Country vic

Members often post about this, from what I can see there may be activities in the main centres but little or nothing outside of that, the groups that are there are very age and activity specific. There is nothing within 80ks of me, and then it's for mums groups, younger age, specialised interests, the nearest group I found that I could go to was about 200ks away. Have you had success with meet up ?? I would think most people posting here are already aware of these other sites, googling for info, and are trying various options as well as here. All I got from joining meet up was romance scam messages, I must admit I was tempted to reply just to see what they said, I didn't of course. Suggesting people go elsewhere reminds me of calling the council (or any other organisation that doesnt do anything other than pay their own wages) then they say ... call the department of anyone but us.... so I call the department of anyone but us... and they say ....call the council.... I say I did, they told me to call you..... the circle game.

I am no longer married so, of course, I am an expert on marriage. Sometimes I wonder do people talk about things to each other?? Coercing people into things they don't want looks very dodgy to me. Stressful times either make or break relationships, difficulties can bring people closer or drive them apart. Ideally big decisions and life choices should be discussed long before people get together and have children, most of us fail to do that fully. I think we don't do that because we don't want to risk finding the truth and be faced considering whether to split. Do people talk though their vision of the future before they make any serious commitments: do they want children, do they want to travel, are their religious or political differences, is is one persons dream to move away....and most importantly do they like dogs.... We often avoid difficult topics because we might get answers we don't want, and people lie to get what they want at the moment. I recall seeing a post here a while back where one partner had promised they would emigrate then reneged on that promise. Now you have children it's no longer about what you and your partner discussed and agreed, the picture has changed. Lets face it it's completely ridiculous to want to make people do things, especially really big things, against their will. Imagine if your partner started to convince you have to have more children and you didn't want that, would you appreciate being convinced. As has been pointed out inviting strangers to comment on such a personal issues, with no real information, is unlikely to be helpful. If this is causing conflict seek professional support and talk it over. If you have seriously differing visions of the future best get it out there and work out the way forward.

Pets are a huge commitment, a lifetime responsibility. Personally I would take the dog, however, you also have to consider if you want to go back you will have the same problem. Having said that I can understand that if there is family, who the dogs knows and loves and they love the dog, the option of leaving with family is a reasonable consideration. My dog is a huge tie but I love him so I accept that. He is 16, I adopted him a couple of years ago when one of my beloved dogs died, now it's just him and me. Because of the problems being on my own with a dog, and the restrictions it brings to my choices, I am thinking he will be my last dog, time will tell. Heat and cold are an issue but we adapt, in summer I get up early to take the morning walk, then we get back into the air-conditioning, then another walk in the evening when things have cooled down.

I am not going to get to involved with this as we don't have enough information..... however....you do have the right to be cross. The decision is whether to talk honestly with your visitor about your feelings or deal with it another way. The primarily relationship here is you and your wife so protect that. Family conflicts can fester for years, decades ..... so talk to each other and support each other.

As for pain I feel for you. Doctors are rather like lawyers, they aren't as effective as we want to think they are. We want to believe pain can be controlled or cured with medication, in my experience a lot can't. I had problems with pain and did a lot of research, after trying the usual suspects I decided I would do anything other than surgery, took everything that was legal, most made me worse, went for a cortisone shot, they work for some people, in my case did nothing for the pain but it did give me adverse side effects. Tried several physios etc. spent a fortune... achieved nothing, having said that people do find things that help them. In the end I decided I had to do adopt a different approach and joined the gym, when I tried to move I was amazed how many pains I had, now 2 months later I am starting to feel better. Pain is a very personal thing, so research everything but be careful you don't do anything that will leave you worse off. A lot lot of medical treatments have no evidence of efficacy but doctors do it anyway because patients expect it, for example there is a very well known study on chemo for cancer, many cancers are not improved by chemo but doctors offer it anyway, it's the idea that doing something is better than doing nothing. I would try things as long as the risks were acceptable and not leave me worse off in the long term. The human body does have amazing natural powers of recovery, that's one reason people think doctors and medication work, they forget they may have got better without either. Unless you are already at the lower end of your BMI lose weight. If you have swimming pools available that may be a good way of getting moving to start with. Consider a gym, I know that sounds mad when you are in pain but it might be worth considering.

