLE SERVE MENDING

As a professional mother I travel. A lot. Hotels are part of my weekly working life and my children reap all of the goodie bag rewards. Single serves of biscotti, organic soaps, liquid conditioner, hand soap and all the rest get divvied up when mom gets home. Sometimes there is a thank you but the rewards is really in watching the children's simple sample pleasures. In 2021 I read that all single service items in hotels will be removed. That is good because I always carry my own anyway, hence the glutton grab fest upon my return.

The sewing kit has always be the sample not selected so they have all found themselves in single serves gathered in the art room drawer. With less frequent flyer miles and more frequent free time I have taken needle to thread to repair the family wardrobes. Favourite socks with holes, missing dress shirt buttons, winter coat clasps and the rest are all getting minded and mended. It has been refreshing but as you can see here world's collide

DAY 26: SELF-CARE KITE SUPPORT

Our meeting this week was a real moment of awareness as one of our writer's revealed a few true struggles in isolation. From the outside we have locked down and are getting on with it but the reality that what is happening inside our own homes and heads may not be as easy as applying a few rules and moving on. 

Our writer recommended an app that had helped so we did some research to recommend this app to you: KITE SUPPORT. For $4.99 it offers well-being support for leaders, employers, workers and that includes you, too. 

Kite Support is based on micro moments-small steps each day lead to great change, whether it is for self-care or for building leadership. We caught up with the Kite CEO Hannah Hardy-Jones on the importance of the importance of self-care during lockdown.

Lockdown experiences will vary greatly between people. There are many factors that will dictate the level of stress and anxiety that each person will experience. Are there kids at home? Are they an essential worker? Are both parents having to work from home? Are they living alone? Are there financial worries? Do they suffer from a mental health condition? Are they supporting an elderly relative? One thing is for certain though. These are stressful and uncertain times for all of us. Which means now more than ever we need to take steps to look after ourselves and equip ourselves with the tools to get through and to thrive at the end of it all.

Self care is a concept that people either relate to or roll their eyes at. Some believe it is selfish, particularly when it comes to being a parent. However self-care doesn’t have to mean going to get a massage, long walks on the beach or buying new clothes. Self care can be small tiny parts of the day. It might mean walking to the end of the garden and taking three deep breaths. It might mean taking a few minutes to write down what is on your mind. It might mean using your favourite mug when you make a cup of coffee. Or even as simple as taking a few extra minutes in the shower to enjoy the feel of the water on you. All of these micro moments of self-care add up during the day. It is simply about fitting them in when you can.

DAY 25: BACK TO CLASSICS

This classic toy has taken top seat in our home as we all go back to basics. We are huge supporters of children's wooden toys for their sustainability and durability. Child number five has kept the family tradition alive by traveling everywhere with this winged-creature. His history is almost 100 years old.

BUZZY BEE

DAY 24: A ROOM FOR ALL SEASONS

We have to look at our spaces in a new ways and means in order to function. School, work, food and family time are all based at this ground zero location. Redefined spaces proving smaller areas work to our advantage in our days of isolation. There is plenty of room in our family home but this is now the house hub. Empty now but full of our new life as we have coexisted through weeks together. Very grateful for investing in European furniture.

DAY 23: ART BULLETIN

Bulletin, New Zealand's leading gallery magazine

The way professionals and creatives have had to extend that prowess and creativity these past few weeks is remarkable. CHRISTCHURCH ART GALLERY/TE PUNA O WAIWHETU are sticking to their new mantra physically closed but digitally open in efforts to stay connected with the world. Their website features a great sample selection of the gallery's art online hand-picked by their new curator and a full page filled with poems on the theme of: handwashing. Paired with an Instagram that is present and popping I would say that they have adapted with the best of them. Tonight The Gallery is hosting a quiz night on Zoom and later in the week more art comparisons from prior patrons.

When we are all free from lockdown I suggest you pick up this award-winning favourite in our home. Art-tastic was published by the gallery and serves as a good hands-on artistic journey for both children and adults.
When we are free from lockdown I also suggest you visit the gallery itself. It is fantastic.

DAY 23: BUSINESS: AN ESSENTIAL PIONEER (NZ)

Pictured from left: FQ Originals - Editor Paula Ryan, Publisher Don Hope, Fashion Editor, (Dame) Pieter Stewart, Fashion Writer, Peg Johnston.

The landscape is changing. Earlier this month, Fashion Quarterly magazine was closed along with many others following the shuttering of Bauer Media's New Zealand operation. This ended a four-decade long history of fashion publishing in New Zealand. The origins of the magazine date back decades and as the first fashion magazine in New Zealand, originally lead by Paula Ryan (pictured above)Fashion Quarterly set the bar on what was in and on trend in the country with inspiration from all over the world. 

Click here to read all about her legacy and how she lives on as a fashion influencer today.

