Phoenix16

PS when it's finished hoovering and it knows it's running low it just finds it's way back to its docking station (when it's downstairs!) and starts charging itself, hubby didn't believe me until he saw it for himself!! I'm saving up to get one for upstairs too so I can get them going at same time!! Can't remember the last time I got my big dyson on out, think it's covered in dust under the stairs somewhere!!!!

FiFI!! I have the iRobot, OMG it has transformed my life!!!!! I cannot recommend highly enough, as you know I have Charlie and Milo, just moved to a much bigger house with bamboo flooring and was having a nightmare with the dog hairs (never noticed it in the smaller house with the tiled floors!,) I put it on as I'm leaving at 7.30 to do the school run, get back about 8.30 and gleaming floors and it's recharging itself, by 9am it's recharged so I put it upstairs and it does all the upstairs (carpets and wooden floors and tiled bathroom floors) and by 10.30 it's done so I put it back in its charger (downstairs) then an hour later I'll put it in the theatre or some other room!! Basically I'm saying, it does the lot, and after the dogs have been in for a lunch time snooze I put it on again when I do school pick up at 3!! As I said, my life is transformed, can't speak highly enough, there is even a box thing that I put at the top of the stairs, it sends out a beam to stop it going down stairs. Mine sits behind the sofa (out of sight) and just charges until I tell it where I want it. Im so so impressed, mine cost about $500 from Harvey Norman but I got a free shark steam mop with it!, it was a bit expensive for me but seriously now, I can't understand why I didn't buy one years ago!!!!! If you need anymore info text me or PM me, would love to hear from you xxxxxxx

i keep reading your comment to check I've actually read it right?? What a load of crap and actually pretty insulting.... Why do kids at private schools have grander aspirations???? I send my daughter to a private school, simply because she was seriously struggling, not educationally but emotionally, she had very low self esteem and resilience, she was in a class of 28, some of whom had disability both physically and mentally and required support, in the mix of all of this the teachers simply did not have the capacity and time to nurture my daughter, they flagged up their concerns but readily accepted they could not really address this. my daughter is a lone child, gets lots of support at home but obviously needed more. The school she was at was a good school but nevertheless we have moved her to a private school, there are sacrifices to be made but she is now thriving emotionally. I cannot say it's because the private school is 'better' but for her, the environment and approach is working, she is happy, I would not say she is intellectually more advanced, she is simply going to school every day, she is loving it, she is being emotionally and physically challenged in a way that she responds very positively too and all round she is now just a happy, contented child whose confidence grows more and more mad for us the financial burden and sacrifices are worth it. By the way, I know all her class mates, lovely lovely girls, none of them (or their parents) have grandeur aspirations whatsoever.........

many moons ago I was a benefits appeals officer, we did try!! I do remember an 18 year old single mother whom we actually visited as part of the appeal process, she had a Baum and Olaffson surround sound set up in her main lounge, she was appealing for 2 weeks benefit prior to moving in on the grounds of essential renovations to the house for her kids, she won, despite my strong case, I also remember an epileptic mum received disability living allowance on the grounds that she required at least 35 hours of constant care a week throughout the night and day, she had about 6 kids, 3 of which received disability living allowance because they had ADHD and needed constant care for 35 hours a week and she, the mother, receiving care, also claimed Invalid Care Allowance, because SHe was providing care for more than 35 hours day and night for her kids receiving DLA, so in essence, whist she needed constant care, she was able to claim money for providing constant care!! She was a 'lone' parent, we naturally investigated it, the investigator was sat on her sofa as the kids came home from school, the eldest kid ran in, threw her bag on the sofa and said 'MOM, where's Dad, when will he get home?' She looked ant the investigator and said, 'daft thing, I just can't get her to understand her Dad left years ago' she won her case, she retained her approx $50k a year in benefits due to all the 'disabilities', investigated to the hilt but living together cases are just about impossible to prove, it's a joke really.

Sounds like a leaving thread...NO WAY!!! Just wanted to say a big thanks really! I'm quite sporadic on here, get 'obsessed' (for the want of a better word) and just love PIO, checking in every day, then I go for ages without giving PIO a second thought! BUT! I joined PIO the moment hubby came home on a winters day in Feb 2010 saying he'd been 'approached' about a job in OZ and PIO was there throughout all my visa stress (457 at the time), throughout all my arrival and settling in, throughout my PR application and recently throughout my citizenship application. PIO has been there, constant, throughout my whole journey, I've seen members come and go, we've had some laughs and it's lovely to be on the other end of the journey and be able, hopefully, to give the support to others That I looked for as I embarked on the life changing move!! I'm just writing this because you meet allsorts on here and I've had quite an amusing evening on a different thread that actually made me realise how great PIO is, wherever you are in your journey xxxxxxxxxxxx PS as per the title, I'm off to bed!!!! Xxxxx

All my holidays here in OZ have been camping and I have to say its jaw dropping when you rock up to a campsite and see how the Aussies do it!! I've seen sofas with side tables and lamps, full size fridges and freezers, blow up out door theatres, and that's besides the boats, the kayaks the fishing rods, I learn something new every trip, I love it!!

