We had a bit of time to ourselves this morning as we weren't expected in Kirkcaldy until around 2pm. The kids played with their new pressies and we tidied up some of the mess.

We arrived at Mike's Mum and Dad's around the same time as Adrian, Catriona and Laura and were soon opening lots of lovely presents, followed by a fab dinner.

After dinner we suggested playing Scene It as we thought it mught be a decent game for Mike's Dad (i.e. it's DVD based so we thought it might be weasier for him to play via the loop). This wasn't to go down so well though as Steve got a bit "off" with Mike for some reason and really annoyed him by trying to make a fool of him. I suspect he's lucky Mike's a gent as I think he was VERY close to getting a sore face if Mike's mood was anything to go by after that.

It did spoil what was up til then a REALLY lovely day, but then again, what's Xmas with out someone falling out?

We were woken this mornign by Becca at 6.20 am. Not because she was excited but for a toilet visit. When she was done Mike said to go back to bed and pff she popped to be followed by a loud "I've got present in my stocking". There was NO way she was going back to bed so she brought her stocking through and we watched her open it. Ellie didn't come through till after 7. She's really starting to like to lie in - about time too!!

After the stockings were all empty, we came downstairs and Ellie was SUPER excited by all her gifts. She was halfway through before she even noticed her bike!!!

Mike's Mum and Dad arrived around 10 for a coffee and to see the girls' presents. It was great for the girls to see them and they loved showing off all their gifts. They didn't stay too long as they had John and Steve arriving at lunchtime so we said our goodbyes and packed the car to go to my Mum and Dad's.

By this time, we were concerned that Becca was going to the toilet TOO frequently, and was now complaining that it was sore to go so we called NHS 24 who advised she should see a Dr as it sounded like a urine infection. What's Xmas without a trip to the hospital eh????

BIG rush followed. We had just over half an hour to get to the Western in Edinburgh and we made it JUST. She was in and out quickly, with instructions to take a sample back in later on that day for testing.

At Mum and Dad's it was crazy!!! The kids were all SO excited to have more presents to open and they loved everything. Pam and Mum seemed to like the photos we'd arranged. Thankfully, as we'd been working on them since October - phew.

Before dinner Mike popped back to the hospital with Becca's sample and returned with the news that she did indeed have a very minor infection, and had medicine to take for a few days.

Dinner was great. The kids behaved well and we had a good blether. Pam and Kenny and Abbie and Jamie left around 7 I think, a we left around 9.30. The girls were asleep in the car before we even got to the top of the road. Exhausted but happy.

Up sharp and Mum and Dad arrived early fr our trip to the Santa Steam Train. It was FREEZING but great fun. We ate mince pies and satsumas and sag Christmas songs with Santa and his helpers.

Mum and Dad came over for a coffee afterwards and then we bathed the girls and tidied up the house. In the afternoon, we had dinner at Beancross farm which was perfect. They have a little area set aside where the kids can play while the adults eat and Ellie and Rebecca just floated between eating dinner at the table and playing with their pals. Nicola, Gordon, Sophie and Molly were there too so the kids were VERY happy. Got a lovely surprise gift from them of a Willow Tree ornament called Happiness which symbolises our move to Australia - a really thoughtful gift.

Got home around 6.30 and the girls were asleep by 7.30. By 8.30 santa had been and Mike and I opened our gifts to each other with a glass of wine.

I got an Australia calendar, Clarins stuff, Chanel perfume, an MP3 player and a bluetooth headset for my mobile phone. Mike got a CD, a DVD, some Aussie beers and snacks, a book, aftrshave, silver cufflinks with St Andrews Cross on them and a shirt

School's out. Mike's home for Christmas and the girls seem to have settled down a bit and are behaving well. We went to Cadwinkel's Soft Play on Friday morning and the girls met Mrs Claus who was lovely. Just like everyone's favourite Granny. And whilst Becca's been terrified by Santa this year, she really warmed to his missus which was lovely.

Last night we were upstairs settling Becca as she was having a bad dream around 10pm. On the way back downstairs I slipped and fell the rest of the way down the stairs, banging my coccyx, back and head on the edge of each step as I went. Was agony. I was terrified I'd really hurt myself and I couldn't put any weight on my right leg. Took some mega strong pain killers and tried to get some sleep in the hope it would be OK. Didn't sleep too well as the pain kept waking me, but by morning, I realised I hadn't damaged much more than my ego. I'm black and blue and in a LOT of pain today but thankfully, nothing a few days rest won't fix.