I don't think it's a good idea to seek that advice opinion here. The reason I say that is, it's very easy to egg someone else on to take legal action but you will be the one left with the bill and stress. The legal system works great - in TV dramas. Of course investigate your options but remember lawyers will often tell you what you want to hear, until your money runs out then they won't speak to you at all. Lawyers will also egg you on, imply you will win some worthwhile settlement if you just do more and spend more. You start off spending $500, then a couple more letters, $1,000 before you know it you are in for $5k, then it's $10k...... then a few meetings, it all adds to your bill .... Most lawyers have limited ability, remember The Castle, we love it because along comes a decent friendly QC who works for free, in the real world things like that do not happen, in real life the side with the most money wins. If the driver is represented by their insurance company they have money, who will represent you. If the driver is not represented by their insurance company and you win, do they have the money to pay. What is your desired outcome, what are your chances of getting that, what is the worst than can happen, you run up legal costs of $50k over several years, and you get a bill for the costs of the other side.... Look at the recent Joe Hockey case, he could afford top legal representation, he had a small partial win and ended up with over $500k in legal costs, and that was a short case, he can afford it so for him the pain was limited. Many firms offer a free 30 minute consultation so you could look for that but be careful, if you take the free chat and get told you have a great case and you decide to go ahead you start paying ..... be careful.... If you speak to a lawyer take a list of very direct questions, and get confirmation of the answers in writing. For example, what is the best possible outcome, what is the worst outcome, what cases has the lawyer taken similar to your situation and what were the outcomes. Do not make any decisions until you have taken time to consider what the risks are to you. It's not just the prospect of financial ruin, legal proceedings are very stressful. i daresay you have considered Pro Bono, lawyers do nothing for free so read the small print, the fact is lawyers rarely do pro bono and even when they do there are still costs, unless there is the potential for them to get a big payout they won't work for free. Be careful.......

So on top of the costs here you will have expenses to cover on your home in Europe..... You might be looking for a second job to supplement your income : -) Have you discussed this fully with your wife ?? You will be at work all day and have an instant 'community' what will she do, especially if she has little disposable cash.

Wow, you have a very high level of education, sounds like you are in your prime earning years, head hunted for a prestigious jiob in another country ....and they offer $100k!!! Now I don't feel so bad about leaving school at 15. Obviously there iis more to family wealth than income, do you own property, do you have savings and investments that would allow you to buy a home for you and your family, are you likely to inherit wealth....these are, of course, rhetoric questions, none of my business. Are you planning to rent long term, or do you plan to buy a home ?? If you have your families future security sorted then I guess you could suffer for a while so you can take a job you want, but if not I reckon you need to look for a way to earn some money. Years ago I ran in to a school contemporary who had gone to university, got a good degree and became a teacher he loved teaching but.... he now had a wife and two children, when we got talking about money he realised how disadvantaged he was teaching, got out a few months later, he would have been about 30 at the time, went into the private sector and virtually doubled his pay overnight.

I used to miss BBC Radio 4 but the Internet has changed that. I miss UK TV, especially news and current affairs, I used to love election night, again things are different now, there is a much wider selection of TV here, You Tube etc. Used to miss UK confectionary, there was a very limited selection years ago, much more available now, most supermarkets sell Quality Street, and there are numerous web sites that sell UK chocolate. A word of warning, if you are planning to order chocolate for Christmas do it early, I ordered some last summer, when it arrived it had melted in the heat and when it reset it wasn't very nice. There is one product I have never been able to get - Elizabeth Shaw mint crisps, there are other flavours I would like try if I could get them.

I do think the OP needs re-evaluate the situation and her methods of approaching it. Many women do the sacrificial, selfless, martyr, taking on the problems of everyone and responsibility for everything. They take on the role of carer for children, parents, partners but forget to consider their own needs and that they to need, and are entitled to, care. Most of us have limited energy and qualifications, I don't know anyone able to be the family psychiatrist, accountant, nurse, organiser, manager, cook and bottle washer, these roles need to be shared out and sometimes delegated to qualified professionals.

I agree they are are many strategies for dealing appropriately with anger and stress. For many this is physical activity, running, squash etc. they are many alternatives. I know people who read, bake, knit, garden, paint..... to alleviate their stress. While some people believe their stresses and problems are unique and no one else have as difficult a time as them and that justifies their anger, the fact is we all have stresses and problems. Some are clearly more serious than others. Watching the news this week I was struck by the problems the mother of Ebony Simpson has experienced for the last 23 years. I am prone to anger, I have had to find alternative methods of addressing my problems. It is something I have to actively work on but these days my angry rants are rare, I still moan at times but I try to keep some irony or humour in it. I still have the same problems but anger wasn't doing anything but make things worse, for me and other people. I would equate it to having a physical pain, taking pain killers, the pain killers make me feel ill but did nothing for the pain, so then I had the pain + I felt sick, better to just have the pain. I had to look for a plan B so I joined the gym, most of my aches and pains are starting to improve.

