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Ahhhhhhhh! I think I’m going to have a nervous breakdown.

After this mornings post the ’specialist’ has sent the missus back until something a little more productive happens!

It transpires that the waters hadn’t broken, the fluid was just down to hormonal changes (sorry for the detail)

Whats with that!

Time to start thinking positive ‘come on baby’ thoughts.

We did find out that the baby currently weighs 3.4 Kg (clever machines they use when doing the scan). It also has hair (takes after mummy then).

Fingers crossed everyone please

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Well, I asked the question what do you do with a four year old when your wife goes in to labour?

The answer is, you stay at home and wait for news Seriously, it’s not all kicking off yet but something is happening.

We think the missus’s waters may have broken during the night, not a big gush like it was with Junior number 1, more of a gentle trickle.

No drama’s though. The missus had time to get a shower and eat some cereal before going to the docs to get checked out.

At time of typing, the midwife has told her that her waters are ‘breaking’ whilst the specialist ‘isn’t sure’

So, the missus now has to be hooked up to a special machine now to help the docs see what’s going on.. Continue Reading

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It’s been all of 2 weeks since I announced that we had taken the plunge and decided to buy our first bricks and mortar here in Australia.

Since then, things have progressed well. Firstly the Real Estate Agents were pretty insistent that we were able to deliver an ‘unconditional loan approval’ letter from the bank.

This is basically a letter that the bank provides you confirming that they are willing to loan you the dosh we need to buy the property.

After the issues we had when trying to sell our house in the UK this makes perfect sense. The implications of not delivering the Mortgage Promise within two weeks of signing the offer papers would have been the return of the house onto the market. The $5000 deposit we paid to the estate agents to secure the property would have also been in jeopardy. Continue Reading

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OK, I think its time to get serious and write an entry which may well be the final tick in the final box when deciding if you’re going to take the plunge and make the move to Australia.

Can you buy Marmite in Australia?

Vegemite, the famously yummy Australian yeast spread is the market leader here and although Junior likes the stuff, personally speaking I’m not that keen.

I’m really hoping that I won’t need to eat 6 slices of Vegemite on toast as part of our Citizenship ceremony in just over a years time. If it came down to it though, I’d do it for queen and country.

Incidentally, junior (who is only 4) loves Vegemite on toast, I think it must just be one of those things you need to try from an early age. Still, at least he won’t be outcast when he starts going to school with the ‘big kids’. Nothing worse then being pointed at and being referred to as that ’strange kid who doesn’t like Vegemite!” Continue Reading

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I’ve just been watching a story on the news this afternoon about the influx of migrants into Western Australia.

According to figures produced by the clever statistitions at the Federal Department of Immigration and Citizenship; Western Australia accounted for 14.1 percent of all new settler arrivals in Australia.

It seems Western Australias ‘booming economy and lifestyle’ are the big draws and out of the 160,000 migrants expected to come to Australia in the current financial year, a large portion are expected to call Western Oz their home. Continue Reading

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Seriously, how much more can this baby grow before its due to pop out?

We are now at ‘full term’ which the missus tells me means junior number two is fully formed and 100% capable of   doing what baby’s do…. You know.. Turning the TV on, writing emails, all that kinda good stuff.

To say the missus’s belly is massive is an understatement, she still looks beautiful though and the regular addition of oils and sprays has kept the stretch marks at bay!

The frequency of curry’s chillis and other hot foot stuffs is starting to increase in an attempt to encourage junior number two on his way (this little one will be asking for a chicken Madras when it eventually decides to say hello).

Similarly, the frequency and quantity of beer that I’ve been drinking is starting to decrease just in case I’m called into action at 10pm at night.

Really exciting times ahead but I think its safe to say that the missus is now ready to ‘get it out’! Poor thing, us blokes really do have the easy part when it comes to this childbirth thing huh?

Hmmm… I wonder what it might be? Anyone fancy taking a punt? Bruce or Shiela?

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IELTS or the International English Language Testing System measures a persons ability to communicate in English across all four language skills – listening, reading, writing and speaking - a key requirement for folks who intend to study, work and generally live in Australia.

Since the announcement to the changes in the General Skilled Migration Program which comes into effect next week, a migrants ability to speak a good level of English will become even more key as a knock on effect of the English Language threshold being increased.

IELTS Test

The IELTS tests are available in two formats – Academic and General Training with the latter being the more appropriate for people who simply need to prove they can speak and understand a good level of English before moving to Australia.