Had a lovely visit to Mike's Mum and Dad today. We had a nice lunch and a chat. They're popping over on Christmas morning to see what Santa's brought the kids.

Mike's just popped over to Paul and Gillian's to see them and also Austin who's visiting them for Christmas. So, I've got a quiet night in front of the box. Had a bath already so I'm off to get my fake tan started.

Tomorrow we're off on the steam train with Santa with my Mum and Dad. We're all really looking forward to that.
getting excited now, only 24 hours til santa comes :-))))))))

Well what do you know, it's Christmas week and both girls have had a sickness bug which has meant they've missed playgroup and nursery at the beginning of the week as well as Ballet. Not to mention, I've not had any peace at all as a result. Just as well we were organised and I hadn't planned on using that time to finish Xmas shopping.

Both girls are fine again now and just in time for their Christmas parties and visits from Santa today. They both loved their parties and were high as kites ALL day.

Got everything crossed that neither Mike nor I get the bug but so far so good. We got the photos back today for the gifts for Christmas so they're now all wrapped up and ready. Mike's going to build Ellie's bike tonight and then we're good to go.

We're all super excited now. Just can't wait. Tomorrow Mike's got a half day, but in typical Resolution style, he won't get away til after 2 at the earliest. Still, it's earlier than usual so we're all thankful for that. Think I'll go to the gym tomorrow and give the girls a play in Space Bugs to pass the morning.

Well, we survived the weekend (just). Ellie had her first nursery outing on Friday morning and I (as well as many of the other Mums) was a bit nervous. This was the first time she'd been so far from me and not with a relative or friend so it was a big moment for us both. The nursery trip was to The Snowman at the Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, and when she got back, she told me she loved it (phewww).

We had a great visit with Katie, Ben and Sam on Friday afternoon. First we met in Ikea and the 3 older kids went into the creche so that Katie and I could have a coffee in peace. Bliss, we actually managed to finish a conversation without interruptions.

After Ikea, we moved to Braehead and had lunch and a wander about the shops enjoying the lights.

Saturday we had to go to the tip. We have a HUGE pile of crap building up in our garage and most of it's packaging from Xmas pressies. After the tip, we went back to Braehead to the Singing Kettle Xmas show which the girls really loved. We had crap seats to begin with but during the interval we moved farther back and had fab views for the remainder of the show.

Sunday was lovely. We had the panto in Edinburgh arranged by Granny Clark. This is Granny's Xmas gift to her great grandchildren and they were ALL there with her which was lovely. Not many 86 year olds could manage such an event but she seemed to love it, as did the kids. We had a bit of trauma afterwards with the kids being naughty, but Mike had words with them when I took them home and they were good for the rest of the day.

Oh, I nearly forgot. For a while, we've been talking about getting a new laptop as ours is struggling a bit and not working well with MSN which is crucial for us moving. Anyway, whilst at Braehead on Saturday, we popped into PC World and while there, decided that we'd get more for our money with a desktop so we have ordered one from Dell which should arrive before the end of the year. As a result of this decision, we have moved all the kids toys up to the spare room and turned that into their new playroom. The upshot of that is that the room downstairs in now a proper study and it looks amazing. It's so much tidier coming into the house and seeing that, rather than a room with toys spilling out all over the place. The girls seem quite happy to have a bigger room for playing in too so it's a winner all round.

We have a couple of Xmas parties this week coming, and we've arranged to go visit Jim and Moira on Saturday which we're all looking forward too. It'll be nice to see them before Xmas as their house will be full on Boxing Day and probably a bit chaotic.

December 2006 started with a bang with Phil and Emma's wedding at Loch Lomond Youth Hostel. Emma's from Shtland and apparently "up there" weddings are 2 day events, so in keeping with this tradition, so was their mainland do. We couldn't get sitters for 2 nights so Mike went up on the Friday after work with Paul and Mike and Izy while I planned to follow the next day.

For me, preparation started on the Friday afternoon as Mike's Mum and Dad came over for s while to let me get to the hairdresser. OMG, I was there for over 3 hours!!!! I'm chuffed to bits with the result though, it looks a little like Posh Spice's Pob hair do and I've had it highlighted too which I'm really thrilled with.

