Hevs and HUP update. The godd, the bad, and the ugly.
 

Hi all.

I've stayed away for a bit because The Garrett households been a bit down and if i came on her all of the "we are moving to Aus to be better off" brigade would have been shot down in flames with my trollish answers:rolleyes:

Anyway i have turned the corner and, due to all off your support, i thought i should catch you all up:)

A few weeks ago all the GBP's were finally spent (last instalment on the bathroom!!) and so i sat down and did the budget only to find that our weekly living cash was CRAP!!:scared:
The words disposable and income will not be used in the same scentance around here for a while. Also Matt doesn't like his job that is paying him craply, so that doesn't help. On a positive note, at least he has a job.

Still weigh this up with the positives and me starting work soon, and it will be ok.

Secondly my sons been seen by the Ed phyc at school, to do follow up tests for his dyspraxia and my concerns with his reading getting no better. This has thrown up some potentially horredous stuff re the "wiring of his eyes". I can't really explain it too well at the moment, but we are off to see a specialist on the 2nd of July (I asked the receptionist, "what, this year?" she didn't get the irony!) and we will know more then.

But on the positive side, at least it has been picked up. Also if it is this eye thing aswell as dyspraxia, he will get funding for an adult support/aide throughout his schooling, unfortunately for dyspraxia alone, there is NO funding from the education department. (here in Victoria anyway!)

Anyway, thats a very cut down version of events and at our lowest point they seemed insermountable, but a friend on here told me to "think about what i have, rather that what i don't have":)

Also a very special person on here sent me a very special parcel this week, It contained bournville and minstrels, its amazing what some pommy choccy can do to cheer a girl up!:D

Anyway, thats about all folks, house reno going slowly but surely, i feel almost like i'm failing you for not doing anything stupid, or remotely funny this past few weeks. But we have built a cracking wood shed and i am building steps down to my front door so that my son won't kill himself running down the hill straight through his window.:eek:

So all in all things are good. Blips happen, its just keeping stuff into perspective when they do I guess.:) :)

PS> The title was supposed to read "good" but hey, its just me:D

As Mr Robert Williams once said 'you gotta get high before you taste the lows'.

Of course he was talking about drug and alcohol abuse but the same goes for life - you wouldn't be so miserable about the bad things if you didn't get happy about the good ones.

And if that doesn't help cheer you up, imagine Robbie in his tiger undies in your bed willing to do your every bidding - always puts a smile on my face! ;)

Sorry life's been shitty for you, Hevs, onwards and upwards eh?

:D cheers pol:)

Hi Hevs,

I wondered where everyone had gone. I kept going back on the posts to see whether I could find the moment where you all left.

It was great to see your post just now, as I know that I have missed your posts and had many laughs at your expense, which has always made me feel better in the not so high times in my day to day life.

We all seem to have these times come to us, and not because we live in Australia, but wherever we are, and my, they never seem to come one at a time.

So sorry to hear that you are going through one of those times Hevs, and will keep my fingers crossed that all will get better soon.

We too seem to keep hitting our heads against a brick wall at the moment, and trying my hardest to stay positive, but not always easy.

Keep posting as you have many friends on here, and we have always enjoyed your company and your humour.
We are all bound to have our rough times, and have always been here for one another, even if its to let off steam.

Whisky

HEY Hevs, chin up. Everyone goes through their bad patches. On our crappy wages front - my hubby actually LIKES his crappy pay job so I can't even persuade him to look for a better paying one.

You know, you are a legend in the wood stakes, i can't go past a pile of logs without thinking of you now. I saw a HUGE pile the other day and thought "wish I had a chainsaw like Hevs"!

It's not good when our kids have got their problems but hopefully they will be addressed and you can move forwards with him.

Keep smiling and look towards the ocean :D :D

Di

Hi Hevs
just wanted to let you know that we are battling the education system here in Queensland . Our second son is dyslexic and having been in school here nearly 6 months his teacher doesnt understand his learning difficulty and just assumed he was lazy.

He wont get any special needs education until after the winter break however I have found a good tutor that he sees once a week privately . I am now searching for a suitable high school
but if this fails we will be returning to Wales.

keep your chin up

Juliet

Flipping Heck Heather no bloody surprise you’ve been a bit Qte.

Don’t know what to say other than shit happens and seems to be all round the world!
My little un seems she might be dyslexic but dispraxia i have no idea about:(
Anyway the sun will shine in Oz for you all a big hug to ya all from all us in Denham

Good Luk.

