newjez

6 hours ago, Robert Dyson said:

Just been a big story about it on 7.30.  Sounds like another mess

 

 

 

Friends were going to visit us tomorrow, but they cancelled as they have no fuel.

Apparently it's getting better. I still have 350 miles range, so I'm not in a hurry to fill up.

6 hours ago, Paul1Perth said:

I rang the Doctor I'm registered with and couldn't get an appointment till this Thursday, which I've still kept. He bulk bills so there's no cost attached.

I was thinking it would just go off but it didn't. My wife said if it's like that in the morning it's either St Johns or ED. There's a day clinic at Joondalup ED too mind you.

I've been to St John before a couple of times, when they bulk billed. When we got back from Queensland we'd been snorkling on the Great Barrier Reef and I'd scratched my ankle on coral. We had a week in Cairns after and it was slowly getting more red and sore. When we got home it felt really sore after a couple of days, showed the wife and she said it was tracking up my leg and looked like it needed lancing.

They were really good, always get a full check up first, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature then the doc comes round. Got loads of yellow puss out and when they asked how I'd done it explained coral is very dangerous and has all sorts of nasty microbes. Sent the stuff of for analysis and gave me anti- biotics. Rang me after a couple of days to tell me to go back for another check. Results had come back and there were 2 pretty serious infections. Luckily it was much better already but they gave me a different anti-biotic.

They are thorough. They have a dental section too for emergency dentistry. My wifes friend was sick and went there when she was on holiday. I think she got charged for meds but it wasn't much.

I know several people who have had that vertigo type thing Paul. They can have it for quite some time. There are pills for it and they do work, so make sure you see the right doctor.

Incidentally, I spoke to my boss yesterday, and he had to take his wife to A&E but they refused to see him and said that wasn't his A&E and needed to go elsewhere. Never heard of that happening before. He lives in Kent, so maybe it's a Kent thing.

1 hour ago, Tulip1 said:

For many people there is no inheritance tax to pay.  It’s certainly not charged on everything someone has. The threshold starts at £325k so anyones estate that has less than that doesn’t incur any tax.  It gets better than that though as providing someone is leaving their home to their children or grandchildren they get an additional £175k allowance.  It’s called the residence nil rate band. This means that person can have a £500k estate that won’t incur any inheritance tax.  Anything above that will do.  So for many people there is no tax to pay and if there is it’s only on anything above £500k.  In the case of a married couple it’s double.  The one that dies first doesn’t have any tax payable on the assets they leave to their spouse.  Their inheritance tax allowances also pass to their spouse.  So when the second one dies they have their own £325k disregard as well as their late spouses £325k disregard.  They also have their £175k residence nil rate band and that of their late husbands.  So they have £1m of assets that aren’t subject to tax.  Again anything over that figure is.  Also the rules change a little for estates worth over £2m. 

So when people talk about inheritance tax they often think everyone pays it but actually it’s only those with sizeable assets that do and the amount that is disregarded is quite high.  Still perhaps unfair as you say. 

Those with sizable amounts can avoid it with trusts and such, and gifts are discounted over seven years. I think inheritance tax is only there for the upper middle class.

I would love to know how much the government actually gets and from whom.

16 minutes ago, Quoll said:

Havent watched it yet - is there a mixed marriage in there too, that's usually a necessary tick.

What's a mixed marriage?

17 hours ago, Ken said:

The attempts at diversity are nonsense. Only about 5% of the population of Australia (including First Nations people) are black. So technically if you have a cast of 20 and one of them is black that show has appropriate diversity - but if you have a cast of 19 or less and one of them is black then they would be over-represented but if you didn't have any they would be under-represented. How are you supposed to get the balance right? Are you banned from having from two black people on the same show because it doesn't match the statistics?

I did watch the new British bake off in the UK and wondered why there was no wheelchair user 

17 hours ago, Robert Dyson said:

I think in Australia the housing market has been ridiculous and given people the opportunity to cash in, maybe knock a few years off their working life.  In ACT houses have been earning more per day than the people who live in them,  rising something like 40% in 18 months.  I don't think it can possibly last, so maybe it's a chance to get out at the top before it falls back.

