So close, yet so far away ...

“The Unknown is scary, the Unknown can also be exciting. Your life could change in an instant anytime. But sometimes, that change is the best thing that will ever happen to you. Maybe I don’t have to know what my fate is to know that everything will be okay. Maybe the not knowing is how we move forward. Wherever I’m headed, I know it’s exactly where I’m supposed to be.” ~ Susane Colasanti

Well it's less than three weeks to go now before we fly to England for the next exciting chapter in our lives!  Lots of things are moving, one is stubbornly staying the same ...

Selling ezimade seemed like it was going to be easy from the moment Barry opened the shop. He had a list of people who came in saying how amazing it was and how much they'd considered doing just what he had but not quite had the courage/got round to it, and would be interested in buying the business once he was ready to sell.

A few of these people have been in and talked about buying, but to date no-one has made an offer or made any sort of commitment. Why not?  It's such a great business, and is growing daily, I can't figure out where the blockage is. Barry has now listed it on Trade Me - so check it out and if you know anyone interested get them to call him asap! He did call a Real Estate Agent last week and met up with him - but was unconvinced that they would be committed enough or work hard enough to earn the ridiculous sum of money in commission they charge for selling a business.

It's OK, we have someone who will manage the shop once we leave if it's not sold, so we're not panicking, but it would be so much better to be able to let it go and move forward. However, Barry has to return to NZ in August anyway to apply for his visa, so maybe he's meant to come back and sell it then?

In the meantime, we've had another garage/yard sale:

So much 'stuff'!

This one wasn't quite as successful as the first one, but a lot of the same people came. Additionally, during the afternoon I discovered that someone had 'walked away' with a set of golf clubs that had been at the back of the house - Barry's mum's. I was initially angry that someone would do such a thing, then realised that it wouldn't help anything by giving my energy to that, and turning it around saw that whoever took them must be pretty desperate to have to steal from someone else, so it actually made me feel very lucky - so thank you thief!

The weekend before this, we had the auction for Barry's photography. It was such a fun afternoon, and all but I think two of his pictures sold to the people that came, and a few telephone bidders. Since then so many people who didn't manage to come for a variety of reasons have said how much they wish they had, and those who bought his pictures keep saying how much they love them. So it's all good, Barry will be remembered in Gisborne for a long time to come - and he saw how much people value his work as it was converted into cash.

Lee and Alice get Barry's most prized and treasured shot - a country lane near to West Felton, UK, taken in 2007

Sally buys so many photos - and adores them!

Gavin the amazingly audacious auctioneer - what a star!

Jeremy, Jim and Kerri - some of the beautiful people who bidded (I know, it's not a proper word!) and bought!

Our furniture is slowly moving out of the house, bit by bit, and with the photos gone too it's starting to look empty and we are 'letting go' of it, feeling grateful we've lived somewhere so amazing even for a short time, and looking forward so much to travelling to UK and buying another narrowboat. That's what keeps us going, knowing that we WILL get where we want to be, despite the challenges, and then there will be other lovely journeys to plan and look forward to.

Barry has taken some things to his daughter Jamie in Hamilton and will take some to Tom in Wellington in a couple of weeks. He isn't saying goodbye for ages to them yet, because he knows he'll be back in August and be here until he gets his UK visa. Leaving his mum will be something else to challenge us both though - but we can call her and hopefully Skype her with the help of Barry's brother Ray ...

Of course it's through our struggles that we most grow - if life was simple and easy all the time it would be boring don't you think?

Five weeks and counting ...

'Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.' ~ Andre Gide

Well courage is definitely something Barry and I are needing in abundance at the moment as we navigate the massive changes we're sailing through to de-clutter and let go of people, places and things.  I've been through this process previously when I immigrated to New Zealand in early 2005, but it's still challenging.

It is however, also very cathartic.  The amount of 'stuff' we 've collected between us is staggering - much of it was stored under the house.  We managed to sell almost all our furniture within four days in January - though a lot of it is still with us until a week or so before we leave.  One or two things that are precious will be stored here by people - personal photographs and memories of Barry's for instance, and a recycled Rimu coffee table that I made at woodwork classes here before I met Barry - priceless but far too big and heavy to ship back to UK.  Some friends who have just built an eco friendly home will care for it lovingly, and even though I may never have it with me again, I'll always know it's 'mine'.

The garage sale was a huge success and we made around $500 - there's still a heap of 'stuff' left, and discovered following the sale after further sorting, so we're having another one on 23rd February.  Following that it'll be Trade-Me (New Zealand's answer to Ebay), the local buy and sell publication 'The Trader', charity 'Op' shops, Second Hand Sunday on 3rd March, or the council dump/tip!