Nige'

ps. wouldnt even mind trollish posts its life Keep turning the corners:)

Our son is also dyslexic and and we are in QLD, as I understand after our almost 4 years here the word dyslexic is not used in Australia, learning disability is the phrase :rolleyes: which of course covers just about anything. Despite me being at his schools constantly it boils down to funding, there is none, and help is limited to Parents who volunteer. By grade 5 (he should be in grade 6 but they suggested he repeated, he still cannot spell and his reading is only now OK as I have done everything I can from computer programs to just spending hours a day in school holidays teaching him myself. Finally in Grade 5 i caused such a stink, they sent us off to a specialist who ordered 3 more specialists at $330 a pop!!!!! and no its not covered they told me he is way above average intelligenc but has a processing problem between his hearing and his eyes. Then they handed me a prescription for Ritalin :eek: which even they admitted probably wont help but hey lets try it anyway! I threw it in the bin, my child does not have the remotest hint of behaviour problems he is just dyslexic. I am disgusted with the whole thing and would urge anyone coming here (australia not just QLD) with kids with problems to sort out what recognition/help is avialable and if its help, is that a professional or a parent.

To Hev and Hp sorry for hogging your thread but I do feel this is an important issue. I hope things pick up for you soon, we spent some time in Victoria and winter can be long and dreary so chin up I bet summer will improve things for you.

Sorry to hear about your hard time guys but it is good to see you posting again. A lot of your post brought back memories, I know exactly where your coming from re the GBP's situation & the crap job. I ended up walking out of mine much to Mrs Bordys horror thats how much I hated it. Luckily I found another the following week & have been there 4 years now although the wages are still crap but at least I quite enjoy it.
Diane is correct about the wood. I bought a bag of logs for my chiminea last week & most are to big to fit inside it. What was the first thing that came in my head ? YES. Wheres Bloody Hevs when you need her.
Good luck with the wee Fella, I didn't even know what Dispraxia was or how common it was until I looked it up today.
I'm off to Telstra Dome tomorrow night ( Standing room tickets only ) So I'll give the Bombers an extra cheer for you both.

Good to hear from you. Bummer it's not going great.

Hope it's onwards and upwards :)
Good luck, and keep posting!
:)

Oh dear, poor ypu Hevs:( I cannot imagine how you have been feeling in the past few weeks. I hope that you get it all sorted out with your son.

This thread, has however, got me worried as my daughter also has dyspraxia I was hoping that she wold be catered for in Qld:(

Keep your chin up girl

Love
debsx

Hevs, what can I say except, bummer. Glad you've managed to pick yourself up though and really hope you get the answers you need from the specialist. In the meantime, if its pommie choccie that you need, just yell, I'm sure we can arrange for some more to be sent over :)

Hi Hevs

Sorry your feeling abit down, know the feeling, hubby lost his job again today, so feeling cranky myself, it just wasn't working out and he wasn't enjoying anyway, so hey who knows whats round the corner!!!:scared: getting used to so much crap, not sure how much more i can take though:( :(

keep your chin up

yve ;)

Hi Hevs
It's nice to hear from you - have wondered where you'd snuck off too.

Just wanted to say sorry to hear you're on a bit of a downer. Hope that some sunshine starts to peek thru the storm clouds soon. :)

HP

Great to see you back Hevs. Hope things take a turn for the better, we are bound to have bad as well as good times. Let's just hope the good times happen for a while to come.

The only reassurance I can offer is that special needs support is drastically underfunded in the Uk as well. You would have a fight on your hands for many a year there to get any additional support as well.

Keep DIYing:) And can you do something wrong soon so we can have a giggle, you are getting too good now???:D

My god!!!

I just popped back onto see if anyone was around and now i'm all choked up, so thanks for that

Whisky, hope you get through your brick wall soon. xx

Di, if you lived closer i might let you have a turn!!

Juliet, i know all about the lazy thing. Fingers x ed for you, lets face it, Wales:(

Nige, cheers mate, its kinda like dyslexia, but coordination and motor skills are shot too.:rolleyes:

Jad n rich. Niall is mildly on the add cusp aswell and my OT in the UK mentioned the Ritalin thing, i basically refused point blank for all the same reasons as yourself, it makes me:mad: Hope you get some help soon too:rolleyes:

Bordy, check ya pm's and please reply soon and cheer me up:p

Simone, thanks:)

Debs, sorry to highlight this, but at least you can be prepared. Chins are up hun:) xx

Thanks ML!!! you may just regret that:D

Yve. God after you're few months its put my stuff into perspective and i feel very shallow for winging about money. I hope things turn a corner for you soon. Shall i send you a strip of choccy:(

HP. twas a beautiful day here today, that certainly helps. Thanks ,

Tina, thanks, i hit my thumb hard with the lump hammer today, does that count??:D

Bloody hell Yve, he just keeps getting poop doesn't he :( Hope something turns up, pref a lottery win :D :D

Heres to a good long weekend feeling positive in the sunshine

juliet:beer:

Hi Hevs,
sorry to hear life has been so crappy for you lately.....wondered where you'd gone! We could have done with you in here the other day...the boys were getting a bit high and mighty, we needed you with ya chainsaw to hack em down!!!!!
hope life turns :D for you soon.....

sue:D :D :D

Hey Hevs,

It's good to see you back, we've missed your amusing tales. I'm still getting over the house-burning episode...

