Bits and bobs

Things in Oz are good.

Sarah's on an evening shift (til 11:30pm), which is annoying, especially as the weather wasn't great all day - until she left for work at 3:30pm and then the sun came out and it was glorious. Doh! She's back at work tomorrow at 8am, so she'll be knackered tomorrow.

I've got the front door open and Bella is laid half-upside down propped up against the screen door. We went further than we've been so far on our walk this evening, she wasn't too stop-starty either so we got a long way quickly. She was knackered by the time we got back I think and she's slept most of the time since. She's got two small patches on her underside where she's lost some fur; we're not sure whether maybe her harness is rubbing a bit. Don't want her to get sores or anything so we'll have to keep an eye on that.

In other news, I've been playing Gears of War 2, which so far is a great game. As CliffyB said in early interviews, it's bigger, better and more badass than the original.

Oh! PS. for those that haven't heard, I was shortlisted for second interviews for the job, so fingers crossed for that!

Bella stuff

We picked Bella up yesterday, as planned! It was hard taking her away from her old family. They were sooooo nice. He's a proper aussie country bloke (a bull rider apparently), and when he shook my pansy hand, he nearly crushed it. They evidently loved her loads, so it was hard for them to give her up. She really wasn't sure of the car and had to be lifted in and out, but she won't be in it very often.

Had a bit of a nightmare on the way to Warners Bay from Tamworth. We stopped at a rest stop to have some sandwiches and let Bella out of the car. All fine. But when we went to set off again, the car wouldn't start. We've got full insurance but didn't have breakdown cover yet, and it was now pitch black. Fortunately there was somebody else in the rest stop who gave us the number for NRMA. They don't serve non-members and the local tow guy wasn't answering his phone, so we paid $300 on a credit card to join over the phone. They were then out within half an hour (we were only 6km from Singleton) and it turned out that we had a flat battery. Argh. Anyway, he got us on our way again and we got here about 10:15pm. Bella had been in the car longer than we wanted her to be, but she was great throughout.

When it came time to go to bed (roll mats and a sleeping bag as a blanket for us), we set what is now her bed down, but she wanted to be near us and just wouldn't settle. We don't really want her to sleep in our bedroom, but we brought the bed in and fairly quickly after that she settled on the bed next to us. We figure we'll have her sleep in the bedroom long enough to learn that it's her bed and then slowly move it further away.

She's taken to us well, but it's obvious she misses her old family (and the older dog they had). She's been very attached to us so far, following us around and stuff, so we left her outside today in the garden on her own. She cried (heartbreaking!), but she's got to get used to us being alone. We'll try and extend it a little bit every day and ease her into it. We've also done two walks today, one this morning and one later in the evening. She's not been on a lead that much before, so we thought she was surprisingly good. She doesn't pull too much and was fairly calm when other dogs and people came along.

One concern we have, and a question for all the more experienced dog owners, is about toilet habits. We picked her up at about 4:45pm yesterday, and she doesn't seem to have poo'd yet. We haven't seen her wee either, but it's possible she's done that when we haven't been looking. She's had plenty of time outside in the garden and on the walks to do it. She's also had plenty of water. Not very much food yesterday cos we were in the car, but she's had a normal amount this evening.

Oh, added info, she's a year old today! Happy Bithday Bella!

So, as new dog owners, we're wondering, is this ok? We're not sure how often she should go, or if it's harmful for her not to go for a while. We thought maybe at her old place she had a specific spot, and isn't sure what to do now she can't find it. If that was the case, is there anything we can do? Do we just wait until eventually she has to go?

Any suggestions or advice will be eagerly received!

Doggy update

So, we got the news today that the people that got to Lulu first decided to take her. They adored her apparently, and wanted her as company for their Labradoodle. We were a bit gutted, but it's probably our fault for getting too attached too soon. Ah well.

Aaaanyway, as it turns out, Kristy (fellow Dr and friend) saw an ad in the paper today for chocolate lab puppies. We can't really have a proper puppy, but just below that was an ad from a family selling a 10 month old pedigree black labrador. They have two dogs and are finding it too hard to look after both of them and their two little kids. My Mum would say it was fate!

We went to meet them and the dog, who is called Bella and she's gorgeous. She sits a bit wonky, and loves water (she was playing in the sprinkler when we got there). A right muppet! As a pure lab, she might be a bit more chewy than Lulu would have been, but that's fine.

