A long way to get a letterbox

Today I am the proud owner of a new letterbox. Did I need a new letterbox? No. The old letterbox was perfectly functional at delivering those bills that still come in the post and other miscellaneous mail that proliferates at this time of year. In fact, this weekend has been quite a lettebox weekend for both Ali and myself. Yesterday Ali recieved his first hardcopy mail. Well, actually it was addressed to both Ali and I at our street address. Ali's name was spelt in full: A. Burk. This is due to the fact that I told some marketing caller that my partner's name was Ali Burk. What prompted me to do this was that so the person on teh end of the phone did not think I lived alone. So, I suddendly found myself saying that my partners name was Ali and then when they asked for the surname volunteered Burk - which was my mother's maiden name. The telephone person inisted that it was best I take my partner to the LJ Hooker evening being hosted at the Solway Park Hotel so we could get maximum benfeit from all they have to offer. I don't really want to go the LJ Hooker evening. But apparently there will be light refreshments and the chance to go in a lucky draw. I do though quite like the thought of being a property invester. This is unlikely to happy in the immediate future as I am barely find time to develop the one property I have to the potential that it is capable of being. There art imitates life or something. Anyhow, I thought why not? So I'm enrolled or RSVPd to go to a session at the Solway in early December. I think LJ Hooker and Solway people would be quite astounded if I took Ali along to the evening. And in fact so would he. So, I wont! I will have to make some excuse like he does shift work or something. I shouldn't really be making any excuses. Why do you need to have a partner to invest? The obvious answer is that it doubles your income. But even if I had a partner, surely you have some financial independence, at least until you are married, or in that stage of full om commitement. LJ JHooker and their representatvies make to many assumptions. For this reason I shouldn't go to the evening. However, I wish to use it as a motivational opprtunity to advance m retirement planning and property developmenet aspirations futehr than watching Property Ladder on Channel 8.

Back to the purchase of my letterbox. I discovered it on TradeMe. http://tradme.co.nz/ It is a macrcocarapa letterbox. I am having a macrocarpa phase. Essentially it is a slab of macrocarpa (last week I purhcased a slab of macrocarpa and turned it into a seat on Trade me - this is what inadvertendtly led me to the letetrbox) that has been turned into a letterbox. It was advertsied as being like no other in your street. In fact I think it will be like no other in my town. Design wise it will be a triumph once it is mounted. But that is some way off. I may have to ask Ken my neighbour to help me mount my letterbox. It needs a hole in it possibly one that can be bolted to the post. I dont think I have the equipment or skills to do this without smattering it into the firewood that it would otherwsie be. I do though have the letterbox. Although I trsut my neighbours I have invested too much in this letterbox to let it be stolen.

Now the Trademeseller clearly stipulated that it was pick up only. He was located in "Kapiti". I thought the letterbox was so uinique that if I won the acution then it would justiify driving from one side of the lower north island to ther other and return. Under normal circumsatnces this would have been the case. Howeever once I got over the Rimutakas I had an idea. I could save time and drive through the Akatarawa Rd. This would bring me out at Waikanae. This was not really an inspired idea in retrospect because where I needed to come out was Raumati. It is long time since I have driven this road. So long I had fogtten what a terrible road it is. It is a road that in some parts barely fits a Toyota Corolla little own a Toytota and someones Tonka Toy four wheel drive. That was the least of my worries. I had barely stareted off down Akatarawa Rd when I suddely heard what I thought was a siren. It was a siren with flashing lights. As I was the only one on the road then I realised the unmarked large red POLICE car was wanting me to stop. I stopped. And I noted here that both I and the POLICE car wer stopped on a double yellow line. So surely that means that the POLICE lady driving the POLICE car commited an infringement. She asked me if I had seen her. Well, no celarly I had not. She being Officer number X146. She then advised me taht I had been going 15km over the speedlimit. That is I was going 65km in a 50 km zone. She asked me if I was in a hurry. Well, the correct answer to that was of course I was in a hurry. In a hurry to buy my Trademe letterbox. I said no, and that I had just come off the Rimutakas and hadn't realised how fast I was going. I wanted to say that one can only go so fast in a 1990 Toyota. Instead I attemtped to look as remorseful as I could. She asked for my drivers license. I fumbled and it took me at least every docoument in my purse to locate it. She then went to her POLICE car to verify my address and perfect driving record. Well, thats what I thought she was doing. It transpires that she was writing me a ticket, or as the official piece of POLICE paper records it Notice N 6817096. She handed it to me. Smiled and said "It's not the crime of the centrury". Well there you go in purchasing my letterbox I became a minor criminal. The fine cost $80.00. The exact cost of the letterbox. It could have been worse I guess. At least my car was registered and warranted.

After navaigating the long and expensive winding road of the Akatarawa and encoutering a few flash backs from when I used to visit Moss Green and Reikorangi Poterry with a special friend from a few years ago now I arrived at the agreed address for the letterbox pick up. I had left phone messages earlier in the day but appranetly not on the Trade Me sellers phone. As I entered into the agreed address driveway I noticed lots of windows and doors open. Great, I thought the owners and the TradeMe seller are home. I knokced on the door. A lady called out Hi. I responded in kind and then advised I was there to pick the letterbox up. "What letterbox?" she said. It turns out she was a real estate agent running an open home. She was not interested in selling me a letterbox. She was only interetsed in selling me a house. She looked at me in disgust. I walked off. With an incorrect phone number all I had was the sloace of coffee on Rosetta Road. The cafe is still there. It is still good coffee and food. The house I used to visit just up the road is still there too, but its been done over. I walked on the beach and then decided I would go back one more time. I did and the

He opened his garage. In it there were two late model cars parked and an old lady. She was either his mother or mother in law. I dont really think she was parked like the cars but happended to be looking for something jsut as he opend the door. The thought did cross my mind. I hope this is not elder abuse. The the old lady spoke. She advised me the letterbox was big enopugh to fit a possum in. I note here I actually think it would have to be small possum but if you live ina garage I guess it would seem big. I paid my cash and took the letterbox.

It is a very nice and unique letterbox. I feel like I 've rescued it from being stuck in a nondescript Raumati street. It will go much better by my hedge.

However the letterbox took me nearly all my Sunday, over 200km and and cost with petrol and fine would be in excess of $200.

Please rememebr this when you post me your Chrismas cards!