Into the 3rd month

Cost of living in Oz
If it’s any consolation to some (or all) of you, here is our early assessment of how expensive or cheap it is to live here. I know the UK is facing serious challenges and I know I was certainly beginning to feel the pinch for at least a year before we left and a lot of those cost increases were out of our control. The Sunsets however don't cost you a penny. This was outside our rental the other evening.

I think some of the following will be a surprise, others expected.

Petrol – defo cheaper here just $1.04 dollars a litre – about 45p. Heard on the radio today some garages have been selling under $1 a litre.
Wine – No Cheaper, about the same but that’s a real surprise considering a lot is produced within 100 miles of here.
Beer – If you like lager – you’re OK here, I’m not a great fan. They have some Pale Ales and dark beers, but not a patch on UK beer. I’m really missing my pint of bitter. Oh for a London Pride, a Pedigree, or a Speckled Hen. I am seriously considering importing these as a sideline. Even if I can’t shift them on, I know I’ll have lots of fun polishing off the container load!!!
Pub prices – if you can find a decent bar, to me the beer is more expensive a pint is about $8
Golf Club – joined the other day just a $50 dollar registration fee (£20 versus a £1500 joining fee at Brookmans Park). The annual Subs are $1,000 (£450) so about ½ price. However a big disadvantage is that I am only allowed a 6 day membership, Saturdays are for full members only and there's a massive wait list for that.

However the aim is to turn every challenge into an opportunity so a better way of looking at it is that Saturdays become the family day. Already its working as I take Jamie to his Kanga Cricket (Won 2 lost 2 so far) on Sat mornings (Jamie's bowling action is more a Muraly chucker) and we take both of the kids to the beach on Sat arvo’s for the Life Saving Surf Club fun and games (while we sit back and lap it all in). Actually I do go for a run along the beach during the afternoon; 1 mile to Brighton Beach and then back again. (that must take all afternoon then – I hear you say.... don’t bother timing it. I know I only have one pace and that’s slow.)
- Private medical insurance cheaper
- House prices, probably just over half the price price of UK here in Adelaide but same in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth as far as we can make out


- Food more exp for most items
- Clothes; as Debi will recount a dodgy selection, she has still to find decent designer shops.
- Food in restaurants, same, but portions much bigger
- Takeaways poor standard so far, really missing the Methi or Raj fix
- Customer service excellent, most people very friendly and helpful.


The Weather
You have to talk about it don't you...
We have a serious drought problem, very little rain falls here. All this week it's been around 14c but today hit 24c. In Queensland they have had massive hail and storms. Even the red Centre (Ayers Rock etc) has had a real good dump of rain. It's just not made it to Adelaide.

2nd Car
I've held off as long as possible, but as I start work on 1 Dec, I'll need to be able to get to and from the new office. The buses will take forever and there is no direct train to Glenelg. It would be a long walk to the station (30 mins), a train then another walk of 10 mins to the Tram and then on to Glenelg. by car it will only be 20-25 mins.
So now I’ve got the job, the car search has started – what a hassle. For most blokes I guess having the opportunity to visit a load of car showrooms and talk cars is a real treat. For me it’s a nightmare I hate it. I like a nice car, but I would prefer to just walk in buy the car I want and then keep it for several years to avoid that hassle again (hence my last car I had for 7 years and really reluctantly had to sell it on leaving England. However I know my baby found a great new home after it’s one careful owner.... (Nick Jarman take note).

Fire Season
There are now signs up everywhere warning us about the real risk of bush fires. We live in an area which has some risk. Last year there was a big bush fire on the Old Belair Road, just 5 kms up the road. We need to work out a plan - what do in the event of an emergency. It's something they all get used to over here and many workers become fire volunteers. When the Sirens go they drop their jobs and make a beeline for the fire Station to help out. Fire season is apon us also as the hotter Summer weather is about to hit. many days in late 20c and in the 30's.

