Back for just over a month
Mar 26th 2012, 12:30 am
#1
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Joined: Jan 2010
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Back for just over a month
Well, since we had barbeques with friends on both Saturday and Sunday just gone, maybe this isn't so different from Australia!
Difficulties so far: getting a bank account; we wanted to go with the Co-Op but they were not satisified with our documentation and we wasted three weeks; went to Nat West one Saturday and they had the account open the following Saturday.
Daughter's NI number: phoned the recommended number at HMRC, was told to write to them as we had received child allowance for her back in 1995 which would have been connected to an NI number. They took ages to write back, just to say that they destroyed all such records after 5 years!! She's off to the job centre in Worcester on Thursday to prove that she exists.
Exeter Uni completely messed up my daughter's application so she is now on her way to Bristol instead. This was a shocking piece of incompetence but it's too long to go on about here and to be honest we have "moved on".
Good things: we have had an offer accepted on a beautiful barn conversion near Ledbury, will be surveyed this week and we will hopefully be in quickly as there is no chain at the seller's end or our end.
Dogs and cat being well looked after in kennels except that one of the dogs has an extremely "waggy" tail which he has damaged on the side of the kennel to the extent that a 5cm section will have to be removed! He is still a happy dog despite this problem!
Friends and family have been massively supportive and I know my wife and daughter really feel at home. For me it is going to take a bit longer but there has been a real welcome at my new workplace which has also helped a lot.
I have already eaten things like: pork pies, scotch eggs, scotch pies, "proper" English curries; just waiting for my first trip to London for the elusive jellied eels! Plenty of warm beer and Fosters Lager for a change!
Overall: in pretty good shape; hopefully the immediate future will include moving in to the new house!
Difficulties so far: getting a bank account; we wanted to go with the Co-Op but they were not satisified with our documentation and we wasted three weeks; went to Nat West one Saturday and they had the account open the following Saturday.
Daughter's NI number: phoned the recommended number at HMRC, was told to write to them as we had received child allowance for her back in 1995 which would have been connected to an NI number. They took ages to write back, just to say that they destroyed all such records after 5 years!! She's off to the job centre in Worcester on Thursday to prove that she exists.
Exeter Uni completely messed up my daughter's application so she is now on her way to Bristol instead. This was a shocking piece of incompetence but it's too long to go on about here and to be honest we have "moved on".
Good things: we have had an offer accepted on a beautiful barn conversion near Ledbury, will be surveyed this week and we will hopefully be in quickly as there is no chain at the seller's end or our end.
Dogs and cat being well looked after in kennels except that one of the dogs has an extremely "waggy" tail which he has damaged on the side of the kennel to the extent that a 5cm section will have to be removed! He is still a happy dog despite this problem!
Friends and family have been massively supportive and I know my wife and daughter really feel at home. For me it is going to take a bit longer but there has been a real welcome at my new workplace which has also helped a lot.
I have already eaten things like: pork pies, scotch eggs, scotch pies, "proper" English curries; just waiting for my first trip to London for the elusive jellied eels! Plenty of warm beer and Fosters Lager for a change!
Overall: in pretty good shape; hopefully the immediate future will include moving in to the new house!
Mar 26th 2012, 4:57 am
#2
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Joined: Sep 2007
Location: Canberra
Posts: 8,379
Re: Back for just over a month
You guys have made a fabulous start! Good to know about the NI number - I have one and DH has lost his but I have no idea whether they shredded mine after 5 years non use or not. Guess I'd better sort that out.
Hope your daughter loves Bristol - my DH did, as did the son of one of my friends. Lots going on there pretty much all the time and even though it is bigger there are places with a villagey type feel to them within the City itself.
Jellied eels? Nah, them you can keep!
Hope your daughter loves Bristol - my DH did, as did the son of one of my friends. Lots going on there pretty much all the time and even though it is bigger there are places with a villagey type feel to them within the City itself.
Jellied eels? Nah, them you can keep!
Mar 26th 2012, 5:20 am
#3
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Joined: Mar 2010
Location: Used to be New York, now North Yorkshire
Posts: 3,610
Re: Back for just over a month
Great update! Glad things are going well so far and keep us posted (but don't give us a description of the jellied eels 
)
)
Mar 26th 2012, 7:24 am
#4
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Re: Back for just over a month
A photo of said jellied eels will follow ;-)
Mar 28th 2012, 2:19 am
#5
Back from India
Joined: Jun 2006
Location: UK
Posts: 793
Re: Back for just over a month
Well,
Dogs and cat being well looked after in kennels except that one of the dogs has an extremely "waggy" tail which he has damaged on the side of the kennel to the extent that a 5cm section will have to be removed! He is still a happy dog despite this problem!
Overall: in pretty good shape; hopefully the immediate future will include moving in to the new house!
Dogs and cat being well looked after in kennels except that one of the dogs has an extremely "waggy" tail which he has damaged on the side of the kennel to the extent that a 5cm section will have to be removed! He is still a happy dog despite this problem!
Overall: in pretty good shape; hopefully the immediate future will include moving in to the new house!
Mar 29th 2012, 4:10 am
#6
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Re: Back for just over a month
Literally continually bashed his tail against the kennel walls; it just never stops moving.
Became infected and never got the chance to heal properly. He now has a kind of babygrow with one "leg" on his tail and the other on one of his legs, to protect it (and one of those collars to stop him pulling the "babygrow" off.
We won't move in until May 4th at the very earliest so we are just hoping that he can heal in the meantime at the kennels...
Became infected and never got the chance to heal properly. He now has a kind of babygrow with one "leg" on his tail and the other on one of his legs, to protect it (and one of those collars to stop him pulling the "babygrow" off.
We won't move in until May 4th at the very earliest so we are just hoping that he can heal in the meantime at the kennels...
Mar 29th 2012, 4:17 am
#7
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Joined: Feb 2011
Location: North Yorkshire
Posts: 983
Re: Back for just over a month
Glad it`s all working out.All those pies are making my mouth water, and the barn conversion near Ledbury sounds Faaaaabulous!
Mar 29th 2012, 9:08 am
#8
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Joined: Apr 2009
Location: Okotoks AB
Posts: 259
Re: Back for just over a month
Great to hear things are coming together for you all.
Im still at the hmmm stage, what with a new canadian wife lol.
Im still at the hmmm stage, what with a new canadian wife lol.
