Since Nadia has been working full time things have been quite busy for us. Really we've been living to work for the last few weeks. Hopefully they'll settle down soon and I'll have a little more time to do this on a more frequent occasion. So, here's the rundown of the month that was and things coming up:
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We Are The Champions!
Zaren and Cyrus (and the rest of their hockey team) won the Midget Championships in Perth. So, we can honestly claim that they were the best Midget hockey team in Western Australia. There were 5 teams in the league and their team, the Lightning, finished 3rd in the regular season standings. Early in the year they lost a few close games due to players being away. The first game of the season they lost their goalie during the game and had to finish without him. Despite that they almost won the game.
Their arch rivals, the Flyers, finished first in the standings. The Flyers and Lightning play out of the same arena and even practice together every week. So they knew each other well.
In the first round of the playoffs the Lightning played a weaker Blackhawks team and beat them fairly handily. In the next round, they played the Icehawks who play in the same arena as the Blackhawks. All year the Lightning, for whatever reason, struggled to beat the Icehawks. However, when the game counted they pulled out the win.
Then they went onto the final against the Flyers. It was an exciting, back-and-forth game with plenty of great plays and exciting scoring chances on both sides. The entire game was a see-saw affair with the Flyers getting a 1 goal lead and then the Lightning would tie it up for most of the game. Then finally in the 3rd period, with the score tied, Cyrus scored to give the Lightning their first lead at 8-7. With 3 minutes left in the 3rd period the Lightning coach put his best 5 players on the ice (including Zaren and Cyrus) and left them out there for the duration of the game. They were tired but went on to win 10-7 and then hoisted the prestigious "Whatsitscalled" trophy. Despite having 9 skaters on the ice and a replacement goalie, the Lightning were clearly the better team.
We're happy the season is over but the season itself was quite fun. While they've come close in the past, this is their first hockey championship trophy and they only needed to move to Australia to get it. The hockey was better than expected and the boys really found their stride. They both scored a ton of goals and really got to play loose in a pressure-free environment. It was probably their most enjoyable year of hockey.
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Nadia has finished her 6 weeks probation at work and next week she is moving to a 3 day a week schedule. She's picked up the work very quickly and by all accounts is doing really well. So, starting next week she works Wednesday-Friday. We're all looking for to it as things have been really hectic and a little stressful for the past 6 weeks.
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Yesterday, Zaren returned from a class camping/hiking trip on the "Cape to Cape" walk. The walk took place about 4 hours south of Perth in the Margaret River region. There were about 40 students and 7 teachers that walked 40 km in 3 days. That's not that bad, however, they also had to carry all of their food, clothes, camping equipment (except the tents that were transported in the bus) and water. We had to rent Zaren a 75 litre trekking backpack. After it was filled it weighed about 25kg (50lbs). The longest stretch they did was on the second day where they went 20km. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate with them. It rained every day and on the last day the trip needed to be cut short due to a severe wind warning in all of southwestern WA, including Perth. He arrived home safe and sound with only a couple of blisters and bruises. He seemed to enjoy it overall but he was exhausted.
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You may recall that a few months ago I mentioned that we were going to be losing our LAFHA (Living Away From Home Allowance) benefits come Oct.1. Originally, we were supposed to lose it on July 1 but it was extended. This time it is not being extended. LAFHA is basically a tax break for those that are living away from home. For instance, if you are eligible for LAFHA and are paying rent of $1000 per week, that $1000 is removed from your taxable income and then added tax-free to your net salary after deducations. There is also a food component whereby we are allowed around $250 per week in food allowance. However, now that we are no longer eligible for LAFHA, we are looking at losing a significant amount of money off my net monthly salary. The money for rent and food is now being taxed and it's moving us into the next higher tax bracket. I'm currently negotiating with my employer to see what they can do but I don't have high hopes. It's a good thing Nadia started working.
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Our rental lease expires on Nov.1. While we like the house and love the location, it's just not quite right, especially for the money we're paying. So, we're back on the market to look at rental properties. Last year we were looking for a rental in December, which is the worst time of year to do so. As a result, we negotiated a 11 month lease so that this year we wouldn't be in the same position. There are certainly more options for us to choose from but the rental market has not settled down at all. The prices are still crazy high. Part of the reason for this is that there is a significant stamp duty when you purchase a house. So, in addition to needing a significant down payment you also need the cash up front to pay the thousands in stamp duty. This results in people buying houses to live in them rather than as a quick-flip money making scheme. It also means that there are a lot more people in the rental market as a result. In addition, because of the formerly booming economy (more on that in a moment) there are a lot of people here on ex-pat packages. That means that their employer will pay their rent essentially no matter what it is. So, the people on these packages don't care how much the rentals cost and are snapping up the rentals and driving up the demand, and therefore the price. Bloody immigrants. In any case, we are now actively searching for our next rental house.
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In the last few months there has been a European economic crisis which has been well documented. As a result, Chinese manufacturing activity has slowed since much of their finished products go to Europe. This has resulted in a drop in the price of iron-ore. Because of this, the shareholders of the major Australian iron ore companies have demanded that the companies scale back their ambitious growth plans and instead concentrate on providing a decent return on investment in the short term. Perths major industry, by a large margin, is iron-ore mining. The slowdown in the industry has resulted in many lost jobs, including my company. Fortunately, I look to be on fairly steady ground at the moment and the commodity prices have already rebounded. By March next year, the 'experts' anticipate a turnaround, and while it won't be booming quite like it was, it'll still be busy. Sound familiar Alberta oilpatch?
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The good news for my work is this week we moved into a new office building, or at least new for us. Our client, BHP Billiton, built themselves a fancy new office. So when they moved out of their old building we moved in. You may recall that many months ago I complained bitterly (a common occurance) about the state of my work environment. Well, now I am quite pleased to say that I am in a nice, modern building. I didn't get an office overlooking the river but it's still a huge improvement.
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The kids are all doing very well. They all have lots of friends and have very active social lives. Last month all of the Universities and Colleges in Perths had 'open days' where you could come and check out the campus and see what they offered. It was a pretty good experience and I think it helped the boys start to focus on what the future may hold. The University of Western Australia has a gorgeous campus, by the way.
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Keva recently went on an evening river cruise with her classmates. It was a formal affair with snacks and pop and dancing. You'll be pleased to know that despite her getting dolled-up with makeup, a fancy dress and high heals, I let her be and didn't stand behind her all night with a shotgun. She seemed to have a good time, probably because I wasn't there.
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Starting next week we should have a little more time on our hands to do things like go outside or when it's raining, blog. If not, the next time you read this we will hopefully have a new place to live.
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