Living Like a Small Green Hairy Fruit

Going Home To Get Home

The house went on the market before we went on our recce to NZ.  We went to the estate agents on a Saturday afternoon to see the photos they had taken and were horrified to see how confused and messy our Mexican style kitchen looked.  We wouldn't have bothered looking at our house if we'd been given that flyer!  We told the estate agents not to use that particular pic and arranged for them to come on Monday to re-take photos. So it was straight round to B&Q for some neutralising products and by 1am the new, transformed kitchen was complete! 

Above is pic taken half-way through the transformation...

...and above and below are the after ones

It obviously did the trick as just before we left we received an offer which we accepted.

Now we were back and it was full steam ahead,  Mark had done his best at the interviews and all the feed back was positive.  Mark got a good job offer in Christchurch which was just brilliant news. Loads more stuff got ebayed, including my beloved PT Cruiser

And Mark's Nissan Navara

Nothing seemed to happen for a few weeks on the job front and it was all a bit of an anti-climax.  Then Mark got a really great offer in Christchurch and it was a mad rush to get medicals, chest x-rays and visa applications done.  I handed in my notice at work mid-April and Mark devised and printed off invitations to our leaving party and made plans for that.

All in all it went very quickly and smoothly, despite the odd arguement from the stress of it all - when either one or the other of us was going/staying without the other - we got through it ok and ticked one thing after another off the endless list of things to do.

Saturday 19 May 2007 was our leaving party.  We'd hired 2 lots of moonflower disco lights and gantry and loads of yummy food (so we're told - we were too busy talking to sample any!) was provided by the same lady that caterer for our wedding.  It had rained for most of this week so we put up a temporary cover over part of the garden using heavy gauge polythene stapled to the soffits and fence.  We cut out loads of great pictures of NZ from all the magazines and leaflets we'd picked up at the Expo and stuck them all around the lounge and dining room and put up a big map with all the information on where we were going and reasons why - to save having to say it umpteen times over.  We also had a leaving book which most people got to sign and leave us their address/phone number/email so that we could keep in touch.

We were totally overwhelmed by the amount of people who turned up to wish us well, about 80 crammed into our house and garden.  The rain stayed off that evening and we had just the best time.  We handed out leaving cards/presents to our very closest family which was quite emotional.  We each chose and wrote cards to our own parents, brothers and sisters, writing personal messages to each.  It took us a whole evening to do this and it was so hard. We were both quite tearful.  It was like writing suicide notes to all those we cared about; like we might never get to say the things we felt again.  So often people don't tell each other just how much they mean. We're glad we did.

We had asked everyone to bring their own drink and the workbench in the garage was overflowing with bottles for wishing us well and for drinking that night.  We tried really hard to get round and speak to everyone, unfortunately only some briefly.  I know my family made a huge effort to be there for us and  I hardly got to speak to them at all.  It was so wonderful having them all there though and being able to spend what little time I could with them.  Mark got a warning off my middle youngest brother - to take care of me or else - I was actually really touched by that especially as my dad is sadly no longer with us.  I felt all protected and glowy inside!  And as my folks were leaving my mum was all smiles and good wishes for us.  I just love her positive go get em attitude and inner strength.  I know she'll miss us all, and us her, but I am so grateful she gave us her encouragement.  Mark reminded my brothers to take care of my mum and pointed out just how special mums were.  It was just smiles and hugs all round and I was just so happy.  And I got a lovely heartfelt hug off my littlest brother too, who, because of the age difference (22 or 23 years I think!) and distance we lived apart, I don't really know that well.  I was made up that the eldest of my brothers came. We'd fallen out recently but it was fab he came and we had a big hug and made up.  Oh, and my spooky sister wrote the same message in our leaving book as I'd written to her in her card!  I guess being close doesn't mean you have to necessarily be with someone all the time.  I really hope they all make it over here on day, that'd just be awesome.  Love you all xx.

And for anyone that came that is reading this we'd just like to say a great big THANK YOU for your support and well wishes and for making our evening so very special.

Unfortunately the camcorder decided not to work that evening and the digital camera memory was full, so sadly we don't have any record of the event.  But needless to say it was a memorable occasion we will never forget.

Tuesday 22 May 2007 - The packers, sorry HRTs (Household Relocation Technicians), arrived today and in no particular hurry either! They turned up at around 11.30am and sat in the back garden in the sun, chatting and drinking tea and coffee till about midday.  We were wondering how on earth everything was going to get done on time as the container was due the next day and we were due to complete on the house sale the next day as well (talk about precision planning!).  But boy can those guys pack!  We had to keep all our stuff we wanted well out of their way as they just ploughed through the house wrapping and packing everything in their path.

We sat in the sun on the decking in the back garden and just thought we must be bloody mental! It all just seemed so surreal. Were we really about to give up everything we had and were familiar with to go to the other side of the world?! Last chance to back out. But we both knew if we didn't do this now we'd always be left wondering 'what if?'.  Throughout the process of getting everything sorted over the past few months everything just seemed to fall into place. And even with the last minute nerves, we both agreed it still felt right. 

Fish and chips for tea that night. They'd left us one portable tv, our mattresses and bedding and of course our suitcases and flight bags.  It was so weird perching wherever we could trying to eat as the lounge, dining room and kitchen were full of boxes stacked floor to ceiling.

A view of half of our new look lounge

Well, that was that then. Container due tomorrow and the long wait for the solicitor's phone call to say we've completed on the house sale.