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portlaunay

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Everything posted by portlaunay

  1. For crispy duck try the Good Fortune Duck House on William St, Northbridge
  2. Our previous primary school shared grounds with a public park so there was free access into the school for anyone (although there were fences on three sides of the school). A lot of the kids lived locally and walked in and home alone, probably from year 2 or 3 but at that age it was mostly with an older sibling. We let our 9 year old walk to and from school alone (about five to ten minutes depending on his focus), but in that distance he'd likely meet friends along the way or would be passing a friends house every 50m or so. My daughter's new primary school is in the middle of town and they're not allowed out unless there's an adult to collect them and since there's only a hundred kids in the whole school it's easy to know who's who. I think kids signing a register is a good thing and at her school there are guidelines about what they should do in the morning but they are encouraged to take responsibility for themselves. Her timetable includes half a day a week of surf lifesaving, half a day for art, half a day for drama and a music lesson in there somewhere too. The rest of the timetable focusses on themed 'project' work into which is woven the academic subjects. They also spend a lot of time out of the classroom, visiting various locations around Freo and learning about local history and issues, again, with literacy and numeracy subjects included. For homework each week she gets a sheet of spellings - maybe ten or fifteen words, three reading books - one her own choice, one story book which she has to critique and one just for fun which can be a picture book, comic or non-fiction and she also has mathletics of maybe an hour a week. As for the charges, as others have said, I'd ask the school for a breakdown.
  3. I don't mean to be blunt but if there's no job perhaps it might be time to reconsider? Just because a role is on the occupations list it doesn't necessarily mean there are jobs. The market is changing pretty rapidly here and there's a decent pool of labour locally so it's unlikely you'll secure a role from overseas, especially if you're dependent on their sponsorship. Could you take a punt on a holiday recce here, it might give you a much better picture of the opportunities?
  4. We tend to eat a little earlier in winter because once the sun goes down the evenings are cold and we like to eat outside. During the day the winter sports take over - mountain biking in the hills or along the coast/river, fishing and once I get my bike licence, a bit of bush bashing and camping. Winter opens up a different landscape and we find going south is just too cold so it's nice to head north where it's warmer. In winter you tend to layer up - leaving the house with a shirt, a cardi and a jacket and by midday your strolling around the streets in only the shirt. Investing in some good Gore-tex is sensible, we get more rain than London apparently but here it just comes down in one lump. If you're out in it you'll be soaked in seconds so a decent waterproof jacket and trousers means you can still walk through the bush on rainy days and have a completely different adventure.
  5. Properties in Mosman Park are some of WA's most expensive. I'm pretty sure Angela Bennett lives there and it's true there are some beautiful (and modest), properties but there's also a lot of vile, ostentatious palaces too. It's also one of Perth's oldest suburbs so not sure about up and coming. Perhaps you're meaning North Fremantle? Mosman Park borders Peppermint Grove, Cottesloe and North Freo, the latter being the poorer sibling though still very expensive. There are more apartments and smaller properties in N Freo and in comparison to it's neighbour it's certainly more affordable.
  6. As VS says, furnished accommodation, particularly in Freo will likely only be holiday lets and you'll be paying a premium for them, probably out of your budget. A furnished place might be a good option initially but the market for cheap furniture to get you started is really good - plenty of s/h stores, free stuff from the verge and Gumtree. Of course I'm biased but Freo is a great place to be though it is still in demand so whilst rental prices have fallen, they are still higher than surrounding areas.
  7. Everything crossed mate, good luck to ya
  8. Best of luck amigo. Remember all those little tricks to make it feel homely - bake bread, smell of coffee, Fifty Shades of Grey on the coffee table
  9. Hi and welcome to PP. Being from Dundee you'll probably find that everywhere in WA is safe Joking aside, there are many threads on here about different suburbs including a sticky about that very subject. What's 'best' for you is going to be dependent on many factors - the kind of things you like doing, where you're going to be working, what kind of school you want for your children etc. You'll get a hundred different opinions from a hundred different people and there's no easy answer I'm afraid. We love Fremantle and we're likely to stay here for at least another five years. We tried living in suburbia and hated it. We also prefer older houses to the new concrete cubes and if I travel further north than Scarborough I start to get a little jittery. NOR just feels like a world of wrong. Rental prices have reduced considerably over the past 12 months and are likely to keep going south so all I'd say is to come and try an area, don't sign a long rental contract and move around until you're happy.