Bike rides and trails
As we live in an area of many hills and parks, there are many excellent bike rides around here. Some of the hills however are more than a challenge for my tired old legs and I have to get off and leg it. It's been nice to experience new sights and scenery, discovering something new around every corner.

School Sports Day
Yes - the whole day, they go for it big time here. If you thought sitting through an hour and a half was enough, try all day!!! Seriously it wasn't that bad, most parents brought along picnic chairs and food and it passed pretty quick in actual fact. They do compete here with 4 houses vying for the trophy a la Hogwarts. Egg and spoon, races, sack races, the parents race, Sprints, Relays, High and Long jump, hurdles, football dribbles they have the lot. Even a song and dance routine at the beginning to put the high school Musical 3 to shame.



Anyway its getting late, bi for now from Charlie and me. Promise to include a Debi blog next time out.

Another piece of the jigsaw filled

What a great week it's been.

Blackwood Golf Club

Last Thursday I made the short trip up to Blackwood Golf Club at Cherry Gardens and played my first round there with a lovely Gent called Rod. He introduced himself to me the week before as I hung around the hallway looking very lost. He is the social secretary and he did a fantastic job making me feel welcome last week, and even more today as I played with him and his lovely wife, (the ladies Vice President!).

The course was in great nick, actually very green, with beautiful rolling tree lined fairways and very fast greens. Two things I noted whilst playing. It was a warm day circa 26c and the flies were really active, really hard to concentrate when putting or playing shots with these useless insects all over your face and body. The other was a constant buzzing , but away in the distance. It was bees/wasps doing what they do, but thankfully away in the distance. God knows if they came at us in a swarm, we'd have no chance. In the bar afterward, Debi Georgia and Jamie also joined us, as they are very relaxed and sociable and Thursdays are all about "twilight Golf" with a meal after if required. I met a few of the members (including several ex pats) who again went out of their way to welcome us, asking us to join them at their tables and join in the banter. Of Course G & J started acting up as it was obviously not their scene at 7pm on a Thursday night, so sadly we couldn't take up the invitation to stay for a dinner. Debi though was invited to take part in the Ladies "try Golf" - designed to get the Ladies out with a Pro and meeting other ladies, with the view to getting them all playing regularly and future members of the club. As first impressions go it's everything I would want from a Golf Club and very much in the mould of Brookmans Park, which I have to say I am missing big time.

Adelaide Christmas Pageant - Sat 9 Nov 08

Boring item this, for many but I could not write a piece this week, without giving it a mention as it was the official opening of the Christmas period - well here in Adelaide anyway. Over 180 floats in the procession in the City and over 400,000 lining the streets to watch it pass by. Quite an atmosphere. Kids are invited to chalk names and pictures on the streets before the procession arrives. There was an attempt on the Guinness World of Records for the longest Mexican Wave, not sure if it was successful. We all went in to town by train from Coromandel to Adelaide City with our new Geordie friends; Andrew and Ashley; and Lorraine, plus various kids. Debi is actually trying to fix Georgia up with Lorraine's son Jack as a good looking boy in her class!!! Some things never change... After the show we noticed loads of houses have put up their Christmas lights, weird as we still have 6 weeks to go...

New Job, a gentleman's agreement - Monday 11 Nov 08

Had a second meeting today with the travel Company in Glenelg by the coast today. We have shaken on a basic agreement, with a full contract and terms to follow, so I am absolutely delighted. Great company, people, office, location and a role to really get excited about. I won't reveal more until I have a signed contract in place and I have started with them. Don't wish to pre-empt anything. If it all goes to plan a real major piece of the big jigsaw has been filled. So much flows out of this as I have found it a real difficult process, all the job hunting, applications, interviews and soul searching. I must have applied for over 100 jobs, leading to just 8 interviews, 3 phone interviews and numerous kickbacks. I am so pleased this has come off . More details in due course.

Stressed about the house build.

