I CHANGE MY MIND. A LOT!

 A couple of months ago (if not longer), I decided I wanted a spa pool.

Cos I was freezing all the time, and I thought being able to soak in a spa pool would be WONDERFUL.

So I went out looking at Spa Pools.  And realised they were damn expensive.

Like, I should have known that, having bought one in Auckland, Right? 

So I 'adjusted' my thinking to ... let's get a BATH put in the house.  Same sorta thing, I can lie in it and warm up, soak, relax... bla bla bla.

A couple of days ago my thoughts started wandering to WHY I was getting a bath.

And I realised I still actually wanted a friggin spa pool!

Cos to fill the bath would totally empty our hot water cylinder every time I had a bath, and it would cool down and need topping up again while I was still in it.  Also, Stew would NEVER ever use the bath, so it would only ever be for me.

IF we got a spa though, Stew would use it, and it wouldn't drain the hot water cylinder.  And it would be an enjoyable thing we could do together.  (minds out of the gutter thanks!)

And spas do not cost an arm and a leg to keep running.  (about $10 a week) from memory.

So... yeah.

We are now going back to look at Spa Pools again.

I'm looking at getting one by mid summer, in time for next winter.  Though of course, a spa can be used year round.

We have the perfect place for a spa too...  I spent a bit of time yesterday re-arranging the sun room to be sure we had room for a spa.

ABOVE:  I brought the brown couch up from the bottom half of the sun room.... and...

ABOVE:  There ya go!  Room for a smallish, 2-4 person spa.  I'll have to check with Steve that the flooring will take the weight of a spa, but I'm fairly sure it will be fine.  IF not, I will rearrange the gym room, and put some of the gym equipment in the bottom part of the sun room, then the spa can go in the gym room.

I'm relieved I didn't rip, shit and bust and go get the bath right away!  

Cos that would have been my usual modus operandi!  

Sometimes it's good to just take ya time and think on it for a bit.  Glad I did this time.

Today?  ROAD TRIP.

I better pack our lunch!  NOT BUYING ANYTHING.  Doing my Challenge remember!

Gosh the things ya dream about.  I spent a lot of time last night dreaming about our future Grandbaby... and it falling into the spa pool!  

So dumb.  I will get a heavy, insulated lid for the pool, and it will be totally safe for the baby!

We will be looking at spa pools today.  But not here in Hamilton.  The spa pool shop we want to look in, here in Hamilton, is not open on Sundays.  

So once we have been to 'P', we will go to Botany in Auckland to look at spas.

ABOVE: FOGGY start to our day. 

So we are in Pukekohe. Visiting a Quilt Exhibition. It is a fairly small exhibition, but still lovely. 

ABOVE: My absolute favorite quilt here.  Stunning. Totally ME.

ABOVE : Thrre are 3 merchants here... but not a lot of fabric for sale. I did find a small selection to purchase... went totally outside my comfort zone with my selection too. I'm seeing a gold 'n' pink braid runner coming up. 😅😆

ABOVE: An early lunch before checking out spa pools in Botany.

Right.  Hot Spring Spas.  WAY WAY TOO EXPENSIVE!  They seem to have more than  DOUBLED in price since we bought our last one (back in 2011) !  I was shocked at how much they are now.  The one we paid around $10,000 for back then is now $23,000 !

So... we will shop around and see what other ones are on the market, at a more affordable price.

On our way out of Auckland, we stopped for a walk around the Botanical Gardens (where we used to live 6.6 years ago).

It was lovely to wander in one of our favourite spots again.

ABOVE: It was neat to see the eels again.

I do wonder if they are the same eels?   Because eels can live up to 100 years, they might be the same ones! 

ABOVE: This area is named The Rock Gardens, and is probably our favourite spot in the Gardens.

It is almost 3 pm and we are safely home again.  And now, we look forward to the kids coming over and cooking our dinner.  How lucky can ya get?  😋😊

One thing I did find rather weird was wrapping my head around the fact that we were going to Auckland, but were not going to have a meal 'out'.

I don't  think we have ever done that before.  Usually we go to somewhere nice and have a bought lunch. 

It didn't bother me too much, as I know I'm not missing out on much. 

And after my Challenge is over I will appreciate the odd meal out more.

I just don't want them to become as frequent as they had become lately.

OMG dinner was DELICIOUS!  Steve sure knows how to make Lasagna.

It was nice to catch up with Steve, Bex and boys.  

They've left now, and Stew and I are doing our usual nightly routine.

Catch ya tomorrow.

DAY FOUR DONE AND DUSTED