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    Adjusting to a more solitary life!

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    Waking up on Friday morning, I was struck by how cold it was. Now when I say cold, I don't mean below freezing, which is commonplace in The UK, but it was noticeably colder than usual and really did feel like Autumn had arrived. Walking to work at 7am, with an umbrella and mac, I was reminded of my time living in Portsmouth. Thankfully, I am no longer there, but I suddenly felt down and a little depressed. It has been a long time since I last experienced a winter, well over a year, so the inclement weather is sadly a sign of things to come.
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    Apart from the rain, which is as rare as hens teeth here, I've had a pretty ordinary week. For me, that is a good thing; I've had enough drama in my life to last a lifetime, so anything that points to convention and routine is welcome. Even after being in Australia for six months, I am still waiting for word from my solicitor and the Department of Home Affairs about my visa. However, no news is good news and for now I am playing a waiting game, until the powers that be, decide it's time to make my status official.

    For the most part, I am just getting on with life, building a new future in Australia. We are continuing to decorate the new house and make our home as comfortable as possible. Of course, there is something in the back of my mind that keeps on chipping away, warning me of what could happen, if my application for residency is rejected. This isn't a scenario that is likely to happen according to my solicitor, but it could, and that is enough to keep that worrying nature I have, alive and kicking.
    I'm enjoying being a homeowner again, despite the expense involved. Darrell and I aim to pay off the mortgage in superfast time, so we are having to channel a lot of money into our monthly repayment. At the moment we don't have any problem with this, but if interest rates continue to rise unchecked, then we won't be able to keep these high payments up indefinitely. On top of paying the mortgage and bills, we do have to renovate the villa as well; this all takes money and a lot of time and resources. Thankfully, we have gone as far as we need to for now, making the place habitable. Over the next few years we will concentrate on each room in more depth - recarpet, rewire, paint and decorate; this isn't something we have time for presently, but we are constantly looking forwards, and planning just what we want to do with this place long term.

    I am following events from back home in the UK closely; I may well be an expat living in Australia, but Britain will always be my home, and I am interested in the direction it takes after Brexit. The reality is, Darrell and I are settling in Perth, Western Australia, because of Britain's departure from the EU. Like most people, I had no idea that my original life plan of moving and living in Spain would be unachievable, after Brexit. Naively, I thought life would carry on very much in the same vein as it always had; how wrong was I.

    Perth was never our preferred option, Spain was always our dream, and I do feel rather cheated as I rebuild in Australia. Nevertheless, we are where we are, and I have to live with the consequences of the vote to leave Europe. Western Australia is a good second option; in fact, if I think with my head, rather than my heart, it is probably the best option. I really don't think I would have a career in Spain, paying the huge wage I have here, and be a homeowner after only a few months. So the reality is, we have made the right choice at the right time.

    Like most places we have lived over the years, it does have its ups and downs and despite loving my new life and home, I am mindful of the negative aspects of living in Perth. Darrell and I are very much on our own, and we have put in all the hard work ourselves, without the help of anyone. We have always been that way - very independent and able to survive without the bank of Dad, but we are also without our support network, that we had built up in Britain. We don't have friends around us, and I am finding that quite a struggle.

    Our friends have always been our family, they were the ones there for us at important milestones in our life and without them, we just wouldn't have survived. Similarly, when I worked for Tesco, my colleagues were very much akin to family; they were the people who were close during an extremely stressful period, with the pandemic raging across the World. All the individuals, the great and good who have been a part of my life, in some cases as far back as the 1980s and my time at school, are suddenly not there and that is quite disconcerting.

    Just before I left for Asia in September last year, I managed to spend a lot of time with friends. I was humbled by just how many people wanted to say their goodbyes, as we headed for pastures new. The emotions I felt were indescribable and made me realise just how much people cared about Darrell and me. That is why I found it particularly difficult to leave. Having said that, now I am well aware of where my future lies and luckily there is social media, which does help me stay in contact with friends and family. It is making the transition to a new life easier to deal with, but despite how successful we are, it doesn't detract from the people we left behind - I miss them every day.

