Marisawright Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 That's not to say some sections aren't being privatised but in no way is it being dismantled. ...and we all know how great the railways are since they were privatised. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 You've commented that you sometimes think I'm living in a different UK from you. You were definitely living in a different Australia from me. It's the mix of cuisines that I'm missing so much here: in Sydney I would eat Vietnamese, Thai, Indian, Balkan, Italian, Greek, Lebanese,Turkish and fusion all the time. In the South of England it seems to be largely a choice between traditional English or Indian/Pakistani. I have managed to spot a couple of Thais but they're rare. I dare say all of those are available in Southampton and most definitely in the South of England. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 ...and we all know how great the railways are since they were privatised. You are comparing medical care to the railways ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Booma Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I'm not sure what papers you are reading but the NHS really is not being pulled apart and sold off, at least I'm not hearing anything about it. All the services that were available on the NHS 10 years ago are still available today. That's not to say some sections aren't being privatised but in no way is it being dismantled. my father is a consultant & he says it is being destroyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 Yeah all the doctors and nurses who say that must be talking pish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 I love the starry nights. The beautiful sunsets, I tend not to see the sunrises. Lovely friendly country people. A traffic jam here is 3 cars and a tractor. Otters in the river. I can order something in the afternoon and get it delivered next morning. The wonderful variety of restaurants, food from every corner of the globe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I like the next day delivery too, shops are good for that. I was impressed with house of Fraser recently. I ordered something and in my usual style didn't send it back to the very last minute but they still accepted it and they even refunded my delivery cost. I don't think anywhere has done that before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 I like the next day delivery too, shops are good for that. I was impressed with house of Fraser recently. I ordered something and in my usual style didn't send it back to the very last minute but they still accepted it and they even refunded my delivery cost. I don't think anywhere has done that before We have had some stuff delivered so quickly before long I will be getting stuff before I order it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goingbacksoon Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 OK, here's my list (in no particular order of importance) The amazing weather - we are all walking so much more and enjoying not being hot and sweaty Variety - my 16 year old is in shopping heaven and there's so much choice in where to go to buy food (and it is really good value) Manners - absolutely brilliant that people here, including the young people I work with, have this ingrained in them Driving - was a bit scary at first, but now I love whizzing around and there is so much to see and only a few miles away Family - love having my mum and siblings close by NHS - wow. Took my daughter to her specialist appointment yesterday. The health centre was of a private hospital standard in Australia. Cannot fault the quality of the doctor and nurses, just lovely and very professional. I don't miss that huge bill for private health insurance every month in Australia Career - earning more than I was in Australia, working lots of hours, but feeling very appreciated and valued so worth the effort. Lots of opportunities for advancement as well Housing - expensive, but good quality. Lucky to have bought a place with friendly neighbours. So glad we made the decision to come back, for my family it has been the right one although I appreciate it is not for everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 OK, here's my list (in no particular order of importance)The amazing weather - we are all walking so much more and enjoying not being hot and sweaty Variety - my 16 year old is in shopping heaven and there's so much choice in where to go to buy food (and it is really good value) Manners - absolutely brilliant that people here, including the young people I work with, have this ingrained in them Driving - was a bit scary at first, but now I love whizzing around and there is so much to see and only a few miles away Family - love having my mum and siblings close by NHS - wow. Took my daughter to her specialist appointment yesterday. The health centre was of a private hospital standard in Australia. Cannot fault the quality of the doctor and nurses, just lovely and very professional. I don't miss that huge bill for private health insurance every month in Australia Career - earning more than I was in Australia, working lots of hours, but feeling very appreciated and valued so worth the effort. Lots of opportunities for advancement as well Housing - expensive, but good quality. Lucky to have bought a place with friendly neighbours. So glad we made the decision to come back, for my family it has been the right one although I appreciate it is not for everyone Agree with all your points. I love driving here, I had to get used to people letting me out of side streets again lol. I agree totally about the NHS, fantastic service the times we have used it. Both our boys probably need braces for their teeth, total cost nothing. Like you I love the politeness of people and definitely the variety and value of food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I love the starry nights.The beautiful sunsets, I tend not to see the sunrises. Lovely friendly country people. A traffic