On the Saturday morning, Mum and Dad arrived around 9.30 to take the girls away for me and I did a quick tidy up, packed the car and left around 10.00. Arriving in Stirling (25 mins from home) I suddenly realised I had forgotten to go to the florists for the buttonholes and my corsage. Had it been only my own, I'd have just left it, but I was collected 4 other people's flowers too so amid blue air, I travelled back to Brightons.

Flowers in hand, I set off again and finally arrived at the hostel around lunchtime. Lucky Mike was only just out of bed, but by the look of him, I knew he hadn't been there for long. Apparently he went to bed around 5.30am!!!!!!!!!!!

I wasn't sure what to expect of the hostel but it was fine. OK, it wasn't a 5 star hotel, but it was clean and you could see how splendid a home it once must have been, very grand. I was sharing a room with Ynez and Izy - it's been a looonnnnggg time since I slept in a dorm, it was quite fun really. We all had showers and got ready together, then went downstairs for the wedding.

The ceremony was fab. Very brief and to the point, yet deeply emotional and beautiful (lots of tears all round).

This was no ordinary wedding. Family and friends were doing all the work which resulted in it feeling like a "huge" family dinner at home. Friends of Phil and Emma's cooked the meal, the guys all helped serve it, we took our own booze and more friends were the ceilidh band.

We danced loads, it was excellent. Had huge bruises from Strip The Willow the next day. Thankfully, the strapless dress stayed in place, despite complaining plenty. I managed to stay up til 3am which I was quite pleased about, I'm such a lightweight these days.

The following morning the place was a bombsite!!!! Izy, Ynez and I plus a couple of Emma's friends set about cleaning and tidying. An hour or so later the guys started to appear so we finally got to have a cup of tea and some toast - aaahhh!!

We had to collect the girls from Edinburgh my Mum and Dad made us a lovely lunch and when we left, we decided to take the kid to Pizza Hut for dinner as neither of us were really feeling up to much else.

Last weekend, I was supposed to have a night out with Sarah-Jayne and Margaret from expates but it was cancelled at the last minute so I took the girls to collect Mike from work and we took them to a lovely restaurant in Princes Square for dinner then wandered around the Xmas festival in George Square and went on the carousels. Mike was out the next evening so I spent it wrapping pressies. On the Sunday we went to see Happy Feet.

This week has been pretty busy, and shows no sign of slowing (neither does the rain either, it's a nightmare out there). We've had Rebecca's nativity play which Mum and Dad came through for. Got to admit, I was feeling very emotional seeing my baby singing her little heart out all dressed up as an angel.

Yesterday we had the girls' friends from nursery plus their Mums round for a party (15 in total). The kids were wild but seemed to really enjoy themselves. To top it off, Mike called and pretended to be Santa and spoke to each child briefly on the phone. Their chins hit the ground - priceless.

Tomorrow Ellie is going to see The Snowman at the Festival Theatre in Edinburgh with her nursery and when she gets back, we're going to Glasgow to meet Katie and the boys for the afternoon. Mike's got a work night out, so I'm expecting to keep them out til bed time so I'm hoping for a quiet night. Saturday is the Singing Kettle show and Sunday is the Panto with Granny Clark. Busy, busy busy.

BTW - finally finished wrapping my Christmas gifts today - yeee hhaaaa. We were up til around midnight last Xmas Eve doing that and were determined to have it done early this year.

This coming Saturday is Phil and Emma's wedding and until yesterday I still had nothing to wear to it. Because of the diet, I decided to hold off on getting anything until near the date and therefore, last weekend came around and the dreaded shopping trip had to be done. I really wasn't looking forward to it as I had no idea what, if anything, would fit/look OK. We all headed into Edinburgh first thing on Saturday morning and made straight for the Trinny and Susannah Magic pants section of Debenhams. £35 and 5 mins later, I'm in a changing room looking like adodgyy sausage as my magic pants "suck and hoick" as promised. I tried on a pile of dresses and couldn't believe it - they worked, I was not only looking alright but was a size down!!!! Feeling energised butstilll dressless we had a peek into various other shops and then ran out of time and had to feed the girls and take them to a party.

The party was the 3rd birthday of my cousin Myles' daughter Orla and was at Craiglockhart Sports Centre. The kids had a great time and were entertained by Mr Boom much to Ellie's enjoyment (Rebecca wasn't so sure and spent most of the time hiding with Aunty Donna).