One of our cars has been sold and taken, and a couple of people are interested in the other one.  The bike is sold - but we need to hold onto that until just before we go so we each have a mode of transport apart from walking.

This Sunday, 17th February, we're having an auction of Barry's superb photography collection.  Lots of people had been asking me if they could buy one of his pieces before we left, so to make it fair we decided we'd ask a friend who's a trained auctioneer, if he'd help us out.  It promises to be a fun afternoon and hopefully we'll make some more funds towards our future water gypsy lifestyle!  If anyone wants a catalogue of what's available, email Sandra or Barry.  We can ship overseas, but obviously you'd need to pay the postage.

A leaving party has been arranged by some friends for us, to be held on Friday 8th March.  It'll be fabulous to have around 100 people to come and say a fond fare-thee-well-for-now, though I know it'll be tinged with sadness too, especially for me, as I don't know if or when I'll return to Gisborne or New Zealand.  Barry will be back in August to apply for his UK visa.

Barry's business 'ezimade' hasn't sold as yet, but there's a few people who've expressed an interest.  We have a contingency plan if it doesn't sell before we go - which will stop people who may be waiting until they think we're 'desperate' and then putting in a silly offer!  It's such a great little business that Barry has put his heart and soul into, and has a large, dedicated, enthusiastic and growing customer database - once someone buys a still or a beer making kit, there's a high chance they'll be back for more supplies!  Everyone who comes into the shop says how amazing it is - especially people from out of town who don't have anything with so much variety.  We're just waiting for the right person to come and make us an acceptable offer - any day now ...

The information needed for Barry's visa is being collated, and the required money is in the bank in UK - so six months from 5th February will be D-Day, depending on when Barry re-enters New Zealand.  We've put together lots of evidence of our relationship and marriage that will need to be sent off - though I think all they really need to do would be to read this blog?!  What more proof would you need of our commitment to each other and returning to UK to live on the waterways?

Last Sunday at a friend's beach wedding 

Feeling the pressure of moving hemispheres ...

So it's just seven weeks and five days before we fly away from Gisborne to the sunny (!) northern hemisphere - Barry always brings the sun with him so you can count on there being some gorgeous weather in UK from 21st March.

We always knew that sorting the vast amount of 'stuff' we have would be a challenge, and we aren't disappointed so far - in fact there's more than we ever imagined.  That's the drawback of having a decent sized house with a humongous amount of storage space underneath it.  

I sent round an initial list of belongings to a long email list of contacts, and so far we've sold one of our cars, our bike, and tons of other stuff, so it bodes well for keeping on top of it.

On Saturday we've arranged a 'garage/garden/yard' sale at our house - here's a photo of some of the stuff in our spare bedroom ready for this ...

I've already taken three large bags of clothes to the Salvation Army, and two visits to the rubbish dump with unwanted paperwork.

One of the other things we'll be doing is cataloguing and selling some of Barry's photographs - they are, as you all know, incredible works of art and deserve to have homes where people appreciate their beauty.

Coming back from a five night midwifery locum stint at Te Puia on Tuesday, Barry and I suddenly became overwhelmed at the enormity of what we're undertaking and started to panic a little.  Too late to turn back now of course - the house is sold with the settlement date of 31st January.  Those blog readers who have undertaken similar journeys to us, will recognise I'm sure, the pressure that such a big change puts on you, even when it's something you have been dreaming of for a long period of time.

This evening I came across an inspiring video which 'spoke to me', and reminded me to let go and just allow ourselves to freak out from time-to-time about the move.  We've been planning it for over two years now, and we're both sure it's what we want, but the change in the UK visa requirements have meant we must commit to five and a half years to get Barry's 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' in UK, with only limited time back in NZ to see family and friends, if we can afford to return for visits.  'The Power of Vulnerability' is a TED talk by Brene Brown - if you have about 20 minutes to spare, and want to feel more 'wholehearted', I would totally recommend you watch and absorb the wisdom she's gained through many years of research.

Once we've received the house sale money next week, we'll put the necessary funds into an account, and they have to stay there for six months before Barry can even apply for his UK visa.  Then it must be there again two and half years after when he updates/reapplies.  We've now engaged the lovely Colin at 'ivisas' to navigate us through the process, and feel confident all will happen - so long as we gather all the documentation.

Our biggest mission now is to sell Barry's business - he has a few people interested, so by the power of the law of attraction, I'm putting it out there we WILL sell it in the next couple of weeks.

Watch this space - and I'm sending it out too that one day soon we WILL be announcing we've bought a narrowboat ...

We'll be in UK in nine weeks - Happy 2013 everyone!

In exactly nine weeks (0525hrs on 20th March), we'll arrive at London Heathrow.  We've been planning this journey for so long now, the inception was sometime in 2010, and it's amazing it's coming to fruition.  There's still so much to do, and of course you know what they say about the best laid plans of mice and men ...

