Monday 13th October

Time is flying by now and I can't believe the amount of people wishing us well with our new life, many people that don't really know that well. The whole family are excited and can't wait to get on that plane for what some would a holiday of a lifetime ...... but this will be my 5th visit to Bali and the 3rd for the kids.

There are always people who try to throw a spanner into other peoples lives one for instance my dads wife. Me and my dad don't have anything to do with each other, and never will for reasons that I won't go into here. We have not had any contact since I phoned to tell him he had a grandson nearly 15 years ago. Since then I have heard he is dying from this then that and everything is hereditary a dig at me I think to be honest how could the first son abandon the father?????.

Then last night I get a message on facebook from his wife telling me that I had better make sure I have good health insurance because I am likely to need it as everything he has I am likely to get too. shame that's the only contact in 15 years. To be honest and I hope they read this or at least get told about this .....they can go FUCK OFF with their small insignificant lives.


On to Nicer thing we we to the Eden Project on Sunday, what a place everyone should visit at least once in there lives. The weather was more like a July day not an October day.


I got some great photos. I must admit at the moment I have had loads of time to concentrate on the things
I enjoy which is great I have even spent money on a new camera lens so I can take some surfing shots in Bali.

Another thing I have have done is made a film, wonders amaze me where all this imagination is coming from maybe its a mid life change of direction ha ha.

For the film I strapped my video camera to the bull bar of my 4x4 and drove around all the old haunts in Saltash. I took about an hour to drive to all the locations and then I edited the video. I speeded it up by about six times and added some appropriate music too take a look you might enjoy it if you don't thanks for looking.

Well I will sign off now maybe I will get another blog in before we fly if I have time between all photography and video :)

Sunday 5th October

So quite a lot has happened since my last post. We have now moved out of the house and are living with the in-laws. Its not the easiest thing to be doing if I am honest but then its only for 3 weeks. Yes in just over 3 weeks we will be on our way to a new life. I managed to get a fantastic deal with a company called Affordable Holidays, under £5k for 6 of us with a month in Bali on the way. I just can't wait.

I travel to London tomorrow to go to the Australian High Commission to get the visa's into the passports. I am glad to have something to do as it feels like I am just waiting for the days to pass and that gets so boring, but that will consist of 14 hours on a bus.

Found out last night that my ex the one that has made our lives hell dragging us through court just to say OK at the end, has a brand new car I bet the legal aid people will be interested in that time to report her me thinks that will wipe the smile off her face its people like her that have dragged this country into the ground, and tax payers like you and me are paying for that. If anyone has a suggestions on this matter let me me know

Monday 22nd September

Well................................................ Its finally happened I have a PR 175 Visa for Australia. We got it last Thursday and to be honest I have been in a daze since. We also complete on the house on Friday so we are busy packing for the international movers on Wednesday and Thursday.

And just to add the cherry on top for this week I managed to get tickets today and we have a month in Bali on the way which will be just great. I am really looking forward to Bali as it will be time to just relax and unwind after the last couple of months, and not only that we are planning on meeting some friends we have made online who are also emergrating to Australia.

Friday 12th September

Well something has finally happened all the medicals are finalized at last it has taken nearly 5 weeks, but hey who cares now. Our migration agent spoke to me yesterday and said there had been a problem with the immigration people not being able to open up a copy of the wife's birth certificate well that was sorted out yesterday so fingers crossed and I keep on saying this any day now.

Now time for a moan, anyone who has read this blog much will now I work in the IT sector well I did a favour for someone a couple of weeks ago but why do they think that once you have done them a favor you are now their own personal help desk!!!! I have now had calls first thing in the morning and worse than that when the football is on and if anyone knows me well I don't take kindly to being bothered when the football is on. I bet if I sent a bill for my time they would think twice. Lets face it you would not expect a mechanic to fix your car for free and you wouldn't expect a builder to work for free so why oh why do people think that just phoning for a bit of IT help is OK .

Since I am off from work now I have been taking some time to do things I like to do Photography for instance being one of those. I took what I think is a quite stunning photo at Lands End the other week.



I have also been messing around with video editing and I chose my old band to practice on and I think I have achieved quite pleasing results, some of the footage is from when we supported Feeder.

So until next time.

Sunday 31st August

Well here we are another week on and still no change, this has to be the worst and the best time of my life. Its just an emotional roller coaster, and I want to get off now.

Well as of Friday I am no-longer employed I was made redundant by the college closing when we were told I thought I would have be sorted and not have any worries.... How wrong I was.

