desreb Posted January 14, 2018 Share Posted January 14, 2018 As per another thread, I mentioned that when I first returned to the UK a year ago, I took to just writing down observations as they came to me, having moved from Coogee in Sydney's Eastern Suburbs in Summer, to Greenwich in SE London in Winter. I thought I'd share. Some of these are whimsical, some amusing, some really striking. No particular order, just as they came. Apologies in advance for petty issues such as my highly evolved coffee snobbery :-) Dated fonts in Sainsbury's Chip and PIN over £30/$50 No credit card fees More choice Self-bagging at supermarket Some foods half the price People still friendly Winter sun = T-shirt weather Narrow London roads, with traffic taking turns on two-way streets Speed bumps everywhere Slower 4G data Familiar brands like Shell and Esso feel dated Kids in coats Packing your own bags in supermarket No free carrier bags - 15p or 50p People smoking while walking Generally glum Short-tempered delivery men Generally cheaper supermarket Wine in supermarket Cheap booze! Lack of independent coffee chains Pay pass usually less useful due to half the PIN-free limit, and can't tap and PIN when you hit it Edit: Apple Pay is accepted for tap, without the limit No good coffee - big chain-dominated Zip car more expensive than Goget (GBP64/day vs $70) No Car Next Door Not using carrier bags as bin bags, as you have to pay for them No HeyYou app or coffee Buckets of crap coffee at around the same price Lack of traffic on City of London roads even on weekdays Crammed tube Suits and ties Tapping on the tube with your credit card Wifi on the tube, but no mobile signal Narrowness of streets - giving way People letting you in front of them on traffic-choked streets Cosy inside, blustery outside Being able to redirect a delivery 'inflight' People are still friendly - grandmas to our little kids, etc Lack of places for kids to run around - eg. Few Kid friendly cafes Complete lack of playgrounds Kids complaining of being cold, not wanting to go out Continuous running noses It doesn't rain all the time - actually beautiful crisp, sunny days with beautiful views so far People on Blackberry phones?! Lack of the convenience of 13-phone numbers and BPAY codes Nutters on the underground Amazon, Amazon Prime, Amazon Prime Now! Ordering in 20s and receiving it same day Parking both sides, facing into traffic, on pavements, or almost anywhere The personal insult of Costa claiming to be 'passionate about coffee', when their coffee is s**t! Not really being aware of the weather outside - whether it's cold, or windy Not having to 'rug up' in your own house in winter People being a little less open with their personal issues The terrible data networks - mobile, home broadband, and café wifi, all slow Much better chocolate! A true temptation M&S Meal Deals! £10 with wine for two. Steak, Potatoes, Wine, for £10!! Alcohol anywhere - supermarket, corner store Pubs Never really getting above 20mph in the city 12 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wa7 Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 So is the coffee good or bad then.................. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted January 15, 2018 Share Posted January 15, 2018 Can I add a few, being a recently returned Brit? We're on the southern edge of the Scottish Highlands, a new place for us since we lived in Suffolk before we moved to Sydney. M&S food. Oh. Emm. Gee! Ordered our Christmas dinner from them (since our rental kitchen is tiny and couldn't be bothered to faff), and it was beautiful. Also love their ready meals if we're being disorganised. Packing my own bags in the supermarkets. It took a while to get used to this, but now I have a routine. Remembering to take bags to the supermarkets. I kept forgetting them for the first few weeks, and as a consequence I have a lifetime supply! All the fruit and veg in the supermarket seems to be wrapped in plastic in some way. I don't like this. Buying wine in the supermarket The firewood we've bought so far isn't as good as the ironbark we got in Sydney. However, we've been buying little bags at the garage since we're moving in a few weeks. Maybe I can find better in a bulk delivery when we move. I have been ill and unable to drive for a few days, so OH has been dropping the kids at school and coming home early to pick them up. Today one of the kids needed to come home in the middle of the day with a migraine, so the headmistress brought her for me. The school has been outstanding Eldest has Asperger's, and we've already had meetings with the SEN teacher at her school (to see what they can do to help her now), the SEN head at the high school she will be attending from August (to see what they can do to help her transition to high school), and she has been referred to an OT, with the appointment coming through quickly. Central heating and double glazing. No more needs to be said! Glorious frosty mornings. Although I did manage to slip on some black ice and bugger up my hip, hence the no driving. Really friendly postman, who would greet me with a "Ho, ho, ho, merry