After the party we had torushh to Kirkcaldy to see Mike's Mum and Dad. Their new PC arrived last week andmikek had arranged to connect it. Once that was done we had dinner and then put the kids to bed. Following that we went to see Casino Royale with Mike's brother.

During the meal, Steve mentioned the girls' Xmas list to us. Now, this has become a bit of a sore point with me recently as I've spent literally hours and hours working out with the girls the exact gifts they want this year, I also had to be careful to makesurer there were things on the list which suited everyone's budget as I know Steve doesn't have a lot to spend. Anyway, requests for the lists started a few weeks back so last week I finalised it and sent it to Mike's family. Adrian and Catriona quickly decided on a gift and let us know so we could take them off. Mike's folks also decided quickly which was great and just left Steve. Back to the dinner table and he produced the list with a few extra items added by their Mum. The items added were all lovely gifts, don't get me wrong. But what annoyed me was that I was repeatedly asked what the girls would like, and then spent a LOT of time providing that whilst taking everyone's budget into account. Then, just because someone didn't like, or approve of the selection, it was decided to just get different things!!!! Why did I bother?????? I tried very politely to tell Steve that the items on the list were exactly what the girls wanted and we'd spent many hours picking them. I really didn't want to offend him, but he pointed at the list and asked "but does Ellie really like Girls Aloud?" I just hope that it will be realised that I didn't put the Girls Aloud CD on Ellie's list because I want it for myself (can't stand them) but because Ellie LOVES listening to them and really wants it. Next year, Mike can do the lists - it's a nightmare!!!!!

Vent over.

Anyway, back to dress shopping. Sunday morning saw us drive to Glasgow Fort and the kids went into the Creche for an hour. We went to Wallis first and there it was - a gorgeous black dress, 50s style and very pretty. At first we didn't think they had my size but we found one eventually on a different rack!! Lucky. Meanwhile, Mike got himself new boots too and we took the girls for a pizza with smiles all round. Phew!!

Last weekend was a tip to Glasgow Friday, Saturday AND Sunday. Thank goodness petrol's down in price a bit!!!!

Friday night was a trip to collect Mike from work and avoid the girls and I killing each other after a looonnggggg week together.

Saturday arrived and went swimming then decided to pop to Ikea for a couple of bits and pieces. Glasgow's Ikea is bigger than Edinburgh so off we trotted and even better than a trip to Ikea was a trip to Ikea where both girls were old enough to go into the creche :-) For those of you who know me well, you'll know I've been dreaming of an hour alone (at least without kids) in Ikea since Ellie was born 4.5 years ago. It was great. Mike and I shoped then went for a coffee before picking the kids up and taking them for dinner.

BTW, we usually always feed the girls when we're in Ikea as it's a long journey home and they love the meatballs. However, this time, for the first time, we didn't get the gravy on them and OMG I now know why they cover them in gravy and jam. They were absolutely dripping in grease - so disgustingly much that we took them off the kids and wouldn't let them eat them. Needless to say, we won't be eating them again.

After Ikea we wandered over to Braehead Shopping Centre. This was a favourite haunt of mine when the girls were babies as it's got THE best kid friendly areas, even comfy sofas for breastfeeding with highchairs next to them for Mums with oldr kids. Anyway, it was nice to go back there and it add to that, it was incredibly festive and the girls were delighted at the sight of the massive Santa's grotto which greeted them on arrival. We wandered around a bit and enjoyed the festive spirit and I also tried out a few perfumes as Mike would like to get me a new one for Xmas. We then caved in and took the girls to see Santa - on November 18th!!!!

Ellie loved it. She sat with Santa and blethered quite the thing. Rebecca was a different story and she hid herself in Mike's armpit to avoid having to talk to the big man.

Sunday arrived with our first frost of the season (brrrrr). We had already arranged to go back to Glasgow as I was meeting with the NCT girls with whom we'd done ante natal classes when Ellie was due. We've kept in touch over the years although we don't see each other too regularly any more. Sunday was also moving day for Adrian and Catriona so after dropping the girls and I off at a softplay centre, Mike headed off to ever so posh Newton Mearns to help them off. Mike came back to collect us at 4pm and not only was it dark, it was absolutely chucking it down with rain!!! Hmmm, not so good given that our next plan was to head into George Square and see the Christmas lights turned on. We decided to just go for it seeing as we were there already and parked the car at Buchanan galleries and walked as close as we could get to the Square (we coudn't actually get into the Square as it was tickets only). Anyway, we stood for almost half an hour befire deciding enough was enough. We headed back to the car park and watched the rest of the show from the 7th floor. Wasn't too bad a view and a LOT drier than standing outside I can tell you.

