tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.comments2011-03-27T08:41:47.185+13:00Iainhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06156311739690331200noreply@blogger.comBlogger155125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-49710348525305268362010-05-12T08:12:39.276+12:002010-05-12T08:12:39.276+12:00Good going. It reminds me why I paid someone to do all that stuff for me.RDewsberyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08887022860765359578noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-59581695246011574872010-05-05T23:37:14.290+12:002010-05-05T23:37:14.290+12:00Such a huge undertaking. You both should feel so proud already...it&#39;s coming along!Jim Doranhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11969365585238237679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-10910625662442324092010-03-20T22:07:52.585+13:002010-03-20T22:07:52.585+13:00Wow. that floor looks fantastic!Janhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11380130642315429097noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-13736823769606532122010-03-20T13:25:45.751+13:002010-03-20T13:25:45.751+13:00Absolutely gorgeous, Helen!FibCarverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11978977070502761436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-20647662619768262872010-03-20T09:51:16.541+13:002010-03-20T09:51:16.541+13:00so worth all your hard work. It looks absolutely gorgeous!<br />Amazing!Darroch Cottagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240391312194055909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-135946827019789702010-03-20T09:34:28.632+13:002010-03-20T09:34:28.632+13:00WOW!!! That looks amazing inside!Jim Doranhttp://jimdoran.net/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-69727463027642310042010-02-12T12:13:08.558+13:002010-02-12T12:13:08.558+13:00so cool to see the roof - just showed to Nikko who remembers when it was just floorboards and framing! beautiful sheep pic too.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02938874637588473757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-35593780065084090682010-02-07T22:36:49.105+13:002010-02-07T22:36:49.105+13:00Like the sheep, we&#39;ve currently got a flock of them behind the house. I&#39;ll tell them to stay there to make you feel more at home!Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02089881675442346819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-22097013307207643832010-01-07T07:22:13.234+13:002010-01-07T07:22:13.234+13:00You guys coming to stay? That&#39;d be great! By the time you get make it back to NZ we should have built all sorts of weird structures, so you&#39;ll probably have your pick of accommodation: yurt, caravan, adobe den or straw bale sleepout.<br /><br />We might LOOK almost-professional in the photos, but we certainly don&#39;t feel it, and we&#39;d be delighted if we managed to achieve tasks in even a third of the time it takes a professional to do them!Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10709320737805514367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-65215941129886773352010-01-07T02:42:21.193+13:002010-01-07T02:42:21.193+13:00you guys practically look professional at this point! So glad you&#39;ll have the yurt for us to stay in when it&#39;s all finished and we come visit :)Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02938874637588473757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-54689201024348017382009-12-27T05:29:02.121+13:002009-12-27T05:29:02.121+13:00so glad to see progress for you - you continue to inspire those of us who cannot even imagine building a porta-a-potty.Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02938874637588473757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-36361500004470715872009-12-27T02:34:51.949+13:002009-12-27T02:34:51.949+13:00And keep the cat off the wet concrete! ;-)Dianahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02089881675442346819noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-46723205580307669452009-11-18T06:28:14.641+13:002009-11-18T06:28:14.641+13:00blimey real physical labour. I can hardly believe my eyes. Good luck u guys it seems to be coming together.<br /><br />IanAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-35348394308628557352009-10-22T01:35:01.056+13:002009-10-22T01:35:01.056+13:00Continue to be very impressed!Can recommend caravan living when its raining-very snug &amp; cosy.The Irish spade sounds like a joke but is very effective.Keep up the good work.Jane&amp;PeteJanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08154680425168752689noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-47795118710185914722009-10-15T12:29:02.665+13:002009-10-15T12:29:02.665+13:00Once we&#39;ve built the house we&#39;ll be collecting rain water from the roof. As the roof area is so small, we won&#39;t be able to collect enough, so we&#39;ll need to top up with water from the nearest village, delivered by tanker at $200 a time. We&#39;ve no idea how long two tanks full of water will last us, but hopefully several months!Helenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10709320737805514367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-60721940113625807022009-10-15T04:36:17.346+13:002009-10-15T04:36:17.346+13:00Do you store rain water in those tanks? If not...where does the water come from? How long will it last?Jimhttp://jimdoran.net/joy/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-54938382531299338652009-10-12T11:11:50.440+13:002009-10-12T11:11:50.440+13:00Get yourself a long handled Irish pattern digging spade. It is much easier on the back.