You Never Know What's Round The Corner

Here's a post to explain why there's been a lack of posts.

As many of you know, three years ago we began planning and organising to begin a life on the road. There was tonnes of stuff we had to do ... buy and import a fifth wheel, find and purchase a suitable towing vehicle, save heaps, get the house ready i.e. store or sell furniture and find a tenant. We did all that and 6 months ago we waved goodbye to Nelson to begin this exciting new gypsy lifestyle.

We loved everything about living on the road. Exploring new places, meeting new people, walking tracks we'd read about, taking loads of photos, I loved the lack of housework and we adored our new found sense of freedom.

The rig and truck didn't miss a beat. Bernie had set everything up to make life a breeze. The washing machine in the shed on the truck meant we could do washing whenever and wherever we wanted. The extra tanks on the truck gave us ample water and when it was time to refill or dump we didn't have to move the rig as well. We could pump the water from the rig's tanks into the truck's tank and just use the truck. Life was sweet!

But then Paddy became unwell again. Really unwell. And out of the blue, our long-term tenant emailed to say she'd bought a house and would be moving out. Throw in a couple of personal circumstances that had sprung up at the same time and it seemed everything was indicating that we head back home.

We'd chatted about traveling back to Nelson over winter to find work (while still living in the rig). We had tickets to go to Warbirds over Wanaka at the end of March which we were really looking forward to so we thought we'd make our way to Nelson in April after Warbirds in Wanaka.

However, sometimes things don't go to plan - and by early February we found ourselves back in Nelson. So it was with mixed emotions that we moved back into our house. Although we were thrilled to be back with our family, there were other feelings in the mix ... we felt deflated, disappointed and quite unsettled. But time rolled on (as it does) and after several weeks, we were both working and life ticked along as before.

Meanwhile Paddy's health had deteriorated, which made us grateful to be back home near our local vet providing his treatment. Being in one place and on our own property made managing an unwell pet that little bit easier. 

Although we're both really keen to get back on the road again, it looks like it might be a couple of years away. We've had many discussions regarding the rig and although we love it, we've come to the realisation (ever so reluctantly) that it's not viable to have it sitting unused for a few years.

So last weekend we listed it on Trademe.  
Now some lucky person/couple will become the owner/s of an amazing unit that's had all its teething problems sorted and is basically only a few months old. 

It deserves to be out there exploring, traveling and being lived in! 

Time To Go

As some of you know, we’d planned to begin living full time in the rig in February. However unexpected mechanical trouble with the truck caused us to change our plans. When the truck was eventually fixed we found ourselves nearing the end of autumn. Bernie thought we should set off in spring instead of starting in the winter months.

Recently several personal factors have been thrown into the mix. Now everything seems to be pointing to us leaving sooner rather than later.

House-wise we have a couple of things left to do. Paint the sleep-out and finish extending the kitchen deck. Both of these jobs can be completed in a couple of weeks (so Bernie says).

The awning for the rig will probably be made by next week. And Nick Eagle (the agent who imported our rig) is sending down a new motor for the slide out and legs, which have been playing up (stalling mid movement). Once that’s sorted the rig should be good to go. Hopefully it’ll be trouble free from here on in as we seem to have had our fair share of teething problems!

Just like all landlords…finding good tenants is a priority. Becs has offered to keep an eye on the place for us and do routine checks.

So, at last, we are on the count down.

How do we feel now that it’s about to happen? Excited. Happy. Relieved. Curious. A little anxious (will we find work and will the dogs be okay with the change of lifestyle?). Also slightly cautious about getting too excited incase something else holds us up.

It’ll be so good to finally experience this new lifestyle. . . a dream come true!

Getting Closer Now

Our eight days in Golden Bay were amazing. Having a new place to explore was the best. Bernie was thrilled (and I was as well) with how well the truck towed the rig over the Takaka Hill. Plus, the rig was better than ever to stay in. The solar panels charged well - even on cloudy days there was still some charge happening. Plus the fridge is brilliant, it cools things quickly and uses very little power. 
Even managing the dogs was easier. The new skirt we had made, works a treat. The dog pens are easy to put up and give a good size area.

Now that we are back home, we really do have to tackle the storage room. It just seems like such a big task that it's hard to get motivated to start.
Bernie has been working on the shed on the truck. The washing machine and sink are now in and the two tanks at the back are installed. Oh, I forgot to mention how efficient those tanks are. When we were parked at Takaka, Bernie would park the truck alongside the rig and empty out the grey & black tanks (from the rig) into the truck's tank. All was needed was to drive the truck to the dump station. It's so much easier to get the truck in and dump rather than having to squeeze in with the rig.

In the back of my mind I've wondered how I will feel living in the rig - not having our wee haven to come back to. I'm a hopeless home-body! Staying away this time has changed those thoughts. The rig felt like home. I actually didn't want to go back and was trying to think of ways to stay away longer.

I guess the only concern is not having an income. I've already resigned and it was easy for me. After I burnt out I knew I couldn't continue working under so much stress. It wasn't healthy and eventually I 'hit a wall' (so to speak). I'm still not 100% but am definitely better than I was six weeks ago.
Bernie, however is wanting to wait a little longer before handing over his resignation letter. There are a few more bits and pieces that need to be done before he feels we are ready to go.

It'll be a giant leap of faith - walking away from two secure careers. But, it's time for a change. I've saved hard this year and if we budget we will have enough to get through the first year without having to work (providing no unplanned expenses arise). I do plan to work over winter though. Maybe have a couple of months off and then I'd like to find some relief teaching or a casual job/s, to have money coming in.

People who are now living on the road have said after the first three months we might question what we are doing and freak out a little. But apparently that passes and then there's no looking back. I must remind myself of this if/when we feel that way.

I get such a buzz out of photography and writing my blog that the thought of having new topics to write about, excites me. I love researching an area, or discovering an interesting historical piece of information and then writing about it and photographing it. I'll have to become more organised with filing and saving my work. Getting net-speed and enough data is a priority.

Thank goodness for technology because it means it'll be easy to keep in touch with family. I'm so lucky to have Becs & Hamish living across the road and I'll miss them dearly, but I know I can contact Becs 24/7. And knowing she is happy makes it easier to go on this adventure.

So ... hopefully in 6 to 8 weeks we will be living on the road full time. Time now to get motivated and clear out the house and garage!