Crikey, it’s amazing how complicated it can be to move from one country to another!

Police Checks, Medical including chest x-ray and 6 blood tests! Plus the Visa, which if you don’t apply for the right one for your circumstances can be knocked back, and then add on to that the Immigration Office phoneline being a premium rate £1 a minute!!

Not to mention, selling the house, selling the car, getting rid of most of my brick-a-brack in car boot sales think I may set up my own version of eBay here

Anyways, me police checks are done, I am collecting the doctor’s forms on Thursday/Friday, which I have to fill in prior to any appointment.  I am awaiting some information for me to complete my Visa application and then I should be cooking on gas….

“Then” add into all this mix the cost of it all…

Don’t kid yourself for one minute that Immigration is some romantic idea, that’s the greatest move of your life (it is once you get there of course!!) there are plenty of things to be aware of along the way to keep your feet well and truly planted on the ground…

Assuming a best case scenario that you sail through the Visa bit, and you’ve had you’re medical stuff back etc…and of course you’re flights (which are on average 33hrs long to Wellington but get you there “2 days later”) you are looking at a little over £2000 and this doesn’t include hiring a relocation/removals firm to bring all you’re effects and items out which can further escalate this cost to £3500 odd…

That’s just the moving bit, I also face other costs which many in my situation may easily overlook, closing all my old accounts for utilities, mobile phone etc…early redemptions on mortgage and loans etc…(bah early redemptions are the devils own work!!)…these costs can put a burden in the thousands on any asking price for property making it less likley to get a quick sale, of course, I’m going for neutral wall colours and plain carpets and targetting the first-time buyer market so I should be fine (fingers very crossed)

Phew…so MUCH to do, and such little time?!

…Preferrably my new employer would like me to start 24th September, assuming I can get the Visa/Work Permit sorted in that time?  Plus I have to somehow miraculously sell my house in that time (or at least get the ball rolling to that end before I go)….

Tomorrow is officially my 9th Anniversary of starting with my current employer so I thought it would prove rather an auspicious date to pick for handing my my notice too!  So, 4 weeks left of a job, that has lost my heart and soul, and just under 2 months before I enter a new world!

I know I am going to miss all my colleagues, friends and band mates like crazy, but this is all part of life change…the world has been made small thanks to the internet and communications, so although I will be gone, I will not be forgotten

…One thing WILL remain a constant, and that is this BLOG!!

Like a crazy angry baby, I try to settle and fail.  I feel like it’s Christmas every day right now, only it won’t be until sometime in mid to late September when my particular Santa comes to life!  I can’t say any more until it’s “Official”; apart from my house will be on the market within the next 2 weeks, and I will be desperatley selling all none essential items to build up a little captial towards a major move - Crikey!

All of this major change stuff has sent me into a bit of a retro-sentimental whir….to the point that I’ve “virtually” bumped into an old flame on the good ol’ t’internet, so I’ve dropped her a line to say hi…*waves!!

Gosh I soooo wish I could sleep right now, but I’m just a bag full on anticipation, excitement, nerves, drive, and wonder…maybe I need to change my brand of coffee?  maybe I need to go to the 24hr Tesco and grab some Calms?  maybe I just need to stop asking rhetorical questions?

Hmmm….Right I’m determined to get “some” sleep!  Night all!

Ok…this is from some pics I took over a year ago when I attended Keswick Beer Festival in my professional capacity of course as a consumer tester!! 

Anyways - this is actually several shots knitted together of the nearby Castlerigg Stone Cricle - which in my opinion is far more impressive than Stone Henge and (let’s face it) far older, and untouched.

As you can see from the above,the people in the shot give you a real good feel for the scale of the circle, it is very big, and even this photo doesn’t do it proper justice.

