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I admire that you see the good side of people @HappyHeart. I can tell that you are a people person. Unfortunately I'm not. I'm not terribly fond of my fellow human beings. Not much patience for a lot of them. Poor old Harry and Meghan as far as I'm concerned are a couple of narcissistic grifters. I look forward to them proving me wrong.

Iknowcb... 15 days until we fly!! Have been unbelievably busy. Finished up work now, getting rid of a few more things and arranging things for my new job in Aus (not so much though as most of it I can't do until I'm in the country). I start 2 weeks after we land so not a lot of time to relax, actually no time to relax haha. We are in an air bnb for the first month so we can use that time to look for a place to live. I know some people secure a place to live before they arrive but we want to be there in person to make sure we pick the right place. Have a goodbye party this week too, definitely going to get emotional! Been getting upset at the thought of leaving everyone but it is what it is...still very excited for our journey I also got engaged a few weeks ago

Donald Trump said he's been pussy whipped which is an interesting way to term it.

Is there anything left to expose?? It's over 3 years since they first announced they were pulling the plug on royal life, and in that time we've seen more dirty laundry than the Sheraton. It's not like they're ever going to be in a position to get any new material. Mrs Merton's classic one-liner “So what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels?”, springs to mind whenever I see Megan. Maybe she does love Harry - they've been on quite a journey together - but I can't imagine her ever being interested in him if he hadn't been a prince of the realm. It will be interesting to see what happens when his celebrity status starts to dwindle, as it does with all the lower-tier royals as they age. Their marriage seems to have a similar dynamic to Andrew and Fergie, so one wonders if it will last.

And why might that be?

True that the ideology that brings people to that conclusion is misogynistic. It's very deeply ingrained. Harry must be a victim of a manipulative woman, he hasn't ideas of his own, he's being peer pressured...it's ridiculous really. The man is extremely powerful in his own right...and happens to be with a woman unafraid to use her voice (shades of his mother-Freud anyone). His own trauma/grief is weaponised against him to engineer some sort of image that pleases the easily influenced. Did somebody say manipulation? Jeez.

Sad, but true.

Ah the well trotted out and oft used.....how can I be homophobic I have family and friends who are gay. If you have no problem with gay people - but only when they fit your narrow view of what is acceptable homosexuality. That right there my friend is homophobia plain and simple

It's sad but not totally unexpected that those misogynistic ideas still prevail. A tad insulting to the man and to the woman involved in such alliances.

It is indeed. All out to make money, fine in itself but when un necessarily ?. Even taking a new bicycle in for a free service , a few years back, they still managed to suggest I needed a $60 or was it $90 part. (that wasn't covered in the 'free' first time servicing. Cars are a classic example of ease in the ability to find fault in order to charge more.

The polite answer is with her feminine guile, although a fair few other things spring to mind. Strong, assertive, successful women meets sad, lost puppy - there's no doubt who's wearing the trousers in that relationship.

The system can indeed be rigged to conspire against those that speak out. It's at times a fine line to thread. But can be hard to decipher the husks from the corn.

That was my main concern. I could see that the first item (larger filling) needed doing as there's clearly a hole there, along with the scale and clean, but the other items I thought were pretty border line. It's like when you take your car in for a service/MOT, they always seem to find something extra that needs doing!

Thanks, that's something I never knew. I thought it was just was a travel facility, probably like many others do. It's very poorly worded; something like PR visa extension would make a lot more sense - no one can be in any doubt what that means.

It’s badly worded. The visa does expire if you are offshore after the “expiry” or “must not arrive after” date. It’s only valid indefinitely if you remain in Australia. Once you are past this date, if you want to travel offshore, you need to apply for an RRV, which is a new permanent visa (not just a ‘travel facility’ for your existing visa).

Dentistry is the main reason people have Extras cover. They're expensive. You'll notice that just scaling and cleaning costs over $100, and that's normal. Of course, because this dentist did X-rays etc, he discovered things your old dentist would've been unaware of. It may seem better to you not to poke around and find problems, but that can result in those problems festering and turning into much bigger problems down the track. You've got a fractured tooth for instance -- if you do nothing, you'll eventually end up in a lot more trouble (and expense) than if you get it fixed now. You might see if there's a dental hospital anywhere near you.

I forgot about Wills kids I think the argument is, in the UK at least he needs the specialised protection of police security with their security clearances and access to classified info etc and so on...but he's literally not allowed to pay for it. He wants to.

I think one of the great things about this forum is the fact that so many posters have stuck around for so many years, offering advice and opinions based not only on their own life experience but on information shared by and with other posters. And when it comes to the emotional aspect of migration all sorts of thoughts and feelings are explored and shared in Aussie and UK Chat threads. People can read, skip, ponder or ignore that stuff, but in reality those of us that have been part of the forum for a long time know that while some doubts are probably just a wobble, other worries could be key issues the poster would be well advised to weigh and consider carefully. Migration is not an an exact science, as demonstrated by the fact that while life is truthfully very grim for many in the UK just now, other people such as the OP live in a nice place, with a decent income and a network of good friends. Gambling all of that to move from one first world country to another is a big decision and one that is hopefully helped by the shared thoughts and experiences of others. Particularly those who have been there/ done it. Tx

We live on the Northern Beaches and the answer to your question is 'no', although there is certainly a lot less crime here than in other parts of Cairns. I would think long and hard about moving here if you like overseas travel because it's a bit of a cul-de-sac. You nearly always need to fly to Brisbane, or sometimes even Sydney, before you can fly abroad. Mind you, if your idea of paradise is sun, sea, sand, and it being blinking hot nearly all year round, then Cairns is the place for you! Two minutes walk from our house...

Such an exciting time for you, where did yo end up getting a job. Wishing you and your fiancé all the best for your new life here xM

Last Friday, my little Lahsa Apso, Chlo, died at Age 15. On the following Monday, I went to the Mackay RSPCA shelter and adopted two 2 year old fox terriers. When I contacted my “daughter”, Katie. She told me that when she was talking to my wife, Jo that when Chloe died, , that Jo hoped for a foxy for our next dog. We have not been without some make of dog since we mwet, over 48 years ago. My new mutts, Titch, in the red harness and Shorty in the blue one. Jo died 7 months ago… Providence? Cheers, Bobj.

I wouldn't have minded either way. Just glad he's happy

You aren’t. Govt finance isn’t run like a household budget.

So at 47 because of how the new pension was brought in (and the smoothing out of the entitlement to state second pension) I now have fully paid my NI needs to get a full UK pension, no matter how much more NI I pay I will never be entitled to more state pension. So in my case it would be completely crazy to offer to pay NI contributions, however OH isn't in the same position and we will look to pay them in the future (only needs 7 more years out of 20 possible years and we might move back so no point paying now as we end up over paying and there is no refund process)

Depends what your contribution has been so far. You can check on the state pension website.