Events
Advice for Brits Abroad – our move to Sydney
Thursday, July 28th, 2011 | Events, General Interest | 2 Comments
If you are from the UK and making the move to Sydney, Australia remember you are moving to the most expensive city in the world and so I come up with a list of what I advice I could give to those who are thinking of moving overseas; particularly to Sydney. Here are some I have come up with:
Sunscreen – ok all you sun worshippers like me you will be saying “ah it’s not that hot, I have sunbathed in hotter” but the one thing I did NOT release is that the hole in the Ozone everyone was bleating on about in the 80’s and 90’s is pretty much right over Australia. Australia has the highest skin cancer incidence rate in the world. Australians are four times more likely to develop a skin cancer than any other form of cancer. Approximately two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer before the age of 70 – this is not scaremongering its common sense. Factor 30 at least even when its overcast!
Housing – Look in the real estate market before you leave – getting an apartment over here is difficult due to the demand, for every place you look to rent there will be a queue of people behind you waiting for the same place! Destinations like Mosman, Bondi and North Shore are always popular. It is an idea to do some research from www.domain.com.au before you leave, check your budget and speak to the letting agents to find out when open houses are taking place. It is hard to apply from outside the country if you see somewhere you love. Usually it is a good idea to make the application in person but sign up for email alerts via domain.com.au to get ahead of the game. I event think they have a phone app! So you never miss out.
LAFHA – it stands for Living Away From Home Allowance. If you are lucky enough to be sponsored with an employer in Australia talk to their HR or accounts department about LAFHA, I do not understand the calculations but basically if you are working in Australia and working here means you are not in your normal place of residence i.e. 1 Smith Street, London, England – then you can apply for LAFHA which allows you to get an extra allowance on tax depending on the amount of rent you pay. There may be other conditions but it is worth investigating once you start working – more information can be found at http://www.lafha.com.au/Home.aspx
Shopping – unlike the UK, Australia does not tend to have large supermarkets, or if they do they tend to be out of the city centre and could require a hefty bus trip to reach them. If you are lucky enough to owe a car it makes life a lot easier, although beware of toll roads! There are lots!
Gumtree & Ebay – a god send if like us you are starting from scratch. We did not ship any furniture over from the UK mainly due to the cost so when we found a place to rent it was bare! Gumtree is bigger than ebay over here with lots of things for sale and some for free! But you will need to organise a way of collecting i.e. hire a car/van/yute. Beds and sofas are very very expensive compared to the UK and electronics like Fridges and TV are on the pricey side as well. Look at discount warehouses, house sales or notices in local shops to grab a bargain. We also found some of the cheapest clothes dryers, on appliancesonline.com.au which is another good site for assessing the prices of household appliances. Also if you are not proud (or can’t afford to be like us when we started out!) the residents of Sydney have a “clear out” about twice a month. So you could be going along a main road in a residential area and see piles of old furniture, tv’s computing equipment etc all by the side of the road. If you see something you think is in good condition you can simply take it before it is collected by the local council. We actually picked up a pretty decent coffee table this way. Be warned though, second hand furniture like this is not always in the best condition. Check out www.gumtree.com.au and www.ebay.com.au
Cars – now we don’t actually own a car yet as they seem to be very expensive. Even the 25 year old bangers seem to go for $3000! Then there is the added expenses of Rego (registration, cars need to be registered to the state they are in), GreenSlip (Tax and 3rd party insurance combined), parking (most apartments in the CBD will not have parking and you can “buy or rent” a parking space if you need to) and Stamp duty (only really applicable on new cars). Public transport is pretty decent in Sydney and cheap and I recommend trying that first www.131500.com.au but another alternative we found was www.goget.com.au. Goget is a car share initiative which allows you to join as a member for about $49 a month then basically there are lots of cars parked around the city, you go online find one close to you pick it up and drive away for the day. You don’t pay petrol, tax, insurance or tolls! There are mileage charges but they are minimal.
Alcohol – unlike us boozey Brits the Aussies do not allow you to purchase alcohol at your local supermarket. There are designated liquor stores if you want to buy alcohol but be warned compared to the UK it is expensive. Even in pubs you are looking at $7-8 for a “scooner” which is 2/3 of a pint.
