I try my best to balance the life of a domestic executive but it’s not easy with so many things to be done in a day. I have to admit that one of the things that is low down my priority list is the ironing which seems to sit in my laundry cupboard growing from mole hill to mountain size over the course of a week.

I’m not a lover of ironing so tend to run a “just-in-time” system where we get what we need as we need it, although I do try to be more dilligent about MT’s requirements for the working week. I think I am a real disappointment to my parents (both sets) and our latest guest in this regard who are much more inclined to wash and iron in the same day.

As a result there’s been a domestic takeover this week. When I turned my back Sarah (my friend from UK) was wielding the iron over some trousers that had gone into the washing machine to make up a load for her. And as if that wasn’t bad enough I came home from a day being an executive to find my mother-in-law had (with great satisfaction, I might add) infiltrated the laundry cupboard and cleared the decks. This was something she’s been itching to do but was not allowed to when I was here. After all, a domestic executive needs to hold her place of authority on such matters.

Still, it’s wonderful that the mountain has now gone and I look forward to the challenge of creating a new one next week when I’ll be safe from domestic invaders.

Did you know that ironing is now an extreme sport? Yes, really, see for yourself!

Don’t worry though it’s unlikely that I’ll be taking this up as a new pastime but sticking to my more traditional methods, and only when MT has run out of shirts to wear for work!

It’s been two years – that’s 730 days – since I arrived in New Zealand to start my new life as a Domestic Executive. Those painful first few hours after stepping off the plane are starting to fade to the long term memory but it’s still hard to believe that I’ve really started to achieve what I set out to do. But it is amazing what you can do when you set your mind to it.

As a professional coach I spend hours helping others to achieve their goals and wonder whether things might have been different if I’d had a coach at the time. Probably not as I’m not the most coachable person as my own coach found out.

The key to it all motivation. You have to want something really really bad to make something happen. You also need to have a really clear picture in your mind what it will be like. With those two things upper most in your mind everything else that might get in your way will drift away as a minor irritation.

It’s been a roller coaster time since I called New Zealand home. At last I feel like I’m on the antique merry go round rather than the corkscrew that used to be at Alton Towers. I ran away to get a more balanced life as a domestic executive living in the country and I’ve largely achieved this. Now the challenge is to start living the next part of the dream.

In coaching we’d call that setting new goals. So what are the goals for the next two years:
- to establish the kitchen garden and start to be more self sufficient in terms of food
- to build a “lifestyle business” that means life comes first but not at the expense of earning a decent living
- to help my puppies grown into loving and obedient adult bassets who will lie quietly on the floor and watch and intellectual documentary on the tv
- to be wake up every day knowing that this domestic executive life is no longer a dream!

So let’s see how the next two years goes.

It’s been a real challenge this week to play the Domestic Executive. I’ve had great domestic plans but then the executive in my was required meaning two trips to the big smoke.

I was performing my first Catapult gig helping to facilitate a strategy review session for a cross Government project. It was interesting to observe and help focus the discussion which might otherwise have gone the way of most strategy reviews – way down into the detail and never looking back to look forward.

It was good to be using the brain again although the tensions of puppy care and domestic duties seems to make the stress levels rise. Boy was I pleased for Friday to come around and be focused on taking the mud off the kitchen floor and nothing else!

We’ve had lots and lots of rain this week which has been great for the water tank but not so good for keeping the puppies amused. They hate being caged in under the veranda even more than huddling in their dog house exposed to the elements. It tends to make them stir crazy so when the sun comes out again they start leaping all over which makes for a frustrating time when it’s their muddy paws they are dancing on.

Funnily enough it’s been hard getting into the swing of things just like when you’re back at work. You need time to catch up with your emails, make contact with a few mates and have an unproductive time working down your to do list until at last you have to knuckle down and get something done.

I’ve high hopes for next week. Maybe the fencer will ring me back, the outstanding plants delivered, the weeds stop growing and my kitchen floor not continuously in a muddy state. Don’t get me wrong this is what I wanted and I look for excuses to stay at home all the time!

I ventured back to the smoke yesterday to see a couple of clients, one for coaching and the other consulting. It was weird to be back into smart clothes (which the puppies promptly chewed on their journey from outside pen to be locked in the house).

Although you have to invest time to win business the thing I found most difficult was all the coffee drinking. Here in New Zealand doing coffee is a big thing. There are however only so many lattes and cappuccinos that you can drink in a morning. By the time I was back home at lunch time I was almost as hyperactive as the puppies were on their release from the house.

