Well almost, there is breathing space while we watch this space.

I left you all in Silverdale on Saturday morning, and meet you here this morning (Monday) in Waiwera! I have all of what I want (from my four locations) a lot of what I don’t want and left stuff that I can’t even think about right now….but may need to when I have a second.

Friday night Christmas parties depleted my helper workforce for the shift, but the oldies held it together – my friend John and his massive trailer – Dan to load at this end, Jack to load at his end, and George joined the lifting crew for the big unload. Meanwhile back on the (new) home front, Jill and Lexi did a spring floor and bathroom clean before the shifters returned.

Jill worked with me all day and voila….

The never again moveables are in place (old stuff is heavy stuff)

The kitchen is waiting it’s finishing touches – Aaron arrived and managed to install the kitchen tap! The last critical piece of equipment.

Dans BBQ in place saw the first a Saturday night action with a BBQ and drinks for the workers! Except George, he headed north with his mates on a camping expedition.

Sunday brought more activity, a few loads of washing ( at the cottage down the road as can’t quite get to the back of my garage to hook up the washing machine), collecting some kitchen essentials from the cottage cupboards and then a stock up grocery shop! This took me two hours and racing around countdown, nose in list, throwing stuff left, right and centre into my trolley, exhaustion creeping in….oblivious to the fact I had actually stolen someone else’s trolley (and Handbag), of course very kindly leaving them my handbag and trolley. Until down the toilet paper aisle, this very frantic woman came dashing up to me and told me I had taken her trolley! First glance I could see my goodies on top then realised yes…..she was right. She was very upset, as she thought a real thief was at work and had raced her handbag off into the car park ( where she had already been) I Went to collect my trolley and others were standing guard, I think the entire supermarket (apart from me) had been alerted to the crime afoot! Anyway I gathered my trolley and handbag and my toilet paper (and various other bits) off the other lady’s trolley and moved on to the checkout….and as luck would have it I got the lad with trainer wheels just starting his holiday job!

Thankfully by this time George had appeared back from up north and could assist with the unloading of the 2 hour grocery shop!

Meanwhile on the building site in front…

A weekends work was producing rewards decking and inside painting well underway…another cause for BBQ – workers need to be fed!

And finally….

The roses are blooming, the grapevine (which Dan and I cut back to a stump three months ago) is taking over the driveway!

I took a moment….

And threw the Christmas tree together, it was too high for the window hole so cut off it’s trunk reducing it’s height by six inches!

It’s been a frantic weekend interspersed with dad moments, dad visits and me racing back last night as he was not feeling flash, Steve came to stay the night with him around 10pm and I hobbled back to my new home – too tired for the deep bath soak I had promised myself!

The working week begins, with a car service today and working from my new workstation…when I return from dropping car and checking on dad.

As the sun sets on another era with changes afoot – the carer in me is a little apprehensive leaving Dad in the hands of others…but it is time for me and mine to build a new pathway.

Murray’s Bay at dusk after a lovely evening with the kiwi yachting crew ( their Christmas Party) and some of Russell’s long time friends – George and I had one last supermarket shop for dad on the way home and then to try and get some sleep before the big shifting day.

It’s sure been a busy couple of weeks, last weekend saw Thelma and Louise helping our friend Barry on Saturday (all day) set up for his annual Monaco reunion extravaganza (party)- live music and all! Trudi was the life of the party as usual and I was just plain tired (I know boring) as having to drive meant no lubrication!

The week of work has flown by dotted with packing and unpacking and spending half the nights planning (when I should be sleeping).

Last night saw a moment of relaxation (where dinner was cooked not by me)

And for once I was not the driver with George taking the helm! Note the appropriate yachting term!

And here we are..morning coffee moment and ready to get this day underway, all hands on deck. So moving 10kms over a couple of hills, they say easy! But when you have been a gypsy for the last two and a half years and have “Stuff” in four different places, it becomes rather a logistical excercise get in one place. And the fun begins, I’ve unearthed about 10 boxes of Mums and 20 boxes of Russell’s….and the memories bring back memories bring back you!