I returned to NZ on 10th January after an amazing three-weeks in Indonesia with my beautiful daughter Kimberley.  How special to have that time, just the two of us - and while we were having quality time together and with many exciting (and some not so thrilling!) adventures, Barry had his children Jamie and Tom at home for the festive season.  So we were both blessed with family memories to treasure.

Kim and I ready for a cocktail or two

Kim's 30th birthday surprise

Now I'm back and it's time to get all of our belongings sorted to either sell, give away, store, package to send or pack.  I always find it incredible how much 'stuff' we can accumulate, and when you look at it you wonder why on earth you have it and how you can so easily live without it!  We totally understand how challenging space is on a narrowboat, and are both looking forward to downsizing and getting rid of so much clutter - it's going to feel so liberating.

On Saturday we joined our friends to camp at the beach for the night - I think it may've been hotter in Gisborne than it was in Bali and Lombok.  A sweltering 39 degrees I believe was recorded ...

Barry cooks the barbecue breakfast for the masses

Walking on the beach with Barry, we came across a penguin - so cute!

We're just waiting to hear from our agent about the paperwork we'll need to collate ready for Barry's visa, and he's checking out flights for early to mid August when he'll be returning to NZ to apply.  Our house settlement date is 31st January, so as soon as we can transfer sufficient funds to my UK bank account, we can commence the six-month countdown.

Finances will be very tight, so we'll be budgeting strictly - I suspect visitors will be requested to provide their own provisions!  It'll be a great lesson for Barry and I, and of course means the required amount of cash must be available for five years in order to get 'indefinite leave to remain'.

Do check out my Holistic Life Coaching Facebook page and website/blog, and tell all your friends!  Barry won't be able to work until he has his UK visa, so Life Coaching is likely to be be our only source of income.  I have no intention of working as a midwife after Tuesday 5th March 2013, almost 26 years after commencing my training on 2nd May 1987.  I'm extremely proud of the difference I've made during that time - improve the birthing experience of women and their families, the quality of maternity services and provide guidance and inspiration to colleagues and students.  

It's now time to use my skills to support people to live their lives more fully and move towards a limit-less life ...

We're so looking forward to being back with my family and reconnecting with our friends in UK and on the waterways - as well as meeting new people (thank you to everyone who emails, it's always lovely to hear from you)!

Happy Festive Season from Indonesia!

Surprisingly we have free wifi on the island of Nusa Lembogan, so I thought I'd write a quick post and show you how they celebrate here ...

Barry and I wish all our readers a very Merry Xmas - have lots of fun, love and laughter over the festive season.

Latest news on Barry's visa ...

As Audrey Hepburn says, "Nothing is impossible, the word itself says 'I'm possible'!"

When I immigrated to New Zealand in January 2005, the rules had just changed for gaining citizenship from three to five years. Now we're planning on returning to UK for the foreseeable future, the rules for 'indefinite leave to remain'  significantly altered to become far more challenging in July 2012! However we shall not be beaten, we'll just need to re-think our original plans, knowing that things happen for a reason ...

We've now spoken to Colin at ivisas and have a plan!  The rules are very stringent, and although I've never been very good at following such autocratic things, there are times when it's imperative and this is one of them!  So, the settlement date for our house sale is 31st January 2013, at which time we'll have sufficient 'cash' to both meet the visa requirements and buy a narrowboat to live aboard.  The catch is that we have to have that money in an account for a minimum of six months before we can apply for Barry's visa, and then hold it for the following five years - or else have 'proper' jobs that earn a minimum of 18,600GBP per annum.

That's OK, we can work around that - we'll still be flying to UK on 19th March 2013, it just means Barry will have a return flight to NZ sometime in August/September and will then apply for his settlement visa.  In the meantime we'll be gathering the required evidence to support his application so that, fingers crossed, it'll be plain sailing from then on.

On a different note, at 0600hrs Wednesday 19th December, I'll be flying from Auckland to Bali to meet my daughter to celebrate her 30th birthday on 4th January. When I tell people I'm going away without Barry for xmas and New Year, they frequently inform me the world may end on 21st December - let's hope not, we've got so much living left to do ...

If I don't get a chance to post another blog before I return to NZ on 10th January (and the chances are I won't), I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, filled with love and laughter, and a very Happy New Year.

Happy Christmas from us!

A wonderful time with my sisters - and a slight hiccup in our plans to return to UK ...

It's been many a week since my last posting - apologies everyone!  Two of my three beautiful sisters have been in New Zealand on holiday - we've had such an amazing time which didn't include a space for blogging!

