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Vote Labour, Vote for Change, on July 4th!

30/6/2024

What has the General Election in the UK, on the other side of the World, got to do with me, I hear you ask? Well, it has plenty to do with me; I still pay tax and national insurance in the UK and with my Father fast approaching old age, I am concerned what a Tory victory in the UK, would mean for my Dad's long term care, should he need it. Despite living in Australia, I do have a vested interest in the outcome of the British election, just like many millions of expats all over the World.

During my lifetime, I have voted for every political party; I am not a political activist (except for a brief period in the early 1990s, when I was a member of the 'Anti-Nazi League'), nor have I ever campaigned for a particular political party or have an affiliation to any one of them. My views change, depending on the politics of the day, and I listen to what all parties have to say — even the ones whose views leave a bad taste in my mouth!

This week I received my voting papers from Southampton City Council, the last place I lived in the UK. Of course, they were delivered far too late for me to vote; after contacting Auspost here in Western Australia, they made it abundantly clear, my ballot would not be received on time and sadly, on this occasion, I would not be able to vote in the general election. To say I was livid is an understatement! The six-week campaign in the UK has been one of the longest in history, yet my old local council couldn't even get a ballot form to me in good speed — that I find shocking and completely unacceptable.

I was determined to vote in the election, because it was important to make my voice heard. These last 14 years of Conservative Government have been an utter shambles. The UK has become a laughingstock, as my old home went from one disaster to another. Led by five different Prime Ministers, the country has gone from bad to worse as Brexit, the economy, high taxes and political instability has become the order of the day.

When I left the UK in 2022, I was glad to leave a failing Britain. The politics, weather, and most importantly, unelected Prime Minister, had literally driven me away from a country I loved. I no longer felt comfortable living in Britain, and I was just grateful for the chance to restart my life on the other side of the World — Not many people, especially at my age, have that opportunity.

Unable to vote myself, I would encourage all of you to engage in the political process. My preference would be for a resounding Labour victory, but whoever you vote for, just get out and put that cross on the ballot paper. I will of course be following this election closely. Rather like I did in 1997, when Tony Blair won a landslide, and Darrell and I returned home from Australia to the UK. This time, however, no matter what happens, we will both be staying firmly in Perth. I can never see a time, where I am living in Britain again. Nevertheless, I believe my future as an expat, will be more secure, with a Labour victory, and I hope you also feel the same, living in the UK.

Get out on July 4th, vote Labour, vote for change!

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A Moan About The Weather — It's cold down under

30/6/2024

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Holiday to Taiwan Booked!

22/6/2024

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Taiwan 2024

17/6/2024

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I have spent this weekend booking our holiday to Taiwan in a few months. To be honest, I had no idea how difficult it would be to arrange this trip, but this was a challenge, even for me, and I consider myself a pro, when it comes to making travel arrangements. Trying to find half decent accommodation at an affordable price, on an island half the size of Tasmania, was difficult. 23.57 million people live in Taiwan, so as you can imagine, hotel accommodation is at a premium, and the costs can be astronomical.

Like all my holidays, I use Expedia to book my itinerary. I find them to be the best online travel agency, and their customer service is exceptional. They may well be a little more expensive than other similar online companies, but you pay for what you get as they say, and I feel safe using them, to facilitate my travels around the globe.

There will be a lot of travelling involved in this trip. The flight from Perth in Australia to Taiwan is going to take us approximately twelve hours. This was the quickest time we could have possibly got. We are flying with Cathay Pacific, and paying a lot more for that privilege. However, I would rather do that, than spend thirty hours getting to the island, using one of the cheaper airlines, like Scoot. Once again, you pay for what you get, and I am prepared to pay a premium, to enjoy more time on holiday. Time is obviously the biggest factor for me, when booking annual leave, and I don't want to go on the cheapest flights, for the longest time; sometimes you just have to suck it up and pay more, knowing you will have peace of mind in the long run!

We will initially fly into Taipei on an early morning flight from Australia, arriving in the city just after 12pm. Thankfully, Taiwan is in the same time zone as Perth, despite being situated in the Northern Hemisphere. This should make jet lag a lot easier to contend with, especially when it is something I tend to suffer with every time I fly — it really doesn't get any easier; if anything, the exhaustion has got worse as I have got older!

From the moment we arrive at the airport, to the moment we leave, we will be taking the train all the way. This is unusual for us, but having investigated public transport in the country, it is clear, it is the best way to travel. It is convenient, cheap, and clean and will take us directly to our destination without hassle and overpriced transfers.