 

If you time it right, you can pay for your retirement.

On 24/09/2021 at 07:21, Tulip1 said:

Possibly more of a misunderstanding of what you were saying.  If you’d have said how are you or how are things the response may have been different.  I know Australians say hows it going and I understand that means how are you/how are things but I wouldn’t have known that before I had family move there.  If you actually think about it hows it going doesn’t make a lot of sense (hows what going?)  nothing wrong with it and I quite like it but if you’ve never heard it before you may have a blank face wondering what ‘it’ is.  I’ve never been to Edinburgh so I’m not aware they don’t do small talk.  I have close family living in Scotland though and have never found that to be the case.  Maybe it’s an Edinburgh thing.  

I was with a girlfriend about a year or two after I'd been in the UK, and we were buying something in a shop, can't remember which one. I was chatting with the shop assistant about whatever, and finished off with "see you later".

I'm quite tuned into people, and I could tell the girlfriend wasn't happy about something. I asked her if she was ok.

She said, "what was all that about then?"

I said "what?"

She said, "you and that shop assistant, why are you going to see her later?"

I said I'm not.

She said you just said you were

Relationship didn't last long.

11 hours ago, Wanderer Returns said:

I grew up in a small village where everyone knew everyone else, and most folks greeted each other as they passed by in the street. That seems to have died a death in the UK at some point. Personally, I blame tin-shakers and the 'can you spare a quid for a cup of tea' brigade, making people more defensive when approached by strangers. When I arrived in Brissie in 2004, people still said 'hello' in the street, which I felt was like a breath of fresh air.

I still live in that village.

Personally I don't like other people very much and I try to avoid them if at all possible, but unfortunately my wife is very chatty. Sometimes when we go for a walk it can take us twenty minutes to leave our street, and it's not a long street. Everyone is out and about, and everyone is chatty. 

It's been worse with covid as a lot of people live alone, and they seem to crave that contact with other people.

Every time I try to get something done in the front garden some old biddy will stop for a chat, asking about the roses or whatever. It's a chore, but I do feel obliged to speak to them at least for a little bit.

58 minutes ago, Red Rose said:

I'd love to visit Canada. One city which I want to find out more about is Vancouver, it seems to really polarise opinions (much like Perth), it looks beautiful, but I've read online that it's incredibly insular and unfriendly. 

They've got bears in Canada.

I have a phobia of bears 

9 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Why should that be so   ? Not reading views contrary to one's own or complaining about it is surely just as complaining in not wanting to read what don't agree with?

It's a bit like when someone doesn't like marmite. I get it. They don't like marmite. I do like marmite. I much prefer Vegemite. But marmite will do fine.

I can tell them they should have it with butter, spread it thinly, try it with peanut butter, or, the ultimate, on toasted sourdough, with butter and a poached egg with fresh basil.

But at the end of the day, if you really don't like marmite, then no amount of persuasion on my part is going to change your mind.

But also, I really don't need to know that you don't like marmite. As I said before, I get it. Move on. Let other people decide for themselves.

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Living in a far worse country    in most measurements. This is very far removed from the country of the seventies and eighties.  I don't take over inflated house prices as a sign of things being better. 

I think parley is talking about personal wealth, in which case most of us are.

If you want to ask if the country is better off you will need to rephrase the question.

6 hours ago, TheBs said:

Did you?

Those issues are all over the country.

London is my nearest city, and there's no way i'd be able to afford to live there, or would I want to, North of England is cheaper housing wise but this is reflected by the wages.

Maybe further south would be an option, but this country is slowly becoming more divided the gap between rich and poor is bigger, schooling opportunities don't measure up to Australia, and generally the way of life either.

There isn't anywhere in the UK I'd want to live, I want to leave and try and start a new life and fresh start, which is what most people I would thought have made the move wanted to do.

I've been to Switzerland. Very clean.

Perth is very clean too.

I grew up in Perth. School, uni, early working life. I currently live in southern UK, but try and visit Perth every year.