A Little Xmas Shopping
Yesterday saw our annual Christmas shopping trip with my Mum. We went to Big W, Argos and Toys R Us and the girls got to touch and play with any toys they wanted. Got Jamie's pressie so now it's just Laura's and the grown ups to get. Becca was a bit of madam but calmed down when we got back to Mum's for a coffee. Was a little sad last night as I remembered it might be the last time I get to have that day with my Mum.

Get Well Soon Bethany
Poor Bethany's got Croupe (or Croop) again and was rushed to hospital in an ambulance on Sunday night with breathing difficulties. She's on steriod now and is doing much better thankfully.

Just before I go, Gran was at Mum's today and was looking really, and was really chatty too. It was lovely to see. You know something, she's 86 and she was sitting knitting and didn't even need glasses. I'm 50 years younger than her and my eyes are a nightmare!!!

This week Mike's got poker at Phil and Emma's on Wednesday and a work night out on Friday. Then on Saturday we're going to my cousin Myles' little girl's 3rd birthday party, then heading to Kirkcaldy to spend the night with Mike's folks. Should be lovely.

I can't even remember half of the things we've been up to this past week or two but here's the highlights.

We visited Katie, Matt, Ben and Sam on Friday night and stayed over. Katie and Matt used to live around the corner from us in Glasgow and Ben was born around the same time as Ellie so we've been friends since Katie and I were in ante natal classes together. Katie and Matt moved to Ayr a couple of months ago and this was our first visit to Ayr to see them since they moved. We had a great night, and although I was good food wise, the diet slipped a little as I had some red wine - worth every ounce though lol. The kids were great, and this was Rebecca's first sleepover and it was a great success. We'll really miss Katie and Matt when we move, but I think they'll come visit us.

On the way home from Katie's, Mike dropped me off in Glasgow for an Expats meet. First though, I had an hour of shopping - ALONE :-) Managed to actually got into Mark's for a bra fitting without having two bored kids in tow which was bliss. The meet itself was great. There was a fab turnout and I caught up with Margaret. I left before Sarah-Jane arrived which was a shame but she and Margaret and I are hoping to get together again before she moves to Melbourne in December.

Tuesday night was our Muse night. I had ordered tickets to see Muse for Mike's birthday and it had finally arrived. OMG - awesome. We both had an absolutely fantastic night. My feet and back ached, my ears were shot to bits and I was knackered but it was soooo worth it.

This week Mike's been back at work which isn't so good, but he's off again for Xmas which isn't long so we'll just have to hang in there. This weekend we have our spa day booked for Saturday and then Maxwell's christening on Sunday so it's going to be another busy one.

Right, Kath and Kim's on so I'm outta here.

Last week was Halloween, and we had a lot of fun. We had a great party at Nicola and Gordon's house where we all dressed up, played games and had dinner. On the day itself we also had a party at Mum and Dad's and the kids perfected their apple dooking skills. Actually, they did their apple dooking in the garden again this year, that's 2 years in a row that Oct 31st has been sunny and dry!!

I've finished my "official" Xmas shopping for the kids presents. We decided to get Ellie a Leapster handheld as she's really changed recently. She loves to sit for ages lookign at books and playing with her leappad so we think the Leapster is going to be perfect for her. It's also going to be really handy for the flight to Australia too. Rebecca is getting her own leappad too but the "My First" version which is perfect for her age.

Now for the tricky gifts - the adults!!! Any ideas???

Still no acknowledgement from DIMA re the application for PR in Oz. Looks like it might be December before we hear anything.

Mike's been on holiday for nearly 2 weeks now and we've had a lovely time. We had a huge list of DIY to be done on the house but instead we've just pottered about, gone to the gym, visited people, shopped and generalyl slowed down - just perfect really.

This week Mum and Dad got their broadband turned on which as usual, didn't go to plan. Mike's going to go over on Saturday again to try and get their laptop to connect. Dad seems to be really enjoying having the laptop and I think he's going to love having access to the internet.

On Saturday, I've got another BE meet. Looks like it's going to be a big one this time with around 20 people expected so should be fun.

We finally gave in and bought ourselves new mobile phones yesterday. Ours were ancient but the new ones are groovy. We can now take photos and video and they are radios and MP3 players too.