The Academic Reading and Writing Modules assess whether a candidate is ready to study or train in the medium of English at an undergraduate or postgraduate level. Continue Reading

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Remember the screws that I lost when I was putting the cot together?

The screws, that because they were sadly lacking meant that I couldn’t put the cot that we brought from the UK back together again resulting  in us having to go out and buy a new cot for the pending birth of junior number 2?

Well, the screws turned up this weekend and even better, they were right next to the place where I said I’d already checked.

Looks like I might have a few screws loose myself!   Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!

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Well, I went to see my first AFL Footie Match yesterday and I have to say I had a pretty good time.

We had great seats and I even managed to get my head around some of the rules.

The game was played at a Stadium called the Subicao Oval I took a picture on my phone so have a click to see a larger (slightly blurry) picture.

The Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth and is the home ground for the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club, the two Western Australian teams in the Australian Football League.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with the Subi and it was jam packed with supporters. Continue Reading

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Well, I had to get my first AFL footie match in at some point and today is the day.

I’ve been invited by a supplier to attend an AFL match between a team called the West Coast Eagles and Richmond at the Subiaco Oval which is one of the larger stadiums here in Perth.

‘The Eagles’ Won the AFL Champions league last year so are supposed to be quite good apparently.

I’m hoping that the Aussies that I’m attending the game with will be able to educate me a little on the rules. I really have no idea whats going on when I’ve watched the matches on TV.

Lots of running around and kicking and tackling and kicking and running around throughout the four quarters which seem to last anywhere between 20 – 30 minutes. How confusing!

I think I’d actually quite like to get into AFL though. It’ll make for good bonding time for me and Junior who also fancies going to a footie match sometime soon.

Will the Eagles be our team of choice? Well that depends if they win of course!

Come on the Kangaroos, err Eagles!

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Well, all of 5 days ago I wrote about whether or not it was now the right time to buy a house. Since then I think it’s fair to say things have moved quite quickly.

We arranged for our funds to be transferred over from the UK. Slightly gutted that the exchange rate was lower then it was when we transferred some funds over earlier this year but we still managed to secure a rate of $2.36 to the UK pound.

Sods law, the rates have improved (at time of typing it’s sitting at $2.40 to the UK pound) but I could stress over this for ever. Continue Reading

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When we shipped our stuff to Australia we made the conscious decision to leave a lot of the furniture back in the UK.

Anything that we didn’t want to take with us was either sold or donated to family, friends or charity.

There were still a number of things that we decided to bring with us though.

First thing to join us was our bed. It was only about 6 months old and because it cost a bit (damn NASA space foam) we decided to bring it with us.

The irony is, because we needed a bed when we got here we bought a new one anyway. Still, we now have a nice bed in the spare bedroom for when people come to visit.

Second thing we bought was an old dining room table that used to be my gran’s. Probably the only thing I brought due to sentimental reasons and I’m so glad that we did. Continue Reading

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Good news for people looking to emigrate to Australia under one of the Skilled Visa Classes.

According to a media release made on Wednesday, Australia is issuing more Australian visas to skilled migrants than ever.

The level of migration for 2007-08 will be set at a whopping 152,800 places. This includes an increase of 5,000 places in the Skilled Migration Stream (SMS), with a total of 102,500 places.

The increase reflects the labour shortages being experienced by Australia in many highly skilled job sectors.

This year’s Australian visa quota also reinforces the Australian government’s focus on strengthening the economy by keeping pace with the demand for skilled workers.

This is good news for wannabe migrants interested in Australian immigration who have work experience and sound English language skills that will enable them to get an Australian skilled visa.

More Australian visas were issued to IT professionals (4,290) in the nine months to March 31st 2007 than during the entire previous year, according to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. The number of visas is heading for an increase of 35 per cent this year.

Australian visas issued to the spouses and partners of skilled migrants have also increased. During the 2006-07 year the number of partner visas in the family scheme was increased by 4,000 places. The minister announced that this level (a total of 50,000 places) will be maintained in the Migration Programme for 2007-08. The increased mobility of young professionals has created a higher demand for partner visas.

Part of the reason for the increase in visas is the country’s solid economic performance. Australia’s economy grew by 2.8 per cent in the final three months of 2006, fuelled by increasing household spending and a mining boom benefiting from higher commodity prices.

