[gil]

Hey!! Brilliant to hear from you, we have sooooooo missed you! Good to hear your news and looking forward to your words of wisdom :D Fab news about the business, well done you!
LOADS of love,

Gil
xxx

[Bruckner]

So good to see you back Smiler and I'm glad to hear you're doing better. Thought of you when I was visiting my brother-in-law at his telescope/photo store. Take good care of yourself!

Emily

[jubjub]

Hey, you sneaked back in!

It does sound as though life is pretty good down in Wangers.... cant believe you been here two years already, that sure has flown by.

[marcia]

Hello Stranger - was asking about you at the weekend, and Marie said she'd met up with, hlad to have you back on the forum. We might just get out to see you sometime soon, and if you ever pop into Palmy you must pop in for a cuppa - (I might even have some hob nobs that i've managed to stash from Kev !! :laugh )

[Smiler]

Hi Marie, Lupin, Julie, Myrkk, Nicola, Claire, Tia, Paula, Gil, Emily, Sal, Marcia and Yo! Timbo & Sarah!

Thanks for the welcome back guys, these last 2 years have really flown by. But then I'm sure that the same is happening with you, getting and enjoying what life has to offer us.

Marie - the IRRV was really simple - download application form, took the forms and passports into the immigration office in Palmy, paid $140 and voila passports returned by courier 5 days later. It was good to catch up with you and Sal too.

Julie - I'll fight you for the pic and mix ;)

Myrkk - yep Av and I do coffee and lunch, well coffee and coffee and coffee...

Tia- ok you did ask for this " Out of interest what did you do in the UK before? Has coming to NZ been a big lifestyle change?" Oh yes before I came here I knew zilch about IT security awareness, I was a coroner's officer. Now I'm regularly Sales director of the month :clap

Paula - I so love my veggie patch and cooking, baking etc etc, all stuff I never did in the UK because of the old lack of time excuse, usually time spent on the A3 and M25.

Timbo & Sarah - I read yonks ago on here that you'd settled somewhere I'd never heard of. I'm so pleased you are here finally and happy.

Emily - we find that we're always doing so much other stuff we never get the time to use the scope. But one day soon....

Marcia - kettles always on, just yell!

If I've missed anyone above sorry not intentional, I've been away so long I've forgotten how the forum pages/postings work and I'm trying to flick between windows :o

[jubjub]

Myrkk - yep Av and I do coffee and lunch, well coffee and coffee and coffee...



You forgot to mention the carrot cake that goes with that coffee!

I forgot what a dead exciting job you used to have! :D

[wiki]

Smiler it's great to read how you are getting on - I had to bounce back to the start of the tread to realise you are the guys living in the gorgeous old house with all the land. I'm glad the kiwi dream is doing so well for you :clap

[Smiler]

I forgot what a dead exciting job you used to have!

:laugh It is really is the only thing I miss apart from Family.

Hey wiki, not long til you get home.:nice1
I bet you are getting very excited :raebanana

[wiki]

:laugh It is really is the only thing I miss apart from Family.

Hey wiki, not long til you get home.:nice1
I bet you are getting very excited :raebanana

Thanks Smiler! If skip out of work as early as I plan to today then I've only got 20 hours left in the office - that's what is making me excited. Although I spoke to my Dad on Monday night and he said "see you a week on Thursday" which gave me the warm fuzzies.

I want to start scouting around to find a place like yours to rent - fewer fruit trees in southland, but hopefully just as green

[Questor]

Welcome back Debs - Catie says when are you coming round for a cuppa (OK a 2 hour drive cuppa but still... (and it's my 30th in a few weeks.......))

[Carol]

Hope you've got your gold and silver sparkly gear ready.........Gary!
lol
(And Deborah - you got your platforms sorted?? I HAVE!!:D)


See you both Saturday:cheers
xxxx

[Moorf]

Congrats on the silver wedding anniversary Carol and I hope your party goes with a swing... not swingers... just swing :raebanana :raebanana

... and if you could make sure you get a few piccies of G in some shiny lycra and platforms that would be grand... :D

Best wishes
Helen & Woz
xxxxxxxxxxx

[Smiler]

... and if you could make sure you get a few piccies of G in some shiny lycra and platforms that would be grand... :D



What did you do with the ones I sent you before? ;)

[Moorf]

Oh I made thousands out of those... you don't read Razzle? ;)

[Carol]

FOFLMAO!!!!!!!!!!!!!