Creepy crawlies – now to be honest we have been pretty lucky in avoiding such encounters at the moment as I think I would be on the next plane home, but it is worth considering that the little beggars will get in your house (especially in Spring as flies are everywhere) so my advice is look at getting insect screens over your windows, or ask your landlord to look into it as an investment. In the summer months it can get hot on an evening and windows have to be kept open and this is when they will come in handy. Those living in high rises probably won’t have so much of a problem. Also invest in sprays and air fresheners that deter them from wondering into your house in the first place. Mosquitos are an issue especially near water we have found so invest in some sprays from the local shop to stop getting bitten.
Removals – If you do not have a van at your disposal and you need to collect furniture (as bought on ebay or the like) it can be cheaper to hire “a man with van”. These guys usually advertise on Gumtree under removals or in local shops and charge about $30-45 an hour – which is cheaper than hiring a Ute or paying delivery charges from shops.
Walking – Sydney is very hilly so if like me you are not used to walking it is always an idea to bring trainers with you in your bag for those steep climbs. The CBD is not so bad but the suburbs can be tough on the old calf muscles.
Anyway I hope this was helpful to those of you who have just arrived! Good luck and welcome to Sydney.
Welcome to Sydney!
Thursday, January 13th, 2011 | Career, Events, General Interest | No Comments
Well we did it! we sat on a plane for 12 hours, a brief stop in Hong Kong, then onto another plane for 9 hours and here we are! Its morning here in Sydney Australia and the weather is balmy and overcast, to be honest I was expecting raging sunshine but not to worry I am sure its just an off day!
We have arrived at the hotel and are just taking everything in, including the view which is stunning. We drove over the Sydney Harbor Bridge in the taxi and a pang of home sickness and pride pricked me as Dorman Long (the company that build the bridge) are from my hometown of Middlesbourgh. Also Captain James Cook lived in Teesside so is this all serendipity? You have to wonder when your life takes this much of a monumental turn in another direction.
However on first impressions, I think we are going to like it here! 
Preparing for the move
Tuesday, December 28th, 2010 | Career, Events, General Interest, SEO | No Comments
Well the countdown is on for the move to Sydney and I must say we are pretty organised, albeit I am flapping like a chicken and writing lists until they come out my ears. Flights are booked so no turning back now.
Living at my dads so his front room resembles some sort of storage facility but we are getting there with the packing.
Looking forward to starting my new SEO job, nerves are getting to me a bit but I am sure I will be fine, its like anything, you can have your doctorate in Nuclear Physics but start a new job and you can struggle working the fax machine!
Christmas as bizarre and a little bitter sweet, it was nice to have that family feeling of everyone coming together but knowing that a move of nearly 12,000 miles is pending its sad to think this may the last get together for some time.
Anyway on with the rest of the packing.
New SEO Job In AUSTRALIA!!
Wednesday, November 24th, 2010 | Career, Events | No Comments
Yes that’s right the Lewis’s are emigrating to Australia - Sydney to be exact.
We are due to arrive on 12th January 2011 after I have been offered a sponsored employment position with an Australian based agency specialising in Search Engine Marketing.
Very exciting and a lot to do between now and then so keep checking back for updates. I hear the hardest part will be finding an apartment as the competition is high in and around Sydney (not to mention the cost of rent).
I am sure we will find somewhere that is pet friendly because of course we are taking our dog Xena with us! We just have to train her to hunt spiders!
Sadly we can not take Bradders and Misty our bunnies and have found them a home here in the UK, we have to say goodbye which is sad but the power of the internet will ensure photos and emails are frequently sent to us informing us of their continuous bunny antics!
So if anyone has any comments or advice it is always welcome and we embark on this exciting (and a little bit scary) adventure.
Waggy Walk at Wynyard Woodland Park for Dogs Trust
Monday, October 4th, 2010 | Events | No Comments
Well I am very proud of our little Chorkie Xena today! After completing a 5K walk for Dogs Trust at Wynard Woodland Park on Sunday and raising money for dog’s not as fortunate as herself.
She was by far the smallest dog there and managed the whole walk without flagging! To make it more difficult the weather was torrential rain from start to finish so poor pooch got soaked. Not to mention Andy and I whose clothes were easier 10kg heavier with rain water than when we started.
A very wet Xena, Andy and I finished the walk with the other 250 dog owners who braved the elements and Xena was even featured in the Northern Echo!!
