We've been in Whangamata for four months now and we're STILL pinching ourselves. Every time I ride my technicolour bike around town I think 'I can't believe we live here'. Every time I go for a run and catch sight of the beach as I reach the top of the sand dunes I think 'I can't believe we live here'. And every time we finish work and school and head straight to the sea for a swim and a surf I think 'I can't believe we live here.' I wonder if it will ever sink in!
Whether it does or not, moving here was without a doubt the best thing we have ever done. We may have taken a huge hit on the sale price of our house but we knew it would be worth it and it has been. We had a feeling that if we didn't sell when we did at the price we did that we would still be stuck there in two years' time and the real estate agents told me on a recent visit that not a single property has sold in Te Kauwhata since we moved, so I'm glad we went with our gut feeling!
The boys' lives in particular have been enriched in so many ways and Noel and I have resigned ourselves to being their own personal secretaries. For example, a typical day in Ali's life is as follows:
5.45am - Jump out of bed and meet Pikey at the creek to set their eel nets.
7.30am - Return home, covered in mud and hop in the shower.
8.00am - Jeremy turns up to bike to school together and organise the afternoon's surfing session.
3.00pm - Get home from school, throw off uniform, grab surfboard and head to the beach.
5.00pm - Drop off surfboard, off to meet Pikey again to check the eel nets.
6.30pm - Return home, fill Dad's freezer with freshly caught bait, then off to Cory's house, will have dinner later.
9.00pm - Fast asleep on couch.
Liam has never been an early riser but still manages to fit as much as humanly possible into his waking hours. He's always been the shy one of the two boys and has found it a bit harder to adjust but he is starting to really come out of his shell and it's awesome to see. He's always been a gifted rugby player and has just been picked to play for the 1st XV which he's really excited about and loves training on the beach! I'm really proud of him but am not sure how I feel about him playing against grown men! Still, the seniors are really making him welcome and it's a huge boost for his confidence.
Alex is currently enjoying Orientation Week at uni. Will be interesting to see how long his money lasts with all the socialising he's been doing! I can't remember what course it is he's doing but I keep telling him if he wants to make a fortune he should design and market what I call 'girly pockets' - pockets for women's clothes. I don't know about you but in my experience hardly any female clothing comes with pockets! We have jeans of course but that's pretty much it; apart from that if I want to carry my phone on me I have to tuck it in my waistband and have even resorted to stashing it in my bra before now, which is rather embarrassing if it rings and your chest suddenly begins vibrating in public! When I go for a run I have to wear an annoying pouch around my middle with all my wordly goods jangling around in it and I've lost count of the times I've killed or damaged mobile phones by inadvertently plopping them into the bath when I reach over to pull the plug out - or worse, hurling them into the toilet! Although it's reassuring to know I'm not the only one to have suffered this mishap; one dear friend of mine has had this unfortunate experience no less than four times! On the positive side, there's no point buying an expensive phone as it's too hazardous so I only ever carry the cheapest model!
So anyway, that's my ingenious business idea. Some sort of removable pocket which can be easily attached to any item of clothing and worn discreetly on the inside to hold your phone, keys, money or whatever. Imagine all the money it would save in drowned and damaged mobile phones for starters! Mine has been playing up for months so I recently borrowed Liam's. It was in perfect condition when he gave it to me but he was mortified to discover after just a few days of me using it that the casing was badly scratched and pitted from being dropped half a dozen times. I told him he was lucky it was still going at all after hitting the tarmac from waist height so many times! Unfortunately my own phone has definitely kicked the bucket this time but I don't think Liam will be lending me his again any time soon so will have to add a new phone to the ever-growing list of things I wasn't supposed to buy during No Spend Month!
Feel free to steal my girly pocket idea if you wish, as I don't think Alex is taking my plea seriously! If you do, let me know and I'll be first in the queue to buy one!