We're going to pick her up tomorrow before we go down to Newcastle. That means Matt will be staying in Newcastle with Bella for the week and I'll come back to Tamworth on my own. It's only for a week, so it's not too bad, and if it means we can have Bella, it's cool.

Shipment, services, delivery, new TV

So, we're both doing well and still loving Australia.  The weather was really warm again today, up to about 30. Nice!

This morning we finally heard about our shipment from the UK. Turns out it will arrive in Sydney on the estimated date but that it could be 10-14 days before we receive it at the house. That means we'll need to root through the charity shop and get some cheap kitchen items, buy a new bed sheet and a blanket to sleep under. Not a terrible fate I guess, and it won't be too expensive, but it's money we could have done without spending.

Speaking of moving to the house, we're hoping to go and accept the furniture (sofa, bed, mattress, bedside tables). The guy at the shop was supposed to phone back today and confirm when it will be, but didn't, so i'll have to chase it up tomorrow afternoon. I need to know when it will be, so that I can arrange to have the electricity connected. Still think it's daft that someone has to come out to do it, but there you go. The broadband connection will be on by the time we arrive and Foxtel will be installed on the monday after we move in, so we'll be all sorted.

Today we made one of the big setup purchases, namely a new LCD HDTV. I've been after one for months, so it's nice to finally have a new toy. We went for a Panasonic TX-32LZD800A, which has had excellent reviews, and from the couple of hours I spent playing GTA IV this afternoon, is excellent. I was tossing up whether to go for a 42" plasma, which would actually have been cheaper, but the LCD is more energy efficient (it consumes half as much power!), and overall is a better buy.

The next big buys will be a washing machine, which we'll need as soon as we move in. We also need a TV unit/entertainment unit and at some point a fridge-freezer, but we won't be getting those straight away. 

The biggest purchase by far will be a dog. We've both wanted a pet for a loooong time, and we've found a rescue dog that we love. She's a labrador cross (not sure what she's crossed with), about 8-9 months old and is totally cute. She's used to being outside, which is perfect for us, as she'll be outside while we're at work and inside with us when we're home. Hopefully we'll go fetch her sometime soon after we move and we can't wait. The first addition to our family!

You can see Lulu here - http://www.petrescue.com.au/view/32281

Roast time!

Tonight, we're having our first roast since we left the UK. We like a nice roast, but the main reason we're having one is because Kristy (nor anybody else for that matter) had never heard of, nevermind tasted, a yorkshire pudding before. Nobody at the hospital has. It's a travesty. So tonight, we'll be having roast chicken, sage & onion stuffing, roast veggies (carrots, pumpkin and potatoes) and of course, gravy made with the juices.

For her part, Kristy is bringing with her a homemade tiramisu (including hand whipped cream), so that should be really nice.

Bring on the food!

Supermarkets, moving and stuff

It's about time I updated this, I've let it go a bit longer than before. We haven't been up to too much that's exciting. Sarah was off yesterday so we tried a different super... Woolworths! It was pretty good so I suspect we might end up going there more.

I've been following all the news from the Tokyo Games Show this week. That is exciting, if you're me, but as i'm the only person that's me, none of you care! I'm getting the feeling that, despite the Xbox 360 having some good games this autumn, next year, the Playstation 3 will really be the console to own. Which means I need to save up for one! One thing I don't have to save up for is a new TV. We'll finally be getting a 32" widescreen LCD, HDTV. They even have free-to-air high definition channels here, which means we can take advantage of the HDTV, other than for games.

We're only just over 3 weeks away from moving down to Warners Bay, which we're looking forward to quite a lot. This weekend we're going to pay off the furniture that we're buying, and hopefully we'll be able to set a date for delivery. It will be sooooooooo nice to have our own space, furniture, things. Speaking of things, the shipment we sent from the UK will hopefully arrive fairly close to when we move. Ideally, we need it to arrive early and then be delivered when we move. If it's not there, we won't have duvets, plates, cutlery or anything, so fingers crossed.

Hoose stuff

We went down to Newcastle yesterday to sign the lease for the house. Unfortunately we needed to go and come back on the same day, so that was nearly 4 hours there and 3 1/2 back with only a couple of hours stop when we got there. Not too fun.