Oh and after stitching the pictures together to get the panoramic effect, I changed it to black and white, to make it that bit more dramatic

Following on from my interview a few days ago, which went well apart from the fact I mixed my days up (slaps own wrist etc…?!) - one thing I know is that I am definitely shortlisted, so it’s a waiting game for about a week…

Meanwhile based slightly on the content of that interview, I have reinstalled Linux on one of my machines - this post is actually being typed on it right now! I have opted for “Edgy” or rather build 6.10 of Ubuntu Linux a Debian derivative, and rather a mature one at that! It’s less likely to hit me with weird little bugs etc… and gentle on my braincells as I get back into Linux mode
I still have to install a few repositories and re-acquaint myself with the “Unixy” format of it all - plus more crucially I need to install WINE (A Windows Crossover Applet enabling Windows Applications and Games to run in Linux; maintained by a company called Codemasters) with the prime objective of getting my trusty World of Warcraft (my one remaining online gaming vice as I’ve given up on Everquest completely) to work smoothly on my AMD 64 Dual Core System!

From most of the forums I have read about going to New Zealand - I should be fine taking my PC with me there, and the way I see it, worst case scenario all I’ll need to do is replace the power supply. TV/DVD/Hi-Fi are no brainers, particularly since the PAL format over there is different, so they gotta go I am afraid - hehe listen to me, I haven’t even been told I got the job yet, and I’m thinking like I am already there!

But hey!! If I don’t prepare now, then what am I going for interviews in NZ for anyways?! Life Change here I come!

In order to improve chances on Wednesday evening (Thursday morning NZ), I am continuing to do homework.  Not just the technical side - although that would encompass the majority; given this is a phone interview across a large distance I appreciate they will want to build as close a picture of my character as possible, this will likley be done through a certain level of behavioral questions - which they have kindly forewarned me will happen.

Whilst it’s difficult to be right or wrong in these types of situations it has allowed me the opportunity to sit down, and gather some examples of different situations in the past of certain skills - for example: working towards a goal, or under pressure.  In fact I recommend anyone going for an interview to give this a go, because if nothing else it will give you plenty of relevant things to talk about in order to qualify your application, plus it’ll add confidence to your approach!

In my opinion a large proportion of failures and nerves in an interview is through lack of preparation, and in some cases people simply not knowing “why” they are there!  I’m lucky I have a circle of friends and colleagues who push me in the right direction mentally all the time :)  (maybe they just want rid of me????   He said in a paranoid tone!)…

Nuff said, anyways - I “could” stay up all night as I am really that fired up about all this now, but that wouldn’t do my clients any good in work tomorrow, so I’m off to get some sleep.

At the weekend I did a sponsored walk with the band to raise some much needed Centenary Funds, and whilst on the walk between Helsby and Frodsham; I took my trusty EOS Rebel and turned my walk into a nature walk!  The following was captured towards the end…and whilst I can’t stand wasps!  I have all the time in the world for the humble bumble bees!

Simply a beautiful thing to behold, and I was lucky enough to capture the following shot too!

Perhaps more pictures another day, as I did take some of the Flora too!

For what may seem obvious reasons to some, I decided to bite the bullet in recent times and go for a new position with a different organisation; (I know I am still a bit of a tease with this) - anyways; it would appear I am getting an initial interview which for this kind of change is a major hurdle surmounted, I expect I will still have to survive a few rounds of interviews before I can set things truly in motion…

Of course here’s the catch - sell your house, your car, get rid of most of the none essentials within your personal belongings and life; and catch the next flight to….

New Zealand!

…and start a new one

See?  Told you I don’t do small change!  I’m really looking forward to a chance to work in an environment that isn’t profit driven; which will hopefully recognise my potential and encourage me to grow (professionally and personally).

On a more sombre note, this does have it’s consequences, I’ll be leaving my immediate family and the brass band I have been a member of for years, they will struggle with a weakened front row - but I see these as necessary sacrifices in my personal development.

Of course I “still” need to be selected from the short list yet, so fingers crossed everyone!