Sydney Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/moving-back-uk/148344-syds-been-back-mutha-country-three-months-now.html Syd's bulletin after first three months above. Mrs Syd and myself are surviving nicely. After thirty odd years in Australia the contrast here in Scotland is stark but certainly not disappointing. Not much point in mentioning the weather. If it's really important then it's best to stay in the land down under. Autumn up here in the lothians is really beautiful. Amazing colours, darker nights, and the fire on in the local pub is a clear signal of colder months to come. We're talking of going away for Xmas and there's no shortage of package deals in warm places. Since writing last, we've spent time in Spain and on a cruise ship down in the med. Xmas here in Scotland would be nice but sadly there's not a lot of enthusiasm from the Scottish side of the family so we could end up anywhere. My mother passed away last year and after spending six months over here while she was sick we decided to buy her little house rather than leave it on the market which is very slow as you probably know. Edinburgh was our first choice but being only a twenty minute drive to the "big smoke" is no real hardship. We're in the process of renovating. We had a new central heating system installed last month and a new bathroom. Lying in a bath was a novelty for a while but was never going to be the most practical start to the day. The new bathroom took two weeks and we used the same local chap that did the central heating. He only lives up the road and we felt confident enough in the young bloke to give him the keys and we took off and drove around the highlands of Scotland, and hired a house down in Coldingham/St Abbs for a week and checked out Northumbria which we really enjoyed. Was nice to see how many castles it took to keep us marauding Jocks under control. Went over to Lindisfarne island which is quite stunning. When we got home the bathroom was all finished and the new kitchen, yep,using same bloke again, should be finished in a couple of weeks. Soon after arriving back in the UK it didn't take long to work out you can't beat the system. People are so set in their ways, it's realy not all that different to the seventies in many ways. Times change but people tend not to. The big brother aspect is quite sobering though. My wife rang council a few months ago to ask about dumping some old carpet at the local tip. Before giving details the council lady wanted her full name and date of birth, and a week later a letter arrived demanding to know who she was and why was she living at this address. I phoned council and told the same lady that I thought her questioning was intrusive and to mind her own business. I then received a letter saying my council tax was under review and my "benefits" would be affected because of the lady who was living with me. Just for the record neither me nor Mrs Syd are receiving any benefits. My wife misses Sydney a bit but I'm enjoying the good and the bad about the UK. We've both found the locals extremely friendly, and because our income is still derived from Australia, living is surprisingly cheap. We swim at the local leisure centre a couple of times a week, (you should see the rules in this place), and make a point of topping up the profits of the local publicans. The UK's not for everyone, in fact most people ask us why we're here, but it's certainly serving it's purpose for us at the moment. The independence issue here in Scotland is interesting, and political debates over the next couple of years should make good tv. Talking about tv, I received a letter not long ago reminding me of my obligations about getting a tv licence. Couldn't believe tv licences still existed. Seemingly you now require a licence if you own a smart phone even if you don't have a tv. I must admit the BBC still makes some great programmes but they fail to justify the charges for a licence, and I think with the present investigations into what they do with the money, they'd be better off ditching the licence fee. Controversial I know but certainly outdated. I tell any young people here who are thinking of going to Australia not to hesitate. For all the enjoyment of living here just now I see hardly any opportunities for young people who want to get on. Australia can be rude, over confident and not everyone's cup of tea, but the UK has a long way to go to rival Oz for careers/jobs etc. not all will agree with me here. Don't get me started on the benefits system/nhs !!! Maybe another day............syd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Interesting! That's not right about the smart phone - who told you that? Load of old cobblers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest The Pom Queen Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Great update Syd, thank you for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 According to the info pack which came with my tv licence, any device that is capable of accessing tv requires a tv licence. The list included laptops and smart phones...... Syd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Glad your enjoying life in Scotland and thanks for a great post.. Cal x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 According to the info pack which came with my tv licence, any device that is capable of accessing tv requires a tv licence. The list included laptops and smart phones...... Syd. Only if you use it to watch live TV - and who does that? Surprised TV Licensing are putting that sort of rubbish on their literature, but then they have form where trying to guilt people into paying up are concerned. You do not need a licence to have the device itself so they are plain wrong. Same goes for laptops Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Only if you use it to watch live TV - and who does that? I've seen quite a few young guys watching horse racing on their phones in pubs, doesn't appear to be uncommon. The new 4G network launched this week is encouraging consumers to do the same. Watch tv that is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I've seen quite a few young guys watching horse racing on their phones in pubs, doesn't appear to be uncommon. Yeah but come on, the number of phones that get used to watch live TV must be tiny in comparison to the number of handsets. So even if you did watch TV, how are you ever going to get caught? You just aren't The point is, you do not need a licence to have the device, whatever TV Licensing's stuff says (or more probably implies, they're usually sneakily careful with the wording) The new 4G network launched this week is encouraging consumers to do the same. Watch tv that is. Yeah, of course they would like to encourage it - data streaming charges will be huge = big profit for them. Doesn't mean many will actually bother Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Yeah but come on, the number of phones that get used to watch live TV must be tiny in comparison to the number of handsets. So even if you did watch TV, how are you ever going to get caught? You just aren't The point is, you do not need a licence to have the device, whatever TV Licensing's stuff says (or more probably implies, they're usually sneakily careful with the wording) Yeah, of course they would like to encourage it - data streaming charges will be huge = big profit for them. Doesn't mean many will actually bother I think tv licences are outdated and should be abolished. Not sure why you're getting so fired up about it. Maybe you should contact the beeb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 I'm not fired up about it. I just commented about an error in your understanding of the rules on your return Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 http://www.pomsinoz.com/forum/moving-back-uk/148344-syds-been-back-mutha-country-three-months-now.htmlSyd's