However, we not only signed the lease, we got the keys too. Went to have another look round now that the owners have left and gotten rid of all their stuff, and it's much nicer second time round. They kindly left the wendy house in the garden, which is great. It's built out of wood and quite big, so we're going to use it as a big dog kennel!

The walk-in closet in the master bedroom is huge, meaning that today, when we went to order furniture, we only needed minimal amounts for the bedroom. We've ordered a really nice queen bed, a bedside table each and a nice comfy mattress. Then for the living room we've ordered a corner sofa and ottoman. We've gone for stuff that's a bit more expensive, but it's good stuff that will last.

Before or when we move in we'll need to sort out a TV/Entertainment unit, but that's it furniture wise for now. We will however need appliance. Washing machine, TV. There's a dodgy old fridge there in the garage atm, so a fridge isn't urgent, but we will want one sometime in the not-too-distant future.

Rental Search = Over

We decided to put applications in for both the Dudley and Warners Bay houses and see what happens. Turns out that was a good plan. We were offered both properties, leaving us with a decision to make about which one we wanted. Fortunately we'd pretty much already made that decision - we went with the Warners Bay house.

It's right by the lake, it has a garden and Warners Bay is a nicer location generally, so it's good stuff. We now have to go to Newcastle and back on Friday which sucks, but got to be done to sign the lease. We've also got to part with some money. Two weeks rent, plus the bond and an admin fee, so we'll be parting with more than $2000. Ouch. We're going to look more seriously at furniture and appliances too. Furniture wise it will be toned down slightly because it's not big enough to stack loads in the lounge. We'll probably only want a sofa, tv unit and coffee table. Maybe even just a lamp table instead of a coffee table. 

In this house the master bedroom has a walk in wardrobe/closet and an en-suite bathroom, so that'll be very nice and means we don't have to share the bathroom with you smelly guests!

Now we're getting a place that's of decent size, and with a garden, we're also going to enquire seriously about getting a dog. We're both dog people and we've not had a pet yet, so we're excited about the possibility. And who knows, if I (Matt writing) can keep a dog alive, maybe in a year or two I can graduate to a baby! Maybe.

We're going to get a rescue dog, and probably a cross breed too. We've seen a gorgeous female dog on a rescue site, a black labrador/great dane cross. She's about 20 months old and needs a good home, so I think she'll be our first enquiry. Exciting!

Rental Search Part Deux

So, we're back from our trip to Newcastle. The weather has been great and the drive down on thursday morning was nice. Roads here are so easy to drive on and there were stretches of highway more than a hundred kilometers long where the satnav had no directions to give. The car is good on the more open roads, great for overtaking on the hilly bits and not once did I have to put my foot all the way down.

We saw three places yesterday. The first one was in Warners Bay. That suburb wasn't really even on our radar until recently, but it was recommended and we're glad it was. It's on Lake Macquarie and a really nice setting. There's a path around the lake, lots of shade, picnic  benches. Great. The house was on a road just down from the lake and has all the rooms we need and extra storage space. The lounge is fairly small, as is the kitchen, but they're both functional. There are three bedrooms, the master has an en suite and walk-in wardrobe. There's another bathroom too. I was put off at first because the decorating is a bit shoddy (made me feel great about the stuff we did in York). It has a garden which is a good size but not in great condition. It's got a double garage too, so loads of car room.

We then saw a place in Bar Beach, which is a suburb just off one of the beaches. It was a no-no almost as soon as we walked in the door. Much smaller than the pictures had appeared and very dated.

Then later in the afternoon we saw another one in Warners Bay. On a road just down from the lake again, but further round. This one was in decent condition, but not particularly big. Didn't have a second bathroom though and the toilet was in the laundry, which was also where the back door was. Weird.

We stayed in a hotel overnight and were back out today. We had another walk around Warners Bay and sat just by the lake for a couple of hours which was really nice. We're very keen on the area. This afternoon we saw a house in Dudley. This one was more modern, a fairly recently built townhouse. Had a big living room, three decent bedrooms, two nicely fitted bathrooms and a good sized kitchen. A private balcony at the back and a very small yard at the front but no actual garden.  The area is totally different in terms of it being more residential and close to the beach rather than the lake.

At the moment we're torn between the first one in Warners Bay and the one in Dudley.  We like them both for different reasons.  We like Warners Bay for the space and the very nice area (lake, walks, shops etc), but we like the house at Dudley.  We think we're going to apply for both and see what happens.

