Beach and More

Wow, they have great beaches here :) Sunday (27/11/11) saw us going to a beach at Hillary's harbour.  Tis a lovely little beach, no more than 300m wide and about 30m from the walkway to the sea.  A playpark is built on the sand and there are big canopies that give shade all through the day.  They have really thought about things here! 

There are even lifeguards on duty for when I forget how to swim.  The beach is really sheltered and there are no waves at all so tis perfect for the boys, although Finley was a little disconcerted by the sea being salty :p he said it made his tummy funny.  They both enjoyed being in the water and after our false start of forgetting towels (yes we went to the beach with no swim costumes or towels...we have so much to learn about Aussie life).  We did however manage to get there by 0900, so not to hot and we are only 10mins from the beach!!!!!!!!!!!!

We met some friends down at the beach, the Folley's from Christchurch so that was fun and we all had a good time.  We have video's of the boys in the water and I shall put them up in due course.  Next time we hit the beach, next Sunday (predicted to be 37'C) we shall be more prepared in swimming kit, towels and lots of sunblock, likely enough to cause a small oil slick in the harbour.

Anna has had a few interviews, Kinetic Health said she was over qualified for an admin post...how can you be over qualified, surely that means you'll just be great at doing the job? Stupid people.  She has however had a very promising interview at a local Clarks type shoe shop in the Warwick Centro and has a follow up interview on Wednesday (30/11/11) so fingers crossed. 

I've been out drilling at Pinjar, just north and east of Joondalup.  Here's a picture of one of the drill sites:

It has been hot at times 36'C plus but the heat is fine, tis the flies that the first heat brought out which were hideous but they have gone now which is great.  I have rather fetching site gear (modelled by Finley and Daddy, so far Anna has refused to model it for me :(

                                                                                                 

Looks better on him than me!  I have also encountered some of the local wildlife:

So far no snakes or Red Backs yet but tis still early in the season.

New Home Dalwood

It's been a busy week at work but enjoyable, my new site gear is something to behold, picture to follow when I attached our new phones but tis on facebook if you look on Anna's pages.  Anna is doing good and still enjoying it out here.  She has gotten quite friendly with a few of the other wives out here and generally being a social butterfly (just a shame I cramp her style when ever I go with her!)

We moved into the house this Friday just gone (18th November 2011).

 

The first night was a long one with a late night trip back to the camping house to get a few bits n pieces.  However the boys seemed to like it and enjoyed the extra room to play about in.  The garden has gone down very well.  The only downside was the stalking of Anna by our first cockroach :p

Both boys slept fairly well which was a good thing.  Saturday we went swimming again and both boys did great and better than last week.  Then Saturday we had people coming round to the house all bringing things for us to borrow.  We have been lent a double mattress, sheets, duvet, chairs and tables, without Glynis, Wesu, Fi and John and Vikki our home would not feel anything like it does.  Having somewhere decent to sleep is wonderful and Finley having a blow up mattress is great. Marcus has a cot we have hired and he seems happy in it (most of the time).

Saturday also saw our first feathered visitors to the garden.  A pair of beautiful parrots (not sure what type, will let you know when I find out).  They came and sat in our mulberry tree that Finley rather enjoyed eating the fruits off.  However trying to tell a three year old to only eat the fruit and not the stalk proved rather pointless as the whole thing disappeared down his throat :p

Sunday saw us down to the camping house to give it a clean (we then found out that they had it professionally cleaned after we had cleaned it, Doh!).  We had a fairly relaxing day after that and spent some time chilling at the house, I saw some Galahs (grey and pink parrots) and a little lizard thing scuttling along the stone wall in the sun.  Twas lovely just sat relaxing in the garden.  We went to a park that is about 5mins walk away in the afternoon.  The floor is covered in sand which makes it lovely to play on and tis fine to take shoes and socks off and run about as there is no glass or the usual rubbish you get in British parks.  We met some locals and they were so friendly, they even offered us a car seat as we have found out the car seats we brought with aren't legal here, well they aren't illegal but if something happens then the insurance may not pay out.  Rather annoying but never mind. 

