h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The last few weeks have been spent scouring websites and newspapers for a suitable house to rent. It's over. I've done it

Actually, the house I found wasn't on a website, or in the paper. It belongs to somebody at work. Having put an ad onto the Council's Buy and Sell Exchange on the intranet, I received a response almost instantly.

Yesterday I went to look at the house and as soon as I walked in the front door, I felt comfortable It's not my rural idyll, but it is perfect for the time being and I'm hugely relieved and happy

It's out of Chchch city, which was the main objective. City centre living is really not my style and to be honest, it'll be much more relaxing to be beyond the city limits altogether. The house is in a wee town about 1/2 hour's drive north of Chchch and lies just 10 minutes' walk from the countryside

I found an organic farmshop a few minutes' drive away and the hills are only about 15km distance. The town itself has everything that I need, and more.

The house? Yes... of course it has a garden It's not huge, but part of it is a 12x6 veg garden which needs some hard labour to bring it back under control. I can't wait to get started. The rest of the gardens are mostly well-established trees and shrubs, which shelter the place nicely from winds and neighbours It needs a darned good tidy up and clip-back and I'm going to negotiate with the owners to do most of that myself. I am longing to get out there with my secatuers and loppers

The only thing I need to organise is installation of Sky. Telly here is shockingly bad and I'm desperate for some decent documentaries, sport and news channels.

Hopefully I'll be in on 12th or 13th December... with all my own belongings around me again. At last



Fb

Fantastic new fb

I am sure you are going to be very happy in your new home with all your belongings aroundyou.

Don't work too hard in the garden - you will hurt your back.

Can't upi get a sort of rotatiller or whatever they are called?

With affection

Christiane AR80

Thank you Christiane

Digging the garden will do me a lot of good and I can't wait!!

Fb

Good luck in your new pad! In for Christmas then - marvellous.

I am so pleased for you Frenchbean. You are such a so and so, or is it just that rented houses are easier to come by in Oz and NZ

Even if the garden isn't huge the work needed will be good exercise and therapeutic. I do hope the owners are agreeable to having an organic 'nut' taking over their property

Do you think you will have less growing success, or at least at less speed than in Oz? Everything seemed to grow like triffids there.

You have a busy few weeks ahead of you, so I hope all goes smoothly for you. I hope you will find time to update us. Once you have your internet set up and your Sky there will be no excuse

Take care,

Websailor

Thank you both

I woke up this morning feeling slightly jittery about the house I suspect that it's the reality of making a commitment to my new country - after all, I do still feel a bit like a blow-in because I'm in the equivalent of holiday accommodation.

Moving to a house suddenly makes it real. Why should that give me collywobbles?

Fb

Committment my - that is what it is.

You are going to love your Christmas in your new home in your new country and Mistress of your own Destiny.

wonderful

With much affection big

Christiane
AR80

'Gird thy loins' girl, you have faced bigger challenges than this and triumphed, and nothing is desperately binding when you are a free agent. You may well find your dream house when you are more settled. In the meantime enjoy New Zealand.

Oh, and thank you for all the pleasure your trials and tribulations give us 'armchair adventurers'

Websailor

Thank you for making sensible reassuring noises, Christiane and Websailor

Fb

That's great news, Fb. You'll be much more satisfied. If you use square foot gardening techniques, you'll be able to grow a lot in your veg space.

Lovely. I'm so glad you're getting settled.

I use square inch gardening techniques No room for weeds.

Morning Frenchbean - square inch, I like that

Websailor

My move date is now organised. I leave the shoebox on Saturday 13th December. Move into a motel for a night. Then take myself off to the new house on Sunday 14th, and camp there that night. The removalists arrive at the crack of dawn on Monday 15th

The countdown starts now...... tick-tock.

Fb

that's exciting.

Websailor

Congratulations on your home.
It is such a good feeling!
You know it's home as soon as you see it.... I can relate!

I have the same method of gardening
Crowd those weeds out.

Enjoy!

17 days and counting....

I heard today that my entire shipment of belongings has to be fumigated because MAF found live termites in a piece of furniture. This menas that every box has to be opened and all the furniture unpacked At a cost of course....

Mind you, at least they found the bugs, so and to Biosecurity NZ

Ji fb,

I wonder if the termites were white ants which one had in Zimbabwe? If they are you are extremely lucky that they found them because they can gobble up all your furtniture in no time.


I remember when i was first married and I had a nice chest of drawers which I had to put in one of the outside roomw because there was noroom inside the very small house we had.

Whe I went to it some months later and tried to pull out a drawer the whole thing collapsed in my hand. Horrid.

count your days - and then go on counting until christmas. !!

and we shall all visit you on Christmas Day and drink a drink called??? which is half and half Guiness. for the life of me I cannot remember the name. this is going to be my life from now on. !!

Goodness, I hope I do not lose my brains altogether.

christiane.
AR80

Stop fretting Christiane, I keep losing words, but so long as they come back eventually I don't worry, and you shouldn't either


Frenchbean, what a blow - how long will that take and at what cost. I hope it doesn't delay things for you.



Websailor

PS, Christiane Would it be 'Black Velvet' ? Sounds gorgeous.

Websailor

I'm rather glad the termites were found.