We found a couple of others that we wanted to look round too, but we called the estate agent twice and both times they didn't call us back!  They also operate on a "inspection day" system rather than "by appointment" which has meant we've missed out on seeing more as if you can't go to the inspection, then tough!  We'll se what happens with those and we might make another trip next week.

This is all very frustrating, but exciting at the same time!

Rental search

Time is rapidly counting down until we need to have a place sorted to move into in Newcastle, so we've been dredging every property website in Australia looking for places in the suburbs that we liked and have been recommended. For anyone that's interested, our top choice would be Merewether or The Junction, but we've also been told the next best thing is Warners Bay. It's a bit further out, but if it's nice, it's nice.

Sarah's on her 9th day of 10 days straight, on evening shifts yesterday, today and tomorrow, so we're hoping to get down to Newcastle Thursday/Friday to view some places, providing we can get in. Fingers crossed we can get something decent for our money.

We've also been looking at furniture as we'll have to furnish wherever we get. We went to look at Fantastic Furniture first. They have some half decent stuff that is cheap and would last for a few years, but it's not forever stuff (or as forever as any furniture is). Second we looked at Harvey Norman. They had some very expensive stuff that was alright (including LazyBoys!) and Sarah's Mum suggested getting a minimum amount of furniture but getting better stuff, especially if we're fairly sure about staying long term. So that's something we'll have to think about.

Busy bee... or am I?

The answer to the above question is that no, i'm not busy at all. Most days i've gone and gotten the food shopping for that evening dinner, but yesterday we had takeaway pizza (not bad, but we still haven't found any as good as Pizza Hut in the UK - Pizza Hut here is different, and not good at all), so i've got the lamb rump steaks I bought yesterday to cook.

I've got some episodes of Desperate Housewives to watch and i'm working my way through those, but I don't want to watch them too fast or i'll run out and have nothing to watch. What a conundrum. Daytime TV is as bad, if not worse, here than it is in the UK, so i've tried not to watch too much. The main annoyance is advert breaks. In the UK, everyone moans about ads. I did too. But believe me, it can be a lot worse. I have my Nintendo DS, which was spared from the burglary, but I've found i'm not particularly interested in it at the moment. There's the Xbox 360 (which I bought second hand a couple of weeks ago, cost saver), and i've got two games for that, but again, i'm trying not to finish them too quickly because I don't want to spend a load of money on more. I had a paperback novel, one of the Kathy Reichs books, but it was so good I finished it in a couple of days.

It's been suggested that I go out and explore or walk. And while it's a common suggestion, it's just not something i'm into. I'm happy to walk to get places, or if there's something specific I need. But i've never gotten my head around walking for the sake of it. It just seems pointless and vague. It's easier when Sarah is around because we chat while we walk, but on my own I just can't be bothered. I don't have an MP3 player anymore (my iPod Touch *was* a victim of the burglary), so i'd just be roaming the streets like a vagrant. Not my thing at all.

So that reads like one big boredom moan really and makes it sound worse than it is. On the plus side, i've been up when Sarah gets up for work chatting to folks online (in the evening UK time), getting up a little bit after she goes to work, going for the shopping a bit after that, then after I get back it's time for lunch. I dawdle in the afternoons and before you know it, Sarah's home.

In other news, we've been keeping an eye on domain.com.au and realestate.com.au because in a week or two we need to be driving down to Newcastle to view and hopefully get a rental property. We're hopeful of getting something in the area we're keen on (Merewether, for anyone that's interested) for around or under $400pw. When we get set up there I should be able to find work and i'll be posting about not having enough time in the day!

Navimigation

The car is reeeeally nice to drive! It's by far and away the biggest car either of us have ever driven, both in physical size and engine size, but it's really easy to drive. Feels very lazy driving an automatic, but I like it and could definitely get used to it. Just hope I don't forget how to drive manually!

Yesterday I got a new gadget, a Navman S30 Sat-Nav. It's a luxury, not a necessity, but it's a luxury that will make it a lot easier to get around. I'm going to try it out Thursday as i've offered to take Anna (not sure if i've mentioned, we're sharing with another Dr and his fiance.. she's the fiance), to Tamworth Airport so she can catch a flight to Sydney. She's been here just under 4 weeks and she's jetting back to Rome and Barcelona for two weddings before going to London and flying back to Oz. Crazy.

