Nightmare on..

I wish I lived on this street, but alas it's actually a couple of minutes walk away, on the way to Richmond Station. Shame.

I'm going to start writing in this thing again...

Just a quickie...

It’s been a little while since I’ve written in this thing hasn’t it?

Job hunt is in a state of limbo at the moment – the preferred role has stalled because my would-be boss is currently out of the country (and will be next week as well) but I have the safety net of another offer elsewhere that they’ve agreed to give me extra time to think about. I really do want to start working sooner rather than later as I’ll go crazy if not, but part of me doesn’t necessarily want to dive into the first thing I’m offered. At the very least, I want to know I have a job, even if it doesn’t start for a few weeks. Still hopeful though.

Things are pretty good apart from that. Wish I had a bit more to fill my days sometimes, although I do like ‘wandering around aimlessly’ and once I start working I’ll no doubt wish I had as much free time as I do now. Might go check out the Guggenheim Collection at my gallery today, and go to Queen Vic Markets to get some nice food. Then there are gigs tonight and tomorrow, in addition to the ones Zo and I went to on Sunday or Monday nights. It’s great to get back into live music again.

In other random news:

• A chugger said that I don’t have much of an English accent. I don’t think an Aussie accent is encroaching, so I think she just wasn’t particularly attentive.
• The coffee here is very good. I’m on a quest to find the best ‘long mac’ in town.
• I saw a sign at South Melbourne Market for ‘Atlantic’ fish, with another small sign next to it that added ‘Product of Australia’. I used to think I was quite good at Geography (120/120 on my A Level Coursework), and I can’t seem to remember Australia being particularly near the Atlantic.

Stupid computer at Melbourne City Library won't let me click/type in the 'Title' box. What's with that...!?

Anyway, hello! I'm in Melbourne now obviously, and in this whirlwind of social events, admin and job-interviews-that-aren't-quite-interviews-but-basically-are-really, today is the first time I've had chance to take a breath. But anyway, I'm here, it's still bloody freezing (by that I mean it's 12 degrees - but it feels a lot colder than a UK 12 degrees) and I feel like like I'm coming down with a cold/man-flu.

It's going great all round so far...got lots of stuff organised (boring stuff like bank account, Medicare, Tax File Number) and have also met with two recruitment agencies and three potential employers. Three potential employers who are all very keen on me and have said things like;

"we'd love to have you here"
"we should be able to create a position for you"
"there aren't many people in the Australian job market with specific experience like yours"

...and have pretty much all indicated (or said straight out) that they'd love to get me on board. Which is fairly fantastic really. So it looks like I'll be able to take a little time over the next few days, take stock, have second interviews etc and then figure out what to do. I think I have a pretty clear leader in my head, but we'll see I guess.

Last night was Locals Night at the (very nice) pub near to Zoe's place, with $12 for pretty much everything on the menu (I had steak). And they have Little Creatures Pale Ale on tap, which is threatening to become my new favourite Aussie beer. Tonight is dinner at nic's, and there will be photographic evidence gathered for certain current & ex-dh people to prove that her bottle of Pinot Grigio Rose made it there safely.

Right, I think I'm running out of Internet time...

KL airport

I'm in the departure lunge at KL airport waiting for my connecting flight to Melbourne in about two hours. I had a row to myself on the plane so I could stretch out nicely (still couldn't sleep though), the movie selction was poor, I had squid sambal for breakfast and I have no idea how I managed to get away with the amount of luggage they let me have...

Departure is imminent...

No time for a long rambling post, but tomorrow morning at around 5.30am (i.e. stupid-o-clock) we'll leave Norwich for the drive to Heathrow. Can't afford to cut it too fine with all the nasty business going on at the moment. The flight is at 12 Noon, but check-in etc is 3 hours before so I don't want to rush things.

Today has been goodbyes to family, including my brother Andrew and my Nan. I've told her she has to promise to stick around for a visit in the first half of next year hopefully. It's not been easy to say goodbye to everyone, but it hasn't dented my confidence that I'm 100% doing the right thing, that it's going to be fantastic, and that, despite the fact that I'll obviously miss everyone in the UK loads, I'll be fine out there.