jam here is 3 cars and a tractor. Otters in the river. I can order something in the afternoon and get it delivered next morning. The wonderful variety of restaurants, food from every corner of the globe. Living rural at least means you see the night sky better in England. Very little of it is not lit without some artificial light glow in the distance, but if you can live somewhere and not have that interference it's amazing. Even on places on Dartmoor you'd still get the night glow from the cities miles in the distance. A truly dark unpolluted night sky is a rare thing for most in the UK, but well worth seeking out if you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelbourneTractor Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I love being able to go out for energetic walks without ending up in a puddle of sweat. I love seeing my oh enjoying the outdoors again instead of hiding indoors from the sun. It's nice to see his actual skin again instead of scabs and redness (sun allergy). That's about the sum total. Marisa, you have summed my problems up perfectly! Could you come to Altona and explain it to my OH as she thinks I'm being ridiculous Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest51810 Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 The best place I've been to so far for night skies was the Channel Islands. It was amazing on herm because they don't have street lights in most places. They have a street lantern type thing at the bottom of the island near the harbour but when walking up the big hill back to my room the view was always amazing. I used to just walk up looking at the sky, I'm surprised I didn't end up injuring myself :laugh: I don't even know much about the different stars so it would be a star gazers paradise Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I loved sitting outside our old local, The Star, which was opposite the recreation ground where you could watch either the village soccer or the village cricket. There was a massive Oak Tree that was hundreds of years old, next to the 17th Century Church and graveyard. A postcard English afternoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 Living rural at least means you see the night sky better in England. Very little of it is not lit without some artificial light glow in the distance, but if you can live somewhere and not have that interference it's amazing. Even on places on Dartmoor you'd still get the night glow from the cities miles in the distance. A truly dark unpolluted night sky is a rare thing for most in the UK, but well worth seeking out if you can. Yeah its fantastic here, we have towns and cities around but it doesn't interfere with the night skies. We were out meteor watching a few weeks ago and it was like the entire sky was stars with just millemetres between them, fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest90395 Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 We have had some stuff delivered so quickly before long I will be getting stuff before I order it. I can't deny it's convenient but it's killing the high street in the UK and also taking Saturday jobs away from young people. I was an avid internet shopper at home until this was pointed out to me and I do think that the thriving high streets you have in every suburb in Melbourne are due to the fact that Internet shopping hasn't really taken off yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 I can't deny it's convenient but it's killing the high street in the UK and also taking Saturday jobs away from young people. I was an avid internet shopper at home until this was pointed out to me and I do think that the thriving high streets you have in every suburb in Melbourne are due to the fact that Internet shopping hasn't really taken off yet. Well the high streets seem to be doing well in the towns around us, some vacant shops but generally they seem to do just fine. I guess we can't have it all ways. We never really had high streets where we were in Brisbane, just shopping malls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 Yeah its fantastic here, we have towns and cities around but it doesn't interfere with the night skies. We were out meteor watching a few weeks ago and it was like the entire sky was stars with just millemetres between them, fantastic. Hmm, you'll probably not be aware of the light pollution. Its still there if there are towns and cities around. http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/download/482'>http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/download/482 The maps show the areas with the best and worst areas and those inbetween. We don't see anywhere near as much of the night sky as we might with unpolluted skies. I was in awe when I went out into the middle of nowhere in Aus the first time and saw a night sky. So so many stars, it was incredible. Rarely saw that amount in English skies but thankfully it did occur in the places I lived. I think it was probably only on Exmoor that I really saw an unpolluted night sky on a regular basis. Dartmoor in places probably and even then chances were sometimes in some places it was carrying some effects of it but was clearer than most people looking up at night would see. Only 11% of England still has truly dark skies at night according to that. Shame. Luckily for me I lived most of my adult life in areas that are shaded in black down in the west country None of those dark blue or blue spots for me. Until we moved near to Bristol. Then it was shocking. If the link above to the PDF doesn't work, here is the page link with the download link on it - http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/1977-'>http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/1977- http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17665397 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 Hmm, you'll probably not be aware of the light pollution. Its still there if there are towns and cities