Mnnnng Mnnnng mnnnnning

I really like Hawaiian music! Perhaps I'm just tired.

3 days on Waikiki beach.

Sea is like a warm, salty, bath.

It's only 20degs..... at night. I could get used to this....

Shame we have to go on to NZ at all really.

The happiest place on earth (or your money back?)

Blimey it's big! Almost as big as the breakfasts we enjoy at the hotel.
Kids had no idea what they were in for. Ash is just the right age to get the most out of it. He was scared witless by some of the coasters but came out grinning. India was terrified by the star tours ride. Kate and I spent
the subsquent ten minutes explaining

"no darling we did not blow up the death star... no we are not now members of the rebel alliance... darth vader is not comming to get you"

As you see however, she loved all the little kids stuff and still had a great time.

We saw the pirates of the carribean "show" which was excellent, the guy who played Capn' Jack was spot on.

Ash was inducted into Jedi training. Check his blog to see him kicking Darth Maul out of the galaxy.

Favourite Moment:
Seeing a "Yam Solo" Mr potato head.

Disney Land Bound on the 9th

Couple of nights at my mothers and we're off!

My brother took us to the airport. He was on the phone the whole time, working. I wonder if it was to take his mind of what was going on?

He gave me a wrapped photo frame before he dashed of, dropped it into a suitcase and forgot about it.

Emotional goodbye to mum and dad.

House Sale Completed 8 November,

Key chain is very light.

No house, a very strange feeling.

Last day was more stressfull than I could ever have imagined, not for any real reason, I guess it's the finality and all that. Kate and I both look a bit shell shocked.

Had a final pint at Danny's and met Gareth, Steve, Carol, Gillian and Kelly.

Lots of unwelcome feelings, thought it would be easier than this.

Packing House.7th 8th November.

Packed up the house!

Packers were late, but they were a nice bunch of lads. Everything was boxed, I mean EVERYTHING! If it wasn't cemented in place it was wrapped and boxed. I spent most of Tuesday running around saying "don't pack that it's crap!"

Discovered how much crap we actually still owned.

Left the kettle, phone and kitchen bins.

Even after several trips to the dump the previous weekend we still had to do a couple on Wednesday.

The container turned up the following day, and it was an extremely stressful few hours while they tried to finish and load it.

The driver gave me a hard time "Not another one off to New Zealand, bloody plonkers leaving left right and center etc etc". He then revealed that he lived in Ireland! Long commute.

Flights

Flights booked.

Slightly circuitous route via California (for couple of days) to let the kids visit Disney Land and then onto Waikiki beach to let the adults veg.

Woohooo!

Homeless

After some last minute shenanigans we exchanged contracts on the house on the 19th of October.
So now we're on our way....

Arrghhhhh!

Resistance is futile.

money money money

A couple of weeks ago we made a punt on HiFX for NZDs and currently we've been proved right (should have done it a week earlier really. The Northern Rock fiasco has hit the exchange rate in a bit way, it's gone from about 2.9 to 2.7. No doubt it will go back to 3.0 next week.

Armchair economics aside, the upside is that HiFX will setup an account for your NZDs with WestPack. But you must be able to send WestPack copies of your passports

1 car family

The old Fiat coupe has gone.

After a distinctly half hearted sales campaign from me, we've finally offloaded the Fiat, it has gone on to a better place (Bury).

No longer will it's dulcet tones be heard burbling in the drive.

See ya coop!

Shipping.

We've engaged Anglo Pacific for shipping whatever we have left. We've decided to take nearly everything that is still newish, since white goods etc are still expensive in NZ and none of us are keen on spending weekends traipsing round the elecrical stores.

We hope to fit everything in a 20 ft container which comes to around 3.5K. Given the distance and the fact that they will pack it all for us and deliver it to our new house I think this is a bargin.

1 sofa short of a suite

Take my house... please

We are currently languishing in that rarified part of the universe normally ocupied by solicitors and sick people in waiting rooms. That place where time moves so s l o w l y that it seems to move backwards.

Kate has taken to ringing the solicitor once a week the normal response was "4 weeks" however this week it was "next week sometime".

Consequently this week has passed even more slowly than the previous 8. We shall see if the man in the suit is true to his word...

Meanwhile we are now down 1 sofa, having given the other away. It's open season on all our old stuff. The kids particularly have been great at selling and off loading all their stuff. This may be due to the fact that they are being allowed to keep all the proceeds, this is adding up to no small sum I can tell you. Ash, particularly, is showing a disturbingly mercenry side, I have yet to ask him if he realises how his small stash of GBP will translate to a large wodge of NZD, I have a feeling that this thought looms large behind his avaricious little eyes. Think of all the lego! I havn't the heart to tell him that toys are 3 times more expensive in NZ. Sorry Ash.