There they are in Malta! Our happy place with many memories.

It’s been a busy long week, while our American friends are celebrating thanksgiving, Thelma and Louise have been filling up their days (and nights) with activities and adventures!

On the building front, floors are finished and the new kitchen is patiently waiting for its stone bench! Dans tradie boys have been working behind the scenes, plumbing, painting,cleaning and reinforcing! All pitching in to help me make my house a home!

After a couple of weekends we’d rather forget the “All Blacks” redeemed themselves with unstoppable ferocity, and brought home the tri nations championship (almost – one game hinges on Australia or Argentina being able to notch up a huge score to take it off us). This was after a day of organising Louises world, uncluttering and reinventing the wheel in her little bolt hole!

Then the fun began, Louise decided this year it was time to drag Thelma along to her Christmas party! Dragging out the old glad rags(in My case the best of my op shop clothes) and head to the city for a night on the town.

The plans were stymied by the Auckland council deciding to hold its Christmas parade on the same Sunday afternoon. The lunch was flagged as all city roads were closed until later in the afternoon and parking up at our hotel before imbibing would have been impossible. Possibly a saving grace and not sure these girls would have been still standing for the “posh” 8.00pm dinner atop the sky tower!

Needless to say the plans flew into action at 3pm when access was available and the festivities began….

Having collected Louises boss and friend we set off to explore the neighbourhood…in search of a little pre dinner refreshment, pausing for a picture with the city’s landmark….The Auckland Sky tower…and the party destination.

A snack and appetiser was required to provide sustenance for the evening ahead. Nothing like sharing a social time next to the ongoing inner city roadworks and apartment dwellers doing their Sunday shopping, lugging bags of groceries back for the week.

It was then back to the room to change and try and make a couple of party girls out of beach girls. It was a big job, folding ourselves into dresses that hadn’t had an airing for a couple of years, trying to work a bit of make up magic (especially for me who never wears the stuff), and fluff the hair out into something interesting! One can only do so much, we were ready! We collected our suited buddy and teetered to the evening venue.

Lost in space, well almost lost in the middle of the road, Louise decided we should stop and stay in position for a photo opportunity not to be missed.

The weather was slightly overcast as we revolved around the Birdseye view of Auckland city, looking at our harbour bridge in the distance past the America cup village and the Auckland Marina.

The sun broke through as it was setting on the CBD and lightened up the other not so tall buildings.

Thank goodness we ate and did a little preloading, not only were drinks ridiculously expensive (a $9 supermarket bottle of Rose was selling for $46). A fantastic three course meal saw us stuffing down the dessert at 11.30pm…and it was time to party. Louise was on form, Thelma ready for bed! But no don’t be a party pooper…

The colours of a kiwi Christmas were lit up and the casino was close by. We fed the machines $20 ( our gambling limit) and then relaxed above the roulette tables watching others throw away much more than we care to think of. Where do all these people come from at 1.00am on a Monday morning?

This is where the pictures stop (not that there isn’t any) and a short summary follows….Thelma called it quits at 2am and Louise and her partner in crime rolled in around 5am! Thelma feeling very smug that she at least had three hours sleep under her belt….as checkout time was only five hours away!

A week of hospitals, nursing, nurturing and finally peace…

The colours of a Friday evening stroll along the beach are pink…and we check ourselves into a happy place.

The week has been full of hospital visits with Dad coming home on Wednesday to recover. While the travelling and interrupted work days came to an end, I was then on call 24/7 for a couple of days getting him back to some sense of normality. Yesterday, after pumping electrolytes, vege soup, porridge (and other bland foods) into him he turned the corner and we have averted a return to the hospital we hope.

Meanwhile on the building site, Dan has had his back against the wall meeting deadlines and council inspections. My floors were finished and the next step in the project on hold while nursing duties took over.

I managed to get the brother to commit to a Friday night and Saturday with Dad so I can have a big site clean up in readiness for the kitchen in a couple of weeks.

