Surf N Turf

It's lovely to hear your updates Fiona. I hope you continue to have a fab time.

I'm an anti-hoarder as I grew up with one and it put me off possessions for a very long time. We kept moving and dragging this vast amount of stuff with us - across and between countries. It was madness. For years, probably until my late twenties I used to only want to own the amount of stuff that would fit in my car. Or even better, a backpack. I've mellowed and can now look around at a flat that's fairly full. But I've not left if behind completely because when I buy stuff I then need to get rid of something old. And if I'm in a bad mood, getting rid of something is bound to cheer me up. Almost inevitably I'll create the opposite in my daughter who is already onto my sneaky ways of getting rid of her excess :embarrassed:

You may have driven your wife mad with the analysis but it's quite a feat to come up with this stuff while you're still in the midst of it. I'd have thought it would have needed some time and distance to have reached this kind of perspective. It's great stuff and I agree with Harpo that it should be made a sticky. Too many good insights for it to be lost. But of course, most importantly, you'll take it with you and bring all that experience into your next move and hopefully make it a great success. I wouldn't get too hooked on the idea that a different location could have changed the outcome. It may have but I've shifted states with my extremely homesick OH and while it's an improvement it doesn't make a huge difference. It doesn't change the extent to which you miss family and friends, familiarity and a sense of belonging. No point laying the groundwork for future regrets. All the very best for your future Blobby.

It's incredibly sad and quite shocking. One of those crimes where you think 'it could be anyone of us'. Just the wrong place at the wrong time made all the more vivid by seeing the cctv footage of her meeting the killer - if that's what it turns out to be. It hardly bears thinking about how her family are doing.

Welcome to Melbourne. You chosen a great area to live in. You definately lucked out on the real estate as I know lots of people, us included, who found it more challenging. It's a great start to your time here. I hope the lucky breaks keep coming!

There's no harm in locking them as you'll have collected them by the time you come through customs in Perth so if they want to have a look - as they often do - you'll be there to unlock it. My mum put the frighteners into me one year after a high profile case in Australia where marijuana was allegedly planted in someones luggage. So I bowed to her pressure and got that clingwrap type service at Heathrow to wrap up my suitcase to make it tamper-proof. I felt like a right ejit when it was the only shrink wrapped case to come down the shoot at the other end. And, of course, mine was selected by customs for inspection and it all got cut off. Now I just lock it to try to deter light-fingered baggage handlers.

You can find out for yourself if you do an online shop at somewhere like coles.com.au. But bear in mind that lots of people choose to shop at markets, Aldi or independent butchers/greengrocers because it's cheaper. You can also check out realestate.com.au for housing. There have been loads of comparison threads on PIO like this one (http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/household/162937-another-cost-living-post-sorry-need-know-if-we-can-survive.html) which may help you feel more informed. I think what MR was trying to say is that if you enjoy life here you find a way to balance the budget and just get on with it. If you aren't happy here then the cost of living/bad driving/heat etc then become more and more of an issue. Good luck with whatever you decide.

It's a very old building with huge windows so it would be hard. I went for character over insulation. Perhaps a mistake. The fingerless gloves don't quite compensate. Still, we didn't lose any of our extremities this winter and spring will soon be in the air.

I'm sitting in my poorly insulated home with my hands starting to feel numb from cold. And its spring! It's been a looooooong ole winter.

Lovely to hear that you're having better luck. Who knows what the future holds but just managing to carve out a little more happiness each day makes the 'meantime' so much easier. Good on you.

Did you actually make a little Australian when you were out here PB?

If my OH made this announcement I'd be on the floor howling with laughter. For about a fortnight. In fact I'm getting the giggles now just thinking about it However, you probably have a much more understanding and supportive partner. Please do let us know how that conversation goes

Take a deep breath and read it again. Slowly.

Oh, joy. This quote is going to be the gift that keeps on giving. Where's that patriotism thread again? :biglaugh: Thanks bunbury :notworthy:

Sorry to hear about your grandad and dog Stacey. I've always found that timing plays a bit part of success in life. If these illnesses are saying that the timing isn't right now then it just means that it'll work out better further down the track. Sometimes when we try to force things it all goes t*ts up regardless. Working on a better life in Scotland for the time being sounds like a great idea.

I've moved between oz and the UK an embarrassing number of times and i've learned to expect little but stress, doubt and unhappiness for the first 6 months. It wasn't always that long but it was never far short. It's HARD. But please give it some time so that any future moves are made with a clear head and are less likely to lead to regrets. Ping-ponging is costly and exhausting and best avoided if possible. IMO anyway. Wishing you all the best.

I'm so sorry that it has worked out this way. I spend much of my working life with people who don't want to work and are happy to live off the state. It's really sad that people come here full of optimism, skill and willing to graft hard and can't find a place for themselves. It's a loss for Australia too. I wish you well for your return home.

I'm an Australian who has 'permanently' left Australia three times according to those departure cards. And yet here I am in Australia. Again. Things change. So the research gives an indication of who intends to move back permanently which is interesting in itself.

I haven't found a radio station I like now that I'm back here. I used to listen to JJJ back in the day (and stream it when I moved to London) but I'm so not a yoof any longer and can't quite move on to the grown up ABC stuff. I also can't handle commercial radio so I'm currently experimenting a bit with 3RRR in melbourne and using my iPod a lot. I miss UK radio so enjoy the last few weeks!

I do. Cheers me up to think how disgruntled you'd still manage to be over there. :jiggy: (Don't really have a problem with what you post as I love a bicker now and then).

Jeez, it's a good thing that we can bring UK born pollies over here to run things. We'd be in a right mess left to our own devices :biggrin:

I live here and love it but I wish they'd shut up about how great it is. It's a city expanding at too rapid a rate already and the quality of life is taking a dive accordingly. Let's big up....er.....Geelong! Yes, that lovely backwater that is a paradise known to so few. Including many who have visited.

Sounds like a very wise woman. That'll be 100% home grown aussie wisdom. Can't beat it. :biggrin: (following that analogy, does that make the UK a GILF?)

The pom in my life and my 20 years in the UK. It's not an interest shared by any other Australian I know.