Linda, Viv and Sandra on White Island - an active volcano off the North Island of NZ

Linda, Sandra, Barry and Viv at Gisborne Airport Saturday 8th December 2012

It was Barry's birthday on Thursday, so my poor sisters will have been extremely tired on their flight back as we had a party on Friday night which went on until the small hours.  

Our hiccup is with the requirements for Barry's UK visa - these all changed in July 2012, and it seems an even more complex process than before, so we've been going round and round in circles.  There's financial requirements we have to meet (understandable), that don't seem to take into consideration self-employment or the possibility of living on a narrowboat!  So today we've contacted an agency in the hope of acquiring expert assistance.  Otherwise, if there's the slightest problem with any part of the application form or supporting documentation, they reject it and charge us $1,700 a time.

We can't apply until three months prior to our departure on 19th March - and on 19th December I'm flying to Bali to meet my youngest daughter for her 30th birthday and won't be back in Gisborne until 10th January.  Barry's children Jamie and Tom will be keeping him company for xmas and New Year, which, we hope, will be his last ones for a considerable time - if all goes to plan!

We're keeping positive and are very hopeful we have evidence of suffcient funds to support us, and of our relationship of seven years and marriage of three, so that we'll be 'let in' to UK in March - otherwise we'll be homeless in Gisborne as our house is sold which could prove interesting ...

Slight revisions and additions to the boat spec ...

Thank you to Elly and Mick and Andy for your comments and emails about our 'dream boat'.  We do realise that we may (!) not get exactly what we want - but you never know ...  It's definitely worth putting it out there and seeing what eventuates.

So here's a few revisions/additions:

• I forgot to say we really want a boat with two bedrooms - at least with a single bunk at the back of the boat for our grandson to have his own 'space'.  So we'd want a fixed double or pull out bed (I've forgotten what they're called), as well as the dinette conversion to a double and the single - five berth
• A 'good' inverter (Barry says around 2 to 3,000 watts)
• A macerator pump out loo or vacuum flush 

Keep your eyes out and ears peeled everyone - we believe it's out there somewhere, just waiting for us to come and buy it.

Be careful what you wish for ...

That's how the saying goes.  So we're wishing for our 'perfect' boat, and choosing thoughtfully what's on our list! It's all about what you give your energy to, as we're constantly discovering as our  'to do' list shrinks each time we focus on one aspect of it during our return journey to the waterways, so now we're testing it out on the blog.

Having worked as a recruitment and retention specialist during 2002 to 2005, I believe finding the best person for a job involves knowing who you are looking for - otherwise how will you know when you find them?   It's always worth investing time putting together a 'person specification'.

So here's our 'boat specification' - a list of essentials and desirables for our 'dream boat':

Essential:

• Up to 65' long - preferably 60' to 62' so we can travel the whole system
• Traditional - but we'd accept semi-traditional if it had other essential features
• A pump out toilet - absolutely NON-negotiable!
• Mostly or all windows - we'd accept a few portholes at the rear, but much prefer windows
• Spray foam insulation
• Stainless steel water tank
• Solid fuel stove and radiators
• Engine NOT in an engine room on the boat

Desirable: 

• Side hatch/es
• Inverter
• L-shaped seating rather than single chairs
• Lots of storage space
• Less than 10 years old
• A washing machine (this is actually essential, but we're aware we could put one in, so there must be room available)
• Prefer not to have a walk through bathroom
• A boat name we can live with - some of them are just so off-putting! (By the way, can anyone tell me why it's 'bad luck' to re-name a boat?)

There's no rush at this stage.  We have money in UK to put a cash deposit down and our house sale settlement date is the end of January 2013, so we're cash buyers which should prove an advantage. We very much feel we'll know when we find the right boat, and hope to be ready to jump in - but we do need willing and able volunteers in UK to check out any boats for us if possible?  We'd much prefer to have bought before we arrive.

So there it is, down on paper so to speak - we'll be visualising living aboard and focussing on finding her in the next few months ...

The cat and the house ...

The sale and purchase agreement has safely arrived at our lawyers, so it's just a case of getting there next week to check and sign.

One of the many great things about the smooth and simple sale of our house, is that the future owners want to keep our beautiful cat Suki-Lou - how wonderful!  They even tried to list her as a 'chattel', but their lawyer said it wasn't possible, just in case anything happens to her between signing the agreement and taking possession, hilarious!

She adores where she lives and it'll be fantastic to be able to just leave her there, knowing she's going to be extremely well cared for.  She may get a few shocks though, as she's not really used to dealing with young children, but she's the softest and gentlest cat I've ever known and has never, ever, bitten or scratched anyone in anger.  She may love people too much, but that's her only problem - oh yes! and she's rather overweight and on a diet!  But apart from that ...

Here she is chilling in the lounge recently on a sunny day ...

What a lucky cat she is.

Contract signed ...

