jubbah

In March my wife, self and daughter of 9 decided to leave Australia for France for various reasons. I am a UK/OZ dual nationality and had lived in and out of Oz since 1981. Having little or no family there since my mum and dad passed on only amplified our isolation which in turn detonated a whole negative view of Perth, Sydney etc. My love of Oz was born from those early days of 1981 when I fell in love with the wide open spaces, the nature and hospitality of Australians, but over the years I have seen the things I love slowly erode to the point where Australia has become like any other metropolis in the world. Governments at all levels seem intent on making so many laws and by-laws to stop people having fun that people now do little more than commute to and from the mortgage belt each day, and spend their weekends keeping on the right side of a line whether it be on a beach path, car park or concert. You now have to stand behind a line and be invited to feed the dolphins at Monkey Mia; yesterday I read that a teen in Albany is being investigated by an environmental authority for riding the back of a whale; parking inspectors proliferate; Sydney is a labyrinth of tolls and cameras. And the hospitality of the famous Aussie bbq has all but been cooked. Now, it is the norm to have to take all your own food and drink to a barbie, or for the host to charge guests. This whole thing makes socializing a chore. This is not the Australia those brave diggers fought for in two world wars. In fact, I find it insulting to tie up our freedom in by-laws, banks and in our own 700 square metre block where most of us live in isolation with barely a nod for our neighbour. And so this is why we left Oz. Anyway, I digress. Having put our Perth house on the market in April, we then went to Nice for our 20th anniversary in May where we decided The French Riviera was for us. In June we accepted an offer on the house, in July we packed, in August we left Oz and in September we returned to Nice, bought an apartment and are awaiting handover in November. However, we are not in France yet. Being an English teacher, I felt a couple of years in the Middle east would be a wise transition. It would allow us to save and allow my daughter to learn French (I speak some, my wife a little) and it would also give us time to work out exactly how we would make a living there. I have seen your stitching website and believe you will love France. You are artistic, you are adventurous, you are Australian - and the French like the Ozzies. My notary advised me to use my Aussie passport on the house documents, and they are fascinated, like I was, by the wide open spaces and wildlife. My daughter loved Paris and Nice and Orleans. You and your daughter will be enthralled by the vibrant, artistic detail the people put into their work. Personally, I love the clothes people wear, their politeness and their joie de vivre; they simply love to chat in restaurants and bars - though at times you may crave the informality and humour that permeates Aussie social culture. Yes, it's a great exchange rate. Yes, it'll be winter when you go. Yes, it may be hard if you can't speak much French. Yes, it may puzzle some posters how you will support yourself and blow them away that you have never been to France, but what I have learned is that money is a vehicle to be used to do the things we want to do. So many times I've lived my life with money being the driver when it ought to have been the other way around. Simply follow your voice within and it will lead you to where you ought to be in your life. Bon Chance!