Anyway, my cousin's son has dyspraxia and is quite badly affected by it (he's also dyslexic). However, he has been having a lot of help from Ed Pyshcs and special tutors and the difference is profound - if you want any more info, let me know and I see what I can find out. The main thing is that it's been spotted and something can be done about it. Fingers crossed for both your son and you. Coming from a family of dyslexics I know that any kind of learning difficulty or *faulty wiring* can be a bit of a battle to overcome, but then all the dyslexics in my family are total high-achievers and far more successful than me (non-dyslexic) with my various degrees even though none of them have two qualifications to rub together!

Chin up mate. Worse things happen at sea, and all that:D

Welcome back mate.

As this shows you have missed by everyone here. Thanks for your honest posting and letting others know just what life can be like sometimes.

Now best you get on with some more renovating as you have all them choccie calories to burn off ;)

Footie xx

Re: Hevs and HUP update. The godd, the bad, and the ugly.
 

I have to admit that the past couple of weeks have been pretty crappy. We have been pouring the money into the house and the realisation that we would have to go back to budgeting (Ahhhh) and accounting for the cents.

We are currently living on a household income of $50000. This is not really enough to live on. Well thats a bit of a lie. You can live on it but ya aint gonna have a lot of fun and you won't be able to save that hard

We have had a good 8 months or so and we will now have a couple of slightly more frugal months. I would suggest that for a family of four you will need an income of around $80000. This should allow you to live comfortably and save for those unforseen events (Dentists, urgent flights to the UK etc etc.).

Hevs is about to start her business and that will ease the blues. Money may not make you happy but it certainly takes the pressure off :D

It has been hard work getting to where we are today. It is not cheap to live over here and most people will need to be earning a reasonable income to survive. We have had and will continue to have some fantastic experiences that we would not have had in the UK.

We live in a potentially beautiful house in a beautiful area. We are minutes drive away from some stunning scenery (The Dandenongs) and about 40 mins from some fantastic beaches and diving.

Am I happy that we moved?
Absolutley.
Knowing what I know now would I do it again?
Absolutley.
Will I be staying here for ever?
To early to say really. I can't forsee anything that would make me want to go back. I have also looked at it and thought were would I want to go back to. I couldn't come up with any affordable answers. When I say that I mean I know areas I like in the UK and I know I would never be able to afford to live there

I would say this to all those people who have yet to make the leap. It is very hard work. You should be really sure that it is what you want to do. I also suspect that money WILL BE a big issue for a lot of people.

When you get used to the big houses and pools you then have to get on with your life.

Good to see you both back and smiling!! Very true words HUP, it is hard work, and the way is paved with gold, you have to work for every cent don't you. I'm earning 2/3 of what I was on in the UK, I haven't been this broke for years, but I still don't regret it, the good bits do outweigh the bad. Its odd having to rethink some priorities though, do I see the doctor this week or does it have to wait till payday.
Heres to hoping Hev's business takes off quickly; in the meantime, find her some more wood to saw up!!
Missed you both - keep your chins up and keep posting :)
Polly
xx

NICE one
 

Knowing both HUP and Hevs well, I will break radio silence to say that their situation is OTHERWISE GOOD.

YES HUP is underpaid. I earn twice what he earns and have no kids.
YES they have spent a lot of money - but much of it on the house and their kids.
YES they live in what I think is NOW a great home.
YES they live in one of the nicest villages in SE Melbourne- FACT.

YES they BOTH are good examples of migrants. They don't whinge, they get on with people. I am pleased to have them as mates and 18 months ago I never expected to socialise in any expat circles.

YES they couldn't have all that in the UK - or would be otherwise working just as hard - and more (nor could I).

Should this put people off?

NO NO NO NO NO NO. They have just done loads of spending that's all. Budgeting is the norm, and they are mortgage free. With a rein in and better paid jobs they will be there within the year.

YES you still have it GOOD here.

The reality is that unless you earn my sort of money OR am mortgage free, Australia can be hard OR much the same AS THE UK.

HOWEVER, I still maintain the rewards are otherwise GREAT/better than the UK (for ME and, for a great many people.