Our Hillview Terrace buyers have signed the sale and purchase agreement and will be putting their 10% deposit down on our house as soon as we get to see it and sign too - how exciting!  I'll be back in Gisborne on Monday 5th November, so we'll get it sorted and confirmed as soon as possible after that.

Barry came up to visit me on Sunday which was lovely - it gets a little bit lonely up here being on call 24/7.  However it's really not too difficult to stay and work here for a couple of weeks due to its stunning beauty - below are a couple of photos of Tokomaru Bay, taken from the road as I travelled back to Te Puia Springs from an antenatal visit this morning ...

You can see why they call NZ 'Aotearoa - Land of the Long White Cloud'

I've had a few people expressing an interest in being supported on a journey through Holistic Life Coaching with me, so I'm very hopeful I'll get my final three clients signed up in the next week or two for my Diploma case study hours.  I'll still take clients after those places are filled - they'll just not be at a reduced rate.

We're seriously looking at narrowboats now, and have had some communication with a couple selling their boat.  We're not sure it's quite what we're looking for, but it's certainly a lovely boat that we'll bear in mind in the coming weeks ...

Want to change your life or make it even better?

Fantastic that we've sold my TENS business, and now sold our house - the plans we've been working on for the past two plus years are all coming together.

Before Barry and I return to the waterways of UK on 19th March 2013, there's three more important things to do.

1. Barry has to obtain his UK residency visa.  We can't apply until three months before, so that'll be sent off in December 
2. Barry has to sell his shop 'ezimade' - he has an every increasing queue of people interested in buying it, such a cool way to work, so we don't envisage any challenges with that
3. Completing my 'Diploma in Holistic Life Coaching'

On 16th March 2013, I'll be attending a graduation ceremony with  'Life Coach Associates Auckland'. However, I may not be able to actually take my Diploma certificate itself to the UK, as I need to have completed my 100 hours of client case study hours.

All I need is 3 more clients, each signing up to 8 one-hour sessions which can be weekly, fortnightly, monthly, or whatever suits the client and my availability. Face-to-face in Gisborne, or from anywhere in the world via Skype - so don't let distance put you off! I don't have to have completed all the hours before we leave, but it would be fantastic if I had all the clients signed up and being supported to live extraordinary lives while I'm living mine!

What is Holistic Life Coaching you may ask?

Well, the best sportsmen in the world would always have a great coach, supermodels would have their personal trainers, etc. For people who want to get the best of THEIR life, working with a Life Coach is a way of discovering what's stopping you and what you can change or put in place so you can - every day.

People who choose to see a life coach are not strange, they're everyday folk, just like you and I. They may:

• be at a crossroads in their life and need some direction
• find that they're repeating the same/similar patterns and going round in circles in their relationships or career 
• be hitting a milestone age and feel that they haven't 'achieved' or 'done' what they thought they would have by then
• have so many options open to them they don't know which one to choose
• be so stuck with limiting beliefs from their past that they're too afraid to take risks or move forward/change
• be so busy they don't have time to even think about what they want anymore
• feel they're always caring for everyone else and rarely meeting their own needs, feeling guilty if they say 'no' to anyone

As we get older, we realise more and more how precious life is and that it's up to us to make the most of all there is to offer. It's not about working as hard as you can, for as long as you can, so that when (if) you get to the grand old age of 65 (or older), you may just have enough money not to starve. In the meantime you work long hours to pay for all the 'stuff' that if you really thought about it, you don't really 'need'.

I believe that the time to live is NOW, not waiting until we're old - though I certainly plan to be living a great life then as well!

So if you know of anyone who would grasp the opportunity of working with me as their Life Coach, or maybe you see the possibilities for yourself, please get in touch and I'll give you more information (see how to contact Sandra and Barry for my email address).

Awaken your life

Simply 'Sold' - so much to look forward to ...

It certainly feels like our plans to return to the waterways of Great Britain are working out very nicely indeed!

The lovely young couple who I showed around our home a few months ago, have bought it.  Their bank's valuation wasn't quite as much as we'd hoped, but it was $50,000 more than the government valuation of 2011, and as we wouldn't have to pay any Real Estate Agent/advertising fees out, and we won't have to move out of the house until we leave on 19th April, it seemed like a perfect deal for us all.  I believe that if you get too 'attached' to money, you block it from coming in.  We 'may' have been able to get another $10-20,000 at auction, but then again we may not!

We've yet to sign the contracts, but we'll do so in the near future with a 10% deposit and a settlement date late in January 2013.  The very positive difference between here and UK, is when you buy a house you go 'unconditional' which means once the contract is signed and the deposit changes hands, it's very difficult and costly to renege on the agreement.  There's no sudden changes of mind, and no exchange on the day of move like UK - that really is the most ridiculous process I've ever known!

