Well, it's been a wee while since I sent an update - it's really just
been photies up till now! We've been having a busy time of it - never
a dull moment in the Upper Hunter :)
The kids are settling really well at school - Matthew won an award the
other morning - for settling in well. We've started a little scrapbook
so Tristan's cricket award is in there as well. Wee Harmony is
settling well and is proving popular with all the other kindy frogs :)
We've had an interesting bout of weather recently too - it's been
hovering between the 35 and 40 mark for three days now. There's a
bunch of bush fires on the go in and around the Hunter (though none
near us, thankfully), and some seriously intense electrical storms -
big jaggy forked lightening bolts walking across the mountains with
the odd splash of black rain with the eucalyptus smoke dissolved in
it. We were in Cessnock on Tuesday night and the entire horizon to the
south was glowing red and orange, with the sky jet black.
The fires seem to be under control now, with a lot of back burning
going on. The people here just accept it as a part of life and get on
with it really.
We're planning a day out on Sunday - the Wyndham Estate vineyard is
holding a family day and there's loads of stuff to do (and wine to
drink) and a pile of music. My guitar arrived from Scotland yesterday,
so I may take it along and join in :)
We're trying to gear up for christmas (we're getting the kids a big
outdoor trampoline (not that they need it)) to work off some excess
energy. It's odd though - it's so hot and bright that santas propped
on verandas just looks wierd :-/
I have a job interview on Monday - it's not hugely paying (it's a
database & java programming job for a private health trust) but it's a
rung on the ladder. It's bizarre because I'm so used to being known by
reputation within the private sector community in Britain, but here
I'm starting from the first rung again. That said, although the salary
is lower than I've been on, the standard of living will be a fair bit
higher - it'll allow us to get our own place sorted out and stop the
savings from being eaten, and it'll get me an Australian job on my CV.
We'll see how it goes - the company seem quite keen because they're
doing a bit of chasing and haggling with salaries.
Our rellies have been hoarding in their shed and have practically
furnished the house for us - all we need to organise are beds and
sofas, so there's no worries there.
Oh - we have an interesting neighbour too (when he's not shouting at
the roos for knocking his trees over) - he builds model ships - old
sailing ships. Doesn't do it from kits, though - he gets the naval
blueprints and builds them like you'd build an actually ship, out of
old bits of wood. They're absolutely beautiful.
Anyhoo - I've got to go and pick up the bairns from school. Matthew's
into the third day of his intensive swimming lessons now and seems to
be enjoying it. Then again, who wouldn't enjoy mucking about in the
pool when it's 35 degrees :)
Any regrets so far? None. None at all. No worries with clothes and shoes - the quality is fine. The food is great (and very cheap). The heat is pretty intense but we're adjusting. A do enjoy cooking outdoors every night though :)
So hang in there you guys - it's all worth it. We've been made to feel very welcome, out here in the sticks, and we've had never a mention of the "Pom" word :)
Must have been a while since I posted too as I hadn't realised that you'd got your visas so big congrats on that side of things!
How long since you've been here? We arrived in Rainy Sydney in September and are loving it too.
Good luck with the job hunting and interview, my hubbie is working in the States and will be back on the 4th December so will be job hunting in earnest for something here. I too am job hunting and have a 2nd i/v for a p/t job on Tuesday so fingers crossed.
We are settled in a suburb of Sydney called Beaumont Hills which is in the North West of Sydney.
Sounds like you have all settled in which is great news and good luck with everything.
Sounds like you are loving it, good luck getting a job. Keep posting I enjoy reading it, lets us all know there is light and humour at the end of the long, very long tunnel.
Sounds like you are loving it, good luck getting a job. Keep posting I enjoy reading it, lets us all know there is light and humour at the end of the long, very long tunnel.
Kaye :)
Jobs are pretty thin on the ground out here in the sticks (Newcastle is the nearest city). Plenty if you're an air conditioning engineer or programmer, but otherwise there's a lot of waiting :)
So - not got anything yet, but then it's leading up to christmas and people tend not to change jobs then. We'll see how it goes ;-)
