Steamin Along

 The rain: ☔️  Swans at Snells Beach  The health issues have taken a front seat lately, with a good dose of feeling blue & questioning life thrown in. My friends know what I’m talking about 🤗 I’m a very poor patient (sorry) A concrete door in a wall beside a quaint shop in Warkworth With a wee vented room behind it 🤩  Today I went to the doctor and laid out all the facts for her consideration. She gave me some time & explained how it all works & a big 🤗  hug. There were tears. I loved the brickwork on the old Town Hall in Warkworth  And then as always came Sunshine: 🌞  I went for a walk in Warkworth, because now I can Misty hills around Warkworth She told me…I DON’T need to sell the truck 💃 😃 ✨ 🥰 I spy with my little eye something beginning with S How exciting is that! All I need is a few more pills to ease the load, on my joints that is. There will also be sleep because of this process 🥰 One is about to be a whole new person, or a ...

After a wonderful day & night spent with some lovely friends, once more I was spoiled with good company delicious food & a few more bits for the unit. Pics will come later. #1 grandson lit the fire for me 🥰 Today it’s off to see number two son & his family & hopefully get the shower tray finished if I can plug in somewhere. A peaceful night by the beach hopefully & then into Warkworth to pickup a backpack I can ruin for my next costume 😂  A walk that ended up with being very wet from the rain (Thank goodness for fast drying x clothes) After a delicious lunch & a card game, it was off to the tranquility of the beach for a rest! TV in the rain & perusing pics from the previous days events. A great nights sleep & feeling homesick for the areas I’ve stayed in that are so quiet.  How did I miss this on a toilet wall! Ah well, it’s only six & a half months until I can move again. 😂 Albeit a much more difficult move with furniture. We’ll see wha...

After settling into the new place I went north to see friends & family & do a couple of things I needed to do. Painting of the step went well, not so much the shower tray.  The temperature in the shower room was too low apparently  I went in to Te Rapa tyres in Hamilton to get the pressure checked before driving & found they hadn’t gone down at all, & in fact are really good quality tyres with a good amount of tread left on them. Much yay 😃 Go chat to Ashley if you need commercial tyres. Saw this beauty at the paint place 🤤  I found out the best place to go for a final COF in Hamilton, was told again what a fantastic truck I have. 🤩 It’s now hard to hear those things, as I absolutely Have to sell her. The trip confirmed that. Go talk to Ashley if you need commercial tyres, he carries them😉 After the last overspray experience I’ve learned to mask off surrounding areas Very Well 🙄  There was shenanigans! With a fabulous turnout of assorted steampun...

It’s time to go north! Time to visit my steampunk family & friends, my family & grandies. Time for me 🥰 It’s been all go around here with the directive not to hassle people who aren’t currently working having been lifted, the phone has been ringing hot 🔥 Not so much the weather huh 🥶 0oC this morning, but as long as the sun comes out, I’m ok with that. Our community stand of totara A process of tidying up the truck has begun in earnest & I’ve managed to right totally stuff up the painting 🤦‍♀️ Some professional advice will be required 🤔 Yesterday I went over the truck cabin with a fine tooth comb, looking for personal things I might have left behind & vacuuming out all of the drawers & cupboards & cleaning everything in sight. Yay for a TV off the floor 🤣  I sanded the shower tray & step, which both need a touch up & began the restoration process. It led me to thinking about what I’d need for a long weekend away. The water tanks will need empty...

 I’ve been thinking…Oh Not again I hear you say 😂  My new house🤩 It’s easy to see all the things we think we need to survive life better when there are vast gaps around us. And then I got to thinking about what my life would look like if I lived in a third world country in a rural setting. All this while talking a perfectly innocent shower 😂  Pretty flash setup eh Imagine getting up off a shared grass etc mat in the morning, no hot showers available, or even running hot water for that matter. I’d have to get up & get the breakfast on for the family from scratch & make preparation for the day as quickly & quietly as possible, before dawn most likely.  There would be the same clothes every day, & I’d probably slept in them, a few tin dishes to wash in the river later while I washed myself, along with many others. No privacy, no tv, running water, soft bed, front door or carpeted floor. No separate rooms, just a straw broom & then go out & wor...

