If time ever seemed to go by quickly, it's certainly doing so at the moment! The last time we sat and wrote anything on the blog was more than a week ago and it feels like a couple of days at the most! In any event, what really counts is that the things that need doing before we head off into the wild blue yonder, get done with the least amount of stress and hassle.
Since we are waiting to be sure about the sale of the various vehicles, we haven't actually appointed the removal company yet - I guess this will have to happen tomorrow regardless of anything else since we know that it will take at least four or five days to pack up all our worldly goods and then pack them into the container.
The one piece of really good news is that it looks as though we have finally sold the house - of course not for what it is really worth and of course a little less than we were hoping for, but nonetheless, enough to be able to cover the bond with a bit left over.That little bit left over should help with the funds required for the container - the buyer has said that it will be a cash deal and so they won't be having to wait for bonds to be approved. This is a very good thing, although it could be that the funds won't go through until the transfer of the property is done!
Everything has been a little like this - a sort of domino effect where we need one thing to happen before the next one can be tackled - often this has meant 'wasting' a whole lot of time. (the unabridged birth certificate saga is a case in point!)
The bakkie was sold according to the dealer in Johannesburg and so we got the papers up to them, only to hear a couple of days later on inquiring where the actual money was, that the buyer's application for finance, has been turned down! The idea initially was that the money from the sale of the bakkie would pay for the container! So back we go to the drawing board on that one!
We have managed to arrange for a couple of guys from the office to spend a whole week in the garage cleaning and sorting out things that are going to NZ - we realised that they had taken the task seriously when we found one of them painting the large toolbox a beautiful blue!
Pretty much everything we have has been either painted or varnished or scrubbed or treated in some way over the past weeks, so why not the things in the garage!
The last of the needlework has been completed so the machines can be thoroughly cleaned and packed away too.
There are still a couple of things that have to be distributed amongst family and friends but for the most part, everything in the house presently is ready to be packed.
We had a little look on a website this morning which was recommended by a lass in NZ who will be dealing with our arrival. It appears that although housing is pricey, availability is not an issue and there doesn't seem to be a shortage of houses to choose from, whether we want to rent or buy. Obviously, we will rent for a while and probably in a different area from wherever we land up, but we didn't have any nasty surprises when viewing the website.
Lots of the homes are wooden and although some are smallish, they don't appear to be ridiculously small - some folks have intimated that we will find them too small for comfort, but looking at what's available at the moment, we are really sure to find something that we both like, in the right area, with enough garaging for all the woodworking equipment and which is convenient to the office and so on.
Since we no longer have to consider the extremely large four poster bed which has always been an issue in the past, our requirements are not that out of the ordinary!
Last weekend, we passed on the last of the furniture that the kids will eventually inherit - the four poster, the Edison gramaphone and the woodwork models that Jo made at school - telephone table and so on.
The house really does have a couple of 'holes' where all this furniture used to stand, but it's just more practical for these items to stay in SA where they eventually will end up anyway.
The list of things to do doesn't seem to be getting any shorter - as soon as we cross something off, something else pops up that needs to be added! However, it can't be too long now before we start eliminating things permanently and find that the list does indeed get shorter!
For anyone who is interested I have managed to get myself onto the Skype scene and had a little chat with Jo-anne and Janet last week - it will be a whole lot better (and cheaper for that matter) once we are settled in NZ - here it's still a dial up situation in our little town and Skype tends to get pricey!
Hope you had a good birthday in NZ Andrew - a pity you can't hang around to meet us at the airport! I look forward to hearing your opinion of the country! And of course, now you have proved that you can do the trip from Canada to New Zealand - next time you will have free accommodation!
Surprisingly, I have stuff to do so that's all.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
Ok vir Alta ( ou Alta jou haaaaas!) en al die ander afrikaanders wat graag wil lees hoe 'n Engelsman jul taal skryf!
Nou ja - my familie sal seker nie hierdie goeters lees nie - al probeer van hulle, ek weet hulle gaan dink ek is net besig om windgat te probeer wees en dit wil ons mos nie he nie of hoe?
Ek het nog nie gelees wat my liefsteling geskryf het nie - maar ek neem aan hy'd julle almal ingelig oor die verwikkelinge oor die afgelope paar dae. Dinge is maar bietjie besig en dol en aan die gang en so ons is gewoonlik die tyd van die nag al lankal in die bed! Toemaar - een van die dae het ons 'n moewiese lang vlug om deur te werk en ons kan mos daar slaap!
ek stuur vir al my afrikaans sprekende spesiale mense baie groete en hoop julle die blog gaan volg soos wat ons die groot storie aanpak! nou moet ek seker engels toe oorslaan vir al my engelse mense so ek groet julle almal tot 'n volgende keer en belowe om so nou en dan nog in die taal te skryf. Ek het mos so hard gewerk om 'n boerin te word dat ek dit nie alles sommer net gat prysgee nie!
