One Year on - how far we have come..
Aug 9th 2005, 10:07 am
#1
Part of that group......
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2002
Posts: 102
One Year on - how far we have come..
Well I can’t believe I’m writing this already......The last year has flown by. Well where do I start.
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
Aug 9th 2005, 10:16 am
#2
Brain Drained
Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,882
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Originally Posted by vickeyvixen
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
I hope your second year brings you even more happiness than the 1st.
Aug 9th 2005, 10:32 am
#3
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 3,010
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Originally Posted by vickeyvixen
Well I can’t believe I’m writing this already......The last year has flown by. Well where do I start.
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
D8x
Aug 9th 2005, 10:33 am
#4
kneading my cushion
Joined: Oct 2004
Location: Perth
Posts: 743
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
What a year!! That's worth a story in Womans Own! Congratulations and may your next year been spent more in the Pajero and less in the hospitals! 
Great post!
Great post!
Aug 9th 2005, 10:37 am
#5
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Jul 2003
Location: Cairns
Posts: 3,918
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Congrats!!!, we are also celebrating our first year in OZ (see "One year up...progress report...FNQ).
It's great here, innit?!
Glad to hear you overcome those first difficult few months...long may it continue. x
It's great here, innit?!
Glad to hear you overcome those first difficult few months...long may it continue. x
Aug 9th 2005, 10:52 am
#6
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
My oh my what a calamity. And you came through it with bells on!
An inspirational story and one you should be proud of.
Well done all of you and wishing you all many more fantastic times ahead
An inspirational story and one you should be proud of.
Well done all of you and wishing you all many more fantastic times ahead
Aug 9th 2005, 11:53 am
#7
The Godfather
Joined: Feb 2004
Location: South East Suburbs of Melbourne
Posts: 7,336
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Congratulations Vickey, I remember well the first Melbourne meet you came to, I think you had just arrived & were still a bit spaced out.
We often thought you must have broken a few mirrors & walked under a few ladders before you came out as every week seemed to bring a new crisis.
You always came through it smiling though, heres hoping your second year runs a lot smoother, this time next year you will be going for citizenship.
Look forward to catching up with you soon.
We often thought you must have broken a few mirrors & walked under a few ladders before you came out as every week seemed to bring a new crisis.
You always came through it smiling though, heres hoping your second year runs a lot smoother, this time next year you will be going for citizenship.
Look forward to catching up with you soon.
Aug 9th 2005, 11:58 am
#8
Home at last
Joined: May 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 263
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
what a lovely post! It brought a tear to my eye - you've been through so much but sound like you're such a positive family.
How inspirational
Michelle
How inspirational
Michelle
Aug 9th 2005, 12:08 pm
#9
Live the moment
Joined: Dec 2003
Location: In between nappies and feeds
Posts: 2,026
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Great post...life can only get better for you and I hope the 2nd yr is better than the first. Good luck and stay as happy and positve as you are.
P
P
Aug 9th 2005, 12:12 pm
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Brisbane
Posts: 386
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Congratulations Vickey, you came through it all smiling and have been a great help and inspirational friend to me.
Hope your second year will bring you more happiness and good fortune.
Mel
Hope your second year will bring you more happiness and good fortune.
Mel
Aug 9th 2005, 12:21 pm
#11
cheeky tart
Joined: May 2005
Location: Melbourne
Posts: 2,239
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Originally Posted by vickeyvixen
Well I can’t believe I’m writing this already......The last year has flown by. Well where do I start.
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
Aug 9th 2005, 12:43 pm
#12
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: Melbourne!!!
Posts: 326
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Wishing you all the best for the future.
Sounds like you have had a very rough start but have turned things around in your favour!!
Good on Ya!!!!
Roni
Sounds like you have had a very rough start but have turned things around in your favour!!
Good on Ya!!!!
Roni
Aug 9th 2005, 3:55 pm
#13
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2003
Location: selby uk
Posts: 114
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
What a wonderful thread and credit to you all for sticking it out when it would have been so easy to go back to the uk
Good Luck for the future!
Good Luck for the future!
Originally Posted by vickeyvixen
Well I can’t believe I’m writing this already......The last year has flown by. Well where do I start.
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
A little bit of background for those that don’t know us. We decided that we wanted to leave the UK a couple of years back and agreed to give Australia a go. We had never been here before or had any family or friends here so it really was a leap of faith. So last August we left the sunshine of the UK and arrived in Melbourne at 1.30am to be greeted by the rain and freezing temperatures. We had spent 3days chilling in Singapore, well chilling after Emirates had found our missing bag, so we were ready for what lay ahead or so we thought….