    It is important Darrell and I keep moving onwards and building on the foundations we have created, but we should always remember our roots, and the people who made us who we are, affording us unconditional love at traumatic crossroads in our life. I am happy to be away from the more challenging aspects of life in Britain, but I will forever be grateful, for the abundance of friends, who will always remain in the memories I carry with me, wherever I am in the World. Links to the past, through those who are important will always be there, unbroken, unrelenting and without condition. I am lucky to have been entrusted with such a wonderful collection of characters, and will continue to keep them close, as I finally settle down into a more sedate, relaxed way of life!
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    The Hard Reality of Expat Life!

    This week has been a bit of an eye-opener for me in many respects. After buying a car over a week ago, we have returned it to the garage where we purchased it; It was unroadworthy and a danger. Today, we are still waiting for a reply from them, let alone on the road to getting our money back. In all fairness, buying this vehicle was a big mistake, we know that now. As Expats, relatively new to Perth, we had no idea, just how bad the car market was; had we known, we would never have paid money for it. This place is full to bursting with con merchants, and Darrell really should have walked away instead of purchasing this road hazard. All we can do is just keep waiting and hoping the bank returns our money, so we can buy a new car. Personally, I don't have much hope and certainly have no faith in the legal avenues open to us; we may well just have to write this mistake off to experience!

    Now that we are settled in Perth, I have also started the process of moving my life, lock stock and barrel, over to Western Australia. As you can imagine, this is a particularly time-consuming and complicated business. Most importantly, I have begun migrating my British pensions over to an Australian Superfund. Now, this really is where things get complicated. In order to move my pension funds over, I have to do it through an HMRC compliant company here in Australia, or a (Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme.) My current Superannuation fund, is with Plum Super, which sadly isn't accepted by the tax office in the UK. This means I will have to find another organisation who will accept the transfer.

    Consequently, I have contacted various financial advisers in Australia, who I believe can help in this process. For me, it is necessary to move this money over, and although it isn't worth a great deal, it is important for the powers that be, that I show commitment to my new life in Perth. That isn't the only reason, of course. If I leave my pension pot in Britain, I believe I will be liable for tax. Drawing the money will also be more difficult, especially when one considers the exchange rates and costs involved in converting UK pounds to Dollars. Later on in life it will become a real headache and I feel it would be best to move it as soon as possible.

    I do keep a close eye on my UK pension funds, and I am shocked at how badly they are doing. I have been comparing these pensions with equivalent superannuation funds in Australia, and there really isn't any comparison. Any money I have in the UK, would be much better off here than back in Britain.

    This week, I also found out more about the UK state pension, which I am still able to get when I reach UK retirement age. It appears that the money I get each week will be based on how much I am entitled to today. In seventeen plus years time, when I officially retire, it will be worth absolutely nothing. With the way things are, my state pension will be worthless, and I should discount this income long term.

    I am still at a loss to understand why my contributions are frozen at today's prices. If I stopped working in the UK now, but still lived there, the amount I receive would still go up in the same way everyone else's does. I am being penalised for moving abroad, but more importantly, to Australia.

    Australia has no social security agreement with the UK, which does create problems for expats like me. My state pension will remain frozen at the levels they are today for this reason alone; if I had moved somewhere else, where a reciprocal agreement was in place, then this wouldn't be the case. Once again, I am being punished because I am living in Perth, and that isn't right. Not every expat is wealthy; I live on relatively modest income and will have even less when I retire. It is up to me to save hard over the next decade and a half, in order to have enough money when I am older. However, looking at our situation long term, I am not sure if it will be possible to live here in my dotage. It may well be better to sell our home and move back to Europe. A lot can happen between now and then, so the only plans we can make for now, are for the immediate future, a long term strategy is just not possible!
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    Pippa continues to settle in to her new home with us and appears to be growing stronger by the day. Her life was clearly very traumatic, and it will take some time before she has adjusted to her new circumstances.

    Over the last week, she has been suffering with an unfortunate eye infection. Last Sunday, we took her to the vets, after noticing she had a swollen eye. After she was examined, the vet informed us that she had herpes. Apparently the condition was brought to the fore because of the stress she has been under. For Pippa, moving from her foster home was a big deal, and she has been under an enormous amount of stress ever since.

