WHERE'S BEST TO LIVE IN NZ ETC :PART 6!!!

[AngryBeaver]

Wow! Part 6...got to be a record.

MN Towers, where's our prize?!

I'm going to be working doing rehabilitation and vocational assessments in the private sector. At the moment I work at Middlemore. It's going to be a big culture shift going from public to private sector!

Hope the croup doesn't last for too long. Horrid noise. Good luck with the party.

sibble thanks pal - really hope your gnarly-sounding job woes sort themselves out asap. justa - surely it's time to just crawl back under that duvet?! really hope your little one is better. croup darkened our door several times when mine were small - ghastly. DS spent nearly a week in hospital once with it, half of which was on intensive care. that was a bit drastic - he realised that and didn't do it again, thankfully! btw, you are so right re people here just longing to move away - you wouldn't believe how depressing it is. an eternal winter which shows no signs of shifting (it's sleeting as i type), a government no-one trusts, the nhs in meltdown and clearly in its twilight years...argh!
on a happier note, i thoroughly recommend date and chocolate loaf
back soon xxx

Ah no sibble, that's shit too, although I think being assertive is a very good thing and not easy to achieve, so well done you.

Work woes = :-(

I am supposed to be applying for a job on Monday, have got application blues. I really don't think I am in with a chance, but can't bear the thought of missing out because I didn't try, IYSWIM, so am spending hours and hours redoing my cv. Booooriiiiing. Lol.

Justa, kids won't care if house isn't slick and span as long as there is cake!

Spick.

Spick and span.

Dammit

It always seems so pointless cleaning before a kids party.

Sounds like it was a success :-)

Sorry to Sibble and Lolly for crappy work situations. Never a nice thing to worry about, is it?
Right, frick and meerkate, you's and me's is now fb buddies, I expect rip roarious status updates daily or I shall defriend you tout suite! I can't carry any dead wood.

Fabulous day today at Palm Beach. Just lovely

Hello - I'm tentatively joining yiu as DH has been approached about a job in Wellington. It's a very good one, well paid and he'd love to do it but we need to do some thinking about it before he decides to follow the opportunity up.

We're lived in NZ before and both have permanent residency, DS1 is also a joint UK / NZ citizen which is just as well as he is the main complication. He has central palsy and is a year post a major op with specialised follow up care here. Justa, I know yiu from the SN boards but what is the provision really like for SN? Is there a DLA equivalent, what about physio provision? Is there a good selection of private physios? TBH I'd prefer to be in Auckand which is where we lived before, still have friends and has a bigger population and poss better hospitals? How about help at school? DS haas a statement currently with 28 hours 1:1 but this is mostly for physical needs, he's academically ahead. How accepting are the schools, is it the case as in the UK that the decide 10 schools are not always the best for 'different' children?

What about Wellington, obviously it's hilly - that's a real bugger with a wheelchair, are there any flat bits with short commutes to the CBD?

Aargh! It took me a long time to feel comfortable back in the Uk as I didn't really feel happy to have left, now (7 years later!) there is the possibility if going back I'm not sure! Help!!

Hairy, as he would be in education, there's likely to be physio through MOE available to him. It would definitely be worth contacting schools to find out before you make too many plans.

Thanks justa! Birth did happen in NZ, he was 11 weeks prem, being covered under ACC would be great. Yes, physio is massively important, we have it three times a week here, one NHS and two privately. It would need to be at least the same if not more as currently school do 20 - 30 mins per day and if he hasn't got support there then there is no one to do it. It does need to be a paediatric neuro developmental physio though, not your standard muscular skeletal one, just to add to the complications!

A mixed picture then, respite support would be great, especially as I currently rely a lot on grandparents to look after DS2 when I am taking DS1 here there and everywhere.

Is there anyone on this thread in Wellington? Are there many standard ex state type houses there all on one level or are they all with stairs and built into the hillside? Stairs are ok but would prefer to minimise. Do flat sections command a premium?

I don't know - I'm getting a bit ahead of myself, DH hasn't even had an interview yet! After being massively excited I'm now remembering all the things I didn't like about NZ and theree seem to be a lot! Sorry rambling now, can't talk to DH, he's at university all weekend and writing an essay due in on Tuesday in the evenings so I'm just going round and round in my head!

Sorry, thanks BBQwidow also. I think I will need to contact a lot of people directly before we go much further...

ACC does put a different spin on things. Much more availability. Might be worth calling the claims helpline and have a chat with them about what provisions there can be. Make sure you have his ACC number when you call. And if you do end up coming, get them to allocate a case manager.

I am always in awe of you SN mothers with your incredibly grasp of the complex layers of bureaucracy involved in getting the best available deal for your precious kids - hats off to you. On a more frivolous note - very happy to be FB buddies with some of you and feeling the massive, AB-applied pressure to be a worthy FB pal Am warding off the cold (more snow fell today, I refuse to even look out of the window any more) with large amounts of cake and tea, patting my round stomach with satisfaction. The only thing to do with such an absurdly dreadful climate is eat one's way through to Spring

PS Also interested to hear about Wellington in general, as the only place a DH-suitable job has come up recently apart from Auckland is in Lower Hutt. Because of my extreme aversion to poor weather I hesitate, though...I am a shameless sun seeker

Weather sounds awful. My sister just sent me a picture on Fb of snow drifts where she lives - you can see car ariels poking up and a bit of the roof and the rest of the cars are buried.

I'm a Kiwi living in England for quite some time... and being shamelessly nosey in this thread!!

Go for Wellington. Not all of it is hilly. The Hutt Valley especially is flat. The southerly winds in Wellington can be dire... but don't let that stop you.

I resisted moving to Wellington when my dh got a job there. We ended up living there for five years, loved every minute of it, until the travel bug got us. And, here we are.

There is a vibe in Wellington that is difficult to explain. Something is always happening. There is water and there are hills to explore. Cafes, museums, culture, etc etc etc.

DH has just managed to convince me that we can cook lamb shank in the weber BBQ. I am dubious. However, lambshanks are now wrapped up in tinfoil parcels with red wine carrot and onion. We did not brown off beforehand either...... Oh well, there's always the chippy down the road if it all goes wrong!

I have very sensitive skin. Very very sensitive. I use a deodorant called sanex for sensitive skin, it's a spray not a roll on. I can't seem to find it in NZ although somewhat bizarrely after an extensive google, apparently the South African shop in auckland stocks sanex, but on calling them and emaing them. Not the sensitive skin one.

I am lying here with DDs old nappy rash cream spread on my poor pits because I tried using Nivea for sensitive skin because I am nearly completely out of my sanex.

I don't want another brand, trying them is torturous. I just want to use the one that I know works and doesn't lead to weeping sores.

Please PLEASE can someone tell me how I can import this stuff? Apparently you can't send pressurized items in the mail, or I would just have my mom send it to me.

ANY suggestions welcome