Quick Update

No time at all for blogging, but I figure this is better than telling everyone who is curious what we are up to!

We leave here in a week, less actually.

The basic plan is that on Saturday, Ben will drive a 2 tonne truck up to Kerikeri with the rest of our stuff (minus what we really need).

He'll be aiming to get back the same day, so he is available to take the kids out on Sunday, or stay here and help me clean.

I'll be cleaning here all day, though we might slip away to a show we have tickets for. Then, we'll sleep a night on the floor (since the beds will be gone) Saturday, and possibly Sunday- though I think my reference (if the cleaning is all done) will be to head to the bach Sunday night.

Ben will go to work from there, and go home to Nana's for the week, while we stay at the bach, and then we'll see him in the weekend.

This is just a loose plan. We'll do the same thing the following week for his last week of work, and then he'll probably head straight up to Kerikeri to look for work (which we gather is pretty scarce, and only of the burger-flipping variety).

Meanwhile, we've sold lots of stuff, including the fridge which will be picked up tomorrow. I've been keen to go fridge-less, so now we will (for 4 or 5 days, lol). It's a lot easier to get my head around while we live here, and I can walk to the shop to buy meat.

We sold the washing machine, but the lady has the worst feedback I've ever seen on Trade Me, and surprise-surprise, she hasn't shown up to collect it. So annoying when there were 5 bidders, adn 24 watchers. But I have said we'll relsit tomorrow if it's not colelcted and paid for today, given that it's 9:20pm it looks liek that is what wil lbe happening.

I've kept back 4 days clothes for the kiddos and I, and a plate each and a bowl and a set of cutlery. This is working well for not having too many dishes to do...not so much for having dishes there when you need to use them, lol.
I have no idea how many boxes I've packed- one load has already gone, and there are over 40 here waiting for Saturday, and it's not done yet!

I can't imagine what it will be like to have no computer for 3 months, and my initial thought of using a cyber cafe occasionally got busted open by reality- Tombliboo in a cyber cafe? I don't think so.

I am really looking forward to it though ,and hope it will be a wonderful time of closeness for my kiddliwinks and I...it will be lovely (I hope).

The big stress this week was buyign a car- Ben's company car is our's for less than 3 weeks now. We finally got one last weekend, but it turned out the dealer had lied to us on several counts.

After masses of discussion amongst ourselves and with family and friends and the LTSA and citizen's advice bureau, and finally the seller, we began a process of trying to get our money back. The dealer eventually did give us our money back, which was fabulous, though it was minus the nearly $400 we had already spent on the car. Still felt worth it to not own a car that probably won't pass it's next warrant.

We have bought another car today, and our previous experience left us far better prepared for the task. More to come...