'A little less DAUNTED in Oz - The first five years!'
Apr 7th 2008, 10:23 pm
#166
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Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
WONDERFUL POST 
ONE OF THE BEST ON HERE............. THANKYOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US FROM THE EMOTIONAL GOODBYES, YOUR AIRPORT EXPERIENCE TO YOUR NOW VERY HAPPY NEW LIFE IN OZ!!! YOUR MESSAGES TO YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR EX BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES, IM SURE YOU WILL BE VERY MUCH MISSED IN THE UK BUT AT LEAST YOUR LOVED ONES CAN SEE FROM YOUR HONEST POSTS THAT YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN!!
DEBS XX
PS ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH YOUR SON & HIS PARTNER WHEN THEY VISIT
ONE OF THE BEST ON HERE............. THANKYOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US FROM THE EMOTIONAL GOODBYES, YOUR AIRPORT EXPERIENCE TO YOUR NOW VERY HAPPY NEW LIFE IN OZ!!! YOUR MESSAGES TO YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR EX BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES, IM SURE YOU WILL BE VERY MUCH MISSED IN THE UK BUT AT LEAST YOUR LOVED ONES CAN SEE FROM YOUR HONEST POSTS THAT YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN!!
DEBS XX
PS ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH YOUR SON & HIS PARTNER WHEN THEY VISIT
Apr 8th 2008, 6:59 am
#167
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 3,991
Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
.........well i am younger than my mum so i reckon that makes me young!
WONDERFUL POST
ONE OF THE BEST ON HERE............. THANKYOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US FROM THE EMOTIONAL GOODBYES, YOUR AIRPORT EXPERIENCE TO YOUR NOW VERY HAPPY NEW LIFE IN OZ!!! YOUR MESSAGES TO YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR EX BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES, IM SURE YOU WILL BE VERY MUCH MISSED IN THE UK BUT AT LEAST YOUR LOVED ONES CAN SEE FROM YOUR HONEST POSTS THAT YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN!!
DEBS XX
... thanks Debs - only 47 days until they land
PS ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH YOUR SON & HIS PARTNER WHEN THEY VISIT
ONE OF THE BEST ON HERE............. THANKYOU FOR SHARING YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US FROM THE EMOTIONAL GOODBYES, YOUR AIRPORT EXPERIENCE TO YOUR NOW VERY HAPPY NEW LIFE IN OZ!!! YOUR MESSAGES TO YOUR FAMILY AND YOUR EX BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES, IM SURE YOU WILL BE VERY MUCH MISSED IN THE UK BUT AT LEAST YOUR LOVED ONES CAN SEE FROM YOUR HONEST POSTS THAT YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR CHILDREN!!
DEBS XX
... thanks Debs - only 47 days until they land
PS ENJOY YOUR TIME WITH YOUR SON & HIS PARTNER WHEN THEY VISIT
Apr 8th 2008, 6:31 pm
#168
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Joined: Mar 2007
Location: queensland
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Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Hi mandy
really glad things are working out for you and the kids, I remember talking to you on the april thread, well we hope to be there end of June, so not long , cant sleep at night, but as you said i dont think Im doing the wrong thing, just worried, about leaving my daughter behind.
You have written a really good post, the tears were in my eyes just reading it.
talk soon
siobhan
really glad things are working out for you and the kids, I remember talking to you on the april thread, well we hope to be there end of June, so not long , cant sleep at night, but as you said i dont think Im doing the wrong thing, just worried, about leaving my daughter behind.
You have written a really good post, the tears were in my eyes just reading it.
talk soon
siobhan
Apr 8th 2008, 10:44 pm
#169
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Joined: Mar 2007
Location: Peregian Beach SC Qld
Posts: 1,522
Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Hi Mandy
Glad things are working out for you all you need now is a hunk of a guy to take you out to dinner
Glad things are working out for you all you need now is a hunk of a guy to take you out to dinner
Apr 8th 2008, 10:49 pm
#170
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Apr 8th 2008, 11:43 pm
#171
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Joined: Aug 2006
Location: WA but NOT Perth!!!!!
