Tuesday 19 March 2013

Off to the land down under

I've not posted for ages! I'm so sorry (to my two, and only two readers, Anita and Mike) you see I have been a busy bee, desperately house hunting constantly! Every house we have viewed and shook hands on have fallen through..the lovely little place with huuuge garden in Brockley, the sweet little basement pad in Crystal Palace, the idyllic little cottage in South Norwood. Every flipping one of them!
So after months of pissing about and staying with family, putting them out and boring them to death with our house viewing trials and tribulations, we've decided to go for a long holiday to Mike's homeland; Australia!
I've been loads as we used to visit mike's parents once a year (pre Jacob) and I absolutely love the place. It will be really nice to get away from all the stress and drama of the last few months and mike is able to restart work on our return, So, with no rental contract signed or kids at school now seems like the best time to go for a nice long holiday and introduce Jacob to all his Aussie relatives!

And whilst we're there we may even start to contemplate a permanent move sometime in the future.
Life in London has really knocked it out of me the last few months. House prices soar by the week and good jobs are becoming increasingly hard to find. I can't even contemplate going back to work because the cost of childcare would probably override my monthly salary. To put in bluntly, living off one salary when you have a family to support is shit. Mike did 76 hours last week and what do we have to show for all the hard work? Nothing. I'm increasingly learning in this country that it doesn't pay to be the hardworking family that isn't quite poor but are certainly not rich either, because mike earned more than £26,000 we were denied tax credits. Yet the man who robbed my mother and was arrested and put on probation, with the help of his probation officer, managed to get a council flat in a nice area of London with everything being paid for. Essentially, my mum, by being robbed by him, improved his life. Where the fuck is the justice in that?

I do really love London and the UK. There are many things that make me proud. Unfortunately I'm just slowly falling out of love with the place. Hopefully a nice long holiday will sort me out! After all, You can take the girl out of London....