In a few hours, we will be winging ourselves back to New Zealand.
This year there is a twist to our return back “home”.
Last month we had a few long days and even longer sleepless nights, dealing with people in a different time zone from us. A time of reflection and making decisions at 2 a.m.
We, as in us, who have proclaimed the delights of having no fixed abode and still do.
Are now the proud owners of an apartment.
It is in a block which we have had our eye on for a few years; not many apartments come available, it was time to take the plunge.
All we needed was a home for the time we were back in New Zealand, and the size required was not to be huge as we would only be there for a maximum of six months.
Then there was the issue of needing more space to place our collection of tea towels. Plus, more travel odds, sods and our bods.
It’s a girl thing, that is, the collection of tea towels.
Our space will be affectionally known as PIP – which stands for Perfect in Proportion.
She comes with no wheels, stands proudly on the first floor of five.
A small space to call our own.
Mind you it won’t be for an extended time, as travelling and housesitting, is still high on our agenda. We love what we do, all that will be changing is the amount of time we will be away from New Zealand.
My collection of interior information and pretty photographs highlighting what to do in small spaces is now going to come into its own. We both enjoy living minimally.
P.I.P. our small abode comes in at a cosy space much less than our last four bedroom house we had built and more significant than our other apartment on wheels [motorhome]. While it might be small it won’t lack anything we need to live a comfortable life; everything will be on a smaller scale.
Just enough space to swing a cat and avoid collisions with the Squire.
By the way, we will have no cat. Our source of animal contact will be via our time being part-time travellers and housesitters.
Even though we will have a new bolthole, I don’t think we will ever be entirely at home again because part of our hearts will always be elsewhere. This is indeed not a bad thing as it is an acknowledgement of how much travel has changed us and our way of thinking for the better.
Sounds lovely. I have called many places home, and I think there will be many more places that will be home for me in the future.
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I’m sure there will be Cherie. Nothing surer in life than change!
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I love this. I mean, I think my concept of home has become quite fluid. There are four areas that make me feel like home (my village, London, Nara and now Vancouver) but home is really wherever Marc and Monty are. Home is more about the who with than the where for me.
I hope you can do a post about your tea towel collection! That sounds awesome!
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Thanks Josy. Home for me where the Squire and I are living. We feel at home just as much here as overseas. Having the ability to call more than one place home is a privilege. What a good idea regarding the T-Towel post. Watch this space 😀
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Like Rachael I’m now curious to what your tea towels collection looks like. 😉 And your PiP sounds wonderful! There’s no need for oversized living space when you’re abroad half of the year. 😊
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Thanks Sarah. On viewing it yesterday it’s much bigger than we thought and we love it! Once the teatowels are out and about in the kitchen I might have to capture a few. 😊
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I really enjoyed your post, Suzanne! Your lifestyle mirrors ours, in a way. We have been Perpetual Travelers for about 7 years now. We haven’t tried housesitting, but when we travel to a country, we stay on an average of 3 months in an apartment, that we rent on Airbnb. We are from the States, but have no home, and have been to Ecuador, Morocco, and all over Europe. Right now we are in The Republic of Georgia, where we are allowed to stay for one year, and where we are thinking about getting residency.
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Thanks Christina and pleased you enjoyed it. It’s great that you have had the opportunity to experience the world via slow travel it is the best one to do it. Thanks for commenting.
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Congratulations!
I have to say, it’s always comforting knowing that you have a space back in your own country, even though you rarely see it. 😉
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Thanks Nilla, and I think we will feel like that once we get our heads around that we own another property 😊
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That’s very exciting news Suz, congrats and I’m glad the tea towels have a new home. PIP sounds perfect for you. Enjoy being home for a while 🙂
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Thanks Deb, we are enjoying it 😊
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Exciting times…….a new chapter begins! Bon chance 😊
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Thanks Jane, it does indeed. Looks like you two are having a fab time motorhoming around France. I need to catch up with your blog posts!
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This is fantastic news, Suz! Congratulations with your new home – a place that you can call your own, that you can return to and decorate and puts you at ease. Perfect to rest up, regroup, settle a bit, before hitting the rest of the world again to house sit. Where is it? How big is it? How does it look like? I can’t wait to see photos!
Mark and I have often contemplated about how nice it would be to have one place, somewhere, to call our own for a few months a year. Maybe it will happen one year, although we don’t have much left we could store there or decorate with… I think as we get older, the desire for a place like this will grow. Hopefully our finances will one day as well, since that would be the biggest reason to not have a non-movable abode.
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Thanks very much Liesbet. Yes, as we age things change and getting the balance right is the key. If there is such a thing as “balance”!! I am sure you and Mark will make the right decision when the need becomes stronger to find a permanent nest.
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Congratulations to you both! It’ll be lovely for you to have a perfect place for all your tea towels and other bit’s and bobs again 🙂 As Tracey said, a perfect combination in life!
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Thanks Sam, it will be and it will take some getting used to living in an apartment. Just about to head off and get some sleep after travelling from Paris via Doha to Auckland then the drive down to Tauranga! We take over our new abode on the 1st November.
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Congratulations on your new abode!
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Thanks Anabel 😊
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That sounds like a perfect compromise! A nice home to come home to as well as a permanent residence for when (or, if) you ever decide that the traveling life is too much.
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We think so Janis. Nearly time to catch our connecting flight from Doha to Auckland. Got to love free WIFI 😊
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Perfection…somewhere you can leave for months at a time while you travel.
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Yes, that is it in a nutshell 😊
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Apartment living is the way forward! How lovely for you to have a space for those tea towels and other souvenirs collected on your travels! Enjoy being a part-time nomad while it lasts 😁
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Thanks Em, yes we think it is too. The part time travel begins in a year 😊
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We should trade (small houses) for a period. 🙂
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Terrific news. PIP sounds perfect. Enjoy your time back home.
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Thanks and we will 😊
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Congratulations. A perfect way to keep living the dream and also having a place to come home to when the time is right.
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Exactly Lyn!
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Nothing wrong with a small abode. Just love mine except I have my movie and my lovely garden. Safe travels and may catch up in Papamoa. XX
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Ok Aunty Jan that would be great to catch up. You do have a lovely garden and home Xx
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I want to see pictures of this tea towel collection now! I think you’ll be getting the balance right there’s no point having a huge place if you’re only there a maximum of six months out of a year. Very glad to hear you’re still housesitting as I love reading about your adventures.
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Thanks Rachael, yes we think it will be a good balance. Only time will tell. Love connecting with you and your blog, too.
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Ah PIP as on the hero of Great Expectations though I suppose in these constrained times it’s Properly Sized Expectations. Give my best to all things Kiwi and have fun.
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Thanks Geoff, yes we are looking forward to enjoying all things kiwi. Especially the people and the best sushi just down the road from our new abode 😊
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Happy new home 🙂 Enjoy!
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Thanks Cathy, this trip will be just to shift the teatowels have the lockup to our apartment 😊
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Have a safe trip. I hope you have a great time discovering exactly the right place for the tea towel collection.
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Thanks April, it will be fun 🤗
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Sounds wonderful, Sue. Funny, I have a tea towel collection too. I figure if I have to dry the dishes, I’m going to use a pretty tea towel. Have a great trip.
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Thanks Wendy, my thoughts too 😊
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Travel safe..
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Thanks Glenys.
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Sounds perfect. Great combination of being nomadic and having a place to lay your hat!
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Thanks Tracey. We think it will be.
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