A Two Year Plan

The call of New Zealand is always with me and in 2005 after our last holiday there together as a family, and some serious searching around various areas I thought we were finally going to go.  We came home, packed up all the books from the bookcases in the hallway (and there were a lot!) into book boxes and decorated both the hallway and lounge in preparation to put our house on the market.  Two years later I finally unpacked those books resigned to the fact that it wasn't going to happen and just got on with things and enjoying the musical opportunities and other activities I did, namely showing and breeding cavies.  Nine years later with the loss of the music and cavies the pull to return to New Zealand has returned with a vengeance...and this time it WILL happen. I miss the space, the friendliness and openness of the people and the weather.  I am just so sick and tired of grey skies, damp and cold weather and although we had a lovely summer this year, it was the first one for a very long time!   Our younger son now only has one and half years left of schooling so the time has come to start working towards this goal in earnest.  

This will take a mammoth exercise in clearing out the loft, working out what will stay for us to take with us and what will have to go.  With an end goal in sight I feel this will help hugely with my past futile attempts at trying to declutter!

Many things will have to go, including the majority of my lovely Singer Sewing Machine collection as really it is just not feasible to entertain trying to transport it all those thousands of miles.  I will keep my 201 in the cabinet, my 221K and hopefully a treadle - for those days there are power cuts!  I will have to go through our massive collection of books - again we will have to be realistic about what to keep and what will have to go.  There really is a lot to think about!

I will have to work hard at keeping my husband on board with this huge move as I have learnt the hard way that leaving it up to him and it won't happen...plus he will need to concentrate on working to enable us to finance this move, especially now I am unable to teach and play any more

One thing we are both agreeable on is the type of property we want which is always a good thing.  We want privacy, some native bush and a little bit of land but not too much that it is unmanageable as it will be me that will do most of the work trying to maintain it.  

My aim is for us to be out there by 2016 at the latest, so there is a lot to do and think about in what will turn out in reality to be a short space of time.  

So time to pull in the reins, harness our thoughts and put them to work.

Planning

Most of my year really seems to have flown past in a blur. I have forgotten things, got behind, and I mean dreadfully behind on things, for example the hexie flower swap which I have really struggled with.  I think I have probably had one of the most disorganised and apathetic, unmotivated, fatigue ridden year yet and I want that to change.  Again I know I have tried before but I have figured out what I have been doing wrong...I think!  So I am hoping that it will be different in 2013.  A different approach shall we say, but also with familiar things to help me.

I love stationery and I have a thing for notebooks and always write in them, whether it is notes, ideas, reminders, to do lists or phone numbers and addresses.

So my note book for the year is this one.  Simply lined inside with a place for the date.

With boarding guinea pigs, attending quilting groups, hospital and doctor appointments I need a diary.

This lovely inspirational one came with the DVD set my husband gave me for Christmas.

I also need a diary to carry round with me and thought I would try going back to my zip up leather filofax...

For which these pages will be necessary.

Something fun that a blogging friend of mine has been doing for several years and which I found by chance this afternoon when I was out...which was great as on Amazon they are either out of stock or being sold by third parties for ridiculous prices!

This daily doodle pad will sit in the kitchen.

Lastly to help me with my records, whether it be dolls, or stories etc... I thought I would get this when I saw it in the CS.  

For 99p, it was worth it especially as it came with new index cards and lined cards inside.

I am hoping to get these thoughts, plans and ideas formulated before New Years Eve and will post about them as well.  For now I have to go and put the dinner on, so the family doesn't starve!