    We have stopped visitors from coming into the house at the moment, in order for her to feel comfortable in her own home, and we are sure it won't be too long before she is able to enjoy a full and happy life.

    Looking after a damaged animal isn't easy, but we knew that when we took her on in the first place. We wanted to give her a good home, when no one else would, affording her the life she deserves. We are certainly under no illusions about how difficult this process will be, but the reward is to see her happy and content; for that reason, we are happy to keep on trying to bring the best out in her. Like all our other cats before her, she is more special than she will ever know; she is the light in our life and a reason to care!
    ...and finally, today we had Sunday lunch at The Stirling Arms in Guildford, celebrating my Mother-in-Law's Birthday. It was a special day for all of us, being here in Australia with Mum at this time. She has spent far too many Birthdays alone, but thankfully now we are back, that will not be happening again.

    Like us, I hope you've all had a wonderful weekend!
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    The Curious Clapped Out Car Con!

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    This week, we finally got the internet installed at the villa; yes, it really has taken this long. To be honest, I am still hot spotting off my phone, because the connection is bloody terrible. I had been warned just how bad NBN broadband is here in Australia, but I didn't actually know that for sure, until we had a live connection (When it works) - it's bad, very bad! It reminds me of the internet in the UK back in the mid-nineties, and it is unlikely to get any better. Australia is a large country, so connecting every corner of this continent is just not going to happen anytime soon. This is one of my pet hates as I settle in to my new life, and it is one of many that continue to niggle me as I get to know this country inside out!

    On Wednesday, Darrell finally took possession of his car, after nearly a week of ongoing repairs, from the garage where he purchased it. I hadn't actually seen the vehicle up to this point, and I wasn't sure just how much $5300 would buy you in Western Australia, but I don't mind telling you, I was gobsmacked at the state of it. In Britain, this car would have been scrapped; it really just isn't fit for purpose.

    The Honda Accord is about twenty years old; it is covered in dents, dings and scratches and looks extremely worn out. It has over 250,000 kilometres on the clock and the paint is peeling all over the car. This isn't unusual for Australia, since the sun is so intense and obliterates everything in its wake, but it was still a shock, seeing just what you can buy for the money.

    Darrell had also asked for different things to be fixed by the car yard who sold him the vehicle, so when he took possession, he expected it to be drivable; nothing could be further from the truth.

    The steering was defective, the central locking faulty, and you are unable to see out the front passenger window. As if that wasn't bad enough, the passenger door can not be opened at all, making the car unroadworthy and dangerous. According to Darrell, there are also many other faults; like me, he is as angry as hell that this piece of rubbish was being sold in the first place.

    The car market in Australia, like the housing market, is in a mess, and all because of COVID. With fewer cars being imported over the last few years due to the pandemic, people bought second hand cars, pushing prices upwards. This has left a large amount of 'clapped out' vehicles at the bottom of the market available for sale, that would have otherwise been scrapped. Unscrupulous car salesmen are selling them at highly inflated prices to desperate people, who need a car, and just can't get one anywhere else; Darrell just happened to be one of those unsuspecting people, and he was taken for a complete fool.

    Luckily he hasn't signed a contract, but we are both unsure of his rights, since there is very little protection in Western Australia for someone who has bought a 'wreck!' Currently, his bank is trying to retrieve the money and if that fails, he will lodge a complaint with the WA Consumer Complaints Department, who will investigate the matter further.

    I have my doubts that anything will get done, and worst case scenario we could lose the money and car. There are so many things about this country that makes my blood boil, and the protection of consumer rights is one of them. Both Darrell and I can ill afford to lose that kind of money, especially after everything we have paid for recently, and I have said he will not be buying a second hand car again. If we do recover any of the cash, it will be used as a deposit on a new car. With car values increasing, I feel sure this is the only course of action we can take. Cars at the bottom of the market are just too risky.