It's starting to get hot here, 28'C today and by Thursday 36'C when I'm out drilling...gonna be hard work me thinks!  The boys are doing ok in the heat and even Anna is getting used to it.  We shall see what she thinks of it next week!!!!!!

The boys have enjoyed their first day of nursery and both were shattered and went to bed early, hence why I had time to get this sorted.  (Anna's watching the final of XFactor Australia).  Oh I went to the Dojo that I'm probably going to join and I liked what I saw, so when we are more settled and worked out routines then I start training again :) looking forward to it.

Anna has an appointment with Hays recruitment tomorrow and an actual interview on Wednesday so fingers crossed there.  We are also supposed to be picking up our new car on Wednesday afternoon, so a busy day all around.

Finally a few more photos of the house.

Busy busy busy

What has happened to the last week or so?  We've been busy that's what and generally exhausted by the evening. 

We have seen houses, been to zoo's and aquariums, the races and paddled in the Indian Ocean.  So where to start?

The first Saturday that we were here we saw two houses, one was huge and right opposite a nice open space with a small swing park but it felt very dated and had some interesting features, like exposed burnt red/black brick walls which weren't overly nice.  Also the garden left a lot to be desired.  Very sandy and not much cover.  The second house which is in Warwick, is smaller but felt nicer, two open areas with play parks close by (a few mins walk) and a decent little shopping centre again just a two min walk away.  The house is in a quiet cul-de-sac a 10min max walk to the nearest station.  The garden is also nicer with grass and a large covered area to play/sit in rather than in the full sun.

So we applied for the second house after a rather hectic but very strange viewing process.  They open the house for 15min and everyone interested goes and has a look during those 15min, therefore you could have 20+ people in a three bed house.  Very cramped and rather annoying but that's what happens here.

On the Sunday we went to AQWA (or the Aquarium of Western Australia), twas much fun and the boys both really enjoyed seeing all the fish and watching the divers in the walk through bit.  Finley was fascinated by the size of the sharks and the sting-rays.  He did however have a few harsh words for the boatman (the diver from Finding Nemo) who was cleaning the glass of the tank!  Later a trip to the local play park was met with much enthusiasm by the boys who played for about an hour in the setting sun.  A couple of very tired and irritable kids where ushered into bed after a quick supper.

Monday was my first day at work and along with the rest of the week was pretty much a blur.  I have done so much training that I don't want to see another training course for some while.  Otherwise I have enjoyed the first week and have gotten to know people I sit with and everyone seems nice and also fairly new.  Some people only having been here 6 to 8 months so I don't feel alone at being new. 

On Wednesday 9th November we got the news that we had been lucky enough to get the house we wanted in Warwick.  So we sign the lease next Tuesday and move in the next Friday (18th November).  We are both so pleased and happy that we have got it and we can settle in there and get properly sorted (or at least as properly sorted as we can till our stuff arrives).  This will likely be the last working week in December or possible into the New Year, not ideal but not a lot we can do about it.  Will have to rent white goods but that is easy and not too expensive until we get ours.

We have also found a little nursery for the boys, not as good as Hollytree but child care is more expensive over here and the boys will be happy here until we can afford somewhere else.  Another plus is that it is next to the train station so good exercise for Anna on a morning and afternoon.  There is also swing parks on the way home, so she may end up being distracted by the boys and end up in theparks!

Friday night we went to the Trotts, this is a soft core take on horses and trap racing where the horses are restricted to a fast trot and race round a mile track.  We went with the team and their families but Marcus was creating at so much going on and being very tired.  Trying to get him into a proper routine is difficult due to sharing a room with Finley but hey we will get there.  The Trotts however was much fun and it was nice to see people and their families outside of work. Will arrange babysitters and go another night for a more relaxed evening.  Anna enjoyed it better than when she went to see dogs racing in UK so that's a plus.

On Saturday we took the boys to their first swimming lesson, very very different from home.  A 25m pool divided into about 5 lanes one end and 4 the other with a larger space for the babies.  Anna took Marcus into the baby section which was similar to Puddleducks but Finley due to his age went in by himself with armbands and the instructor.  He did so well and swam fine with the arm bands, they gave him the confidence to actually swim by himself and he did it fantastically and got a certificate to prove it.  Marcus did well too and enjoyed the class save for the last 5 mins.  Very noisy but great fun and both boys swimming at the same time (9.00am) means we can be off somewhere else for the rest of the day.


