The Big Oz Adventure

  We have now decided to rent out our house and go instead of trying to get a reasonable sale. As Jack and Sophie have already said their goodbyes and the upset that caused, we didn't really want to send them back after the school holidays only for them to go through it all again. We have therefore booked our flights for the 17th Sepember so the next time they go to school will be in Australia so in a few months they will be on their summer holidays once again.

 

  We will fly be flying with Singapore Airlines as we have heard nothing but good things about them. We will have eight hours or so in Singapore before boarding the second flight to Adelaide. 

 

 We have also booked PSS to transport all our belongings by sea. They will pack everything this end and unpack everything the other end so it should be nice and easy for us

 

  So now the next few weeks are going to be manic. We have a house to get ready to rent out. Belongings to be sorted into container, hand luggage, luggage, junk and stuff to try and sell. We also have to sell the car and stll get to London with four children and all our luggage

  Our plan is to travel down on either the Sunday or the Monday before the Wednesday the flights are booked. We have arranged to stay with my parents before we go and plan to take Jack and Sophie into London on the Tuesday to see the important sights the capital has to offer. Lords Cricket Ground, Loftus Road and The Stoop. Oh okay The London Eye, Buckingham Palace and the Natural History Museum, though I do hope to take Jack to Loftus Road as QPR are playing at home on the Sunday. 

 

 This Morning Tracey had a telephone interview with the Women and Children's Hospital in Adelaide. After being on the phone with them for 40 minutes or so they offered her a job.  So we have the visas Tracey has a job. All we need now is to sell the house and go. We have been getting quotes to ship all our belongings over but can't afford to book them or buy airplane tickets until we get money from the house sale.

 During the week we met up with a couple of investors that seem keen to take the house off of our hands to rent out. The plan is they will give us money upfront to pay for the move for us and our stuff and it will also give us cash to survive for a few months so we can get settled. They will take on the mortgage and rent the house out. In 3 to 4 years time when the house market improves they will buy the house off of us at the sum agreed today. They will pay the balance of the mortgage and forward us the remainder minus the initial advance.

 Its not ideal but with the present house market its the best deal we are going to get. We have had offers on the house but only of about 60% of the value. We wouldn't even be able to pay the mortgage off for that, let alone get ourselves to Adelaide!!!

 We are just waiting now while they test the rental market around here to say yes or no.

 It now seems so very real. Before it was just talk and dreams. Even with the news the visa had been granted it didn't, fo me, seem as though anything was happening. Now that has all changed and reality has hit home with a knock on the door. The postman delivered our passports back from Australia House. Not bad seeing as we only posted them off on Friday so they only had them for one working day. Its when you look at the visa stuck in the passport and it states that we are permitted to remain in Australia indefinately.

 All we need now is for someone to buy the house and thats that. We now need to look at logitics of the move. We need to start getting quotes from shipping companies and start costing tickets for the long flight. Sophie will be made up when she gets home. She is so looking forward to showing her teacher and classmates her passport with the visa attached. She has told them all about the move and where abouts in Australia we are going to.

 We now have our visa. Got the email this morning and the relief is unreal. Just need to sell the house and then we can go. Tracey is going to contact the hospitals in and around Adelaide this afternoon and let them know we have the visa and see what happens. Tracey is planning on drinking a whole bottle of bubbley stuff that has been in the fridge for this very moment. Guess I'll be getting up to Joe in the night again.

 Well, we received an email telling us that they have everything they need and the application is now ready for a decission maker. So just when you think you are at the last stage they create another last stage. Other people don't even get told they have a case officer they get an email saying the visa is theirs. We get more emails and get excited when we receieve them thinking 'this is it' then it turns out, it's not it. There can't be another stage now surely so hopefully the next thing we hear is whether we have it or not. So its back to eagerly checking the email every morning waiting and more waiting.