Posts: 3,318
Apr 9th 2008, 8:16 am
#172
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Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Hi mandy
really glad things are working out for you and the kids, I remember talking to you on the april thread, well we hope to be there end of June, so not long , cant sleep at night, but as you said i dont think Im doing the wrong thing, just worried, about leaving my daughter behind.
You have written a really good post, the tears were in my eyes just reading it.
talk soon
siobhan
really glad things are working out for you and the kids, I remember talking to you on the april thread, well we hope to be there end of June, so not long , cant sleep at night, but as you said i dont think Im doing the wrong thing, just worried, about leaving my daughter behind.
You have written a really good post, the tears were in my eyes just reading it.
talk soon
siobhan
Cant remember where you are heading 
right now i would settle for dinner but a dishwasher isnt very cuddly when you want a hug and nor does it ask you how you are doing or how your day has been let alone help you make decisions Having said that i will definately be getting dishwasher in my new place
Apr 9th 2008, 8:29 am
#173
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Joined: Aug 2006
Location: WA but NOT Perth!!!!!
Posts: 3,318
Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
but the kids can give you a hug
and as for decisions, at least you get to do what you want all the time and dont have to compromise!!!
failing that, get a cat: all the hugs you could need without the hassle
and as for decisions, at least you get to do what you want all the time and dont have to compromise!!!
failing that, get a cat: all the hugs you could need without the hassle
Apr 9th 2008, 8:52 am
#174
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Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Daunted has left the building
Apr 27th 2008, 4:18 am
#175
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Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Apr 27th 2008, 4:33 am
#177
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Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Apr 27th 2008, 4:46 am
#178
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 23,400
Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
I might go and have a chat with Westpac and see what they say, just general mortgage advice really.
It all seems so daunting and I can't ever imagine being in our own home but then again, I never thought I would be in Australia either.
Can't wait to see which place you pick.
May 19th 2008, 1:03 am
#179
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Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Five months in.......................
............ and life is fantastic! I started writing this update thinking we had reached 6 months yesterday but Rachel has just pointed out that it is in fact only 5!! I honestly cannot believe that we have been here such a short time. It’s only when I am reminded of how long we have been here that I give myself a pat on the back in the realisation that WE’VE DONE IT!! Against all the odds we are now living the dream, and that really is what it feels like.
Life is now normal. I get up (at silly o’clock) moaning about having to go to work (just like I did in the UK), I have a pile of ironing that I moan about (just like I did in the UK), I come home from work & moan about having to start all over again (just like I did in the UK), and I still have to trundle around doing the food shopping, moaning (just like I did in the UK). So, on a daily basis, yes, life is pretty much the same, and as I said before - normal. There is actually great comfort in the normality of it all. I have always been happiest when there is some kind of routine to my life, even if it may sometimes feel a bit monotonous. Rachel and Mark are now very settled in school and their sporting activities which makes my life much easier. I have always said that I don’t think I would have been able to do this without their support and positive attitude and I still stand by this. They have worked hard at making friends and settling in and it gives me a kick to hear them speaking about their new lives and friends. They are both beginning to get a bit of a ‘twang’ to their voice – I guess that will only get stronger being at school surrounded by Australian kids. I have always been a fan of the aussie accent and it makes me smile when Rachel and Mark raise their voices at the end of every sentence, as if asking a question but not doing so!
We have had a pretty action packed month or so since I last posted, much of it sporting so I guess that is where I shall start................
.............. Rachel attended the local netball trials, very nervously, but was selected for the squad and is now back into the swing of things. She loves it and is doing really well. There is a tournament in Wanneroo over the long weekend at the end of May so we are travelling en masse (Scott and Joss will be here too) to stay 3 nights at a hotel smack bang in the middle of Perth. (working for a worldwide chain of hotels has its benefits in terms of very generous discounts on rooms!) There will be lots of netball but we will be right in the middle of all the action for Scott to show Joss (and Mark actually) the touristy bits. It has been good to see Rachel gaining her confidence back on the netball court and I am proud of the way she faced her demons so to speak.
Mark is now well and truly back into his soccer! (football to those in the UK LOL). They have had a couple of pre season matches which they have won but the real test will be when the season kicks off for real in May. I am considering buying him a nice head band to keep his flowing blonde locks out of his eyes when playing – he really does look every inch the beach bum Australian kid these days!