The afternoon saw us down to Freemantle and fish n chips by the sea.  It was a really enjoyable afternoon, we went on a Ferris wheel which meant the boys could look out over the docks and quays. we walked along and found a little path and Finley got his first taste of paddling in the Indian Ocean, he seemed to enjoy it although he did spend a significant time on his backside in the surf.  He didn't want to leave the small beach we found, can't wait to get to the real beach and let him loose.

Sunday we went to the Zoo via the ferry across the River Swan, Both boys appeared to enjoy the crossing with Finley wanting the window open, perhaps he wanted a swim?  We saw our first black swans on the south bank which are beautiful birds.  The zoo was much fun seeing elephants out for a stroll and the Kangaroos lazing in the sand, Koalas asleep in the trees and some Kookaburras in the trees so it was a really good time out and the boys enjoyed watching and pointing at various things they could and couldn't see.  It was rather exhausting for us keeping them in check but much fun was had in general.  It was "grandparents day" at the zoo, so there were lots of extra activities for the kids that grandparents could join in, although didn't see any grandparents on the bouncy castle! (Finley for some reason has talked non stop about bouncy castles since we arrived in Oz, so he was very excited to have a go).

Back to work tomorrow, roll on next weekend and our new home.

We're here!!

And it took a while to get here, so settle back, this is likely to be a long one!

Tuesday 1st November 2011 0300am.  Far to early to be awake but up and all packed into the car to go to Manchester.  Dad drove us in, a huge hug and thanks to him for getting up so early.  The journey wasn't bad, unsurprisingly the M62 was pretty empty at that time of the morning but it was throwing it down with rain (no surprise there).  We got to the airport fine and after a brief wait got checked in.  We had to repack some suitcases which was a pain but we got there.  We did however find out that our baggage would be off-loaded at Heathrow and we would need to collect it and check in for the next two flights again.  At this point we were severely pissed off as we knew moving all our bags and both kids would be a huge ordeal.  I think possible the hardest part of the journey occurred.  Saying bye to Dad.  He has done so much for us over the past four years we can't thank him enough.  Saying bye to Mum the night before was equally hard. 

Anyway, both boys were great on the first flight and both slept for most of it which was a bonus for us.  As predicted though getting our baggage at Heathrow and moving across to terminal 3 was an ordeal.  One paid porter and two taxis got us there but it took about 45mins to sort everything out.  A bit of flirting ( not sure who was the bigger flirt - James or the kids) and explaining what was happening meant that we got away with our bags weighing to much and not having to pay excess baggage saw us through check in.  If anyone is thinking of doing the same with small kids, security is a hassle.  I hate the taste of baby milk but I had to taste it every time, not a happy Daddy.

The middle flight was hard.  The in flight entertainment was a single screen at the front of the plane showing movies that wouldn't interest Finley even if he could see it.  So a long flight and nothing to watch.  Marcus did sleep for a few hours but Finley took till about 9 of a 12 hour flight to drop off.  So needless to say Anna and I didn't sleep at all.  Not good.  Marcus was great and only cried properly for about 45mins in a 12 hour flight.  We were so proud of both of them being so good.

Bangkok probably saw the only hiccup of the travel.  Our buggy got put on the luggage going to baggage reclaim, so for us to get it, it would have involved me get a tourist visa to Thailand, getting the buggy and then checking back into the airport and our flight, this was never going to happen in an hour stop over.  So we were told our buggy was put back on the plane and would be waiting for us in Perth...we were skeptical.

Last flight, sometime between Tuesday and Wednesday, I wasn't sure by that point.  Thank goodness we had individual screens and amazingly Scobby Doo was there to keep Finley amused for several hours.  Marcus was pretty good and slept for a large proportion of it.  We managed a few hours sleep as well which was good.

