bristolman Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Yeah absolutely awful trains from here: Run every 3-4 minutes at peak time to the city WIFI Air Con Can get a seat Just awful. Obviously a much superior experience out in Shropshire/Herefordshire no doubt. No, not at all. It would be silly to think the trains in rural Herefordshire were better than in inner city Brisbane, no one would say that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Trains are very frequent here but they are not clean- have to wear jeans and put up with being coughed and sneezed on. I wouldn't use the buses unless I really had to- and judging by the fact they are nearly always empty most others agree. Trams are the best but we do not live that near a tram line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Well you were lucky then ...i walked the dog ,in the park yesterday with my wellies on .....think amsterdams good ? ...you need to see the rest .Off to my favourite spot ,northern Italy in a couple of weeks ....love it We have said we must have had freak weather as it was pretty good everywhere we went.. As for Amsterdam, i said the weather was good, but we do love the place and have visited a few times prior to moving to here. As for other places ,we have covered quite a few countrys in the 30 odd years we lived in the UK but we preferred to visit Amsterdam and the Canaries on our trip this time. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 We have said we must have had freak weather as it was pretty good everywhere we went.. As for Amsterdam, i said the weather was good, but we do love the place and have visited a few times prior to moving to here. As for other places ,we have covered quite a few countrys in the 30 odd years we lived in the UK but we preferred to visit Amsterdam and the Canaries on our trip this time. Cal x It wasn't really that freakish, we had a really nice period of weather. Now it is just mild but certainly not cold Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 It wasn't really that freakish, we had a really nice period of weather. Now it is just mild but certainly not cold I will put it down to good timing on our part then,lol, hubby wanted to go in September so im glad i convinced him to go mid June.. As for cold,we didnt really have any all the time we were away, i was really impressed...In fact i think i have worn more layers here since my return then i wore for 3 weeks away,lol and they say QLD is the Sunshine state ! Its bloody freezing at nights this time of year (as you will know) and i hate it, lol. Cal x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 I will put it down to good timing on our part then,lol, hubby wanted to go in September so im glad i convinced him to go mid June.. As for cold,we didnt really have any all the time we were away, i was really impressed...In fact i think i have worn more layers here since my return then i wore for 3 weeks away,lol and they say QLD is the Sunshine state ! Its bloody freezing at nights this time of year (as you will know) and i hate it, lol. Cal x It's very strange, it's about 18c during the day which people in QLD will think is cold but here it is lovely, when it was 26 or 27c recently it felt really hot. It's weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerInTheSun Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Hey Grizzly, Enjoyed your summary! Lots of great things about the UK. I was interested in your point about a 'sense of belonging'. I left Ireland at 19 and headed to Melbourne for 3 years. Managed to pick up a hint of an Aussie accent, and upon my return, any new friends I made referred to me as the Australian Girl! I spent 6 months in Ireland and then moved on. Having been in London for almost 8 years I now apparently sound British, and taxi drivers at home refuse to believe I'm a local when I tell them to take "the back road". But the Brits see me as the Irish girl (and love to joke about me being from the Provinces...). I'm soon heading back Down Under as a sponsored worker with my current employer, and no doubt will be the butt of many an Irish joke, which the Aussies seem to never get tired of! Anyway my point is... once you go away, do you ever belong to one place again? Where we live shapes and changes us, and I think there will always be an element of 'outsider-ness' - even if people are welcoming, you're never quite one of them again once you've left. It's an odd feeling, but I take it to mean I must have changed and grown, which is better than staying the same. Of all my friends, the ones I am closest to are either fellow expats or people who have travelled extensively. We're a global community of travellers - of which I'm proud to be a part of! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Are you telling us that outside of the big cities in the UK that every village and every hamlet has a bus service? and that every house/home has perfect phone and tv reception? Most of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patphillips47 Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 For example? All over the North of England is bad. Compare it to other countries and London and its shocking. I am from Sunderland and find the transport system brilliant ! Buses run very 10 minutes and the local Metro goes through Sunderland into Newcastle and on to the airport in around 50 minutes - no hassles with motorways held up For pensions 12 quid a year sees free travel on the metro which does batch off to Sheilds and Whitley Bay again no hassles with hold ups on the road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Hey Grizzly, Enjoyed your summary! Lots of great things about the UK. I was interested in your point about a 'sense of belonging'. I left Ireland at 19 and headed to Melbourne for 3 years. Managed to pick up a hint of an Aussie accent, and upon my return, any new friends I made referred to me as the Australian Girl! I spent 6 months in Ireland and then moved on. Having been in London for almost 8 years I now apparently sound British, and taxi drivers at home refuse to