The legacy of Paula Ryan lives on in her designer brand and through her daughter's endeavors with luxury boutique Magpie Style. A south-island boutique stocking luxury brands like Trelise Cooper, Kathryn Wilson, Camilla and Paula Ryan. Essential pieces of fine merino are being sold online and available for shipping now. They also offer FREE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE for orders over $150 (int. tax laws applicable) 

SHOP ESSENTIALS HERE

ALL IMAGERY VIA MAGPIESTYLE.CO.NZ

DAY 22: RESCUE VEUVE

DAY 22: BILL GATES IS PRETTY SMART

Bill Gates predicted this whole thing. Well, he and his wife Melinda simply followed the science on pandemics and focused their endeavors on making the world great again in the nineties. It usually takes a team to produce the greatness these two have all over the world and also in their own home and current bubble. Well-educated. Professionals. Parent. Philanthropists. That is what makes them a well-rounded success story. They have heralded a campaign for the world's well-being since I can remember. I lived in the world that they had cultivated. For over a decade I lived and raised my own family in The Gates' native Pacific Northwest based on the basis of the Microsoft Model of life that attempted to create balance and success through those several principles. All of the which we tried to emulate in our world of seemingly no worries and what to do with that personal availability of time and tenacity when you could focus on giving back to the world.

Bill and Melinda as Philanthropist are the epitome of giving back and made it cool because they cared. They are and their foundation are the second biggest donors to the WHO.They really cared 6 short years ago when Bill was trying to make the world and politicians aware of what our pandemic would really look like. We are here now and can move forward through this. The head of The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is Mark Suzman and as the lead advocate and CEO celebrating 20 years of giving back, he must also share this message to the world based based on optimism and facts. Listen to the scientists. Follow the easy rules. Nerds always know.

#washyourhands

DAY 21: HEALTH: ETHOS & ETHIQUE

Photo by Dave Richards

Less is more in the world of waste. We have known that for years and definitely have recently com to the realization that, as we have hunkered down into domesticity, humans produce a lot of trash. Through toilet rolls, empty milk cartons, old clothes and packaging we create a lot of waste. On the essentials list is award-winning ETHIQUE (pronounced e-Teek), a company that completely does away with the packaging waste and produces only the necessary ingredients for your health and beauty needs in the form of basic bars. The bars were very well received right at the doorstep.

Photo by TSC International

Based in Canterbury, the brand has gone global staying true to their ethos of sustainability and zero waste. As an expert guest for Ballantyne's Sustainability Panel 2020 earlier this year, Founder Brianne West is paving the way to change in the health and beauty industry as well as the longevity of Mother Earth. Plastic free, cruelty free, water saving are just a few of the bars basics. There is a bar one for everyone so start here and enjoy FREE SHIPPING on orders over $60.

#giveupthebottle

DAY 21: OUR DAILY BREAD

DAY 21: PROPRIETOR'S PROJECT

What we all chose to do when creating this collaborative effort was to highlight those people that are proving creativity abounds during this time of change. We are not doing what we have always done so have had to refocus on old projects and make them new again. 

See the example here: Proprietor Nick Inkster (above & below) has had to temporarily close his beloved OGB (voted 2019 Best Bar of the Year) and resides in his personal apartment bubble just above the stylish speakeasy.

Overlooking The Cathedral courtyard of The Heritage Hotel in Christchurch, Nick finds himself inspired to pick up old professional projects. The entrepreneur has built a  bespoke brand that includes the literary paper The OGB Regular a good ol’ fashioned newspaper featuring updates from today and poignant stories of old. Here he is reading it now. It's a clever concept with cool reads and speaks to readers during the lockdown who are seeking something different and discerning to inspire them with all of this extra time on their hands.

(The drink plus the decadent decor make for some pretty inspiring efforts as well.)

DAY 21: FOOD: EAT LOCAL (.NZ)

In light of all things happening in one of our bubbles, home delivery is today's topic of discussion. Total avoidance of going out means delivery is on the menu more than ever for cleanliness and convenience. If you have a large bubble like so many family's like us do, then food flow is essential and avoidance of unnecessarily going out is crucial to keeping the contagion at bay. We have relied heavily on the bigger brands to do the job but with the long lines and unavailability of normal delivery days/times we have to look for other options to shop. We looked to Eatlocal.nz and received one of these bug juicy apples. They are among a host of other delivery services listed here at deliverat offering independent, local deliveries all around New Zealand. Food is essential. 

Eatlocal.nz is quick and easy way to get fruits and vegetables delivered regularly while you and the people in your bubble have to avoid going out.

The availability of produce needs to be looked at on local level if we intend to plan for the future. Local delivery is part of the answer. It has actually always been that way. In cultures going back thousands of years we looked to what could be produced in close proximity to our homes in order to sustain a life in our chosen location. Farmers, growers, winemakers, cheese makers, and the like all serviced their closer communities which kept individual economies flowing and civilizations growing. Supporting local producers is a careful consideration that we all must spend some time on as we recreate and curate our lives. Shopping local is easy.

