9 month Update..

[nattydread]

must apologise for not being on as often as i should have..

bloody hard to fit computers into our life though..
not like my old life when i struggled fit life in around computers...

so thats a good thing..

we've had our downs and ups..

there have been times when life in britain didn't seem THAT bad..
but..
those thoughts seem to get further and further apart..
and they last for shorter periods now too..

to start with it lasted a few days maybe a week..
then it was a day or 2
then a few hours..

now , if at all, its a passing thought that soon diminishes when you look around..

fairly sure the above is a pretty common feeling..
I was sure I would never be homesick when I got here..
so the first time it hit me,, i was really disappointed in myself.


but i miss daft things...
like pearl and dean at the cinema..
fish and chips in newspaper..

really silly things...

all things considered though.. life in nz is fab.

i'm in the process of changing jobs..
I will be working from home permanently as of next month..
so that should make things even better..

still happy in the wairarapa..
still happy to be the rep for the wairarapa..

it is after all the worlds greatest provence..
Thats what they say on More FM so it must be true..

how are all the old regulars these days..
taffy and welshgirl?? all well with you guys..?
Motherbear?? any closer to living in nz?
nick and jacky? did you make it? is the mg here? are you happy?
debd?.
dawn?
SteveyC??

sorry if i forgot anyone..
my mind has gone blank now..
only 1 of the six pack fosters left.. so it's a shame to leave the wee fella on his own..

I'll away and have that..

Cheers for now people..

[MotherBear]

Hi Natty,

Happy New Year to you and yours! Sounds like you?re about to have a good one with a new job lined up AND working from home. Hope your first Christmas in NZ went well. Can?t believe you?ve been there 9 months already. Where did the time go?

It?s been a bit quiet on here since Christmas so we?re hoping for a boost to our active membership in the coming months, although I get the impression it?s a bit slow immigration-wise across the board. There?s still some valiant troops kicking about the forum although a few regulars have been a tad quiet since Christmas. Perhaps they're still sleeping it off. :D Hope they?re all OK and looking forward to an exciting year ahead. I hear on the grapevine that a couple of folks may have returned to dear old Blighty, as things haven?t quite worked out for them in NZ. Such a shame after all the expense and stress, but if it ain?t right, it ain?t right and you have to do what you can to make things right.

With us, we?re still awaiting Taffy?s 3 years of PR so that he can sponsor us, but I gather NZIS isn?t going to make it easy for us old duffers to get in and have now decided to put us to the bottom of the heap in favour of more ?useful? applicants. I think August 2008 is the time we can apply and then it?ll take goodness knows how long for the application to go through. They say patience is a virtue. I?ll let you know.

So pleased to hear you?ve settled well in NZ and are enjoying it. You seem to have chosen well with the Wairarapa. Someone was asking on here about that area a while ago. Keep in touch and good luck with the new job.

[Welshgirl]

Pearl and Dean at the cinema! - I'd forgotten all about that, talk about a blast from the past! ?:)

Anyway, welcome back to the forum natty, glad to hear you're still enjoying NZ and settled in Wairarapa ?;D

All's great with us - been here over 2 years ourselves now, where does the time go?! We settled in a town called Ngaruawahia, just outside Hamilton and love it here.

Sad to say that SteveyC went back to the UK a few weeks ago - things didn't quite pan out as planned for them, but I think they enjoyed their experience overall.

Anyway, all the best to you and your family - stay in touch ?:)

[selchie]

Hey-ho Natty,
I'm glad to hear you are keeping busy and happy in NZ. Happy new year in a brave, new world.

We're still on hold, though inching forward finally. In the meantime, we're weighing our options, and whether or not we really want to transplant ourselves. The change in the US Senate has slightly tilted things in favor of staying.

[Glenda]

Hi Natty,

Soooo glad to hear you've settled down in NZ. ?There is an adjustment to be made moving to the other side of the world, away from friends, relatives and what you have grown used to, so it is obvious there will be some reflective moments. ?Sounds like you are having a swell time!

I am still here in the Bay of Islands, loving it, the kids becoming little Kiwis - well, except my 13 year old daughter who is now an inch taller than me! ?::) ?

One point of yours sounds a bit odd ... fish and chips in newspapers? ?We get our fish and chips in newspapers here in sticky Northland, doesn't everyone? ?There is a white sheet to stop the print sticking to the food though. ? ?:D

[Debd]

Hi again Craig!!
I didn't see this post so I may repeat myself!!
I wrote a list to my mate back in England what I missed and preferred. She said that there was one extra on my preferred list so that was good, ha!!
I miss chips fullstop!! They don't do chips here do they!! Not very well anyway, ha!! There is an award winning chippy here called The Codfather, very rarely sells cod though! Their burgers and fish is wonderful, still miss the chips though!
We don't get to go to the cineam with our 2 little ones but I had an affectiuon for Pearl & Dean too as I used to advertise with them a few years ago, ha!! That little tune still rings in my ears.
Life sounds really good in your house, you really are a Kiwi... except your 6 pack is a 1 pack, ha!

So sad to hear that things didn't work out for Stevey and family, they spent so much money on such a short time bless them, I often think of them and whether they'd managed to stay or not. It's a shame that he didn't visit this forum in the last few months because he was such an asset and informative help to many people, let alone funny! ha.
It's nice to hear about everyone and I hope you continue to have a great time Natty!! Cheers! Sweet As! And all that.

[Dawn]

Hey dude, so glad life's being good to y'. 8-)


I too used to think that I wouldn't get homesick - sentimental me? - go away with you. But I am wholly expecting it now. Like you say, I'm sure it's the little, silly, insignificant things that hit you when you're least expecting it.

We're still thinking about heading for the Wairarapa, would love to drop in on you in any case. We'll bring you another 6 pack. I'm sure the next few months are gonna speed by.

How are the kids settling in to their new schools? Is the littlun fairing any better - he reminds me of my youngest!!

Love to you and yours, hugs for those kids and the best of best wishes that this year brings you all that you hope for.

[smiley=Cheers.gif]

[LilAmy]

Hey,

Talking of homesickness it's not how I would have imagined it.

I got a bout in November there and it lasted a few weeks!

I was crying at every email and after every webcam. I honestly thought I was depressed. I think it was because we were starting to settle down and the holiday feeling had gone. Things were 'real' now. It's so weird to explain it.

A word of advice - If you're making the move as a couple try to pick each other up when one feels down about it. Stu and I seemed to have our homesickness periods at different times and just learnt to try and pull the other one up when they were low. It's way too easy to start an argument about it and it's not the other persons fault.

Once you get over it you're all back to normal. Try not to fight homesickness, speaking to people about it is good. I bored my work mates to death telling them how I felt everyday but it was good to get it off my chest.


And just remember most people on this forum have experienced it as well so you're not alone and it's perfectly normal.

[duane1x]

In the meantime, we're weighing our options, and whether or not we really want to transplant ourselves. The change in the US Senate has slightly tilted things in favor of staying.

I don't know. We can pass Kyoto and Obama can take the prez. I'm still going. ;D

[selchie]

I don't know. We can pass Kyoto and Obama can take the prez. I'm still going. ;D

There is that, Duane. No decisions have been made yet.