Leaving On A Jet Plane !

52 Days to go ..........

Well, here goes then, this is the first installment of my blog. I hope it will be of use and interest to those we're leaving behind and others about to embark on the journey /adventure that is emigrating to Australia.

We leave for our new life in Cairns in 52 days. The house is sold, the flights and stop over hotels are booked, the money exchange is arranged. We both have jobs to go to over there, 4 weeks of free accomodation courtesy of my new employers is arranged, web cams have been bought and installed complete with skype (unfortunately we forgot to get oursleves one !).

Nothing has been left to chance !

I should explain that we have had our PR (Permanent Residency) visas for 3 years now, have validated them by visiting my cous and her family near Melbourne in Feb 2004. Since then Louise ("the missus") has been doing her Mental Health Nurse Training so I've had 3 years of boredom at work waiting to go. Fortunately, my place of work has unlimited access to the net and a rather lax attitude to making me actually do any hard graft ! So if there's anything I don't know about Australia and it's climate, inhabitants, housing, banking etc. then it's not worth knowing.

Unfortunately for the people I work with, I have been unable to stop myself reciting all these facts over the last 3 years at every opportunity and each new memebr of staff have been mercilessly pursued and given the full "did I mention I'm emigrating to Australia?" speech. To all those poor souls, I'm truly sorry!

So anyway, this is just the start of it ! All we have to do now is make it through the 52 days, the leaving do (which we're convinced no-one will turn up to as we've suddenly realised we've got no mates!) and a small matter of a romantic 4 nights in Venice with the Winged Serpent  with my lovely wife.

Flying  with Ryan Air for the 1st time so fingers crossed on that score.