Hello to all our blog readers - all two of you at this stage! we are passing this address on to people who would like to have it, or say they would like to have it, so maybe there are really a couple of you who will be following our big adventures' progress!
Things are starting to hot up in our part of the world with the deadline for having things done fast approaching - 28th sounds really far away until you start counting working days when you can get people to help you with stuff that you need them to help you with - not to mention that there are still a whole lot of things that need to happen on the financial front with respect to, for example, getting the actual cash in our actual hands so that we can pay people like the removal company who will be packing all our worldly goods and putting them into a huge box and setting them adrift on the sea, hopefully to turn up in the not too distant future on the shores of Auckland New Zealand and not floating endlessly in the vast expanses of ocean which we all learned about at school - or god forbid, sink to the depths of the same aforementioned ocean to be eventually covered in barnacles and searched for by pirates of the Carribbean who could only be seriously disappointed when they discover the container to have less treasure in it than the gold you would find in your average kitchen sink. Now that is a seriously long sentence!
Apart from having the odd moments of 'what are we thinking with this lark?' things are going as well as can be expected when you consider that we still need to finalise the sale of our house and bakkie, both of which are pretty much a requirement for the payment of things like the container. Just for those of you who really want to know - it looks like a container will be costing about one hundred grand which is pretty Serious Money and so we would really prefer that the said container arrives in one piece in Auckland!
There are so many other things that have to happen - things that are really small and apparently insignificant, but nonetheless need to occur in order for us to make the transition as smooth and painless as possible. There is unfortunately still the fact that things don't always go according to plan and so we are trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves at this point and are really following all the instructions we get from the people who know and filling in the blanks with what we think we should be doing!
Thank you to Jean and David and Stephen in Scotland for the stunning card wishing us well - what a fantastic surprise and just so appreciated! Perhaps in the next little while Jo can let me have an address for you and we can stay in touch - would be good since we are after all related!
It is so good to know that there are so many folks out there who really are wishing us well with this big adventure and so we will really do our best to keep this blog going and keep everyone up to date with things interesting and dull - you be the judge! For those of you who don't understand the 'other' language on the blog - just know that we are just filling in some of the details for our family who really do struggle with English - and in any case,I believe it will be a really good thing for me to keep my hand in as it were. I have been toying with the idea of being able to offer South African families in New Zealand the option of having music tuition in Afrikaans if they wish, so it would be a good idea to keep up the bilingualism!
All of the Botha kids will be spending this coming weekend with us - a personal farewell spread over the whole weekend - should be really good to spend some quality time with them and enjoy some good wine and good conversation - who knows when the next opportunity will present itself.
I have typed enough for this evening and it's getting late - let's hope we are on the verge of selling the bakkie and the house, both of which are looking decidedly hopeful today suddenly!
Will keep you posted!
That's all!
Ek het nog nie gelees wat my liefsteling geskryf het nie - maar ek neem aan hy'd julle almal ingelig oor die verwikkelinge oor die afgelope paar dae. Dinge is maar bietjie besig en dol en aan die gang en so ons is gewoonlik die tyd van die nag al lankal in die bed! Toemaar - een van die dae het ons 'n moewiese lang vlug om deur te werk en ons kan mos daar slaap!
ek stuur vir al my afrikaans sprekende spesiale mense baie groete en hoop julle die blog gaan volg soos wat ons die groot storie aanpak! nou moet ek seker engels toe oorslaan vir al my engelse mense so ek groet julle almal tot 'n volgende keer en belowe om so nou en dan nog in die taal te skryf. Ek het mos so hard gewerk om 'n boerin te word dat ek dit nie alles sommer net gat prysgee nie!
Hello to all our blog readers - all two of you at this stage! we are passing this address on to people who would like to have it, or say they would like to have it, so maybe there are really a couple of you who will be following our big adventures' progress!
Things are starting to hot up in our part of the world with the deadline for having things done fast approaching - 28th sounds really far away until you start counting working days when you can get people to help you with stuff that you need them to help you with - not to mention that there are still a whole lot of things that need to happen on the financial front with respect to, for example, getting the actual cash in our actual hands so that we can pay people like the removal company who will be packing all our worldly goods and putting them into a huge box and setting them adrift on the sea, hopefully to turn up in the not too distant future on the shores of Auckland New Zealand and not floating endlessly in the vast expanses of ocean which we all learned about at school - or god forbid, sink to the depths of the same aforementioned ocean to be eventually covered in barnacles and searched for by pirates of the Carribbean who could only be seriously disappointed when they discover the container to have less treasure in it than the gold you would find in your average kitchen sink. Now that is a seriously long sentence!
