mawsnmorgs

Thanks for that - we can but try.

Yes it was. We activated them June 2011 then Ian was diagnosed with a rare eye disease a few months later so everything was put on hold (life in general!). His condition is stable and had been for a while so we picked up from where we left off, put the house up for sale...and then the family scupppered us! Stuff happens I guess, but talk about timing...

Wow - that's impressive! Any help/advice you could give us would be much appreciated... Our PR visas expired 01/09/16. We had all but sold the house in July 2016 then a family issue meant we couldn't make the move before the visas expired. We have been advised that to get RRVs Ian needs a job offer. He is in the building trade (carpenter) so it would be nigh on impossible to get one from over there whilst we are still here. What can we do? Kind regards, Rachael

So, right about now we should have been waving good bye to our friends and family and starting our new adventure, but, after a few wasted appointments at our local hospital (Barnsley, S, Yorks), my other half has been diagnosed with a rare eye disease. We have been told it's treatable but not curable. They are trying to manage his condition currently. So from 2 visits to the doctors in the last 15 years (which I have made him attend) he's now had @ 25 hospital visits in the last 3 months! From other posts I realise this means the NHS has saved us a small fortune, but we are still hopeful that once they have his condition managed, we can still make the move. Obviously, though, we need to know the financial ramifications of his treatment. His diagnosis is 'birdshot chorioretinopathy'. He has to take immuno-suppressants, which at the beginning meant weekly blood tests for a month, then fortnightly blood tests for 2 months, now he just has a monthly appointment - a check up with the doc and his blood tests on the same day. Initially they tried to blast the disease with some steroid infusions. He had 5 in total. He's just had steroid injections in his eyes as the infusions weren't enough. We still don't know if this is the right treatment for him. They may have to change his medication which will mean going back to the weekly (then fortnightly) blood tests again. Hence the reason we have not moved yet! How do we find out if there is a doctor over there who knows how to treat the condition? How much treatment will cost? I'm really at a loss as to where to start... Last Xmas I declared I had cooked my last Xmas dinner for everyone (having done 17 in a row!!), we were pricing up shipping fees and started the countdown to 'the big move'. And here we are! Please tell me the move is still possible! Rachael x

Eeee, you've put a smile on my face! Now it's defo bedtime. Good night all x Dreaming of paint...And yogurt...And cleaning/packing (almost sorted!)

Ha ha! You made me chuckle! Hey, it can be hot here. We've just had a full week of sunshine, it's been 'el scorchio' (ok, for a change, and it won't last ) - seriously though, it's been in the 20s ALL week! It's not a bad trade off though, is it? A few extra dollars on paint for lots of lovely weather and a way better work-life balance. We'll be outside so much it won't get grubby/we won't care!!! That coming from me, who has got herself completely run down trying to do a million jobs before our hols - burglars can be a fussy sort, gotta leave the place spotless fr them! And with that, I make it bedtime. One more day to work then I can concentrate fully on cleaning the house again for them before we leave on Wednesday (Barnsley isn't really that bad...)

Blimey, that does make for expensive paint. Just looked at B & Q website, Dulux - on average 5l paint would be, say, £22 = $33 AUS, so 10l = $66 AUS - so you are paying twice the price! Outdoor showers required so we are all clean before we walk into the house - no mucky hands on the walls, thank you! Tee-hee. Please tell me it's all relative! Rach x

Should we all move to Wynn Vale then, 'cos all the other posts say they are expensive? Ah, or is it that you earn so much, the prices don't matter?! lol We'll find out for ourselves later in the week when we come over for our reccie trip. We're sooooooooo excited! It will be an exhausting 2 weeks but we can't wait. 3 more sleeps... Rach x

It's great to read such updates. You keep it real by letting us know it's not all plain sailing - yet still sooooo worth it. Yep, gotta make that move soon... Thanks and good luck with your new life Down Under. Rach x

So points to remember for when we finally decide when to move: Get v.large container, nice new yoghurt maker and lots of different coloured paints. I feel a profit coming my way! lol Keep the advice/comments coming, folks... Rach x

Will do. x

No idea yet - will have 5 years from 01/06/12, though! I think that's when we'll decide - after we've experienced the real cost of living and had our little 'taster session'. We are trying to be sensible - we have no family there, no job to go to and have never visited before. So we could come back and get the house on the market straight away, or I might re-train to ensure I can get a decent job when we get there. OH is a carpenter, so hoping he will be ok over there. It's all very exciting and scary at the same time, isn't it? Can't wait for our trip. We have 2 daughters and they are officially on count down now... Rach

Lucky so and sos! We are going to activate our visas next week. Ooh not referred to it as next week before. Lol. Can't wait until we post a moving date... Good luck with everything Rach x

Oooh, you take a risk with such comments. Although I think 'kleptomania' is now officially a Scouse genetic issue, it just can't be helped after so many generations of it!!! How funny - I still struggle with "Hey up", but I'm fine with "Hola!" when we're in Spain. "G'day", with a Yorkshire accent...That's got me chuckling. Save some sunshine for us, won't you? Rach x

Ha ha, you do make me chuckle! As for similar accents, I bet yours has changed quite a bit. It's funny, watching all those programmes on TV, to hear how the accents soon get an Aussie twang. As for me, I'm a Scouse native, but have lived in Barnsley for @ 30 yrs now, so it's sometimes an odd mix. It's mostly a Yorkshire accent, as to have kept the Scouse one was nigh on life-threatening when we first moved here. It's not so bad now, but back then, Yorkshire folk did not do change! TTFN, Rach x