bulletin after first three months above. Mrs Syd and myself are surviving nicely. After thirty odd years in Australia the contrast here in Scotland is stark but certainly not disappointing. Not much point in mentioning the weather. If it's really important then it's best to stay in the land down under. Autumn up here in the lothians is really beautiful. Amazing colours, darker nights, and the fire on in the local pub is a clear signal of colder months to come. We're talking of going away for Xmas and there's no shortage of package deals in warm places. Since writing last, we've spent time in Spain and on a cruise ship down in the med. Xmas here in Scotland would be nice but sadly there's not a lot of enthusiasm from the Scottish side of the family so we could end up anywhere. My mother passed away last year and after spending six months over here while she was sick we decided to buy her little house rather than leave it on the market which is very slow as you probably know. Edinburgh was our first choice but being only a twenty minute drive to the "big smoke" is no real hardship. We're in the process of renovating. We had a new central heating system installed last month and a new bathroom. Lying in a bath was a novelty for a while but was never going to be the most practical start to the day. The new bathroom took two weeks and we used the same local chap that did the central heating. He only lives up the road and we felt confident enough in the young bloke to give him the keys and we took off and drove around the highlands of Scotland, and hired a house down in Coldingham/St Abbs for a week and checked out Northumbria which we really enjoyed. Was nice to see how many castles it took to keep us marauding Jocks under control. Went over to Lindisfarne island which is quite stunning. When we got home the bathroom was all finished and the new kitchen, yep,using same bloke again, should be finished in a couple of weeks. Soon after arriving back in the UK it didn't take long to work out you can't beat the system. People are so set in their ways, it's realy not all that different to the seventies in many ways. Times change but people tend not to. The big brother aspect is quite sobering though. My wife rang council a few months ago to ask about dumping some old carpet at the local tip. Before giving details the council lady wanted her full name and date of birth, and a week later a letter arrived demanding to know who she was and why was she living at this address. I phoned council and told the same lady that I thought her questioning was intrusive and to mind her own business. I then received a letter saying my council tax was under review and my "benefits" would be affected because of the lady who was living with me. Just for the record neither me nor Mrs Syd are receiving any benefits. My wife misses Sydney a bit but I'm enjoying the good and the bad about the UK. We've both found the locals extremely friendly, and because our income is still derived from Australia, living is surprisingly cheap. We swim at the local leisure centre a couple of times a week, (you should see the rules in this place), and make a point of topping up the profits of the local publicans. The UK's not for everyone, in fact most people ask us why we're here, but it's certainly serving it's purpose for us at the moment. The independence issue here in Scotland is interesting, and political debates over the next couple of years should make good tv. Talking about tv, I received a letter not long ago reminding me of my obligations about getting a tv licence. Couldn't believe tv licences still existed. Seemingly you now require a licence if you own a smart phone even if you don't have a tv. I must admit the BBC still makes some great programmes but they fail to justify the charges for a licence, and I think with the present investigations into what they do with the money, they'd be better off ditching the licence fee. Controversial I know but certainly outdated. I tell any young people here who are thinking of going to Australia not to hesitate. For all the enjoyment of living here just now I see hardly any opportunities for young people who want to get on. Australia can be rude, over confident and not everyone's cup of tea, but the UK has a long way to go to rival Oz for careers/jobs etc. not all will agree with me here. Don't get me started on the benefits system/nhs !!! Maybe another day............syd You sound lie the kind of bloke I could happily sped a few hours chatting to to over a few bevvies, you must pst more often. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Only if you use it to watch live TV - and who does that? Surprised TV Licensing are putting that sort of rubbish on their literature, but then they have form where trying to guilt people into paying up are concerned. You do not need a licence to have the device itself so they are plain wrong. Same goes for laptops Not true, you need a licence if you watch any pre recorded programmes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Not true, you need a licence if you watch any pre recorded programmes. No you don't. You only need a licence to watch or record live e.g. if you have no TV but only a computer, and you don't use that computer to watch live streaming TV but only recorded ones on "catch up" services like iplayer, 4OD - you don't need a licence "If you only watch catch-up services online, then you don’t need a licence. For example, you don’t need one to use BBC iPlayer, or ITV player, to catch up on programmes after they have been shown on TV." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 No you don't. You only need a licence to watch or record live e.g. if you have no TV but only a computer, and you don't use that computer to watch live streaming TV but only recorded ones on "catch up" services like iplayer, 4OD - you don't need a licence Do you listen to the radio? If you do you need a licence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubbe2005 Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you listen to the radio? If you do you need a licence. ROFL...nice one Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 ROFL...nice one You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder. It costs £145.50 for colour and £49.00 for a black and white TV Licence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 Do you listen to the radio? If you do you need a licence. Again incorrect. BBC Radio is funded from the licence fee but you do not need a TV licence if you only listen to radio Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
northshorepom Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 You need to be covered by a valid TV Licence if you watch or record TV as it's being broadcast. This includes the use of devices such as a computer, laptop, mobile phone or DVD/video recorder.It costs £145.50 for colour and £49.00 for a black and white TV Licence. The key words are in bold. If you only watch catch up services and nothing live, you do not need one. And again just to return to the original point, you do not need a TV licence just because you have a computer, tablet, mobile phone that is capable of showing TV on the internet live.....only if you actually do that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Perthbum Posted October 31, 2012 Share Posted October 31, 2012 ROFL...nice one Ok, you need a tv licence to watch tv in a pub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sydney Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 You sound lie the kind of bloke I could happily sped a few hours chatting to to over a few bevvies, you must pst more often. Many thanks for the kind sentiments........beer's on ice........Syd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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