The dream is over before it began...

At the first hurdle, we have fallen :-(

Steph's teaching qualification is not recognised in Oz due to the fact that she has done a BA with Initial Teacher Training and not a BA with a further year as a Post Graduate Certificate of Education. It is the PGCE that they recognise in Oz and therefore, she would have to do that first before being considered. That would entail her leaving her job and doing the PGCE full time for a year and joining people who had no teaching experience. Crazy considering she has been teaching for 6 years! Also, we can't afford to lose a salary for a year. To say we are disappointed would be an understatement. Still, we'll survive and we just have to come up with a good plan B instead.

So, our trip to Australia will have to remain a lovely holiday where we did lots of exploring, sightseeing and catching up with friends. We will be back one day for another visit cos we loved it so much.

Take care all and be happy :-)

Sydney, what a wonderful place!

Oz proved to be a great success. It was absolutely amazing and a great adventure. We stayed at an apartment in Miranda which was within easy access to the beach as well as the city centre. The train station was within 5 mins walk and Westfield backed on to us. We stocked our food cupboard from shops at Westfield, armed ourselves with a 1 week travelcard and we were on our way. We ate most meals in and had loads of picnics during our daily travels and this kept the cost down. Food over there is quite expensive and eating out is even more so. During our travels we did the usual sightseeing which included the obligatory Harbour Bridge & Opera House.

We also took the ferry to Manly as well as a trip to a lovely place called Gordons Bay and Cogee Bay. The picture below was taken at Gordons Bay.

We also went to a small wildlife park where we got to interact with the animals - much more fun than your average zoo. We fed the wallaby, cuddled koala - it was great. We met up with some friends during our travels. Steph's friend met with us a couple of days in and we had a coffee and a chat by the harbour. On Easter Sunday we met up with one of my friends and his girlfriend. She is about to embark on an adventure to Africa and India via work to educate people on hydration to avoid illness. Her trip will last 6 months and then he will join her at the end for some travlling. Sounds amazing! I hadn't seen him for 8 years so it was lovely catching up. We went to the fish market and bought some of the most gorgeous cooked fish and seafood I have ever had. It came with chips and the portions were the largest I have ever had. I couldn't finish it! We ate this in a lovely park and the girls played in the playground whilst we chatted. Then, on Easter Monday we met up with my other friend and his girlfriend. Again, I hadn't seen him for 8 years and it was great catching up. I had never met his girlfriend but I can see that they are perfectly matched. She has such a warm lovely personality and they are well suited. We all had breakfast and a nice long chat that morning and then went on to meet again a couple of days later at our place for a BBQ and a splash in the pool. That was the beauty of this place we stayed at - it was really affordable and had its own gym, pool, sauna and BBQ area. So, all in all, a fantastic trip and totally worth the long haul and the cost. Feeling very relaxed and sunned up. The pale and pasty look has given way to the healthy look. We all feel rested and the girls really enjoyed themselves. We all got to spend loads of time together and we all feel much better for it. Yesterday we were greeted in the UK with frost on the lawn and today it was rain :-(

So what does this mean for us and our possible move? Well, we viewed a couple of homes on open viewings and Steph visited a school for an hour for a tour and chat. We loved the houses we saw and the school were very helpful. My friends really want us to move out there and were falling over themselves to help us. They told me not to worry about work as they would help me find something suitable. We felt so at home and relaxed and at times it didn't even feel like a holiday. The flights both ways were not anywhere near as bad as I thought they would be and with good sleep planning, jet lag was more or less non existent.

The verdict: I am going to type an email to a migration agent recommended to me by our friends and start the ball rolling - Oz is definitely the place for us!


.

Sydney is Great!!!

Wow, I am so pleased we came to Oz! Sydney is great and the weather has been fantastic. Beaches, walks along the harbour, ferry rides - gorgeous! Only 4 more days to go before we have to return to the UK :-(

Anyway, thought I'd quickly pop this update on whilst checking my emails. Will post a more detailed account of what we have been up to when we get back to the UK - don't want to get bogged down with too much technology as it will interfere with my lovely holiday :-)

Take care and hope all my Aussie blogger friends have been enjoying the nice weather just as much as we have (my tan is coming along nicely).


.

Tick tock, tick tock...

Right, last 2 things on our checklist (packing and itinerary) have been dealt with. Included in our trip we will have a visit to Gordon's Bay, Manly Beach & a ferry trip to allow us the view of the Harbour Bridge / Sydney Opera House and Sydney itself from the outside looking in. Other than that, we will be meeting up with friends one day and then seeing what's around to do after that - see where the wind takes us. Hoping the weather holds out for us another couple of weeks ;-) Its been nice and sunny here in the UK so that has prepared us weather-wise for things to come... Not long now - the clock is ticking...


.

Check list

• Foreign currency - Tick
• Travel documents all in place - Tick
• Itinerary - To do
• Packing - To do
• Excitement - Tick :-)

oooh, can't wait!

.

One step closer :-)

We have ordered our AU$ so we are now one step closer to our hols :-) Emirates have given us some lovely posh Skywards luggage tags with leather straps so those are sitting waiting next to our inflatable travel pillows. I just have to order off eBay a world travel adapter and then we are ready to start packing on the weekend. Oooh, so excited...

18 days to go

OK, I’m officially getting excited now! Less than three weeks to go and its all becoming very real…

Wow, I can’t believe we’re actually going to Australia for our hols! If you’d have told me a year ago that we would be doing this, I wouldn’t have believed it. It is very out of character for us to spend such a lot of money on a holiday but needs must and desperate times call for desperate measures… We all deserve a lovely holiday for a start.

However, this could either be a life changing trip or just a very nice holiday. If we love it and we like what we see property-wise and work-wise, we may consider making a one year trial move. If we like it but decide it should simply remain a lovely holiday and nothing more, that will then have to prompt other changes to our life in the UK.

We need to perfect our work / life balance and make the most of the “life” portion of that. Moving to Oz could be the answer but if not, a move in the UK to a better setting and a career re-assessment on my part may be the alternative. Time will tell but a lot hinges on this holiday. I really want us all to love Sydney as the better climate and more laid back lifestyle would really suit us all but at the same time, I wonder what the repercussions of that will be for my wife and her family…

Whilst we are in Sydney, we have arranged to meet with one of my wife’s friends on our second day and the next day she will be visiting a school for an hour or so in the morning to see what schools in Sydney are like (both for her work and for our girls). That will give her the opportunity to ask questions about teaching in Oz and also to get a feel for the environment. The rest of the holiday is still not organised as we have not got round to putting together an itinerary. We must get round to that… We know we want to pop into a couple of estate agents to look at properties for sale (see what the good old Australian Dollar buys you these days) and I want to pop in to an employment agency for a quick chat about work but other than that, it will be all about sightseeing and if the weather permits, strolls on the beach :-) We just have to organise the whole sightseeing and beach bit… This weekend – I promise!