Our News

Since Dawn’s last entry, the lab in Sheffield offered to reduce the trial period from 10 weeks to 4 weeks, and also pay half the cost for our accommodation during that period. So last week she began her trial and I accompanied Dawn to Sheffield. I’m now back in Reading and have a possible job in this area which would last until Christmas - the job would be working in an inbound call centre for a wine company, and it includes a nice discount for their products so that would be good!

We’re still working out exactly what to do, and where to live - only today Dawn got offered a part-time Dental Technician job in London, and I have an application or two in at places in the south. So it’s still uncertain whether or not we’ll stay in the south of England, or head up north to South Yorkshire. It’ll all clear up over the coming days and weeks!

I took a few photos in Sheffield for anyone who wants to see them - located here. Oh, and the other bit of news is that I have now sent off my application to the Australian High Commission in London for a Spouse Visa! I posted it last Tuesday, and it got there on Wednesday. Hopefully there will be no problems and the visa will be issued quickly!!

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Rob and I have just arrived back from yet another trip to Sheffield for a job interview with a private laboratory. I did two jobs on the bench before they decided to pull me aside for a little chat. The upshot is that I believe a letter of offer is on it’s way via the good ol’ Royal Mail! Hallelujah! I am not gonna say “it’s about time” because I know that I need to learn to be more patient, so I am just gonna bask in my relief and gratitude, and say “Praise the Lord!”

The job will require doing a mandatory 10 week trial, so the first obstacle to overcome will be finding some temporary inexpensive accommodation (likely impossible but we have faith!) as we think it would be presumptuous to sign a longer term lease. The laboratory have offered to help find something so we are hoping they will have some success with that.

In the times that we have visited Sheffield I haven’t been able to look around much, but yesterday I got to see a bit more of it and I am well impressed. It seems like such a thriving metropolis, with no shortage of cafes, restaurants and entertainment venues, not to mention the masses of new uni students beginning the term giving the whole place a very social and festive feel!

Well that’s all I have to report for now! Thanks to all those who have offered up prayers for my employment situation - I am very grateful. Will try to keep you posted of further developments!

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Autumn is on it’s way, it’s getting dark earlier, and it’ll soon be Christmas! Well ok, it’s still about 14 or so weeks until Santa uses the chimney as a door, but it’ll soon be getting much colder! On the upside though, at least we won the Ashes in the Cricket!!

Recently we spent almost 2 weeks on the road, being in Sheffield for a day or so, and then Glasgow for the remainder of the time. It gets very wet and windy in Glasgow, and it wasn’t too warm - you actually have to wear a jacket half the time in August! I managed to get a short trip to Edinburgh one day when Dawn was working, and also saw parts of Glasgow that I hadn’t before. Check out our Photos section for a few pics I took!

On Saturday we both spent the day in London - Dawn at an interview, me just wandering about - catching random tube trains and buses! Currently Dawn is waiting to hear from a couple of labs in London, and one of the Glasgow labs which may be opening a lab in London. So maybe we’ll end up in London - or if that doesn’t work, maybe we’ll look at something else.

I’m hoping to send off my visa application in the next week so maybe we’ll end up downunder at some point soon. As you can tell, things are still very much up in the air here!!

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Since my last entry, we got to the show (The Producers) without too many problems - the tube in London at the time still had a number of lines either not in operation, or partially working. We enjoyed the show, and the fact we had box tickets given to us made it even better! However, if you’re ever in the theatre district of London, do not go to the Indian Restaurant opposite Theatre Royal, on Drury Lane! We had a curry there, and it wasn’t that good. In our photo section we have a couple of photos from the evening - Elliott, a friend from uni, was playing drums in the band that evening.

We made a trip to Glasgow on Wednesday - it was my first time to Scotland. We were following some potential employment leads, and it looks like we’ll be making another trip there next week, as well as to Sheffield. The overnight bus coming back was a killer, so I think we’ll make that a day trip next time! Currently there is a Piping Festival in Glasgow, so every where you walked in the city centre you would hear bagpipes being played!

It’s my birthday coming up on the 27th, and it looks like we will be in Scotland that weekend. We have also now put together our Wedding Photo Album! We were given an album as a present, which we have used to put 72 photos into it from the Wedding & Reception in England, and the 2nd Reception in Australia. The Australian Spouse Visa application is still being worked on, and I hope to be able to submit my application in early September.

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