We went up to Subiaco, in Perth on Friday night to watch a live game of Football (Aussie rules in UK speak) OOOOOh what an amazing night that was! All three of us are well and truly hooked Fremantle Dockers fans. I'm not going to pretend to understand the rules as of yet but by the end of the match I had pretty much mastered the cheering when the fans in purple cheered and booing when those fans in blue cheered! I think we were lucky to have picked such a good game to go watch as our first experience. They played Geelong who are if not at top of league, somewhere near, with Freo near the bottom, if not on the bottom LOL WELL streuth mate!! We was robbed!!
‘The House’ .................... oh where on earth do I start with this one LOL. The plans have changed again! The housing market has gone pretty much the same way as the UK one with prices dropping rapidly so we have an offer accepted of a beautiful house in Kingston, the same area we were going to build in! We should hopefully be exchanging contracts later this week when I will give you more info – just don’t want to jinx it all by saying too much too soon! What I will say though is that it is beauuuuuuuutiful, 4 years old and made for us!! Please keep everything crossed that we move in about 4 weeks! (it’s so much quicker out here!) One thing I am not looking forward to is all the packing again – we still have boxes unopened in the garage which I am debating sending to the dump as we obviously don’t need what is in it that desperately hey?
I am finally learning to play the guitar!! It’s going to be a long time before I can play anything recognisable but I will do it eventually! I find it really relaxing and am told that my fingers will stop hurting eventually!
It was Mothers Day here yesterday (May 11th – it’s taken me ages to finish this update off!) and I had a fantastic day, starting off with the biggest breakfast I have ever eaten, all washed down with fresh orange juice and Champagne!! We spent the morning lazing in bed before heading off to the beach for a walk and then an evening fishing! We still haven’t caught a fish but I am pretty sure it can’t be that far off now!! Apparently the Salmon are on their way around the coast past Bunbury so maybe they would be so good as to eat the squid dangling on the end of our line! Actually, come to think of it, getting them to eat the bait is simple, it’s the hook we seem to be having trouble getting them to eat!
Whilst we are on the subject of Salmon, it appears that we are not the only ones trying to catch it! The Great White sharks like it too and it seems they have mistaken an early morning swimmer for a prize catch!! Some idiot (for swimming early morning) has survived a Great White shark attack round the coast at Albany!! He was swimming just 80metres off the shore when he became breakfast for the beast!! As the very lucky guy is recovering in hospital, the beaches have been shut as the spotter planes have reported back that there are still THREE great whites in the area!!! MMmmmm maybe it’s a good job we have acclimatised and don’t feel inclined to get into the ocean at the moment!
The Summer is well and truly over much to our dismay! Whilst it is still very warm in comparison to a UK autumn we are all acclimatised and not enjoying being cold in the mornings! Rachel and Mark now have hot water bottles (bit over the top but hey it’s nice to be snug), and I have bought flannelette sheets which are fab! The biggest snugly of all is in transit from my Mum – a blanket which my Gran crocheted when I was young! She was forever making them from odds and sods of wool and one chilly weekend last week I thought how nice it would be to have one to snuggle in to!! WELL my good ole Mum has packaged one up and it is on it’s way over!! Yahoooo Thanks MUM XXX PS – as for rain!!! I thought this was a dry country!! WOW when it rains here it sure does it with force and style – as for the storms they are fantastic!
It is now only 2 weeks until Scott and Joss set off to see us!! It is going to be out of this world! I’m not sure what kind of state I will be in when they walk through those arrival gates but I am going to take a box or three of tissues along just incase!! I have booked us a holiday up at Denham for a week, a cottage right on the beach so we will all be able to get some serious R&R together. It has been full on hard work since we arrived so we are all looking forward to sitting back and having some fun. Denham is about a 15 hour drive north of here (jeez how big this country is!) and the weather is much warmer up there at this time of year! The whale migration starts at the end of June. They can apparently be seen off the coast of Bunbury but we will get a much better view of them from up north and it will be lovely to see it for the first time with Scott and Joss.
Well that is really pretty much it. I want to get off so Rachel can get this up onto the website along with lots of photos (which due to dial up take forever to upload).
