Do you love Tasmania ???

[Herbster]

Originally Posted by em&paul

Louise(10) is horse mad and wants to ride when we get over there so that sounds great. Both our kids love being outdoors so I'm sure that they will love it...Things with the visa do seem to be taking forever but keep being told to be patient!! It seems like we've been talking about emigrating for years but the house is now sold so once the visa arrives we can go. Hopefully this will be or last school summer holidays in the UK so planning on making it memorable and who knows in September things may be moving again!!!... Tasmania is worth waiting for!!...Emma

Hi Emma:

I know whenever you are waiting for something, whatever that might be, it seems to take forever, but it arrives eventually - in the meantime there is loads to DO! Brilliant you've sold the house & don't have that worry which seems to be plaguing everyone else at the mo... But as I've said before, you really can make the most of this opportunity!

We tried to keep ourselves occupied by doing as much as possible there that we clearly won't be able to do now! If there's people & places you've been meaning to see, then NOW is the time to do it, see them, spend time visiting & exploring as near & far afield as you can. Even though we tried to do as much as we could, we still didn't get to see my Uncle & Aunt, that's probably 4/5 years now & they're in their 70's, other friends, I only have 3 cousins, 1 I haven't seen in maybe 20 years, never seen his girls... Bristol, haven't been to London since 1980!!! And then there's all the personal belongings to sort through, organize & toss as appropriate - don't leave it till you've got your Visa! All those photos/magazine: people always seem to have acres of them in shoe boxes, half of them you can't recall who the subjects were, so best check that out before you leave!

Also, if you've not started doing it, the kids will want to sort through their things, what to keep, donate, recycle... Also with the horse stuff, I think there again are strict new rules regarding it, so I'd be very wary about buying any tack that you intend using & if it's new I don't know how you'll prove that... So worth checking into that now.
If your children prefer the outdoors to traipsing around Top Shop (I know she's only 10, but have you seen the age of some of these shoppers?!) then I think they will love it here. There's fresh air and space in abundance, I would have loved it as a kid, all my brothers & sisters would, it's a kid's sized world of Adventure, that they create for themselves... And for anyone slightly creative or artistic, it must be Paradise - the ever-changing skies, amazing shifts in light and tone, wind on water, sails on the breeze, it is a Nature Lover's smorgasbord!
But enjoy the summer, England can be a great place too when you're a kid! (Lots of Adventure Parks )
Cheers

[butt]

Originally Posted by The Cutches

As our lovely Tassie doesn't get a mention that often, I thought it would be good to have a thread where we can keep track of all things Tassie. So if you have Tassie on the brain, or are lucky enough to be there already this is the thread for you:

So, I guess I'll go first. Love Tassie, can't wait to get there. Got 475 visa, can't sell house. Live in Bristol now and want to live in either Howrah or Kingston area.

Your Turn......

CC
x

Do I know You ? Are you my older sister thats getting there before me .

[Ska]

Hi again,

Herbster - I am currently staying in Wantage, close to Oxford and I have felt like a complete stranger in my own country since being back. Part of me loves England (rolling hills, lush green grass, old pubs, history) and part of me hates it. Unfortunately for me it seems that most people I know in England are miserable with their lives and feel powerless to change it. It's either that they're stuck in a rut, or feel that the Governement will find a way to take their money no matter how much they earn and save. I find the feeling here just generally a depressing one - like people feel that they can't get ahead no matter what they do. Plus my experience travelling on the Aussie dollar has been fairly grim - unable to find a room for under sixty pounds a night, transport is unfathomably expensive and going out to eat is pricey and can be risky in terms of quality. Although there are price rises in Australia on food and fuel - it does seem to be more on a par with wages there (Aust.) than here (UK).