  10. This guy is actually something of a regular. I think he's from Perth but goes around the world doing this kind of thing. There's one of him getting almost everyone on a Perth train up to dance. He did the same in Myer just after Christmas. He asked if he could listen to a music centre and then started dancing. Loads of people in the store joined him.
  11. Hi and welcome to PP. 'Settling' is an individual experience. I knew my heart belonged here the moment I landed, others never really feel at home no matter how long they're here. Some pine for family and friends for months while others have a holiday feeling for the first year then start to feel homesick, we're all different, with different life experiences so there isn't really anything anyone can do in terms of advice, you just gotta live it your way. Could you be little more specific than 'central Perth'? If you're in the heart of the CBD then no wonder you feel isolated, it may be very difficult to join a community. The great thing I think about Perth is that there's always a lot going on so getting out to things like the Fringe or the Festival is a great way to get to know the soul of the city. We've a few music festivals still to go; Blues and Roots in Freo is always good and this year we have Paolo Nuttini and David Gray playing (which we're really stoked about). Perth is the sort of place you'll make the most of by getting out there and getting stuck in. If you sit at home, subscribe to Foxtel and think about Tesco's you'll find life here very difficult so tell us about yourselves, come along to some meet ups and you might begin to feel more comfortable.
  12. So to all those yet to experience Perth this sort of thing happens every day.[YOUTUBE]5RlB7BYtGuE[/YOUTUBE]
  13. Fremantle. It's just awesome, we love it. We came from London so needed a bit of life. We just don't get on in suburbia.
  14. There's Tropical Twist in O'Connor; http://www.tropicaltwist.com.au Not been myself but it might be worth a look. I didn't mention also, have you been to Rio Tinto's Naturescape in King's Park? Take 20 boys to the creek, pack a picnic and just let them go for the day, they'll love it and it doesn't cost a bean.
  15. Don't know where you are but my son loved a birthday in King's Park a few years ago. We split the group into two, gave each group a walkie talkie, a camera and they had tasks to complete along a route from Synergy to the war memorial. Gave them a map and a five minute head start and they had to race me there. They had to do things like photograph a tree that looked like an animal, count the number of steps on the viewing tower etc. They had a great time, played footie after the exercise while I made them some lunch, ice creams, prizes, all good fun. In the past we've put a lot of effort into organising what we believed was an awesome birthday party but in the end, all the boys want to do is kick a ball, run around, eat, run, climb stuff, eat, fall over, swim, eat.....
  16. I think Australia has always had a boom and bust economy. I know so many people who were employed in the resources sector here and have found themselves redundant with no notice, their job disestablished or offered alternatives overseas. Many are moving away, I think the housing market is very vulnerable at the moment and the press is talking it up because mining and construction have long been the only games in town. I don't know when Australia last had a big fall but it is clear from people I know that they don't know what that feels like, they're almost in denial and even though they talk about the slow down after the GFC, they came out of that particular incident more or less unscathed. I don't think anyone I know can see it coming and they simply don't know what to do about it. I have no evidence for my view, it's merely what I see and feel and I could be wrong but there are an awful lot of very worried people around at the moment.
  17. Oh dear, you do seem to have a terrible run of luck, I admire your perseverance. On the up side it's 9pm and 25 degrees here. A lovely cool evening sat outside with a cold glass of SSB. Tomorrow is set to be 34 and I'll be scootering to school with my daughter, I'll work in an air-conditioned office near the Fremantle fishing boat harbour and knock off at 3 to pick her up. We'll scooter through town, stop for a milkshake then home to sit outside with some music playing, a bottle of Sav Blanc and a vietnamese cold noodle salad for dinner I think. Probably do an hour or so of homework with the kids, take the dog for a walk on the beach at sunset and let them jump in to cool off then stories and bed. Is that enough motivation for you?