Sarah had to be at work for 7:30am today, so she wasn't very happy about that, but she'll have been fine when she got there. Not a morning person, bless her. Then again, neither am I.

The Falcon flies

Second hand cars are quite a bit more expensive here than they are in the UK, so we weren't sure how soon we'd be able to get a car, or even if it would be possible to manage without one at all. As it turns out, while we're here in Tamworth, it's possible to manage without one. However, yesterday we went for a look to see what was available and came across a really good deal. So, we're buying a car!

It's a 2001 Ford Falcon (which is a saloon, not a million miles away from being an Aussie Mondeo). It's green, has tinted windows, air-con and cup-holders! It's really spacious inside and has a big boot too. Oh, and of course it's automatic and has a 4.0 litre, 6 cylinder engine. We would both have preferred to have a manual, but autos are more common here. The engine is huge, but much like american cars, it's not as powerful as the engine size might suggest. 

It's only had one previous owner, an elderly couple that kept it in great condition. The other good thing is it's only got 75,000kms/46,000 miles, so nice low mileage. The test drive went really well and we can pick it up friday. 

The challenge will be getting used to the kilometers an hour, new speed limits, school zones with different speeds at different times and the indicators being on the wrong side of the steering column!

24 Today!!

Well, today I've reached the ripe old age of 24. What an old timer!

Sarah's at work today, but she gave me a present before she left. A nice leather wallet which my change won't fall out of, which it had been in the one I was using before.

Happy birthday to Tomas, whose birthday is today too. He's 26, so practically ancient.

Mobile internet access!

We were both getting annoyed with having to trek to internet cafes and spend money every time we wanted to get online, so we've now bought a mobile broadband usb adapter. It's pay as you go, so when we get full broadband in Newcastle, we can just stop topping it up. Ideal really. It has fairly low bandwidth caps, but it's still a better option, and means we can be online here at the unit.

Speaking of which, the unit, which we've now been in for a few days, is surprisingly nice, especially when you consider how basic the other accommodation was. This place has polished wood floorboards, two bedrooms, a nice little shower room, and a modern kitchen, including a dishwasher. Great stuff. For the first fortnight we're sharing with another couple, but then they're being moved and we'll have the place to ourselves for about 8 weeks.

Now we're here we can use the direct address, which means you can all send us cool stuff if you like. The address is:

1/24 Darling Street

Tamworth

NSW 2340

Australia

With having internet connection, we're now able to use msn and skype, so keep an eye out for us early morning and late evening!

 

Internet Cafes are a wonder

Internet cafes aren't a cheap way to get access, but they're certainly convenient. This one is $6 an hour. I've been here an hour and 16 minutes so far. 17 now.

Anyway... Sarah's got her last bit of induction today. It was scheduled to be a half day, but they went and changed it to a full day. Bleeders. We're being driven up to Tamworth tomorrow by Jeanette, who's one of the people that does the recruiting and stuff. She's been sooo helpful, and even took all our dirty laundry to wash for us yesterday and give back to us today. How nice is that?

We'll be in something temporary in Tamworth for a day or two, then into what will probably but a unit (flat) until we come back to Newcastle at the end of October/beginning of November. We're not going to buy a car yet as we've been told we'll probably be able to get by without one. If we can do that until we arrive back in Newcastle, we'll be better off moneywise, so that's good.

I think that's all for now. Not sure what the net access will be like in Tamworth. I guess there'll be a net cafe somewhere, so i'll have to dig it out. Be back then!

Updateroo

Hey all!

Hope everyone is well at home.

I've (it's Matt writing btw) had quite a bad headcold (no it's not man flu!), which has put a damper on our first few days in Newcastle. We've been out and about exploring still though. We got the bus all the way into the CBD and then walked around the coast (the beaches and sea are amazing) and up to one of the shopping centres. The shopping centres aren't quite as impressive as at home, and it's a little odd not seeing brands like Gap, which are pretty much global, but i'm sure with time we'll find Aussie shops we like.

Sarah did get some new shoes from Target. They were on sale, marked down to $6.86. When she got to the til, they were $5. Cheap!

Today is Sarah's induction and her first day of work. That's why i've stolen myself away to an internet cafe to catch up and email everyone. I need to sort myself out with a phone because at the moment, Sarah can't get in touch with me when she's at work or whatever. So that's on my to do list.