Landing at Perth in the mid afternoon was great, we were finally here.  We got put into the shorter passport queue because of the kids.  Baggage collected and then as expected...no buggy.  Anna sorted it out and got the airline to see if it was at Bangkok and get it on the morning flight so we would have it Friday.  It was rather gutting not to have the buggy as it does make things so much easier to do.  A huge thanks to the baggage people at Perth who were brilliant and helped us out with the luggage and ensured we got a Maxi Taxi and got us through so quick.

Taxi to the apartment and we got our first view of Perth, looks nice so far :)  Meeting Glynis was a real pleasure.  Such a wonderful person with a smile and warm hug to welcome us and it made us feel so happy.  The apartment is a lovely 2 bed place with open plan kitchen/diner/lounge.  two bathrooms which was unexpected and the washer/dryer in the kids bathroom.  However we were pretty crestfallen to find out it didn't have Internet and we couldn't skype anyone.  It was a real downer.  Our first meal consisted of half cold chips and pizza :p as it was fairly late by this point.

Bed was eagerly sought, a few wonderful hours and then...Marcus let all hell lose and was up to 0200 and Finley decided to be up till then as well.  Jet lag sucks especially with kids!!!!!  Thursday morning we all slept from 3am till 1130, it was sorely needed.  That afternoon we headed to the bank and sorted that, then found the main shopping bit and found a wonderful little thing that gives us WiFi in the flat, we got internet, yay!! Lunch was a lovely Chinese noddle thing, so far we are eating really Australian, lol.

Walking back home it poured but it was warm rain and Finley was jumping in every puddle and getting soaked and loving every minute of it.  He was soaked but warm and happy.  Thursday afternoon the buggy turned up and we spoke to mum and dad and it was brilliant to talk to them and tell them what we'd been doing. 

Friday saw a trip to the supermarket in our hirecar, automatics are weird!  It's very strange though walking into the supermarket and seeing basically everything we have back home but slightly different.  Same package, same product, different name but so much more fresh fruit and veg, very nice indeed.

Friday afternoon we went to the office BBQ and I met a load of my new workmates, they all seem really nice and friendly.  They all played with the boys on the balcony, yes a balcony, that they have drinks on every Friday (on the company:) ).  It was a really nice atmosphere and i'm looking forward to getting to know them better.  The low point was that I had to give a short speach saying who I was etc.  It went something like "Hi, i'm James, this is Marcus (who had walked over to me and I was holding) and the small child trying to jump off the balcony is Finley..." Only he would pull a chair over to the balcony and climb up on it!

Friday night saw a little better sleep, Marcus woke but went off again but Finley was awake and we ended up putting him on the sofa after Anna had said he would get a Strawberry in the morning if he went to sleep, so we heard Finley a little later saying "Mummy, i'm asleep can I have a strawberry! LOL

Still we got up about 0830 which was better and headed off to see out first house viewing.  It was in an area called Padbury which is about 18km north of the city.  It was a huge 4 bed bungalow but very '70's with exposed black/brown/red brick feature walls and greeny/yellow mottled glass in the entrance hall.  It was big and in a nice neighbourhood with a park and playground just over the road.  The garden was an ok size but not very nice, very sandy with little grass and not a huge area for the kids and little area under cover.  It is however only about 5mins to the beach :)  Finley was fascinated by a small white snail that he found.  I think he misses Slimy Bob :(

We then moved on to the next house, which is closer to the city and closer to a station.  About 10mins to the station, 10 on the train and 10 to the office, all good.  The house was lovely.  Smaller than the first one and the nearest play park is a few mins walk away but there is a WhiteRose size mall less than a 5 min drive away.  It is a nice family home with a grassed area and a large covered area.  Finley kinda played with the small boy who lived there.  There are nurseries close by and good schools as well.  It is also $200 a month cheaper and with the lower costs of travel. it would be saving about $300 a month which makes it even more attractive.  Anna is going on Monday to put in an application form and fingers crossed we will get it but we shall see.

Back to the apartment and we spoke to mum and dad and Lucy and Bren and it was great seeing and hearing from back home.  Sat now with a cuppa and Fox's biscuits from Batley!  Home sweet Home.