Toots

I remember lovely summer days in the UK as a child and beyond. We used to cycle to the beach and swim in rivers. Most of the school summer holidays were spent outside. I also remember my younger sister being put outside in her pram no matter what the weather was like even in winter. Not in the rain though. In Nordic countries it's quite normal to let babies take a nap outside in their prams even during winter and it must have been much the same in the UK in those days. I also remember hearing a rumble and my Mum dashing outside as the rumble was snow sliding off the roof onto the pram!! My sister was none the worse.

I really dislike hot weather too. Apparently Sydney is forecast 35C today. Here it will reach 20C. I think our hottest day this summer was 27C and that is plenty hot enough for me. No air-con necessary here. Just open the back and front doors and the breeze keeps everything cool. UK summers are getting hotter. Last summer some places reached 38C.

Yes, the only quarantine facility in Australia for cats and dogs is in Melbourne (Mickleham). The minimum cost for quarantine for one cat or dog is approx. $2000. All up with fares, it's a costly price to pay.

This info was in our local paper but it may be old news by now. Seems awfully short notice. Hundreds of pet owners seeking to enter Australia with their pets have had their plans thrown into disarray by rule changes that is making it all but impossible to bring their dogs and cats with them. The changes which take effect today mean that the validity of a test showing that an animal has been vaccinated against rabies has shrunk from 24 months to 12 months and that dogs and cats have to be identified by official government vets. If these requirements cannot be fulfilled, animals need to spend 30 rather than 10 days in quarantine on arrival but with quarantine spaces booked out for months many pet owners are now unable to travel with their pets.

You could try this. https://www.internations.org/sydney-expats/british

Yes I think you're right. My husband seemed to have no problem making friends. I made my friends when we first arrived in Sydney when I started work. This was over 40 years ago and work was pretty easy to find in those days. Hope you find it easier to settle once you start work. It's not easy on your own.

This info may be useful if @Ceebs-x is a bloke. There are quite a few bars in Sydney for UK travellers and expats interested in watching EPL and rugby. Might be OK for meeting people. https://bbmlive.com/nsw/wheres-the-best-pub-in-sydney-to-watch-epl-live/

Lovely to hear from you Sarah! Always enjoyed your sense of humour in spite of your struggles when you arrived in Darwin. Can't believe it's been 7 years since you landed there. Good luck with your move to WA.

A heritage/heirloom seed is seed from a plant that has been passed from one generation to another, carefully grown and saved because it is considered valuable. The value could lie in its flavor, productivity, hardiness or adaptability. Many heritage/heirlooms have been grown, saved and passed down for more than 100 years.

I'm sure some folk look at me when I make a foray into Coles after I've been mucking out stables and doing a bit of fence repairing - wearing wellies and ripped jeans, hair all over the place. Probably think poor old soul.

You have to admit 2 weeks isn't long enough to explore the island. Most people head off to Hobart and the south but there is so much more to see.

I don't know if you walked along the pathway beside the river which is across the road from the hotel where you stayed? We live about 10 minutes from there in the direction of the sea. We can see the ferries going to and fro from our kitchen window.

I've driven right down the west coast in my elderly Corolla no problem. The roads do make you concentrate on your driving but I take it slowly and stop often to admire the different scenery. It is very different to the east coast. Parts of it remind me of the area of Scotland where I was brought up. https://lapoftasmania.com.au/places-to-visit/west-coast-tasmania/

@InnerVoice I wonder what you thought of the east coast. You made it to Swansea on your exploration. I much prefer the west coast. The east coast has lovely beaches but is so dry and brown (during summer) compared to the west coast. I have a friend in St Helens (east coast) so go there to visit and enjoy the town and surrounding area but I couldn't live there. The west coast appeals more to me because of the wilderness, forests and lakes. I also find the small towns more interesting. Yes, it rains more there but that doesn't matter to me. We were in Launceston yesterday for a bit of shopping and it was much hotter there than breezy Devonport.

@InnerVoice Just outside Ross is the Ross Female Factory which was originally built to house the convict chain gangs who built the bridge in your photo. Later it was used for female convicts and their babies. The buildings were converted from a chain gang station and extended to include a chapel, dining rooms, hospital, nursery, solitary cells, dormitories and an outer courtyard. The women were taught how to sew, clean, cook, launder and care for their children. The site also served as a factory as well as a hiring depot, and overnight station for female convicts travelling between settlements. Life was very harsh for all convicts in the mid 1800s It closed in 1854.

Thank you for your Tassie holiday report @InnerVoice. Yes you're right the landscape is looking a bit on the dry and shrivelled side. Apart from the occasional overnight shower we hadn't had any rain for weeks. Mind you I always think that trip down the Midland Highway from Launceston to Hobart always looks a bit bleak but there are some very nice small towns off the highway. The cold wet day you mention when you were at Port Arthur was the same here. Had to wear a jumper! I wish. wish. wish. there was an Aldi here. We have to rely on Coles/Woolworths and because there is no competition whatsoever (apart from IGA) their prices as far as I'm concerned are far too high. Burnie, at one time was a thriving, mainly working class town. 3,500 people lost their jobs when the pulp and paper mill closed at the end of the 90s. It hasn't really recovered which is a shame.

Stock up on that sort of thing when they are on special at Coles/Woolies. I got enough toothpaste and shaving cream for OH at half price to last for many months. Never pay full price.

Another golf course which is popular is Barnbougle near the little seaside town of Bridport on the north east Tassie coast. https://www.voyages.golf/tasmania/golf-course/barnbougle-the-dunes-golf-course/

We retired to the north west coast of Tasmania from Sydney 9 years ago. We love it here. I much prefer the climate here. I am able to share 3 horses and their upkeep with friends and that is one of my hobbies. Always wanted to have a horse! Tasmania is approx the size of Switzerland and Ireland and we enjoy exploring the island at all times of the year. I have very good friends here so that makes for a ready made social life. Voluntary work also keep me busy. We go back to Sydney now and again to visit our son/friends and also Melbourne so we don't feel isolated at all. My sister is has been staying with us since the end of September. She is a city person. She lived all her working life in London and retired to Edinburgh but even she has been really enjoying the summer here and the laid back lifestyle. She returns to Edinburgh early next month. @InnerVoice I was wondering how your reccie went.

Hard to believe that your police are turning a blind eye to all this drug manufacturing/selling. Here, we are told to dob in any sign of that sort of thing. A notice from the police in our local paper states “For those seeking to profit from manufacturing/selling harmful drugs to Tasmanians, know that we will target you and your activities in order to keep Tasmanians safe."

I'm the same as you and Skani. When we moved from Perth to Sydney I really found the summer humidity in Sydney hard to cope with after the dry heat of Perth. Even 25C on a humid day was horrid.

Yes, I understand. Just thought it would have made it easier for everyone. Hope you can manage to care for him here.

If you father has no relatives in Australia, would it not be possible for him to return to the UK to be looked after by you. You could accompany him back to make the journey easier for him.

In hotels in Singapore and many other Asian countries the air con is set far too cold. Always need a cardi ................ then you walk outside to be blasted with the heat.

Day after day after day of sunshine can actually get a bit boring for me. I don't mind the sudden weather changes at all and by the end of summer I've just about had enough of it and really look forward to the mellow autumn days.