Search the Community

only 109 days to go!! any plans? My misses want it at home... i hate that.. she can't cook and I like getting away from family.. I just found this and just need to convince the other 'arf:yes: http://www.homeaway.co.uk/p557183vb

Hi I am planning to return to the UK for 6 weeks between mid November and the end of December. Given that I will be retaining my rental property in this time I am planning to rent it out while it is empty. Has anyone got any advice/gotchas for doing this? The property is in Port Melbourne so being near the beach and the CBD I would think it is pretty desirable. I am planning to advertise on gum tree - if anyone has any other sites they recommend please let me know. Thanks in advance. J

We just moved out to the lovely Perth in January this year, so were really looking forward to our first hot Christmas. Looking for some advice/guidance on what to expect! I'm wondering how into Christmas they are over here compared to back in the UK? And also does anyone know when the shops start to get their Christmas decorations in and what shops are best for buying tress from ? Many thanks, all help is greatly appreciated !!

Hi my 14 year old daughter and 15 year old son are visiting me us in Baldivis over Xmas and then again at Easter before they emigrate permanently. My daughter is into Dancing, playing keyboards, is learning Japanese and loves anything Japanese related, is a member of the Guides, and is heavily into anything Twilight related! My son is into music, playing guitar, Xbox, BMX and skateboarding. My daughter has an account on here set up, but she forgot to activate it so just waiting for that to be done then I'm sure she'll post her own messages. So if anybody is around and would like to meet up teens and parents then please give me a shout. Want to also get the low down on some of the schools in the area from both teens and parents points of view. Thanks Jayne

Any ideas? TBH I'd be happy with just the usual piss up

Hi all, We're heading back to the UK for Xmas, and have been keeping our little Corolla at a friend's place rather than sell it and rent when we return. However - it's not that easy. Most insurance companies and comparison sites expect Permanent UK Residence, and we now have Au PR. There are some temp insurance sites, but again these are more geared around residents temporarily using another car, rather than returning residents using their own car from storage. Since ours is SORN, they don't accept SORN cars for insurance. And we can't tax it, since.. We can't show existing insurance :-). And we don't yet have an MOT, and we can't drive it to the MOT centre when we get back as we don't have insurance! It's a minefield. I'll share whatever solution we find. Anyone else tried this?? Thanks! Damian

Ok after having my arm twisted by Kate, lets have a social afternoon at Mornington park on Saturday 17th December. BBQ or Picnic, bring a few beers or wine except for the drivers of course & there is the kids play area in the park. Anyone up for it?? From Midday onwards on 17th.

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/queensland/rain-predicted-for-26-of-the-next-28-days-20111206-1ogfc.html

I started doing this in the UK when I found a good set of pictures of The New Forest where I live. Now I do the same thing in OZ, bought two packs of first day covers, already stamped for worldwide. Some of them are Xmas-themed, others Aussie-themed. I sent all ten off on Friday. I find it more 'authentic' and i like to add a short message too. I hate getting a card from ten thousand miles away with no more than 'Merry Xmas Dave' from 'X' & 'Y', written by 'X' when 'Y' is supposedly my friend.

there will be heaps of threads no doubt on this subject:no:humbug--its me 3rd xmas on pio:wideeyed:so i thought id do me happy xmas to all in one thread:mad:still thats out of the way now:jiggy:just got to wait for the xmas smiles to appear on pio to attach one to this thread--up until then this is it:happy_face_mummy_bohappy chuffin xmas :wubclub:

