Jan- 2006

  We Travelled down to the lakes at Twizel for a bit of water skiing parked up pretty much at the same place as last year and at that time of the year most people had gone back to work so was pretty quite only the odd person coming down for the weekend so we had plenty of time to enjoy ourselves with plenty of skiing  and the kids going on the biscuit, as well as a bit of fishing we were parked so close to the water that we could just drop a line over the bank. Anyway Sheryl and I had been talking about buying a house again before we couldn’t afford one anymore  so we decided to go and have a look around we went down south and ended up at gore and had a look round some houses there  they were pretty cheap compared to what we were used to paying, so we settled on one in Mataura, so we paid for it we didn’t want a mortgage.

We moved in on Feb 25 th  I had got a job at a local café only part time but was alright got pretty busy during lunch, they thought I was a bit strange because I did everything they asked without having to ask how to do it but most of it was pretty basic stuff, good food but basic. I also applied for a job at the Mataura freezing works and was offered a job on the night shift starting at 5pm and finishing at 4am 10 hours 4 days a week, we don’t work Fridays which is good, I was doing the same sort of job I was doing 20yrs ago. The money was good and the guys working there are mostly alright. Sheryl went to Tassie again working for Jason’s travel media this time for 6 months, But this time they paid for me and Chay to go over and visit for 2 weeks which was good we got to travel round a bit with Sheryl although she was still working which gave us a little time to look round by ourselves.

IT rained most off the time we were there but got to put the boat in once for a bit of fishing.The one day that was not raining or blowing I shouted the guy that helped us and we got a bit to p...ed to be able to drive the boat J. But  we did have some fun the dogs enjoyed it. I had to start back at work, but Sheryl wanted to stay so I took the kids home with me, they were getting a bit bored with all the rain, so we went home for 2 days work and then back to the lake for a long weekend which was a little better not so much rain and had a small ski, but then it was back to work again. And to take the bus into to get the gear box looked at, took it to an auto electrician, and left the bus there for them to check out, they rang me up and said that the Eaton Motor had burnt out and they would replace it that was $190.00, so went to pick it up and drive away but got down the road and nothing happened again, so I took it back and told them, and they checked it out again and they said the wiring loom was wrong so they replaced that, all up they had the bus for about 4 days but we didn’t need it and it worked fine when I got it back. Had plenty of time on my hands so decided to do some work that needed doing like restaining the door and windows, and fixing the rust and bog that was coming loose under the front windscreen .

I thought I did a not to bad, ! no I thought I did a pretty good job lol.

 Have found a pretty good mechanic who knows about buses and is willing to help me give it a service, will be able to start soon because the season at the freezing works is finishing soon and then we will be away again.

 We have applied to join the New Zealand gypsy fair which travels round New Zealand selling their wares, lots of house busses with arts and crafts it’s just like a travelling market place lots of things to buy and stuff for the kids to do. They try and keep it to 45 busses and they make sure that no one is selling the same or doing the same thing. Some of them are like proper Gypsy’s, we have to get dressed up and look like the real thing, lean to do gypsy dancers and stuff I told them I can juggle a little bit lol will be willing to learn to juggle fire balls and things, maybe move on to chainsaws lol.