Christmas" when delivering things I'd bought for the kids for Christmas. Friendly people. Everyone says some version of "good morning" on the walk to school. I have been included by the school mums. I also went to the pub with some of them at Christmas and ended up signed up to the PTA Gorgeous sunshine. Seeing the kids in the snow. Faster internet than we had in Sydney (although to be fair we were in a bit of a blackspot). People speeding through the village we live in. It is a 30, but people don't slow down, even when I'm walking the kids to school. People don't always stop for the school crossing. People seem in more of a rush here somehow. Amazon! I love Amazon and have ordered loads on there since we moved back. Sometimes even things we don't need! I miss the birds, they're not as obvious here, although it is winter. I also miss the sea and the warm sand. Although we do have loads of lovely countryside, lochs and hills to make up for that. We've all been sick on and off since we got back, but I put that down to getting used to new germs. I've not had any coffee shop coffee since we got back at the beginning of September, so I obviously don't miss that! 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 @LKC when you move and get settled, see if there are any wood yards near by. My dad used buy a trailer load of ''off cuts'' for his fire and they worked great, also it should be much much cheaper than the bags your currently buying. Cal x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulswin Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 Love this so funny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VERYSTORMY Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 LKC, have a drive around the country keeping an eye on farms offering firewood for sale. Many farmers do this as a sideline. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BacktoDemocracy Posted January 16, 2018 Share Posted January 16, 2018 17 hours ago, LKC said: Can I add a few, being a recently returned Brit? We're on the southern edge of the Scottish Highlands, a new place for us since we lived in Suffolk before we moved to Sydney. M&S food. Oh. Emm. Gee! Ordered our Christmas dinner from them (since our rental kitchen is tiny and couldn't be bothered to faff), and it was beautiful. Also love their ready meals if we're being disorganised. Packing my own bags in the supermarkets. It took a while to get used to this, but now I have a routine. Remembering to take bags to the supermarkets. I kept forgetting them for the first few weeks, and as a consequence I have a lifetime supply! All the fruit and veg in the supermarket seems to be wrapped in plastic in some way. I don't like this. Buying wine in the supermarket The firewood we've bought so far isn't as good as the ironbark we got in Sydney. However, we've been buying little bags at the garage since we're moving in a few weeks. Maybe I can find better in a bulk delivery when we move. I have been ill and unable to drive for a few days, so OH has been dropping the kids at school and coming home early to pick them up. Today one of the kids needed to come home in the middle of the day with a migraine, so the headmistress brought her for me. The school has been outstanding Eldest has Asperger's, and we've already had meetings with the SEN teacher at her school (to see what they can do to help her now), the SEN head at the high school she will be attending from August (to see what they can do to help her transition to high school), and she has been referred to an OT, with the appointment coming through quickly. Central heating and double glazing. No more needs to be said! Glorious frosty mornings. Although I did manage to slip on some black ice and bugger up my hip, hence the no driving. Really friendly postman, who would greet me with a "Ho, ho, ho, merry Christmas" when delivering things I'd bought for the kids for Christmas. Friendly people. Everyone says some version of "good morning" on the walk to school. I have been included by the school mums. I also went to the pub with some of them at Christmas and ended up signed up to the PTA Gorgeous sunshine. Seeing the kids in the snow. Faster internet than we had in Sydney (although to be fair we were in a bit of a blackspot). People speeding through the village we live in. It is a 30, but people don't slow down, even when I'm walking the kids to school. People don't always stop for the school crossing. People seem in more of a rush here somehow. Amazon! I love Amazon and have ordered loads on there since we moved back. Sometimes even things we don't need! I miss the birds, they're not as obvious here, although it is winter. I also miss the sea and the warm sand. Although we do have loads of lovely countryside, lochs and hills to make up for that. We've all been sick on and off since we got back, but I put that down to getting used to new germs. I've not had any coffee shop coffee since we got back at the beginning of September, so I obviously don't miss that! I would suggest staying in Scotland!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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