'Ranting' is not an appropriate way to deal with stress. I understand ranting means different things, a light hearted, short lived, moan about something that has got on our nerves is one thing, angry ranting is not OK. If a person is finding their job creats anger, frustration or stress, especially over a prolonged time, that could be a sign they are in the wrong job. If, for the most part, we are performing competently and have the necessary skills for our work it should not be a source of onging stress that causes us to rant. Regular ranting at a partner, parent, the kids, the dog, the neighbours, the driver of the car that you think cut you off, a cyclist or slowed you down for a whole 30 seconds ..... is a red flag. There are more appropriate and productive ways of addressing stress. We are seeing a lot of anger out there, a lot of it is male anger. Family support should not involve excess anger, support is a two way street. I often see women 'doing everything' why, if a couple choose to make a big move surely the work and responsibly should be shared. Angry ranters need to confront their issues before ranting escalates to something worse. Let me make it clear I am not talking about about the sort of frustrations we see people express on Room 101 or Grumpy Old Men/Women, or when we share problems of life in a non-threatening, often amusing way, I like hearing those things and they are an appropriate way of expressing frustrations. The test might be if this the behaviour was recorded would I be embarrassed if I watched it back, would I talk to the target of my 'ranting' in this way in front of other people or in public. Does your target tip-toe on egg shells around you when you are in rant mode. Does your ranting cause distress to the person at the receiving end of it, or is it a useful and productive discussion of problems. What outcome are we seeking from our ranting, is it to make the other person feel bad or is it to seek remedies and improve the situation going forward. After you calm down (assuming you do) have you sat down and talked to the receiver of the rants how they feel about it, if they would like you to stop, would they feel comfortable telling you honestly how the ranting makes them feel. One thing I miss about the UK is that going down the pub having a moan to your mates, this type of exchange often ends up with a laugh and helps us to get things in perspective. Angry ranting is another matter, next time record yourself and play it back later, maybe let someone else listen and see if it's harmless or potentially damaging. I am off to take my dog for a walk, that is a good way for me to clear my head and watching my dog enjoy skipping about makes me smile, hard to be angry and smile at the same time. Note: this is a general observation not a reply to particular post.

A ranting phone call is not something I would look forward to receiving, especially if I was exhausted and doing so much on my own without any support, assistance or appreciation. Of course I am it in a position to offer anything other than general comment and observation as I can't know about a persons personal circumstances and I am not qualified but I do see red flags.

Ranting at you?? really, why are you accepting that. Who does he think he is ranting at you, and why do you accept it, do you think you deserve to be ranted at. OK we can all lose our rag from time to time but if it's bad, regular, or in any way abusive, rules need to be laid down, break the rules and you hang up. You are his wife, and have stresses of your own, you are not his thearapist, mother, accountant, recruitment advisor, or nurse, if he needs help controlling his feelings or dealing with his frustrations then he should seek support in an appropriate way from appropriate people. It can be hard for anyone finding a good job, no one likes rejection but it that way it is, no one owes us a living, we need patience and reliance, if he has anger and entitlement problems people will pick up on that and won't want him around. I can get pretty angry myself when I feel the 'locals' don't treat me very well, but I have to remind myself people have their own lives, I am nothing to them, why should they use their time and energy worrying about me when they already have their friends and family. People here, in my experience, aren't that interested in including outsiders, but why should they be, they didn't invite me, they don't owe me anything. I know I have said this before but, while Internet forums have their place, they are not the right place to seek insight into, potentially serious issues. A forum post only gives very brief and limited information, not enough for anyone, qualified or otherwise, to be giving 'advice'.