    This seems to be a common problem across the country at the moment. Complaints have gone up by 730% over five years in WA alone, and it is important, anyone considering buying a vehicle, thinks carefully before parting with their hard-earned money. Knee-jerk reactions from desperate people are likely to end in tears, as we know to our cost

    Only time will tell whether we get our money back, and I am still flabbergasted that a so-called first world country treats its citizens this way. There needs to be more protection in place to help people who have lost thousands of pounds to underhand, crooked car salesmen; until then people need to vote with their feet, literally, and walk or get public transport. I don't have a problem with walking, and nor should anyone else.  It will take a long time to break the car culture in Australia, but if anything will, it's the state of the used car market. Mark my words, if we lose a single dollar over this, I will take them to court; I won't stop until we have every cent returned!
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    Paying the Bills!

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    The party is well and truly over, as they say. This week the first mortgage payment went out, which certainly isn't a milestone to be celebrated, but it does mark the beginning of our new life down under. Unlike the last five years, we now have responsibilities again, and have to knuckle down and pay the bills. We have taken out a wealth package with The Commonwealth bank and offset all our savings, saving us a significant amount of money per year. We are also paying a much higher amount each month into our mortgage, but with our home loan, only accounting for 16 percent of our joint income, luckily we can afford to do it.

    In order to pay off our loan quickly, we have had to take out a variable rate mortgage, which was initially a concern. Only this week, the Bank of Australia raised the base rate by another 0.25%, which will inevitably add more money to our outgoings each month. However, for us, it isn't a problem; we are both working in well paid jobs, so this will not cause us too many difficulties. Nevertheless, I am well aware, this isn't the same for everyone.

    Yesterday I was watching The ABC News on television and there was a story about a 75-year-old woman, who is having to sell her home, because she can no longer afford to pay the mortgage. This poor woman was given a thirty year, $650,000 home loan, only a few months ago. Yes you heard that right, a thirty-year mortgage was given to a 75-year-old woman; this just would not occur in the UK and to be honest I was shocked that this had even happened.

    It does seem, however, that this is common practice, and substantial sums are being leant to people who just can not afford to pay it back. Having only just moved to Australia, even I was taken aback at how quickly we bought a house, with the mortgage being approved within a matter of days. Thankfully, it worked well for us, and we were able to move home relatively quickly once we were working. I am however sceptical about a system that allows pensioners to get a 30-year loan, who will be 105, when it is finally paid off. As my Mother and Father always said, 'live within your means, and you'll be fine.' Well, I learnt the hard way, but today I buy only what I can afford and no more; it has worked out well for me.

    The Commonwealth Bank Wealth Package, also allows me to put as much extra money into the mortgage as I like each month, with no penalties, and it also permits me to withdraw that extra money if I so choose, rather than get a personal loan. This is handy to know for the future; we may decide to upgrade the kitchen or buy a new car, and there will always be money there to pay for it. I have no idea if this kind of mortgage is available in the UK, but I personally think it is a fantastic deal and should encourage a culture of saving rather than spending!

    Of course, owning a home is an expensive business, as most of you already know. When we arrived in Australia, we had absolutely nothing, so we have has to furnish a whole house, which isn't cheap. On top of that, we are also having to upgrade the electrics in each room before we refurbish. There are quite simply not enough plug sockets in the building, so we are paying to have more fitted each time we decorate. On Monday we have an electrician coming round to fit new plug points in the family room as well as change all the light switches, at the cost of $500, it isn't cheap, but it is necessary for peace of mind. The electrics haven't been changed since this house was built in 1995; with the amount of electrical equipment we have in 2023, it is absolutely mandatory to upgrade as and when we can,

    Also on Monday, we finally have our NBN appointment with IPrimus. It has taken this long to actually start the process of installing broadband at the house; it is like living in Britain twenty years ago. Even then, we are not sure if they will be able to connect us on that day; it is all dependent on the infrastructure servicing the villa. I am flabbergasted that it is quicker to buy a house, than it is to have internet installed, but this is Australia and despite all its amazing qualities, it also has many faults. I just hope we will finally have some form of connection by the end of Monday afternoon.