  18. A lot of people get by on an awful lot less. Whether it's enough for you is impossible to answer, it depends entirely on your lifestyle. Whether it's right for your role is also impossible to say without knowing an awful lot more. Between around $2k for something that's drivable and over $1m for an Aventador. Sorry, don't mean to sound like a _____ but Carsales.com.au will give you a good idea for something that suits your lifestyle Try Realestate.com.au for what's available. As for location, well that depends on where you want to be based - close to work? What sort of commute do you want? City, surf, bush, suburbia, big house, small apartment, pool etc etc? I don't think you'll have any problems but personality is, of course, everything. Northbridge, Freo, Subiaco all have a pretty vibrant nightlife and there are loads of festivals, clubs, live music etc to keep you amused. Oh dear, never mind Really? Who told you that? BP Kwinana, just south of Perth has just axed 160 jobs and there will be more to come. The resources sector has been hit hard here and will continue to. The terms of your visa means that if you do lose your job then you will have 90 days to find another job in a company willing to sponsor you otherwise you will have to leave. I don't mean to be the harbinger of doom and I sincerely hope it works out for you. If I were you I would go for it but please enter into this knowing exactly where you stand and what the risks are. This is a very volatile market at the moment, you might want to have a read of this; http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/oil-price-slump-hits-mining-and-resources-jobs/story-fn59niix-1227187649286
  19. That's great news, unfortunately we learned of a scam that seems to be operating here in Perth so it's reassuring you're not wrapped up in this. What visa are they offering? Just a heads up, BP have just announced a lot of job cuts here in Perth and O&G is suffering a similar fate to mining so proceed cautiously, regardless of the size of the organisation. There have been a lot of redundancies, even for those who thought they were onto a sure thing. So, after many years in their role they find themselves unemployed and needing to find an alternative sponsor in a very short amount of time.
  20. It's not a call centre job is it? It doesn't involve someone calling himself Daniel Larkin does it? You haven't been asked to pay a fee in advance or provide bank details? Don't want to alarm, just checking
  21. Mrs p came over at pretty short notice to start work and that left me and the kids alone in the UK to close everything off, organise shipping, house sale/rent, decorate etc etc. It was pretty stressful when my days were manic and I'd call needing information and find she was at a gig, down the pub and generally having a whale of a time. I don't think it put stress on our relationship, we've been together more than 20 years so we understand each other pretty well, we just needed to change our communication style. There was the shared experience of discovery when we arrived and I think we both felt vulnerable and lacked confidence a little simply because we were in unfamiliar surroundings but we enjoyed the journey together. I'm in no doubt that had she decided to return to the UK it would have ended our relationship though so I can relate to the rift that's created when one wants to stay and the other is less keen. The depths of my soul are nourished by being here and if Mrs p wanted to take the kids back my heart would have broken, theirs too. I imagine my son would have gone with her, my daughter stayed with me, it would have been desperately sad and something we didn't consider before we left. Had we done so, we might never have come. I find it curious that so many of us focus so much of our energies on the practical. Maslow and his hierarchy of needs seems so apt; we take care of the psychological and safety needs as a priority, the love and belonging are not weighted so heavily yet, when the other two are in place, it is perhaps a lack of satisfaction in this element that causes catastrophe.
  22. I must be the only person alive who thinks these look really sinister and creepy
  23. Having been away from the UK for four years I'm not sure I can relate, though Mrs p went back for Christmas and couldn't believe how expensive it was. Little things she hadn't really considered; public transport, parking costs, eating out, even looking at the cost of renewing her fathers car insurance, she said it seemed so much more than she remembered and certainly more then here. I don't mean to make you feel worse but those things you describe such as the down turn in business over Christmas is more apparent here. A lot of businesses simply shut down for at least a couple of weeks so your favourite coffee shop might close up before Christmas and open at the end of Jan. The difference is that everyone is doing it so you learn to switch off and appreciate the opportunity to relax and refocus, ready for the forthcoming year. I don't know what it's like to walk in your shoes but I think if you want it, whilst it might feel that everything is conspiring against you right now, you'll reflect on this moment in weeks, months or years and celebrate that you had the strength to persevere. Take each day as a small step closer to your goal and the journey won't feel like an uphill struggle, just a series of simple, steady, unfaltering actions.
  24. Not sure about High School but we pay approx $4k pa for primary. We've never compared this to others so I don't know whether this is the norm.
  25. I concur, just about every day. Every morning when I park at South Beach and scooter with my daughter into school in Freo. We see the vast expanse of the Indian Ocean, we see the boats in the yacht club, freight trains screeching and rumbling purposefully on their journey to and from the docks, the fishing boat harbour and through the beautiful old buildings with amazing stories engrained in the stone and timber that I wish I could unlock. Today as I drove back from Joonders and cruised through the city. This evening as we sat in the garden for three hours listening to the children tell us about their week. Last night as we took our son to see Spoon, a beautiful evening and then took the train home, a thirty minute journey that cost peanuts, in a spotlessly clean carriage full of people laughing and chatting, none of whom had even the slightest feeling of fear or vulnerability, that something sinister and dark might be waiting for them on their walk home from the station. Lucky? My days are spent considering how I can give back, not how I can make personal gain. I have greater wealth, satisfaction and gratitude than anyone alive, it feels. I don't mean to sound sanctimonious, I'm genuinely overawed by how amazing my life is compared to the one I left four years ago.
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