Your next update will be from Melbourne unless I can wangle internet access in Kuala Lumpar airport... :)

Last week at work...

Five more working days to go, and I can honestly say that today is the first time I've started to feel nervous. There's not a scrap of doubt in my mind that I'm doing the right thing, but nevertheless the butterflies are starting.

I said my first goodbyes at the weekend...

at a loose end

My flatmates are showing prospective new housemates around today and tomorrow, so I've done the decent thing and gotten out of their way so that there isn't anyone loitering in the room when people are taking a look around. To pass the time today, I've watched some of the cricket, been to Whole Foods (again), and I'm thinking about going to see Oceans Thirteen in a bit. Not sure yet.

This weekend will also be the time whe I start going through all my stuff and figuring out what stays, goes, is shipped now, or is put into storage at my parents and potentially shipped once I've a bit more settled in Melbourne. My current state of mind is that I might not actually ship anything at all initially, as all my important music will be on my laptop or the external hard drive I'm taking, so it might just be clothes, shoes and a few books. The couple of thousand CDs and the ever-growing collection of cookbooks can wait I think. Or maybe I'll have to limit myself to just two or three of the latter. Depends on how many pairs of Camper shoes I take. I have far too many pairs of shoes for a male. That said, my smart black work shoes are knackered, so I'll run those completely into the ground in the next few weeks, throw them away, and then buy a new pair once I arrive in Australia.

In other news, I'm puzzled as to my tax situation. I'll certainly be able to claim some back for the 2007/8 tax year as I'll only have worked 3 months of it before I become non-resident (Hooray! I get more of my bonus - in your face tax man!) , so will be only just over the lowest earnings threshold. But I'm not sure if this means I can also get off paying some of the tax on the interest I get from my assorted savings. Need to phone and check.

I'm babbling now..

job research - excellent response rates!

I've been doing some research as to possble places I could work in Melbourne given the skills & experience I have. I've sent emails to four places so far, and have had three responses:

1. Your email and CV have made their way to me, and I've had a read through. Your experience and skills are very interesting indeed, and I would be keen to meet you upon your arrival in Melbourne next month to discuss in more detail.
   
2. I have just received your email and resume with interest and I am happy to set up a a preliminary discussion to get a better understanding of your fit to the position description attached.
   
3. Firstly, may I say, an excellent choice of city and by association, clearly an excellent choice of girlfriend. And terribly pro-active of you to track us down and send me an email!
   …Your email is timely and fairly relevant…
   … I’d like to have a chat with you…

That's all pretty positive isn't it - a 75% response rate, and 100% of those are positive. Obviously I know a little bit about Direct Marketing, and they're pretty decent numbers for what is essentially an unsolicited electronic communciation! It just goes to show that if you target your recipient correctly and ensure the communication is relevant, then you're well on your way!

Hopefully I'll be able to speak to a few of these over the phone in the next few weeks, and then meet up with them all in my first full week there to see what the deal is. But it's looking positive, so that's one less thing to worry about!

Am I a weirdo..

...because I get pangs of sadness when I read emails sent out internally and to my clients at work announcing my departure? Is that sad, or egotistical/self-absorbed in some weird kind of way?

I lose, but I win!

Zoe got 20/20 in the citizenship test. But then again, she's actually Australian. But that's not important right now, because look what came in the post today...

citzenship test

If I ever wanted to take on Australian citizenship in the future (not that I would unless I could also retain British citizenship) I'd have to take one of the newly introduced tests, consisting of 20 questions from a pool of over 200 about Australia.

They've just put a sample test up here, and I though I'd give it a go...

Less than 12: With a score of below 60 percent, you have failed the exam. Real immigrants may be allowed one more try before being denied citizenship.

12 or more: Congratulations, you have passed the immigration test.

I got 18/20! Must get Zoe to do it to see if I can beat her...

Back from New York

I'm back from 6 days in New York, and today I've sent off my passport so they can put the visa sticker in it. I've also started reading through the raft of documentation and guides I've been issued to help me settle in Australia. My favourite so far is this from the Australian Customs and Law section, under a heading of 'Common Australian Expressions'. There are just three listed:

Bring A Plate - this means bring a dish of food to share with other people

B.Y.O - this means to bring your own drink

Fortnight - a fortnight is a two-week period. Many Australians recieve salary or wages every fortnight.

