Toots

There is a pear tree (huge) on one of my walks which produces very nice fruit towards the end of summer, also wild blackberries and hazel nuts at the same time. I just swapped a bucket of lemons for a bunch of rhubarb with a neighbour.

We do too and we don't have mozzies and only a few flies round about the end of January for a couple of weeks. Also never seen a cockroach here.

That bird, the koel drove me batty. The most annoying, monotonous bird call of any bird I can think of. I swear, if I had had a gun I would have shot it. That's how maddening it was.

We lived in North Ryde and a number of years ago their was a horrible bushfire in the Lane Cove national park. It crept fairly close to Chatswood and North Ryde. In fact the Macquarie shopping centre had to close as it was getting very near. Mozzies weren't a worry there but no matter how fastidious you were, cockroaches were a pain. We backed onto a large nature reserve so lots of cockatoos - noisy buggers and during mating/nesting season the magpies were very aggressive and drew blood when they swooped you. Never saw a snake but I'm sure they were around. Don't recall much of a spider problem. The huntsman spiders are harmless (I think!) and were easy to catch with a glass over them and sliding a piece of paper underneath then deposit them in the garden.

There are some lovely old character houses in our area of town. This one is my favourite though far too big for the two of us and I wouldn't want the cost of heating the whole thing during our winters. It used to have a massive garden but houses have since been built on it and made into a sort of cul-de-sac.

There are plenty of houses here in Tasmania that have central heating/underfloor heating but it's by far best to have it put in when you are building. We don't have central heating but have a wood burner which when it's going full blast can heat the whole house when all the internal doors are open. The house never feels cold plus husband sealed all draughts and we have double glazing. We don't need air-con during summer at all where we live as we get a cooling breeze from the northwest so open all the doors and windows which keeps everything comfortable on warmer days.

Our water rates in Devonport are $270 every quarter.

Yes, the Qld climate is sub-tropical so your houses are built accordingly. I watch new houses being built here and you get what you pay for. Some houses seem to be slapped up and others are definitely far better built .......... loads of insulation, double glazing, underfloor heating etc. All that comes at a cost .......... a much greater cost. I bet there are some places inland in Qld where it gets cold during winter. We never had frost where we lived in Sydney but in the western suburbs of Sydney they have heavy frosts during winter and stinking heat in the summer. Different areas of Sydney definitely have different temps. That's another thing new migrants aren't aware of.

I don't think houses here are built to a decent standard and loads of migrants (usually from the UK) often state on this forum that they are freezing during winter. They wouldn't put up with being cold in the UK so I've never understood why they don't heat their houses here. We have always 'fixed' our houses so we are comfortable no matter what the weather is like. It's not that hard to do. No use moaning about it. Fix it.

I know what you mean as we also get the mizzle and drizzle here. I remember leaving work in Sydney during downpours and taking my shoes off to walk to the station as the street was like a canal. When it rains there it really does rain. Also remember days and days of rain round about Easter time - one Easter it rained continuously for nearly 4 weeks. Like you, I hated the humidity during summer.

Chilly again today but sunny. Stopped for a cuppa on my walk at the beach.

Sydney also receives twice as much rain as Melbourne.

Harry the dog has just shuffled back into the house panting. It's 22C in the back garden. Mind you when you turn the corner into the driveway it's 14C and windy. Nice time of year as the daffodils, magnolias and camellias are looking lovely.

At least you got out of Darwin @Huntersmummy. That was a big move to Perth so I'm sorry it hasn't been much better for you there. You know where we are if you feel like having a good old moan. Can't believe some folk PM'd you with a judgmental attitude.

I live in a largish town of 27 thousand people and even though the cost of living is hitting everyone, our town does have some really good facilities. There is a very good indoor and outdoor swimming center plus we are very close to beaches. There are 9 sporting fields which are used for a variety of sports throughout the year and all are well run by the council. I think we are very lucky in that way.

The Australian inflation rate is 6% or 7% depending on various info but I can tell you that stuff in the shops has risen a LOT more than that. Building a house and renovations also much more expensive than pre Covid.

Not so much of a hassle if you don't have children or pets and providing your other half is up for all the pinging and ponging. Personally I really couldn't be doing with the hassle but some people seem to thrive on it.

Crazy weather here today. It was lovely and sunny but cold this morning then by noon the sky turned very dark. A gale force wind started, the temperature dropped further and then heavy rain which swirled in all directions lasted for hours. It was horrible. This evening there is no wind at all and it's a lovely calm, clear moonlit night. Who knows what tomorrow will be like. The weather here is never boring.

My brother was one of the engineers when Skytrain was built. Skytrain andn MRT map. https://travelhappy.info/bangkok-bts-and-mrt-map/ Skytrain

Yes, the traffic is horrendous in Bangkok but the Skytrain and MRT are a great way to travel around the city. Easy to negotiate and cheap. We used to stay in the Sukhumvit area and the Skytrain stations there are numerous.

I'm a foot shorter than you and I would love to have extra legroom. Did manage to a couple of times ................ one of those seats near the exit door. Made such a difference on a 24 hour flight.

I suppose it depends who you fly with. A lot of people have a stopover in Dubai. Personally, I don't like the place but Kuala Lumpur, Singapore (my favourite) and Bangkok are interesting.

Mr anti Australia strikes again. Always here with your negativity. Dunedin is not like Hobart. In fact I didn't like Dunedin. Maybe it was the time of year we were there but it just seemed very damp and had no atmosphere about it. Queenstown is more my kind of place but VERY expensive. I have a nephew who lives there and he loves it. Sure there are a lot of drawbacks with any place. I'm waiting for you to find your Utopia.

We had lunch in the Shipwrights Arms in Battery Point. I could live in that area very easily ............. when I win the lottery. One of those little houses in Arthur Circus, Battery Point would do me very nicely.

I like it because of its small size. I really don't like cities at all. I like the old sandstone buildings in the older parts - a lot character. I also like the real pubs with a bit of atmosphere. We were there a couple of weeks ago (3 hour drive from Devonport) and met friends for a pub lunch and stayed overnight in Hadley's Hotel in the town centre. Had a lovely time.