Today began with plans to apply for another job, & keep learning & practicing the techniques & new terms needed for that.  There was a plan to catch up with a friend later & take possession of a sewing desk for a long term loan…then life happened. In a whirlwind adventure I was blessed beyond measure! Not only did I suddenly have the desk, but also a collection of good, strong, highly prized coat  hangars (only a person who wears costumes can appreciate this) And a TV cabinet! Filthy dirty but otherwise fit for purpose, a sewing chair, two matching comfy armchairs, a duvet cover & complimentary sheet! Anda standing lamp with a complimentary shade to match the chairs. Anyone know how to fix the recliner part of chairs? I was/am simply overwhelmed by this kindness & generosity! Feeling like there is goodness in the world & at peace with a sense of normalcy in my world, I have only to find a Freeview box, so as to be able to watch regular TV again. Min...

This morning I awoke to Professor Elemental telling me about Steampunk argghhh 😬 That’s not luxury 😂 Who set that as an alarm 🙄  Anyway, coffee in hand, sitting in my wee chair now 😅  First thoughts of being land based were chaotic, & the flight impulse was very present. Finding out there’s a gang & tinny (drug buying) houses across the road didn’t help either.  The unpacking was quite quickly done, for the most part, as I had the day before the furniture arrived to do it. That helped a lot because I was able to think about where things might go. Motorhome are very efficiently designed in that respect. I’m still lacking some things, but nothing major. A few coathangars wouldn’t go astray 😂 And a sewing table, (on the way) & a chair for guests. View out of the lounge side window The first thing that I luxuriated in was to have a 5 minute shower mmm that was wonderful. No worrying about tank water levels, or scraping away excess water. Not having to climb d...

Hi again just me, drinking coffee made in under 2 minutes in an electric kettle, eating real toast 😂  I’m wondering if I need to take a pause from blogging, so it doesn’t become boring for you?  Travel as we know it has stopped for now, apart from the essential. Steamin Along is parked up, having given way to the convenient bus services here, & awaiting a freshen up. The house battery is doing very nicely without the fridge on I have to say! But she’s empty & feeling the cold. I can tell she longs for the smell of the sea, the views to die for & tranquility of the open spaces, but that will be with new owners. The throne room For now it’s suburban life, noise, business & congestion. She’s not thrilled about the stress that comes with it either, but that’s life sometimes isn’t it. Next weekend I’ll take her out to a steampunk gathering, weather permitting. That should cheer her up. Here’s hoping the trees behave! The councils seem to have clipped their budgets ...

This week has been unpacking, finding out what I still need, & finding places for everything, with very limited storage to be had. Utterly gobsmacked with the storage the Motorhome has in comparison. I’m really going to miss her.  It’s been a week of turmoil, in a good way. Onwards & upwards towards the next adventure. Cutest bus card ever! A decision has been made to find meaningful employment as soon as possible. Steps have been put in place for upgrading the cv & actively looking for employment. I’ve engaged the services of work brokers & a professional CV person, all free through Work and Income. They love proactive people like me, they said 😂   In October when the winter energy payment ceases, & sustaining a land based abode will no longer be possible, without extra income. That has been causing some stress with being locked into the tenancy for 7 months. Whether a land base is kept long term hasn’t been decided yet, but it’s highly likely. A vie...

