Craig went travelling to Australia when he was younger. You could hardly say he roughed it as his Grandad moved out there in the early seventies. Craig fell in love with it and made it clear when we met that he intends to move out there someday. What turned out to be his dream, has slowly become a family ambition and this year we’ve ramped up our plans.
It’s not that either of us hate the UK. It’s not that we’re obsessive over Australia either as we’re just as taken with America. We just would love for our family to experience an outdoor lifestyle and warmer climate. The scant sunny days over here just aren’t enough, and spending those in our garden or our decrepit local park are a bit limiting for Dexie.
The difficulty is that Craig doesn’t have any skills to take across (apparently they’re not short of couriers with a road rage problem - I know! Shocking right?). So it all rests on me. As I’ve been in social media for over ten years now, and also have experience of digital recruitment - I’ll have to flutter my eyelashes and try to leverage my skills. Obtaining a visa is notoriously difficult so we’ll have to use a specialist service such as these here.
I’m not naive enough to think it’ll be all peaches and cream in the States, or even Australia. We’ll have to work so hard to get there, and even harder to better the lifestyle we have here. If I’m lucky enough to secure a sponsor willing (and possibly stupid enough) to take me on, I’ll have to support Craig until he’s eligible to work, and there’s a whole heap of additional costs to think of such as health insurance which we tend to take for granted here in the UK, but we just can’t imagine ourselves enjoying being here for the next ten years.
So expect to hear lots from me over the next few months on how our plans are progressing - oh and of course, as soon as this stupid appendix is out, I’m rushing myself to Weightwatchers (the thought of standing next to a bronzed and buffed beauty right now makes me shudder with fear!) - Tips welcome!
This is a featured post
I would definitely recommend the Weightwatchers option, as I lost 3 stone with them over the last year, still eating chocolate and having a Chinese takeaway once a week.
I couldn’t give up wine but I’m prepared to modify my diet. My problem is lack of exercise. I think the weekly weigh-ins would force me to shift my lazy bum.
Soooo exciting! I wish I could emigrate but I doubt they would have me! Good luck hun - looking forward to seeing your posts on your journey
xoxo
Thanks honey - we wanted to have our children here first so our family would be complete when we make the move - but given I’m struggling to concieve again we’re bringing the whole project forward x
Aw i too would love to live in Oz but i am such a family person i don’t think i could leave them. A few years ago i met my brothers for the first time. They both live in Oz and love the lifestyle out there. Good luck on your journey to a new life
My family are scattered all over the UK and we rarely see them. It’ll be tough for Craig as he’s very close to them and they all live locally, he also has a tight bunch of mates that he’s known for 30+ years. Sometimes you just have to take the plunge though. I know we’ll be happy when we’ve settled down x
Hi, very much enjoyed reading your blog. Good luck with your plans! I am about to start dieting and thought that maybe we could be diet buddies?) I do not want to do Weightwatchers as it means to buy weightwatchers branded products, count calories its def not for me and to visit them once a week, but i heard a lot about a diet where you can eat for breakfast and up until 12 whatever you want, then strict lunch until 14-00 and then dinner until 18-00. I have a list of products which we are allowed to eat and in what order (lunch/dinner), if you’r interested give me a shout)
I know Weightwatchers is not for everyone but you don’t have to buy Weightwatchers products if you don’t want to. You don’t count calories but points. Every food is pointed and you have a set number of points per day and then 49 points for extras through the week. Most people buy Weightwatchers products because they are too lazy to work out the points for non-Weightwatchers items. Once you have worked it out for a set product you can use that info forever. All fruit and most veg are zero points and I use the 49 “treat” points to have my chocolate and Chinese takeaway once a week. Busy people who can’t make meetings sign up online and weigh themselves in the privacy of their own homes. Just saying.
Ooooh yes please - that would be fabulous. Here’s my email gemma.mills@aol.co.uk xx