believe I'm a local.. I'm soon heading back Down Under as a sponsored worker with my current employer, and no doubt will be the butt of many an Irish joke, which the Aussies seem to never get tired of! Anyway my point is... once you go away, do you ever belong to one place again? Where we live shapes and changes us, and I think there will always be an element of 'outsider-ness' - even if people are welcoming, you're never quite one of them again once you've left. It's an odd feeling, but I take it to mean I must have changed and grown, which is better than staying the same. Of all my friends, the ones I am closest to are either fellow expats or people who have travelled extensively. We're a global community of travellers - of which I'm proud to be a part of! You sound like me (or at least, like I used to be). You didn't have a strong sense of attachment to your homeland in the first place, so you were able to be a chameleon and adapt to any new country you move to. That's great because it makes migration a lot easier - but as you say, the downside is that you may never feel you belong anywhere ever again! I was like that for most of my life but interestingly, when I tried to move back to the UK in 2015, I discovered that I had formed an attachment to Australia and missed it too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 I always wanted to escape the UK from the age of about 11 onwards. Knew I would one day. Not particularly to Australia at that time, that came a bit later on. Some of us are just born into a country they don't want to live in I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GingerInTheSun Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 You sound like me (or at least, like I used to be). You didn't have a strong sense of attachment to your homeland in the first place, so you were able to be a chameleon and adapt to any new country you move to. That's great because it makes migration a lot easier - but as you say, the downside is that you may never feel you belong anywhere ever again! I was like that for most of my life but interestingly, when I tried to move back to the UK in 2015, I discovered that I had formed an attachment to Australia and missed it too much. Hmm, interesting! Good that you've tried being back though and know where you belong - no 'what ifs' whirling around your head anymore I presume! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 You sound like me (or at least, like I used to be). You didn't have a strong sense of attachment to your homeland in the first place, so you were able to be a chameleon and adapt to any new country you move to. That's great because it makes migration a lot easier - but as you say, the downside is that you may never feel you belong anywhere ever again! I was like that for most of my life but interestingly, when I tried to move back to the UK in 2015, I discovered that I had formed an attachment to Australia and missed it too much. It is funny how countries affect us. Personally, I think it does it more as we get older. I have lived and worked all over the place and enjoyed the majority, some I wish I had spent longer in. But, as I got older, my British roots started to pull more and more and so when we had to make the decision to move back, it was a lot easier. Now, I feel a contentment I hadn't felt for sometime. Its not easy to explain why. It just feels like I am where I belong. I will always have a soft spot for Oz, but cant see myself ever going back even for a visit - too far and too many other places to see. But, glad I went. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 It is funny how countries affect us.Personally, I think it does it more as we get older.I have lived and worked all over the place and enjoyed the majority, some I wish I had spent longer in. But, as I got older, my British roots started to pull more and more and so when we had to make the decision to move back, it was a lot easier. Now, I feel a contentment I hadn't felt for sometime. Its not easy to explain why. It just feels like I am where I belong. I will always have a soft spot for Oz, but cant see myself ever going back even for a visit - too far and too many other places to see. But, glad I went.As you get older you get an appreciation of the convenience of everything in the u.k ....otber than the sea and guaranteed sunshine ,I have everything I could want within 2 miles ,most of it within walking distance .Doctors ,schools ,hospitals ,great shopping ,sports facilities .We are moving soon ,locally ,and my wife is giving up the car .The train station is within 500 yds ....which gives us access to brum one way ...and London the other .Its not perfect by a long stretch ,but it could be a whole lot worse Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 So here I am in my 70's and think the opposite of the 2 previous posters, so no one place suits everyone. Born in England. Like VS have moved constantly lived in 5 different countries, went on my own a single female to work in Zambia in the 1960's then moved constantly as my husband was in the RAF before commercial airlines, and spent 10 years in Brunei when aged 50.. Neither of us had any desire to return to our roots, eg. U.K. When he retired, we were still up for new experiences, so came to Oz to experience somewhere new, and have no desire to ever move back to UK. Strangely enough we have access to Dr.s hospitals as well, not sure about the shopping, don't need much these days, but the climate suits us better. So some people are drawn back to their home land and some aren't. If our grandchildren weren't in UK we would not bother to go, as it is we go back annually to see them, but I that is the only reason. On a slightly lighter note VS we thought we were 'settled' back in UK in our late 40's till work went pear shaped and off we went for new adventures. Best thing we ever did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted July 1, 2016 Share Posted July 1, 2016 As you get older you get an appreciation of the convenience of everything in the u.k ....otber than the sea and guaranteed