'.... - but I can't help wondering if your devotion to your son is part of the problem. He may be feeling suffocated by your constant attention and that's part of the reason he wants to go to his Dad's, where he'll be treated more like a young man (which he nearly is), ...... but then all I could see was that other girls had more freedom and more privacy, that their mum didn't escort them to every event as if they were babies, etc etc Totally agree with this, I am not sure of the precise age but he is not a young child any more. He may fear becoming a 'mummy's boy'. Some kids, as they grow up, naturally develop their independence and confidence and can quite easily push parents away, others, who are not so confident need a shove, some need a hard push to encourage them to develop the independance we all need. I see a lot of red flags in these posts 'put my life on hold' of course we have priorities throughout life but we can still create balance, as your son becomes an adult I do not think he will thank you for 'putting your life on hold'. Boyfriends can come and go but there are ways of managing that with discretion. Children understand their parents need other adults and can, and should, develop a healthy understanding of adult relationships. He may be worried that if he stays with you he will never escape, you need him to much, and you put your life on hold for him, what a debt to have on his shoulders. You say you won't let him know you are busy and carefree while he is away - why not, if he knows you are busy and happy he will be free to enjoy his time without worrying if you are OK. You talk about having to give things up if he returns, why?? Surely you can balance your own activities with being a mother to an older son. You mention 'childcare' gee that's a bit embarrassing, OK I know there are laws but surely he is mature enough to spend some time without child care. Fussing over growing kids prevents them from developing confidence. Parents who fuss and make 'be careful' their catchphrase have a damaging effect in their child's development. The sub-text of 'be careful' is the world is scary and dangerous and bad things happen all the time, it says you are scared you would not cope if something did happen, you are displaying you own lack of confidence, worst of all it says to the target of this excess fear that they can not cope, that you have no confidence in his ability to deal with situations on his own. Sometimes we need to keep our fears to ourselves and make an effort not to project concerns on to a target, put on a confident, brave face. Confidence is catching, if you have confidence in him it will be easier for him to have confidence in himself. All kids (and adults) have fears, sometimes we need someone to reassure us we are competent, we are strong, we are intelligent, and we will cope, and prosper, even when things gets a bit tough. Off you go son, you'll be fine....and so will I. We all watch the news and know bad things happen, that's the reality, but what sort of life is it if we allow fear to control us. Feel the fear and do it anyway...... hey someone should write a book about that :- )

At what age do 'children' start taking responsilbity for their own washing and meals. i would think older children could take their turn doing washing and making meals, they can be the ones saying 'I am doing some washing, do you want to put some in' or 'I'll do dinner tonight'. Mother doesn't mean servant, boys who grow up with a servant have habit of expecting a wife to be the servant. Years ago I was at a woman's house, she was the single parent of two boys, and her son (who was in the same class as mine) came in, he was about 11 at the time, and said to her (in a tone that was more like an order) why aren't my shoes clean, I was amazed and said to him 'who will clean your shoes when your mother is not around' without a missing a beat he said (with no irony) 'my wife' he said this as if it was obvious. When I suggested he should clean his own shoes and stop treating his mother like a servant, both the 11 year old and his mother looked at me like I was mad so I have no doubt she carried on waiting on both of her boys, the other son was about 14 and he was 'helpless' as well.

As I have said before I think looking for 'advice' to complex issues on Internet forums is rather dangerous. Having said that I will make one observation. For some years you appear to have made you and your son a team, the two of you v the world. I feel mothers are prone to doing this, on the surface it's look like mothers are being selfless, women must never be 'selfish' of course. It is easy to become to dependant on kids, especially if they are only children, this is a lot of pressure for a kid. If you put more effort into making building a life separate from him it might be easier for him to move into his own autonomous life without any 'guilt' of leaving you lonely. At 12 he will be moving into an adult life, following his own interests without you being involved, he will start to need privacy and separation, it would be helpful if he was confident you will also have independence and be happy with your own life as he moves away. Sefless seems a good thing but I question that, be a mother not a martyr. If have you neglected your own needs and used your son as your friend, rock and reason for living...... that seems a lot of responsibility for a kid, if it's his 'job' to make you happy and content that's a big burden for him to carry. Do you have plans what your life will be while he is away, and how things will be if /when he returns. Have you planned to have more separation as he, inevitably, wants and needs his own. It won't be long before your son enters the minefield of the dating world, I have seen, and experienced, the competition that can develop between mothers and girlfriends and partners, it's not good. I feel this trip can be a good thing for you both, it will give you time and space to consider how to move forward and what future you want for yourself. Maybe it's time to step back and let him work things out for himself.

