Does nobody own a small car in Perth?

[Skani]

4 minutes ago, Wanderer Returns said:

@starlight7 you are a true gentleman - or gentlewoman. 

Edited November 19, 2020 by Skani

[MARYROSE02]

22 hours ago, ozuk said:

And yes Im living here illegally I have no choice. 

So your visa has run out now then? What are you going to do?  Put your name down for one of the flights to the UK and just wait  till they can find you a space? And "come clean" to the Aussie government about the change in your status. I don't know if they can actually expel you especially with the reduction in flights due to Covid.

[MARYROSE02]

3 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

So your visa has run out now then? What are you going to do?  Put your name down for one of the flights to the UK and just wait  till they can find you a space? And "come clean" to the Aussie government about the change in your status. I don't know if they can actually expel you especially with the reduction in flights due to Covid.

You could apply for a temporary visa  I suppose.  I suppose as long as you have enough money to live on, you do not get sick, and the authorities do not catch up with you, you can stay forever.

[MARYROSE02]

22 hours ago, ozuk said:

I had sepsis back in March. I don't qualify for Medicare on a bridging visa A I'm afraid. Look it up. 

You qualify for SOME free treatment as a UK citizen but you might have to pay for some treatments. You can always go to A & E of course. I see that your visa has run out now so that might cause some problems. 

What do you want to do? Return to the UK or try to stay in Australia? I assume there are some ways you could stay here but returning to the UK might be the best option.

 

[Marisawright]

5 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

You qualify for SOME free treatment as a UK citizen but you might have to pay for some treatments. You can always go to A & E of course. I see that your visa has run out now so that might cause some problems. 

@MARYROSE02, I am taking everything @ozuk says with an extremely large pinch of salt.  On other threads, he's said he's on a bridging visa for a Remaining Relative Visa.  That is not illegal. Unless he has withdrawn his visa application himself, there is no way that bridging visa could run out.  It will stay valid until his visa application is processed.   

He has also said that he planned to live on the interest from his investments while on the bridging visa (since he's not allowed to work).  He had calculated the interest would be enough to live on - which means he must've had thousands in the bank.  Now he's claiming to be flat broke?  Something is definitely not adding up. 

[Wanderer Returns]

I wouldn't condone anyone staying here illegally, but if the OP is not in good health as he states then - and if I was in his shoes - I'd probably want to stay here until a vaccine is rolled out, and return to the UK once I'd had it (assuming he'd not be able to stay in Australia legally). From a humanitarian point of view I don't think we should be deporting anyone elderly or in poor health to countries where covid has become endemic.

[Paul1Perth]

On 18/11/2020 at 19:00, ozuk said:

Whenever I'm out walking all I see are these huge monstrous vehicles on the roads. I've no idea how anyone actually gets in and out of these things as the doors are so high up off the ground. My sister and bro-in-law have a huge car and it takes me ages to climb in and getting back out is a big struggle. They're built for giants. Being just over a 5 ft male I consider myself of average height. Why is it that these huge truck like vehicles are so popular here? In the UK I rarely saw a large car but here they're literally everywhere.

A lot of people have caravans and head up North in winter or down South a lot. They are good for towing and you need the room and comfort for longer drives. 

Lots of our friends have Land Cruisers, Prados etc. I had an X-Trail for years, we don't have a caravan though and it's just usually me and the wife.

The people with big cars usually have a second smaller car which they use for local running about.

[Paul1Perth]

On 18/11/2020 at 20:03, Marisawright said:

Hmm.  Just over 5 ft and you consider yourself an average height man.   You've had very serious health problems yet  you don't see why you need to worry about Covid.  And you're skint, about to begin living illegally in Australia in spite of having a 30 year bridging visa, and can't get Medicare in spite of being British.   Is it just me seeing inconsistencies in your story?

Just over 5ft is almost a midget for a bloke.

[Ausvisitor]

5 hours ago, Wanderer Returns said:

I wouldn't condone anyone staying here illegally, but if the OP is not in good health as he states then - and if I was in his shoes - I'd probably want to stay here until a vaccine is rolled out, and return to the UK once I'd had it (assuming he'd not be able to stay in Australia legally). From a humanitarian point of view I don't think we should be deporting anyone elderly or in poor health to countries where covid has become endemic.

You've confused your "mics"

COVID could be described as a pandemic or even epidemic but it is a long way from endemic.

The clinical definition of endemic is a virus that is here to stay, has been around for many years and whilst not prevalent in the whole community is resistant to eradication methods.

COVID 19 is nowhere near endemic status, it is still far to active to be classed as that.

[Wanderer Returns]

6 hours ago, Ausvisitor said:

You've confused your "mics"

COVID could be described as a pandemic or even epidemic but it is a long way from endemic.

The clinical definition of endemic is a virus that is here to stay, has been around for many years and whilst not prevalent in the whole community is resistant to eradication methods.

COVID 19 is nowhere near endemic status, it is still far to active to be classed as that.

Oh dear, I appear to have become an unwitting victim of the pedantemic! 

Endemic or not, most nations are treating covid as a serious health concern which is likely to be around for the foreseeable future - even with an effective vaccine.

[MARYROSE02]

15 hours ago, Marisawright said:

@MARYROSE02, I am taking everything @ozuk says with an extremely large pinch of salt.  On other threads, he's said he's on a bridging visa for a Remaining Relative Visa.  That is not illegal. Unless he has withdrawn his visa application himself, there is no way that bridging visa could run out.  It will stay valid until his visa application is processed.   