Yesterday began the transition between being a traveller & a land based mammal. No, one did not go out in search of food in the suburbs 😂 The day began at 7.30am , with a trip to the dump station, as per usual every 3-4 days, & then onwards steed to the property managers office on the edge of the township. Thankfully I’m familiar with the older parts of the city, from having lived here 10 or so years ago, & then more years prior, having brought up my two sons, who were born here. A little warm fuzzy for my day of cleaning said throne, the day before After the jubilant key ceremony, & signing away ones life for half a year, it was onward to the new premises, being led by the infamous Mrs Google, who doesn’t seem to have as hood a grasp on the place as moi. A frustrating journey indeed, taking the fourth exit of the roundabout, only to return to the same road, where there actually isn’t the left turning lane required 🤦‍♀️ But we got there in the end! That’s the main thi...

Today my sleep was done in shifts 😂 I woke at 4am to a noise & a light, nothing major, but my brain is wired to listen for these things. After thankfully getting another couple of hours sleep, I’m thinking about the closure of this season & how I’ve managed to keep the vehicle on the road, on an extremely tight budget. The fuel bills continue to roll in each month, but thankfully they are significantly reduced, as my travel has halted. There’s a saying amongst people who own these mammoths of the smooth (ish) paths…they cost less than a house to own. And in a sense, that’s true, if you owned a house. There are a lot of people out there, in the shadows of the wild, who aren’t, in that position, like me. Lady of Autumn Owning a white maggot, as we are apparently labelled, but those who travel impatiently behind us, can be an exercise in the outpouring of the wallet, on a continual basis. This is definitely the case with me. Every week I’ve had to put the majority of my income in...

Today there are two more sleeps to go, until I am land based, at least for now. It’s unsettling to know I won’t have my comfort zone, & some of the things I need immediately. A comfy couch being one of those.  But I’ll carry on, as we do. I’m starting to think about the things I miss about land based living…gardens being one of those things. But I need to change in that area as well, as gardening on the ground won’t be sustainable. So I’m thinking box garden or pots, pallet gardening, on a  smaller scale with just a few of my favourite herbs & plants. I’ll probably go back to growing parsley, silverbeet & perhaps a tomato plant in Summer, but want to keep the maintenance low as well. Sewing in a large area will be great too, as will not having to get supplies out of the boot when it’s raining 😂  Air plant from a friend 💝 & Sustainable 🤩 Recently I’ve started looking for a job, to help ease this way of living, & so I can still travel, when I get my n...

There are times in life w hen there will be thorns. Today I had itchy feet, & couldn’t see myself settling in any one area. An issue that happens from moving around all the time. What have I done, I said out loud. I’ve locked myself into a 7 month rental contract & was panicking slightly.  It was a moment…& thankfully after reconnecting with an old & dear friend in the area, & catching up with number one son again, it passed. Nothing like visiting to put things back in perspective. Lemonade or ouchade? Between those two visits, I needed to consume some food, & stopped at Hamilton Lake for lunch. It was a quick stop, but very pleasant, with different varieties of ducks on the water & a plentiful amount of people out enjoying the mild weather, now we have a northern wind. Hamilton Lake Some large white headed ducks A fabulous place up on the hill A convenient lunch parking spot Spot the kayaker, who was way too fast for me to capture Little black ducks ...

Hell yeah said I. With a land based home in process, I’ve had to get some 240 volt appliances, to make living comfortable.  A Penny farthing while out walking 😍 Things I now have, but wish I didn’t need 😂  - A land based home - bed & a spare rollaway for visitors - lounge chair - fridge  - washing machine - vacuum cleaner - toaster ❤️  - kettle - iron & board ❤️  - DVD player  - TV - Desk or Bedside light - dining chairs , coming - dining table, coming - desk, coming - rolling chair, coming - a plant Daffodils in June?? These are the basics for living in a house. I already have all the kitchen things I need, with the exception of a slow cooker & microwave. After living in a Motorhome for a period of time, I’ve found that I really can get away with only minimal ‘things’. It’s been so freeing, I have to say.  Just the last of Autumn 🍂  I’m going to try to continue living that way. I still need a couch too, but I’m getting there. After...