Of all the three things Aussie expressions...why the hell those ones?

The Verdict

Dear Mr Potter,

I refer to your application for a (Temporary) Partner (Provisional) (Class UF) Visa. On the basis of your sponsorship ... I am pleased to advise that you have been granted a subclass 309 Provisional Spouse visa.

Yes! And you see that picture? That's exactly how its going to be when Melbourne celebrates my arrival!

I found out via email at work this afternoon...and I really wanted to tell everyone the great news straight away. And yet I couldn't. Had to suppress it. So frustrating.

But yeah, so much as it was pretty much always likely to be granted, it's great to hear officially that it's all systems go. Sort of. It won't be properly all systems go until I know exact dates, but it's good enough to start approaching potential employers and saying I'll be available from July onwards. That's the first job once I get back New York on the 14th.

Onya Aussie High Commision; you've come to the right decision.

impatient

Oh do come on Australian High Commission...I'm getting really impatient to hear from you! Sure, it's only been two days, but still. I'm dying of suspense here! And I want you to let me know before I go to New York next Tuesday!

Also, Zoe has a cool new job that will most likely involve jetting off to such destinations as Tokyo, London, Cannes, Texas, New York and LA. She'll probably have more opportunities to visit the UK than I will!

gainful employment

They have everything they need...

So as you can see, I got something back in the post for the Met Police this week, and it's nice to know that I don't have any criminal convictions. Just as well that they couldn't prove that I was responsible for the disappearance of Lord Lucan and Shergar.

Ignore the fact that the scan to the left says "Fraud". The 100% genuine copy is already with the Australian High Commission. Honestly.

Speaking of the High Commission, 'Sandra' isn't particularly great with the communication. I thought for all the evidence and form-filling, not to mention the £700 application charge, I'd get an acknowledgement when they receieved the stuff I'm been sending through, or at least a response to my emails enquiring as to how everything is progressing. But there has been no mention of interviews or anything like that, so I guess my case is pretty straightforward.

Medical

Yesterday morning I had my medical. It took no time at all, and I'm come away with the conclusion that being a private doctor who specialises in that is a license to print money. £170 for pretty much half an hour, of which barely 10 minutes was with the doctor, and half of which which filling in forms.

First was the blood & water tests with the nurse, an Aussie by the name of Simone who was from Melbourne but also possessed an accent like no other I'd ever heard in Australia. It was really drawly, and seemed to be some weird Aussie-Southern-State American hick combo. Apparently I was dehyrated, so I had to go away, drink copious amount of water and then come back an hour or two later and try again. I passed second time. To think after all the paperwork, deliberation and money spent, my urine could have proved my undoing...

However, I did some away a few centimetres taller than I thought I was (182cm) and a kilo or two lighter (80kg). All this time those IKEA scales in my bathroom have been telling me little white lies...

So pending the test results coming back ok, the only thing outstanding is the Police record check. Most exciting.

Norwich

Each trip to Norwich gets tougher and tougher now. There’s an air of inevitability about everything…which for me is very exciting on the one hand, but it’s tough when I go to visit my Nan (who is 83), and know that there is the possibility that she might not be around the first time I come home once I move out to Australia. And of course I don’t even know exactly when that would be. As each visit passes and each time I get back on the train to London, I wonder when the next time I make that trip, see those places and the people in them will be.

Also, it’ll sound really corny but I seem to notice couples more when I’m out and about, and noticeably more so in the past month or two. I’m excited about having that again…just wandering around the shops, going on day trips, long weekends, or even just lounging around at home if we fancy a lazy day. I’m craving new experiences and new opportunities with new people in a new place, but also new adventures with one particular person who is responsible for pretty much all of my happiest memories so far.

My birth certificate went off to the Australian High Commission this week, the police check should come through in the next couple of weeks, and I’m having my medical next Saturday (in Harley Street don’t you know… check me out). From there, I’d be pretty surprised if the visa isn’t sorted by the end of April. And then there’s May to start making real plans, or to continue laying the foundations for them depending on when my actual departure date will be.

