Steamin Along

I’m sitting in suburbia, at a friends place, listening to the sounds of highways all around me, I’m struck at how different it is from waking up beside a beach in a small, semi rural town. The pace of life is very fast here, a lot of activity from all directions, & just the general craziness of a city at work, wheels in motion, keeping it afloat. I’ve been getting ready for a big event in my steampunk life, sadly hampered by Covid fears once again. We will be the host city to only ourselves this year, as another city who have had cases of Covid, thoughtfully & selflessly keep us safe from any possible contamination. So kind of them, they will be sorely missed this year.  So I’m sewing anyway, in the hopes of being able to sustain a costume for the day, that is more my taste & functional for my needs.  I realised yesterday, that this is my happy place. I was singing... always a good sign, & the time passed very quickly, as I feverishly try to assemble some new p...

I’m sitting at a friends place in Albany, waiting for my Covid test result, after being in the same places but different times & in one case, a couple of days after a couple of people were tested Covid positive. Having to socially isolated after being social over the past few months gave me a big wake up call! Suddenly I’m sitting alone entertaining myself, thankful for their wifi. I’m wearing gloves & a mask, washing my hands, using sanitiser, & wiping down communal surfaces. It made me wonder what facilities will be available for people living on the road full time, as the parks & campgrounds are deemed recreation, & are closed. The government need to re look at that. We need somewhere to hunker down too. How lax we’ve become as a country, & now having to ramp up our protective processes again, as new cases are reported.  I really wish they’d keep our borders closed 🤦‍♀️ I understand some of the reasons they aren’t, but still. Keep us safe parents who run...

 How easy it is to get complacent when we live in a building. We take for granted the most simple things, like taking a shower, getting dressed & going to work. For a motorhomer those things all require immediate attention, & considerable time,  before moving on to the next thing. For example, if we take a shower, we have to get rid of all the excess water, before we can do anything else. If we don’t it’s fun city, with a swimming pool to navigate each time we go to the loo, or a wet carpet if we drive off, leaving it there. It doesn’t automatically go down the plug hole, even if the vehicle is perfectly level. Another fun thing that’s seriously time consuming, is making up the bed/s. The one in the Luton (above the cab) is the most fun 🤩  First step: strip bed, wash & hopefully get sheets dry, at either someone’s house or the laundromat.  Next step, put ladder in place & strip out all stuff that’s stored around the bed, so it can be made 😂  Th...

 This week I’m counting my blessings. I live in a beautiful country, that’s still clean & green, to a large extent. A traveler loaned it to me to use 🥰 I can take the time out to do the rehab required to bring my body into a good state of repair, & I’m thankful for that. Free 🤩 Not mine, but I’ve been riding one I’m back in Snells Beach for my grandsons birthday today, after movies & pizza yesterday. We have some of the most beautiful scenery in the world I’m sure, & I soak in it every time I’m here. So clean & fresh & & uncluttered, unlike so many of the places I visit. Never too old for playing  I often see pollution in our waterways, rubbish laying around  & a general state of being uncared for. How I wish we had more people cleaning up those areas. It breaks my heart when there is such high unemployment. God bless the local councils who employ people to clean up! I see those people in the Orewa area quite often & try to say hi. I ...

 Lately I’ve been in & out of the Hibiscus Coast & surrounding areas. I’m doing workouts 4 days a week, before I go back to see the specialist in 4 weeks, about the ol gammy knee. I’m also trying to improve my general fitness, so I’ve been using the exercise equipment at the beach. Gotta love a free workout.  It’s funny the reactions of people passing by. They seem curious & yet too embarrassed to say hi, or just giving me my privacy, out in public 😂  Who knows, anyway, it’s interesting seeing people’s reaction while I use some of the machines, so kindly provided by our local council, I guess.  Today was an awesome day. I did a long walk & then a workout, followed by some serious costume creation, for an event this weekend. Can’t wait to see my fellow creatives. I parked in the shade of some lovely Douglas fir & native trees & had a visit from a fellow traveller & 2 lovely girls from the local council, while I was there. They gave me a lo...

