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Georgebulldog
11th July 2008, 10:50 AM
I wasn’t going to do a 6 month post but I love it here so much I had to let you all know. Driving (& getting lost) around Lower Hutt yesterday I thought how lucky I was to be living around such beautiful scenery, could have sworn I saw snow on some mountains but I was trying to drive at the time so couldn’t be sure, maybe someone from that area can confirm for me.
I don’t feel we have had time to sit still & think since we’ve been here so maybe my 1 year post may be very different.
When we arrived I was 19 weeks pregnant so keen to get settled so I could get a midwife. We managed to find a lovely house with a smallish but big enough garden & managed to sort out a mortgage & move in within 2 weeks, luckily it was the right thing to do as we love the area & it’s great to be close to everything. So within a month of being here we had dealt with our daughter with chicken pox, bought a car & bought a house, not bad, love the way that the Kiwis work so quickly with things.
My in laws arrived a week before Olivia was born, great to have some family around for the new arrival, 5 weeks after her birth I’m now busy with all the stuff a new born brings & trying to keep Rebecca (33 months) occupied. So still no time to think too much about what we’ve done. I do forget I’m even here sometimes & it takes an advert to come on to think “I’m in New Zealand” I hope that means I’ve settled down.
I’m looking forward to meeting some more people as not had much chance to make too many friends but the ones I have are great, your in ther Northen5. I’m sure that will come when Rebecca starts kindie (still getting used to that word & feel like I can’t pull it off?!)
I often think if I could go back to how we were before would I & I must say I’m still not sure, I liked where I lived, liked my house & had made some good friends after having Rebecca, so they were all new friends but on leaving it was like I had known them a lot longer. Knowing children bring new friends I know it will happen again.
OH likes his job which is good & hopefully room to grow there too.
I feel like we get out a lot more but not sure if that’s because our house doesn’t need any DIY or we feel we have to because there is so much around us but it’s great to have weekends back & so much going on around us, I really would recommend Wellington to anyone. I was very worried about the wind but so far it’s not that bad although I still have 6 more months that I haven’t seen. I love the way you get a few bad days then a few sunny bright days, makes you forget the bad ones, it’s great, maybe I suffered with SAD in the UK.
I find I miss the silliest things, Heinz tomato ketchup, I don’t even have that much but I just haven’t found a good one yet. I haven’t shopped for clothes yet so can’t comment on that one. I was a big E Bayer & find Trade me OK but I forget there aren’t so many people here so there are not as many things on there when I want them.
I already worry that once our girls have grown up they will be off somewhere else & I’ll want to go with them, hate the thought they would be on the other side of the world from me. I need to stop worrying as it’s too many years away to think about.
I wont go into the whole family & staying in touch as it’s just too long a story to explain.
So all in all I think this was a good move & so far so good.
Sorry to have gone on so much but it was good for me to get it down!

mgbridges
11th July 2008, 10:59 AM
Wow Lindsey... and there I was thinking we'd moved quickly in buying and moving into a house exactly 3mths after landing! Hardly surprising 6mths has gone quickly for you. Long may the settling in process continue to go smoothly for you and your family.

Anneliese

Mels
11th July 2008, 11:04 AM
Lovely post - hope to be arriving in your neck 'o' the woods soon

Mels

peebles16
11th July 2008, 11:09 AM
Great post Lindsey and my you have been busy :)
Good to hear you're settling in and look forward to your 12 month post and beyond :yes

Karenx

IanW99
11th July 2008, 12:04 PM
...
could have sworn I saw snow on some mountains but I was trying to drive at the time so couldn’t be sure, maybe someone from that area can confirm for me.
...
Heinz tomato ketchup, I don’t even have that much but I just haven’t found a good one yet....


We were over Upper Hutt the other day, and can confirm it definitely looked like snow as well.

What is wrong with the Heinz Ketchup that you can buy here?

Ian

Red Devil
11th July 2008, 12:06 PM
Good to hear you've settled in so well... best of luck for the future :nice1

Simon

JandM
11th July 2008, 12:25 PM
Congratulations.:cheers

Georgebulldog
11th July 2008, 01:12 PM
We were over Upper Hutt the other day, and can confirm it definitely looked like snow as well.

What is wrong with the Heinz Ketchup that you can buy here?

Ian

Think I'll take a drive with my camera & a bit more petrol than I had yesterday to get some pics, never thought I would see snow around here :)

Now can I buy Heinz (not Watties?) in Woolworths or do I need to go to my fav shop Pak n Save? I must admit not had chance to find all the stuff I like yet, just go for what looks OK but will go out of my way to get some decent ketchup, allthough OH may have to use the other stuff the amount he goes through :cheers

IanW99
11th July 2008, 01:27 PM
Think I'll take a drive with my camera & a bit more petrol than I had yesterday to get some pics, never thought I would see snow around here :)

Now can I buy Heinz (not Watties?) in Woolworths or do I need to go to my fav shop Pak n Save? I must admit not had chance to find all the stuff I like yet, just go for what looks OK but will go out of my way to get some decent ketchup, allthough OH may have to use the other stuff the amount he goes through :cheers

I would have expected you to get it in Woolworths but can't say I've bought any from there.

You can definitely get it in New World and Pak 'n' Shove, sometimes they are out of stock or haven't put any out so might be worth asking.

BTW, They sell the traditional 'UK' style bottle and also the squeezy 'tapered round' bottle version so check that you are looking for the right style as they seem to have squeezy version most often.

Ian

dusk
12th July 2008, 01:38 AM
thanks for posting Lindsey, sounds liek you have had an action packed time so far! :D

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