Still it was a gentle test of the domestic executive waters to see how it felt.

I was actually quite pleased to be able to engage in conversations other than basset hound routines and what to buy at the supermarket. But not as pleased to come up the Te Marua hill towards the house and eventually come along the drive to see the house and view behind. Cruising along Lambton Quay and window shopping for new trousers was pretty good. You’ll be pleased to know that I was successful in finding a new pair of shoes in the sale to replace the trousers (I know, but when a girl needs cheering up it’s only really shoes that do it).

Today it’s back to DE responsibilities again and playing at consultant has to wait again for another day. If all the offers of work come off I’m going to be a very busy beaver very soon. A nice prospect as long as it doesn’t take me too far from my view of the hills.

I know it’s a bit cliché but being a domestic operative really is a full time job. It was much easier being an executive sitting a desk all day jawing to people about nothing of any real significance (compared to the rest of life).

I am looking forward to a break away from home in a few weeks to escape the domestic treadmill which I’ve been treading for the last few months. No joke, it feels like I dash around all day and when the sun goes down my batteries are flat and all I can do is haul my body off to bed.

I wouldn’t change things at all though really. Getting up at the crack of dawn to take the puppies out to admire the beautiful summer morning beats the commuter rush. Fortnum, Mason and I leave all that rushing stuff to MT. Our world however requires stamina to keep going all day.

I hate to be premature in my announcements but it really does feel like summer is arriving. So far it’s been the unpredictable not sure what’s going to happen next type of weather. The skies are getting bluer, the wind starting to die down and the temperatures regularly reaching 25-30 degrees. Hopefully the good weather will continue for our continuing visitors as there is nothing more miserable than a holiday in the rain. Whatever happens, you can’t beat the early mornings at the moment with the mist rolling down the hills with the sun shining behind. I wish I could capture this on camera as it really is a beautiful sight.

As I gazed out to the view this morning, I wondered do I miss the cut and thrust of corporate life. Heck no. When you’ve replaced the trim lattes for home made lemonade and the lunch box for a sandwich on the veranda you just can’t beat it!

Don’t be lulled into some romantic notion that I sit and look at the view all day. There are plenty of chores to be done and already the phone is ringing for executive work. I admit I’m putting that off for a while but it still requires some effort to win the business now. Hard to concentrate when there is more fun things to do around the house!

I’d quite forgotten the impact of holiday time on how New Zealand operates. The fact that we’ve had to set the alarm for MT in the morning to catch his train on time has reminded me that during the holiday season much of National Radio (our favourite NZ channel) has gone on holiday too.

Instead of lively chat and reports on home and world news we have some idiot who yesterday spent at least 3 minutes talking about the fact he’d left his glasses at home and had borrowed some glasses from his mate. Agh, it’s just not what you need when you’re trying to wake up. Doom and gloom stories of the world is what makes you listen more intently not drivel about someone’s lack of reading capability.

So we’re enjoying a review of almost every National Radio programme where they play back snippets of what they thing was the best of their broadcasting last year. It’s been really lame and I’m almost wishing that we could get back listening to the stories of Harry Wakatipu which annoyed me so much last year.

Still, this domestic executive doesn’t have time for lying in bed listening to the radio. I’m up with the larks, or rather the puppies, for their morning routine. Then it’s grass watering duties before finally slumping into Domestic Executive HQ for a spot of email and blog catching up. All this is a rest before the days work really begins!

Away from the routine of DE life, I’m still relishing the beauty of the place that we live. The morning’s are crisp and bright with our two friendly parakeets flying around and watching the feral bunnies hop around the bottom of the garden (if only they knew there were two hungry hounds watching them too!).

Did I tell you that the goats escaped and haven’t come back? Not best pleased about that. Our neighbour hadn’t secured the fencing properly so this dinky family I had come to love are now fending for themselves up in the forestry area. Maybe they’ll come back and if they do I’m planning to kidnap (sorry, excuse the pun) and bring them over the fence to live with the rabbits at the bottom of the garden. Psst, don’t tell MT he doesn’t know about this plan yet!

How time has flown (again!). It’s almost time for MT to return to work and we are once again wondering where the holidays have gone. At least I have the advantage of not having to return to the grindstone in the city.