Don't compare education. You can find good and bad schools in both. Obviously, in both countries, you pay more to live near the good schools.

Zombie suburbs? Perth gets hot. Most people actually use their garages to keep their cars. You get in your car, open your electric garage door, go somewhere, come back, open your garage door again... people don't tend to spend a lot of time out in the street. Very different from the UK, where you may know all your neighbors. In Perth, you might never see your neighbors. Fortunately, there are other ways of meeting people.

Sport. If you like sport, especially water sports, you will like Perth. Great way of meeting people. Find a friend that has a boat. Get a house with a pool.

It is very different from the UK. If you can accept that and move on, you will like it. People who go looking for a warm UK in Perth will be disappointed.

WA stands for wait a while. Nothing happens fast. Learn to be patient. Slow down. Enjoy life. People say the time difference between WA and the eastern states is about 30 years. Not always a bad thing.

Drugs. I have family members who have drug issues. Don't take drugs. Educate your kids about drugs. Don't take drugs. Avoid people who look like they have taken drugs. You'll be right.

Don't drink and drive. Police are everywhere. You will get caught. Don't speed. You will get caught. Perth people don't know how to drive very well. Accept it and try to avoid them running in to you.

Did I mention it gets hot? The sun really burns. Wear a hat. Use suncream.

Chill out and enjoy it. It can be a great place. But you will enjoy it more if you adapt to it, rather than trying to get it to adapt to you. 

3 hours ago, HappyHeart said:

That’s something to look into, thanks. She doesn’t want to take oldest out of his current school if at all possible as he’s only just started in kindy and loving it. Plus they are a short distance from us and our support. However they have cast the net wider as a necessary thing. 
If worst comes to worst they can dig heels in and stay till end of lease (Feb) but the sale is conditional on existing tenants moving out in 60 days. The owners agent is getting quite pushy and short with them. Can see his commission flying out the window. There’s just nothing out there for them. Keeping everything crossed and there’s our spare room and caravan too but as you can imagine she’s not thrilled at that prospect. 

Spare room and storage may be the better option. These things can change quickly, and it might be completely different in six months time.

3 hours ago, Wanderer Returns said:

@newjez I am sorely tempted to brew my own beer, as my father did, but I'm sure it will result in me drinking far too much beer - as it did for him! It's now getting increasingly difficult to buy craft ales over here for anything less than $4/can - when bought as part of a 4-pack or 6-pack. Once it reaches $5/can I've decided I'm giving it up. I might even give up before and then I can retire sooner, but at the moment I find that it brightens up my working week!

Italy - I'm thinking about the Dolomites. Spent some wonderful summers there with my parents. I'm fortunate to have Irish citizenship through a grandparent, so I've managed to dodge the Brexit bullet  

I tend to brew Cooper's because of their reliability, but I'm not exclusive. I'm brewing into 2 litre coke bottles atm, which is fine, but you have to be prepared to drink 3 pints within two days, or it will go flat. Haven't had a problem so far, but I am building a collection of 500 ml glass bottles.  It costs about $2 for two litres. Which is a lot cheaper than shop bought.  Plus I use the dregs in my beer traps for snails. Ideal brewing temperature is 23 degrees. So best not to brew in Australian summer. I have my last brew on for the year as it will get too cold to brew outside in the UK. I could brew inside, but I should have enough to get me through to April next year.

10 hours ago, Craig Colas said:

Bound to get one at some point though even if we have to stay with friends longer than anticipated. If you have to pay a little more it is what it is. What else are we supposed to do? Cancel our flight, not move at all as we might not be able to find a rental straight away? I've seen plenty of people move over recently and secure properties, albeit after a few attempts. You're just going to have to compromise, house a bit smaller, further out etc. until the time is right.

Biggest worry atm is actually getting on the flight there. Luckily we are in a position where the only thing that effects us is time and nothing else but it is boring just sitting around waiting to go. 

My niece recently rented a property. There were 100 other applications. She only got it as she currently rents from that agent. It's not easy getting a rental atm.

