The good, the bad ...

Really fed up with unsuccessful house sale now. I know it's slow but I'm having more doubts than usual about our agent. He ALWAYS makes mistakes in his paperwork. I suggested he change the price to 319000 to make it sound better - he agreed but kept it at 320 in our expensive ad with Price Reduced across the top. A little thing but they mount up and he rarely gets things 100% right. Now that our bulk advertising fund from the auction has run out, we have to pay $118 to have the ad in the Property Guide each week so I'm putting a stop to that. He can advertise the time and place for free in the Rotorua list of open homes but whether that will get people in to see the house is questionable. We'll see.

But the good thing is that my students from last year did quite well in their exams. I'm kind of surprised how very much it matters to me. I'm especially pleased with a couple of the media studies standards. In my last year, the kids get the best results!

Car buying is going ahead - maybe this week. Turners Auctions in Tauranga have a repo 2002 Toyota Rav which they expect to go for about $10,000. It's beautiful but has been superficially knocked around. If we can get it cheap enough and we're not outbidded... The insurance company has been very generous and we are getting 15,000 for our smashed car so ...

But we have to do our sums - it's not registered, has a stuffed battery and will need some touchups.

Getting fitter - lots of walking - but also fatter - lots of eating. Need to increase the first and decrease the second ...

Picture is of a similar car to the repo Rav.

Back in town

Got back from a week in Warkworth on Saturday night. Travelled on Saturday to avoid the shocking traffic on Highway One north of Auckland. It was bad enough most days but Sunday would have been slow! Maybe it will improve when they have finished the tunnel bypass of Orewa.

No one has fallen in love with our house since our absence - in fact the agent said one woman at the most recent open home said it was horrible!

We've shifted the big book case out of the lounge to make the lounge look less English teachery. It was blimmin' hard work.

Looks good actually. We bought a huge urn from the Warehouse for $29 and a bunch of painted twisted twigs to go in it for $9! Next time I go past a twisted willow ...

Today we are going to paint over the very last 70s decoration - the pink painted doors in the laundry and shower room. We're looked for a product to take the gloss off the paint - if we can't find it we'll just have to sand. Not the en of the world when you are retired and there are no other time pressures. If I was still teaching, by now I would be starting the planning for the new school year. Gawd.

Picture is of a glorious puriri forest on the Tawharanui Peninsula.

Holidays

We are up at Denise's place in Mahurangi West. House sitting sort of. Free accommo for us and proximity to some of the places we were thinking of buying in if the house sold.

Hoping to miss two open homes while away. I'm becoming an obsessive house cleaning termagant for hours before each one.

Who would have thought two adults could have ade so much mess, I think as I clean up each week.

We left on the day of an open home and we will now have to go back the day before one which means we'll mess the place up beforehand. I'm trying to make the place look streamlined each time we leave it - no shower, bathroom or kitchen things out and gleaming benches. I have also hatched a new plot to remove the bookshelf from the lounge and decorate that big wall space with some sort of cheap art work. I read somewhere that people need to imagine a place as there's and having too much of your own stuff out ...

Had a great walk today in open sanctuary of the Tawharanui Peninsula. Snapped an unknown yellow bird.

Boxing Day

Had to fill in a form at doctor's today. For occupation, I nearly put, "domestic goddess". when teaching had me in its grip lost all interest in cooking but yesterday I did a lamb roast with garlic and rosemary and today I made a very passable banana cake with the overripe fruit.

I still haven't learnt how to use our new camera very well but caught a thrush on the neighbour's chimney this morning. I got up early because I have a rib sprain from a traffic accident we had on the 22nd. An Indian (no English) driver went though a stop sign and wrecked our car and his. At first we thought we had no injuries but the jolt to back which was a very minor pain turned to a major pain over the last few days - now okay because I've had it diagnosed and treated with a lovely difluonac painliller. Thoracic sprain. glad I didn't break a rib. We got off lightly.

We are a little stressed about not selling the house - someone came though on Xmas Eve - but Xmas has taken our mind off it.

Now we are going to brave the shopocalypse to see if I can buy some books in the 25% off!

Cleaning frenzy

Retirement good - cleaning house after so many years of not really doin' it properly is a shock. I've got the lime scale out of the toilet and bath after googling it and am now working on the scum in the shower. It was easy enough where it was thick enough to come off with a flexible knife but where it's finer it's hell. I've tried ammonia and vinegar - nothing commercial will work. In the end it's down to the knife and pumicy glass door cleaner bit by bit by bit. Now I've made my first knick in the acrylic and will have to patch it with clear nail varnish.

Went to Flaxy Lake the other day - it really did have flax and the flax was full of tuis!

We've had a walk most days and today we acquired a female foxy who followed us for 45 minutes and walked into the house as if she owned it. She's called Patrick (?) and has a phone number but her mum and dad are out at the mo so we'll look after her til 6 pm or so. Allen and I parted company in the Tihi Street reserve and she hesitated for a while then pattered along behind Allen. He IS a much nicer person than me.

Freeeedom

Well, it arrived at last - the final day. And it was good! Woke in the morning feeling good, got to work to find a couple of uplifting cards from staff and students in my pigeon hole, finished all my duties, handed in my laptop and keys, went to prizegiving, survived that, was dreading the farewells but in the end enjoyed them. My co-HOD had a few wines and delivered a fabulous speech and even I managed to say a few coherent words without crying although I was a bit too frank about my burn out and hope I didn't make people uncomfortable. The best thing was that the department sang me a waiata. Very precious.

Not long to go

About five more days of permanent employment. Day off tomorrow - taking leave because three days of "electives" is too much for me. Today we did short golf, archery and ten pin bowling. Much as I love the kids, I find standing around on one foot then the other quite excruciating. We couldn't even have a good gossip with all the noise at ten pin. Three schools there and karaoke. But some gossip was partaken of by the four teachers concerned:)

Workload is lessening - fear and dread of each day lessening with it!

Went to Tarawera in weekend. Bit disappointed in the pics we took but it was a good day with the water oil smooth and reflective.