Took the girls to see The Singing Kettle on Wednesday with Nicola and Sophie. I know I said I'd never go to that show, but the girls are on holiday this week and it was a good excuse to get out of the house as we're all sick of the sight of each other this week. The girls loved it and I survived. I've only ever heard it or seen it on DVD at Mike's Mum and Dad's and it looked awful. All that "up and up and up and doon" nonsense. I thought it was going to be over the top Scottish!! It wasn't though. Thankfully. They were also slagging off Falkirk a bit which made me giggle ;-) Nicola mentioned the Xmas show which I immediately said no to, then she said, well, if you're not going to take the girls I'll take them for you! That made me think. The girls really did enjoy it so I mentiond it to Mike and last night we ordered tickets for the week before Xmas.

Steve popped over for a chat last night which was nice. We were rushing around a bit and still eating diner when he arrived. Had planned to feed the kids earlier but with Ellie's swimming lesson on so late in the afternoon everything just got crazy.

Mike mentioned to Steve about coming to visit us in Melbourne and he doesn't really think he'll be able to afford it. He seems to think it's going to cost him at least £1000 to visit and although he says he's seen flights for £500 I really don't think he believes it's possible. He seems to feel that if he's coming to Melbourne then he should be visiting other parts of Australia as well which makes it more expensive!!! I just don't get that you know. I realise it's a long flight but if he stays with us it'll cost no more than his holiday last year to Barcelona. When he visited Barcelona, he didn't feel the need to then go on to Madrid or Torremolinos so why is it so different with Oz!!!!!

Mum's blood pressure is still really high which is a worry. She has now got new meds to take. Fingers crossed it works quickly. Also, it looks like my cousin Lesley is going to have a hystorectomy due to ovarian cancer!! She's the same age as me and has already had a double mastectomy due to the big C!! So so unfair. I truly hope this is the last she has to endure.

Also this week.......
We got a parcel from Bordy in Melbourne with some local papers and a real estate guide for Ferntree Gully which is fab! Cheers Bordy.
Sold a few bits and pieces on eBay and made £60
paid our final installment to George in Australia
Got an invite from Gillian and Robin to Maxwell's christening
Heard that Gill Paton is expecting a new baby - congratulations Gill
Ellie is being moved up a class in her swimming which is fantastic

Had a lovely day yesterday. Firstly we took the girls to the pool and Ellie astonished us with her newly acquired swimming skills. She's doing brilliantly, the lessons are really working well.

After that we all came home for lunch and got changed to go to Mum and Dad's for dinner. Mum and Dad have got Olive and John (Mum's cousin and her husband) staying so we were popping over to say hello. Olive emigrated to the US to marry John ages ago, she was a GI bride, and despite living on the other side of the world, I probably see mor of her than I do some of my family that live in Edinburgh!! Typical eh? But then again, considering we're emigrating too it's very heartening to see that distance doesn't split familes and often has the very opposite effect.

Anyway, we had a lovely afternoon. Olive and John were keen to hear all our tales about moving and Olive has given us her brother Bob's number. I've never met Bob, he lives in Melbourne which is handy and Olive says he'd be delighted if we got in touch when we move so that's great news. At one point during the afternoon Olive said to Mike and I "are you excited?" Those 3 little words meant so much to us. It's the first time anyone close has asked us about the move in a very positive way and it was lovely for us to be able to smile and say absolutely, instead of having to tread on eggshells and pretend we're not happy about the move!

When it came time for us to leave, Olive said "we might not see you again Gill". It hit me like a brick "but we'll see you next summer won't we?" I replied. No, she said. "we're not coming over until September next year" Then she hugged me and we were both in tears. It was a different kind of hug to the usual "see you next year" kind we usually exchange. She held me much tighter and for longer. I really really didn't expect to feel so emotional. Then John gave me a hug too and it was the same. Very sad. They're are really lovely couple and I sincerely hope we do manage to see them again. They are hoping to start living 6 months in the UK and in the US soon, so hopefully we will see them at some point on one of our trips back.

George has confirmed that he has checked our application and forwarded it to the Australian Department of Immigration and Multicultural Affairs (DIMA). We should get an acknowledgement soon, then a hefty wad deducted from our credit card followed by radio silence for up to 7 months :-)

Feels amazing. For such a long time, it didn't even look like we'd get to this point. I feel like we've joined some kind of club where the members are all awaiting visas. Lke we're bona fide expats in waiting now and not just wannabees;-)

Talking to Mike on the phone there, and I could almost hear his smile. Happy day.