So here I am! Ready to get the Sadie hat on and clean and clear…but I was given the biggest surprise last night when I arrived! Dan had spent his first day off in two weeks hanging all the doors, putting on door handles and skirting boards all around the new wooden floors in readiness for my painter to come back and do the final touch ups! I almost cried when I saw that he had fitted everything back in place to surprise me. Kindness in a world of turmoil.

We shared a quiet dinner and took a stroll along the beach appreciating the great things in our lives, moments of peace and calm.

The days of 2020 tick over and the sun sets on another day and rises in the morning, I drink my first coffee, load up the vacuum cleaner, mop and rags and head to the building site to start my day.

What are you doing for Christmas? They ask. In my world we can’t look that far ahead, it sure is one day at a time and the best laid plans will change. Rolling with the punches, the ups and downs, and living in the moment is the only way to hold onto our sanity. Beach yoga starts today, but yoga comes in all forms, and cleaning and clearing will activate muscles that have been sitting in front of a computer all week I’m sure!

The weekend culminated in a 6am start for Thelma, this time, hitting the road solo to share the momentous occasion of her friends parents 60th wedding anniversary lunch in Tauranga.

Step back and Friday saw the inside painting of the new house complete and was celebrated by earlier than usual beverages, followed by the waiwera residents drinks on the waterfront.

A pleasant evening after a stormy week and a few more beverages….

As the sun went down lighting up the island like a pot of gold. Strolling back to the cottage while the legs were still operating, dinner and bed after a busy week, somewhat oblivious to the world.

Saturday brought uncertainty weather wise (and the need for sunglasses even though it was overcast) but a trip to bunnings (hardware store) was in order before any painting could be done. Dan had all his tradies working so the final job before returning was smoko for the crew! And it was almost lunchtime.

The rain held off and the painting of the pink house was almost complete! A couple of touch ups and second coats needed but on the whole the green house is now marshmallow pink! Finished in good time to head back to the cottage, build a couple of plates of asparagus rolls and tidy up (myself) for the evening birthday party.

The girls with the birthday boy, well fed and watered(in my case) and cocktails and wine for the walkers and non drivers!

A party next door was not to be missed by the canine family as the joined us at the fence.

Home before the evening storms rolled in around 10pm which deterred any notion of staying up half the night watching rugby (atmospheric conditions blanked out the tv reception). Possibly a good thing by all accounts and comments about the game and an early night was needed for my early start today.

It was ambitious to do a return trip in one day, getting in a visit with mums dear friend Barb before lunch and another drive by another friends house on the way back….so I’m a south Auckland girl tonight in readiness to get a quick trip to work in the morning before heading back to Dads for the week.

Choosing to drive from one end of Auckland to the other on the predicted wettest day of Spring may not have been the wisest call. An early start 5am avoided the morning madness but a two hour crawl home topped off an overall crazy day…

Unloading containers in the torrential rain called for kiwi ingenuity, building pallet wrap sides for the gazebo to protect our precious cargo!

Another week closer to 2021, the US still holding its breath to see who will lead their country, and the Auckland water crisis may be averted for the upcoming summer. I am sort of excited to be able to get behind a water blaster or hose again!

Russell Rose is flourishing in the current climate, being well cared for by his good friend!

There are shorts days, jeans days, hard days and good days. We try to celebrate the successes, Dans house is looking like a house with windows and weather boards, mine is sporting a fresh coat of paint inside and out, George is exploring new activities…

Not always winning, a game of touch produced a damaged shoulder, for a 6’7” human, the bigger they are the harder they fall! But the new toy in the background is producing dulcet tones morning and night! My office is getting very full these days.

With Christmas looming we are thinking more often of those loved ones far away and all we want is to hold and hug them. But as usual life in NZ is busy, as we manage several projects in our lives and try to keep up with friends. Dreaming of a cold coors by a pool in Texas or a Cisk at the cafes by the grand harbour in Senglea (Malta) partaking in crazy Kareoke nights with my very musical cousins! (And not very musical self)

At least I am blessed to have my three sons near and not in far off parts of the world!

Now it’s time to get through a Friday, fight a few more fires and roll into what looks like a very social weekend ahead, rain or not!