Don't let the negatives fool you. Remember the likes of Herman (funded by Australia/he earns GBP 100K and he lives in a mediocre Surrey village compared to HUP and Matt), Mike Stanton (can buy a UK home funded from Australia) and Dotty (can buy a UK home funded from Australia) are loaded. Everyone is struggling EVERYWHERE ;-)

FAIR DINKUM.

Badge

PS
 

I still love this country.

Dert cert.

It's winter, and we have beaut sunny days even in Melbourne.

Melbourne - the weather, I think, is actually one of it's best kept secrets..

Badge;) :beer:

Hi HUP ans HEVS

Thank you for your honest post.

I have just started another thread about incomes as I think it very important.
Hope you don't mind me quoting you:)

Hang on in there. Hope it all works out

Best wishes

G

Howdie Hevs..........

So glad you came back. Thought we'd lost you to the outback.....gone to be a tree fellar [someone ooo cuts wood that is]:D :rolleyes:

Eee matey......

It don't matter where in the world you live, the young un is gonna have this problem :( and it don't matter where in the world you live, you are gonna have days when you are p*ssed off:(

The good news is......you are a strong family, feet firmly on the ground, realistic and sensible enough to get through any highs and lows ;)

Sh*t dayz happen matey......and tomorrow is another day ;)

Good to have you back......

We "wood" miss ya if ya left us:rolleyes: :D

Brilliant post Hup a honest dose of the day to day reality of living in OZ.

footie xx

Hiya Hevs mate!

Keep your chin up gal....like others have said, sh*t times come to us all, but you're a tough cookie! In previous posts you've shown what a great positive attitude you have and I'm sure whatever life throws at you, you'll deal with it.

Fingers crossed everything works out ok with your lad, like you say, at least its been picked up. Keep us posted!

Can I just say, I'm still in awe of you for putting your hand up on the top shelf in your shed, without being able to see what's up there.:scared: :scared:
I wouldn't even go IN the shed, never mind have a fumble about in there!.......well...I might if it was with Brad Pitt....or Pierce Brosnan...or Nicolas Cage....oooerr I'm coming over all funny :D

Good to have you back Hevs and Hup, you've been missed (and you Badge)

There are plenty of us here that relate to what you've said so dont hesitate to come on and have a moan when its necesary, even the most positive amongst us need that now and then. As for the ""its all going to be perfect''brigade, I think you're doing a great service pointing this stuff out, the closer to reality your expectations are, the less likely you are to be disapointed.

Keep your chins up,

Michaela

Hevs and Hup...chins up it will get better. Don't be strangers you have alot of friends on here willing to give support...no dollar can beat that !!

You both been missed....

Cheers

P :) :)

Hevs, Hup and family

thanks for sharing that with us all and being so honest, hope things turn for you all now, remember you have each other and if anyone can succeed you can, everything is sent to try us and we can only grow stronger through it all:)

Best of luck coming you way

Swifts xx

Hevs/HUP

Hope things work out for you guys soon. Keep posting - this site needs more people who have made the move and will tell it like it is;)

Well I did promise to bring some and I haven't forgotten! Just make that Bourneville last a bit longer...

Ironic, is it not, that when you're busy dodging the sh*t is when you need to forum's support the most but it's also when you're most likely not to have the time to check for it. Welcome back, though.

Hadn't realised dyspraxia was so common (1 in 30, see The Dyspraxia Foundation). I've had more contact with Asperger's myself; complicated thing, the brain.

Keep fighting!

OK!!!

enough already, i'm begining to feel like i'm famous or something, move over posh, Hevs has arrived:D

I've missed you too *group hug* ahhhhh:D

Badge, i'm honoured that you replied, i only saw you last night and was out with ya missis tonight!! honoured just the same though;) :)

A warm and fuzzy Hevsxxx

good to have you guys back posting, it has been a bit dull around here lately and we need you guys.

you too badge, i was just going to send you a PM and then saw your reply in this thread...you must be lurking a lot so START BLOODY POSTING again.

Sorry to hear you bad news guys, we missed you!
Take care,
Larissa

Re: Hevs and HUP update. The godd, the bad, and the ugly.
 

To Hevs and family
just wanted to say that i am thinking of you all, seems like you've had your fair amount of shit and thinks can only look brighter, hang in there buds
love and cyber hugs
Rach, Mark and Chanelle xxxxx

Re: Hevs and HUP update. The godd, the bad, and the ugly.
 

So...the double H is back in business......and long overdue.

Most bin said above HH but don't forget Rome wasn't built in a day and I suspect 80% of people dislike their jobs.

Not really a consolation but may help dilute it :)

All the best to you :)