We had already mostly decided that Berwick was where we wanted to settle so after 5 hours sleep in a dodgy apartment in St Kilda we hired a car and set off for what to be our new home. We arrived in Berwick and fell in love with it. It had a familiar feel to it. The High Street is full of little shops and cafes and even a library where you have to take the paper ticket out of the book and hand it in.!! So that was it we were sold. We went to the real estate agents and sorted out a house to rent for 6 months and then bought a Rav 4. Hubby then started looking for work and was very lucky being offered 3 jobs within a week. The children started school 10 days after we arrived and hubby started work after 2 weeks and things were good. While in the UK we had seen a house on net that we really liked and we kept half an eye on it over the months that followed the price dropped but it remained for sale. 2 weeks after we arrived we saw the house in the local property paper and decided to go and see it. We all fell in love with it and it felt like home, so here we were been here 2 weeks and in love for the 2nd time. We managed to secure a mortgage and used our equity as deposit the moving date was set for the 22nd October. We had spent the previous 3 months sleeping on mattress on the floor so the prospect of a bed was looking good !! We moved in on the Thursday and Pickfords delivered on the Friday. All was good it was Xmas all over again !! On the Sunday hubby started complaining of neck pain and by Tuesday was in quite a bit of pain we thought he’d pulled a muscle with the move how wrong were we…in the early hours of Thursday morning he woke in pain like I had never seen before very quickly it was apparent it wasn’t just a muscle sprain. The ambo’s were called and he was taken away !! He had managed to prolapse a disc in his neck trapping his spinal cord on the way. Major surgery to remove the disc and fuse his neck was on the agenda. Things were only to get worse when on the day before his surgery I found a lump where ladies shouldn’t find lumps after a frantic call to a our new best friend I was off to the doc’s. Hubby’s surgery went ahead and I had mammograms and ultrasounds to determine what was going on. Hubby came home I had biopsy’s done and it was decided the lump had to go the date was set. Hubby was getting stronger but it was to be a long hard road having taking on a contract position we were to be without any income for the duration of the recovery. 2 weeks after he came home and a week before my surgery disaster was to strike again…our young son was playing in the garden when we heard a blood-curdling scream we both ran to him to find him lying on the ground with his wrist in a superb S shape !! So we were off to hospital again !! He had managed to break it in 2 places so an operation and 6 weeks in plaster followed for him. I then had my surgery that was a complete success. Yes this did really all happen !! Hubby continued to get back to normal and young son had his plaster removed 4 days before Xmas and 1 day before hubby’s parents arrived for a 9 week stay.
Christmas was a strange experience sitting on the beach eating sausages cooked on a disposable bbq very surreal. January came and went and hubby was back at work. February saw myself start my re training programme and life was good again. The children were becoming more settled by the day and we had made some good friends everything was falling into place. March saw the end of my time as a lady of leisure, I was offered my first job. Life has continued to become more settled and we decided to change our Rav for something slightly bigger so we can see more of the rugged landscapes.
We have spent most wkds out and about seeing what this wonderful country has to offer. We spent Easter on the Great Ocean Road, and the Queen’s Birthday wkd in Euchua we have hand fed kangaroos, been within touching distance of wild Koalas. We have taken our new Pajero through state forests full of mud and wonderful countryside.
We have had our fair share of bad luck and seen more medical facilities than most but we know that that could have happened in the UK just as easily. I now have 2 totally different children. They are very confident well adjusted children, who wouldn’t be fazed by anything life would now throw at them. I have a husband who is now so chilled he should live in the fridge !! And a quality of life we would never have had in the UK. We do miss family and have had moments where we have had tears and moments of wanting to go back but with the help of our new found friends that have been there for us every time we have needed someone, we have come through. More than once Hevs has come bounding down the hill with tissues and chocolates in hand !! Thanks for everything Hevs..
We have just spent a fantastic wkd playing in the snow celebrating our first anniversary We have my sister and her children coming out to see us in October so that is something for us all to look forward to.
I know it’s not for everyone and some people won’t settle but for us we have never felt more settled and can’t imagine ever living anywhere other than just where we are now….
So as we enter our 2nd year here I can’t wait, we have had our teething problems and have overcome them so lets hope that the next year brings us calmer waters and we continue to explore and appreciate what Australia has to offer…
Aug 9th 2005, 4:02 pm
#14
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
It was a REAL pleasure to read this post, as it was so REAL!
Well done for getting through life in a new place, you all really deserve a huge cyber hug.
Best wishes
B
Well done for getting through life in a new place, you all really deserve a huge cyber hug.
Best wishes
B
Aug 9th 2005, 4:37 pm
#15
Forum Regular
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 236
Re: One Year on - how far we have come..
Blimey, what a set of challenges to face. Congratulations on your impressive response to them!
At least you can dine out on the stories for many years to come...
At least you can dine out on the stories for many years to come...