Costs are higher: Complaining about the NHS is a national pastime in the UK, like the cliche you don't appreciate it until it's gone. There is a partial state system here but you pay for a lot. Others may have more experience of costs, I am fortunate that I don't see doctors any more, not just because of cost but also the lack of any useful help. Dr Google and inhousepharmacy does it for me now. The many layers of 'government' and the vast army of public servants (who don't serve the public) means taxes on taxes on taxes, and it will get worse much worse, elections here are more like a public auction, who will offer the most money for your vote, thing is I never see any benefit from these promises and the public money spent. High council rates, land tax. I haven't had kids at school here, but there are also school fees. Low population and geographical isolation means the cost of most goods are higher, when I watch renovation shows on TV and see what building materials cost over there I can spend 3 - 4 times that here. The Internet has helped of course. Some things depend on where you live, small town costs more of course, there is an ongoing campaign in our local rag about the price of petrol, which can cost 30% more than in Melbourne. There are many incidentals that we take for granted in the UK which here you pay for, to give an example....I had an investation of rabbits, the whole area was overrun and it was causing damage, so I did what I would do in the UK and contacted the council assuming they would send pest control...... no reply....so I contact the Department of self-serving public servants (DEPI) all they do is have a useless web site, Facebook page, Twitter feed etc..... actually coming out and doing some work, forget it. Fortunately I was able to pay for someone to add fencing under my property and buy bait, if you can't do that hard luck.... No matter what the problem you are on your own here and you will pay.

Like many I found this thread a cautionary and difficult story. I am older now and one thing I have learnt is not to give advice, and to be careful about taking advice, no matter how well meaning. It's easy to offer advice when we have no accountability for the outcome. As we have seen clearly on this thread things are complicated and there are rarely simple or obvious paths to take. We read posts on here and think we know and understand the situation, but of course we don't. Everyone is different and everyone's personal situation has its own complications. We can share our own experience and observations and share things that helped, or hurt us, but we can never understand other people's experiences and challenges. It it is tempting for me to suggest seeking qualified guidance but many of us know that can do more harm than good and genuine qualified support often comes with a large invoice. In my (limited) experience of the counselling 'industry' especially the 'volunteer' variety, is full of (well meaning) people who have a delusional belief in their own abilities and have no accountability for any damage they may cause. As far as I know there is limited evidence that it is of any real help or achieves positive outcomes. It seems to me there is a lot of luck involved, if you come across someone with real intelligence, experience and insight it can help but if you get one of the ego driven, self absorbed types run, and maybe try someone else. No matter what guidance we may seek in the end decisions are ours. When we are younger it's easy to think emigration is going to be a happy and exciting experience, 30 years on it can all look very different. We want to believe it will all work out with happy outcomes, we live in a time where people think enough positive thinking cures everything, the evidence is rather different. The fact is life doesn't always work out we have to cope with the choices we make and the circumstances that surround us. There are so many difficult events which we don't consider until they arise. Visa and citizenship problems, marriage breakdowns, financial difficulties, single parenting, isolation ...... You have said you don't want a partner, that is very different than me, I always wanted a partner . I have always thought the close support and companionship that comes from having a good partner is a major factor in whether life is good. Sadly for me I never achieved my wish of finding someone, that will always be a matter of extreme grief to me. I don't want to fall into the trap of believing I can offer advice but I will suggest exploring your own situation. If we are happy I would think those around us are more likely to be happy. Sometimes focusing on problems we see in others diverts us from focusing on ourselves. In fact it can seem selfish and inappropriate to want to seek our own happiness when we feel we should be worrying about the happiness of someone else, balance the two perhaps. We can only do our best, seek counsel and support if we can. The virtual world has its place, if we can find practical ongoing support in the real world that's better but not always available. There are no easy answers, my rambling observations are just that, observations.

OK here's the thing..... If a person is sending out a large number of applications and getting nowhere they are either applying for the wrong job (something they have no realistic chance of getting) or, they are applying for the right job in the wrong way. if they then improve their applications and get further, for example an interview, but failing (repeatedly) at that point they are doing some thing wrong at that stage. Time to reavaluate your approach and attitude. PS: I agree for casual hospitality work walk in, with a short one page CV, with your basic details and experience. In that type of work presentation and appearance are the main 'qualification' obviously no one will say that but we all know it's true. Working with the the public requires patience and charm ...... anyone who doesn't display those, plus good humour and happy disposition, has no chance. Look up places you are going to apply to on Trip Advisor, that will give insight about how their customers see them. By the way I have no patience, my appearance leaves a lot to be desired, and I don't have a happy disposition but......... I do have respect for my customers, I appreciate they work hard for their money and, if they choose to spend it with me, that means I pay the bills and live well.... that gives me a very happy disposition and acting patient and happy is not that hard. As for my appearance, I am self employed so people have to put with that : -)

