Dawes Family in New Zealand

Plans

Well it’s all quiet here at Dawes HQ at the moment, our camera is out of action and being repaired which is like losing an arm to me, and we are really just waiting for the sun to show it’s little face. It’s been a very strange season, Summer hasn’t really started, the Agapanthus in the garden still haven’t opened fully, my tomatoes which are normally ready by now are slowly growing, and air is so quiet – no Cicadas happily clicking away.

I do think we are still on the ‘come down’ from Christmas and New Year, and thinking about what happened in 2009 and what 2010 might bring, and being busy making plans for the year ahead. Blogland will be very quiet for us for a while, of course not only because of the camera, but also because the usual large events we attend each year will now have to be put aside to another year, because we have a wonderful trip to save money for!

Still many months away (but if 2009 was anything to go by this year may fly by quickly also), in 2010 we are finally making that trip – after 4 years of being away – we are heading back to the UK for a holiday!!

It’s been on our mind since the day we stepped foot in New Zealand as to when we might go back, and what a journey it’s been the last 4 years. We have never regretted a moment of moving across the world, but we will always have that special place missing in your heart for our family, our friends, our family home and the familiar places you knew so well. It’s going to be strange leaving our new home to go back to somewhere that used to be called home!

We have so many amazing events to enjoy whilst we are there, not to mention the million people we will have to catch up with, we also have my Dad’s 60th birthday to celebrate (sadly we won’t make his actual birthday – but close enough!) and Michael’s sister Helen is getting married – it is really going to be brilliant.

We had tried to keep it all a secret from Bethany, of course it was crazy to tell her now, there was no way she could really comprehend the time and the days and months ahead as to how far away it actually was, but being the clever little spark that never misses a moment she has heard us many time talk about it (thinking she couldn’t hear us) and has commented. We also keep slipping up and mentioning it accidentally.

So we thought best to tell her, she now has a lovely countdown chart with days to mark off till the big trip. So we announce this now in a hope that our blog won’t be too quiet over the coming months.

We have been enjoying the usual outdoors and been doing some lovey walks. At the weekend we took a wonderful walk over a different part of Belmont Park that we have never been to before. A lovely farm track that leads deep into the hills, wild deer run through the fields, sheep dotted everywhere with the 5km stretch passing several World War II bunkers along the way. We will definitely do that walk again soon once the trusty camera is back!

So with many months ahead now of thrifty saving and dubious excitement we well and truly leave 2009 behind and climb happily onto the rollercoaster that will no doubt be 2010.