Five Weeks in New Zealand

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Well, it’s been a crazy few months for my family. We set off on our Journey to New Zealand over six weeks ago and after travelling and spending two weeks in managed Isolation we have finally spent three weeks with my family here in Auckland. I felt it was time to write an update and share how life is going as we have started this new chapter in our life.

Settling Into a New Home

So three weeks ago we moved in with my parents and two brothers. Sylvia, John and I are staying in the garage section of my parents home which has been converted into a small living space. We plan to live here for a year or two until we have saved enough to knock it down and build an extension with bedrooms and an extra bathroom. Now that will be fantastic and It’s good to have goals and dreams so that’s something we are all working towards.

Sorting Out the Paperwork

The one thing which has taken up a lot of our time is paper work, appointments, and organising the simple everyday things. John got his New Zealand residency before we arrived in NZ, however we had to send his passport off before we got the actual Residency documents. The documents arrived last week which meant we could finally set up bank accounts, get tax ID’s and begin to sort out all the things we could not do without Residency and ID etc.

It’s taken five weeks but we have achieved a lot and whilst I feel incredibly pleased with all we have accomplished I’ve also struggled with the fact I’ve been unable to blog and work and do what I usually do here on The Inspiration Edit. The reality is that moving across thew world is hard work and something has to give and I have to just give myself a break and know that there is a time and season for everything. For now the focus is getting settled into home, school and everything here and that the blog work and progress will pick up again once I am ready and able to work on it.

Waiting for Cargo

We did ship many of our belongings to New Zealand from the UK and whilst it’s been 8 weeks already, I am excited to say the cargo arrived in Auckland today. I received an email and the customs and inspections bill. We have to pay and wait for inspection before our items can be delivered to my parents home.

I am so excited to be getting our bed. The one we have been using is kind of old and bad on my back, so when our bed and mattress arrives I am going to be super happy.

We also have so many nice items coming from home, our fridge and freezer, washing machine, dishwasher, vacuums and mop and of course our sofa! It will be awesome. I can’t wait. Only another 2-4 weeks until things are delivered.

Casper Had Surgery

So yesterday Casper our Bichon Frise Dog had surgery. He has had a growth on his eye for a few years and whilst it wasn’t a problem before, it was time to get it removed as the growth was so big it was blocking his sight and causing him to scratch his eye,

Due to scratching Casper has an eye ulcer and has to use eye drops. His stitches should take about 2 weeks to heal.

Sylvia’s School Experience

Sylvia is loving school here in New Zealand. It is so much better than the UK school she attended. Firstly there are no Covid and lock down issues at the moment and she only has to wear a mask on the school bus.

Sylvia has made a few friends and is really settling in well. She is excited to go to class and try out new activities such as stingball, a sport I’d never heard of before. We took Sylvia to the shops to buy school shoes and trainers for PE, and she loved it. I am so happy I was well enough to visit the Mall, even if I only managed a few shops. It was quite fun.

My Health Plan

I am slowly sorting out my health needs here in New Zealand. I have found an amazing GP who is very good and I am super pleased. I have medical referrals to the hospital and my main concern is seeing an Endocrinologist to remain on the adrenal pump and get my medication amounts correct.

The good news is my quality of life and health has improved. I am still exhausted each day. I am still in pain and struggle but my dizzy spells have reduced and my hypoglycemic episodes have improved. I am doing more and although it;’s baby steps compared to what a healthy person might do, I am happy with the improvements in my life.

What’s Next?

So I will work towards better health and look forward to seeing the Endocrinologist in a week. I am scared and a little worried but I am going to fight hard for what I need medically. I’ll keep doing what I need to do to get us settled here in New Zealand.

I will work hard to try and blog more again. I really did cut back between November and March whilst preparing cargo, sorting and moving out of the home and crossing the world. We still have work to do to settle and once the cargo arrives it will take some time and effort to get set up but it will all be worth it and hopefully then John and I can get back into things the way we used to.

Angela