We've said ever since we bought our gorgeous house in October 2008, how wonderful it would be if a young family bought it when we leave - and the law of attraction has enabled that to happen.  They have a two-year-old daughter and a baby due any day now, so they'll really be able to make the most of the size of the house and land.

It's not a 'posh' house by any stretch of the imagination, like those you see in the glossy pages of 'Home and Garden' magazines, nor does it have all the latest gadgets, Sky TV, a modern kitchen or the 'best' furniture and fittings.  Those 'things' have never interested Barry or I.  We believe we have much more valuable 'things' to spend our money on or save it.  Our home's beauty lies in its welcoming, comforting, spacious and homely feel, and the natural environment that surrounds us.  It's a place to relax and be yourself, no pretences, no anxiety about 'messing up' the expensive bits and pieces.

So we'll be actively searching for suitable narrowboats now - anyone know of any good ones out there?  We want one around 60 foot (no longer), traditional or semi-traditional, at least 4-berth, washing machine essential and log burner/heater, pump-out toilet.  There'll be more to add to the 'essential' list now we can really consider it seriously, and we've time to look around with the benefit of being cash buyers.

Having owned a boat before, we feel fairly confident that it'll be OK to buy sight unseen - though we'll be relying on someone in UK to check it out for us first!

We're both very, very, excited, and thankful for such a stress-free house sale - Barry says I should become a Real Estate Agent, but I'm not seeing that in my future at all for some reason?!

Here's the amazing, majestic and sacred Mount Hikurangi that I'm seeing a lot of as I drive up and down the East Coast visiting the women and families in the area until 5th November.  There's breathtaking scenery at every turn.

Other lovely things for me/us to look forward to:

• Two of my three sisters are coming to NZ for a three-week holiday on 18th November
• On 19th December I'm flying to Bali to meet my daughter, travelling from UK, for her 30th birthday (I know, what a dreadful wife, leaving Barry for our wedding anniversary, xmas and New Year!), but to make up for it ...
• We fly to UK on 19th March, and on 23rd to 30th March we're staying in a beautiful house in the Lake District, with my three sisters and parents, to celebrate my mum's 80th birthday
• After 30th March - we WILL be boarding our boat to begin our new life.

Wow!  So much to look forward to ...

Two weeks of 24/7 on-call, and almost some house news ...

I'm currently up at Te Puia Springs once again, an hour and a half 'up the coast' from Gisborne, covering for the midwife here so she can get a well-earned break.  It's difficult to imagine for most people the commitment and devotion of New Zealand case-loading midwives (me included!). They truly are incredible, and the women here, in my humble opinion, have the best pregnancy and childbirth care and continuity in the world. I frequently hear the most awful stories of midwifery in the NHS in UK, and have absolutely no desire to work in it again - but who knows what the future holds - never say never just in case!

I started my on-call at 1600hrs on Friday 19th October, and finish at 0900hrs on Monday 5th November. It's not quite as onerous as it sounds, the caseload isn't too large, and it's one of the most beautiful places on earth with the nicest, most down to earth people you could wish to meet. We had a beautiful birth in the unit today (only 3 hours sleep so a little tired), and we'll have three visits tomorrow at Te Araroa which is just over an hour's drive north of here. That may put it in perspective.

I love that it gives me time away from Gisborne and 'real life' to chill, and catch up with all sorts of 'to do' lists. And the scenery driving around is just stunning.

I have a lovely senior student midwife working alongside me here from Bristol until the weekend, which gives me some company, and last Saturday we went to Tokomaru Bay for a walk. We were very surprised to see a family of Paradise Ducks, waddling towards the waves ...

The parents split up, and I think the above is dad - he's just letting the ducklings wander in the waves which kept almost taking them out to sea! It was nerve wracking to watch, but they seemed to take it all in their stride.

Right at the end of the road at Tokomaru Bay is an old wharf that people fish off - or take a stroll. How about this for the height of luxury. Nana takes her moko (mokopuna = grandchild) for a stroll in the sunshine. Absolutely delightful, I can't wait to spend time with my moko.

Now onto our house sale.  

Well it's very likely that we'll have some news tomorrow, but I can't say anymore than that at this stage - except that it is looking extremely promising and augers well for a smooth journey to take us to 19th March 2013 when we leave Gisborne to relocate onto the waterways of Great Britain 'indefinitely' ...

Have we sold before we've even listed?

It certainly seems extremely likely - how fantastic! "If you believe it you can see it" is such a better thought and focus than "I'll believe it when I see it".

The story is:

Our neighbours house was for sale for a few months earlier this year, and one day I saw a young couple walking down the drive and said a cheery 'hi' to them.  We got talking and they were asking how much sunshine that property achieved, especially on the deck at the back.  I said I wasn't sure, but that ours got lots of sun as it came up over the hill and around the side of our house, then set in the late evening after enjoying its rays while chilling with a glass of sauvignon (or more likely Barry's home made strawberry merlot - delicious!).