Karen & Xena on Waggy Walk for Dogs Trust
A massive thank you to all those who sponsored us and if you would still like to make a contribution to Dogs Trust it will be greatly appreciated.
Waggy Walk at Wynyard Woodland Park
9:18am Monday 4th October 2010
MORE than 250 dog lovers and their canine friends braved heavy rain yesterday to take part in a Waggy Walk at Wynyard Woodland Park, near Stockton.
Among them was Karen Lewis, from Ingleby Barwick, whose Yorkie-cross Xena needed a warm shelter.
The park was one of ten locations across the UK hosting 5km and 10km routes. Last year, the walks raised £85,000 for dog welfare charity the Dogs Trust, which has a re-homing centre near Darlington.
1 Year Wedding Anniversary Trip to Brugges
Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010 | Events, Holidays | No Comments
Well can anyone actually believe it has been a whole year since our fabulous wedding day?
My amazing husband devised a plan to organise a surprise trip to Brugges – somewhere I knew little about and had never been before.
It would have remained a total surprise if the tube workers had not been strike and we had to devise a different route to get to Kings Cross.
We set off at some ungodly hour to make it to Cockfosters to get the tube to Kings Cross to catch the Eurostar.
We made it in good time despite having to take various other forms of transport across London at 6am as the underground workers were striking.
Once we got to Brugges (only 2 and a half hours by EuroStar to Brussels then 45 mins on the train) I was immediately take with the architecture, modern and cosmopolitan near the train station and chocolate box fairy tale in the City Centre.
I had plenty of opportunity to see the architecture as Mr Lewis (or Copernicus as I now affectionately call him) could get lost down a one way street! – so plenty of wondering aimlessly trying to find our hotel.
They say marriage teaches you a lot about your other half…well this trip I learnt that my husband can not read a map for toffee!
However it was worth the wait. We stayed at the Pand Hotel – a small romantic 4 star hotel decorated in a Parisian Boutique style, simply gorgeous! (and we found out later from talking to a couple from Yorkshire it is the hotel where Michael Winner stays…GET US lol)
As well as the stunning accommodation hubby had organised champaign breakfast and a junior suite for us – wow!..and a meal at the exquisite Maria van Bourgondië resturant.
I highly recommend the Pand Hotel if anyone is on their way to Brugges anytime soon, the staff are amazing and the hotel is stunning!
Brugges itself is very pretty, with canals and parks a lot is pedestrianised so you don’t get the hussle and bussel and of course the buildings are stunning, like out of a story book. The best way to see it all in my opinion is via a horse and cart tour. This will set you back about 30euros but worth it!
The food in Brugges is fantastic – mainly seafood, mussles etc.. but also good old fashioned steaks and Italian dishes. You will pay about 25euros a head so a bit more than in the UK but it is all cooked to perfection.
The local tipple is beer – Zot to be exact, brewed in their very own Half Moon brewery 
which you can take a tour of for 5euro with a free pint at the end, bargain! We didn’t try the 11% alcohol version but still went down very nicely.
And of course there is the chocolate, Belgium chocolate! amazing! All in all a really nice trip and thank you to my wonderful fella for organising it all, can’t wait to see what he has in mind for our 2nd anniversary lol x x x
See our photos of Bruges here
WALKIES – Sponsored dog walk for Dogs Trust please sponsor me.
Friday, July 16th, 2010 | Events | No Comments
I am doing a 5k walk..yes 5k!! (that’s a lot to me) with our Yorkshire Terrier-Chihuahua cross; Xena. I don’t know who will get tired quickest lol
Check out photos of Xena she is very cute and only has little legs so I can see me carrying her towards the end…but who will carry me lol
Anyway please sponsor me – give what you can, it’s to raise money for the Dogs Trust – a very worthy cause.
The walk will take place on 3rd October 2010 at Wynyard Woodland Park and this is my first sponsored “anything”. I will be sure to post some photos up here after the event but please visit my sponsor page at the Just Giving website
The Gift Box in Leeds – Horrific Customer Service – Avoid!
Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 | Events | 52 Comments
This is not an isolated incident check out the reviews! The Gift Box, Leeds AVOID THIS CON ARTIST Read Reviews @Review_Centre http://bit.ly/a8Cg0i
As those who have read my blog before realise this is sometimes a place to vent my spleen regarding truly appalling customer service received. As a savvy consumer I believe in passing these experiences on to people who maybe considering using the same services to give them the full picture of what to expect, as I would expect someone to let me know if a company was not recommended for such a reason.