around. http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/download/482'>http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/download/482 The maps show the areas with the best and worst areas and those inbetween. We don't see anywhere near as much of the night sky as we might with unpolluted skies. I was in awe when I went out into the middle of nowhere in Aus the first time and saw a night sky. So so many stars, it was incredible. Rarely saw that amount in English skies but thankfully it did occur in the places I lived. I think it was probably only on Exmoor that I really saw an unpolluted night sky on a regular basis. Dartmoor in places probably and even then chances were sometimes in some places it was carrying some effects of it but was clearer than most people looking up at night would see. Only 11% of England still has truly dark skies at night according to that. Shame. Luckily for me I lived most of my adult life in areas that are shaded in black down in the west country None of those dark blue or blue spots for me. Until we moved near to Bristol. Then it was shocking. If the link above to the PDF doesn't work, here is the page link with the download link on it - http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/1977-'>http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies/item/1977- http://www.cpre.org.uk/resources/countryside/dark-skies http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-17665397 I try not to over analyse it really, I just like the night sky lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I'm not sure what papers you are reading but the NHS really is not being pulled apart and sold off, at least I'm not hearing anything about it. All the services that were available on the NHS 10 years ago are still available today. That's not to say some sections aren't being privatised but in no way is it being dismantled. Just a few things to read for you. However, my thoughts are not formed based soley on these. http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/how-the-nhs-is-being-dismantled-in-10-easy-steps-10474075.html http://www.patients4nhs.org.uk/how-has-this-happened/ http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jun/27/nhs-dismantled-market-forces http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/nov/13/nhs-being-destroyed-labour Its not just pulled apart and sold off, its far more than that. But most people have not a clue and many care even less. Until its too late or its changed beyond anything we recognise as a world leading free health care for all. And yes, I know we have to pay for it but you know what I mean. Its not the US or Australia or anything like that. Yet. It was one of the few things my Aus husband said was truly great about the UK. He was so proud of the NHS, felt it was a truly great thing, really felt it was one of the best things the UK had ever done setting it up all those years ago. He spent 8 years in the UK appreciating how people could access the health care system right across the board, the set price prescriptions, the free GP appointments and more. We look at the US (and elsewhere) and are gratetful that isn't the UK health care system. In years to come, it could well be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I try not to over analyse it really, I just like the night sky lol Its pretty easy to view a colour coded map Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 It was one of the few things my Aus husband said was truly great about the UK. He was so proud of the NHS, felt it was a truly great thing, really felt it was one of the best things the UK had ever done setting it up all those years ago. He spent 8 years in the UK appreciating how people could access the health care system right across the board, the set price prescriptions, the free GP appointments and more. We look at the US (and elsewhere) and are gratetful that isn't the UK health care system. In years to come, it could well be. Oh I realise it is changing, it really has to change to be honest. I don't see it ever going the way of America obviously or even Australia but I do think things have to change. There was a woman in our local surgery collecting some gluten free bread she got on prescription, things like that must change. We can expect everything for nothing. Both of our boys may need braces to correct a slight alignment issue with their teeth, they will be free. There is tremendous wastage in the system and it would be better looking at that first. I can't see the fundamentals of the system changing anytime soon. It's still one of the many things to be proud of about this country and my feeling is it will remain so for many years to come. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 Its pretty easy to view a colour coded map No I mean it doesn't matter, I go outside and see a wonderful clear sky and that's all that matters. I didn't mean any offense it's just that facts and figures and percentages aren't really important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted September 26, 2015 Share Posted September 26, 2015 I dare say all of those are available in Southampton and most definitely in the South of England. The point is you were saying it's one thing you love about the UK, implying a comparison with Australia. I'm sure I could find all those cuisines here if I looked hard enough, but in Sydney they're everywhere. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted September 26, 2015 Author Share Posted September 26, 2015 The point is you were saying it's one thing you love about the UK, implying a comparison with Australia. I'm sure I could find all those cuisines here if I looked hard enough, but in Sydney they're everywhere. Actually no comparison was implied at all, it has nothing to do with any other country, it is what I love about this country. You really don't need to look hard at all, you were no doubt used to where they were in Sydney, the same would apply here in a very short time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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