Houston, we have contact (a phone)

 

 

Well, the last 10 days or so have been filled with blissful domesticity, pretty tame, but pretty pleasant.  It really has been a good time to relax and get our head around normal life living in a stable.  Steve has been back at work doing reasonably long days so it's been me and the kids mostly, living very harmoniously compared to what we usually do in the holidays!  I've given the kids more jobs and responsibilities, so funnily enough they hassle me a lot less.  Why didn't I cotton onto that earlier?  It feels like they've grown up a lot in the last month.  I'm really enjoying them, particularly all the conversations between the two of them about their new life etc, like planning how they're going to stick together at school and where they're going to meet at lunchtime.  Cute, and very organised!







Plane Spotting

Doing the laundry, 3 loads at a time



The weather on the whole has not been too bad but when it's cold, it's cold.  Like low single figures.  We are a bit concerned about how we are going to cope March onwards.  We're thinking that through now, maybe we'll get a canvas wall with windows for the wall that is currently open, and use a gas heater to heat that bit?  I am also very pleased to announce that Steve has managed to bolt the roof on properly today.  We have had a few nights where it's been like waiting for the anchor to drag holed up in some windy little bay somewhere.  For the non yachties, that means that you just don't sleep, you're just on edge the whole time.  The build is progressing not too badly,  basically along schedule.  The concrete pad for the large shed and the building platform for  the house are complete.  We should see something starting to get built next month.



Geotextile matting going down below the building platform (prevents liquifaction coming up)

Steve feels he is now complete given that he's been able to find a primo spot for his 12ft skiff leadlight and now that he's tried to have a sail in the landyacht (a real death trap).  I think the landyacht is going to get dismantled in the interest of his body.



Hee, hee, Daddy is going to get caned!



Blast off

Pride of place



We've been getting out and about a bit more, going to the movies to see Hugo (beautiful!), going out with Dad's workmates to the pub, and having a flash lunch courtesy of Dad's vouchers that he won in a design competition (Dad couldn't make it unfortunately).  And we've had a few people around for dinner etc.  We are slowly starting to get to know who's who in the locality too which is important.  Hanna is a huge library patron, we seem to have to go there every second day (in Lincoln) and we have now figured out where everything is: the dentist, the doctor, the vet, the best supermarket, the garden centre, our favourite hardware store, the cafe's with free wifi and good phone reception, it all takes time.  Lincoln appears to have won as the local town of choice.  Convenient, because the kids will go to secondary school there so it makes sense to have all our support and services there.


Dad's favourite bar: The Brewery, in Woolston

It still feels different to be here, it IS very different from Wellington, with it's own culture.  It's much more Caucasian, lots of gym honed blonde 40 somethings with tanned bodies, dirty dog wrap round sunglasses and fancy suits, and of course there is the TEVA / Icebreaker set.  You get the impression it's a small entrepreneur breeding ground, with all kinds of groovy little businesses, and they really know how to do the food, cheese and wine thing well.  And I'm still not used to the huge expanses of golden fields everywhere, with at the moment, snow covered hills in the background.  People are less PC probably too, possibly without that government department influence we have in Wellington, they just seem to get on with stuff until someone tells them it's not OK!  Suits me, given that I'm not reknown for being PC unfortunately.  I was panicking for instance about getting nabbed about our composting loo or shower soak pit by the council or someone, but I think they're all way to busy for that smallfry sort of stuff.  I think they just sort of think we're a bit weird.  But entertaining all the same.


We've finally managed to rig up our VOIP phone via the satellite broadband.  We've had to do our own thing cause they never seem to send us the right stuff (and it takes ages for the courier to find us with the next bit of kit).  So Steve, managed to find the right plug for this, and the right cord for that and hook it all up as a temporary sort of thing.  It works quite well, although the whole system sucks quite a lot of power so we only turn the phone and the internet on when we are using it.

The main phone user in the household in action

The kitten I spoke about in our last blog has been renamed from Miles to Cookie.  Cookie was in a rather bad state with worms so we took her to the vet who announced it was the worst case she had ever seen.  But she seems to be pulling through and has integrated herself quite nicely clutching onto George (to his disgust) and not getting too phased by the occasional chase by Koko.



Cookie with the new catdoor

 

The kids must have been watching too much cat action because their favourite game is to don disguise and try and outsmart Mum and Dad around bedtime by creeping around in the long grass trying to avoid us.  We've had some real fun creeping up on them instead.  It's enough to make you want to go to bed really.

Can you see me?

So, school next week!  THAT will feel like a new phase in life.  We are all really excited about it.  None of the apprehension I feared I might have to deal with.  They are even quite keen to start on the school bus quite soon, I won't know what to do with myself!  I will actually, that would be just after I stop pinching my arm .


Do I look fab in my new school uniform?