Today was my last day at Hatch!

It was the end of 10 years with Kaiser and then Hatch after the take over. There was a 12 month break at "The Big Pineapple" (Worley Gladstone) not long before moving to Perth.

I have been working with some really good people and have made some really good friends during the time, regardless of how good or bad the work was.

The last week at work!

Only a few days of work left now. Today & tomorrow, Wednesday is off for Anzac Day, then Thursday and finally Friday that will be quite unproductive I imagine. It will be about saying good byes, clearing out my desk, sending off e-mails and handing in my swipe cards.

I'll be very glad when this week is over so we can concentrate of sorting things out for the big move. I've really lost interest in work over the last couple of weeks. I won't feel any guilt about slacking off this week since I have given Hatch about 10 years service.

I am looking forward to the change of company, a change of industry, change of country and a change of scenery.

Only one week of work to go.

This time next week I will be saying my good-byes to all my work mates. Next week is a short week with Anzac day on Wednesday and Friday will be a write off. Even still, I can see it dragging on. My focus on work really started fading about a month ago.

Visa Approved!

Relief! Canadian immigration has come through well ahead of their projected time. I was expecting the work permit paperwork to come through in about 4-5 weeks when we were in the U.S. This morning the confirmation was sent to me. It takes the pressure off in a big way. One more completed task for my "To-Do List".

I also received my renewed passport today. Fancy bit of gear with the new electronics sandwiched between the middle pages to keep the Yanks happy.

Not long now! 7 work days and about 2-1/2 weeks until take off!

Packing Origami

This photo may seem a bit odd and even uninteresting. In fact the origami has a purpose.
We were concerned about ensuring we have the right size for a storage shed so that we could book it ASAP. We had 3 choices of shed size. 3m x 3m, 4m x 3m & 4.5m x 3m. I figured that we would be pushing it with a 3x3 but a 4.5x3 would be overkill. The solution was to list the main items to be stored, measure them up & build scale paper models of them. Turns out the 4x3 is the right size.

It will save us some pain when it comes to moving furniture. As in my line of work, it is always better to change/re-arrange things on a drawing or model, than when it comes to doing it full scale. It will make it so much easier to plan which bits of furniture to move first so that we aren't double handling.

A very sad day.

I had to put an add on the web to sell my much loved Hilux. I have been forced to sell it because of the Canada trip. Cars just don't like being stored for long periods. The moving parts tend to either rust or seize. Aside from that it doesn't make economic sense and it'll probably be time for a different type of rig when we get back.

Its a small sacrifice to make, but its been a great car for me over the years. It was a great work horse while I was renovating my place in Queensland and has also been a really good recreational vehicle. I just hope it goes to a good home.

There has been a slight complication with Canadian Immigration. When I was offered the job in Calgary, I was told that my work permit application would take 4 to 6 weeks to approve. Based on that, we have organised all our plans around the first week in May as the leaving date from Perth.

This week I received information that is is now going to take 10-12 weeks! Minor panic. It won't change our plans, but it may result in us entering Canada as tourists but having to leave and re-enter when we have the paperwork. Its a bit of a hassle, but not a show stopper. Hopefully the approval will come when we are in Hawaii or San Francisco.

During the last week, the Canadian adventure started getting very serious.
We have now booked our flights and have put down a deposit. The flight path is :- Perth - Brisbane - Christchurch - Auckland - Honolulu - San Francisco - Vancouver - Calgary. We leave on May 5 and arrive in Calgary on June 4.
We are currently working on the accommodation. The early parts of the journey are easy thanks to mooching off both of our families in Brisbane and Christchurch.
The other cities have been more difficult. When you have never set foot in the city, you have to make guesses at where the right area is to stay. Then you try to pick a hotel in that area for the right price & quality. The internet is great, but sometimes it can overload you with information. Kerri persisted for many hours, wading through reams of information. We have Hawaii & San Fransisco sorted out now, with Vancouver still to go.

You suddenly realize it is actually happening when money starts getting wiped off your bank accounts. At least it is for a very good cause!