Celt Down Under

Not sure about the Sydney area for companies, but try and register with Skilled Engineering, a labour hire company as a backup. A lot of companies close down over Christmas, and contract labour are brought in to carry out shutdown work during that period. There are several labour hire companies other than Skilled, so Google them for the area you are likely to be living in and see what comes up. Manly, being a touristy destination, is unlikely to have any great amount of industry I would have thought, but hopefully some Sydneysiders will be able to advise you on that. All the best to you.

Have a safe flight J.D. We arrived back in Australia early hours of Thursday morning.........and I am so glad to be back.

As an overseas visitor in Australia, 0 dollars was even better value for my BIL. Point I was making, is that it does not seem to be reciprocal if it is only working one way.

We have just returned from a visit to the UK. and Mrs CDU went to see what the go was with a Docs visit. 15 pounds to see the Doc, plus the full cost of any meds required. Compare that to the BIL's visit to the Doc when out here last Christmas, when is cost him nothing for the visit to the Doc, but the meds did cost. The UK Doc said that he would only treat overseas visitors as a private patient, reciprocal agreement or not.

Yes, we get a lot of flies during the Summer, though I did not find last Summer too bad. We use repellant to keep them away from our face. We get the usual bugs, moths, mossies etc, though nothing to worry about if you take care. Don't leave water to stagnate around the garden etc. We have lived in peace with them all for 34 years, by just using common sense. Control what bothers you. What does not, leave alone.

Same as you PC. We set it on 19c and it is comfortable. Also no harm in slipping a jumper on if you are still feeling cold. It is all about sensible use. Same in the Summer when using air con.

8 years out here I take it, and no children for 6 of those 8 years? 8 years ago property was a lot cheaper. Even 6 years ago it was a lot cheaper, so why now make a fuss about not being able to afford to buy? I may be reading your post incorrectly, but if I am correct in my assumptions, what was stopping you buying years ago? We have friends who, like JockinTas, bought when interest rates were around the 15% mark, but just got on with it. I really hope that you can make a go of it, but your words make me think that you have given up already.

It never ended where PB lives.

Flipping heck duffer, what are you doing with your money. My daughter and husband have just bought their first house, and they are earning far less than $140,000. Do you have a savings plan of some sort? Again, on the lack of support, ,my daughter has 3 children, 10, 8 and 4, and has no close support with living 6 hours drive away from us. In eight years, surely you have made some friends that can help you out now and again, and you can do the same for them. On the cold, expensive house, move to somewhere else. If your landlord thinks it is worth what you are paying, show him or her otherwise. Pick a cheaper time of the year to go back to visit. Daft paying that much when there is no need to. That $750 includes 3rd party insurance. What sort of car are you driving? Why the long battle for PR etc? After 8 years I thought it would have been a shoo in. Again, on $140,000, I cannot see why you cannot afford a long weekend away now and again. Go camping even. Yes, a lot of negativity in your post, but nothing that cannot be overcome with some planning and thinking well ahead.

I agree Paul, but wouldn't you think that it would be the same here in Australia? Why does the UK rate so low compared to the 19 countries ranked ahead of it. What are people on who here say that the education in Australia is rubbish seeing compared to the UK which they say is so much better.

We found similar, in that a "day out" with the relos meant them getting up at around 11am, having lunch, the heading out at about 1pm or so, then having to get back for around 4 to feed the dogs/see their TV programs/whatever else they came up with. Our days out normally start at around 8am when we get out of the house, and then we come back at sometime between 7pm and midnight. Takes some getting use to, so we never hold our breath when a "day out" is mentioned.

There seems to be a lot of concern about how poor the schooling is in Australia compared to the UK. Have a read of this, and put your thoughts down on it. http://www.cityam.com/215746/uk-has-come-20th-biggest-global-schools-ranking?ITO=yahoo

We did part of NZ on a cruise from Hawaii to Sydney. No problems there, apart from rain. Also drove the South Island a few years ago. Stunning scenery.

