Almost back on the waterways ...

We arrived safely back in UK on Wednesday morning after a very emotional farewell for now at Gisborne airport where many people came to wish us well.  The gorgeous Jade sang a waiata (Maori song) and Haka to us at the airport, and had everyone in tears - we were so honoured, what a brave young woman.

The farewell committee at Gisborne airport - Jade is next to Barry

There are so many things I'll miss about living in New Zealand (Gisborne especially), and I intend to write something around that in the near future ...

Yesterday Barry got the train to Rugby where the lovely Barry from the boatyard collected him and took him to see 'AREandARE' - he's been a little anxious about sighting the engine and just wanted to be sure that it's the boat we want - and luckily he loved it!  So subject to a satisfactory in-water survey on Monday, we'll go ahead with the purchase and be narrowboat owners again - hurrah!  We're not sure as yet when we'll actually take possession or be on board, but it's likely to be in the next couple of weeks I would imagine.  Barry didn't take any photos of the boat surprisingly, he said he wanted to savour the time talking to her current owner and looking around - there's enough lovely pictures on the ABNB website.

Waiting for the train, all wrapped up against the cold ...

Will the blog name change people have asked?  I hope so, we just have to work out how that happens and if we can keep the blogs we've written to date as nbnorthernpride, and just re-direct people - does anyone know how we do that?  Any information gratefully received.

The temperature change from Monday last week of around 29 degrees C, to today of around 0 degrees C has its challenges, but nothing we weren't expecting, and Barry is loving seeing the snow!  We're off to the Lake District today with my three sisters and their partners, and my parents for my mum's 80th birthday tomorrow and my dad's 93rd on 30th March. 

From this ...

... to this 

It's all coming together, saving the best till last ...

"I think there is something more important than believing: Action! The world is full of dreamers. There aren’t enough who will move ahead and begin to take concrete steps to actualize their vision." 

W. Clement Stone

Well we're definitely taking concrete steps and our vision is becoming a reality!  The elephant that has been seeming so large over the past few months, weeks and days, now appears to be shrinking - we've been eating it piece by piece.

I'm almost finished packing up the boxes that we'll be shipping - how on earth we still have so much stuff after we've let go and sold so much is beyond me!  It's taking a lot of willpower to keep reducing our belongings down to the absolute (honest Barry!) essentials.  The remainder of our furniture will be taken this week - so by Friday we'll have very little left, apart from items the new owners have bought.  We're so lucky to have lovely people coming to live in our house and Suki, our cat, is staying too.

We had an awesome leaving party at the Hospital Social Club last Friday night arranged by some friends ...

The hall was decked out in red, white and blue with a few All Blacks flags too - what amazing friends we have, we're very lucky.

Next weekend I am flying to Auckland for my Diploma in Holistic Life Coaching Graduation which is awesome - it's been a long journey to achieve this, in time, money and commitment, but it's been so worthwhile.  I have two more clients to get to complete my 100 hours of case studies, but I'm waiting until we get to UK for that or it will be too disjointed.

And the very best news is WE'VE BOUGHT A BOAT!  Well, we've put a deposit down subject to survey.  Barry came home last Friday with the details and said it's the closet he's seen to the boat we've been searching for - and after some deliberation and the fantastic Captain Ahab taking the time to visit her in person and report back to us, we decided to go for it!  

She's called 'AREandARE', which we pronounced in a variety of ways, until we discovered it actually says R and R!  So apt, we're very pleased.

We'll be seeing many of you in the very near future ...