From the airport, we will travel to Taipei and our first hotel — The Cozzi Zhongxiao. This four-star establishment near to the train station will give us a base from which to see the city, and travel to the historic city of Jiufen, a place I have wanted to see for years. There is plenty to do and see in Taipei itself, and I want us to pack in as much as we can over the four days we are there.

From Taipei, we will take the Taiwanese bullet train down south to the coastal city of Kaohsiung, and spend a further five days in this historic part of the island at the Han Hsien International Hotel. As yet, we haven't made any firm plans about what to do while we are there, and we hope to do most of it on the superb public transport system, crisscrossing the island.

This is of course in complete contrast to the holiday we recently had in Vietnam. Here, it was virtually impossible to use any form of public transport, mainly because there wasn't the infrastructure in Saigon that there is in Taipei. This was a big disappointment for us, since we were unable to see many of the sites we would have liked to have seen. The hope is, Taiwan will be a very different experience, and we will be able to navigate the system with ease — that, of course, remains to be seen.

Once again, I will be blogging my way around Taiwan, writing as I go. This is another trip of a lifetime for us, and a precursor to our ultimate dream of travelling to Japan. I am told Taiwan is a gentle introduction to a future Japanese adventure, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with you. Thank you as always for your continued support; I look forward to documenting yet another adventure is the unique, endearing, vibrant and colourful part of the world!

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Neutral Voltage Surge!

16/6/2024

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Thinking about the current state of the World!

9/6/2024

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I've certainly had a lot of issues on my mind this week; not my usual health concerns, but this time world events. Now look, despite worrying about the end of the World in the past, and the threat of nuclear war, especially when I was a young boy, it isn't something I tend to think about these days. The reality is, I have got just too much on my mind, to be concerned about the end of life as we know it. However, this week, World events and current affairs have been thrust in my face, in a way they haven't before. To say I am sick of it would be an understatement — the state of our planet is beyond a joke, and it is all to do with the people in charge, our so-called great leaders, Presidents and Prime Ministers. The present incumbents seem to be the worst in living memory, and that doesn't inspire much confidence for the future and the trajectory events appear to be taking us on.

Our leaders are a dangerous joke; in fact, if the planet wasn't in such a perilous state, the circumstances we all find ourselves in would be laughable. Despite everything, these evil men (Yes, they are all men) remain in situ and continue to destroy the very fabric of society. What a bloody mess the World is in, and all because of inflated ego's and psychotic ambitions; dictators rampage across the continents, asserting their authority, in a way not seen since the Cold War!

I was watching Sky News a few days ago. One of my favourite journalists was part of the newspaper review — Susie Boniface. As usual her sarcasm, wit, and concern were expertly expressed in her own unique way, but both her and her colleague were nevertheless melancholy about the desperate state all of us find ourselves in. Susie, has this knack of cheering me up, even during the darkest of news days, but on this particular occasion, reading between the lines, it is clear we are heading for an extremely volatile few years. I am sure war is around the corner, and it chills me to the bone!

Hearing newsreaders and politicians constantly referring to World War III has been pretty disheartening. More and more, we are being told to prepare for the inevitable. The UK Government is asking the public to organise an emergency pack. It should include essential items to last for several days. The British PM is talking about the return of National Service, (conscription in all but name) and sabre-rattling on the Eastern side of Europe grows ever stronger. All of these signs are a warning of what is coming; where once there was no anxiety, now there is some — I can gradually feel a sense of concern enveloping my psyche. Even my own Father, speaking on the phone, said how dangerous things feel at the moment. In his view, even worse than the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960s!

So this week, I am really just talking about the precarious state of the World. It helps me to calm my anxiety by just speaking about issues that concern me and having expressed my feelings, I do feel like a weight has been lifted. My apprehension seems to be growing daily, but having access to this blog helps me come to terms with the way I am feeling. When you are living on the other side of the World, uneasiness does tend to manifest in a way it wouldn't otherwise, especially if you were close to loved ones. I am grateful to speak to those closest on a regular basis and that helps me immensely.

On Sunday, not only did I speak to my Father, but I also managed to talk to a friend, who I worked with at Tesco. Amelia and I always had a close friendship, and she has remained in constant contact, while I have been living in Western Australia. Like me, she has many insecurities and misgivings about circumstances we all find ourselves in, but her calming nature, has always been a great source of support for me.

It is difficult being cut off from the usual networks of friends and family, especially at times of World turmoil, but I am blessed by the number of friends I do have. A Father who continues to support me, while I endeavour to build a new life down under, friends who remain in touch, offering unwavering encouragement and of course readers of Roaming Brit, who continue to contribute to this blog!