It makes you wonder how many people will now qualify following the changes to the general skilled program which comes into effect from next month though. I also hope that the Aussie government has taken into account the impact a surge of skilled workers may have on the house prices here in Australia.

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I read quite an interesting article about the property market recently. As our regular readers will know we have recently renewed the lease on the property we are renting but I think it will soon be time to for us to finally get on the Australian property ladder and buy our first house.

The thing that worries me though is the uncertainty I have about whether or not this is really going to be the right time to buy.

The article I read looked at the market boomed in 1988 when the greater majority of investors purchased in the last months of that cycle and as a result paid the highest prices.

It seems this phenomenon reoccurs every time the housing market experiences a ’spike’.The biggest issue is disbelief and an unwillingness to accept that the prices are capable of rising to the extent that they invariably do at the top end of each cycle.

The old tried and tested method of buying in gloom and selling in boom is one that has been proven time and again but is this a time of gloom or boom or are we somewhere in the middle? Goodness knows.

Historical records show that the real estate market here in Western Australia goes through predictable cycles and that they last between 5 to 8 years whereby the market goes from being strong, interest rates increase, building approvals decrease, buyers hold off, the market then slows, prices plateau or drop (usually only slightly) interest rates are then lowered, and the market again begins to climb, buyer activity increases substantially and then peaks and so it goes….

Unfortunately in a peaking market there tends to be a rush on property with a larger than normal percentage of would be investors wanting to cash in on rapidly rising prices and the latest boom in the Western Australian market has been just another example of what can only be described as ’sheep mentality’.

As a consequence of a boom market it is common for folks to start talking about affordability and to state categorically that prices cannot be sustained. We’ve seen a lot of this kind of talk in the papers and on the TV. The government has been slated for letting the housing market get into its current state.

However, time and time again the cycle continues!

When the average house price of a Western Australian home was $100,000 in the nineties, people were screaming about affordability and stating that the great Australian dream of buying a home was dead forever.

The screaming didn’t stop several market peaks since the nineties or the latest boom which has seen properties in Perth and WA rise to a average price of $460,000!

Is this the right time to start looking at buying a house here in Perth. God knows! What I do know is we need to look at doing something over the next six months otherwise we’ll just sit here and watch our chances of buying the kind of home we once could afford slowly slip out of our grasp.

Even though we have lived in Perth for only 9 months now, house prices in some suburbs have continued to rise with some increasing by more than 15%!

I really wish we had planned the purchase of a property sooner. We still don’t know all of the suburbs that well but I think its time that we seriously look at buying. Even if we buy with the intention of only living in the property for 3 – 5 years at least we’ll be on the property ladder.

I’ve already written about some of the land prices here in Perth so I’m unsure if the new build route is going to be the right route for us. It would be nice to buy a more modern house but some of the ‘more mature’ suburbs also have some beautiful properties for sale.

Watch this space, we’re going house hunting

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I know I’ve written briefly about the winter weather here in Australia before.

When it rains it really does rain and the temperature really does drop pretty low first thing in the morning.

During the winter months though, what is the weather in Australia really like?

One word – Nice. Sure we have crappy days when it rains but during the day time its still pretty pleasant temperature wise.

Every day at work I’ve been able to pop out for a sandwich at lunchtime without having to stick on a coat, scarf, gloves and a hat.

I’ve still to see any ice or frost first thing in the morning to.

Sure it’s August but season wise we are in the midst of winter here in Australia.

Its forecast to be exactly the same temperature here in Perth as it is in West Yorkshire back in the UK, a very pleasant 21 degrees Celsius.

Not bad for winter, not bad at all.

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I love Hillarys boat Harbour, it has to go down as one of the nicest, cleanest, most children friendly beaches I’ve ever seen.

Well, it would be if there wasn’t a four meter long great white lurking in the water!

Fisheries officers spotted the shark after reports it had been attracted by A decaying 15-tonne whale carcass which had washed up on the beach and was finally removed yesterday.

Tony Cappelluti, a dude from the Fisheries office warned water users to be aware of the possibility of sharks in the area.

“The whale carcass had been there since the beginning of the week and because of that and the possibility of remnant residue, it is likely to provide an attractant to sharks at present,” he said.

“One of the key tips in our shark safety information is to avoid areas where animal waste is in the water.”

OK…. Animal waste + water = Sharks! Got it! Thanks for the tip Tony.

Aussie life, you just have to love it! I don’t think this would happen on the Leeds Liverpool Canal  

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