School holidays and new life

I spent five days of the school holidays in P Nth last week - and an interesting week it was. The main reason for the visit was to go to the lawyer down there to sign stuff as jonathan had previously done the signing and they needed tos ee that I was a legitimate live person to be buying a house ( something to do with antimoney laundering and foreign buyer rules) but also wanted another opportunity to look at the house again and check out how stuff worked like heaters etc - also to inspect the fridge ( which I am going tobuy). other bits and peices i might buy can wait until I get down there and main furniture is moved in.  I did have abit of fun looking at stuff at big Save furniture though - could have got a really good bargain for a cream lazy boy, but i will wait and see whether that is appropriate once I get sorted out.   All good.

Spent a day with the family at the farm - ewes needed crutching before lambing and when we rounded up the sheep we found we already had twins and several other ewes were very close to lambing. Jonathan's job once we rounded up the sheep and got them into his new pens was to lift them into "the position" for Amy to operate the clippers which she did very well. Jonathan was a bit stuffed by the time he tried to manage the pregnant ewes and the rams - they were very big! But it was a real team effort and the kids are getting really helpful at such times. They also enjoy playing in the bush playground and have apparently made a "boys base" and a "girls base" amongst the manuka.  We are looking forard to seeing the new "kids" as at least two of the goats also are heavily pregnant. Amy was quite beside herself with new babies.

This is the biggest ram Taggy who will be renamed Shaggy as he appears to have sired lambs successfully

These ones were easy to lift

Cordelia very proud because she caught a lamb for Daddy

weather was a bit nippy although it wasnt too bad - it didnt get to the minuses.  Jonathan kept the kids home on the days when the weather was predicted to be the worst - good move. I bought some new slippers (warm ones) and had a pretty quiet week. reading and generally not doing too much. Drove home on Friday - it is a long drive - easier I think in a car than the campervan although I value being able to stop and have a nap if I need one and onboard tea making and toilet are a bonus.

Saturday we had the Have a Go day for the public at Nathan homestead and although numbers only just reached double digits Elaine had suitable materials and projects ready which worked well - I think we managed to convince a couple of the visitors that patchwork could be easy and fun.
The exhibition comes down in just over a week. Broken all their records for visitor numbers so it was good that they got the extra weeks after lockdown for display. I can be justifiably proud of the show we put on. 

This lady had never sewn using a machine before so she was rapt to make her mug rug

And this lady stayed all day and basically completed a table topper

Sunday - I am on computer trying to sort out all the little tasks I need to do re change of addresses, finding where to take unneeded electronic goods like printers and keyboards...
I need to go to aquarobics and get my exercise going - that should make me get my positive energy going again - i am still feeling very flat and that is not what is needed for a new adventure...

It is definite - I'm shifting

Well the deposit has been paid on the new home I have purchased in Palmerston North. I move out of Wattle Downs on 31 July and I should be moving in to 6 Just Place, West end Palmerston north after 9th August. There will be a week in between when I am officially homeless but I have the camqpervan so I am going to tiki tour north of Auckland and visit a few friends and then go to a residential weekend on 7 - 9th august and then track down to Palmerston North and move in to my new home. It is up a short  right of way, at the end of a quiet cul de sac only a few hundred metres from the big Aquatic centre where the kids go to swim and I can go for aquarobics and a few hundred metres to the entrance to the Esplanade which is a gorgeous riverside park with cafe, playgrounds, rose garden and bush walks. And Tui wont be able to see the road so she wont bark at everyone who passes by although undoubtedly she will bark at any stray cats!

view from backyard

Love that kitchen! white stone benchtops!

You cant see the raised kitchen veg garden beds on the left of the house!

Jonathan's builder came with us when we went to look at the house a couple of weeks ago ( I flew down specially) and he gave it a verbal all clear after checking for damp and good insulation and any other problems he might foresee. It was an interesting situation as there was already a purchase contract on the house and another purchaser and I were both going for what they call a "cash out clause" where the vendor can sell to a cash buyer if the  previous conditional purchaser cannot go unconditional within three working days. Luckily my offer was accepted ( not luck, good planning on my part I think). And all went well.

I will take most of my furniture with me as I think it will fit in size if not in style - but maybe I can make it my own style...Anyway, I am happy with my decision - I have a full size back yard, big living area, a fourth bedroom to use as a sewing room and still have room for kids' sleepovers and visitors and a cute study nook for my computer work and lots of heating - a log fire, a heat pump and a night store system. I   hope that all works well as Palmy can get cold in the winters.  

I will be sad to leave this area - it has been a lovely spot, close to the sea and feels very safe. I like my neighbours here and hopefully will find good ones and new friends in Palmy.   I came here predominantly to be closer to Peter and to have a maintenance-free, sellable home and I have just proved it was eminently sellable - sold after the first Open Home... with four offers by the end of the next day! So i did well and achieved a reasonable result which meant I could go shopping in Palmerston  North with confidence. 

I have been pretty busy - my sketching classes have  started again, my sewing groups are starting again and so is my Sanskrit study and my Philosophy group. And I need to keep the house very tidy... a lovely lassie Zoe and her mate have done a couple of house cleans for me and they are good, so I am trying hard to keep it nice - makes it easier when I shift out. I want to leave it clean for the new owners. 

So onwards and upwards, the next adventure begins. I will do a quick trip down to Palmy in 10 days to visit lawyer and sign a few bits and pieces and then hopefully safely back home to get packed up. 

I have had a couple of lovely weekends with the girls - Cordelia came up for her 7th birthday and Annabelle came up for her 8th birthday . both lovely kids, easy to have as visitors although I tend to spend too much money on them.  Cordelia and i did a campervan trip to Miranda Holiday park and the hot pools so that we would not mess up the house before the Open Home and Annabelle and i went up the Skytower and did Butterfly Creek ( again!) . Love them both, they are growing up so fast. It will be interesting watching them grow and being able to see them more often. 

The commercial picture of Annabelle and the dolly she carts around everywhere

And Cordelia is now 7! 

So here goes July - it is now officially winter and the temperatures are definitely dropping. But my heating is working well and I am warm and toasty.