Dawny

Make sure you do x

Aww thats so sweet, budgies can be so gentle, but when they bite it seems worse than the big birds, shame you don't live closer, you could come and visit them x

You would love Cassie and Henry, he argues with the others and tells them to " shut the ---- up" lmao x

Aww we have a couple of budgies, they are so sweet, We do Stacey, two pairs of African greys that were just shut in a dark shed without a decent supply of food and water, 3 of which almost bold bless them, almost wild, but they seem happier now, two amazon parrots, one very nasty tempered through being hit, but talks and whistles all the time, the other is scared of hands, We have others that we took on simply because their owners couldn't care for them anymore :sad: But Cassie our blue and gold macaw was dumped at a fishing village, no shelter, under weight and very plucked, also she can not fly, bless her.... she has the worst language ever lmao.. the air can be blue! Lilly is our Galah, she can be a sweetie though, plus we have avairy's with all sorts that the rspca have asked if we can care for! x

My hubby enjoyed driving in Oz compared to the Uk, said it was far less stressful!

Thanks Stacey!! :wubclub: It's a shame we have to be here for them, some people are so cruel to these gorgeous animals!! x

Thankyou Starlight, It is lovely to hear that so many people give their time to the animals that otherwise would go un noticed... so pleased we have lovely Neighbours, especially when the cockatoos go off on one every evening lol :err:

Does anyone else watch Outback truckers?? The distance and conditions some of these drivers travel in is unbelievable, scenery though is amazing!

Who knows Scrumpy until you try, if your 100% in giving it a go, i say go for it....Even if it isn't for you don't look at it as a fail, more of an adventure and a time out from the uk! :jiggy:

Not sure if you can call ours a hobby, but we take in rescue birds of all sizes, most have been ill treated and have issues, or they have plucked so badly they look like oven ready chickens! So rewarding when you see them improve over time... and re build trust.

Really don't think it matters how long you give time in Oz to return.. 2 months or two years.... i think most people know early on how they feel and if they can make it work, people/homesickness nobody really can understand how other people are feeling unless they have gone through it! It has no effect on anyone apart from the person who is going through it. Their life and they can live it how they please!!

Hi and welcome :cute:

All the very best for your return Journey, so pleased to hear things have fallen back into place for you, enjoy your time left in Oz, time im sure will fly by x

We also knew within three months of landing That we would be returning home... Follow your gut feeling, life is too short to be stuck somewhere or doing something that makes you unhappy!! As you said if its the wrong choice returning you can always ping pong.. good luck!

having gone through a similar situation to yourself regarding your children, my best advise to you would be to sit down and talk it through as a family, What age are your children.. have they settled well in oz, would they miss it and if so what would they miss if they were to return to the uk!! Also the other factor to consider would be the cost of flights, shipping etc if you were to return home later in the year or two would you have funds to cover this, you hear so many people trapped in Australia simply because they have no money to return.

Hi as far as i can remember no balls or toys are allowed in the dog's crates to travel, as they will be a choking hazard!! We shipped all bedding and bowls and rope toys etc, mind you i did take two of our boys tennis balls with me in hand luggage lol x

No idea on individual costs, sorry, we used petair and it was all paid in one go, im sure there are some members that have done it

As soon as we said we were thinking of returning they seemed so much happier, Seems so long ago now, but yes thanks hun, they are so happy and settled busy playing in the snow with the dogs today xx

Ahhhh for us it was the heart wrenching sobs by our two youngest kids.....

We found food shopping a complete nightmare whilst in OZ, and i must admit when we returned to the uk our first food shop was heaven!!

Hi Frostie, we were refused all places, and were told to appeal, mean while they went on the school waiting list, luckily for us our year 5 was offered a place before appeal, and as the schools are linked with the year 3 place, made our appeal slightly different in how we approached it on the day!! Some schools have their own waiting list so contact them also and explain your situation in the fact that you are returning etc and ask to be placed on it... The main problem will be proof of address ( if catchment) school, however if you do a online application they require email address, so if you only have an au one try and get a com or uk or a family members in the correct area will help, they do follow up with a letter so again this is important to have..... as said before with all the extra hassle they give you regarding a school placement all this in honesty is best dealt with when you are back in the uk, you are not given a choice of appeal dates so you may find the date they give you will not be any good if you are not here!! meanwhile you can check the schools web site and offstead report of your chosen school.. details on how the school deal with applications /admissions.. you will also see what their policies are.. always a good place to start and take notes, you will find many loop holes that they have written that will all help with appeal if you should need it... you can always pm me if you wish as i will be happy to help ( it is all in how they word things) :wink: Dawn x

We had what we thought were to friends in Oz, until we mentioned we were returning home, Then all the back stabbing started, Accused us of all sorts.. happy to say one is banned from this forum and i think the other one no longer comes on here, So pleased i could block and ignore them lol

i do love this area, so close to every where, we have just jumped over the bridge now and are settled in Christchurch, so close to mudeford and all it has, x

Hi we had endless problems when we returned regarding school places, we came back to the uk in August so just before the September year started, main problem being we were mid year applicants, As in i needed school places for year 3, 5 and 8, Also you need to be back in the uk or at least have proof of where you will be living to prove catchment area etc....You have to follow all guide lines regarding ( late application) which you can do online, if unlucky you will then have to take your application to appeal!!! Primary schools in most areas are the hardest to secure a place as classes now have a strict number of pupils to cater for!, Year 3 is probably one of the easiest to win on appeal, happy to say with lots of research on how to appeal it can be done, we did and beat the system..

My Asthma seemed ok when we were in oz, but had endless sinus problems, also outbreaks of hives The hives stayed with me for over 18 months of returning to the uk, with no explanation for them, also now constant sinus problems! Different plant life and weather i think has all added to the problems