It’s great to see so many of you visiting the site and leaving messages. Whilst it’s hard finding time to keep this as up to date as possible seeing that so many of you are following our lives makes it fun. Work has started on the second DVD which we will probably finish off when Scott and Joss are here and get them to take it back and post out on their return. Ooooooh and I have now done the telephone interview for Living Abroad magazine and just waiting for the photographer to contact me to take some pics for the article. I will let you know when it is published just in case you wanna take a peek!
***UPDATE ON THE UPDATE***
That tournament that i mentioned in Wanaroo!! Well my poor baby gal went and broke her ankle playing netball yesterday so she aint gonna be playing for some time She was doing so well and is so upset at missing out . WIll still go up for the weekend but she wont be able to have her big brother cheer her on as she had been looking forward too
............ and life is fantastic! I started writing this update thinking we had reached 6 months yesterday but Rachel has just pointed out that it is in fact only 5!! I honestly cannot believe that we have been here such a short time. It’s only when I am reminded of how long we have been here that I give myself a pat on the back in the realisation that WE’VE DONE IT!! Against all the odds we are now living the dream, and that really is what it feels like.
Life is now normal. I get up (at silly o’clock) moaning about having to go to work (just like I did in the UK), I have a pile of ironing that I moan about (just like I did in the UK), I come home from work & moan about having to start all over again (just like I did in the UK), and I still have to trundle around doing the food shopping, moaning (just like I did in the UK). So, on a daily basis, yes, life is pretty much the same, and as I said before - normal. There is actually great comfort in the normality of it all. I have always been happiest when there is some kind of routine to my life, even if it may sometimes feel a bit monotonous. Rachel and Mark are now very settled in school and their sporting activities which makes my life much easier. I have always said that I don’t think I would have been able to do this without their support and positive attitude and I still stand by this. They have worked hard at making friends and settling in and it gives me a kick to hear them speaking about their new lives and friends. They are both beginning to get a bit of a ‘twang’ to their voice – I guess that will only get stronger being at school surrounded by Australian kids. I have always been a fan of the aussie accent and it makes me smile when Rachel and Mark raise their voices at the end of every sentence, as if asking a question but not doing so!
We have had a pretty action packed month or so since I last posted, much of it sporting so I guess that is where I shall start................
.............. Rachel attended the local netball trials, very nervously, but was selected for the squad and is now back into the swing of things. She loves it and is doing really well. There is a tournament in Wanneroo over the long weekend at the end of May so we are travelling en masse (Scott and Joss will be here too) to stay 3 nights at a hotel smack bang in the middle of Perth. (working for a worldwide chain of hotels has its benefits in terms of very generous discounts on rooms!) There will be lots of netball but we will be right in the middle of all the action for Scott to show Joss (and Mark actually) the touristy bits. It has been good to see Rachel gaining her confidence back on the netball court and I am proud of the way she faced her demons so to speak.
Mark is now well and truly back into his soccer! (football to those in the UK LOL). They have had a couple of pre season matches which they have won but the real test will be when the season kicks off for real in May. I am considering buying him a nice head band to keep his flowing blonde locks out of his eyes when playing – he really does look every inch the beach bum Australian kid these days!
We went up to Subiaco, in Perth on Friday night to watch a live game of Football (Aussie rules in UK speak) OOOOOh what an amazing night that was! All three of us are well and truly hooked Fremantle Dockers fans. I'm not going to pretend to understand the rules as of yet but by the end of the match I had pretty much mastered the cheering when the fans in purple cheered and booing when those fans in blue cheered! I think we were lucky to have picked such a good game to go watch as our first experience. They played Geelong who are if not at top of league, somewhere near, with Freo near the bottom, if not on the bottom LOL WELL streuth mate!! We was robbed!!
‘The House’ .................... oh where on earth do I start with this one LOL. The plans have changed again! The housing market has gone pretty much the same way as the UK one with prices dropping rapidly so we have an offer accepted of a beautiful house in Kingston, the same area we were going to build in! We should hopefully be exchanging contracts later this week when I will give you more info – just don’t want to jinx it all by saying too much too soon! What I will say though is that it is beauuuuuuuutiful, 4 years old and made for us!! Please keep everything crossed that we move in about 4 weeks! (it’s so much quicker out here!) One thing I am not looking forward to is all the packing again – we still have boxes unopened in the garage which I am debating sending to the dump as we obviously don’t need what is in it that desperately hey?
