spring: hopes eternal

it wasn't quite a 'zip' and we were in chch. 32 hours is a lot of airconditioning, a lot of special meals, and quite a few security checks of varying annoyance. you've all met them before. they're a special breed, a special personality type- incapable of humour or compassion. they like to ask stupid questions. they try to make your life a misery. while being interrogated by the US border control freak i made the mistake of questioning their system (the only border control in the world that requires finger-prints and retina photos even if you're only in transit), to which he replied 'is there a problem?', his finger hovering over the 'special button' no doubt...
and then we arrived in auckland, aotearoa new zealand. we had to clear security again (it's a trend) but the security team say 'how's it going, love?' and 'oh, here's a lady who likes her jewellery' when i set of the metal detector. the customs people ask questions but then reply 'oh, how lovely' and finally, one man welcomed me home. after 32 hours of travel it was enough to nearly make me cry.
so, that's what we're up to. we're in the business of making ourselves at home, becoming kiwis (again): signing up. we've found most things to be incredibly easy- certainly efficient and every person we've spoken to (in the bureaucracy world) was really friendly.
and it's spring. it's not the semi tropical spring that my mind chose to remember (you know, balmy, windless days in shorts and t-shirts) oh no. it's more like end of winter rather than spring. but it's equally sweet. we flew in to chch as the sun was popping up over the horizon painting the landscape a golden hue. the mountians and hills from the kaikoura ranges to the southern alps were snow capped. the parks and gardens are filled with all the tender new shoots, the sweet perfumes of blossoms and bulbs bursting out as each day warms a little more. the light seems pure, adds a slightly innocent quality;
everything is filled with the promise of things to come.

and that, dear friends, is where the life of the two nomads comes to an end. we've unpacked our backpacks and put them in the garage. oh, no doubt there will be other travels, other adventures, but for us now- well, we're hardly nomads. we've unpacked. i'm quite happy to have drawers and a wardrobe. we're preparing ourselves for the next adventure, an adventure of a different kind.
in a way we've escaped. the wanderlust will always be there, i still long to look at madagascar, africa, maybe one day the silk route, a road trip in the US, return to india....
but we've escaped.
we're making something else now: we've established the rara republic, population: 2 1/2. you're more than welcome to join us there- we don't do security checks or border control.

so: escape to the rara republic (www.rararepublic.blogspot.com - new address) you know you want to

xx

only 46kg each?

it's this sort of challenge they need to make into a reality tv show. forget decorating houses, or keeping people indoors for weeks on end: packing.
and the reality has arrived that in fact, this morning, i have to pull my finger out and start putting stuff into bags. i'm going to start any minute now. i'll just do this.

zip!

ok, that wasn't the sound of me shutting one of my superbly packed pieces of luggage. but it is how quickly we will be turned upside down. a mere 32 hours after leaving paris (tomorrow) we will put our tiny toes onto new soil.

we've both decided that to continue the blog in the same vein- as nomads, wouldn't be quite right; so we're going to make a new one.
thank you for visiting us here, i've enjoyed writing. i hope you've enjoyed the trip. the next trip, well it's gonna be on a whole different plane....

new address will be posted here shortly
xxxxx
b&p&sparkle

cubed

we don't even have the chance to say 'rust in peace' to our dear friend, maggie. no body is interested in repairing a peugoet 205. they're not even interested in breaking it into little parts.
pascal was issued a certificate of destruction.
the car was sent off to be made into a cube.

but, positively, that little cube will be recycled and made into something else.

so if you see a wee streek of green wave somewhere in your car you know that somewhere inside is a previously loved 205.


ps, trip back to paris in new renault clio was pretty ordinary, even with buttons and whirlygigs.