Personally for me it doesn't get better than driving through Freo every morning at 7.45 as I take my little one to school and we see the ships lining up to dock, be it the massive container ships or the cruise ships, it gives me such a great feeling, makes me feel very lucky and makes my day, every single day!

I totally empathise! I have found OZ very difficult employment wise, whist hubby has just thrived. I had a 23 year career in UK and arrived with amazing references, I started at the bottom worked my way to the top, hard work and on the job learning, massive real life experience, it means nothing here because I don't have a degree. However, on the converse, through my struggles I've now decided to completely retrain and embark on a whole new career, I was accepted onto a degree course within 1 day of applying thanks to that previous experience and hard work, it's at a uni 5 minutes from home, 5 minutes from my 6 year olds school and 2 minutes from the beach so whilst feeling totally deflated by the Aussie employment market, I now feel so grateful to OZ for giving me the chance to retrain and I can honestly say coming from a city with 2 Universities I'm the UK, it still would never have been this accessible logistically and I'm not sure id have been offered a place so quickly!!!! just offering up my story as I would never have ever imagined this happening a few years ago!

Hi! Just my experience of perth! But we arrived when my daughter was 2, she was fully immunised per UK but not chicken pox as said on here it's not a UK priority, I had absolutely no probs with day care, showed my red book and pointed out no chicken pox, not a problem. However, when i started work I did need my daughter to be fully immunised per Aus requirements in order to claim child care rebates so took my red book to GP, the nurses decided which immunisations were needed (same as UK for a 3 year old) and they sorted it xxxx

I was already feeling quite excited! I know it will be hard work and some but your post has just put it all into perspective! Thank you so very much xxxx

OK I'm really quite clueless about pensions although I do have a 23 year paid final salary pension from my years as a LG Officer in UK. Supperannuation, we call it! I've worked sporadically here, no real super to be honest but it's with HESTA, I've often wondered if I should move my. Final salary one over but always 'ignorantly' believed its a good one and should leave it in UK, I reckon I need serious advice, could anyone recommend someone in the fremantle area?

Thank you so much for your lovely reply! I can't tell you how much it means, just to say that my life long ambition was to be a lawyer!! My career has predominantly been heavily involved with legislation and my role in particular was interpreting it into policy and procedure, I completely respect and commend your OH for following his heart and it sounds like it all went well!! much much respect! I really felt very passionate in my 20's about a legal career! my dream was to be a barrister! I didn't have the drive i needed and I opted for safer choices, forged a different career then started a family! them emigrated and whist loved the new life just couldn't find my mojo' funnily enough, nursing had also been a passion and right here, in this lovely new life, nursing seems to be the right fit!

You know, it's a funny old thing and a strange old thing..as a teenager of the early 80's Rolf and all the others were idols and it's been hard to see and accept the recent events. I remember as a school girl the boys being fixated with bums and ****! I remember the subtle groping they did if they got the chance, in fact 'Gary' was the worst of them all, he was a bloody pest, and I hated him so much, he kept offering to be my agent if I would do page 3 of the sun (remember it was the 80's, I'm a middle aged Haus Frau now!!) Gary is now a GP and my bestest friend, he cringes when we laugh about those days, he cannot conceive of such behaviour today, he's just the loveliest person. Would I go to the police now and say 'Gary groped me and I feel so ashamed it's destroyed my life'? GAWD NO WAY, I do feel there is some of that going on but I do also feel that ROLF, who has admitted fancying a 7 year old is a different thing, and I'm glad he's got his punishment, it's sad to see a childhood hero be exposed for what he was and is but I'm also trying to put some perspective on things by explaining my 80's teenage years...

Hi! I've recently applied to do a Bachelor of Nursing and have been offered a place which I have obviously accepted!! It's been very quick, I start in 3 weeks! I'm a mature student, very mature in fact as I'm 45 and Feeling slightly nervous!! So I'm curious, has anyone here on PIO done this at such a 'mature' age! Or in fact has anyone totally done a career change like this as a mature student!! What were your experiences, what's your advice...any comments welcome!!!

Hi! I'm hoping the wonderful PIO can help as after much online searching and trying to get through to the citizenship phone line unsuccessfully I still can't find the answer to my question! We are now eligible to apply for citizenship and would like to do so ASAP, I have pulled loads of info online, got all my documents ready but realised my 6 year old daughters UK passport expired 12 months ago, I can't find any info that specifies it has to be an 'in date' passport, the expired passport has all the info regarding when we arrived in Australia etc and I'm hoping this together with her birth certificate and all the other required documentation should be sufficient but don't want to proceed with the application and hit a hurdle. I'm also aware the timing couldn't be worse if we need to renew the passport based on the current delays in the UK!! Both mine and Hubby's passports are current and all other documentation is ready to go, can anyone foresee a problem whith my daughters expired passport? Many thanks for any advice given xx

ha ha!, you've really made me chuckle because it's ohh soo true!!! And I bet they actually do get in the pool too!! 4 years ago so did I but OMG not on my life now!!!!