sunshine ,I have everything I could want within 2 miles ,most of it within walking distance .Doctors ,schools ,hospitals ,great shopping ,sports facilities .We are moving soon ,locally ,and my wife is giving up the car .The train station is within 500 yds ....which gives us access to brum one way ...and London the other .Its not perfect by a long stretch ,but it could be a whole lot worse I also can walk to the shops, cinema, theatre, doctor, cafes etc. I am a country bumpkin and would be happy if I never set foot in a city again for the rest of my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I also can walk to the shops, cinema, theatre, doctor, cafes etc. I am a country bumpkin and would be happy if I never set foot in a city again for the rest of my life. Just to correct you ,iam not in a city ,iam on the edge of one . I can be heading into the city within 10 mins or on my way into glorious countryside 10 minutes the other way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Just to correct you ,iam not in a city ,iam on the edge of one . I can be heading into the city within 10 mins or on my way into glorious countryside 10 minutes the other way I was referring to you saying you were moving soon and I just thought you were moving right out of a city and thinking how lovely that would be. Good luck with the move! Some folk love city life. I'm not one of them. Far too many people in cities and I'm not that fond of people in general. :cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 I was referring to you saying you were moving soon and I just thought you were moving right out of a city and thinking how lovely that would be. Good luck with the move! Some folk love city life. I'm not one of them. Far too many people in cities and I'm not that fond of people in general. :cool: I'm with you, the thought of living in a city would fill me with dread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Backtoback Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Manybe it's just up North where its poor. Manchester and the surrounding areas is a good example. The train services operated by Northern Rail are poor, over crowded, expensive and unreliable. The pacer trains are a nightmare. Literally a bus body and a train carriage. They are sending old London Underground trains to Manchester. The bus service is OK in the center but into the outer towns its poor. The Tram is ok but slow for the outer towns. For example it takes 45 mins - 1 hour to get from Rochdale to Manchester. It takes 20 mins on the train and the number 17 bus is quicker than the tram. Disagree. I grew up in Fleetwood in North West Lancashire, and having never driven I can honestly say I have never had any problems with transport. Direct bus to Blackpool where there are trains all across the north west and Yorks, including one to London. Used to spend a lot of time in Manchester which has an awesome tram/rail/bus system too. Its awfully generalised to assume THE NORTH is all the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JockinTas Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 Disagree. I grew up in Fleetwood in North West Lancashire, and having never driven I can honestly say I have never had any problems with transport. Direct bus to Blackpool where there are trains all across the north west and Yorks, including one to London. Used to spend a lot of time in Manchester which has an awesome tram/rail/bus system too. Its awfully generalised to assume THE NORTH is all the same. For sure but you'd expect larger towns and built up places to have decent public transport. It's outlying small villages and hamlets that lack good, regular public transport. I know of lots of small villages where a bus twice a day is the norm therefore the locals rely on their car. By the way, one of my oldest friends is from Fleetwood. Used to have some great times when I visited her there and I agree - the public transport there is very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johndoe Posted July 7, 2016 Share Posted July 7, 2016 For sure but you'd expect larger towns and built up places to have decent public transport. It's outlying small villages and hamlets that lack good, regular public transport. I know of lots of small villages where a bus twice a day is the norm therefore the locals rely on their car. By the way, one of my oldest friends is from Fleetwood. Used to have some great times when I visited her there and I agree - the public transport there is very good. Agreed, but it isn't Fleetwood's. It's run by Blackpool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digitalis Posted July 8, 2016 Share Posted July 8, 2016 Disagree. I grew up in Fleetwood in North West Lancashire, and having never driven I can honestly say I have never had any problems with transport. Direct bus to Blackpool where there are trains all across the north west and Yorks, including one to London. Used to spend a lot of time in Manchester which has an awesome tram/rail/bus system too. Its awfully generalised to assume THE NORTH is all the same. If you haven't driven you wouldn't know any different though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grizzly111 Posted July 19, 2016 Author Share Posted July 19, 2016 (edited) Yes whilst I was in the UK I did feel a BIT like an outsider; people certainly didnt regard me as local since I have an Australian accent was the main thing. That's natural and you cant blame them for that. However, in myself, I of course could feel where best I belonged. It's a hard feeling to describe with words but just be honest with yourself. I think simply put, during my trip I was able to sit peacefully under a magnifcent oak tree and admire the beautiful English countryside on a typically rainy, cloudy day and say to myself: "you know what, this IS your place in the world!"*. *whether or not I'll get to reside there again and indeed thrive there is entirely a different matter though! Edited July 19, 2016 by grizzly111 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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