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Quoll

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Everything posted by Quoll

  1. Quoll
    Ooo - don't forget in central Melbourne if you want to turn right you have to be in the left hand lane!
  2. Quoll
    Mea culpa - it's Queensland according to the dictionary, I misremembered it as a "Mexican" thing (South of the border: Mexican=Victorian)
  3. Quoll
    Really? Never been charged in Cambridge! Bonds are vests/singlets/t shirts and truckies (truckdrivers) wear their blue Bonds (vests) as a sort of uniform Emus like sandwiches The dawn cacophony (cockies, magpies etc) always starts at jumbo jet decibels a good hour or more before you want to wake up and there is a bird called the "Drive you mad" bird (Koel) which calls monotonously throughout the night and really does drive you mad if you happen to live near their nest Cars dont have MOTs There are no GCSEs or A levels in Aus The shadows are upside down (that's what confuses the DH the most, his internal navigation is up the creek when on the other side of the world) so a North facing wall is warmest. And one I've never fathomed - in Victoria a school bag is called a Port
  4. Quoll
    They do in ACT (PC to the core!) Trains are as expensive as planes and a lot slower It costs more for a return flight to UK originating in Aus than doing the same flights originating in UK Once you are a citizen you have to leave on an Aus passport even if you don't plan to return Lucas pawpaw ointment beats germolene hands down (but what a waste of pawpaw - which is the Aus name for papaya btw).
  5. Quoll
    Swimming costumes = bathers, cozzies, speedos or (in the case of boys) budgie smugglers Australians tend not to refer to Australia as Oz but Aus and not Ozzies but Aussies Re parking - in some places you are required to park backwards - at an angle ( or frontwards at an angle) - read the signs (angle parking or reverse angle parking) A long drive is over 12 hours, anything less is just a short trip Get Premium cover from your road service provider because if your car is going to break down on a trip it'll do it at the max distance from the next nearest town and the nearest repair garage is bound to be further on and incur an extra tow charge with the bog standard roadside cover. Kangaroos are worse than sheep when it comes to jumping out in front of cars so watch out when driving at dusk or dawn and either get bloody great bull bars or a roo scarer fitted on your car (not needed in central Melbourne of course)
  6. Quoll
    gosh that's a change then - it used to be free if you were admitted, I believe, but otherwise v expensive
  7. Quoll
    Or Dacks!
  8. Quoll
    Local phone calls from landlines are flat rate not timed Americanos are long blacks (whites are flat whites or any of the other myriad of coffee choices) - that's been the hardest for me to eradicate! Some banks charge if you use a competitor's card to withdraw cash Car registration is called Rego You pay through the nose for ambulance if you call one so get ambulance insurance (some states - Qld has it free but other states charge like wounded bulls) Dont be surprised at social functions if there is a blokes space for chat and a sheilas' space for gossip - segregation is frequent and expect to see the bloke weilding the barbie tongs
  9. Quoll
    Well I'd opt for London any day of the week but I was a bit surprised to hear my Aussie raised son say that after London anything else would be pale in comparison. He's lived in London longer than I did and now has a house there. I thought he might opt for a return to Aus at one stage but I don't think anything could be further from his mind at the moment. He's more your age!
  10. Quoll
    The Australian Aged benefit has a 10 year residence requirement unfortunately so you have another 8 yrs to go if you have only been resident for 2 yrs
  11. Quoll
    Yup, for mr it was not belonging more than anything else. That and the heat, the flies and the dawn cacophony. But most of all it was the sense of alienation which didn't get better with time.
  12. Quoll

    <p><p>So sorry to hear about your mum, distance is a bugger, isnt it?!</p></p>

  13. Quoll

    <p><p>Thanks for your message! I've not visited pio for a while - better things to be doing with my time, if I am honest! Hope all is well with you!</p></p>

  14. Quoll
    Excellent point - there are some folk who have been restricted to a particular jurisdiction because one parent "takes the child to kindy on a Thursday" and that area might be a living nightmare for the custodial parent (especially if it is the "other's" home town with all their rellies and friends gathered around them!)
  15. Quoll

    <p><p>Hi Gail, good to hear from you! Yes, did get the stuff about Oxburgh Hall thanks and I will be out and about more when the weather picks up!!! I have really enjoyed this winter, it has been so mild and it has been fabulous just to go for long walks and feel invigorated. Will come up to Norwich one day I promise!</p></p>

  16. Quoll

    <p><p>Thanks for the hugs, all very welcome some days!!! But if it doesnt kill you it makes you stronger, isnt that what they say???!</p></p>

  17. Quoll

    <p><p>Hi Yuills, yes, I am home, thank heavens! Not sure how long we will be here for but I am making the most of every moment and having a fabulous time even though I am caring for the aged rellies!</p></p>

  18. Quoll

    <p><p>Hi Dawny, yes I am home at last. I dont know how long for but I am making the most of every moment! How's things going for you?</p></p>

  19. Quoll
    That is always one solution:biglaugh:
  20. Quoll
    Nope a father is a father and the unmarried ones have just the same voice as the married ones providing there is no doubt about who is the father.
  21. Quoll
    It's even more restrictive than that - you may not be able to leave the jurisdiction so, as in the case of some women who have been on here, they have been unable to leave the small town they live in (often with the spouse's family and friendship network) because of the spouse's connection to the child. That really is a prison sentence if you arent able to move beyond the town limits and find a life somewhere else in the state even.
  22. Quoll
    Nope, not an option unfortunately
  23. Quoll
    Generally 16 for care and protection purposes but they will ask a child's opinion when they get into their teens - doesnt stop the family court making their 50/50 decision though. My comment about GCSEs was more to do with education than a child's wishes about who to reside with and you are planning on being away for the period which would impact their education significantly if you stayed the entire time in Aus and then planned to return.
  24. Quoll
    If in doubt, cover your back! If you have any doubts at all then get this tied up with a concrete agreement, although how an Aus court would view it is another matter altogether, I dont know whether anyone has ever had the foresight to get an agreement in writing which has then been presented to an Aus court in case of a dispute of custody. Coming back with your daughter at 16 if it all goes pear shaped is going to be a very difficult proposition for her given the GCSE roundabout and all its timings. Good luck with it!
  25. Quoll
    That's very sad, I would hope that someone tells your wife so she is forewarned. It doesnt mean that she wouldnt go but maybe you should man up and come to an agreement about what will happen just in case it all goes pear shaped (chances are that it wont, of course!). I know if I were in this situation and my DH had this sort of information and deliberately didnt tell me I would be mightily ticked off!!!
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