    Darrell has also bought a new car finally, after finding something suitable, and it has been a long time coming. Cars are particularly expensive over here at the moment, after the pandemic reduced the number of new vehicles coming into the country. He could have continued waiting and waiting before buying anything, but he needs one now, it is important he has one to get to and from work. We have done what we have to, taken money from our savings and bought a Honda Accord; not a new car, but a great first step, as we continue to establish our life in Australia.

    With private health care, ambulance cover, life insurance and utilities, life isn't easily affordable in Australia. Like the UK, we are also suffering from a cost of living crisis and there is no end in sight to the mortgage interest rate rises, so even though we are comfortable for now, we are well aware of what could happen in the future. As we navigate our way through this difficult economic period, we are learning from the mistakes of the past and no longer spend like each day is our last; we save for a future and the life we believe we deserve. This is our time to succeed in the embattled world, but this is also a time to lose. Avoiding the stupidity of previous failures and channelling energy into rebuilding our life is our overriding goal; when I write about this period in the future, I want it to be full of colour, positivity and hope, not negativity, disillusionment and despair; only time will tell if we succeed or fail at the first hurdle.
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    Revisiting The Past From Afar!

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    I've been away from the UK for six months now, and I often think of home. Understandably, I am not missing that little island in the North Sea in the traditional sense; I literally can't stand what Britain has become, and that is a bit of a shock for me. I feel a little bit detached from the memories I made over the years, the people who were a part of my life and most importantly the childhood that made me the person I am today.

    There are many aspects of my childhood I didn't like; coming of age in a small provincial market town on the south coast of England, was not a barrel of laughs, especially during the 1980s. However, the good outweighed the bad, and there is much more that resonates fondly with me, than not, even today in my fifties. Yes, I did have my problems, but in the main my recollections are of happy times, full of laughter, surrounded by friends and loved ones. Enjoying lazy, long summer days, we played outside until the sun went down, and the street lights came on.

    I have written a lot about my childhood throughout this blog. 'Short Stories From My Youth,' documents my early years, as a small boy finding my way in the World. Living thousands of miles away in Australia, I often think of my roots, even though I would rather forget the more challenging aspects of an era that certainly wasn't easy.

    Relocating to Australia in the past was difficult; during the 1990s there wasn't the access to internet as there is today and staying in contact with friends and family was hard. I became extremely lonely and withdrawn and returned to the UK relatively quickly, when in reality I should have stayed; how amazing my life would be today if I had remained in Perth back then. Today I am reliving that original journey, only this time with enthusiasm and determination. Most importantly, I am in constant contact with people back home, and that is keeping me here, sane and content.

    As I child I lived in a social housing complex on the edge of the south coast town of Fareham, a short walk from my families village of Titchfield. I have mainly positive memories from my time living here and most importantly, I was never lonely. Nashe House, as it was called, was filled with young families and children of the same age. My next door neighbour, Lee, was my closest friend at the time, and we would often play together outside. Our front doors were always left open, we were in and out of each other's flat all day; the community of which we were all apart was welcoming, giving and always there to give support when needed. None of us were rich, this was the 1970s, after all. What little we had, we gave gladly, and there was a sense of belonging in a way that doesn't exist today.

    My old next door neighbour Lee has been in constant contact since I moved to Australia, and for that I am truly grateful. He has messaged consistently, and we often talk about the lives we once shared, a lifetime ago. Lee is a link to the past that I wouldn't otherwise have, and he has helped me adjust to Australian life, just by knowing he is there, echoing the memories we made together as children. His friendship has been instrumental in keeping me grounded and focused, as I restart my life in Australia, and that is something I am truly grateful for.

    Let me be honest, I haven't kept in contact with many people since leaving school; I had very few good friends at that time, and if anything I was glad to walk away through the school gate on that final day. It is only because of the advent of social media, that I have managed to interact with school friends and those I lived with in Nashe House. Had I been born even a few years before, I am not entirely sure if I would be in contact with anyone from that period today. For that reason, Facebook, Instagram and the like have helped me communicate with those I would have ordinarily lost contact with.