When we have no friends and don't get picked for the 'team' I think it can be worth adopting solitary pursuits, something where we can achieve on our own. i hope this doesn't come across like the usual 'cliched advice' you know the sort of thing, join a club, get a dog, go to a night class ......... anyway one thing I wish I had done when I was younger is running, and maybe cycling. The thing about running is you can put your shoes on and go on your own. There is no one to beat, no team to fit in with, no winner or loser, you just run against yourself and, once you get into it, it's a great way of clearing your head. Later, if you want to, there are 5k and 10k runs, it's a pastime you can take as far as you like. Seomtimes we can do things that don't achieve our main goal (making friends) but they fill in time, and are good for us, while we continue to work on other things. Maybe be your daughter isn't interested in that type of thing, so maybe something else, piano lessons, writing. A solitary pastime doesn't take away from trying to find people but it gives us something postive to think about and work on, rather than focus on things that make us miserable. I used to read a lot (before the Internet) when there was no one who shared, or understood, my values and ideas I could find writers who did and I knew I was not alone. Even though I was (and still am) alone in my immediate life, it was reassuring to know there were people out there who shared my view of life, books became my 'friends'. The fable of the 'Emperors Clothes' makes me smile, in the fable, of course, once the boy points out the Emperor has no clothes the rest of the crowd immediately see it, in real life they would send the boy for counselling until he too could see the Emperors clothes.... Sometimes we do have to be alone until we find other people who don't need to see things that are not there......

I am so pleased you as her mother are taking this seriously, when things are tough out there having loving, supportive parents is so important. Very often parents blame and judge their children for not fitting in. We see this 'victim blaming' attitude a lot. Someone says they have no friends and people jump in with criticism and blame, adding to peoples pain makes some people feel good. The empathy and understanding you show to your daughter will be a great help. There are many complex reasons people don't fit into cliques, many are signs of good qualities. Maybe your 16 year old is more mature and sophisticated than the others, she may choose not to smoke and drink, maybe she is more sensitive, maybe she has more ambition..... there are many reasons people are rejected. It takes a lot of strength to stand up for your own values. I have observed 'popular' people, often they are spinless and adjust their 'values' according to who they are trying to fit in with. When young people get into trouble we often hear parents say 'they got in with the wrong crowd' funny how they never identify their own offspring as 'the wrong crowd'. Of course I have also met popular people who are genuine, decent and caring, they have a gift of drawing good people to them. I don't know how they do that but there are a lot of books and articles on the topic. As others have said school will end soon, she will then go into environments where she will meet a broader range of people. in the meantime she has you, and it sounds like you (and other family?) are caring and supportive. Your daughter is only 16, I hope you will continue to discus and explore the problem so over the next few years she will learn how to attract the right people to her, people with who she can share good times with without compromising who she is.

When I came here (10 years ago) I assumed I would buy a good 2nd hand car, prices were ridulous and I didn't like many of the used car dealers so I bought a new one, I liked the salesperson and they have a good service department. I kept that car for 7 years and then traded it for another new car, from the same dealer, there was nothing wrong with my car, I am sure I could have kept it for another 10 years with no problems but something came out that I really liked. I reckon I have been better off if I work out what the cost per year has been. The only expense is servicing twice a year. My car has a 5 year warranty although many are now coming out with 7 year unlimited warranties. If your negotiating skills are good you should get plenty of free extras and discount between 10 and 15%. Value wasn't the only reason I chose a new car, Australia is not a place where I want to break down. In the UK you are never far from civilisation and people who can help you, over here, even in populated areas, it can be a very long way between towns. There are models here that you can't get in UK, the FJ Cruiser for example. I wouldn't bring a UK car here, the environment is very harsh, cars in the Australian market are built to cope. You can easily check out prices and models on-line so it's easy these days to work out comparitive costs. By the way get white, in 40+c heat any other colour gets damn hot.

Some surgerys are very reluctant to hand over records, however, they have no right to do that ..... who do they think they are... I wanted mine and the 'receptionist' tried her stonewalling act, there was a bit of a standoff but she handed them over. I avoid GP's I have never found them of any benefit, not much better than 'faith healers' most people get better by natural remission especially if there is not much wrong with them in the first place. Some years ago I saw a UK GP state that 80% of consultations are a waste of time, the people would recover just as well without involving a doctor. The problem comes when you really are sick and see a doctor and get fobbed off, by the time they accept its not in your head it can be to late. Sorry my predijudice again docotrs coming through ....... Your records are yours don't let any arrogant self - appointed dictator tell you otherwise.

May I suggest you remove your number from this public post. You can PM each other if you wish to exchange personal contact info.