Apart from having the odd moments of 'what are we thinking with this lark?' things are going as well as can be expected when you consider that we still need to finalise the sale of our house and bakkie, both of which are pretty much a requirement for the payment of things like the container. Just for those of you who really want to know - it looks like a container will be costing about one hundred grand which is pretty Serious Money and so we would really prefer that the said container arrives in one piece in Auckland!
There are so many other things that have to happen - things that are really small and apparently insignificant, but nonetheless need to occur in order for us to make the transition as smooth and painless as possible. There is unfortunately still the fact that things don't always go according to plan and so we are trying not to get too far ahead of ourselves at this point and are really following all the instructions we get from the people who know and filling in the blanks with what we think we should be doing!
Thank you to Jean and David and Stephen in Scotland for the stunning card wishing us well - what a fantastic surprise and just so appreciated! Perhaps in the next little while Jo can let me have an address for you and we can stay in touch - would be good since we are after all related!
It is so good to know that there are so many folks out there who really are wishing us well with this big adventure and so we will really do our best to keep this blog going and keep everyone up to date with things interesting and dull - you be the judge! For those of you who don't understand the 'other' language on the blog - just know that we are just filling in some of the details for our family who really do struggle with English - and in any case,I believe it will be a really good thing for me to keep my hand in as it were. I have been toying with the idea of being able to offer South African families in New Zealand the option of having music tuition in Afrikaans if they wish, so it would be a good idea to keep up the bilingualism!
All of the Botha kids will be spending this coming weekend with us - a personal farewell spread over the whole weekend - should be really good to spend some quality time with them and enjoy some good wine and good conversation - who knows when the next opportunity will present itself.
I have typed enough for this evening and it's getting late - let's hope we are on the verge of selling the bakkie and the house, both of which are looking decidedly hopeful today suddenly!
Will keep you posted!
That's all!
Vir Alta (jou haas)
Ek het belowe om hierdie inskrywing in Afrikaans te doen, so hier is hy nou.
Die organiseerdery vir die "Groot Trek" is nogal iets om oor te dink hoor. Ons het gister die konsultant van "Crown Movers" hier gehad om vir ons 'n kwotasie te gee vir die vervoer van ons meubels, en toe noem sy 'n groot vloekwoord... INVOERPERMITTE vir die motorfietse. Ek is toe dadelik op my agtervoet, of is dit nou die voorvoet, soos net een van die Bothas kan wees, en se dadelik dat dit nie nodig is nie, maar agterna het ek darem gewonder of ek reg was. Nietemin ek het toe maar vandag nageslaan en gekyk, maar nog nie agter die kap van die byl gekom oor wat die regte ding is nie. Ek weet ek het nie 'n UITVOERPERMIT nodig nie, dit is net op motors van toepassing, maar die INVOERPERMIT vir NZ is ek nou nie meer so seker oor nie.
In elk geval, ek sal dit naslaan en seker maak.
Verder is dit maar lyste opstel en nagaan en seker maak dat niks agterwee bly nie, en weer lyste maak en nagaan en so aan. Ek het darem vandag al die Bankstories uitgesorteer en dit lyk darem of ons 'n geldjie sal he om brood mee te koop as ons in die land van die lang wit wolk aankom. Verblyf word darem vir ons gereel en ons sal vir die eerste twee weke darem lekker kan slaap en nie op die vloer nie. Daarna sal ons hopelik 'n huisie he, sonder meubels dalk, maar waar ons ons sal kan tuismaak, al is dit ook net tydelik.
Ja dis maar 'n storie, maar na vandag se onderonsie met die baas en sy houding, sal dit die moeite werd wees. Ek se toe mos vir ou Jan, dit maak die besluit net so bietjie makliker en die motivering net so bietjie sterker.
Nouja, dan is dit maar so.
Ons gesels weer
Die organiseerdery vir die "Groot Trek" is nogal iets om oor te dink hoor. Ons het gister die konsultant van "Crown Movers" hier gehad om vir ons 'n kwotasie te gee vir die vervoer van ons meubels, en toe noem sy 'n groot vloekwoord... INVOERPERMITTE vir die motorfietse. Ek is toe dadelik op my agtervoet, of is dit nou die voorvoet, soos net een van die Bothas kan wees, en se dadelik dat dit nie nodig is nie, maar agterna het ek darem gewonder of ek reg was. Nietemin ek het toe maar vandag nageslaan en gekyk, maar nog nie agter die kap van die byl gekom oor wat die regte ding is nie. Ek weet ek het nie 'n UITVOERPERMIT nodig nie, dit is net op motors van toepassing, maar die INVOERPERMIT vir NZ is ek nou nie meer so seker oor nie.