I grasped the opportunity and told them that our house would be on the market in the spring if they were interested - they were!  So I offered to show them around our house and land, despite it being a mess and us being half way through renovating the bathroom - yikes!  It could've all gone horribly wrong, but ...

They loved it!  Hurrah!  I gave them our number to call if they were still interested in a few months.

In the meantime, he went into Barry's shop a couple of months ago and said they were still interested and left their contact details.  So we've phoned them up and they've been round again, this time with the house very tidy and the bathroom completed and they adored it even more.  So we have an independent valuer visiting tomorrow.  Their house isn't on the market yet, so they'll need to get a bridging loan from the bank and get their property on the market asap.  But the cool thing is it would mean:

• No open homes to deal with (well Barry to deal with as I'll be away for all of them if we have to have them!)
• No advertising costs (around $1,500 initially!)
• No real estate agent's fees (we've had them written out of the contract as we already have them and nothing to do with an agent) which are 4% of the purchase price; AND
• We could most likely rent our house off them until we leave on 19th March

So, although it's easy to think 'it can't possibly be that easy', maybe it CAN!  Why not?  Sometimes, when you're taking the right steps and making the right moves in the direction of your dreams, everything literally falls into place.

Here's a few photos of our gorgeous home ...

The updated bathroom - complete with brand new, only put up last night, blind

The sunny back deck - though the sun had just peeked behind the clouds!

It's a split level house - here's the back, with an extra room and a huge storage space under the house - the window above the silver car is the laundry/brewery/man cave!

The view from the deck - the country in the middle of town - idyllic

Further round on the deck ...

And looking up the drive - we're hidden from the road so it's lovely and private in our valley on Hillview Terrace!

Watch this space, we could be making an amazing announcement in the next few days ...

Better luck the second time ...

Having previously thought it wouldn't be a good idea to sign up with someone we know to sell our home, we changed our minds and arranged to meet up with a friend last night who managed to not only talk us into signing up with him, but also to agree to selling by auction!

No dates as yet, but likely to be late November or early December.

Selling a house in NZ is very different to UK where it's rare that you sell a house by auction, here it's quite 'normal' to do so.  There's purportedly various reasons why, and to be honest it'll sort the wood out from the chaff in relation to serious buyers.

We realise now we were foolish not to question the Government/Rateable Valuation when it came out in 2011 (this happens for all houses in NZ every three years I believe), despite knowing that they had valued our house way below its worth.  Of course it meant that our rates stayed low!  We've since discovered that our neighbours DID question their RV, and it was increased considerably so is now a lot more (and sold for just under that recently) - and our land area is much larger, plus we have a great driveway that runs all the way around our house, turns around and comes back up.

So it's going to be interesting to see how the sale of our house progresses.  It really is a beautiful home, in a unique location - a little bit of country in the middle of town set in a valley which provides so much shelter it has its own microclimate.  We'll be really sad to part with it, but you can't hold on to 'things' when you are moving forward or you just live in your status quo/comfort zone and life becomes boring and monotonous - we're going to be living on the wonderful waterways of Great Britain soon, in our own narrowboat, and spending time with my family and friends in England so it'll be worth all the 'letting go' of our home and Gisborne in the long run.

Photos to follow just in case anyone knows someone who may be keen to move to Gisborne ...

Anyone want to buy a hedge?

Well the 'Real' Estate Agent didn't quite turn out as expected bless her.  This was the photograph of our house on the front of the folder ...

Incredible!  Needless to say we won't be engaging her to sell our home - which lies on the other side of the hedge above.

The unbelievable part is that here in New Zealand, we not only have to pay for all the advertising costs, we also end up paying about 5% of the sale price to the Estate Agent.

Back to the drawing board, just a temporary glitch, we've already called someone else ...

On a positive note (I'd so much rather have a cup half full!), we have a gardener coming round on Monday to cut said hedge and the lawn, and take lots of garden refuse to the dump, so it'll all look tidier without Barry having to spend his one day off a week doing it.

Oh, and I have two new Life Coaching clients booked in for next week who are committed to finding ways forward to live extraordinary lives ...

Next step - or a huge leap of faith

So the TENS business, including ten machines, has now left the building - in the capable hands of a midwifery colleague and a local childbirth educator.  They're so enthusiastic about taking it forward, whereas I've not paid it much attention for months, so that's great.

I'm loving the 'letting go' feeling and the decluttering!