We should be going up to Tamworth later this week. The nice people from the hospital are actually giving us a lift there, which considering it's a 4/5 hour car ride, is very generous. It'll be nice to be somewhere that we're staying for 2 or 3 months, cos then we can unpack and make ourselves a bit more comfortable. Looking forward to that.

Right, i'm going to catch the bus back to our accomodation and get some lunch. I've been in this net cafe for two hours and it's gonna cost $10. Totally worth it though to stay in touch.

We're here!

We're here and all is well.

We eventually left heathrow at 1am, which was 3 hours late. However, we made so much time up in the air that we were less than an hour late arriving in Sydney. There was no turnaround in Singapore - it was straight off the one plane and onto the next. Not even time to pee!

Both legs were on the A380, which was very nice. Plenty of leg room, even in economy.

Today Sarah has finalised her medical registration, which went fine. We've also been to the bank and activated our account, and bought tickets to use tomorrow for the aquarium and sydney tower. With those, the ferries and exploring, we'll be busy.

I'm practically nodding off, but we want to hang on until at least 9, so we'll have some dinner now and see if i can stay awake.

Speak soon!

Delayed

We've been delayed!

Due to a problem at the airport, we've been delayed two hours, from 22:00pm to 12:00am. We only have a 2 and a half hour layover in Singapore, so if things don't run too smoothly, we may miss the connecting flight. Bummer, but so far the staff have been helpful and informative.

Fingers crossed.

Countdown...

Emigration in... ZERO DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, today is the day that we jump on a Singapore Airlines plane and make our move down under. We've wanted to make the move for a few years, infact, we started talking about it as an option not long after we got serious (which wasn't long after we got together!). The actual application started in January, so that part of it hasn't taken long at all.

We've had a lot of support from the recruitment agent, the migration agent and of course, family and friends. We found out after he died the other week that one of my Grandad's big regrets was that he had the chance to join the New Zealand Airforce, after he left the RAF. They didn't go though, because my Great Grandma didn't want them to. He was very very supportive, even when his motor neurone disease was at its worst, and that means a lot. Everyone else has been great too. Yesterday we had a 'BBQ'. In inverted commas because it rained all day, so we had an indoor, oven and grill cooked BBQ. It was still nice though, lots of people came and the time flew by.

And, so, we're off. We'll miss everybody here, of course, but in the 21st century, the world is a lot smaller and it's so easy to keep in touch and holiday, it will be easy, and fun, to keep in touch.

Actually getting to Australia is not the end of the organising, sorting out and whatnot though. Sarah starts induction for her new job on the 18th, but i'll need to try and find temporary work, armed with my newly written CV (the old one was lost in the burglary - must learn to back up!). We need to find a car, unless we are surprised and discover we can manage without. A new laptop is essential. And it will only be November when we find a rental house and start repurchasing furniture and all that jazz.

A lot to think about, a lot to do and we're both a little nervous, as you'd expect. But, so far together, we've tackled whatever has come our way and we're confident that we'll do well over there too.

Anyway, suitcases to pack, chocolate cakes to eat, so we'll see you on the other side!

Photos!

The wedding photos are now online at Nicola Martindale's website. People can order prints if they want, the prices seem to be reasonable. We're going to get the actual photo albums sometime soon, looking forward to that quite a bit.

There's good pictures of pretty much everyone, so enjoy!

Here they are: http://212.227.87.134/q0308/nicolamartindale/W4336/page1.html

Marital Bliss

Well, we are now officially Mr & Mrs Hutton.

That's very cool and we both smile everytime someone says it, even if it's us. The wedding went really really well and it loved up to everything we were hoping for. Some people have started adding pictures they took on Facebook, so you can see them on there if you want. When we get the pictures from the photographer we'll post the link to those. It should only be a couple of weeks.

In other news, Sarah's provisional medical registration with the Australian Medical Council came through, so she'll now be licensed to practice medicine in Australia. Less than 4 weeks and counting to go until we fly... Oz here we come!

Let there be blog!

This blog will be a one-stop-shop for updates and commentary on our move to Oz, the land down under, Australia.

In the wonderfully techno 21st century it's actually very easy to stay in touch from the other side of the world; phoning is relatively cheap, we have webcams, email, etc. So we'll try and keep in touch with everyone personally as much as possible. The blog will be a slightly less personal way to give everyone the Big Picture, so to speak.

Hopefully you'll enjoy reading about our Aussie exploits and if not, well, read anyway!