As we see photos of the flooding the
eastern Bay of Plenty is experiencing, we reflect on the fact that if
everything had gone to plan and the fifth wheeler had arrived end of March, it’s
highly likely this is where we would have been. We are reminded that God’s
timing is perfect.
We moved out of our house last week—a VERY long, busy day, with
several trips back and forth to the container on the farm (just over an hour away).
The removal guys were amazing: Rocky & Doug from Waikato Movers knew their stuff well and even rearranged the boxes
already packed in our container so that they could fit the rest of our stuff
in. Our final trip to the farm saw us arrive at our new temporary home at 11pm.
We were determined to get it all done that day!
So we’re now living with my brother and
sister-in-law (Grant and Pam) in a small farming district near Arapuni, called Arohena. I’ve set up my “office” on the end of their
dining room table and Lucy is happily curled up on her bed near my feet. She
has been introduced to Kitty, a mischievous cute little cat who easily steals
anyone’s heart. She thinks Lucy’s fair game, and both need close watching as
their games of chase threaten to get out of hand. Kitty teases Lucy mercilessly,
knowing she’s relatively safe with four pairs of adults’ eyes keeping tabs on
things.
With no fencing around the house, we cannot leave Lucy
behind at “home”.
This is a new challenge as we work around how to best manage having her come
with us everywhere. She seems to be adapting quickly and now sleeps on the back seat when
travelling, whereas she used to pace around excitedly, whine and look out the car
windows all the time.
Just before we left Hamilton, Dave achieved his Heavy
Traffic (HT) Class 2 licence! Well done, Dave—who hates exams/tests of any kind
but is now the proud holder of another number on his driving licence. He recommends PassRite as excellent trainers.
He doesn’t need this to tow our rig but was hoping to become
more employable by adding another skill to his list of talents. Maybe a job in the
fruit industry, or wherever—I don’t expect he will be too fussy.
We have bought a couple of mountain bikes—that’s right, no
engines this time—pure pedal power. Before we left Hamilton, we had several
rides around the block just to check the required muscles were still functioning.
And they were… they complained loudly about the new unaccustomed usage, so I’m giving them
a reprieve while we’re at the farm. Actually, riding on country roads could be hazardous to our health, and the weather has been terrible as well.
Dave had to get the bikes out to the farm prior to the
shift, so following instructions (yes, truly!) he secured them to the back of
the truck. He did an amazing job—they would not move at all. Not even the wheels. Not even a fraction of an inch. And it took him
all of 45 minutes. I’m suitable impressed with his patience and stamina… it was
all very quiet in the garage while he accomplished this feat.
We plan to move down to Inglewood, Taranaki on
Easter Monday and stay with our daughter and her family for a couple of weeks.
Can’t plan too far ahead at this stage, but who knows… we might even get those
bikes out again! Dave has plans of doing some of the rail trails, and as for me,
the mind is willing….
