HELLO From New Zealand

urg123

wow Chev - that's big news. I wonder if you feel this way because you have tried so hard to make it in NZ. Have you talked about when you will head back? what's the exit/re-entry strategy?

urg x x

MatyMoo

Rumour has it the housing market is on the up again

Maybe you feel more relaxed because you know you can come home? How about putting a timeline on it and planning the trips you want to do on that side of the world around that. OK so it may be a while before you come back but how much fun will you have fitting in all those trips first, and great experiences for your boys

Happy New Year

tootallulah

Housing in north Bucks will be going up in value. Happy New Year to you and yours I hope that 2014 is a good one for you.

chevalier

Thanks for the replies guys. We have been super busy at the start of the year.
Oldest went to jamboree here in nz for 10 days, and then straight into a surf carnival. Youngest came 3rd, 2nd and 3rd in 3 events there, so very please parents!

Having problems with Oldest. About getting information from the school about activities. Sigh. He seemed to think that if he got the info then he was doing the sport. I had to explain to him that I wanted the information so that we could then talk about it and come to a decision about it together. So I hope that is that sorted, but it takes so much time doing this. Oldest is dyslexic and there is I am sure something else going on as well. So he doesn't see the world quite the same way as the rest of us. Have to bite my tongue and explain, explain, explain. OH just doesn't get it and gets angry and upset and that doesn't help at all.

As for the house and coming back. I can't understand why but now we have made the decision (though not talked about it further as my mum was here), I feel really torn about it. There are events that are happening after Christmas 2014 (like the 2015 cricket 20.20 world cup here) plus other stuff. I get all excited, and then deflated when I remember we won't be hear.

Yet if we stayed I can't see anything else changing, and it will be just as bad as the last 5 years.......Oh bum. I don't know.

If I could just catch one break in one area of my life that would be a help.

Rant alert
Prices to buy a house are sky rocketing here (have never really stopped). And you now need a 20% deposit for any mortgage. So a $500,000 house (which would be too small for us or in total desrepair) you need a $100,000 deposit as a minimum. Hence wondering about selling our UK house. We would clear about 100,000 pounds if we did that. But then housing stock over here is so dodgy. You could pay out nearly a million dollars and still buy a dog. The quality of builds over here are so variable. And if we did sell, I worry about not being able to get back on the housing ladder in the UK. Problem is that our house is relatively in the middle of nowhere, and several prospective tenants have mentioned this as the reason for NOT going forward with the tenancy. The house also needs some work doing to it too. Not a lot but still enough to eat into our remaining UK funds....

Work - what the heck does it take to get a flaming job. I have applied several times to work in the library and can't even get that job. Another job doing Data Entry I haven't even heard back from so that is another dead end. I know I am being picky, but my ongoing stresses with living here at all, means that I don't want to do a job that will make me unhappy just at the thought of it (eg care work, cleaning). Don't get me wrong I know these are REALLY worthy jobs but I also know (certainly for the cleaning), that I would hate it.

Also I am limited to part time work. There is no one really to consistently look after the boys. They have so much after school sport, that I have to be taxi from, that you can't expect an after school club to do that running around. I have even put down I am available for nights, but nope that hasn't bought any results either. And the agency I joined kept sending my texts asking me to work from 4pm - er how do I manage kids when OH at the earliest doesn't get home till gone 5 most nights.ggggrrrrr

And then there is my course. I am 'trying' to get some courses I did in the UK credited to my degree here. This would save me at least $3000 in loans if it came off. And yet because the OU in the UK give out diploma supplements not academic transcripts, the uni here isn't inclined to accept them..... SIGH.

The only good thing about the last 3 months is that my mum staying was fairly painless this year. She has finally understood that we don't all want to go out EVERY day. Phew. It was a LONG time for her to be here though.

So all in all a very mixed start to the year. And I know I have NOTHING really to complain about compared to other people. Especially those who are dealing with flooding, or illness (god bless KJ and others), or low funds. But it is still a right royal pain in the do dars.

Like I said if just ONE bit would go right, it would be such a weight off me, and by extension the family......
chev

chevalier

First day off in ages. Where we didn't HAVE to do something. Has been a welcome change in pace. Managed to get some food bargains too so that is always a plus Now my mum has gone back we can get back onto money saving on that front so wahay
chev

HeadAboveWater

*hugs* to you chev! Thanks for the update. Must be hard and confusing to be so torn between 2 places. And it's not an easy up-and-go from one to the other either which makes the decision that much bigger. It will all work out for you, one way or the other. Chin up

chevalier

Thanks HAW I am just not thinking about it for now.

Does anyone else ever feel frustrated with people on here. There are several people on the forums at the moment, that seem hell bent on repeating the same mistakes over and over again. I feel sad for them and have even stopped posting on their thread on occasion, as there isn't any more I can say that I haven't already thread.

Or is this just me being a moody cow?
chev

*Robin*

Hi Chev, :hello:

Lovely to 'see' you after so long - for some reason this is the first time I've spotted your diary this year, so lots to catch up with...

Sounds like you're very torn between Oceania and the Old Country; must be very frustrating not being able to find a job that fits around family commitments (((hugs))).
Is there any chance of working for yourself?

Re your rental house, as it's rural do you welcome pet owners? So few LLs will accept them that it could be a great plus for your property, and folk with pets are more likely to be interested in a country home anyway - also in keeping it long term.

Aha - for once am awake to enjoy the best English-language programme currently on offer here in the back of beyond. From your part of the world: Outrageous Fortune. Wish I could adopt Munter, lol. :rotfl:

chevalier

I laughed when you mentioned that you had the NZ version of Outrageous Fortune over there. I watched it with horrifed fascination, when we first came out here. The really sad thing though is that some families here really DO operate like that....

Well dear DS2 gave me his cold over the weekend, so that wrote those days off. Plus everytime I have to take things like sudafed, it keeps me awake half the night - I guess I am sensitive to the ingredients.

Plodding on not doing very much, the boys are so busy at the moment - OH included, that I don't have much time to do more than the basic housework. Sigh.

Anyway must get on with the washing.....
chev

chevalier

Can't sleep sigh. I have come to the conclusion that we are poor! I know this sounds weird but it has been a slow realisation over the last through weeks.

People take it for granted ar scouts now that ds1 will need a lift to events because we have nly one car...We are the only couple we know that do. Everyone else either has two vehicles themselves or else they have one car and a work vehicle that they use out of work time.

Most peopke seem to be able to take days off over holidays/go away for a few days..... we can't afford this. I look at the kids that are in he teams/groups the boys are in, and their siblings watching on the sidelines have ipads/psps/iphones to play with.

Without selling our house in the UK we cant buy over here. And even if we did, the house buying process is a nightmare over here, far more fast and loose with the truth than the UK.

Sigh, if we could just catch a break over here, ie job etc then it would make such a difference.