Australia I think is a much freer nation - there are less restrictions on everything, transport is cheaper, entertainment is cheaper/more accesible - I just feel like a much freer person... But then I sometimes wonder if that is a personal thing because I have moved away and made my own lifestyle - I might have felt the same if I'd moved to Brighton instead! Also a big factor for me in England is the crowds... Yes, there are some beautiful places in the UK, but in summer those places are completely packed and to me it's no fun to visit them. I walked through the streets of Oxford yesterday and went home in desperation - the streets were more crowded (from tourists) than any street I have ever walked down!

As for horses - Tassie is a great place to keep them but if you're looking at getting horses on your own place down the track, it's a good idea to make sure that you're in a higher rainfall area where there is grass. On the whole it is cheaper to keep horses here than in the UK - but feed and hay prices are double that of England because of the drought. If anyone wants any advice on this issue - fell free to PM me - as I am involved in horse welfare.

[em&paul]

Hi Herbster

We are going to use the next 6 weeks of school summer holidays to see friends and family and visit some of the places on the kids lists of things to do. Definalty plenty to do to keep us busy. Now we don't have the house we also have our weekends free!

We did have a big sort out when we sold the house and even leaving some none essentials boxed. But there is still more to do.

Emma

[tasormelb]

Hi Sally I to had ponies when I was a child. I was fearless and my Mum used to watch with her heart in her mouth embarassing me greatly with shouts of be careful and slow down! My neice is teaching my daughter to ride on her pony, she looks such a little dot on it. The other day she was learning canter, she was loving every minute while I was shouting slow down, be careful!. Then I thought - this is a sign i'm getting old, I had to leave the field before I turned into a nervous quivering heap and annoyed my daughter completely! Pony club sounds great and I will look into this when I arrive.

Emma, where do you intend to settle and what school do you think you will use? It sounds like our daughters have a love of ponies in common and could perhaps be friends.

Ska, I will PM you about best areas for grazing when I have worked out what to do! I'm off to bed now as i'm a nurse and have an early shift tomorrow, getting up has never been a strength of mine!

[Colin R]

Know the feeling , unfortunately our son is into Motocross and motorbikes have no brains at all!!!! First time I went to see him a helicopter was there picking up someone who had smashed his knee. He hasnt wanted to start riding a shame really.
Colin was a mounted police officer so he rode for a living Not sure that there is a horse quite big enough to take him at the moment so he is now riding motobikes. We couldnt bring any of our tack or equipment over with us apart from boots and riding clothes. All the years of getting things together all the stuff had to be sold and given away which was a shame. All of it is a no-no when it comes to quarentine. Even though Colin was meticulous about the tack and it used to gleam we wouldnt chance it not getting through .Tasmania is more strict than even the mainland. Even our flowers have to be fumigated twice if they are from outside Australia once on arrival in Australia and again when the get to Tassie. Even flowers from Australia have to be fumigated when they get here. I had better get off as I should be going into work
Take care everyone
Sally
x

[Herbster]

Originally Posted by Ska

Hi again,

Herbster - I am currently staying in Wantage, close to Oxford and I have felt like a complete stranger in my own country since being back. Part of me loves England (rolling hills, lush green grass, old pubs, history) and part of me hates it. Unfortunately for me it seems that most people I know in England are miserable with their lives and feel powerless to change it. It's either that they're stuck in a rut, or feel that the Governement will find a way to take their money no matter how much they earn and save. I find the feeling here just generally a depressing one - like people feel that they can't get ahead no matter what they do. Plus my experience travelling on the Aussie dollar has been fairly grim - unable to find a room for under sixty pounds a night, transport is unfathomably expensive and going out to eat is pricey and can be risky in terms of quality. Although there are price rises in Australia on food and fuel - it does seem to be more on a par with wages there (Aust.) than here (UK)...Australia I think is a much freer nation - there are less restrictions on everything, transport is cheaper, entertainment is cheaper/more accesible - I just feel like a much freer person... But then I sometimes wonder if that is a personal thing because I have moved away and made my own lifestyle - I might have felt the same if I'd moved to Brighton instead! Also a big factor for me in England is the crowds... Yes, there are some beautiful places in the UK, but in summer those places are completely packed and to me it's no fun to visit them. I walked through the streets of Oxford yesterday and went home in desperation - the streets were more crowded (from tourists) than any street I have ever walked down!..As for horses - Tassie is a great place to keep them but if you're looking at getting horses on your own place down the track, it's a good idea to make sure that you're in a higher rainfall area where there is grass. On the whole it is cheaper to keep horses here than in the UK - but feed and hay prices are double that of England because of the drought. If anyone wants any advice on this issue - fell free to PM me - as I am involved in horse welfare.