Christmas In AUSTRALIA For the majority of Australians, Christmas Downunder has all the glitter, tinsel and razzmatazz of a Christmas in New York, London Paris or Vancouver. The major difference is one of WEATHER....Christmas Down Under is never White. Snow has rarely fallen if ever on this date, Down Under. We have during past Christmases experienced all the seasonal variations of a Summer Down Under.....electrical storms, floods, hailstorms, cyclones and bushfires. But 80% of the time we are blessed with blue skies and depending on our Australian location, temperatures ranging from 25-38 degrees centigrade. Currently it is Summer Down Under and daily temperatures range from 30-40 degrees centigrade on the mainland. Tamania is always slightly cooler. Christmas is special to the majority of Australians for it is our Summer Holiday season and students especially are "wrapping" up their school year. That means sitting for end of Semester tests or exams and waiting for their results, as well as getting ready for the Summer Holidays. For the majority of Australian students this means ...SUN....SURF....SHOPPING. For students it means an end to homework and school studies and the beginning of lots of time for family, relatives and "mates". Our neighbours, the "Kiwis" or New Zealanders are actually the first ones to really celebrate the joyous day of Christmas. New Zealand is the first country immediately west of the international date line. So we're sorry most of American friends have to wait an extra day for Christmas. So how do we REALLY celebrate Christmas? You must remember that Australia, though huge in size, has a population of just over 18 million people. Our country is a harmonious mix of many ethnic groups. Our backgrounds are very varied....our people have connections with England, Scotland, Ireland, Northern Europe, Italy, Greece, Spain, France, Middle East, Vietnam, China, Japan, Thailand as well as North and South America. So you can imagine that each of these national groups brings the colour ,customs and festive rituals of the Christmas celebrated in their respective homelands. As Australians we are able to appreciate culturally diverse Christmas celebrations. However, up until 30 years ago, our Christmas celebrations were heavily influenced by our original Anglo-Celtic influences. The English style of Christmas served as our model for celebrating Christmas.......right down to the traditional roast turkey and steamed pudding in over 35 degree heat. Today with the huge influx of overseas migrants our Christmas celebrations are heavily influenced by the ethnicity of families involved. Common sense is prevailing today in terms of weather. Traditional dinners have been replaced with family gatherings in back yards, picnics in parks, gardens and on the beach. For many, it is the occasion to be with friends and relatives, to share love and friendship and not to forget, the exchange of gifts in the traditional manner. For many, it is of course a time to enjoy and consume massive quantities of food. A typical Christmas menu could include seafood, glazed ham, cold chicken, duck or turkey, cold deli meats, pasta, salads galore, desserts of all types, fruit salad, pavlovas, ice-cream plus Christmas edibles of all varieties such as mince pies,fruit cake, shortbread, chocolates etc. There has been a suggestion that "Swag Man" take over Santa's franchise Down Under!!! There is a lot of concern about Santa Claus perhaps suffering heat stroke whilst Down Under. "Swag Man" wears a brown Akubra, a blue singlet and long baggy shorts. He spends all winter under Uluru with his merry dingoes and then at Christmas time, he gets in his huge four-wheel drive and sets off through the red dust to deliver his presents. For those interested, the first official Christmas Down Under was celebrated on the 25th December,1788 at Sydney Cove by Reverend Johnson. After the service, Governor Arthur Phillips and his officers dined heartily, toasting the King of England and his family. But for the majority of the first white inhabitants...the convicts....there was no change to their regular menu... bread rations only. The only goodwill which seemed to have been displayed was to Michael Dennison. He was a convict who stole a pound of flour from Martha Pugh. He was sentenced to 200 lashes by the whip. But since it was Christmas, only 150 were delivered. Currently everyone is beginning to get ready for the "silly season". Everyone is busily planning Christmas break-up parties. Children are writing letters to Santa Claus. Decorations are being bought and set up. Shopping centres and malls are experiencing record breaking crowds. In homes, many of the traditional Christmas rituals are being followed. Many children are helping to decorate the family Christmas tree. We have yet to follow the American ritual of getting "real" Christmas trees......though some do use gum tree branches. Children are learning Christmas Carols so that they may be sung at festive occasions such as public "Carols by Candlelight" and school concerts. Christmas stockings are being hung in homes....though fireplaces are in short supply. Cards galore are being written and posted. Everyone awaits.......the anticipation is high! It must also be mentioned that with all the glitter, tinsel and razzmatazz.......Australians consider Christmas a time for remembering the true meaning of Christmas.........a time for remembering the birth of Jesus and the spiritual meaning of Christmas . For many, Christmas will begin with families attending a mid-night mass. 70% of Australians are either Catholic, Anglican or Lutheran. After the mid-night Mass, a little sleep is attempted. For many, the children in various households, wake up the family at dawn. Gifts are unwrapped and the joy of Christmas begins. For many with relatives and friends overseas, it is a mad scramble to get an early phone call to relatives worldwide.