Apart from not sleeping this week, getting up at silly o'clock just to check the status of our visa application, we went to Lands End and very worth it too I will have some pics up on my flickr account soon. I have always believed it to have been ruined by a theme pack vicious rumours it still has all the natural looks it once had go there you will enjoy it.

Well back to waiting for the visa!!!!

Sunday 24th August

We had a Chinese meal back in June that had some fortune cookies. My fortune cookie said August would be my month.

So the month started relatively slow with regard to the emigrating plans. Then wow this last week has been just an amazing turnaround. The house sale that has been on and off for quite a while now has finally got to the point where we should be exchanging contracts on Wednesday this week (we'll see).

Then there was the RFJO.... well Monday my solicitor phones with the words "do you want the good news or the bad news" great here we go again, well the court had book in our case but forgot they needed a judge.......?*%^ anyhow they have managed to find a judge but its in Bristol, so about 2 / 2.5 hours away. Not a problem. Then the next day she phones again to tell me the ex is opposing the case being held in Bristol, too far for her to go and she can't afford the travel costs. Well 2.5 years of her not paying maintenance for my son should allow her enough cash. But anyway her solicitor gets a directions hearing in Exeter for the next day, so more time off work for the wife I'm still on holiday luckily. We go to Exeter and guess what she doesn't even turn up to that!!! still her solicitor was practically laughed out of the court room, so Bristol is on for the next day.

Well without going into too much detail we got the RFJO the wife's ex didn't even bother to turn up. So there are no obstacles apart from the final medical for my son which I believe is ok just waiting for it to be confirmed.

Not only that I have been contacted by two possible future employers all depending on this visa, but the way its going we could have the visa by next weekend two weekends at the latest. This does however mean we will have to live at the mother-in-laws for a couple of weeks.

Took the children to King Arthurs Castle yesterday in Tintagle not really allot of the castle left but the kids really enjoyed themselves, still a bit of magic there and we found the Sword in the Stone.
For those of you who don't know I quite like taking photos and i have a flickr photostream here http://www.flickr.com/photos/edie209/

Tuesday 5th August

Well its been a month since my last post and what a month its been, the college closed its doors to students for the last time. It was really a very stressy time everyone seemed emotionally charged. But its over now. I have to go back for the exams download and some small final works but that's it on the 31st of August.

On to the the migration, one of the children needs to have a further medical, its nothing to worry about its just Australia doing what the UK should be doing. The only problem is the extra cost up to £2k wow, my bank balance has had heavy hits over the last couple of months. The RFJO court case is just around the corner now too, just over 2 weeks time, we spoke to our Solicitor who reckons it is just a process we have to go through. Lets face it if you had not bothered to see your child for over 2.5 years, not paid anything to their upkeep, would you really expect to have any say on where they live? Of course there is the feelings of the children to take into account too and they ain't happy with the absent parents.

House buyers have had a wobble to and as it is at the moment we are back on the market, the estate agent thinks he can save the sale, maybe because it was them who messed up the deal in the first place. God I hate estate agents they really think they know everything and you are a moron, that is apart from two who are friends and I tell them I hate estate agents :)

Oh forgot to say we have a case officer in all this that is going on but obviously we have come to a halt until the medical results and RFJO is in their hands, but i reckon we could be on our way in the next 6 weeks.

Look out Bali I am in need of some serious chilling after all this stress.

It seems just recently that people are contacting me for copies of my RPL, this is something you must write from your own experience. There is a very good website www.rplhelp.co.uk I suggest that you take a look there as it will answer all the questions that you have. I did have some examples of RPL's but I don't have them anymore sorry.

If it is any help, here is how I wrote my RPL I sat down for many nights (nearly two weeks) and wrote a document of everything I could remember doing since I have been in IT, every little thing once I have got to the point where I felt I had no more to write into this document I then started looking at the RPL forms and applying my knowledge to the sections that I thought it applied to. Once I had completed this I got a couple people to read it then give me their opinions. These people ranged from very technically IT competent people to people who didn't understand IT. I let them comment on what they had read and took the advice on board, rewriting the final RPL many times, but making sure I didn't lose my initial stance. My only real advice is take your time I had forgotten more than I thought.

Satuday 5th July

So here we are another week on and what has happened?

