Good News!

It's been a good day overall. First of all we heard that we have got the house at Narrabeen. I can scarcely believe I am going to live in that house. It's very, very exciting, and you all must come and visit us. We can't move in until 1st June, so we will find some more temporary accommodation nearer to the school in the interim, but we are just that little bit closer to getting an actual home! Great.

This morning, I did as Andrew has been asking me to, and took myself off to the doctors. He told me exactly what I expected - which was that I've got a virus, there is nothing he can do, and that coughing until you choke and vomit is just part of life's rich pageant, even if it is rather distressing. He has, however, obligingly given me some industrial strength cough suppressant, which I am only to take at night as it is likely to put me into some sort of coma. Marvellous.....

He was a nice chap, and it was interesting to compare accessing the GP here with what happens in the UK. The surgery is at the shopping mall, it is open 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, and you don't have to register. You just turn up, pay your money and the next available doctor sees you - in my case this was within 15mins. If you are covered by the Australian healthcare system you show your medicare card, if you have private insurance you show that card, and if you have private insurance and no card (yes, that was me) - you pay your $60 and go on your way. Brilliant. Now obviously, if you have some sort of chronic disease or health problem you need to have more of a relationship with your GP than this, but for many of us, we only go to the doctor when we have the latest bug going round, and this seemed to me a great way to deal with it.

The rest of the day was taken up with getting the children's school uniform sorted out. Now, when you first decide that you are going to send your children to the lovely fee paying school, you look at the fees, and think - ok - this is manageable. Then you go and get the uniform and realise that you are going to be destitute for the rest of your life. Because the fees may be reasonable, but kitting the children out in the clothes they are obliged to wear whilst getting their top notch education has just set you back $1315. Yes. That is correct. $1315. This means that they will lose or ruin any part of their uniform on pain of death. I haven't even bought their shoes yet.

George is finding it all rather difficult. Anna loves the uniform - her peter pan collar blouse, her checked tunic, her blazer, her panama hat. George is not loving his shorts, long socks, shirt, tie, blazer and Billy Bunter cap quite so much. He looked positively tortured whilst trying it on, and I have to say it is a bit tragic. All thoughts of putting a pic of them both on here on their first day have been abandoned as we have had to promise George that no one from home except the grannies and grandads will ever see him in this get up. I'm still convinced it's the right school for them - hopefully once George sees that everyone else is wearing the same outfit, hopefully he won't feel so bad.

The other thing that is bothering George I think, is that the school have decided to put Anna up a year. Here by age she would be in year 3, but today, as result of her interview with her teachers, they have decided to put her in year 4. This means she is suddenly only a year behind George in year 5. I think it is the right decision for her, and George being in Year 5 is right for him, but I'm sensitive to how it might feel for him. Keep all your fingers crossed for their first day on Thursday.

There has been torrential rain most of yesterday and today, although it is still very warm and muggy. The Australians are very pleased about the wet weather as the drought is pretty serious - some of their major rivers have completely dried up. The newspapers tell us there will be a knock on effect in the economy and particularly food prices. So far I'm not sure that food shopping is any cheaper than at home - there are things that are less expensive (lamb is an obvious one that springs to mind), but over your entire shopping trolley it is pretty much the same. And it looks like it is going to get more expensive.

This fits in nicely with a little anxiety I've had since we got here, niggling away in the back of my mind. And it is this - that this is all too good, something will ruin it, and now we are here Australia will cease to be a lovely, fun, hot place with a low cost of living, and turn into a dreary wet place that is really expensive. I'll keep you posted....