However – in February 2009 my now husband and I attended the Yorkshire wedding show – as we had set the date for our big day for September 2009 we needed to get cracking with the organisation. Now the Yorkshire Wedding show holds some stature in that we believed that anyone exhibiting there would be reputable and reliable (as I am sure most are) but I have changed my opinion dramatically after dealing with a Gift List company based in Leeds called The Gift Box (thegiftbox.co.uk). Who promised us a £50 “gift” if we booked an appointment with them at the show, so we did.
We arranged a meeting with the owner; Julia for early March to discuss our gift list so we drove to Leeds (over an hours journey) Julia was late, so we had to wait outside the shop (which was shared with another company so it wasn’t even her premisses)
Once she arrived we went through our gifts, created the list and collected some cards to distribute with the invites so people knew where we were registered.
The wedding came and it was AMAZING! simply perfect. After we returned from honeymoon 2 weeks after the wedding I supplied Julia with the agreed list of what we wanted – Julia explained it may take 12 weeks for delivery – this meant by early New Year 2010 we would have our pressies! Thank you cards had already gone out to the generous guests who bought us gifts from the service.
Anyway January came and went, still no gifts! After calling Julia nearly every other day and emailing we received nothing but automated responses saying she was expecting a baby but still providing an incredible level of service to her customers. Well if that is the case why was this the first we herd of her “absence”? Why was nobody looking after her business or her customers??
We even contacted the shop she part rents in order to get in touch – still no luck apart from the spurious email now and again “the gifts are on their way”, “they have been delayed over Christmas or due to snow”
It was only in APRIL (YES 7 MONTHS LATER) after threats of legal action and contacting Trading Standards that we actually received our items; very curious this happened within a week of us sending our strongly worded letter to Julia who did not tell us about having a baby or arrange cover to take over and serve her oh so important customers!
No apology for the hassle and some people had gave money as gifts (which were meant to be honeymoon experiences) which we had to wait 7 months for and then after providing my bank details to Julia I had to contact her in late April to say the money had not gone into my account – to which I finally got a reply that she had the wrong bank details for me?! Well that’s funny as I forwarded the previous email which I copied and pasted the details from my on-line banking so SHE had either made a mistake inputting it or not bothered at all, I am leaning to the latter!
This is money that had been paid to The Gift Box seven months prior just gaining interest in The Gift Box’s bank account ( with a £2.50 charge for delivery- for cash?! at the cost of our guests) Still waiting for the money to clear into my bank account. Wonder if the £50 “gift” will be added…probably not. Simply shocking.
So basically The Gift Box could not care less about its customers and should be avoided at all costs!
My husband believed The Gift Box were cowboys from day one – I should have listened to him! This is not an isolated incident check out the reviews! The Gift Box, Leeds AVOID THIS CON ARTIST Read Reviews @Review_Centre http://bit.ly/a8Cg0i
Our Fantastic Wedding Day!!
Monday, September 28th, 2009 | Events | No Comments
Andy & Karen Theresa Lewis 09/09/2009
For those who follow my blog (which I would be surprised has reached double figures) you will be aware of the trials and tribulations in the build up the wedding with crappy bridal shops and poor customer service but I would gladly suffer all that again if it could guarantee the fantastic day we ended up having! For those who have been married or are planning a wedding I am sure my previous entries have tickled you and struck a familiar chord as well as acting as a vent for my stress levels lol.
Andy and I were married on 9th September 2009 at Aldwark Manor in York at 12 noon. Yes the date was deliberate for 2 reasons; one – so Andy couldn’t forget the date lol and two – it was a Wednesday therefore cheaper!
The day overall went unbelievably well, the sun even came out and stayed out all day making our photographs truly incredible. – A special thanks to Stephen and Steve our Wedding Photographers.
On the morning, in accordance with tradition I was getting ready with the bridesmaid in another part of the hotel so we had hair and make-up artists giving us the pamper treatment from about 10am and my 4 bridesmaids and I all looked hot to trot. – Thanks to Kuki skin and beauty in York for their fab hair and makeup skills!