Our medicals have arrived in Australia and all but one have been finalised today, didn't know they worked on Saturdays but I am grateful that they do, probably only a half day much like here in the UK. I also had a phone call from the Police yesterday, we hadn't sent enough proof of address, you know the sort of stuff current bills with your name on etc, but I can email the rest so that won't take too long.

Work has been getting crap to say the least some people are just offloading onto others now and I seem to be one of those people who is being effected, not the only one though I must say . Only two weeks ago they were telling me I could go and work for another School two days a week, this week I am told I am too busy to have a work experience lad for a week they really can't organise shit. Not only that there are people who think they really are something special and so important, had a huge argument yesterday with one of these said people hey only two more weeks I will never see that person ever again..........!

On a lighter note, (i think there is a pattern forming).

Went to a gig last night first one for a while and it was great even if I do feel like shite now. Loads of people I haven't seen in ages the band was "Nameless" they were basically "Concrete Rabbits" a band from the early eighties with Steve Beer ex of Rollin Head on lead vocals. What a sound very very powerful and very very loud, I'm still a little deaf this morning.

One thing I do know though is I must join another band as soon as I am in Australia I will be looking to join something. Finding the Uncle Fester vids and seeing Nameless last night just makes me realise I have more to give yet.

Sat 28th June

Well another week has flown by and not a lot has really happened in the emigration process. There have been allot of web rumours that the visa processing offices in Australia have met their 07/08 quota and the new tax year 08/09 doesn't start till July the first, that is when it is expected that a flurry of visas will be issued. Although we don't expect to see ours issued until late August.

We expect to see that our medicals are finalised over the coming week so that will be another tick in the box. Talking of ticking boxes the RFJO court case looms nearer and the absent parents still have not attempted to make contact with the children, that makes me so angry, its costing us thousands of pounds to go to court because of them yet they aren't interested. There should be something that could be done about this, instead of basically taking money away from the kids this money could have been used on a final family holiday in the UK but instead it will go into the pockets of solicitors.

On a lighter note I found a video tape this week of a band I used to be in a band called Uncle Fester. We did punk covers and just had alot of fun. Anyway this video consisted of two gigs of which I have digitised and I am now in the process of uploading them to YouTube they came be seen here.

I will also embed one of the videos here just incase you can't be bothered to pop over to YouTube

Well what else has happened in this last week? not alot I suppose but we are off to a bar b que this afternoon, I just hope the weather will brighten up, its been pretty crap for a while now. Oh and I waved goodbye to my Gpz600R last night I can't take it to Oz, so I decided to give it to my good friend Russell I know he will keep it and just use it on sunny days. Yeh I know I could have sold it and got money but sometimes you just have todo what you think is right.

Sat 21st June

I guess I have been a little quite just lately. Not alot really going on to tell the truth, oh we have all passed our medicals I must say that is a relief you always worry in the back of your mind you might have something found thats wrong with you.

We have sent off for our police checks too, but their is nothing to worry about their as I am CRB checked already and I believe thats a tougher check.

Seems like its been raining for ages but its probably only the last 5 or 6 days can't wait until are on our way. We are going to spend about 4 -6 weeks in Bali on the way just to chill out after all the stress that is going on around this move what with the court case and all. It will be my 5th time in Bali and I just can't wait, the warm sunny rays from the sun are enough to make you feel 10 years younger and within a week every ach and pain has disappeared. We wil be spending many nights on Kuta beach watching the sun go down while the kids enjoy playing in the surf and we enjoy a cold bintang (beer if you have never been to Bali)



Looking a that picture just makes me feel chilled. BTW if you like this photo I have loads more on my flickr site just click on the photo.

Looks like we might be exchanging contracts on the house mid July, so that means we will be living at the outlaws for a few weeks while we wait for the visa. A small price to pay I guess. Thinking of which I supose I sould really tell my mum she knows we are going but I don't think she realises just how soon it will be, she doesn't even know we have sold tyhe house yet (i had better phone her this afternoon just incase any of you know her), anyone live in France?

Thurday 12th June

We had our medicals done On Tuesday at Tavistock Devon. All went really well considering there were 7 of us to go through, eve myself and children 18, 14, 12, 10, 7.

After hearing all the horror stories about medicals it was fine, we were asked general health history questions, then had our weight and heights taken, blood pressure for all over 11, reflexes, bending and stretching, eye sight, hearing, listening to chest and back, checking around the waist area for hernias, examined teeth and gums, looked into eyes, urine test, blood test for all over 16, waist measurement (I think that was all).

Then we went on to the Nuffield hospital in Plymouth to have our Xrays they took less than 5 Min's each so all in all not a bad experience.

