Rick, Nicky and Claire in NZ

It has been a busy week, what with moving house and all, but it has gone well. I took Thursday and Friday off work, and today (Monday) has been a public holiday, so that has given me time to get lots done, though there is still much to do in sorting things out in our new home. Claire supervised two guys from Gilberts Cartage to start packing all the breakables and art on Wednesday. Then on Thursday morning four Gilberts guys arrived with 2 vans (one just took the stuff from the garage), finished the packing, and loaded all our stuff. A short drive up the road, lunch, and some rain and unloading the vans began. By about 4pm they were done, and Claire and I set about bringing some order to the place, and Nicky joined me when she had got back from work as Claire was at Whitcoulls. On Friday I was on my own with both Nicky and Claire at work, doing lots of "moving house" errands along with more unpacking. On Saturday Nicky and I both unpacked at our new home, as well as cleaning

Some photos of the new place:

It has been a bit of a busy week in the scheme of things. On Tuesday evening we went to have a look a rental property that Nicky and Claire had seen from the outside. This coming week we move in! It is a 3 bedroom bungalow (we have all gone off stairs) in the heart of Blockhouse Bay. It a short drive from where we are now, close to the shops, church and park (Blockhouse Bay Reserve). It is very young, built around 3 years ago, with a large open plan living space and kitchen, 2 bathrooms and integral double garage. It has been a wee bit stressful getting things organised at short notice, but hopefully everything will slot into place next week. I am taking Thursday and Friday off work, and Monday is a public holiday. So, packing by the removal company should begin on Wednesday (Claire and I have done some today while Nicky has been cleaning) and the we move on Thursday. Our tenancy at Matata Street finishes on Sunday, so we have a bit of an overlap to finish moving small bits and getting

The working week came to an end on a high note for Nicky. She was told on Firday what a wonderful job she is doing at Ranui, and how Waitakere Librarys' appreciate her experience, skills and hard work, and included a pay rise to boot. Then on Saturday she worked her last duty at Henderson and had smogarsboard of delights for morning tea and presentation of gifts and card. The only downside is that Nicky is still suffering from a muscle strain injury in her right arm and shoulder which wakes her and as a consequence is not getting as much sleep as she needs. Claire has submitted her application to Massey University (Albany campus) this week. It started off being an online application but the website was having a few problems with course dates, so she sent of a written application. This included a $100 fee for processing of her "equivalent qualifications" paperwork, and was posted with Track and Trace (the NZ equivalent of Recored Delivery) and Thursday. On Friday Claire re

We have had a taste of the future this week, and not just at the cinema (more of that later). Claire has been away staying with a friend (Olivia) in Mt Albert for a couple of days. Olivia's parents were away on holiday so she arranged a rota of friends to come and stay. Claire was there Wednesday and Thursday, and they had a "film and pizza" night at Olivia's on Friday evening. It worked out well for Claire, but not so good for Nicky and I. The magical appearance of fresh bread, fruit, and almost cooked meals ceased to occur and we had to cope with the realities of life ourselves. Somehow, we managed. I have a vague recollection of having to do things on our own many years ago. Claire has also done an extra Whitcoulls duty this week, and has some more coming up. These will increase as Christmas gets closer. Nicky has had another busy week at Ranui, and will do her last duty at Henderson next Saturday. Ubertec has been much the same for me, and I am slowly making progr