Some bargains

First blog post for a few days: we have been busy during our first few days as a family in Te Kuiti. We had a much-appreciated message from Trena, one of Matt's ex-colleagues from Seattle, saying that she enjoys reading the blog... this reinforced our realization that we haven't posted since the weekend!

We have been buying a few pieces for the house. Chief bargain among these was a two-piece buffet hutch for the kitchen. It's brand new and stands over six feet tall. It was originally priced at NZ$399 at a furniture store at the north end of town, but it was the last one and was marked down to NZ$99 (about US$60, or 39 GB pounds)! It is terrific for stacking and hanging our crockery.

We also bought, for NZ$40, a part-mahogany cabinet the top of which folds out into a mirrored drinks cabinet. Matt spent an hour cleaning and waxing it and it looks rather smart. We also found, at the recycling shop at the local landfill, four tiny glasses and four etched metal coasters for it and, in town, a $5 old decanter.

We are also looking for a queen-sized bed.

All three of us have been working in the garden, too. Winston is good at watering the plants and helping Mom to prune. Matt's excitement was that he bought, at less than half price, a palm tree at the garden centre of the local hardware store. The palm (see right) is known as the wine/jelly palm because both wine and jelly can be made from its fruits. He also bought a New Zealand native -- a rare species of the good old cabbage tree -- and has planted both over the last 24 hours with Vera's guidance. The other thing Matt wants is a citrus tree.

In line with what we have thought from the start, our priorities inside the house will probably be sanding and finishing the Rimu floors and doing some room painting. The current colours are okay but there is a fair bit of wear and tear (poster-pin holes, Scotch-tape marks, and so on). We are looking for a good off-white with a hint of lemon or orange.

We are looking forward to doing the floors and walls. Until we do, it is hard to choose and position furniture and other items without thinking that we will have to shift them all out and about when the work gets done! Ah, well. We will do it bit by bit!