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So by now I’m meant to be going bush…*sigh*

July 23, 2010 by Nicole 2 Comments

Today is the day we’re meant to take the 300kg stove up the bush.  And it’s raining.  Not a little, a LOT.  As I’ve mentioned there’s around 8 crossings we need to navigate and at the moment according to the river graph they’ve merged.  Even the people who aren’t carrying a monster stove up, now have to bail as it’s not sanely (or even insanely for that matter) possible.

This is a graph of the river at the moment.  FYI you don’t want to be crossing much over 10….


Then to top it off our dryer decided to leap off the wall, committing dryer suicide.  Last view of it was as Glenn dragged it out by its tail (cord) and left it smouldering beside the garage.  Dad and Glenn are rather enthused at the idea of taking it apart tomorrow to fix it.  We’ll see ; p  Would be a bonus though, as Glenn’s had no work for the last week so the wallet is squeaky clean.  I’m super grateful to my parents right now as they’re been so sweet about it.  Mum keeps buying the meat that’s on special in the mornings and stashing it in our freezer for us. Then today she insisted on paying for the shopping as their ‘rent’ payment.  They’re living in our driveway!  There’s no way I would expect rent *grin* Especially not just for a month.  


But it is a huge help and I’m very grateful.  Normally at this time of the year I just end up doing an insane juggling act for 2 months as the work straightens itself out.  Next week will be back on full steam ahead for Glenn and then everything will settle down again.  


The bright side of being stuck at home is WRITING TIME : ) and lots of it!  I took Fri, Mon & Tues off for the bush trip so I’m gonna have heaps of time to myself.  Which is awesome and it’s my birthday on the 30th which I also took off so a two day week next week for me! Weeeeeeeeeeeee!

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Filed Under: Pre 2016 posts Tagged With: Bush trip, hut, Uncategorized, wood stove

My favourite place in the World!

June 29, 2010 by Nicole 13 Comments

I’m working on a ‘favourite things’ list at the moment – it distracts me from the weather and work blocking this site…*sigh*… I kinda was expecting it.. guess I should be grateful for how long it lasted.  Oh well updates in early morn and late evening only! And please don’t be offended if I take a while to get back to any of you.  My time is now limited ; )

Anyhoo back to my favourite things!  This is a picture of our family’s cabin in the bush.  Isn’t it gorgeous!! It really is our ‘family home’ now since my parents sold their house and are off gallivanting about in their fifth-wheeler all over the country.  Lucky for some *grin*.


So about this adorable cabin/batch/hut.  My dad built it in the 70’s out of car boxes – yes that’s right, car boxes.  The boxes in which cars are placed when shipped to NZ.  Back in the day (*giggle* yeah I’m totally prodding at you oldies!! Just teasing ; p) a truck load of car boxes was pretty cheap! 

At first it was a very small L shape hut (what we call them in NZ) and it eventually expanded to the solid square shape it is now.  The awesome looking verandah is the most recent addition but at 10yrs+ it’s not that recent.  There’s no electricity but there is a coal-range (which desperately needs to be replaced – my parents are currently trying to hunt down a good second-hand one) which heats the hut and the hot water.  It has the best shower.  Ever.

I’ve been going to up to the hut since I was six weeks old and it’s where we went nearly every holiday.  Straight after Christmas we’d live up there for two weeks – so much fun! Remember December is the height of our Summer ; ) Dad had to make a trip out half way through for fresh meat etc.  To get to our hut it’s a two hour tramp through the Rimutaka Forest park, into the Orongorongo Valley.  A very pretty walk (not in Winter though!) and you have several river crossings.


Glenn and I love going up there, also because it means the dogs get to have heaps of fun and goof around.  Below is a picture of Otis (tan dog) and Sable (black dog).  They’re both fixed so we refer to them as ‘brother & sister’ though obviously they aren’t ; p
A favourite dream of mine is to live up the bush for a whole month – and have food packages dropped off by helicopter *lol* in Summer naturally!
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Filed Under: Pre 2016 posts Tagged With: favourite things, furbabies, hut, Uncategorized

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