Our ship is sailing

Our container gets packed on Wednesday and sails a week on Saturday to arrive in Sydney 1 day before us and then it should clear customs around 11th September which is when we hope to move into our rental house.  We fly 6 weeks on Wednesday.

Mum told me that she copes with the fact that we are leaving by thinking of us just going on holiday.  An extended holiday but not for the long haul.  I suppose in my head I am not thinking about it permanently or for ever as I can't really until we have lived it for a while.  At the moment it is a little of an unknown quantity as we have only ever holidayed in Australia, for 6 weeks which is a while but still not the same.  I hope that it is all we want it to be for the 4 of us.  Mum then went on to say that she is also so excited for us that we are going off on an adventure.  To try something new and different.  Where there are new experiences and challenges to be had.  I think it really helps that she did it herself in the 70's so can understand a little of what we are trying to achieve.

I don't think I will be able to see it as a move for life until we have created our lives over there again and we are settled.  I feel a little like a nomad at the moment and that isn't going to change for some while yet.

I mentioned to Andy the other night that hopefully in around 9 to 10 weeks time we will have moved into a new home, unpacked all our stuff and will be about to welcome our first visitors and dear friends, Marky & Kat from Perth who we haven't seen since Christmas.  I am so excited about seeing them.  Marky is a dodgy car salesman (hope he reads this one!) and has offered to negotiate a price on a car when we find one we want.  After all he does this for a living so should be pretty good at it!  He even offered to buy one in Perth and drive it over to us, now that is dedication at 3000 miles or so!

I have wobbles of confidence as the day gets closer but on the whole it's all good with us at the moment.

Thoughts from far away

I am touched.  This is what I came home to today.

It was my birthday on Monday and someone special far away in Perth remembered me.  How lovely.  It is even more special as he lives so far away and he contacted a florist nearby and had these lovely balloons sent my way to make me smile. And they did.  Love you Marky.  Can't wait to see you on the sunny side.

I had some girlie time with Isla on Monday afternoon and captured her discovering the perfume of a daisy.

She delicately plucked daisy's from the lawn, sniffed and then passed to me for sampling.  She was so pleased with her discovery.  We wandered down the drive and admired the gorgeous Montana clematis rambling over the old garden wall which is on the cusp of full bloom.  So near but still very beautiful.

Finn looking pensive after an afternoon of examining bugs.

Happy days.

We go to Cornwall on Thursday and I'm hoping for warm, sunny beach days - any chance Mr weatherman?

TV Chaff

Now, obviously we are watching Wanted Down Under, it goes without saying.  I am so thankful that I researched our impending relocation with care and attention before watching this chaff.  Unfortunately this program is purporting to be a real insight into Life Down Under when really it is daytime TV that falls squarely into the 'entertainment' genre.  The thing that is a bit scary is that the 'victims' in this program seem largely uninformed on the whole migration subject.  I wonder if they take a bit of a punt when applying to appear and then not really thinking about it again until the Beeb turn up at the door.

What surprises me is that on the whole people are expecting to get a small mansion when they didn't have that at home.  Australia used to be like that but as far as I'm aware it hasn't been like that for a long time, and not for a very long time in the big cities which are very popular.  I'm sure you could get a large acreage plot out in Widgeegoara or some such back water but living so far away would be quite a shock and not the perceived Australian dream.

Also I watched one where the program helpfully compared one families shopping bill from home.  So the comparison for blueberries being £2 in the UK and something like £6 in Australia caused gasps around the table!  But for the Love of God it's all relative!  If the Aussies are having to ship in refrigerated blueberries from North America then they are going to be pricey as they have further to go.  Therefore, I'm sure the choice would be to buy the local produce, like mangos and pineapples which are totally delicious, loads cheaper and are from just up the road in Queensland.

This reminds me of another little humorous anecdote.  Dear dear Marky had many many discussions with me over the price of Coke in Australia just as he was about to head over to Perth.  Quite insistently he would ask me "but if coke is £1 for a can in the UK then how much is it going to be in Australia".  Several times I had to explain to him that it is completely irrelevant as when you are earning the Aussie $ it matters not a jot how much you pay in the UK and only how it compares to how many bucks you are earning.  Also the price in the 2 countries are completely unrelated to each other!  Sigh.

The other thing about WDU that I find exceedingly trying is that they seem to insist on showing these people houses above their budget under the guise of "this is something that they can aspire too".  This, I feel sets expectations too high and will also put even more financial pressure on the family in a completely new and alien country if they proceed on this basis.  Also, no account is taken for the fact that most people rent for a good while in a new country while they get their bearings and work out where they can afford which offers them what they want.  There are 3 houses shown in one very specific area, 1 out of budget and then people have to decide.

I feel that as long as people watch it with the understanding that it is not really giving a good picture of the country then that's fine but I'm sure some people watch and base their decisions on it, which is a bit scary!

Don't even get me started on "move to the other side of the World" and "that all looks very inviting" Nicki Chapman.

Now, some seriously fantastic eye candy chasséd, onto our wall mounted plasma on Friday night in the form of the lovely Phil Spencer on a much better program Phil Down Under.  Now this was much more insightful, factual and well produced and Phil made it very enjoyable to watch, frankly by just breathing.