We were concerned no-one at the company building our new house, knew anything about the retaining walls on our new plot. It's being built on quite a slope and split levels so there is quite a lot of earth to manage. Slightly important as the pool company were about to start their dig and create the pool shell. Anyhow a potential problem was nipped in the bud by a good round table meeting with all concerned, finding the way forward. "it pays to talk". They have hit rock on the site, so now await some rock breakers to come and do their worst. The concrete footings however will go down before Christmas, so a major part of the job will be (fingers crossed) completed by the year end. Of course its steaming hot here over Christmas and the schools take off about 8 weeks as their main Summer Holiday. Building companies and many other business's shut down for nigh on 3 weeks.

Debi's tan coming on

Not having to rely on St Tropez for the moment Debi has been making the most of the great weather recently, by breaking in our 2 new sunloungers. She is still telling me she doesn't know how she finds time in the day to do everything!! Yeah Right....

The new Barby

Had to be done. Surprised it's taken so long actually, but with the better weather comes the chance to spend more time outside especially in the early evenings. We had a 34c day last week, with several other days in the late 20's c. So we've invested a new barby, with wok burner and all. I suppose I'd better learn how to use the darn thing. Not my forte that - cooking...

Darn Flies

One other downside we've experienced here is the amount of flies about. So much so that if you're not careful a veritable swarm follows you about. They hound you from every direction. They were definitely not as bad as this last year when we were here. Now we know why all houses without exception have got fly screens, around all opening windows and doors. Maybe they'll die off as the weather gets hotter, let's hope so. What possible good do flies do anyway??? Answers on a postcard please.

October snow in the UK, turnaround in fortune

We heard about a big dump of snow back in blighty, so much in fact that many branches and in some cases trees had fallen down. I could just picture many of our friends and their kids revelling in being off school and messing about in the snow. Made me realise just how far away we are. We are unlikely to see any snow falling here, a dumping of a few weeks rain is what is required to help ease the drought.

We did however try and recreate a bit of old home by trying to do a bit of trick or treating. Georgia and Jamie along with two new friends Hannah and Lewis, dressed up accordingly and then set about knocking on some doors to earn some booty. They had some success, but the local Aussies were simply not prepared for this. It meant nothing to them really, I could see the thoughts going through their heads, "we don't need this American stuff on our doorsteps". We got a suitable supply of sweets and some diet coke and the kids returned to demolish the lot, during their sleepover.

Saturday afternoon, saw Georgia and Jamie back at the Seacliff surf life saving club, on the beach at Seacliff, just 15 minutes from where we are living. From 1.30 until 4pm they are full on, in groups with kids of their age, playing beach games, wading, paddling on surfboards, relays ion the sand etc etc. Georgia has never been so active for such along period. It can't fail to do them good. Interesting to note the Aussies revel in the competition element. Almost every activity ends up with a winner or with them all achieving a goal, be it to just finish. Tough for us parents too, sitting around on the beach taking it all in. Charlie the dog can now come too, as he is through all his jabs, but he has to be kept on a lead during summer months.

The turnaround referred to, was for events back in London where my beloved Spurs managed in this last week, to dismiss a manager and all his backroom staff; beat Bolton; draw away with Arsenal 4-4 but come back from 4-2 down with just minutes to go; finally defeating Liverpool 2-1 with another last minute winner. I mean Spurs just do not do that sort of thing. Harry Redknapp has had an astounding start indeed. Have really enjoyed mixing it with Arsenal and Liverpool fans, as we have been the butt of too many jokes for far too long. Fingers crossed we can keep the bubble from bursting too early as undoubtedly it will.

Tonight I'm off to the City to catch a few beers and watch Adelaide Utd in the 1st leg of the Asian Champions league final. Should be fun as they've set up big screens in Elder Park on the banks of the Torrens in the shadow of the Adelaide Oval. Actually I was near there yesterday as I managed to slip in 9 holes of Golf at the pay and play North Adelaide course. The whole city after lunch appeared to shut down as Melbourne Cup fever took hold of most of Australia. I assume the equivalent of our Grand National. Needless to say I didn't take it in, not being much of a horse racing buff.