Comparisons

-

This week Steamin Along is at the doctors. The poor girl hasn’t been well lately & has needed the alternator refurbished, a battery status monitor (my choice) & now she’s at a new doctor because she failed her six monthly medical 😬 aka the Certificate Of Fitness  @ $190

I must say she’s high maintenance! 😂 The brakes are heading for a mental breakdown, as are the shocks & some spring 🌼 bushes are needed, as well as a new mirror & a middle seat bolt that fell out & mysteriously disappeared.

All I’m hearing is kaching 💰 and the song 🎶 Money 💰 money 💴 money 💵.

An extremely friendly piwakawaka (Fantail) at Acacia Bay in Taupo 

I think she may have to go to a new home after this makeover as she’s suddenly been put out of my budget long term. So the answer I’ve been waiting for has come, & the painting is done. It’s time for the fox 🦊 and hounds 🐕 to go out hunting a new travel accessory. 

Comparisons for the record is about the differences of living land based & mobile.

Some mouldy boats at Acacia Bay in Taupo

Things I like about land based living include:

  • Washing the coffee grounds down the sink versus putting them in the bin. Have to keep the grey water tank clean as possible or…stinky!
  • Walking to the bathroom in the morning versus climbing down a ladder half asleep 😂 
  • Toast! Because in this instance electric outweighs gas
  • An instant hot water system versus waiting 20 minutes for the water to heat to shower
  • Being able to wash laundry & hang it outside without the neighbours judging me 😂 
  • Being able to bus 🚌  everywhere so much cheaper
  • Storage ❤️ for all my creative stuff
  • A letterbox, no issues with picking up mail
  • Maintenance isn’t my cost 😂 
  • No huge fuel bills
  • Being in community
  • No huge costs for a COF every six months because she’s over 15 years old
  • Dealing with toilet waste is no longer a thing
  • No need to deal with excess water in the shower
  • Water is on tap, no need to fill tanks 
  • Dealing with moisture inside is easier
  • I can use a Vacuum cleaner whenever I want
  • Being able to leave the sewing machine set up

Wood ear mushrooms (I wasnt game to try)

Things I like about being on the road
  • No rent 
  • When I have noisy or nosy neighbours I can just move on
  • Peace ☮️ and that’s a biggie
  • Parking at a beach 🏝 🥰
  • Fresh air & exercise naturally come with the lifestyle
  • Keeping life simple is easier
  • Seeing all there is to see as the budget allows
  • Small space doesn’t require a long time to clean, before creativity
  • Freedom to be where I like
  • Personal Space is easier 
  • The camaraderie of like minded people
  • The support when I get a flat tyre is usually right there
  • No need to spend money on stuff
  • Meeting a huge variety of people 
A beautiful glade at Acacia Bay Taupo

So it’s a trade off I think, between living land based in a building or living on the road. There is good and bad in every lifestyle & situation. At least that’s what I’ve observed. More updates as things unfold

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Sad Day

-
Image
Today I advertised Steamin Along for sale. It took me hours to manually put in all the details & I had a lot of trouble adding the photos to the ad. I’m not sure why but Trademe would only let me upload a few & I can’t find a way to edit it. I’m wondering if it’s because it’s listed as a classified ad rather than an auction.  https://www.trademe.co.nz/trade-me-motors/caravans-motorhomes/motorhomes/5-59-metres/auction-3250669219.htm Anyone who knows the answer gets a cyber chocolate fish. Anyhow I consoled myself with a walk at lunchtime…very bad idea when you walk past a bakery 😂 So I bought the equivalent of a sally lunn bun, now called a Boston bun because of the shape I’m told. It’s a childhood memory for me, of a special treat we had as a family from time to time. No idea of the sized pieces a family of 9 would get 😂 but I bet it wasn’t much. I’ve been distracting myself by watching videos about cookies you can make, diy van kits, & all sorts of other nonsense 😂 ...
Read more

Amping it Up

-
Image
So yesterday I decided to make the tricky transition from semi knowledgeable woman to electrically charged woman. I went to a day workshop to learn about electrical systems. By morning tea my poor brain was veritably sparking with amps & volts. Memo to self…must buy one of these It’s a solar controller 😉 Jostling with a couple of hundred other women who were like wolves at a meat sale I tried to absorb the information & fill out my knowledge based on Electrical systems for Motorhomes. Why you ask, when Steamin Along is going up for sale? Because I’m looking at doing my own build😉 I forgot to take pics of the setup on display, such was my need to get out of there mid afternoon 😂 It was crazy! With women fawning over the speaker like he was the best thing since sliced bread, I couldn’t get near the equipment to look at it. We talked about solar panel setup, bus bars, volts, amps, amp hours, energy storage, diesel heaters, batteries with blue tooth & monitoring systems etc....
Read more

A Pictorial trucks eye view of Benneydale & surrounding area

-
Image
  Did I mention how quirky this place is? It’s arty & an eclectic mix of styles, with abject poverty & wealth standing together in unison. A most amazing & very obvious comparison. A house in a field just waiting for visitors Fabulous art in some places, including the buildings themselves A beautifully restored cottage The old & new together I just love the original dwellings of yesteryear The ordinary is necessary for the significant to stand out Fabulous Rock formations And caves 🤩 A common sight in rural New Zealand, the lone farmhouse or shed There was a Lot of water on the land from a storm A heck of a lot actually Layered rock used to make stone walls. A funny story goes with this. My cousin showed me a stone wall & I told him I wasn’t into the modern stone walls with cut rock… It’s a natural formation it turns out 🤣  Darling verandah style porches That’s a swollen stream for you! Some pics were taken on the way to the quarry & others on the way...
Read more