Ticket to Ride.....

Today it was a $5 ride all day special on the rail, so we all had a ride into wellington.

Only 45 mins on the train - slow stopping service.

From there we took the kids round the shops, on the cable car and down through the botanic garden - they have a great playground.
It was very strange re-visiting the botanic garden and to think it was only less than 5 months ago Andy and myself were walking around the botanic garden deciding if we liked NZ enough to move the whole family. It certainly has been a very quick 5 months.

We found a nice cafe for lunch in lampton square and a great toy shop on the way back to the train station. We also discovered where the Intercontinental Hotel is. Very Posh!

Pukeko

So who else wants to know what a Pukeko is?......

A very nice neighbor of ours, the colourful NZ marsh Hen.....

My Garden

I have had my head in a few boxes for the last 2 weeks - hence no updates!!!
Well there we go my vast colour co-ordinated garden all 2 Tugs of it!!! What they call potting compost - urghh.... Thats going to take some getting used to!

The house is straight at least now, just unpacked the last few boxes in the house and carted a load more back out to the garage which is now looking like a warehouse. I have only to re-arrange the boxes to find something in the bottom one at the back a couple of times a week!

The kids have toys - well some of them - they make enough mess with the few they have without them having everything!

DVD player got wet in the move??!!!! so doesn't work. The container leaked so a few boxes were clearly water damaged, but other stuff - electricals have got damp too and stopped working - DVD & small TV. But no breakages - found yet anyway!

Normality is taking place - my phoenix cards are unpacked and life moving on......

A few hick ups with the house sale - like the buyers not having their mortgage in place on the day we had asked to exchange!!!! ho hum..... so we are still waiting for that to happen!

Josh and India's school is 2 kms away from the house - I walked it yesterday with Saffron. Josh and India only had to walk it one way! I doubt I will do that too often - I still ache today!

Apart from the distance from school it is in a flat area with plenty of green land. Very quiet and pleasant. Close to Military base, Prison and dog training school. Home away from home then!

We have plenty of local wildlife - lots of Pukeko's, a pair of paradise shelducks who much around the green in front of the house most of the day and a randy mallard with his two female companions!!! No foxes etc so all rather safe for wildlife etc.......

Still sampling the wine - oh such a never ending task!

Right must go do some tea and chase estate agents/solicitors etc.

Moving Day

Well it is finally here, it is 4.40am and very windy and now just started to rain, but hey ho it is moving day! I can not sleep, excitement and having been woken by India on a night time expedition again and then the windy was very strong so I am up check emails and stuff.

The container arrives at 9am along with the keys - don't panic! It is deciding what goes where as it is much smaller then Brandywell, so a lot will stay in the garage I suspect!

I have won my first item on trademe - NZ equivalent of ebay. A ladies push bike! for $20 a real bargain! I just need a helmet - compulsory here and I am off - well at least I can keep up with Josh now! Andy has his bike, India on hers and Saffron in the seat I will fix on to mine - Don't think she will fit in the basket!

I can not believe how much we have accumulated since arriving in NZ. It will be 6 weeks tomorrow! where has the time gone?

I will post some more pics tonight of the empty and then filled house - I expect it will be cluttered! Oh well maybe I need to get into another de-cluttering mode!