Thursday, June 29, 2006

Projects, projects [#10]

I've had a change of scenery over the last week. Cathie who I've been staying with showed some of my garden work to a friend and before I knew it I'd been poached and given a new list of projects! Val, who I was to be staying with just for a couple of days turned out to be a fascinating individual and we soon got on very well and had plenty to talk about. I'd found someone who was interested in my stories of hitchhiking, camping in the bush and mucking about on yachts. Val had endless tales of a legendary family history. Her grandad was one of the policeman in Australia who apprehended Ned Kelly, she herself had tramped all over NZ and the Himalayas, she'd worked as a journalist at Scott Base in the Antarctic, spent a solitary 6 months as a 'Fire Lookout' in a treehouse to spot for bush fires or poachers up in the central North Island as well as numerous other adventurous life enriching activities over the years.

Oh, the glorious English Summertime....is 12 thousand miles away!

The two days turned into a week as Cathie was housebound with flu and Val's jobs multiplied for me!
The most important of which was to create some steps and a path down the slippery steep garden which led to her stunning section of native bushland. I can say that I assessed the situation and I can verify that indeed there was a requirement for some steps (I slipped and skidded down the hill on my arse!) The finished work pictures will now be stored in my 'Projects' blog (click the link to the right, below my profile if you like, be careful it's quite a thrill).
It was an enjoyable week. It was also my birthday this week, always a time to look back and forwards.
I'm trying my best!
A significant event happened this week back home, my flat finally was sold. After 3 months of the simplest of sales moving at the standard glacial pace, I finally became officially homeless. I couldn't have sold it without the tireless help of my sister, Lou, who now I'm sure is suitably wound up by my solicitor's guiltless inactivity to unlease a hale of epithets and incisive condemnation as I intend to write and provide him with some helpful consumer feeback. Euch, well, 'tis done now.
On Sunday I went for my first NZ tramp with Val and her little dog, Kelly, since I was last in the country. We went to the gorgeous Belmont National Park just 15 minutes from Wellington.

Classic New Zealand Tree Ferns

Val and Kelly

I can say that Val (like Cathie) kept me very well fed with a constant supply of delicious homemade cakes. I'm pleased they find so much work for me - otherwise I'd be nearing 150 stone by now.

I've signed up with an online 'House-Sitting' organisation as an option for long term free accommodation until I find regular full time work. Tomorrow I'm off to see someone about house-sitting and looking after 2 cats for a month. I've also had another idea about accommodation. I'm thinking of buying a house-bus or similar (converting a horse lorry?) as another possibility. Well this is New Zealand, it's almost the norm!

No offers of a job yet, they all say they're impressed with my stuff (but not quite enough to give me forty thousand bucks a year). It's nice to have started earning some money though with my handiwork.

posted by col @ 8:19 pm

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