1 hour ago, HappyHeart said:

My street in Perth is very quiet. Nobody out after dark. That tends to be the nature of suburbia. No street parties as such. I live in an older suburb. I could walk to the shops and pub if I wanted to. There’s lots of green space. Transport links are ok. Value for money is good. 
When choosing a suburb identify your non negotiables;

Budget (very important- choose the suburb based on your budget not the other way around) 

Amenities within walking distance - how important is this?

Local schools?

Commute time and bus/rail links?

Proximity to beach, river or green space? 

We used PIO and other sites extensively when planning our move and we still live within 10km of original suburb we moved to. Do your homework and you should be fine. 

Also, there tend to be a lot of suburbs where migrants flock to, and many suburbs where migrants don't consider.

Take Guildford, Inglewood or bayswater for example. Not trying them. They have their pros and cons. But they have a different flavour to the newer suburbs.

A lot of ifs, but if Chinese growth is slowing, as it appears to be, that will affect Australian commodities, which may cause an Australian recession, which depending on its length, could affecting bubbling Australian house prices in 2022, 2023.

Keep a strong eye on the Australian dollar. If it starts to fall against the USD, you may not want to throw your life savings into a property at the moment.

Lot of ifs there though. So eyes open, be careful. Read the small print on the mortgage, find out where you stand if prices do drop.

3 hours ago, Toots said:

There was a display of old local photos in Devonport Library a couple of years ago.  One of the displays was an old photo album - obviously of someone's family and friends.  One of the librarians told me it had been recently found at the local dump.  I was looking through it and thought how very sad it was that someone had died and whoever was sorting out the house just chucked out the album.  I had a lump in my throat just thinking that nobody must have cared enough or had any interest in the album's owner to keep it.  It looked like it was full of happy memories. 

That is sad 

Last time I saw my parents they gave us all the photos we wanted. They did that for all the kids. I have a couple of paintings my father did as well. I'd always admired them 

Hopefully I'll get to see them again, but hard to know with covid.

9 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I never really went there, two nights in Mont Albert to spend time in company hq - Data General in Box Hill. I did a road trip and went thru Melbourne, had a coffee in Eltham which I liked.  And I drove to Melbourne with my brother one weekend and back overnighter in Seymour. That's it. 

Like my other brother on the Goldie I don't like the winters here even in Sydney so Melbourne would be worse but had I gone there too live I'd probably still be there.

I came to OZ intending to live in Perth but ended up in Sydney because I couldn't get a job in Perth and and wanted to see the Opera House, Bridge and Bondi before I went home.

Last year I went to Surfers for a holiday and stayed for 8 months because I liked it.

 

My parents left Melbourne for Sydney after their first Melbourne winter. They said they didn't see the point of moving halfway around the world to live in a place that was as cold and miserable as the UK. I was only three at the time. All I remember was the Nissan huts, and then this god awful high rise block of flats we lived in. Although for me it was paradise as all the urchins used to have the run of the place.

I went back to Melbourne about twenty five years ago for a visit. It was ok I guess. I liked st Kilda. The theme tune for the Sullivan's kept going around my head.

22 minutes ago, Marisawright said:

I guess I'm fortunate that I don't equate things with people.   It's interesting to watch my husband with his possessions - he can pick one up and tell me where he was when he bought it, and what was going on in his life.  Whereas I don't do that at all. Photos or letters of loved ones, yes, but not material things like clothes or furniture or ornaments.  

When my Dad died, I spent some time in the UK with my sister, who was living in the family home.   She couldn't bring herself to go through Dad's stuff, so I did it.  Of course I shed a tear or two thinking about my Dad, but to me, it was just things.

I still have the t shirt I was wearing when I met my wife twenty five years ago. I still wear it. I treasure it. I remind her of our first date every time I wear it 

It was the one I bought after I white water rafted the Zambezi.

She hates it.

She said she hated it the day she met me, and that because of it I nearly didn't get a second date. But she figured she could always take me shopping.

Some items you do hold dear.