I have a vision!
:D

[Smiler]

So happy I posted it twice............... sorry :laugh :laugh :laugh

[Smiler]

Took a break from the pc and wandered round the garden, it's so beautiful here *sighs*

New chicks are having their first peck around, until Mum's watchful eye. The other 3 are watching from their dust bath to make sure they don't miss out on anything :laugh

Veggies are silently growing in the warm earth, sheep are bleating/baahing (whatever) and munching away. The 3 residents frogs are sunbathing beside the pond and OH is off scooting round the fields on the farm bike.

I can smell the lemons growing and the grapefruit blossom smell is so strong, such a heady perfume. :)

I came back in to an email from our accountant, who invited OH to theirs for xmas, as they were concerned he'd be on his own and isolated over the festive period..... awwwwww.

Just love this place :D

[Moorf]

Another lovely post Debs - can we take it you're enjoying yourself in the boonies? :D

Have you noticed that the frogs in NZ don't croak .... they have a weird squeal/squeek... and the natives don't have webbed toes.... oh and apparently they don't go through the tadpole stage here either - weird huh - apparently it's all to do with them not evolving like other species and remaining as early frogs did....

... sorry.. had to share!! :D

(Veni, Vidi, Vino - I came, I saw, I got drunk..... )

[Smiler]

Oh yes! Just a tad :D

They make a sort of burpy croak?

That explains why we didn't have tadpoles then, made me very confused as I never even saw any frogspawn and wondered where they arrived from. They sure didn't come on the school bus!




(Veni, Vidi, Visa - I came, I saw, I shopped)

[Moorf]

Hmm not sure on the burpy croak - u sure that isn't G hiding in the bushes with his can of DB?

H
x


(Vini, Vidi, VD - I came, I saw, I scratched) :D

[Smiler]

Thought I'd just post a little update as we've now been in this rental 18 months. Our longest stay anywhere in years lol!

The frogs have left the pond during the summer dry spell, I hope they come back. We were up to four, big bright green ones.

The chicks have all settled in, looks like 3 roosters and 7 girls, from the front anyway, I'm not checking their back ends. :o They are into everything and I could spend (waste) a lot of time watching them. I can't wait for them to start laying and be able to give the neighbours frish iggs.

Colin is getting bigger, although I'm careful not to over feed him. I don't want him turning fatty...... He eats most things from his piggy snack bucket, loves roast pork :confused: and potato's, most veggies and fruit but not citrus. He's a bit traumatised this week because the tree cutter man came while we were out and drove the huge cutter into his paddock. It's made him a bit skittish but a scratch behind the ear calms him down, when I can catch him.

Yesterday the farmer started cutting the maize in the surrounding fields and the truck lost a heap or two when it jumped a rut on the track at the back of the house. Yay! Chook food for weeks all bagged up and ready to serve, took me 45 mins to scoop it all up!

I've had a good tidy up in the veg patch, still lots of tom's, pots, salad leaves and strawbs. The courgettes are just about finishing, but there's leeks, onions red and white, cabbages etc for the winter. I've a larder full of home made relishs, jams and preserves and Carol took some grapefruit and brought back some yummy marmalade. :raebananaThe Nashi pears are just ripening and I shall make the same chutney as last year which was very nice. The quinces are almost ripe too and I need to look up some recipes for these. I wish the figs would hurry up though. Nigella's recipe for preserved figs in rum didn't work at all well, so shall try something else. ;)

We've also become the IT help desk for the area, I don't mind but 7.15 am on a Sunday is a bit extreme. Two of our lovely neighbours have had a really difficult year and are putting their farm on the market tomorrow. That'll be a sad day when they move out, but they're buying a house bus to travel NZ in!

Mr S has chopped and split a massive load of wood while I supervised him and the chainsaws. It's all gathered from wind falls with permission, infact the farmer just knocks and says 'help yourself'. It clears the track for him and is OH's exercise for the day. An oak in the lower paddock lost a huge bough and that's sitting curing in the wood shed. We can judge how much we used last winter and I can stop panicking that we'll freeze. Although I'm thinking of getting one of those silky body bags someone posted about, to keep toasty warm while sitting working.

FIL comes to visit in Aug/Sept, thankfully without the Wicked Witch of the East.

Still love this place................................

