It honestly feels like we’ve been here for six months, not two and a half. I’m not sure what to make of that.. but here’s an update on how things are going.. it’s got to be better than the last update right?!

Thankfully, it is. I am now working full time in an office, and it’s so good to be working. As unlikely as it sounds, being at home all the time is not fun, it drives you crazy because you have all this free time, but no way of utilizing it. You can’t afford to do anything fun, and you feel like you should be working, so every moment is spent searching & applying for jobs only to find you’re exhausted yet have nothing to show for it and it becomes a vicious cycle. So getting back into work has brought my sanity back.

Unfortunately for Connor, this opportunity has been delayed. He’s had to deal with being stuck at home longer than me due to his ankle/leg, however, the doctor has finally given him the all-clear. He is walking comfortably, and is back to work on Monday, he can’t wait.

Our boxes FINALLY arrived, 11 weeks after we sent them. It was like Christmas opening them up, discovering all the things we forgot we had or thought we left behind. It was like having a little slice of home arrive, just small sentimental things like my favourite mug, the coffee pot dad gave me, my portfolio books and my recipe books. We can finally say we’ve unpacked, which is a big thing considering we’ve had stuff packed since the beginning of the year.

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Connor turned 25 on Monday, we had big intentions at the beginning of the year to spend it doing something exciting like going to Queenstown for a snowboarding holiday, or head to Rarotonga again or Fiji, but due to breaking his ankle, it was not to be. We will definitely be doing those things as soon as we can though, the celebrations are not over.

We’ve decided that since we’re in the best place in the world for mountain biking, we would look into getting some bikes. I’ve wanted a full suspension for ages but it’s never been the right time, nor money. But once we’re a bit more financially set up, that will be our next purchase, with plenty of video footage to come of course. I’m also hoping to make it up the mountains and snowboard again before winter is up, fingers crossed.

Mum and dad have moved to Scotland, so I keep getting photo updates and I love it, super jealous of their adventures, and can’t wait to visit one day.

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Some people have been asking me whether I’ve taken any photos recently, and to be honest, I haven’t. I haven’t felt creative at all, I’ve been trying to keep up the exercise to help keep me going, but I’ve put creativity on the backburner which is never a good idea – every creative needs an outlet. My Go Pro Stabilizer turned up in the boxes, so I’m hoping to get out this weekend and do some videoing, and I’ve downloaded Davinci Resolve, to see if I can improve my editing abilities without paying for an upgrade (besides from which, I don’t want to make any expensive purchases when my Macbook is practically 90 in human years, and will probably be on its way out soon).

As for the homesickness, does it ever go away? I don’t think it can, but I feel a lot better, now we’re more settled and have things to look forward to keep us going. Who knows what the future holds, but I sure as hell can’t wait for summer.

Harriet 🙂

p.s. posts coming very soon about travelling or visiting NZ, stay tuned.