Happy

I have written many sad posts that have not been easy to read so I decided it was time to write a happy one that summed up the last few weeks.  The time since we moved into our new home has been so wonderful.  There is so many things I love about living in New Zealand and in our new home.  Here are some them in a happy summary of what makes me smile at the moment.

I love that when we turn out of our house and onto the road that runs past our house, the Port Hills are to the left at the end of the road and to the right the Southern Alps loom up to meet you.  They are both impressive and everyday is a different view of these mighty mountains.  Some days they are covered in deep snow that gleams in the sunlight, the next day they can be green again and the snow nowhere to be seen.  In New Zealand you really get 4 seasons and they can all be in the same day.  At the moment there are the most stunning colours in the trees with the leaves are changing colour for autumn.  The reds, yellows and oranges make a patchwork across the landscape that is so beautiful.  The days have a chill to them and you have an inkling of the season to come.  I just hope that when it does arrive, I am tough enough to cope with it and don't huddle inside like a sook sitting on top of the fire!

I love that to get to our local library, the supermarket or anywhere, I need to drive through beautiful countryside.  Fields of horses, cows and sheep are now the normal and the kids no longer think it strange to see them.  We are in a rural landscape that is refreshing after living in a built up city for so long.

I know it is obvious, but I love our new house!  Not only is it great to be back in a house we own but it is a great space.  The layout and the way the house works is fantastic.  I love that to get warm we need to light a fire, there is something special about sitting by a roaring fire, we are trying to convince ourselves we are not pyromaniacs.  The only downside is the amount of garden, it is huge, we are just happy we didn't buy the 4 hectare block!  With almost 2500 square metres of grounds, keeping up with the weeds and the grass is time consuming!  It is like painting the harbour bridge.

Along with the normal weird New Zealandisms such as chilly bins (esky) and jandels (thongs) my favourite is a trundler (shopping trolley).  It makes shopping seem like a friendlier and more pleasant experience.   Just a side point that makes me smile each time I go to the supermarket.

The biggest happiness in moving here and the last few weeks is Mia.  She is a different girl and is so happy.  She is now your typical 6 year old, no more fears, no more terrors in the night, just loaded with her own opinions.  She has made me think I might I have imagined everything that happened after February 22nd.   I had arranged to see a psychologist for her to work through the feelings and emotions but now feel like a fraud keeping the appointments.  It is like feeling sick, making an appointment to see the doctor but feeling fine when you walk into their office.  I'm not complaining though!  I just hope that it continues, to see her so relaxed and confident is wonderful.  Now I can just enjoy the usual arguments a mother and her 6 year old have on a daily basis.

So these are just a few of the things that are making me smile and giving me hope for the future.   Hopefully without jinxing myself, it seems our new life is back on track.