mine wuz a imperial socket set of her indoors--all the stuff in the UK is metric--put it in the van,and never used them for years--didnt have the heart to tell her:wubclub:

about love,and understanding--or has it just turned into a capitalist ploy to take your money--i mean jezus in a stable:no:bit not now that one i feel

Hi I'm 25 and from the uk and this will be my 1st Xmas in oz (brisbane) and I would love any hints or tips on how to make it good/enjoyable as not looking forward to being away from family back home!! Would also love any suggestions on what Xmas presents are good to send family back home, so things that are easy to send (not too big or break) Any info would be great :-)

Hi, We will be arriving in Narangba just a few days before Christmas. Have a house and everything sorted but thought after a long drive from Adelaide it would be nice to just go out somewhere for a nice Christmas lunch. Looking for somewhere that will serve quite traditional food so was hoping to see if anyone has any suggestions. Thanks in advance Deb

We are due to move over next Friday with the family. The packers start tomorrow so there is a lot of frantic activity here at the moment! We arrive on Sunday 27 November & move into a rented house around 1 December as long as we have rented furniture by then! Our container won't be with us until the New Year With the move, we have not really thought much about Christmas and my wife & I want to get the children into the Christmas spirit so they can get involved in something as soon as we are in our new house. We have 3 children aged 3, 2 & 8 months. We don't know anyone in Brisbane at all at the moment and we've no idea where we can find information about what Christmasy things are going on in the local area. Is there a pantomine, carol concerts, Santa's grotto, Christmas craft markets, school fairs etc. Our elsest is worried Santa Claus won't know we have moved so is keen to meet him just to make sure he knows! Any suggestions for children friendly Christmas events and activities greatly appreciated !!

What people normally have for their main xmas meal apart from the usual turkey? I just really don't fancy putting the oven on to cook a traditional turkey and all the trimmings in the heat. I'm thinking to do some sort of cold platter. Any nice ideas anyone?

A break away from my fishing trip last weekend, just ordered my nieces Letter from Santa early this year and saves myself a fiver. She’s getting to the age where she’s starting to wonder if Father Christmas exists and so what better way to convince her than a genuine letter the man himself. These things look proper authentic, last year she was so excited when the envelope arrived from the North Pole. You can grab your Letter and customise all online at http://www.SantaLetter2011.com. They normally jump back up to full price £10 in Nov/Dec so its about half price and means they will be arriving first week of December or there abouts. ..Back to the trip caught my best ever catch on first cast this week came in at just over 4lbs. Good start to the week.

Good morning/evening As i'd already started buying christmas presants for the kids and we'll be over in a few weeks, i'll need to bring them in a suitcase, unwrapped so curtoms can see, should i keep the receipts to show them will i be charged taxes? The container wont be there in time for christmas and they are only toys eg hm armed forces and barbie, disney princess dolls! I'll do the remainder of my shopping once we've arrived, i want to make christmas very special with moving as my little girl is convinced it wont be christmas as they'll be no snow or chimney for santa :wink: thanks, Lisa x

Right folks 89 days till Xmas :jiggy: :jiggy:

I know its a bit soon to think of xmas but I have a bit of time on my hands today and just found this lovely place for xmas dinner, quite a few of us this year so thought it better to have it on neutral turf. This place has caught my eye http://www.vintageinn.co.uk/thelionfarningham/ what do you think? What are your plans?

Come and celebrate with us this Sunday (31st) at Erlestoke Park, Castle Hill, Sydney. Bring yourself, partner, friend or rest of family to meet up with the friendliest (mostly expat) crowd in the Hills District...if not the world! BYO meat for the BBQ, drinks, chairs, utensils and a plate of salad, nibbles or dessert to share. We'll have a load of fun games for the kids and a Christmas dip. Come along for a great get-together. All welcome! PM me to RSVP & for more info. Date: Sun 31 July Time: 12 noon Venue: Erlestoke Park, Erlestoke Place, Castle Hill.

I think its that time of year in oz ,you know cold . Tis the time to be jolly and all that ,i know its this month in oz ,but which day has gone over me head . Never did do xmas in july when there ,any one do ?:wubclub:

Hi there, was wondering if anyone has found any deals for the xmas period going to perth. Been looking and cheapest is £1067, anybody know any cheap sites ???

Got as far as Heathrow then had to come home. One day . . . .