Two Weeks Left!

So here we are. Two weeks before we leave NZ. Oddly enough I'm writing this at Fraser, where I'm doing some relief! Starting to run lowish on funds - not helped by a recent speed camera fine:(

Mel has finished work now, which is great for her as that lessens the stress somewhat! Our house is in a strange situation. We have emptied all the rooms into the lounge room so we can finish off our packing. This was partly to make it easier to pack, but also to at least have some of the house empty to show property managers through without having them bombarded with boxes etc. in every room. We had 3 come through yesterday. It was very interesting to see the different styles of the various companies. I think we've narrowed it down to 2.

We still have some stuff to get rid of. We need to sell our car, fridge and washing machine. We've put them on TradeMe. Lots of looks but no bids yet. If anyone needs a car, washing machine or a fridge, let me know:)

The lounge is somewhat of a mess but we're getting there. Essentially we need to condense our lives into 10 boxes (5 small, 5 large) to keep the relocation costs manageable. It's probably going to be a little more than that but we'll see. I think we're learning a valuable lesson here - if you're not using something regularly (i.e. at least once every 2 or 3 weeks) then you probably don't need it. Obviously this doesn't extend to some things - photo albums, important mementos and books:) But clothes and other stuff that's not getting used? Get rid of it!

I've had a few people ask about taking the term off and how it's been going. If I'm honest, it's probably hurt financially, but it has been totally worthwhile. I can't believe the changes I've seen in Matilda over the last 3 months or so. Simply amazing! She's really mobile now. Walking very confidently and climbing anything she can. I suspect she's a little bit over confident, despite a couple of tumbles and crashes. Last night we set the fire alarm off when we were cooking dinner. I got a step ladder to push the button. After I got down, turned away for literally 5 seconds and turned back to see the wee girl at the top of the step ladder grinning like a mad thing!

Having not been in the classroom for nearly 3 months now, I'm actually looking forward to getting back into it. I'm really excited about starting at a new school. I'm going to miss Fraser heaps, but this is going to be a new challenge. There's a large group of new staff starting at Nexus in August and I suspect that will help create some solidarity and collegiality. I've been swapping emails with my new HoD over the last 2 weeks or so. We've been discussing textbooks etc., as well as advice on house hunting. Really looking forward to it:)

That's it for now.