Rooksie

Rooksie,

Only problem is, we need to get back to the stage of sharing the soap first! My other half and I have been together for too long, if you know what I mean! It needs to be written on the kitchen calender weeks ahead.

Anyway, enough of my lowering the tone! In terms of your application, you sound like you're at the same stage as us, so good luck and let me know how you're getting on.

Nicky[/QUOTE]


sharing the bed with 2 kids is no better mate!!!!

i plan to throw myself into TRA as soon as kids back at school next week - this time we will PASS!!!! ermmmm - i hope so anyway!!

Murphies

Hi
Re life down under - Zena - needed a bloody good kick up the arse what a whimp- nothing personal but she wined nearly as much as the nurse/ midwife woman who went to perth "you just cant buy decent knickers here" - to undertake such a move takes guts determination and bloody cast iron balls - there has to eb a spirit of adventure and endurence. Whilst i apprehcaite how such must have felt when her son came back to the uk he was not the only member of the family - her husband and daughter loved it - and after all at 18 he did make up his own mind - he may of changed it 6 months later - thats what teenagers do- Suppose im lucky my son whos 18 want to come with us (though i was concerned when he had his girlfriend- they have split up since (((PHEW!!!))

Suppose what i am trying to say is that you have to give it a real shot - there will be good and bad days, ups and downs

and as far as we,ve had enough - my final staw was sitting on the number 50 bus in brum (and if anyone has ever been on that bus they will know what i mean)- the jouney , the low life , the traffic, the suburbs, the rain , all made me 100% sure that i want to go to Aus !!

Rooksie

i lived and worked in brums for years when i was first married and i know EXACTLY what you mean and that was 15 years ago!!! i cant imagine what it must be like now!!!! *shudder*

we moved to torquay to get away from all that and guess what, yep - same crap down here

Murphies

Ahh- torquay - spent many happy holiday down there as a kid!! -

Helium Kid

I agree with you. What a pain in the butt that woman was and as for the sour faced one in Perth???
If DIMIA were watching I'm sure they would have loved to snatch their visas back just on attitude alone.

I'm looking forward to getting over there, but I'm under no illusions on how tough it will be and I certainly wouldn't slag this Country off as it's been good to me.

As a Family we are looking at the move as a big adventure, but will be keeping a property over here so that we have something to fall back on if we don't like it.

We'll give it our best shot and see what happens, but we'll do it with a smile on our faces.......Life's too short!!

Nicky & Dave

Nicky[/QUOTE]

sharing the bed with 2 kids is no better mate!!!!


Best contraception in the world that!!

Anyway, it's Friday, I'm back on line.....and it's o'clock time!!!

Rooksie

do you work in town?? i actuall ymiss my old job - i worked up in victoria square where the old post office was which got converted into swanky solicitors offices. it was just everything else that went with working and living in brum that i hated!!! we eventually moved out to kidderminster and i drove in every day and that was a bloody nightmare.

Murphies

Hi
ive worked everywhere in brum - i have a hairdressing salon in the south suburb which is where i live - a 10 min walk- used to work in the city centre - have to say since the re ferb bham cc is very nice- good bars restruants and "the Bull ring shopping Centre" - which boasts a Selfriges - not that i can afford anything in there
In my Other job (i like working 15 hours a day 7 days a week - NOT) i travel from brum to the north west - F******g M6 - that really gets me down - you know AA route says journy will take 1 hr 30 mins and 4 hours later you are only 1/2 way there dying for a wee cos some twat thought it was a great idea to drive 90 miles an hour whilst chatting to some peice of skirt on his mobile (not hands free) whilst smoking a fag and drinking coffee (look i know we have all done it - appart from the peice of skirt that is) and i consider myself a good multi tasker but ive seen soo many mash ups that im a bit of a victor meldrew when it comes to motorway etiquet (cant spell it sorry).
schooling in brum is shite- my daugthers to go to senior school next year and i cannot find a decent one )sure she could take the 11+ - id like to think that shes bright enough but i cannot compete with those parents that pay for weekly coaching for their kids right from the age of 5 - so places are none existant
I duno its just the whole rat race thing
Its about wanting your kids to have the childhood we had- space freedom - and yes the summers were proper summers (OMG- how old am i !!)
No winging pom here
What about everyone else - why are we putting ourselves through this hellish journy ??

Merlot

I have just read your posts and reasons, you do sound like you have done your research and I wish you the very best of luck with your journey to Oz. I hope it is how you planned it to be.

I still found that Australia was a rat race, both Sydney and living in the sticks funnily enough and we don't have kids but our friends that did said that they had all the fears parents in the UK have, child abduction, etc. Their kids played outside more but were still on a tight leash.

It would be great to hear how you get along over there with a complete change of pace.

Best of luck
Merlot

Vinny van Gogh

Like most I have watched all the "new life Down under" series...and while its easy to pass opinions about the "contestants" ..it is a bit Big Brother-ish, the problems are their problems not being in Australia..they would likely have the same problems after a month on the Isle of Man. They are looking back all the time. England is always "home"...so why emigrate!

I think the root cause of problems for all of those who were on the TV shows was most if not all had set of on the visa trail without actually having been to Australia.

Remember the midwife who left the 4 x 4 AC on so she could dive back in too cool down. Was it a surprise to her that it gets hot in Oz!

Its also a question of attitude, the Singleton family from Blackpool had some rough times but the mother was determined to make a go of it. She was the most positive off the lot.

It must also be difficult for kids. Mam and dad want to live the dream..and drag the kids with them. Its fine at first because its a big holiday. Then they get home sick. As an ex member of the armed forces, homesick never got to me. Kids have their best mates and its easy when feeling a bit low that those mates back in the UK grow in stature to be something they never really were and who have moved on to team up with other kids in their peer group.

We face a wait for our daughter and her partner to "settle" before we can apply for a Contributary Parent visa...we flap on a daily basis in case the conditions are changed as they were with the Retirement Visa..we had just about got enough together and they upped the anti to A$870k.

And yes..we are getting more intolerant of the unfairness of this country and its shambolic levels of governemnt. Its probably just as bad in Australia..but at least we can grumble around a barbie or sat on Circular Quay.

ClareW

funny that. I'd be on the first plane if Howard gets in!

Takes all sorts.....

purple rain

Ditto