In elk geval, ek sal dit naslaan en seker maak.
Verder is dit maar lyste opstel en nagaan en seker maak dat niks agterwee bly nie, en weer lyste maak en nagaan en so aan. Ek het darem vandag al die Bankstories uitgesorteer en dit lyk darem of ons 'n geldjie sal he om brood mee te koop as ons in die land van die lang wit wolk aankom. Verblyf word darem vir ons gereel en ons sal vir die eerste twee weke darem lekker kan slaap en nie op die vloer nie. Daarna sal ons hopelik 'n huisie he, sonder meubels dalk, maar waar ons ons sal kan tuismaak, al is dit ook net tydelik.
Ja dis maar 'n storie, maar na vandag se onderonsie met die baas en sy houding, sal dit die moeite werd wees. Ek se toe mos vir ou Jan, dit maak die besluit net so bietjie makliker en die motivering net so bietjie sterker.
Nouja, dan is dit maar so.
Ons gesels weer
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Sorting things out
What a schlep! to get everything CLEAN and acceptable for shipping to NZ. Alles moet SKOON wees en so te se splinternuut.
I have been spending time the last few days getting everything in order for the shipping company to pack. We are trying to minimise the things we are taking with us, we are not the average millionaires you know, but it is not easy. Trying to balance between things of sentimental value and things that we cannot go without and would be expensive to replace is not always condusive to good domestic relationships. I cannot go without ALL my tools and a lot of old sheet music is not on the top of my priorities although some other people will not aggree with me, but that is just the way things go. Wanting to take two pianoes and two motorcycles is also not debatable, I'm told. Not mentioning the six guitars, three keybords and the banjo (hehehe). Just a lot of things to considder, like who would like to have what and who would appreciate which things, how. I have already given my old vintage Mercedes and DKW Auto Union Munga to two of my children, but what about the third child? I need to sell the other cars to pay for the container. Choises, choises and decisions decisions, as I said, what a shlep.
Everything is going to plan and we will be on the plane on the 28th come hell or high water, it's just to get everything sorted before then, that makes for some tension, but all's well that end well I suppose.
Ok, let me go and scrub something.
I have been spending time the last few days getting everything in order for the shipping company to pack. We are trying to minimise the things we are taking with us, we are not the average millionaires you know, but it is not easy. Trying to balance between things of sentimental value and things that we cannot go without and would be expensive to replace is not always condusive to good domestic relationships. I cannot go without ALL my tools and a lot of old sheet music is not on the top of my priorities although some other people will not aggree with me, but that is just the way things go. Wanting to take two pianoes and two motorcycles is also not debatable, I'm told. Not mentioning the six guitars, three keybords and the banjo (hehehe). Just a lot of things to considder, like who would like to have what and who would appreciate which things, how. I have already given my old vintage Mercedes and DKW Auto Union Munga to two of my children, but what about the third child? I need to sell the other cars to pay for the container. Choises, choises and decisions decisions, as I said, what a shlep.
Everything is going to plan and we will be on the plane on the 28th come hell or high water, it's just to get everything sorted before then, that makes for some tension, but all's well that end well I suppose.
Ok, let me go and scrub something.
Learning how this all works!
Ok so now we have a blog and we have passed the address on to one person! At this stage, we are really not too sure if we are wanting everyone to be able to see how little we are actually able to do - i'm sure that with a bit of time and a fair amount of practice, we will be able to do awesome things like add photos and so on! Be patient people - you can teach old dogs new tricks, it just takes a bit longer!
On the preparation front, there is now an official list of 'things to do' - at this juncture, it is only two foolscap pages long and includes big and little things. An example of a 'big thing' is selling the house (really selling it with the cash in the bank!) - there have been quite a few near misses and so we are not banking on anything until the cash is in the bank! Small things to see to are things like unpacking the tent again after we used it last week and giving it a complete clean - meaning not even a blade of grass in sight - we are not too keen on the idea of a customs official holding our container for weeks over a blade of grass!
I have found that we have quite a couple of really good photographs after our little farewell trip and now I just have to learn how to attach them in some sort of creative fashion, to these blog posts! Surely it isn't that hard!
The other thing that needs to happen is being able to work on this blogspot without it costing a fortune - at this point, Wolmaransstad is not able to offer us anything in the cyberspace category other than the dial up version which tends to get expensive. Once again we are really looking forward to being able to use the internet and other stuff like Skype - I went into some of the paperwork that we have been accumulating over the past six months and found that local calls in NZ really are free, gratis and for nothing and that is why you can sometimes not reach someone on their landline, since they are surfing on the web - for days! Sounds like the sort of thing that we could get used to very quickly!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)