Surf N Turf

Just as some need constant reassurance that they have done the right thing in moving back to the UK (or wanting to) and look for validation whenever they can. Where is PB this evening BTW?

Two international moves in two years can be a very tough experience so well done for managing so well. Actually, not just managing but thriving. Great to hear.

Great list petkula. I've enjoyed lots of the places on your list and you've given me some new ideas. My fav is the botanical gardens. Brilliant children's area and I'm really looking forward to some moonlit cinema this summer. I'd add collingwood children's farm and checking out the wildlife at the end of St kilda pier. And cocktails at cookies on swanston

I always enjoy a bit of pronounciation correction from a citizen of a country where accents change every 100 kms or so and so there isn't actually one correct way of saying anything. Refreshing :wink:

Don't worry about it We've only over-complicated it in our house because we don't want to have a tv and so we stream the stuff we want to watch via our computer. I assume the OP wants to ditch foxtel and find a way to still access UK TV so he'll need to use his computer and make it look like he's in the UK (the IP blocker bit). Since you're in the UK you just have to switch the set on so no need to grapple with all this nonsense :yes:

That's a very tough run for you and your wife. But it's sounding good this time so I wish you all the best for the creation of a new Australian next year (Oh ok. Dual national then).

Great idea for a thread wakey. Sad to hear of some of the downsides for peeps but good to reflect and see that there's usually some balance. Same for me really. My daughter started school which, after a tough start, has gone really well. I saw her do crawl at the pool the other day for the first time which made me proud . I started my own business which (so far) has become exactly what I wanted it to be. On the flip side my oh is still struggling in oz and my dad was recently diagnosed with cancer (but is doing well). Enjoying the good and coping with the bad.

I hope it's a poll. Just between you and me, I've been working on a few new aliases

If smash doesn't make a person proud to be British, I don't know what will. Other than spam of course.

Why on earth would you do that? You can get the tele, shopping and much of the food without all that drabness.

I like Hide My Ass IP blocking service as for a pretty nominal fee you can appear to be in loads of different countries, not just UK. I got hooked on Smash at one point and streamed it all from one of the US channels. Plus it all streams perfectly and I've had pretty erratic results on other blockers. Then as britchix says you just hook it up to your tv/large monitor.

I watched a doco recently called Sext Up Kids that frightened the life out of me. It was basically about the impact of the way our culture is sexualising our children at earlier and earlier ages. Not just through social media but through marketing, movies, mtv etc. Also the impact of easy access to porn by boys from a young age and the expectations this creates for their own sex lives. The way this shapes young girls view of themselves and the world is really sad. When I was growing up my friends and I used to obsess a little over hair and makeup but we didn't consider plastic surgery a genuine option. We wanted to be the best version of ourselves, not look like someone else altogether. I think that the sort of pressure this creates around their looks and developing sexuality can lead to self-harm. So many strong feelings that they don't know what to do with. I was tempted to convert to catholism and find a nice convent for my daughter so that she can develop at her own pace!

Hi Bellyboo. Here's my two cents worth. I faced a similar choice at the same age but for different reasons. I was living in Brisbane and facing a pretty severe work burnout and feeling like I'd been single for too long. I decided that a move would shake things up so I spent some time trying to decide whether to head to London or Melbourne. For reasons I can't really remember now I chose London. That choice had both wonderful and very difficult consequences. The good stuff is that I met my partner pretty soon after arriving and we've since had a child. They are truly the two great loves of my life and I'm very grateful to have them. On down side my partner hates Australia and now, as a parent, I'm very happy here and am keen to raise our daughter in OZ. That's an easy sentence to type but an extremely difficult situation to live with. It's caused us both enormous distress as it does other couples on PIO. It's been so hard at times that we've talked about whether we'd have made the same choices if we'd have known how it was going to turn out. All this to say, that at 34 as opposed to 24, it might be worth factoring in any long-term plans for a family and where you might want to be when that happens. Whatever you decide I wish you lots of luck and happiness.

I thought you said yesterday that repetition WASN'T the secret of good comedy.

Agreed. Tougher for the elderly and other groups who are on a limited fixed income over a long period of time.

I don't have much belief in the idea of Australian poverty. Not in cities anyway (I know very little about rural/remote living). I work in mental health and my clients are generally long-term unemployed and often from families of inter-generational welfare dependency. The people you would think of as being poor in our society. I would say that most are pretty comfortable. I'm no longer surprised to hear about the ipads, wiis, blue-ray players and trampolines in back garden. Things my own child doesn't have. Many are supporting an expensive addiction and I don't think I have a single client who hasn't whipped out a smart phone at some point. Some people are genuinely doing it tough but many are classified as 'poor' but are doing very nicely through cash in hand work whilst claiming welfare benefits. This probably sounds very right-wing - which politically I'm not - but it's just the reality I see each time I go to work. So any sort of comparison with poverty in a developing national is a joke. Santa will have a lot of deliveries to make in our most disadvantaged communities this Christmas. I'd bet my salary on it.

Yeah but sometimes the bait is so obvious that the fish just roll their eyes and swim right by.

You're feeling fiesty this evening. That's fightin' talk!

OK, so this is a very easy and predictable shot. But far too tempting to resist. According to PIO logic (or lack thereof depending on your POV) doesn't a large proportion of migrants returning home infer some sort of nation fail? So all these people returning to Australia, New Zealand, America and Canada must be doing so because the UK just isn't what it's cracked up to be. A huge and expensive disapointment. It can't possibly be because they came for a new experience and are returning home with a renewed appreciation for their homeland. Well it could be. But in Australia's case the (much smaller) number of returning migrants is often used as some sort of proof that all is not well in these parts. Thanks Kate. I have a feeling I'll be referring to these stats again at some point :happy_face_cowboy_w

I live in a two bed apartment close to the city in Melbourne - two adults and a child. No water as the building is too old to have individual meters. Electricity varies from about $350 per quarter in summer (no aircon) to $650 per quarter in winter (poorly insulated so we have the heaters on a lot). Gas is a fairly consistent $100ish per quarter. Hope that helps.

Wonderful news and a very beautiful name. Good work Jo!