Hya:

Yes, we're certainly singing from the same Hymn Sheet! We feel precisely the same... Even living up North for the 4 years we were up there North of Hadrian's Wall, which was a lot quieter & so much more relaxed and stress-free than say S. Devon - which in the summer is just a nightmare - no parking, crowds, no one's gotta a minute to live or spare, it's horrid & people are supposed to be having fun on their Holly's, but they all seem out for a fight, given half a chance. There's a very real sense of Oppression, which is relentless where ever one seems to live, be it from local/national government, the Press, Media, TV, it's all full of it, and believe me, you wouldn't have felt any different living in Brighton - it's a fun enough place, but it's hectic, busy & prices are sky high from what they were even 4 years ago... Loads of peeps moved out of London to the coast, so it's lost some of it's local appeal, too I think...

I would love to have animals again, but water here is obviously an issue - although I don't know that you'd think that today - it's been really wild, cold, sleet, rain all day & gales, typical English March day! And I had to work, so that was a bit of a shock!! Yea, I think our hay is $11.95/bale - does that sound right, I'm trying to remember all the prices! I think fruit trees are actually better value here than UK - although we have to contend with possums & roos & lord knows what else, besides drought.
No, We've lived North & South in UK, city & rural/wilds & I don't think you can escape the things that you are talking about - it is a fantastic country to look at & the History, etc., just it's proximity to Europe is great for me as I love Spain & France - but there's too much rubbish, Life is just like a quagmire, the faster & harder you try the more you seem to be dragged & sucked down into it & we just couldn't take it any more - we don't want much - just, as you say, a degree of freedom to be yourselves & get on with your Life without some horrid bureaucrat breathing down your neck saying you CAN'T!!

Enjoy the rest of your visit, I've got an old college chum near Oxford - Midsiummer Murder Country... if you spot John Nettles, be afraid, be very afraid!! But at least you can look forward to being back homein Tassie soon!
Cheers, XxX

[Herbster]

Originally Posted by em&paul

Hi Herbster..We are going to use the next 6 weeks of school summer holidays to see friends and family and visit some of the places on the kids lists of things to do. Definitely plenty to do to keep us busy. Now we don't have the house we also have our weekends free!..We did have a big sort out when we sold the house and even leaving some none essentials boxed. But there is still more to do...Emma

Cool, Emma:
You can relax then and really enjoy your summer - if the weather cooperates! Maybe if you have fav tv shows (although I bet they're all Repeats at the mo!), rather than watching them now, record them & watch them in the winter when you're here & you're cursing our TV! The point Ska brings up about living where there is enough water for grass to keep your equines is a good point - I had several guys in today for hay, complaining they didn't have any grass so were having to buy in feed, especially as the weather has turned a bit foul... but water is a very real issue, that many folks in UK don't really have to deal with.

ENJOY! You'll soon be here!

[The Cutches]

Ur right Sally, I'm sooo excited!! Go to sleep (eventually) with butterflies, wake up with butterflies... but all in a good way! Herbster, you are spot on with the lists, I do have a few, but my main ones is called "panic list" cos every time I look at it I do!
We booked the flights on Saturday night and we leave the UK on 14th Sept and arrive on the 16th, so only 8 weeks to go . Catch up soon

CC
x

[The Cutches]

Originally Posted by butt

Do I know You ? Are you my older sister thats getting there before me .

You'd better believe it bro! Look at it this way, at least you will have us there when you arrive to do ur running around for you (not too much tho' eh!)

By the way, I just seem older because I'm wiser

xxx