rolling without electricity

so, many of you will already have heard a little of the story of maggie the peugoet and her alternator problems. some of you may have, in fact, helped push start maggie when the hill wasn t good enough (merci! thank you!)..... there comes a day when a hammer doesn t suffice any longer for repairing the alternator and the car starts lacking in electricity. we ve already disconnected the stereo (oh my word?!), then we pulled the fuse that connects the heater/blinkers/other miscallaneous dashboard lights&systems; we don t drive at night, but with days and days of continuous rain (biblical, yes) we ve been obliged from time to time to use the windscreen-wipers and that, dear friends, has been the demise of our wee maggie.
bleeding weather.
all of a sudden, on the road into la pommeraie (where pascal s dad lives) the car starts farting, miss-firing and generally running like a misbehaved cow. we lean forward in the seat, pascal does his damndest to drive like a rally driver, and we make it into town. yah!!
later the next day the boys (dad and son) examine motor, tap again with hammer, remove battery, re-install battery and weyhey! we have lights! we have action! maggie rolls again with electrical accessories!!!! woohoo! we drive into town to get petrol and bugger me, whatever it was that made it all work fell off and now we re back to zero. but with a full tank of gas.

but all is not lost! don t worry, we have insurance! check this out: do you remember the beginning of the hammer and roadside repairs story where rescue mechanic dude turns up in the middle of the night and fixes car? well, that was cos we ve got insurance that gives us emergency assistance. well, pascal just rang them and told them our story (complete and unabridged) and they said not to worry, they'll give us a rental car to get back to paris!!!! (for future reference the company is agf and they are lovely)

so, this may well be farewell maggie, and thank you for the otherwise troublefree and happy 18000km that you have given us through france, england, switzerland and corsica. may you find somewhere shady and with a downhill angle to park up for the rest of your days
xx
b
ps: for sale (or free to good home) one blue/green/white limited edition peugeot 205 junior (but with grown up attitude) in nearly new condition. never rolled, raced nor ralleyed. needs a little TLC.

ninja

sparkle

i was supposed to be having a snooze, but i'm as excited as a 7 year old on christmas eve.
here is a picture of our little wonder, active as crazy, dancing to i don't know what rhythm and bustin out ninja moves. aiie, 2 very happy grown ups made.

we hit the road on our last tour de france tomorrow, direction nancy (and beyond) to say our 'a bientot's to our french family and friends. slowly slowly. with luck the weather will pick up and make our peasant campsites a little more pleasant. this month in paris has flown past, and now we're nearly midway through august; 3 weeks till the big flight...

my year in france. wow, equally quick. but what a treat! i've become at least one half french.
xx

knitting in foreign languages

those of you that know me will have heard me prattle on, on probably more than one occasion, about being self-sufficient. being self-sufficient isn't just about having the neat parcel of land, its about having the skills and the knowledge of how to produce the stuff you need. veges, fruit, wine, cheese, energy, shoes, textiles, holidays. (ok, so maybe that last one isn't on the Big List of all self-sufficient types, but it is one of my concerns). you'll note the second to last thing is textiles and it is on this little adventure that i have most recently embarked.
knitting.
years ago, whilst living on my little (rented) coupla acre patch, i had a brown sheep which i called socks. the idea being that i would let my sheep live in relative liberty (in its paddock) unharassed, with all the grass he fancied, and in return i would shear it, weave its wool and make socks (and other woolley items). hence its name. but the wee free loading bastard couldn't see a good thing for all the wool in his eyes and took his liberty literally and ran away. so i never got round to mastering the art of knitting.
and now, i'm in france, pregnant, with a little bit of time on my hands. what better time to take up knitting! except of course my book on knitting recipes is written in french. oh, it's not all that hard, you say. well i beg to differ. my knitting lady has buggered off on holiday (see earlier blog) before i had the chance to ask her what the fork... and now, 2 rows into my first garment, i'm stuck.
the question is this: the instructions ask that i add 6 stitches to either end every 2 rows. (or something very similar). ok, i can do it at one end, but what about the other? its physically impossible!!!
please help! advice, all of it, in any language, will be appreciated. otherwise our poor child is doomed to wear poorly knitted rectangles and squares.
xx
b

babelfish

check this out: i've installed a translator. simple to use, tragically difficult to understand afterwards. it is worth learning another language simply to have the chance to giggle at the rubbish translations! in fact, it's not too different to how i speak foreign....
enjoy!!

mes amis: regardez ça, j'ai telecharger un traducteur. c'est facile a utiliser (clic sur ton drappeau et puis sur le poisson) , mais tragiquement, c'est tres dificile a comprendre apres... je suis sûr que ça va t'amuser entretemps... profites!!!

and i'm not going to bother trying to so spanish/german/portugese/russian...

xxxx
b