All week stuck inside behind my computer screen the sun beat down…perfect painting weather!

I can’t understand how the weather forecasters are finally getting it right! A weather forecast of fine weather used to mean Rain, and thunderstorms probably meant it would be sunny!

Saturday’s forecast said a 60% chance of rain at 2.pm and that’s what we got!

That meant the morning was the only time for outside work, which are all my jobs as leaving the inside to the experts!

I had to drive down as the bag of sand was a little heavy to carry the 600meters! My first job was digging, leveling, filling with sand,compacting and throwing a couple of heavy pavers on top making a pad for the heat pump motor thing!

All relatively simple, but under house, on hands and knees with a meter height restriction added a little more complexity (and agility)

Then it was off for kitchen/bathroom supplies for both Dan and I, and of course Floyd…

Battling Saturday shopping traffic is almost worse than workdays, first stop McDonald’s breakky!

Last stop at Bunnings on the way home around 1pm for some more paint (I swear a big expense of renovating are the bunnings trips as an extra brush, roller, drop sheet usually gets thrown in for good measure).

And yes it rained, but that doesn’t deter a gal on a mission!

One uses what nature (or in this case man) has provided…Eaves and the sheltered west side! Good to know wet drop sheets still contain the paint!

Yoga workout exhausted by 5pm and a few patches sporting the colour of choice. When your house has a backdrop of trees the green is obsolete!

Back to the cottage for showers, dinner and preparation for the 3rd All Blacks (rugby) test!

And it’s Halloween, killing three birds with one stone! Skincare, rugby support and a face to scare the children who come knocking for sweets!

The rain has passed and Sunday morning is presenting a great painting day! It is back into it for me and maybe a helping hand! But first a coffee!

While the weather gods have produced a perfect long weekend marking the start of summer, and the fishermen are fishing, boaties boating, foodies eating and relaxing….the Bonnici’s at waiwera are putting in a big working weekend. After all it is Labour weekend…

Saturday morning 8am, saw Dan on site at his mates digging and landscaping back yards…payback for work on our houses. And yours truly was climbing under the house, clad from head to toe, clearing out 30 years of past inhabitants rubbish. There really was everything but the kitchen sink, which is a shame as I do need a new one of those!

The find of the morning, and only thing kept, a piece of old tin turned out to be a national treasure! (Maybe from a dubious source), and will find a place of pride at the new abode!

Thank goodness I had Lexi to help me stack and toss filling up the final skip, as I was aiming to showered, dressed (actual dress) and make uped by midday, for a celebration of our dear family friend Joys life. A wonderful lady who died 10 days into the first covid lockdown and was two weeks off her 95th birthday! A select few had lunch at the surf club and reminisced about this gorgeous lady. I knew only the son and wife, from Wellington but had a few more friends by the time I left! Then the mahi(work) continued, planter boxes to fill and paint and a shared bbq to throw together as all the workers needed a good feed and early night!

Sunday bloomed with a visit to Russell Rose who is flourishing at my friend Johns house, then off for another painting day! Clad again from head to toe to minimalise the body paint. Inside wardrobes, interrupted by dads arrival and a leaky bag! So it was off to unload, repair and reassure at the cottage. All settled, dad having a nap in his car (his choice) I raced back to finish the painting before my paint set in the tray…by now it was nearly 4pm and Dan still working on his house, I had promised the crew a Roast! Time to get the tea on, and set dad up for the night! Had to give up my double bed and sleep in the lounge! But he seemed to manage with the cottage comings and goings!

Sheets, cottage clean and more bits to be done at the house before packing up and heading back to suburbia! Dad is tootling back this morning and waiting for me to get back later to cook tea I’m sure! What does one say, give a busy person a job and it will get done!

Meanwhile, the gerbra is loving its ice cream container full of water! George had been concerting it up on the East cape and Jaxon been entertaining in-laws and looking after a sick wife. The waiwera crew have been ticking away at job after job, every bit gets us closer to our goals and we are grateful for the hands that open and help in any way! Sometimes just a chat is good!