    Lee's Mum still lives in the neighbourhood, and he visits her often. To be honest, I wish I had spent more time with my Mother before she died, but we can always look back with hindsight and think 'what if?' Last week, he visited his Mum as usual and sent me photographs of the community, I used to call home. Apart from a brief visit, I haven't been there in many years, and it brought back so many memories, seeing it, as it is today.
    When I was a child, everything seemed so big. The block of flats where I lived appeared vast; I remember looking up to the balcony above our front door, head spinning, feeling dizzy, at the sheer height of the 70s brick structure above. Just outside our small front garden, the dedicated washing area, where residents hung their clothes to dry, was an arena to play and make memories. The rolling green fields of the school opposite flowed infinitely down to the old railway bridge, where I used to forage for blackberries with Mum and Dad as a child. The surrounding houses and shops, offered a chance to explore, finding new hiding places, adventures and journey's to fulfil.

    This was a time of wonderment and finding my place in the World, but it was also a period to push boundaries and see just how far I could go. As children, we were always looking to towards each new day with enthusiasm and awe. Without a care in the World, life flowed like water off a ducks back.

    Lee's photographs conjured up an explosion of nostalgia and remembrance. Reflections of an innocent time, free from stress and worry, came flooding back. Laid bare before me, were photographs of my juvenescence, forty-five years in the future. I vaguely remember different scenarios related to these modern day digital photographs, but I don't recognise the run down nature of a neighbourhood that used to be so well-kept and looked after.

    Lee and I grew up at a time before technology, before mobile phones and computers; we used our imaginations, rather than websites and search engines and enjoyed an outdoor life, going from neighbour to neighbour. There was no fear or hate towards the residents in our locality, just respect, regard and recognition towards our extended family next door. This was the decade before the 'rot set in,' and all of us lived happily side by side. This is the part of Britain I miss every day, but wherever I live in the World, those sentimental, wistful anecdotes will always be a product of the past. I can recall these narratives in my home town or my adopted home of Perth, it just takes a friend like Lee to jog the old grey matter occasionally.

    I am glad to have grown up when I did, at a less complicated, more simpler time. The people who remained in my life were the important ones. Happily, I am in contact with my old childhood friend Lee during a period of great upheaval, when I need his words more than at any other time. As I adjust to life down under, it is good to know my past still plays a part in my future direction; without retrospection and foresight, I would surely make the same mistakes again!
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    Snake Season!

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    The snake season has arrived in Australia; not a particularly welcome part of the year, but an important date in the antipodean calendar I'm sure. Of course this isn't something I knew off the top of my head, or was made aware of when I moved here, this is an event that just happened to rear its ugly head and reinforce my dislike, of some of the more colourful wildlife here in Perth.

    It was a typical afternoon at work, and I was due to take part in an online meeting with colleagues. It was a particularly humid day, clouds were gathering in the sky, and I was in the middle of eating my lunch. I had just taken the last bite of my cheese and Ozemite sandwich, when I heard voices coming from the back of the stockroom. A member of staff had come across a small baby snake. Without her glasses on, she went to pick up what she thought was a cord and was taken aback when it suddenly moved away from her; In her words, it was rather agile and active.

    Having never dealt with such a situation before, I was initially unsure about what exactly to do. I began by evacuating the store room and moving staff to the front of the shop. After taking advice, we were told a snake catcher was on the way and to try and keep away from the back of the stockroom. Before we could do that, a member of staff quickly ran to the back and shut the roller door, just in case anyone ventured inside. On her return, she spotted the snake and instantly through a bin on top of it, trapping it inside.

    It wasn't long before this rather rugged Aussie snake catcher arrived and went to detain the offending reptile. To be honest, not knowing much about snakes, I assumed it would be pretty harmless, especially being a baby - how wrong was I!

    The snake was called a Dugite and is native to Western Australia. It has a greenish body and black head. These snakes are solitary and tend to live alone. This little babies Mother literally threw him or her out as soon as she was able, and boom, it was out on it own. I was expecting there to be more of them, maybe a nest or something, but no. The snake catcher explained that where there is a solitary snake, there will not be another. There may well be one next door, but certainly not in the same building. In a way that was reassuring, but as he stood there with the snake in a bag, I couldn't help thinking, 'when would our new resident move in.' Whether that is true or not, and as one snake leaves, another surely follows, I don't know.

