It has now been a month since I began my new life here in in Golden Bay. I can’t believe it has gone so quickly, but I’ve spent most of the time working, trying to make a solid start on my new career, writing iOS apps. I had set myself an internal deadline to have something to show by the end of the first month, and yesterday I submitted my first 3 apps to Apple for review (just Beta Test review, not final iTunes store review). So now I’m in the nerve-wracking phase of waiting to see whether any of the three have a chance to make it onto the iTunes App Store. I’m sure I’ll get better at this, but I also know that I still have plenty to learn about the whole process. And whether or not Apple decides these first three attempts should live or die, I’m pleased with the progress I’ve made.
I am enjoying the privilege of living in a fabulous house by the beach, with one of the best “corner office” views in the world. It’s the most amazing place to work: I’ll sit there staring at a computer screen for an hour or two at a time (as indeed, I’m doing right now), then suddenly I’ll look up and realise that I’ve forgotten the glorious view and I just soak it in for a few minutes. I definitely want to keep on doing this …
Away from the work, I’ve been walking and running on the beach every day (when it isn’t raining), and I’ve loved catching up with family, and with the few old friends who still live in the Bay. Everywhere I go, pretty much everyone here knows someone with whom I’m related or acquainted, and that’s not something I’ve experienced for a long, long time (living in the relative anonymity of Europe). One thing is already clear: no-one who lives here should have any illusions about their “privacy” … we are all
I’ve been making the most of my new ability to grow and collect and catch my own food: we had a first fishing trip yesterday; I’ve collected shellfish a few times; and I’ve been eating my own potted herbs from the beginning. But this week I took it a step further and harvested the first “vegetables” from my new garden: rocket, which in just three weeks has grown to the point where it needed to be picked and eaten. Is that normal? And does the triffid-like growth rate continue indefinitely? If it does, I’ll be serving Rocket and Parmesan salad for lunch every day!
For me, life has always revolved around the dining table. Last night, a few friends and family got together for dinner: Confit de Canard, cooked to perfection by (sister) Fi, with potatoes roasted in duck fat. Just stunning! It wasn’t Thanksgiving Dinner – because this is New Zealand (and we were already a day past Thanksgiving) – but something to be thankful for, certainly. As I drove home to the Beach House last night (with the top down), the night sky was just amazing. I had forgotten how clear the sky is, down under.
While Golden Bay is – objectively – the end of the earth, already I’ve been blessed with visitors from France, the UK, New Zealand and even Tanzania. I’m really pleased to hear so many people planning to visit the Bay. I’d love to be able to host as many visitors here as we did in France or at Blenheim Palace.
So my impressions so far? This new lifestyle is certainly worth the journey … and while I have yet to prove that I can sustain it financially, I already know that I’ll be working as hard as I ever have in my life, in an effort to achieve that.
This is a lifestyle worth living for!
Paul Manson 