The wedding photographer arrived at 11am and snapped a few shots of Andy getting ready and “acting very calm” so people were reporting back to me. It was at this point I thought there was just me who was pensive and rigid with nerves! Even the photographer had to remind me to smile lol
Once I was in my dress I felt a million dollars although I was still “bricking it” lol my dad arrived to collect me and the registrar ran through what would be done in the ceremony and to this day I really don’t recall what she said to me lol
Walking down the stairs was an issue in the dress as I don’t think it was designed with practicality in mind – but I managed on my dad’s arm.
We reached the door to the room where the ceremony was taking place and a few deep breaths and the music started (Secret Garden by Bruce Springsteen played on a string quartet) and we were walking.
I caught sight of Andy from the back with his arms folded and staring forward, he looked far from calm. When I reached him and he turned
to look at me I saw tears in his eyes and thought to myself “well at least I am not as nervous as him!”
He looked at me and told me I looked beautiful and all my nerves disappeared, I held his hand tight while the registrar conducted the ceremony and watched Andy well up again when his sister Sarah did her reading.
With a few giggles along the way from Andy and myself when I managed to put his wedding ring on the wrong finger! We were officially married! It was amazing and I felt so happy. We turned to walk down the aisle and Andy practically ran – last bought of nerves I think – however it did mean we were out of the room within the first four bars of Heaven by Bryan Adams played (beautifully I presume) by the string quartet.
But then we were outside greeting everyone and it was just magical.
The rest of the day went so quickly with photos and gathering people for more photos but the sun was shining and everyone was as smiley as I was.
The wedding breakfast (which I now know is what they call the meal after the ceremony – not actually “breakfast” which I thought we had to buy everyone on top of their meal!!) we were announced as Mr & Mrs Lewis and entered the room to a round of applause from family and friends which was weird but fun!
My dad made a very lovely speech regaling tales of my childhood and there wasn’t a dry eye in the house lol
Andy’s best man Shaun made a speech which got some laughs and then we tucked into our food which was simply delicious and everyone commented on how lovely it was.
After the meal we had more photos but Andy and I managed to steal 5 minutes on our own to absorb what was going on and have a kiss and a cuddle.
For our first dance we chose Run by Leona Lewis (no relation lol) and Andy managed to actually dance!!! Well it looked more like he was shifting furniture but he did his best bless him.
After that it was all about the dance floor and doing the rounds to say hello to friends and family.
Everyone had a great time and a few comical moments occurred when dancing to the typical wedding songs such as Come on Eileen and The Cha Cha Slide to which people started doing some kind of dance off competition – very funny.
All in all I could not have asked for a more perfect day, it was incredible and it was such a shame it had to end.
All our family and friends have been amazing and I am over the moon I could have shared our special day with them – I truly had the time of my life!!!
A big thank you to all our guests, the amazing staff at Aldwark Manor (simply AMAZING!) and Stephen Quinn and Steve – our photographers who were incredible as the photos prove!
Check our our amazing wedding photos in my Gallery!
Xena our new puppy
Wednesday, May 13th, 2009 | Events, General Interest | No Comments
After the sad and sudden departure of Buffy our beloved house rabbit we have adopted a new addition to the family. Xena is an 8 week old Chorkie puppy! A Chorkie is not a purebred dog. It is a cross between the Chihuahua and the Yorkshire Terrier so as you can imagine she is very tiny and very very cute.
This doesn’t mean that she isn’t a monster and has a diva style strop when she isn’t the centre of attention. All of which seems to be forgotten very quickly with one flash of her big brown eyes!
Technically she is a “designer breed” but I loath that term, makes her sound like some kind of genetically modified Frankenstein experiment. She is the happy product of a mummy Yorkie and a daddy Chihuahua.
However Chorkies are a robust breed with a life expectancy of 15 years but due to their appeal we have decided to get her micro chipped and insured as believe it or not people actually try to steal them!
She is very comical and loves to fight with toilet roll holders…random!!
Bradders, our other house rabbit, is a little unsure as he knows he is a lot bigger and more powerful then the puppy so he tends to keep out of her way for now. She is very bouncy and playful so he doesn’t really know what to make of her yet, he will never have as much of a bond with Xena as he did with Buffy but we are hoping they learn to get along once Xena has settled down.
I can sense another “Marley and Me” type book with anecdotes of her hilarious antics!
Check out the photos of Xena in my gallery.
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