I’m imagining leaving the country at the very end of June, maybe the very beginning of July. I guess it depends mostly on my notice period at work and whether I’m allowed to cut it down using my outstanding holiday entitlement. It’s actually going to be quite tough leaving there as I’m a loyal person, but this is about much more than work…

Response from the Australian High Commission

"I aim to finalise the processing of your visa application as quickly as possible"

Well, that's good news isn't it!?

This morning I got an email from someone called Sanda (who I inevitably replied to and re-christened Sandra) saying that my application has been received and that all they needed from me was my full birth certificate, police criminal record check, and medical results.

Today I booked the latter, which should consist of a full medical, radiological examination and HIV test. It also costs £120! This emigration is an expensive business...

Off and running

Yesterday the application was posted, today it arrived at the Australian High Commission. I'm guessing I'll hear from them next week!

Why have I been quiet..?

It's because I've been doing stuff! Everything is now pretty much sorted apart from the official certified copy of my birth certificate and Passport, which will both be sorted out tomorrow. And then it'll all go in the post on Tuesday once I've taken an electronic copy of the whole thing. It must be a good couple of hundred pages long with all the documenation and supporting evidence - it's just as well we're both really anal about keeping all our bills, bank/credit card statements, phone bills etc etc.

To say I'm getting excited now is an understatement. Later this week my credit card will be the best part of £600 poorer (the cost of the application fee) but I'm hoping it'll be the best money I've ever spent.

Talked to Nic in Melbourne the other week, and it's great to hear that her move over there has worked out so well, and that gives me a lot of hope for not feeling too homesick. It'll be great to have a friend who works in the same industry as me, is in a very similar situation, and I know outside of Zoe's family and friends.

Oh, and I also told my my housemates today.

Ramblings

Originally I was thinking I'd be out in Australia by the beginning of June at the latest. But that was about a month ago when I was expecting to have the paperwork in by the end of February. And now it's not looking like it'll be the 3rd week in March at the earliest. Given that they quote anything between 3-12 weeks for a visa to be processed, I guess I just have to wait until the application goes in and hopefully they can give me some kind of indication as to how long mine specifically will take. And I'm not really going to book flights etc unti I have some idea as to what that date will be. Just like I won't seriously approach companies, recruitment agencies or whatever until I know when I will be available. Obviously I'm doing research right now and have made a few preliminary enquiries...but I can't do much more on that until I have a few more hard and fast plans.

If the Visa takes more like the upper range of the time period they quote then we'll be talking early July, which could mean I go to Glastonbury as a "last thing I do in the UK". And as for my bonus - it gets paid on the 26th May. I've said before that it's not that much of a priority because of the Aunt Kay inheritance money, but if staying an extra two or three weeks gave me an extra money to pay for this whole expensive business, I'd be crazy not to - it's over AU$4000!

I'm just thinking out loud...I want to be in Australia v soon (I actually want to be there now. Or last month or something) but I don't want to rush out without having planned things properly. I want everything about this move to be a big success and as such I'm not going to do things by halves. If my visa does get granted within three weeks, then great and I will definitely be out way before Glastonbury, but I have to make plans to see everyone and tie up all of my loose ends here - I can't just run off overnight. I don't even know how much flights are a short notice...

Phonecalls

Sunday is normally trans-continental phonecall day, and usually takes place either side of Greys Anatomy on Australian TV. Zoe starts her new job on Wednesday, and now that she actually has a proper job, she feels a lot happier about filling in the form. Not that a temp job would have disqualified us or anything...but it just looks better this way.

I also spoke to Nic this morning, who is an old friend from work in London and who emigrated to Melbourne last Novemember to be with her Aussie boyfriend. She always talked with an bit of an Aussie twang, but she's already getting (or should that be 'gedding') lazier with her pronounciation, especially the t's. But yeah, it makes me even more excited and less scared to know that there is a friend out there who works in the same industry and is in the same situation as me. We shall be drinking buddies again no doubt.

40 days to tell me what I already know...

I knew that one of the recurring themes of this blog would be bureaucracy. It's just as well I checked how long it would take to get a note from the police to say that I've never done anything wrong in my life, ever. 40 days. FORTY days. By the time it comes through I'll have already submitted my application form and (hopefully) be well on the way to having my Visa granted. But if I hadn't checked up front I would have been waiting a lot longer.