DAY 20: SEASONAL CHANGE

We are almost at the 3 week mark of lockdown. Indoors we have all adapted to our own new normal but outside the seasons just keep doing what they do. Time goes on with a cool consistency. The colours of bunches of leaves is a reminder of an old constant: Mother Nature. Natural life around us just goes on and we will too. 

Stay home, stay safe but do enjoy the outdoors. 

DAY 19: A POEM ON PRODUCTIVITY

A POEM

coffee and the computer: partners in productivity 

Working from home has many perks. One of them is my distancing from all the jerks.

Coffee board meet mouse. How do you do? We will work together to get busy for you.

Stay home, stay safe and aim for those professional goals.

Most importantly these days I can eat all of the doughnut holes.

DAY 19: LYNN IS ESSENTIAL

The ever-iconic boutique Lynn Woods is now offering essentials that can be shipped to you today. Wearable pieces hand-selected by Lynn herself with assistance from her team of stylists carefully chosen for their winter warmth appeal and lasting luxury. 

We have created two inspo boards for you to peruse before you click here to shop the entire LW ESSENTIALS COLLECTION

DAY 18: OUR DAILY BREAD

Here is the most Perfect Pizza Dough Recipe known to man. Annabel Langbein's fool-proof recipe is one for the books. We have been testing this one just about on the daily in at least one of our kitchens. It is quick, easy and yields itself to much more than base so don't let the name pizza dough limit your endeavors here. It will rise and re-rise to your delight making it the perfect bread recipe to suit lots of creative kitchen concoctions. We just purchased a heap of wheat from huckleberry.co.nz who as an essential service can get organic flour to your door.

Visit the website here for more of Annabel's recipes.

NOTE: Here current book aptly named ESSENTIAL has been released and will be available for shipping after lockdown restrictions are removed.

DAY 18: THE OLD NORMAL VIA DIGITAL ARCHIVES

The #SYN4W Team has taken time to compile some Before Covid photos.It may look like an arbitrary photo display of a combined day in the life. 

Au contraire. 

We want these galleries to inspire you and encourage you to accept that without acknowledging your past, you cannot fully thrive in the present. 

DAY 18: LESSON FROM JACINDA

Jacinda Ardern is loved and adored by Stephen Colbert and collectors have paintings in her likeness hanging (full-size) in their dining rooms. She was chosen by The Duchess Meagan as one of VOGUE Magazines Forces for Change. A hand-selected editorial piece done exclusively by The Duchess to shine a light on 100 global trendsetters that were changing the world we live in for the better. Jacinda was chosen and that was last year Before Covid.

Jacinda is now teaching the world how to react in a pandemic crisis.

Under hear lead New Zealand has lead the world in it's proactive approach to deterring the spread of COVID-19 and the results are more positive than most countries in the world. As a group of writers hailing from all over the planet this affects us greatly as it does all of you. We see the politics and pestilence that has taken over our mother countries and caused their descent into the pandemic. We are full of gratitude for being able to reside and exist as citizens of this nation Aotearoa. We will get through this seemingly faster than the others due to a strong centralized government that has taken swift action in attempting to control what has become a world pandemic that as of this writing has 1.85million confirmed cases with over 100,000 deaths. New Zealand has only 5 deaths as of this writing.

DAY 17: HAPPY {INDOOR} EASTER 2020

Well this one is a bit different this year isn't it? That is everything lately. Easter 2020 meant only bubble family allowed in to celebrate the Blessed day of Jesus. From your responses and our team's takings, it was probably the hardest thing for most families to endure. Separation. Our day was still hoppin' because it was what it was. No big baskets or bunches this year. Still joyous with a few loved ones and we received the necessary chocolates including this luxury Lindt. He was delicious and to have the time to truly savour him amongst the copious amounts of comfort eating was a bit different than the years before. We hope your Easter was "hoppin", too.

DAY 16: DISTANCE = EXISTENCE

CREATED BY MICHAEL JAMES SCHNEIDER

DAY 16: MUSIC TOP 10

CHANGE BLIND MELON
CRAZY PRINCE
CIGARETTES WILL KILL YOU BEN LEE
SLAVE FOR LOVE BRYAN FERRY
IN THE BEGINNING K'NAAN
YOUNG AMERICAN DAVID BOWIE
LOVE WILL LEAD YOU BACK TAYLOR DAYNE
OK KIRK FRANKLIN
COPA DE LA VIDA RICKY MARTIN
USE ME BILL WITHERS

You submit, we gather the goods and post the best. We know you will be jamming all Easter Weekend but here are a few to throw into the eclectic music mix.

DAY 15: SHARE YOUR STORY

SHARE YOUR STORY WITH US