OMG this weather in Perth is freaking me out!!! Im wearing boots, coat and scarf somedays!! Then you get out and suddenly it's 23 degrees and your thinking whaaaat!! And then 2 mins later the heavens have opened!! its making me think about June 2010 when we landed, I'm thinking 'woo hoo' summer time!! I really didn't realise it was winter!!! but the climate was mild, balmy 20 degrees days, I'm a POM I chucked my shorts on!! What a shock to walk round freo and see people in balaclavas!! I was totally she'll shocked, with hind sight I suspect they were too seeing me in shorts!! 3 weeks in I went to the hair dressers, she had a scarve on, I was like ' it's soo lovely I could sun bathe on the beach' she informed me promptly that I would 'stand out like a sore POM' I did spend most of that winter in shorts!!! NOW, it's 4 years later and I could grab that balaclava in freo, to go with my boots, my coat my scarf..blooming heck it's cold, so does that mean I've finally acclimatised!!!!!!

Im no expert so take my advice with a caveat BUT I have found apple generally to be awesome, we have all our library whether we are in OZ or UK iTunes, it's all there and seriously we just landed, got an internet connection, logged into iTunes and voila!! I honestly also found getting an OZ iTunes account easy and it synced with my UK one, we can access all our library, whichever account we are in. I would honestly say don't worry!!!

Ok this is an interesting one!! my lovely friend and her son are in the UK, her ex partner and father of her son is in OZ. They had the most volatile relationship ever, can't live with you, can't live without you kind of thing!! They never married but had a gorgeous boy together. To cut a very long story short he was very lucky with her support, majorly redundant in UK, contacted a few friends with her support, found himself in OZ on a 457 (quickly pr again with friends support) and living the dream, decided his lovely partner didn't fit in with hie new Aussie surfer lifestyle, he basically couldn't keep it in his pants..... She never got PR as she kept flying back to UK and he actually didn't put her and his son on the application it turns out!, Now, the crunch, he has totally reneged n all his UK court ordered child support agreements, for the last 6 months he has payed nothing at all and I can honestly say here in OZ his salary is circa $200k per annum, to clarify, they were such a stable couple, she had a court appointed child care agreement in UK whilst they were 'still together' due to the trust issues. I know.."it's frightening but it's their life...... However, he has paid nothing in the last 6 months, my friend is working 3 jobs and is shattered, she has asked me how, from UK, can she access Australian laws to secure child maintenance and how she does this, any advice is welcome xxxx

Very true! We were apple everything when we moved over, plugged in and everything worked perfectly, everything saved! We still used our UK iTunes account initially but eventually set up an OZ iTunes account too, you can't transfer over you simply have to set up a new account and switch between the 2, I needed to create a new email address to set up the OZ account but somehow I can actually access my iTunes library from both accounts. I do have to separately log into each account in order to update apps etc, but I do find that once everything's up to date and synced I can watch downloads on Apple TV in either account, you do need a current UK/OZ card for the respective accounts to be able to download which next year for me will be a big problem re UK iTunes but my family regularly send me iTunes gift cards from Uk which keeps it topped up! The only reason for this being that not everything is available in both stores and I do love my Uk I dramas!! just downloaded The Crimson Field which is an awesome BBC drama not in OZ iTunes yet the brilliant Aussie drama A place to Call home isn't in UK iTunes, hence, 2 accounts can be useful (but painful!!!!!),

Just wanted to say that I'm thinking of you! I think you've had some great advice on here so I won't pontificate. I will just share with you that I emigrated at the age of 39, after just having my one and only child and my parents one and only grandchild, the grandchild they never really thought they would have. it felt terrible to take that all away from them, but I will say that they have been great about it all and have been able to put their own feelings aside. my Dad actually had the opportunity to emigrate in the 60's and decided not to because of extended family which he regrets so much so I think he understood. my Mum had not flown for 20 years when we emigrated, through deep fears, she booked straight onto a fear of flying course, and has got on many flights since to come and visit and see her grand daughter grow up, we have never had any words of recrimination yet you do still beat yourself up and worry but I just think that my family is my husband and my daughter and we have to do what is right for us. I wish you all the very best, have no regrets, just look forward, know what you want and work towards it xxxxxx

I 100% agree!! I am quite happily settled here but OMG there really is a 'class' system here, and it's very much more aggressive!!

i think it's just wonderful! The bottom line for me is my child's happiness, she skips to school happy as Larry, she's getting an all round pretty good education! Every week they have 'house' meetings, she goes along, sings a house song, learns about team work, she's just an all round happy kid listening and learning and absorbing, I don't get what the issue is! She belts out the anthem, she's puffed up and proud, she's 6 years old for goodness sake and just loves it all, and watching her, so do I!!

Agree and my apologies, you were very articulate in your views, and it was those with which I disagreed x

Pretty disappointing reply from a poster whose opinion I've always respected.... i do not have any religious background or affinity whatsoever, in fact my daughter hasn't even been christened, but I'm sending her to an Anglican school ( in Australia I feel I need to add), so my daughter comes home most days talking about Jesus, singing songs (quite good ones actually!) so, because it's in Australia, and besides all the religious songs, they do actually sing the national anthem, is she being doubly brainwashed??? Silly comment really, you are actually worthy of something more articulate....