Now, we start making lists. Lists of what to clean, pack, ditch, cancel. Lists of DIY needing done in the house for sale, lists of flight details for us and cats, lists of suburbs we fancy looking in, lists of money transfer agents. My head is just hurting thinking about it. Thank goodness I'm married to a project manager ;-)

The cold's a little better today. I don't feel so fluey today, and had a good long walk this morning followed by a large coffee so feeling a little more human now.

Ellie's got swimming lessons this afternoon which she's still loving. Thankfully, Rebecca's happy to sit with me at the side and not get in as there's no way I'm swimming with this cold. Will take her next week.

Mike's got a work do tonight and is out with his brother tomorrow so it's likely to be Saturday afternoon before we actually get a chance to sit and talk now. :-(

James came round last night to collect Ellie's old (new) loft bed. Ellie decided several months ago she didn't like sleeping up high, so we bought her a low bed again and agreed that James and Donna could have the high bed for Bethany. Ellie hasn't even mentioned that bed since then, until last night when she went ape when it ws being taken away. Total hissy fit!! We couldn't believe it. She said to Mike, "it's the saddest thing that's ever happened to me" Awwwww. Took her to bed with me for a cuddle while Mike got Becca in bed. That seemed to cheer her up, and it seems forgotten about today - phew.

Right, the kitchen's a disaster, gotta go.

Yesterday, we got an email from George to confirm that ACS have given us a positive skills assessment - fantastic news.

"All" we need to do now is get the actual visa ;-)))) The forms STILL haven't arrived with George but the post office tracking system says they've been handed to the Australian postal service for delivery. Hopefully tomorrow!

Once George checks the forms, he'll submit them for us and then the loonngggggg wait begins. We expect to have to wait up to 7 months for the visa to be granted (medicals and police checks included). Thankfully Christmas and the girls' birthdays are in between to help pass the time.

Thoroughly loaded with th cold today - feel sore and crap - yuck. Thankfully the girls are in nursery and playgroup this morning and this afternoon I'll take them to space bugs and then ballet so hopefully the day will pass quickly.

Picked up Ellie's bike and Rebecca's pram today to post on to santa lol. Also got Bethany's Christmas present so we're getting there.

Had to have a blood test today- wasn't looking forward to it AT ALL. The last time I had blood taken was when pregnant with Rebecca and my veins were in hiding - the result - agony and bruised arms. As it happens, today's encounter with the needle was almost completely painfree - EEAASSSYYYY. Why am I having blood taken I hear you ask? I'm having my iron levels checked. I'm hoping it shows I've got a deficiency, and if this is the case, once treated, it might cure my restless legs. Fingers crossed. Of course, we all know that it'll come back fine don't we!!!! (rolls eyes). If however, it does come back clear, there's a new medication I can try now which hasn't been available before now so at least there's something else to consider.

Poor Mike is shattered. His boss has been off all month and as well as doing his own job, he's doing hers at one of the busiest periods in the company's history!!! Yesterday he left the house at 6.30am and was still working at 11pm (albeit at home dialed up on the laptop). Thank god for Citrix Mike said - hmmm, maybe he's take a break if it wasn't so good ;-)

Rebecca had an hour round at Lynn's this morning playing with Abbie. Abbie is the first friend her own age that Rebecca has had and they just love each other. Up until now, Rebecca's friends have pretty much all been Ellie's so it's lovely for her to have her own.

Ellie's got swimming lessons this afternoon. I can't believe how much she's come on in the last month. She's getting much stronger, it's great to see.

our case, goes around the world :-)

Just sent George Lombard the 2nd installment of his fees for his professional services as our immigration agent. It's a LOT of money (to us at least) but it is about the best money we've ever spent.

"IF" we get to submit our visa application (assuming ACS skills assessment comes back positive) then we'll need to make a final payment to George and also another big one to DIMA. The old plastic's gonna be hurtin'.

As an aside, we were looking at suburbs on the 'net again tonight and Ferntree Gully looks interesting. Found THE most amazing property - 4 bed, spa, mega garden and outhouse for £140k. Just amazing. Going to do some more research on FTG as it's closer to the CBD than some other areas we've looked at.

Nothing back from the ACS yet regarding Mike's skills assessment. However, our agent (the lovely George) has been in touch with them and they have said we should hear in about a week.

