July Wrap Up
08 May 2025
My Wrap Up for July 2024
We certainly now know that winter has arrived, after a very mild introduction to the seasonal change with May and June offering temperatures a lot higher than we would usually expect. Regardless of the colder days and nights, July has been no less manic in my wonderful life, with so much happening across the social, business, and family spaces.
Fashion
It was such a privilege to photograph Heidi, a friend, a respected vet, and an accomplished NZ CrossFit Masters champion, with whom I have been involved in the Olive’s Kitchen business for the last 5 years. Heidi is a wonderful model for our swimwear collection given her CrossFit achievements and her fuller frame. Real people wearing our clothes and looking absolutely fabulous. I loved being able to shoot fashion as well as ‘art’ images of Heidi.
Our new season is definitely online and making its way steadily into our stores. I know some of you will be waiting for the warmer temperatures to add to your wardrobe, however, many of you have already secured a little bit of our new seasons fabulousness, leading to some unexpected sell-outs in a few of the new styles and homeware products. Our Shannon leggings, Vita pants, Muriel Rose dress, and Layla bather have been huge hits in clothing, alongside our chiller bags, desk mats, rain ponchos, laptop cases, small wallets, Swedish dishcloths, and tri pillowcases as accessories. It’s super exciting to see them so well-loved and moving quickly out of our doors into your homes, bringing you, our wonderful customers, a tiny piece of ‘winter joy’.
RAW News
It was a privilege to be part of Missy’s Powhiri at the Waikato Wintec this month. As Missy enrols to study Mental Health and Addictions, she demonstrates the wonderful way she can take years of lived experience, empathy, and understanding to really make a difference to those caught up in a world of pain and trauma. RAW has a massive goal of achieving life change through educative pathways, so witnessing Missy, who has been with us for over 18 months, begin this pathway of learning is super exciting.
We also celebrated a special moment with Lynda as we gifted her a greenstone tohunga for her massive and ongoing contribution to the RAW home in Te Aroha.
Gina has also joined the team at our Stretton Head Office, and our gorgeous Shannon has begun her master’s in sociology at the Waikato University.
My Achievements
My achievements have been so varied this month. I have finished an eight-week course in Māori. I had a goal of being able to capably open a meeting with karakia, create, understand, and recite my own pepeha, and pronounce Māori words correctly to demonstrate the respect I have for the tangata whenua and their language. After eight weeks, I can confidently say I have achieved this and more. I am very happy with my outcome, a huge thanks to Hayley and Learn Māori Aboard.
Sami’s had her 36th birthday on the 17th, unfortunately, our celebrations were minimal as she was unwell, but next year we are targeting a much bigger moment to acknowledge this very special day for my first born.
Lily’s 4th birthday on the 19th of this month saw me immersed in a world of cake decoration (a new hobby) where I am loving the learning. A few more YouTube videos and I will be tackling the big jobs. I love the creative process behind this artistic pursuit.
My photography has really amped up. I have entered several national competitions and kept up with my club submissions, all amplifying my learning. I love looking back on where I started, what I know now, and reflecting on where I would like to get to in this well contested and very creative space.
Family News
The wonderful counter balance in my life is my four delightful grandchildren and July has had no shortage of moments where I have loved, interacted, and shared milestones with them. We had Lily’s 4th birthday party and a Waikato weekend where we embraced a myriad of activities from Exscite at the Museum, to the local playgrounds and swimming lessons. A snap shot of my delicious month surrounded by those whom I absolutely adore.
Happy August to you all.
Take care
Annah x 🩷
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