Downunder Diaries: July 2017

This month started with the car breaking down. Not a great start to the month but it's like one of those stories you write in primary school, with a series of really unfortunate and fortunate events. I was driving home from work and the car started playing up - the engine light came on and it was like the accelerator just wasn't doing anything. I was going over a bridge with a line of traffic behind me. I managed to coast along at 30k until I got over the bridge. It seemed a bit dire, I didn't want to risk breaking down on the way up Wainui hill. Luckily, I had stopped right outside an auto electrician! They were still open, they looked at the car right away, and reassured me that it would be ok. But, they needed to keep the car to look at the next day. Luckily, the shop owner lives in Wainui and offered me a lift home. So I managed to organise a ride to the train station the next morning, but unfortunately that ride got cancelled with no prior warning due to a massive allergic reaction. Luckily, there is a bus and my manager was away so not really a big deal that I was late to work. And after worrying for most of the day, it turned out that there was simply a leaky house letting air in, so it was an way fix. Took awhile to find it so not as cheap as it might have been, but could have been so much worse.

Unfortunately, for most of the rest of the month the engine light has just been on all the time. Doesn't seem to be causing a problem so I am ignoring it. In the last few days it has been off more than on so I'm feeling hopeful.

After all that right at the start of July, we went to Auckland for mid-winter Xmas with the in-laws. It was fine, quite relaxing to be away from work and doing nothing. It rained a lot, we ate a lot, I crocheted and we got to meet our 2 month old nephew. He's pretty cute. We stayed in an air-bnb so we had our own space and a bit of freedom to gossip about everyone, as you do when families get together.

While we were away a friend looked after our house and pets. I'm sure the dog loved it but the cat isn't keen on new people. He didn't come inside for about two days and I reckon spending those nights outside was detrimental to his health, because next thing you know he had worms! When I found a wee white worm on his fur I thought surely he picked it up outside. But then he puked a few times, and then I noticed he was hardly eating. So it was definitely time to worm the animals. Cher was happy enough, because taking pills means she gets peanut butter. I didn't trust the hunger-striking cat to eat a pill though so I got the stuff you squirt in their mouth. He didn't like it. All better now though, it took a few days but he's back to normal.

We also had a few storms to get through here - so much rain, everything around the house was just mud. I got a cold so I had to stay home sick on the stormiest day, which suited me because travel conditions wee terrible. It was so cold that we finally went heat pump shopping. That didn't help though because we had to wait about the weeks for installation. It was meant to be two but they had none in stock. Apparently she called me and left a message to let us know but I am 100% positive that there was no missed call or message. I don't know who she called but it wasn't me.

Well I'm out of stories and the train is about to arrive at my station. I'm glad winter is 2/3rds over. My daffodils are coming up, our heat pump gets installed this week, curtains aren't finished yet because I stopped to make a costume for a friend's play, but they will be finished soon! Here's some pictures:

My chooks in the rain

This is my meadow - daffodils will grow all over it, and I plan to plant wildflowers on it too. My veggie garden beds are at the bottom and my naughty chooks are down there too.