Another visitor, another wedding!

Now we have 2 weddings to go to in Australia in September/October!  Jaqueline and Mark visited us on Saturday and it was lovely to meet Mark and catch up with Jacqui.  They are also getting hitched and have invited us over to celebrate and stay with them.  We are staying with Marky for a week so will hopefully make our Perth trip into a 2 week holiday and stay with Jacqui and Mark too.  They couldn't have been more positive about us emigrating to Sydney and think it is the best thing for us as a family.  It's always nice to hear positive things as it gives us both confidence.

While planning to emigrate I have gone through a plethora of emotions:

• Guilt
• Self doubt
• Euphoria
• Financial worry
• Stress
  
• Excitement
• Fear of the unknown & change
• Excitement about the adventure of the unknown & change
  
• Hopeful
  
• Concern over becoming uncontrollably homesick
• Worry about one of us loving it and one of us hating it
• Worry that we get there, the children start school and then we want to come back and upset them all over again
• Worrying about selling our lovely house that we are in now and regretting it
  
• Planning and looking forward to all the things we are going to do in Sydney
• Outdoor cinema in the park
• Buying and enjoying a boat
• Barbies
• Playing in the sun
• Teaching the children to swim
• Teaching me to swim properly
  
• Showing the children the Great Barrier Reef and the other numerous wildlife and vistas
  
• Making some new friends (hopefully!)
• Enjoying a pool in the garden at some point in the future
• Exploring the beaches & rockpools
• Travelling in, around and all over Australia
• Being outside more
• Taking the children skiing in New Zealand or the Snowy Mountains each year
• New Years Eve 2010 on the waterside watching the 9pm fireworks
• The many free family friendly events that the City puts on
• Learning some new skills - photography & floristry I hope
• Being a 1 car, 1 motorbike family
• Doing some off roading on the numerous dirt/non bitumen roads
  

So, lots and lots of things are going through my mind but most of all, now, I am excited.

Sarah

Exciting plans!

We are not even in Australia yet and still we have a social calendar to arrange as my very dear friend Marky announced his engagement and pending marriage in Perth later this year.  I am disproportionately excited about this upcoming event and am looking forward to going to a wedding with the children as they have not been to one before.  What is also very exciting is that Marky and his wife to be (!) Kat have asked for Finn & Isla to be page boy and flower girl and for Andy to be an Usher.  I am so pleased for Marky as he is a lovely person and he has met someone equally lovely.  Kat is a confident and entertaining person who is very personable; Marky is a lucky chap!  Finn took a shine to Kat straight away which is good sign.

It is rather nice to start planning things we are going to do this year in Australia.  This edding will mean a trip over to Perth for a week, it looks like flights are pretty cheap at around $200 pp which will mean we can pop over to Perth for a visit quite often.  Andy has a cousin in Perth also who we visited on our honeymoon in 2004 (who is over to visit us this weekend) so we can visit her aswell.  The Wedding is going to have large Vietnamese influence as that is the brides heritage which will be a lovely theme under the Perth sun.

Marky and Kat visited this afternoon for the last time while they are in the UK but when they left I felt happy.  Last time Marky left and I felt a bit lost for a while and obviously I missed him.  This time when he left it's much easier as I'm going to see him soon, where we can kick back and enjoy a beer together in the sun.

Here is a picture of Marky at our wedding, sometime in September/October I will post some pictures of him, Kat and us at his wedding!

Marky is the smart guy on the right!

I have a confession.  I am a lurker.  I have been a lurker for several years now.  I am trying to be a better participator of the information highway now and this blog is how I am starting.  I hope, as I become a better blogger that I will provide useful information on our emigration path as well as charting our life as we go.

Amen and goodnight.

Sarah

Visitor from Australia

My dear friend who I have known for all of his life, Marky, is visiting from Perth.  He has been over for a couple of weeks now and his lovely girlfriend Kat joined him in early January.  We all went out for a curry last night at our local Indian restaurant.  I have heard that Indian food in Oz is very different so Marky was very much looking forward to getting a 'good' curry under his belt!  They didn't disappoint, we had some great food and what made it all the more lovely was that the company was amazing.  This is one of the hard things about emigration, that you have to leave the things familiar to you and the people you love to spend time with.  I have missed him so much since he left in March 09.  It is great to catch up and he has been telling me about what a great time he has been having.  We have slipped back into how we have always been together and it's been great! 



We achieved lots over the weekend in the form of packing/de-cluttering but I am so done with the whole sorting the house out rigmarole.  I would love to spend some time as the 4 of us doing something carefree and frivolous though.  I will feel so much better when this hurdle has passed.


I was very pleased to see Finn & Isla tonight as is always the case when I have been at work all day.  I read The Gruffalo's Child to Isla which she appreciated and talked to me the whole time I read to her!  How very sweet.  Snow is forecast again tonight so it may be a snow and working from home day tomorrow.


I had a phone call and lots of information from a TorFX guy today who provides a service of transferring money from sterling to AU$.  So now I have a whole new set of things to think about to add to our list.  When is the best time, in light of the strength of the $ to £ to transfer money to Australia?  Answers on a postcard.