Saturday..

Place full of boxes and memories of NZ, after a fitful first night sleep in our house and on our own bed I am feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. Perhaps the move, loss of friends, my Dad (plus the newness) has finally caught up with me...

The container arrived in Plouye the night before it as due so the driver could sleep in his cab yet when he brought his truck down it was quickly apparent he had no hiab and therefore we were to unload the whole thing at head height. However, after awhile a removal truck arrived with two lads and a back lift so we were able to lower the heavier bits such as our rock, coffee roaster and of course my motor bike...

Interestingly, anything meltable (candles, soft plastics) have either warped or become blobs, the heat of the equator I presume. However, surprisingly little is damaged and it is lovely to have a change of clothes, clean towels and all our familiar things. Big thanks to Anne who came over from Brest to help out, made a huge difference in sorting out the chaos..

So today we shall set it all up (although there is little wall space for our pictures until we renovate the second half of the house (we are Marae style in the bedroom for awhile)). I need to make sure all is in order before heading for the Plymouth ferry on Monday for my Dad's funeral on Wednesday...

Weather wise is still cold and wet! just like home... the days are certainly getting longer and so the promise (hope) of warmth is about. The new chickens are slow to adjust, I think they have been barn raised and so do not understand the great outdoors or roosting. Last night I gently put them all up on the roosting bars as they had been sleeping on the floor, curiously they slept there so maybe it is in the old part of their brain. They are quite tame so I shall just keep plugging away with their chicken training (oh and their eggs are so small and perfect, virgin eggs!?)

Okay, enough from me... Heleen is lying on he couch (a real treat after so long in a hard chair!) thinking of her two boys who as I write this are sitting at Auckland airport awaiting their boarding call. They will fly to Heathrow for a two day stopover in Kent (no doubt 5 star accommodation! fresh hay and chaff) before being driven here.

So all in all life is good, plenty to keep us busy for the next 10 years, soon to rekindle my ploughing skills (who would have thought those two years in college would come in so handy) as Robbie (lovely chap over the river) is selling me Hector (a 1965 Fendt tractor)... that is another story...

Here's a long distance cheer for the Black caps in the second test....