Move In Day

Moving Day

What is worse ? Packing or unpacking ?

I had collected the keys on Friday afternoon having taken the day off to deal with any last minute unforeseen catastrophes. There were a couple, but nothing major and just like that we were homeowners.

During the day I had tried to reorganise the storage unit to make it easier for the moving guys the next morning. Some things were coming to the storage unit, others were to be removed to go to the new address. While doing that I had loaded the car with some boxes, which we intended to take over after Lauren finished work; and to make several more trips.

That done, and takeaways for dinner we went to bed, planning to be up bright and early to dismantle beds. We are pretty whizzy with allan keys these days.

With the car loaded and the truck packed we were off to the storage unit to supervise the “what goes to storage and what comes out” manoeuvre, and then meet them at our new home for the unloading.

All done before lunch ! Well the big stuff anyway – the endless trips to bring other stuff in the car seemed to go on forever. By the end of the day we had had enough and left the last couple for the next morning when we needed to go back to meet the cleaners anyway.

During the afternoon, we had reassembled beds and begun emptying boxes. Somewhere to sleep and knowing whereabouts of the kettle, cups and tea and coffee doings are priorities we have come to appreciate in this recent gypsy life.

We got a delicious takeaway locally – healthy too – and then carried on for a few more loads. While we were at the old place, the sky burst with an amazing display of fireworks. They marked the end of school fair in the park just over the road. We felt it was a fitting farewell from the neighbourhood to us !

We fell into bed and next morning made the last two trips while the cleaners did an amazing job on the rental. Still not good enough for the real estate though. We have never had so much trouble getting bond back at the end of a lease as we have in Australia this time. The property was 100% cleaner than it had been when we moved in, but they still disputed it.

If we had opted to clean the rental ourselves and then apply the same, if not more, elbow grease to clean the new place properly we would have been even more annoyed. If only the same fastidiousness applied to vacating homeowners. YUK.

But it was done. From now on there are just decisions to make, where to hang art, where to put furniture.

Home Sweet Home.

And the New Year begins

Following on from my last post, here are some photos of places we've been so far this month. 

Although it has been a novelty to experience a warm summer and have great beaches nearby, I can't help looking at the Northern Hemisphere weather reports and photos and yearn for some cooler temperatures. We have had some good rain as well which in itself is a novelty after the year in Canterbury with virtually none. But I'm beginning to feel that I am more an autumn/spring person, not entirely a winter person, but not so much summer anymore. Don't get me wrong, summer is great - if you have access to a great swimming spot without a two hour hot drive in an non-airconditioned car, if you live somewhere with airconditioning or which is at least built to catch any breeze nature offers, work in an air conditioned environment and actually have time to get out there and enjoy the water and weather with friends. But for me - nah, it's starting to lose it's appeal.

Most people are back at work...but not me yet...still. Things are looking more positive on that front though, so watch this space for upcoming developments.

New Year's Eve and first seconds of 2016

Redwood Forest, Rotorua

Sunset at Piha

Sunsets and Fireworks

So it was Guy Fawkes last night - actually you would be forgiven for thinking it was Guy Fawkes week though. I don't understand why we still "celebrate" this. It is an English thing - we weren't even a colony when Mr Fawkes decided to try to blow up Parliament. 

In Australia, sales of fireworks to the public Cracker Night ended 29 years ago, Big organised professional displays are the best and safest way to experience pyrotechnics - but not in New Zealand. we still have people selling them from the back of vans, and poky little corner stores. 

Admittedly you can only get them for a few days now, but that doesn't stop people spending far too much money buying them up and then letting them off for nights on end and saving them for Christmas, New Year and whatever else. Kids still get hurt, and animals too, and scrub fires take up precious time for our fire-ys.

Aside from all this, it was an experience to be able to see them all across the suburb on a gorgeous evening, with no wind last night. That was a bit of a novelty.

So here are some pics - plus some of a couple of pretty cool sunsets we've had in the last week or so.