On 27/08/2021 at 02:48, Wanderer Returns said:

Thanks for the comments everyone, and also for the links to various retirement calculators etc. I've estimated that I should be able to retire in some degree of comfort (based on our needs) when I'm 60 (5.75 years from now, not that anyone's counting), although I might have to stop buying beer and start brewing my own! Apart from overseas trips, we are also pretty frugal. We hardly ever eat out and generally change the car (for another second-hand one) every 5 years or so. You can probably run them for longer here in Australia because of the climate, but the cars I owned in the UK were pretty much on their way to the scrapheap by the time they were 10-12 years old. I agree that people seem to spend a lot more money on cars than they really need to.

As @Marisawright noted, it was a loaded question because I'd really like to stop working before 60 and was wondering if we'd had enough money. The short answer is 'no' if we continue to live in Australia. However, we've been thinking about renting out our house and living in a cheaper country for a few years. The rent would more than cover the mortgage, and the remaining funds would become an income stream along with my UK private pension, which I can get at 55. Regional Italy is top of the list at the moments, as the cost of renting is half of what it would be in Australia. It would also negate that need for overseas holidays because we'd already be there   Thailand/Malaysia are also possibilities, although I think I might get bored there after a while.

Interesting. I have started brewing my own, and have been very impressed at the taste. Seems to taste better in the UK than Australia. Maybe the water? Or maybe the temperature?

I'm of a similar age, and I have to admit that the enthusiasm for work has gone. There are the odd moments I enjoy, but most of it is nonsense. Supporting systems that are past their sell by date, just waiting for them to be replaced. I'd rather be sitting in the garden.

I'll work while there's work there, but won't be disappointed when it's over.

Italy sounds brilliant. I hadn't thought of that before. Is it still possible post brexit? I was thinking of a place in the Perth hills with a main residence and a granny flat. Live in the granny flat and rent the main house to migrants. Provide pick up service and so forth. 

Just a dream atm, but could become reality in a couple of years time.

58 minutes ago, Wanderer Returns said:

By all accounts property is going through the roof in the UK atm, so you might end up selling just at the wrong time. Assuming it's not an interest-only mortgage, you will be paying of much more of the principal by now, so more of each mortgage repayment will be your money when you come to sell the place.

Good luck with the lawsuit - hope it can benefit you. @Lavers showing what a great forum PIO is for helping people in a fix  

The stamp duty freeze is coming to an end in the UK, so I would expect prices to calm down.

Find it hard to believe that a property is still in negative equity after all this time. Has the OP had it valued recently?

2 hours ago, Ronsaik said:

Thanks for the responses, folks. A lot to chew on.

Based on the feedback here, I get the impression that the inner city isn't family friendly, or it is, but with bad pockets.

What about Maylands, Rossmoyne, Shelley, Riverton, and Wilson? Or Melville, next to Fremantle? They appear to be near the water, not too far from the city, and close to cycling paths in some cases.

The near-water parts of Dalkeith etc are much too rich for my budget, and not too keen on Cottesloe, Scarborough, or City Beach. 

Where do the NE suburbs like Yokine and Daniella stack up?

And should I consider looking further north - Sorrento, Ocean Reef, or Iluka? Lots of good property there, although the places appear somewhat dead.

Again, my main consideration is proximity to walks, parks, and basically things to keep a 2 year old entertained with....the "city vibe" is less important compared to that.

If you have kids all of those suburbs are good. Dianella/yokine you want to make sure you are in the catchment area for Mt Lawley. 

Duncraig and craigie have a very good high school, but are older. But it's a nice lifestyle up that way.

Maylands is still being gentrified, but is pretty nice. Nice high street.

Melville is nice, but I'm not really a South of the river person. But there are some good suburbs there. 

You could also look at bayswater Guildford.

You could try east Victoria park if you are on a budget.

On 17/08/2021 at 02:07, HappyHeart said:

After all these years still never made it to Rotto. 

Having worked there, I actually prefer it in winter. It's a relaxing if longish walk around the island. Pub is lovely when it's cold and the fire is going. Very relaxing.

Very different place in summer.