The Christmas End of Year Work Thing

I’m slowly disconnecting from my house! Even the lawns are looking in desperate need of a cut – this is not like me at all!! Yes, I sold my house and have to be out by the end of January 2012. It’s almost (almost!) liberating, and there is almost (almost!) a sense of adventure in the air. I’m not sure where I will be living from February – I may be renting with a friend, or may be drifting around for a while between family. My furniture will probably be in storage for a while, while I decide what to do.

Today I looked at an old rundown place – a tiny two bedroom 56m2 cottage in desperate need of a rebuild and a makeover. And I am feeling (almost) brave enough to do it. It will mean about 6 months of building and construction work (I may disappear to Makarska while they do it..). I’m going to get my ex husband to take a look at it – he’s a man with a vision and big dose of practicality- and he will soon tell me if I am crazy even thinking about this.

But briefly to something that is slightly more interesting.

On Wednesday, we shut the office doors at 11 in the morning and all piled onto a bus –an excursion! The original plan was to take the company boat, but it was too windy, the sea was too rough - and we were heading out to the Hauraki Gulf to Kawau Island¸a beautiful paradise about 50 minutes away by boat.

So – onto the bus – plates of sandwiches, seafood and other bits of deliciousness were handed around to keep up our sustenance for the 40 minutes trip – then we piled back off again and onto two water taxis - 15 minutes later and we were in Moores Bay.

Check out the little be beach houses along the shores...

My boss and another couple of investors own the land in this bay and are doing an ‘eco development’ there. The houses have to be designed to specific requirements – low to minimize the impact on the environment, colours to blend in with the bush – there will be a sophisticated recycling and sewage system - and there are to be no machines/ cars/ motorbikes that will create a noise above a certain level that will create a nuisance to other owners. At this point there are are only a few cabins built for accommodation.

The island was home to Governor Grey - one of New Zealand’s earliest Governor Generals. The story goes that he had a mansion (still called Mansion House) on the other side of the island but in Moores Bay there was a little cottage which housed a certain young woman, whose company the Governor sought out on a regular basis …..

my boss has renovated and renamed the cottage, and it stands now as the ‘clubhouse’ for residents to use for parties and barbeques.

We drank cocktails and champagne – some just sat in the sun, some kayaked, played volleyball or touch football. We had a beautiful lunch with sumptuous salads (you see? salads are a thing here),

a few more cocktails…. I went for a bike ride and found a beautiful mossy glade… and then we all piled back in the water taxis to be back in the city for 7. It was a beautiful day, good company, good food and wine, and a nice way to round off the year – a way to relax with the bosses, and a way for them to thank us for our support during what has been a difficult year in the tail of the recession.

And that’s another kiwi thing – the institution of the Christmas Work Function!