So I will give this blogging thing another go...it has been years since I last had a blog, and thought it might be good to start one again as a place to share any interesting things I come across as well as anything to write about!
So here we are...we moved to Auckland in December 2011 from Christchurch and it still feels like our lives are in limbo. Sienna, our daughter was born on the 5th March 2012, and most of this year has been taken up with her! She is almost 7 months old...I have no idea where these past 7 months have gone to. When I took a year's maternity leave I had no idea how fast it would go! I guess what they say about time flying by when you're having fun is true!
The limbo part comes from feeling like I still have no roots to put down and a place to call home...having left Africa when I finished University. I moved to the UK for 5 years which was very much a temporary arrangement as I knew I didn't want to settle there...and then being moved to New Zealand by Dave's company and then buying a house in Christchurch. Once we had the house there, I had started to get a sense of feeling truly settled, however in September 2010 that feeling rapidly disappeared when the earthquakes started. Initially we were ok to remain in Christchurch, however we felt less and less comfortable with that decision as time wore on and the earthquakes didn't go away. Once I was pregnant that was the final straw for us and meant that we would need to sell up and leave Christchurch as we were thinking of our future and had no major ties to Christchurch. It was very sad to leave as we left behind our first "child"- Katie our labrador dog who had been with us virtually since we moved into our home. Fortunately, we found a very good home for her with a good friend of mine from work, which has meant we are able to stay in contact and visit her whenever we are in Christchurch.
This then leads me on to arriving in Auckland...after hastily having to sell up and find a new place to live temporarily...this being the rental property we are in now...which has yet again given me that feeling of being in limbo. I have been house hunting for the past few months, however the Auckland market has been very quiet and the properties I've seen are very expensive for what you get in comparison to what we had in Christchurch. I am sure the right property will come along at the right time - it always does. My problem is I just need to be patient which I have to say I'm not that good at. It is also a whole other kettle of fish trying to house hunt with a baby, but I am managing!
Anyhow...that's where we are up to now...