He has also said that he planned to live on the interest from his investments while on the bridging visa (since he's not allowed to work).  He had calculated the interest would be enough to live on - which means he must've had thousands in the bank.  Now he's claiming to be flat broke?  Something is definitely not adding up. 

I know he is telling "porkies!" In fact probably the opposite of what he says is the truth, so, he is not here illegally, he as not run out of money and there is nothing wrong with him. What his agenda is, who knows? A imagined sense he is a comedian perhaps?

[Ausvisitor]

2 hours ago, Wanderer Returns said:

Oh dear, I appear to have become an unwitting victim of the pedantemic! 

Endemic or not, most nations are treating covid as a serious health concern which is likely to be around for the foreseeable future - even with an effective vaccine.

Made me laugh...

I was pointing out that in the Virology Olympics it would go:

Gold - pandemic

Silver - epidemic

Bronze - endemic

 

(Of course if you contract it, its just as serious regardless of which "mic" we are in at the time)

[MARYROSE02]

On 19/11/2020 at 19:38, Wanderer Returns said:

Why do people take less risks when they get older? Surely you should be taking more risks because you've got less to lose! 

If that was the case they would only send young blokes (and girls) "over the top" or into the cockpit of those Spits and ME109s. Perhaps they should have done that too?!

[Marisawright]

2 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

If that was the case they would only send young blokes (and girls) "over the top" or into the cockpit of those Spits and ME109s. Perhaps they should have done that too?!

Er...well, yes that's exactly what they did.  There is an upper age limit for soldiers.

[MARYROSE02]

5 hours ago, Marisawright said:

Er...well, yes that's exactly what they did.  There is an upper age limit for soldiers.

Yes, got my response all wrong although I was thinking that young blokes (and girls?) don't care so much about the risks but the older you get the less likely it is for you to do it. Then again, I think I read somewhere about higher rates for problem drinking and unprotected sex in older (ie my) av group.

[Wanderer Returns]

13 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Yes, got my response all wrong although I was thinking that young blokes (and girls?) don't care so much about the risks but the older you get the less likely it is for you to do it. Then again, I think I read somewhere about higher rates for problem drinking and unprotected sex in older (ie my) av group.

Maybe we are just more aware of the risks as we get older, and that more often than not they do not outweigh the reward. I'm generally more concerned about life-changing injuries than sudden death tbh. Even in my 50s I've noticed it takes a lot longer to recover from minor ailments than it did in my younger days. That said, I'm determined to have a go at skiing before I get to 60 - it's on the bucket list!

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Wanderer Returns said:

Maybe we are just more aware of the risks as we get older, and that more often than not they do not outweigh the reward.

That may be part of it, but I think it's more about attitude. 

When you're young, even if you think you've assessed the risks dispassionately, there's a tiny part of your brain that thinks "it can't happen to me".     But as you get older, things do happen to you!  When you're young, faced with a stunt that has a 1% chance of death, you're overly confident you'll be one of the 99%.   When you're older, you realise that 1% isn't 0%, so you think about it more carefully.   

Also, when you're young, there are lots of things you've never experienced and you're avidly curious to know what they're like.  As you get older, you do risky things and quite often, they're not as worthwhile as you expected.  So it's not just your assessment of the risk that changes, it's your assessment of how good the reward is likely to be. 

[Parley]

I'm too scared to go hot air ballooning

[Marisawright]

1 hour ago, Parley said:

I'm too scared to go hot air ballooning

I don't blame you.  I've done it, once, in Canberra.  Never again!    It was pleasant at first, but when we got to the middle of the lake, the wind disappeared.   We hung there above the lake, slowly losing altitude.  The pilot (if that's the word?) kept blasting the burner to keep us aloft, but I couldn't help wondering how much fuel he had left!   He kept reassuring us but the frown on his face (when he thought we weren't looking) worried me...

Eventually, the wind picked up again and we made for the shore and prepared to land.  As we got to shore, we were just above the tree tops, and the basket snagged on a branch and tipped - only slightly but enough to cause a few screams!   Two of the passengers had to fend the tree off with long poles. After that we landed safely, but I don't think I would do it again.  Frankly, it wasn't all that spectacular. 

I don't do helicopter rides either.  I've been up twice, once in Kakadu and once in the Grand Canyon.   The day after we did our Grand Canyon trip, one of the helicopters crashed with all lives lost.  I mentioned this to our hotel concierge and he told me, casually, that there were "a few" crashes every year.  Due to air traffic regulations, they have to fly very close to the canyon wall, and sometimes a rotor blade clips the rock face - with inevitably fatal results.  Glad I didn't know that before we went.

[Tulip1]

5 hours ago, Parley said:

I'm too scared to go hot air ballooning

Me too.  It doesn’t appeal to me one bit. 

[Paul1Perth]

23 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Yes, got my response all wrong although I was thinking that young blokes (and girls?) don't care so much about the risks but the older you get the less likely it is for you to do it. Then again, I think I read somewhere about higher rates for problem drinking and unprotected sex in older (ie my) av group.

Times have really changed.

[Jon the Hat]

I did Hot air Ballooning once, and it was lovely, although i did get the job of jumping out and legging it across the muddy field with a rope to pull the balloon down as the wind had rather picked up.