    Mr Snake Catcher continued in conversation, detailing the life of this little Dugite and confirming it was only passing through. This is snake season in Australia and endless eggs will be hatching, making them more visible than they otherwise would be. Generally they don't go inside people's homes, but having just hatched, unaware of their environment, it probably made a mistake, ending up in our back room.

    .... Now for the chilling part. This seemingly harmless snake is highly venomous and yes, it can kill, even as a baby. That's when it actually hit me - I am in Australia, where the wildlife is so far removed from that in the UK, that I need to be on my guard at all times. These situations can happen from time to time, and I must make myself aware of what is dangerous and what is not. I could have quite easily tried to pick up this little critter and throw it outside, but thankfully I didn't, or this blog post may well have ended very differently.

    Since the snake incident at work, I have to admit I have become a bit paranoid, checking for reptiles and spiders wherever I go. Every morning I check under the toilet seat, my shoes, in my knicker draw, and in the laundry room, just to make sure there is nothing lurking in the shadows. I have rarely seen anything nasty since moving here, and as a rule I don't go out of my way to find them.

    It reminds me of the time I was living in Australia in 1997. We lived in a new build in the then up-and-coming suburb of Ellenbrook and were there for several months. Every day, numerous times a day, I would head to the kitchen sink, get a drink of water or do the washing up. All perfectly normal, so I thought. It wasn't until we left the house in Mid-Summer Circle, that Darrell told me the plants along the sink, on the window shelf above, were full of red back spiders. My mouth dropped, I couldn't believe he never said a word.

    Looking back now, I am glad he didn't. If he had, I would have spent everyday looking for them, avoiding the sink and generally becoming a nervous wreck. If you can't see something, or are not aware it's there, you can generally function normally - give or take the odd mishap. Now, something's just can't be unseen, and although I am familiar with the venomous Dugite, I would have rather not experienced it in the first place.

    I suppose my date with a snake, not unlike others I've had in the past, was a warning to be mindful of where I am. In time, I will forget it ever happened, but until then it is just part of the course, living down under. The further I integrate into Australian life, the more used to the extremes I will become. I look forward to the day when snakes and spiders will be like water off a ducks back; until then, I'll keep on learning, adapting and mastering, becoming part of the fabric of society and relishing the challenges that come my way!
    This week we have managed to continue decorating the villa. With work commitments top of our agenda, we are having to fit home improvements in when we can. We have more or less finished the front lounge, with the new multicoloured rug, which matches Mollie's hair perfectly, and a few other finishing touches - a homage to the collector still in my heart. The family room now has a new sofa, and I am waiting for the new carpet to arrive tomorrow. This room will be a reflection of the 1960s and 70s, and I am going to try and make it as retro looking as I can, starting with a bright orange feature wall - who knows where it will end!
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    Despite work taking priority, we did manage to spend a weekend together, which will be the last one for a while. This is a very busy time for me and Darrell, as we continue building our careers in Australia. Moving from the UK was about improving our life together, but it was also about the quality of life we have together. The dark, grey, rainy days in Portsmouth may well be a distant memory, but if we spend all our time working, we will never experience the lifestyle we both crave.

    For now, we have renovations to complete, furniture to buy and decorating to do, so it's time to knuckle down and continue to rebuild our life in Perth. We have a hefty mortgage to pay, a cat to look after, a car to buy and bills up to our eyeballs, so that elusive lifestyle will have to wait, just a little bit longer.

    As we move from summer into winter, our new villa will come into its own; a sanctuary from the elements outside and a bolthole from the disparaging World around us. We are both happy to be far, far away from Britain and the dark, grey, depressing existence we had before we left, but we are conscious of our roots, even if they are sometimes painful to recall. This is the life we have chosen together, because we no longer have the patience to bother with other people; people who essentially never cared about us. The best way to show the detractors you have moved on, is to build bigger, better and show you are far happier than them - that's exactly what we are doing today!
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