 Always in a hurry... to get to the dump station early, before the crazy summer rush. Also fresh water fill, that’s an issue when I stay by a boat ramp 😂  This morning I’m up late, arghh! I need to do a quick wash this morning & high tail it outta here. Last night was soccer games & the carpark was full. It’s nice to be in a spot that’s safe to sleep peacefully & peaceful at night, but busy during the day. I’m taking the day to do some sewing for my next steampunk event, so I’ll stay parked up & enjoy. It’s the first time in a while that I’ve taken a me sewing day, so I’m going to make the most of it. It was a stunning sunset last night eh! I love being close to the sea where I get to see the different hues of the pink & blue. Welcome back Summer, we missed you 🥰 Sorry I cant upload pics at the moment, as I’m almost out of data for the month. Time to change plans! Have an awesome day wherever you are, because today you woke up. That’s a good day

 I’m still learning so much, in so many ways, that I forget to document it quite often. I’ll try to remember.  Orewa taken from Stanmore Bay  Yesterday I had to fix the grey water cap chain back onto its main parts. It came off the last time I used the dump station, & is a safety feature, so I don’t lose the cap.  It seems there’s always something to fix, or tighten up, much like being a regular home owner. I find it so satisfying when I can fix things myself, even tho I know I’m doing a ‘girl’ job 😂  Amazing how much things can change, in a very short time frame sometimes. Just last week I found I needed a bike, & the next minute I had one to use. Then I found it didn’t work for me & I needed to give it back. I’m finding it so important to document things, as they change so fast, living the way I do. Stanmore Bay I’m always on the move, to new areas, or those previously visited, so I can’t keep track of where I’ve been, or who I’ve seen when. Blogg...

 After a crazy busy day, Consisting of going to the dump station, swapping the gas bottle, dropping something at a friends, getting the truck greased, going back to Watkworth for the missing service sticker, getting a COF (certificate of fitness), getting another puncture fixed, stopping in at an op shop, lunch, & seeing two friends... I’m back in my previously unsafe place at Stanmore Bay. Mangrove shelter Whew I’m tired just documenting all that I did today! Oh & grocery shopping too. It was with huge relief I found that the stalker & other slightly off putting people aren’t in the spot I usually park at, but other new people are. Surrounded by relatively normal people is a nice relaxing feeling. I’ll sleep well tonight, that’s for sure! I’m greatly relieved about getting the COF with no issues, but did get a note to buy a new mirror. I still can’t figure out how the previous owner got a COF without the things I’ve had to buy for the truck. Very strange indeed. Howeve...

 I love it when life gives you lemons & you’re able to make lemonade with them. Last night we had the lashing rain & wind gusts from motorhome hell. At the top of Orewa  Think sitting on a train swaying from side to side, & then when, you get knocked sideways while walking up the aisle 😂  Today there’s a glimmer of hope for a better day. Busy day for me, cya later with my bright shiny new certification hopefully fingers crossed 🤞 

Funny how we find ourselves back in certain areas at times. This week is COF week & D day, to find out if the truck is in a fit state to be on the road.  A decorative rickshaw & cool beach sculpture She’s had a wash, badly needed after the roads out west, & hopefully is good to go. Orewa Beach, while out walking Also the follow up appointment for the MRI & catch up with some friends. Great news, I’ll live 🤩 Toilet block with a nice sculpture out front I’m putting in some real life pics here, to show the perspective of real life. It’s not always beaches & peaceful scenery. Sometimes it’s suburbia, noise, & people rushing around like ants. Why our society demands that is beyond me.  A nice bbq shelter I’ll be able to plan my next journey after all this is done, it’s been tying me to the area for months now. I’m looking forward to getting out there, & doing some more exploring.  Beach path These two spotted me 😂 

 But wait there’s more. This place just keeps on giving! Museum & community owned hall Parking onsite for a night too  And next door, more parking I love round things ⚙️  Ship history  Ships mast So much history about kauri milling here   Complete with playground out the back Pretty to cool to have ponga tree, kauri &. rimu in the immediate area

 After the museum, & the Rangers station came the boat ramp. I decided to hang out there the day, because there was a senior school group doing water team building activities. It was fun watching them.  They built rafts, raced them to the boat ramp, where they gathered bags, raced back, gathered another bag, & made up a puzzle.  All that before lunch! Then they went on a canoe hike across the water. Those kids will sleep well tonight 😂  No pics... privacy etc 😉 Really nice modern flushing toilets in the carpark One of two boat ramps Bridge over the stream A cool shed  With swordfish swords 🤩 A tiny house with... His long drop loo And her long drop loo Her garage (so tiny) And his garage  The Guest house perhaps? Peach tree Huge Feijoas trees Plum tree I suspect, or perhaps apple Walking down Whatipu Rd, I saw this gnarly tree... just hanging in there 😂  Funny place for the barbecue table eh And this really cool stump Because who doesn’t lov...