Our second visitor Margaret has just arrived from Sydney for a few days so we’re looking forward to showing her some of what the Wellington region has to offer. A poor excuse to go wine tasting again! The weather forecast for the next few days is not great which is hard for our visitors to endure but we’ll be pleased to see if we can restock the water in the tank. Turning on the tap and water coming out is still a bit of a novelty which we enjoy after a week of temperamental behaviour from our water pump.

To avoid thinking about going back to work, we’ve been contemplating all the work that we need to do around the house. Next big shopping expedition will I think be to the rural farming store to invest in a bush cutter (for that lovely gorse) and miscellaneous other tools that you need to fix things up around the place. We also need to get some mini fencing to keep the bassets off the flower beds as the plants are now in and it would be a shame for the hounds to be ruining the hard work that went into them. As far as they are concerned though it’s the first soft spot after leaving the house and a perfect place to have a private moment and make them feel more comfortable first thing in the morning!

Now we’re settling into the house we need to make the most of what we’ve got. We never tire of staring at the view or wondering at the sunsets which have been stunning during the time we’ve had good weather. I aim to get some more photo blogging done over the next few days, so watch this space blog readers for the next update.

As part of my efforts to put a little spice into this blog I thought I talk about the heat we are having at the moment. Compared to last year it’s a heat wave. Come to think of it, I think it’s a heat wave per se.

Yes in the last 9 weeks we’ve had hardly any rain and consistently good temperatures in the 20’s (30C on New Year’s Day). Whilst it’s not been perfect, it’s t-shirt and shorts weather and the sun Nazi is back on duty with the slip on a shirt, slap on a hat and slop on the sun cream. You can’t be too careful in this part of the world. Those windy Wellington days can be very deceptive.

Bassets don’t like the heat at all. It makes them tired and cranky with a tendency to loll around, usually wiping their watering mouths all over your clean clothes. Still, I cherish my Bassets more today than ever after reading a tragic story in the paper about 2 bassets that died from toxins they picked up on a walk around the Hutt River this week. They were owned by a local breeder who has been walking their dogs for years in this spot but with the hot weather and low water levels the algae had populated the river bank and having eaten this they died within hours.

Anyway time for me to take advantage of my shady veranda and admire the view. It’s a hard life for this domestic executive who working hard at vacationing!

On the first day of 2008 we have had all sorts of water adventures. Seemingly it wasn’t the just the pump playing up. Now it’s the valves. So after much gnashing of teeth we spent the day kicking the water system to get it to spring into life. Oh the joys of country living.

Having said that, I’d rather had idiosyncratic water that works than heating that doesn’t. Commiserations to the ST and RD and my nephews who have suffered in the chills of London for a few days.

I’ve decided to make many new year’s resolutions this year and just see how the year unfolds. Since 2007 was a relentless ride of schedules, milestones and goals to achieve I’m rather hoping for 2008 to be the year we just enjoy the moment.

That’s not to say we don’t have plans or things we want to achieve. But rather we’re going to take life at a more leisurely pace. Since I slept in this morning until 0640 a first for months and months the New Year is off to a good start in my book. Not so good as far as the puppies were concerned who we almost cross legged waiting to be let out!

As far as the blog is concerned, I know I have to work harder at keeping entries more regular and just for Nat, a little more spice required. I am sure that the tales of building and puppies can get a little tedious so I’ll see what I can do. Keeping a blog makes you realise how ordinary life can be but I’m sure if I look and think harder I can make even the ordinary seem special enough to share with bloggers.

At last look over 200 people a month read this blog which is an amazing number. I’m touched by the fact that people take the time and energy to catch up with all our news.

So, happy 2008 to everyone. I hope that you get all that you hope for in this special year to come.

I feel like I’ve been motoring at a million miles an hour this week. There are puppy routines to manage, builders to coral and family to organise for. Still, I’m over the hump and now heading into the middle lane towards the slow lane for the holidays.

Quite unexpectedly I was also called to present for some coaching business with a large Government department. I needed it like a hole in the head in terms of current priorities but need to invest for future. Although technically I’ve finished with MSD I’m still playing flexi time to pay back for the time owed when I was up to my neck earlier this month.

All in all it’s felt quite stressful but this evening as I finished my domestic responsibilities (fetching the washing in) I got a lump in my throat when I glanced back at the view. It’s an amazing place we’ve found here in New Zealand and whilst there is life in the fast pace inside the house you just need to look around and life moves at a natural pace in a complicated yet stress free way.

Trying to pick up on the country pace I’ve failed to get my photo blogging done this weekend. But tomorrow is another day!