L'inverno sta arrivando

The days are getting very short. Soon enough it will be dark when I leave work at 5pm. Winter is coming.

My Kiwisaver account has been doing nicely over the last 3 years. It is a government initiative to get people saving; I put 4% of my weekly wage aside and that is invested in 'safe' portfolios. If I don't touch it, I should have $400,000 by the time I retire. I like the look of that.

In the meantime, I feel like I have two savings goals left. I want to buy a good D-SLR camera, probably a nikon d50 or similar. I do also want to learn to drive my car. That's more of a motivational than monetary goal. Then lastly, I want to save up a few grand, then travel through ireland, france and italy. I yearn to breathe that ancient air. New zealand is so young geologically, politically, socially. I want to stand in the colosseum, to see the ruins of the terme di diocleziano and caracula, cross the ponte di rialto and ponte vecchio. To see the towering cathedrals of Chartres, Nimes, Rouen, to spend a night at Mont Saint Michel. To stand at the cliffs of moher, to see the giants causeway.. just to breathe the air and taste the food and hear the people.

My feet are itching.

The sandman comes.