Peachy

OH refuses to use public transport in UK (ridiculous! ) but has been completely transformed by Brisbane trains. Reliable, cheap, safe and always get a seat. We only need 1 car and even then it only gets a run at weekends. It is saving us a fortune and get lots of reading / internet done on the journey.

That course looks fantastic!!

I love my journey to work every morning, seeing the sun rise revealling the mountains. I love the shouting birds outside my window every morning. I love my day at work with enthusiastic and open colleagues I love that within a day of arrival a stranger offered to lend me his ute. I love that my boys (7and9) are already excited about high school and have flourished here in such a short space of time. I love that I can cycle into the mountains in minutes. I love that the local children are still very much children I love that I have been made to feel welcome by everyone I meet I love feeling settled already Basically I love it here and frequently find myself smiling at the smallest little things :-)

Nundah and Northgate are nice suburbs but you will struggle to find a nice family queenslander in your price range. Nice areas with lots of good schools snd families : Eaton Hills, Arana Hills, Ferny Hills, Ferny Grove, Mitchelton (but probably beyond your budget), The Gap (also getting more pricey due to popularity). Am not that keen on Enoggera (quite industrial ), Banyo, and I haven't heard great things about Carsedine (if that is how it is spelt) however these are just impressions and someone with personal experience of these areas may correct me.

Great news! I love the area. The Sunday market (6am -11am I think) at the station is excellent. Good price for vegetables and baked goods. My kids love spending their pocket money at the market stalls/car boot area. Samford is beautiful and you should drive up to Mount Nebo lookout and Camp Mountain lookout. Fantastic views over the valley and over the city. There is also a lovely cycle ride up Lanita Road (I think this is correct spelling) into the forest. Watch out for dive bombing birds at the park though - there are lots around this time of year snd they are vicious. Apparently plovers are particularly aggressive. I am sure you will settle in really well.

Good post. I find the negativity overwhelming. I am delighted with our new life but reading the constant doom mongering / comparisons makes me doubt my enjoyment and that it will all come crashing down. I suppose that most of those that succeed have lots of other things to do with their time. I too will be weaning myself off this site (although there are a couple of PIO I am really looking forward to hearing from when they do complete their journey here).

Errol at Dogtainers is great.

In our rental house there is an annex so I can see the boys playing but can't hear them ! I am able to put my feet up and read on a Sunday afternoon while still supervising the kids. Perfect.

We are thinking of doing something similar at some point. Means that family avoid a 24 hour flight and so can be done within a shorter duration. Also means that we get a holiday with family without going all the way back to UK.

A higher earner is still bringing home more overall, even after higher taxes.It is appropriate and fair that higher earners pay more because they can afford to. I consider it a social responsibility. The job stress is entirely dependent upon the role but the likelihood is that a higher earner has more responsibility and therefore earnings commensurate with experience and accountability. Not always the case though! !

I had a complete panic too when I first tried the tests - was so worried that I paid the extra online tuition fee and put in quite a few hours of practice. It is just a matter of working out what they want / how you are supposed to answer the question. I am sure that you will be fine. When I turned up to the assessment I was the only one with a UK passport so felt a bit silly for worrying given my obvious advantage!

Oxford and York are both nice. Lots of culture. Great museums, theatre, great architecture and a degree of cafe culture. Both also have great transport to bigger cities. Don't think you will find what you are looking for in Bournemouth or Eastbourne. I like both places but even in the summer they are not exactly vibrant. Out of season Eastbourne is very quiet. It is interesting what you say about clicking in a European city. After 24 hours in Berlin we could have moved. Felt completely comfortable in the city just the issue of learning German....

Info here: https://www.gov.uk/take-pet-abroad/overview And if you can't travel within 5 days: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/balai-directive-moving-live-animals-semen-and-embryos The latter looks a bit complicated and primarily aimed at people who are shipping animals for business, but it does cover the situation if you can't travel within 5 days.

The dead mother's wishes do come into it - otherwise what would be the point of appointing guardians in a will. It is one factor which will be taken into account by the court.

What is the age requirement on an xray for the medical? Not sure that she would have one. My kids are 7 and 9 and weren't asked to have them. Appreciate that this is a minor point in the scheme of things - lots of other reasons to refuse!

Good schools Northside- Patrick Road - Ferny Hills Albany Creek - not sure of name but have friends that v positive about school The Gap - likewise My children attend St Andrew's Catholic School in Ferny Grove. Found it to be excellent. The areas listed above are fab for families. Lots going on and relatively easy to find a social circle.

Oops misread your post Alan - I see that it was your intention that the solicitor is the P of A. My only concern with this would be that they charge for drawing the doc and then signing. On the other hand, at least you have someone wholly reliable (in principle) to sign on your behalf.

Andromeda9, making a power of attorney is a very good idea and very easy to organise without a solicitor. This website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/lasting-power-of-attorney-forms explains everything very well. Fee is £110 from recollection to register your P of A, but you don't need a solicitor involved unless your situation is complicated. Takes a while to put into place. Again, from recollection, I think ours took about 10 weeks to complete and register.

I want the one that comes with the horse!! You get a lot for your money in Jimbooba. Just a shame that it is just that bit too far out for us.

Yep should be fine - intend to sell mine without going back to UK. May cost quite a bit couriering the important docs but will be much cheaper and easier than a flight back. Any decent solicitor should be able to sort it out for you.

We are starting to think about buying - interesting stats, particularly the lack of growth in Brisbane thus far.

In addition I specifically reqested that PSS not pass my details on to other companies but got inundated with calls saying that PSS had asked them to call. Was not happy.

PSS tried to sell us cover for a cleaning fee for bird poo on our container. They emphasized the "risk" we were taking by not buying it. I explored this further with several other reputable companies who had never heard of anyone ever being charged a cleaning fee. I don't think that is particularly transparent! I don't mind being given options but the advice needs to be appropriately weighted.

We had a quote from PSS - far more interested in selling every add on under the sun. I just wanted a company that were going to do a good job shipping my stuff and not passing on my details to numerous other 'partner' agencies.

Been absolutely heaving it down in Brisbane this afternoon. Still warm enough for shorts and T-shirt though. Don't mind the rain too much - garden desperately needs the water and gives me an excuse to sit inside and read!