As a final happy thought, I have included a couple of photographs, of our cat Akira, who has taken to watching the television (even world events.) Having cats around, at the moment, is a great source of solace. Their calming affect tends to rub off on me and indeed distract me from the 'march to world war' emblazoned on our television screens. This week may well have been difficult in an overall sense, but I am lucky enough to feel well in myself, and better than I have been for many years — For me, that's all that matters.

Having a great week, y'all!

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New Car, Politics, Arthritis, and The Weather!

3/6/2024

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Once again, as I continue to recover from an arthritis flare up, this week's catch-up will be mainly in video form. I suppose as time moves on, I will be video blogging more and more. That's a little disappointing for me, since my real, true love, is writing. But I am a diarist first and foremost, so whatever medium I choose, the real satisfaction for me, is in the process of recording events, no matter how mundane they are.

I finally found out what is going on with my left hand this week, after delaying the inevitable for too long. After seeing a hand specialist, I have a definitive answer, I actually have osteoarthritis. After the weather took a dramatic change for the worst this week, and the rain set in, I was subjected to severe pain. Really, I should have put two and two together, but once again, I just thought the worst. In many respects I was relived at the diagnosis, it could have been far worse. My anxiety told me it was Rheumatoid Arthritis, thankfully it was the lesser of two evils.

Darrell also picked up his new car on Wednesday. After driving our old, but highly reliable car around, for a little over a year, we took the plunge and bought a brand-new MG; taking everything into consideration, buying new was the best thing to do. The new car has a seven-year warranty and cost us less than we thought. By paying outright for it, we have also saved a fortune in interest. Darrell seems very happy with it, though for me, it's just a car — The next thing on the list is a new kitchen, far more important in my book.

Over the last few weeks we have been able to spend some quality time with Mum and took her out for Sunday lunch on Mother's Day. My Mother in Law doesn't get out much these days, but she seemed to enjoy the short time we were out. Not venturing too far, we took her to a local pub in Midland, called 7th Avenue, which was actually surprisingly nice. I personally wouldn't choose to eat in my local city, but I may, just may, go there again.

Of course, the day was tinged with sadness, after the loss of my own Mother in 2019. Mother's Day in Australia does fall at a different time of year than the UK, so it did feel a little strange celebrating in May. The reality is, I am just glad I still have a Mother, albeit my husband's Mum, to enjoy the day with.

Reflecting on the last few weeks, I have had quite a productive time. My new job continues to go well, and I am enjoying my new role immensely. It does feel good to be finally established in our new home — just me, Darrell and the cats, and now the new car. For once in our life, everything seems to be going our way. Being the realist I am, I am just waiting for the first thing to go wrong. Nevertheless, I have been told to just relax and enjoy my new life. Australia has given both of us another chance to succeed, and so far, we ain't doing too badly.

On Sunday I was able to enjoy a few hours with ex-colleagues, now friends, from my previous job. This certainly isn't a regular occurrence, especially if one considers when I started working here in Australia. At the end of 2022, COVID restrictions had become more or less a thing of the past, but as a hangover from this time, many businesses were still conducting meetings and interviews via Zoom and other similar apps. The truth is, going forward, I believe this is how most businesses will conduct themselves indefinitely. Technology continues to move along at a frantic pace, and communicating with friends, colleagues and family, via video conferencing platforms, will almost certainly become the main way, all of us stay in contact in the future.

Except for one occasion, I haven't met my colleagues in any social capacity, so haven't had the opportunity to forge bonds and friendships. Sunday was about spending time with those I have worked with for nearly a year and a half and interacting on an entirely different level — not on a Zoom call, telephone, or behind an LED screen.

Despite nursing a sore head today, I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening. I haven't done an awful lot of socialising since I arrived in Western Australia, but I hope this will be the start of a regular get-together. Great conversation, good company, copious amounts of alcohol and food — the ideal recipe for the perfect evening out.

With winter well and truly here, I have certainly started to feel the arthritis. With a diagnosis, I can now plan my life accordingly. There are plenty of other people out there who suffer from aches and pains, and I am not anything special, but as someone who suffers with health anxiety, I understand just how much these things play on my mind.

I never look forward to this time of year, whatever country I am living in. The older I get, the more I crave the heat and the hope is, given time, Darrell and I will eventually move somewhere hot, all year round. That's a long way in the future for now, in the meantime, like everyone else, I just have to get on with life, whatever the weather. This winging Pom isn't going to change anytime soon, so expect a lot more of the same!

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From a new life in spain, to an old life in britain, 'roaming brit' documents uncertain times!

Vote Labour, Vote for Change, on July 4th!

A Moan About The Weather — It's cold down under

Holiday to Taiwan Booked!

Taiwan 2024

Neutral Voltage Surge!

Thinking about the current state of the World!

New Car, Politics, Arthritis, and The Weather!

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