Hi everyone - well my sincere apologies for the long gap - our life has been frantic for the last few months, with a lot of transitions and adjustments. We had two lovely special months when Garrick was here, and so all our blended family had time together. We had a lot of fun and did lots together. The guys all went back to New Zealand a month ago - Garrick to uni in Auckland to carry on his business studies; and Leo and Robbie to Ohope. They are back with their Dad and family and NZ friends and haven't missed a beat. We've - I've - had a huge and painful adjustment to being long-distance parents. We miss the guys a lot and are very grateful that technology helps to keep in touch so easily. We are very proud of them and how each of them are developing into outstanding young men; all differently talented, all loved and cherished by us. 
And so on into the unknown future. Ian and I are on the move again. We found out a couple of days ago that we will be going to Beijing. Ian has had a Big Promotion within Worley Parsons and will be taking on a senior, China-wide management position transitioning from 1 September and taking on the full role in November. Because this new role is so Very Important, I need to leave my beloved Sidra and it looks very likely that I'll have to reinvent myself career-wise. This is an exciting-daunting prospect. I'm thinking something more portable and web-based; in the next few weeks I will be plotting and scheming about ways to build an empire while based in Beijing....Hey World! Watch this space!We are very sad to leave our friends here. We have met a very special group of people who we are going to miss desperately and we very much want to stay in touch with them. In the same way we have each been privileged to work with an outstanding bunch of people from all over the world and will miss the people from our work lives also. We have learned a lot and feel blessed by our experience in Qatar.
So now we sort out and get ready to move. The household effects are going back to New Zealand so that we can rent out the Kauri Mountain house furnished. We plan to walk bravely forward out of here with only our suitcases to the next phase of our lives. We leave Qatar 15 August.
I will arrive in Whakatane on Monday 18 August and will have a car and will be staying in Pete and Kath Craig's little cottage. Ian will be in Whangarei and will fly down to Ohope on 23 August which is the following Saturday. We will stay until Thursday 28, then will go up to Auckland to have a couple of days with Garrick. Then Ian will go to China and on 30 August I will go to Melbourne to stay with Margie and then will come back to Ohope in 3-4 weeks. Then it will be back to NZ for more time with the boys and unpacking the furniture in Whangarei whenever it arrives on the ship ??mid October (maybe later). When all the furniture is unpacked then I will need to say my good-byes and go to Beijing.