I am finally learning to play the guitar!! It’s going to be a long time before I can play anything recognisable but I will do it eventually! I find it really relaxing and am told that my fingers will stop hurting eventually!
It was Mothers Day here yesterday (May 11th – it’s taken me ages to finish this update off!) and I had a fantastic day, starting off with the biggest breakfast I have ever eaten, all washed down with fresh orange juice and Champagne!! We spent the morning lazing in bed before heading off to the beach for a walk and then an evening fishing! We still haven’t caught a fish but I am pretty sure it can’t be that far off now!! Apparently the Salmon are on their way around the coast past Bunbury so maybe they would be so good as to eat the squid dangling on the end of our line! Actually, come to think of it, getting them to eat the bait is simple, it’s the hook we seem to be having trouble getting them to eat!
Whilst we are on the subject of Salmon, it appears that we are not the only ones trying to catch it! The Great White sharks like it too and it seems they have mistaken an early morning swimmer for a prize catch!! Some idiot (for swimming early morning) has survived a Great White shark attack round the coast at Albany!! He was swimming just 80metres off the shore when he became breakfast for the beast!! As the very lucky guy is recovering in hospital, the beaches have been shut as the spotter planes have reported back that there are still THREE great whites in the area!!! MMmmmm maybe it’s a good job we have acclimatised and don’t feel inclined to get into the ocean at the moment!
The Summer is well and truly over much to our dismay! Whilst it is still very warm in comparison to a UK autumn we are all acclimatised and not enjoying being cold in the mornings! Rachel and Mark now have hot water bottles (bit over the top but hey it’s nice to be snug), and I have bought flannelette sheets which are fab! The biggest snugly of all is in transit from my Mum – a blanket which my Gran crocheted when I was young! She was forever making them from odds and sods of wool and one chilly weekend last week I thought how nice it would be to have one to snuggle in to!! WELL my good ole Mum has packaged one up and it is on it’s way over!! Yahoooo Thanks MUM XXX PS – as for rain!!! I thought this was a dry country!! WOW when it rains here it sure does it with force and style – as for the storms they are fantastic!
It is now only 2 weeks until Scott and Joss set off to see us!! It is going to be out of this world! I’m not sure what kind of state I will be in when they walk through those arrival gates but I am going to take a box or three of tissues along just incase!! I have booked us a holiday up at Denham for a week, a cottage right on the beach so we will all be able to get some serious R&R together. It has been full on hard work since we arrived so we are all looking forward to sitting back and having some fun. Denham is about a 15 hour drive north of here (jeez how big this country is!) and the weather is much warmer up there at this time of year! The whale migration starts at the end of June. They can apparently be seen off the coast of Bunbury but we will get a much better view of them from up north and it will be lovely to see it for the first time with Scott and Joss.
Well that is really pretty much it. I want to get off so Rachel can get this up onto the website along with lots of photos (which due to dial up take forever to upload).
It’s great to see so many of you visiting the site and leaving messages. Whilst it’s hard finding time to keep this as up to date as possible seeing that so many of you are following our lives makes it fun. Work has started on the second DVD which we will probably finish off when Scott and Joss are here and get them to take it back and post out on their return. Ooooooh and I have now done the telephone interview for Living Abroad magazine and just waiting for the photographer to contact me to take some pics for the article. I will let you know when it is published just in case you wanna take a peek!
***UPDATE ON THE UPDATE***
That tournament that i mentioned in Wanaroo!! Well my poor baby gal went and broke her ankle playing netball yesterday so she aint gonna be playing for some time
She was doing so well and is so upset at missing out . WIll still go up for the weekend but she wont be able to have her big brother cheer her on as she had been looking forward too
May 20th 2008, 2:09 am
#180
happy to be here!
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Ellenbrook, WA
Posts: 2,732
Re: 'A little less DAUNTED in Oz!'
Lovely update Mandy, glad you are settling in 
Sorry to hear about your daughter's broken ankle, hope she recovers soon and is back on the court
Have a great time with your son when he comes over
Sorry to hear about your daughter's broken ankle, hope she recovers soon and is back on the court
Have a great time with your son when he comes over