<br />Secondly why is this blog called Whittakers Abroad whe you are at home?<br />FrankDohaFrankhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07522918464084484758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-15338661186150764312009-08-25T05:12:06.498+12:002009-08-25T05:12:06.498+12:00so on days you&#39;re feeling pretentious you can invite people to Piwakawaka Cottage?<br /><br />for the yurt - how about, &quot;Our guest quarters,&quot; or &quot;storage shed,&quot; since that&#39;s what it might become?Melissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02938874637588473757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-71165455507760327752009-06-28T21:33:54.133+12:002009-06-28T21:33:54.133+12:00we are honored to be mentioned in your blog -- and continue to be so impressed with the task you&#39;ve set yourself and the dogged, careful determination you are demonstrating as you pursue it. An inspiration to us all...melissa and nikkoMelissahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02938874637588473757noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-31210756595518882972009-06-11T04:18:58.265+12:002009-06-11T04:18:58.265+12:00Congratulations to you both on your new citizenship of NZ. Good Luck too with your brave undertaking on the new Whittaker Ranch!<br />Lots of love, Adrienne and ColinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-23003730414761064062009-05-25T22:35:48.645+12:002009-05-25T22:35:48.645+12:00you poor things, you look freezing! but how great is it going to be to look back on all the hard work when it's finished and say 'We did this'<br />xxDarroch Cottagehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14240391312194055909noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-74490959966678283252009-04-16T21:41:00.000+12:002009-04-16T21:41:00.000+12:00Lovely photos Helen. I have to admit to being green with envy - as far as the 'planning' procedures go. It took TEN YEARS and two public appeals for me to get permission to build a bungalow on my small piece of land in Wales, at the end of which time I was no longer in a position to be able to build or afford anything else in the area - hence I'm exiled to England, although my heart is still in Wales. They seem a lot less restrictive in NZ anyway, which is great and I'm so happy for you both. How exciting and how lovely to have such beautiful and unrestricted views.Hywela Lynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13789711554354184386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-51940042374679536942009-01-14T22:56:00.000+13:002009-01-14T22:56:00.000+13:00Hi, well what a coincidence! Just 2 days ago (Jan 2009) I was also there on a nostalgic journey up the Waitotara Valley, where I lived and attended this school back in the early 1950s! I took the identical photo that is on this blog too! <BR/><BR/>This school, and district has a long history with our family, my great grandfather being one of those who surveyed the district, and was one of the first pioneering families to settle there in the late 1880s. My grandfather purchased the Ngamatapouri Store in approx 1910, and I actually lived there for several years while attending the Ngamatapouri School (in those days it was called the Makakaho Junction School). In those days there were about 20 pupils attending the school. Of course, in those days there was no electricity, or swimming pool, or computers, or any of the wonderful tools of learning that the present day pupils enjoy! However, many great times and happy memories remain from those days, dances in the hall, Christmas Tree parties in the hall, Guy Faulkes nights in the school paddock, (which in those days was used as a horse paddock for those children who rode to school). Yes there were many differences to the present day school life, and the school was quite a bit smaller - only one room and one teacher for 20 children. Those present children are very lucky indeed to have such a great school with so few pupils. <BR/><BR/>My grandmother was one of the very first teachers at the school, in about 1912 or thereabouts, when she married my grandfather who ran the store, post office, mail run (by horse drawn coach). <BR/><BR/>I must say I still know many people who have lived up "The Valley", as it is affectionately called, and there is a very strong bond between them all, to this day. <BR/> <BR/>Happy memories......Margarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11046614794430985993noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-83449613475856811252008-06-21T03:40:00.000+12:002008-06-21T03:40:00.000+12:00Hi Folks,<BR/><BR/>Just dropped in on the blog to see how it is all going, my answer seems to be you are busy. Glad the planning for the new "Chez Helen and Iain" is on course, what a great opportunity to get a house of you own ideas! <BR/><BR/>All well in Welsh Wales.<BR/><BR/>Take care of each other, Colin and Adrienne.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13275721.post-3829984621103095742008-06-06T12:38:00.000+12:002008-06-06T12:38:00.000+12:00Helen, you've got a winner with that architect of yours! The preliminary plan looks wonderful. Fingers crossed that you can finally get down to brass tacks really soon.DonnaGhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11978977070502761436noreply@blogger.com