On the move again

[Dawn]

Ayup we're moving again. When we secured this rental in Hamilton we had a real fight on trying to find somewhere that would allow the dogs. We accepted this one as it really was by far and away the best house we had looked at and it was safe for the dogs. It's a great house, we really like it but since we've been trying to get the kids into school we've realised that as far as good schools go, all of which are zoned to prevent over-crowding, it would seem we are on the wrong side of town.

So we started trying to track down another rental closer to the schools we had chosen for Charlie and Poppy, the university is also over that side for Lauren and it has to be said we were vair vair unimpressed. Because most of the rental properties are aimed at students they were quite old, run down and unkept, not at all anything we would be prepared to give our present place for.

Then one day last week we noticed a new place come on the real estate site and although it was an older style property it looked as though it had had quite a lot of work done inside so we arranged to go and have a look. We loved it. I was a much older house than our present one, with just a log burner but it was really nicely done inside, with wooden floors, skirtings, door frames etc but modern bathroom and kitchen fittings etc. We have always lived in old houses in the UK, we love the character and individuality, we've been used to log fires and the like so this place made us feel at home. The clincher for me was that the place is about 4kms out of town with 4 acres of land fenced into paddocks that are currently full of horses. What could be better to wake up to of a morning. Upon asking, the owners said it wouldn't be a problem to add a horse of my own at some point, vair vair exciting as you all know I left my horse behind in the UK.

So we're off in a few weeks time. We've just given in our 21 day obligatory notice on the current place. The nice thing was that although we were only the 2nd people to look at it, the 1st were English and said they had too much furniture, we made them on offer on the rental price and they accepted. It would have been more than possible for them to achieve the advertised rent as, compared to the other rentals we had looked at in nowhere near as nice a place and with nowhere near as much land it was a bargain.

I'll post you some pics when we're in

[*/ Lauren. =]]

I want some ducks at this house please mummy and a cat =].

we could get a old tin bath in one of the paddocks for the ducks. x

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by */ Lauren. =]

I want some ducks at this house please mummy and a cat =].

we could get a old tin bath in one of the paddocks for the ducks. x

and thrice

[ebianca]

Great New's with the house again Dawn- sounds like you got yourself a good one.

Let's hope you get the kids into the school now after all that.

Beth

[MotherBear]

Good luck with the new house, Dawn. Let's hope it's a lucky one for you. Sounds great. Just take care with all that fresh NZ air and green grass. You might OD on it and then where would we be?

[welwynrose]

Dawn - did you use rental agencies or look on the internet before you got out to NZ

[Glenda]

Sounds great Dawn.

Most certainly would like to see photos when you move ... of the cat and ducks too!

[selchie]

It sounds like a good move, Dawn. Quack at the ducks for me.

[LilAmy]

Sounds like it was meant to be!

Bet you cant wait to move into it now ;o)

[Dawn]

Originally Posted by LilAmy

Sounds like it was meant to be!

Bet you cant wait to move into it now ;o)

Somuch of what has happened to us here has felt this way Amy! Another thing happened last night....

A lot of work I did in the UK was within the education sector i.e. schools would invite me in to take drama, dance, voice workshops etc, often these would last a term or whatever. I had to be police checked and everything, referenced etc. When I checked to see whether they did anything similar here, no. To work in schools here you have to have a teaching qualification, on the few occasions they did have artists in schools , the school had to apply for a 'special license to teach' on behalf of the artist. It doesnt happen very often. BUT....a friend of ours is a primary teacher in Souh Auckland and she emailed me a link last night about Creative NZ building a database of 'Community Artists for Education', CAFE for short. They are starting a new initiative to get artists working in schools and are building this database as a directory and inviting community artists to submit a profile and evidence of experience, schools peruse the info and choose the artist they'd like to work with. Hey presto - right up my street.

Like you say Amy - meant to be