[Bruckner]

I always love your updates Smiler. What is Colin's "due date" for lack of a better term?

And I'm with you on the body bags for the winter. I'm having Greg call the landlord this week so we can figure out what's going on. I want to order the winter wood now as well as the insulated curtains.

[dilanium]

Smiler- Thank you for this post. It reminds me what I'm really wanting to go to NZ for. :)

Glad things seem to be going so well!

[marcia]

Great update - but I'm very concerned - what on earth are these body bags you're talking about???? :exit The only body bags I've heard of are the black ones they zip you into when you've popped your clogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[dilanium]

Marcia- they were like sleeping bags that you wear... If only I could remember the thread they were under...

[Smiler]

Great update - but I'm very concerned - what on earth are these body bags you're talking about???? :exit The only body bags I've heard of are the black ones they zip you into when you've popped your clogs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Liz & Marcia - These http://www.lazyboneuk.com/store/pro750.html :D I can't make my mind up whether I want to look a real idiot, but be warm idiot though.

Emily - Colin is booked in for his big white overcoat at Xmas this year. We'll need a bigger freezer though, the famer has just 'done' Colin's older siblings and they were pretty huge. :uhoh

[Lupin]

Lovely update Smiler :)

Should you be feeding your pig meat though? :exit

[Lupin]

http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/foodwaste

not sure if this applies to you or not.

[Smiler]

Thanks Lupin :nice1

It's the leftovers from Mr S' roast dinner, which if I've cooked it has usually been cremated to within an inch of its life. :)

Colin isn't fed raw meat at all, no matter how much the farmer tries to convince me its ok. :uhoh He puts down fresh cow and sheep guts for his pigs and offered me some but I couldn't give Colin raw animal guts - whatever! It's just not for me. :no

[Carol]

http://www.lazyboneuk.com/store/pro750.html :D



tee heee heee


teee heeee heee


snigger snigger
:laugh:laugh:laugh

[peebles16]

Liz & Marcia - These http://www.lazyboneuk.com/store/pro750.html :D I can't make my mind up whether I want to look a real idiot, but be warm idiot though.


:laugh :laugh Sad thing is I really want one - would be like being in bed all day.. I miss my bed :yes
Curse my kids who think it's 'morning time' at 5.30am!!

Cheers for the chuckles
Karenx

[Mels]

Don't worry Karen, in a few years they'll think 05:30 is the time to come home from a night out and GO to bed :exit

Mels

[Kerry and David]

Have just read through this thread from the beginning, it sounds wonderful and really makes me excited - much or what you have done is what I would love to do when I come to NZ.

K x

[marcia]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you imagine answering the door wearing that - folk would think I'd really lost the plot!!

Can anyone remember those big slipper things they used to advertise in the sunday papers in the uk - in fact I'm sure Billy Connolly did a piece about them in one of his shows, imagine wearing your body bag and a big slipper - toasty warm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

[Juniper]

Now I can finally dress up as the Michellin Man for Halloween...

[Smiler]

I really, really want one for my birthday :D It could be my birthday suit!

I get quite cold sometimes sitting at the pc all day, even though I have my 'visit Colin' breaks, to stretch my legs and get the circulation going.

Thing is - they look really difficult to get in and out of, like my dive dry suit. I don't know if I could get out of it quickly enough if I see visitors coming across the paddock. :o Are you supposed to wear anything underneath them?

Marcia I remember that. I'm sure it was called God's big slipper! I'd love one of those too.

Juniper LTNS how are you doing?

[JandM]

M bought me a fleece all-in-one suit a couple of years ago, to do about the same job as one of these things. The trouble is, I can only wear it when it's absolutely CERTAIN nobody will be dropping in - it looks as if I'm dressed up to play Dick Whittington's cat!

ROFL to think of a Big Slipper on the end of it as well.:laugh

[Juniper]

Juniper LTNS how are you doing?

Doing good :) busy busy busy...I have a full time job again (with salary and benefits even, hehe), but they are pretty demanding with my time, even on weekends. :wah

We loved our NZ vacation last year, but the situation isn't right for a move just now. money money money...plus, a baby on the way! i'm about 16 weeks in.

So, once more, the move is back to the "dreaming of NZ" stage. I haven't been checking the forum, but once in a long while one of these ancient threads gets a reply!

How are those rose-tinted specs holding up? :D (nice avatar, hehe!)