With that in mind, we got the 3 missing items sorted for our DIMA application. We had to get new passport photos taken of the girls as DIMA require 2 of each person on the application. We also needed a further certified copy of Mike's passport which the girls and I got in town yesterday. Finally, we had to add Mike's most recent pay slip (to add to the others we already had in the pack). He got this today so added that to the pack and then took it all to the post office.

So, that's it. Assuming ACS comes back with no problems (fingers crossed), our application should reach George next week and then he will submit it for us. We are looking at a wait of between 4-7 months as a general rule, but it can take longer.

IF we apply next month, we "should" have visas next April/May. We are thinking of putting the house up for sale around April time and Mike will resign as soon as the visas come through so long as the house is sold. The biggest problem with all that is that Mike's on a 3 month notice period so we might have to stay a little longer than we would like.

The diet in preparation for the medicals (and our new healthier lifestyle in general, here or in Oz) is well under way and we're doing great. We're also getting to the gym loads which is great.

10lbs down - Been dieting for 3 weeks now and am really happy with how I'm doing. Got a long way to go, but I'll get there.

Whilst I was being good at home with my homemade parsnip crisps watching Casualty, Mike was out in Glasgow on Saturday with the guys for Andy Trotter's stag do. An amazing feat in itself, given that Andy nearly died not that long ago in a horrific bike crash. Thankfully, he's pulled through and it in excellent form. Sounds like they had a great night - curry at Ashoka in Ashton Lane Aaaahh, I've made Mike promise to take me there again before we go, it's just the best.

The girls both have colds, lovely green snotty noses and horrible coughs! Yuck. Still, we had better get used to it as it'll probably be like that til April now. Good old Scottish weather, at least it's reliable lol.

Saturday brought the long awaited Disney Princesses on Ice Show at the SECC in Glasgow. The girls got new dresses to wear (Cinderella and Belle) and off we went. It was amazing. The opening sequence gave me a real emotional rush and I actually had tears in my eyes - the music was so powerful, and that combined with Ellie and Rebecca's faces just got me. Ellie was awe struck by it. She kept hugging me and at one point out of nowhere said "I love you Mum" - I think she was enjoying herself :-) Rebecca sat with her eyes peeled the entire way through it. Not sure she knew what to make of it, but she definately enjoyed it.



Mike's Mum and Dad joined us for dinner on Saturday evening which was lovely. The girls were still very excited from the show and enjoyed telling Gran and Grandad all about it. For us, it was nice to have a decent chat with them. We both felt we'd had a better chat than we've had for ages, and Mike felt this was maybe because there was very little alcohol on the go!!

On Saturday evening, I noticed a Freecycle email offering free cinema tickets for Sunday morning and I managed to obtain 4. The film was Hoodwinked and although we might not have opted to go see it had we been paying, we all really enjoyed it. Also, because it was shown in the cinema near my Mum and Dad, we popped over for an hour to say hello. That was really good. I feel the girls don't really get to spend any "real" time with my Mum and Dad despite being there every week . That's because, on Tuesday's when we go there, all the grandchildren are there and it's crazy. Poor Mum spends the entire afternoon cooking and tidying after the kids and Dad usually does a disappearing act to escape the madness. We really should make an effort to get over there more often on our own, I just don't like to intrude as they've got Bethany so much already, and their own lives to lead.

Yesterday, Ellie had to have her pre-school booster jabs. Oh dear, that wasn't fun at all. she was not a happy bunny, and how bad did I feel having to hold her down - twice!!? Thankfully that's that done now.

Got a load of Christmas shopping done yesterday morning whilst the girls were at playgroup and nursery. Was chuffed with what I got in Woolies Sale and I also got Abbie's birthday gift and an extra little thing for Ahren and Brody. Must go post their parcels today as they're all wrapped and ready to go now.

Have sent draft copies of our visa application forms to George in Sydney this week and he's happy we've got everything covered. Couldn't believe how much information we needed to provide, we had to try and remember stuff covering 10 years which wasn't easy. Just got to get a few new photos, and a couple of more docs to get certified and we'll be ready to courier it all off to DIMA. We are hoping to hear from ACS within the month and as soon as that comes back, our visa application will be made. Following that, we should get a visa within 7 months - yaa haa.

Mike's got Andy's stag do this weekend but other than that the rest of the week should be quiet - ah bliss.