Then yesterday we got a letter for ex's solicitor, she has been given another £8,000 of public money to continue her court case. That's £8,000 of mine and your money (if you work in the UK) and she knows that the recommendation is for the RFJO by no less than CAF CASS, not only that my son whats nothing to do with her. She seems to forget on the last visit he paid to her (over two and a half years ago now) he was told she never wanted to see him again because of the lies that he had told, what is this woman on does she not realise he IS going to Australia, and she would stand a far better chance of achieving some sort of relationship with him if she would agree to him going........ not let a judge take her decision away. Still that's her choice....stupid is as stupid does.

This a make you laugh ..... I got a phone call from the hospital this morning, yes I know I was thinking exactly the same as you are now.....whats wrong with me? am I going to die? well I signed the wrong form I signed the one to say I'm pregnant....... Doh

Tuesday 3rd June

We went to see a solicitor today, we have taken the the RFJO case as far as we dare on our own, but I feel really cheated to be honest my son has not seen his mum in over two years now and the last time she saw him he was told that she never wanted to see him again!!!!

Well how would you feel? he was devastated and very very angry. Yet now because we have decided to Emigrate to Australia she thinks she would like to see him. She should have thought about that when she was letting that twat of a husband knock my son around!!! and to top it off she gets legal aid because they don't work ....or at least that's what the system thinks, we have seen him working.

Anyway we hired a solicitor today the RFJO goes to a final hearing soon and she thinks that we will be representing ourselves hahahahah what a shock she is going to have and she has to take the stand. The solicitor is confident that we will win our case what with her not bothering for over two years.

Stay tuned I'm sure more wil happen before we get to the hearing.

Sunday 1st June

What a crap weekend weather wise.... we thought we would have a barby with some friend. When we got up on saturday the weather was glorious phone some friends organised them to come around for about 1:30pm and by midday it was raining really heavy.

Went out in the evening with the lads, it was Math's 40th there was quite a few people out and I start getting all the same comments "when you off to Oz then" well at least this time I was able to tell them yeh we have sold the house and have booked our medicals for two weeks time. YEH

Alot of the lads wanted to head into town to go clubbing, but a couple of us decided just to carry on drinking local and then go for a curry.

Sunday today again it started really glorious but by midday the weather was crap again whichput an end to the barby this weekend .

Oh well time to chill out and wait to go back to work, now there going to be some choices to make there this week I got offered a new job, but doI take it that the question.... cos all going well we should have our visa by the end of August. So what do I do?

Friday 30th May

I found a new web browser today that I think is really great its called flock and can be found over at http://flock.com What really good about this browser? well it integrates with my Flickr account my Facebook account and this blogging account.

I was having problems uploading batch photos with Flickr's own up loader so I trawled a few web sites and I found it only been using it a day but so far so good. Obviously the reason I am getting into this Social Networking thing is because I was hassled at work by Cheryl and Donna to get a Facebook account. On looking into this I have suddenly realised that Facebook along with Flickr and Blogger will be the perfect way to keep in contact with family and friends back here in the UK once we move.

Not only that we have been told that even if the kids don't want to communicate with there absent parents we will have to, by way of photos and letters on 3 times a year basis so I reckon this will be far better.

It looks like there is a possibility we (the OH and me) may be interviewed for TV on the state of British Family law and legal aid, we could name a few names there I'll tell you. Claiming legal aid but still able to afford a better car than we can ....AND THEY DON'T WORK!!!! what is this all about, still its one of the reasons we are leaving this country

On a lighter note

Almost completed Part One of my CCNA today I took exam 9 and got 84% not as good as the exam 8 though I got 100% for that one. So that leaves exams 10 (Planning and cabling networks) and 11(Configuring and Testing Your Network) to do . They should be easy I've been doing this for over 10 years now , just got to learn the Cisco way.

Thursday 29th May

The sale agreed sign went up on the house today too, what with the survey being done yesterday things are really starting to move along.

We are waiting on a date for the Final hearing in court for the RFJO that will be here soon, all of this and I'm trying to study for my CCNA too!!.

Life is starting to get scary now, as the Australian move draws nearer. We arranged Australian bank accounts today! Also got some quotes for flights, we have decided that we are going to spend 4 - 6 weeks in Bali because the cost difference is minimal and hey... we deserve it.

I decided that I was going to set up this blog so people could experience the highs and lows that we are going to experience over the coming months.