Oh, and I went into Ealing Town Hall yesterday lunchtime and apparently they can't witness my documents. That's stupid too.

Photos and Forms

Yesterday afternoon I started filling in my form, and came up with the following list of things that Zoe needs to send me:

• certified copy of her birth cirtificate.
• certified copy of her Passport
• full names & dates of birth of all of her immediate family. (Not sure why, but it's on my form that I need to fill in. I know that her Mum's middle name is Edna, but I can't remember the exact dates of everyone's birthdays.)
  
• 2 passport-sized photos.
• A separate written statement/stat dec, detailing "the history of our relationship (for example, when and how you first met, when you started living together, joint activities, significant events in the relationship etc)".
  
• Print-outs of any emails, and copies of your parents phone bills where there are calls to me, to prove we've stayed in touch and all that.
• Print-outs of booking confirmations when we've booked to gone away for weekends together etc

This afternoon I wandered down and got the passport photos I need to provide when I submit the application done. And now I'm worried that I might be showing just a little bit too much tooth for it to be permissable as a Visa photo. But then a certain person takes the piss out of me for not showing my teeth when I smile...

Oh, and I emailed the Australian Immigration lot the other day, and the latest is that the application processing time could take anything between 3 and 12 weeks. I reckon our application will tend towards the lower end of that range, what with us already having had the equivilent Visa over here, but it'll be a case of waiting to see what they say until we get the form in.

The Campest Australian TV Chef with two kids?

I'm planning on having a lazy weekend, going through all the forms, working out exactly what everyone involved needs to do, and then writing a great big list. But right now I just finished watching Bills Food on BBC1, which aside from being really badly punctuated, provides me with a weekly taste of Australia. I know that all these cookery shows are selling you a lifestyle as much as showing you have to make nice food, but this is one lifestyle that I quite fancy thank-you-very-much.

I'm still a little disappointed that we didn't make it to one of his places for breakfast when we had our quick trip to Sydney in December 2005, but I'm hoping there will be plenty of other opportunities. For now, I think I might settle for making Sweetcorn Cakes with Avocado Salsa this weekend. Must go out and buy the ingredients today.

Visas, Forms and Documentation, Part 1

The Visa I'm going to be applying for is the snappily-named Spouse Visa: Offshore Temporary and Permanent (or Subclass 309 and 100 to its friends.) The blurb says:

This visa allows you to enter or remain in Australia on the basis of your married or de-facto relationship with your partner:

• on a temporary visa (usually for a waiting period of approximately two (2) years from the date you applied for the visa)
• on a permanent visa if, after the waiting period (if applicable), your partner relationship still exists and you are still eligible for this visa.

It costs AU$1340, or about £550. I have a big form to fill in, so does Zoe, and there's a whole load of other criteria which I'll probably talk about individually as I come to them. For now, I have a print-out of the forms which I keep reading and re-reading, waiting for Zoe to fill in her form and send it over by post. I'm impatient. Now that this is all starting to happen, I want to happen yesterday.

One of the things we know we definitely need are testimonies from two Australian citizens who aren't related to either of us, detailing the "social context" of our relationship. We didn't have to do that for Zoe's equivalent visa in the UK, but then we had to provide two years worth of paperwork compared to the one years worth we need this time. For these testmonies I will be eternally greatful to Vic and Anna.

And so it begins...

On my way home from work today it occured to me that moving to Australia is probably a pretty big deal, so I thought I'd start writing about it. I don't have the best record when it comes to keeping this sort of thing up to date, but this time, I'm going to make a real effort. I already know that I'll have to throw myself into everything (work, social life, relationship) with nothing less than full committment when I get over there, so I'll do the same with this blog.

Some people (family, some friends) know my plans already, and there are plenty of others who I want to tell, but that'll have to wait a month or two yet. So for now, I'll write this away from prying eyes. You'll all see it eventually.

Is it weird that right now, I'm not scared of, or phased by, this whole thing? I'm nothing but extremely excited. If I didn't do this, it'd be the single biggest regret of my entire life...