I listed a few dresses that I don't want anymore (not much call for them on the canals, and I have to downsize my vast wardrobe!) on 'Trade Me' last week, and sold one for more than the reserve so that's cool!  I re-listed another one, and the one that didn't go I'll keep for now.  It's the first time I've sold anything on there, a site similar to Ebay in UK, and I'm surprised how simple it is - I can see how people could get hooked!

The next step is putting our house on the market.  We have a Real Estate Agent (not a 'pretend' one, lol - that's what they're called here in New Zealand, no use asking me why as I don't know) coming round on Thursday evening to chat about what the options are and look at how much we may get.  Of course, like anything, it's worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it!  We both believe we have a gorgeous house, with a fabulous large section of land, a slice of country in the town, that would be ideal for a young family.  We have a price in mind, but one never knows if it's realistic or not until it's put to the test.

So it'll be interesting what happens in the coming weeks.  I do love the fact that here in New Zealand you generally aren't in the house when people come to view - they have 'open homes' for half an hour or so, generally at the weekends, and people can just show up and give the agent their name and take a look around the property.  It does mean of course that you have to keep the place tidy which can get tedious.  Remembering the last time we did this with Barry's house in 2008, we recently engaged a lovely lady cleaner who comes once a week and brings flowers from her garden, so that'll make the tidying up easier.  And we're also just about to get a gardener to come and help out, mowing the lawns, trimming the hedge and taking away garden debris.  Bless Barry with only one day off a week, things have begun to slide a little.

Of course the more we get for the house, the better the narrowboat will be, so fingers and toes will be crossed!  'What you give energy to grows and expands' ...

Business sold!

Don't get too excited, it's not Barry's business, we haven't even put that on the market yet lol!

I have sold my Tens business that I set up last year, hiring TENS machines to childbearing women to enhance their labour experience, give pain relief in their labour and a heightened sense of control, and reduce their need for drugs that go through to the baby.  In UK around 25% of women use TENS in labour (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation), but here in NZ no-one used them in Gisborne (apart from an ancient machine with pads that were re-used that stopped working years previously - yuck!)  and after trying to get the maternity unit or any of the self-employed midwives to take it on and buy new machines and pads, I did it myself!  The results and feedback from the women have been worth every second of the time it took to set up, and I'm so happy that the business is going to two lovely Gisborne women who will carry it forward.  Of course I've also got the money I paid out back and some for the set up costs so that's great.

So things are moving forward positively with our plans - watch this space as we progress on our journey back to UK ...

Celebrating my birthday in New Zealand and other 'lasts'!

With less than six months to go now before we fly back to UK 'indefinitely' (assuming all goes to plan!), there will be a number of 'lasts' coming up for us.

As the saying goes, you have to close one door in order for others to open, so we're very pragmatic about these changes.

My 53rd birthday was a quiet one, it didn't stop raining here in Gisborne from the moment I woke up until the following morning!  Last year Barry and I had a lovely couple of days in Mahia and the sun shone, but this year he was working from 1000hrs to 1600hrs, so I hadn't planned much.  It was also our third anniversary of our wedding on board Northern Pride on 26th September - we celebrated by me working and Barry playing badminton - not very romantic!

I had lunch with a couple of friends, then visited another one out in the country for a cup of tea, had a sneaky snooze on the sofa for half an hour, Skyped with our grandson, went out for dinner with Barry, then called in unannounced to some friends for a game of darts!  So I still managed to fit some fun things in despite the rain!

Yummy dessert - a birthday treat!

On Saturday, we had a party at home, with a mixture of different groups of friends, as it will most likely be the final time we have a party before selling our beautiful home.

Barry regales some of the guests with his brewing techniques - or something to do with narrowboating I expect!

The bathroom is just about completed (hurrah!  I love it!) and we've been tidying up the outside of the house and garden.  There's a few more little jobs to do, though they won't prevent us putting the house on the market.  It's a timing issue now - will it sell really quickly and we'll need to find somewhere to rent for a while?  Or will it take ages to sell for a price that's acceptable to us?  Exciting aye, not knowing what the universe has in store for us ...

Two of my sisters are coming to NZ on holiday from 18th November to 7th December, so it would be really good to still have the house when they're here - but if someone came along and offered us a good price we wouldn't say no!

I've also recently booked flights to Bali from 19th December to 9th January. I'm meeting my youngest daughter Kimberley there to celebrate her 30th birthday on 4th January - how wonderful to have such an opportunity.  I'll be away from Barry for our 'real' wedding anniversary on 22nd December, and also xmas and New Year - but his children, Jamie and Tom will be in Gisborne, and it'll be lovely for them to spend their last xmas with Barry before he leaves for UK - though they may be celebrating in a tent on the beach if we've sold the house before then!

We're now seriously beginning to visualise how we're going to earn a small income whilst continuously cruising - so long as I don't have to work as a midwife I'll do (almost) anything ...