So....it would appear that I was unable to sustain writing a blog - indeed I had forgotten I had even started one or what it was called!
So, why start again now and not start with a new name and everything - pretend this one never existed - well I like the title - there was a reason I chose it and this past year has been one incredible journey - too busy to remember to blog and most certainly following my motto of No What If's or If Only's....!
Apologies if this ends up being one of the longest posts you'll read in a while - I promise the ones that follow will be shorter . . . I shall see if I can condense one year into a few paragraphs or perhaps bullet points would be clearer?
My last post indicated we were moving and indeed we did move to a beautful part of the world called Le Bons Bay on Banks Peninsula in Canterbury, New Zealand.
- Moved to Le Bons bay - multiple trips with horse float and father-in-law in tow - moved in 11th Feb, friends arrived 14th Feb - devastating magnitude 6.3 earthquake hit Christchurch 22nd Feb - felt it as a large aftershock because I was in a carpark on the other side of the Port Hills - such a sad day for the people of Christchurch, Canterbury and New Zealand - wasn't as large as the original 7.1 that hit on the 4th September 2010 but it did kill 185 people, injured 100's more and left 1000's homeless
- Jack started school joining 8 other local children in a mixed age classroom - he felt quite grown up!
- The continuing aftershocks brought continued strain on families and lives - quite a few days school was closed so we could have our scared kids home with us - was hard to let them out of my sight - I wanted us to all be together if another one hit.
- Started a new business - I am now an Independent Phoenix Trader Follow me on Facebook too!
- Husband accepted a job in Perth, Australia due to continued effects of recession and farmers not responding to our invoices, phone calls or pleas :(
- We visited Perth for 6 weeks and had a fabulous time being tourists and visting everything (husband had a car accident that wasn't fabulous - whiplash and almost broken shoulder - still needs physio)
- Le Bons Bay life carried on - making friends with local ladies and their families - got chickens, dug a veg garden and tried really hard to settle, even let the chickens have chicks - but couldn't do it - made a decision to pack the house and kids up and head for Perth - sold cars, furniture and anything that might have held our stuff up in customs - spent 2 weeks in Perth and headed for the east coast instead with husband accepting a new challenging role in Gladstone, Queensland.
- Spent 3 weeks in a caravan park trying to break into the terribly expensive rental market - succeeded with a 4 bedroom home with pool - such fun :)
- Restarted my Phoenix business after a bit of a false start in New Zealand - had been tricky with husband away and parents almost 2 hours away in Darfield.
- Having fun with my new craft (always been creative and needed a new outlet) making women's neckties out of men's ties and jewellery out of buttons. Visit Ties'n'Buttons for updates but will be posting images and tutorials on here as I get time to make new ones. Can follow on Facebook too!
- Been busy promoting my businesses online and at local markets - a few custom orders and lots of sales reassures me that someone loves what I am making and wants to wear them - I love wearing them too!
- Tried Distance Education with eldest son - not fun for either of us so now we are almost officially homeschooling the natural way (just need to finish off some paperwork).
So, if you want to read more about our life of homeschool, craft, food allergies and Failsafe living through the haze that is Aspergers - then please follow my blog and we'll see where this next stage of the journey takes us!