Exactly my point Keith. Why worry about he "ifs" in life at our age. We too have been through the scary decision making time, but better the bullet being bitten too soon than too late, and dying wealthy. Why leave the kids to squabble over the $$$$$$. Make it easy on them and spend it. Money divides families, so take that out of the equation. LOL I will let Val know that it may be Royal or Princess. Not sure if she has looked at the VTG site. We normally aim for around $100 a night each, and we try and get a some onboard credit as well. We will be hanging round Anglesey and North Wales, mostly, with a visit to Chester and Liverpool as well. I need to access my naval college record which is held at the Maritime Museum in Liverpool, and I will be attending a reunion at the college on Anglesey, which is now an MOD establishment. (50 years since I signed on there in January 1965 aged just short of 15). A few of us will be there from that period, some who I have not seen since 1966.

Just read out your message to Val, who is the travel planner, and as I type she is checking on cruises from Southampton for that period. We always go with Royal Caribbean, because we are up there in the ratings and get the free happy 3 1/2 hours a day now. Which cruise line is it that you are looking at? The family get together sounds like fun. There was talk about our family having one a couple of years back, but my eldest sister who lives in Florida wanted us all to got there for it, but I would not, because we do not have our memories from there. My thoughts were that we should have it in North Wales where we were brought up, where our Father and Brother are buried, where our memories are, so it all fell apart. We are spread out, with some in the USA, us here, some in England and some in Wales. We have just come back from doing 2 Caribbean cruises as well as a Translantic, and the 3 we have booked for October goes from Quebec to Fort Lauderdale, (Snowbird cruise), followed by another 2 Caribbean cruises. On retiring, what you are actually doing, is selling your life to the company, for what return at the end of the day. As my adviser said, selling your life will make very little difference to your income once you retire, so that put it in a nutshell for us. What a lot of folk are scared of, is living too long and running out of money. But, why worry about what happen when we are 90 or 95, when we may not be here. :wink:

We have met many average Australians when on our cruises PB. They have all seemed to be doing OK. Never a complaint about things, unlike when we go back to the UK and hear plenty of complaints from retirees about how tough things are for them.

You will have to let me know when you are cruising. We head to the UK for 4 weeks on June 3rd, then the next cruise is in October, unless Val can find room to fit one in before then. What have you planned for your UK trip? A case of adjusting the day to day activities with the lifestyle with downsizing. At the moment the acreage is not a chore, but a pleasure, When it becomes a chore, time to downsize. No pets here. Costs way too much to kennel or cattery them with is travelling so much. On retirement, out sooner rather than later, and follow your financial advisers advice. I should have got out 5 years sooner, when I was 56, when he told us that we were stupid to carry on working. Been retired now for 4 years, and we have enjoyed every day of it. :wink: Have a safe trip, and I hope that it warms up a bit more than it is when you are there.

$250 for an Australian passport now. :arghh:

Aahhmmmmm, my reminding you comes at cost Paul. One beer if we ever meet. A tidy sum that will be when you start collecting.

I had 17 years working there, so the folding was never going to be forgettable. :jiggy:

Good stuff Paul. Feel free to join us on a cruise one day. Nothing like living the life of Riley after a lifetime of working hard and saving for the day. Don't forget to get that claim in for your UK pension. A nice bit of pocket money for you on trips back there. We too will have to downsize one day, because the house is way too large for us now, and one day the acreage will no longer be fun looking after, but hopefully that will be 5 years away at least, when I am 70.

Agree that we both have substantial amounts in super, as well as assets, but they were gained by working for an employer, paying taxes in full, but by leading a conservative lifestyle Paul. I was paid by the hour off the clock in a factory, and my wife working as a bank teller. We maximised the amount we put into super, and of course gained the tax benefits from that. Behind us is 45 years of graft, not living for the day, but for the future, and now payday has come, and I often hear from people who worked in the same job as me, "How can you have afforded to retire early and have such a great lifestyle?". Guess what my answer is each time.

Not quite true PC. All you have to do is live here, not work hard and not save, and THEN you may be able to get a pension. Because I worked hard, long hours, saved well, and did not squander my money, I would get no assistance at all compared to someone who did not bother thinking about the future.

You are entitled to a part UK pension based on your years worked there. If for example the years worked to be able to get a full pension are 35, and you only worked there for 7 of those years, you will be entitled to 7/35ths of the pension. You can back pay 6 years of "stamps" to increase your pension, but I think that has to be done prior to reaching 65. The UK government actually sent me all the paperwork required to claim a pension, but I am yet to fill it in. I do not know where they came up with my address from, but they did. To enquire, contact ... The Pension Service. Tyne View Park. International Pension Service Newcastle Upon Tyne NE98 1BA UK.

Must be the Celt in you Tracey.:wink: