bristolman Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 https://www.citybaseapartments.com/blog/50-reasons-why-britain-is-great/ When you look through that list it really is impressive, I know those of us living here realise it but so many things are just taken for granted. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 impressive indeed... Thanks for sharing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidensarah Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 5 hours ago, bristolman said: https://www.citybaseapartments.com/blog/50-reasons-why-britain-is-great/ When you look through that list it really is impressive, I know those of us living here realise it but so many things are just taken for granted. Love the UK, just wish it were a bit warmer and less grey most of the time 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 5, 2018 Author Share Posted March 5, 2018 2 minutes ago, maidensarah said: Love the UK, just wish it were a bit warmer and less grey most of the time I'll be honest the temperate usually mild climate suits me more and certainly don't find it grey most of the time, not at all. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MARYROSE02 Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 Perhaps it's a measure of my own contentment living in OZ that looking at those wonderful photos no longer compel me to want to be there. There was a time when I would have felt incredibly homesick and lonely, although, living in England, I often felt the same way looking at images of Australia, or sometimes just seeing a gum tree. (How did they get to England anyway?) I see Australia Post red vans and post boxes and think about my time working for Royal Mail in Southampton. I watched the Crystal Palace v Man Utd game this morning sitting in shorts with the windows wide open and I did not envy the crowd all wrapped up like they were going to the Arctic with Scott! My neighbour posted a photo of one of his sons sledging in the New Forest and I almost wished I was there. There is nothing like the New Forest on my literal doorstep here in Sydney. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 9 hours ago, bristolman said: https://www.citybaseapartments.com/blog/50-reasons-why-britain-is-great/ When you look through that list it really is impressive, I know those of us living here realise it but so many things are just taken for granted. I just hope most people living there don't take it for granted. I certainly did when growing up - couldn't wait to move away. I do appreciate the UK when I go back and look at it through different eyes now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newjez Posted March 5, 2018 Share Posted March 5, 2018 (edited) 9 hours ago, bristolman said: https://www.citybaseapartments.com/blog/50-reasons-why-britain-is-great/ When you look through that list it really is impressive, I know those of us living here realise it but so many things are just taken for granted. Same thing that makes London great, as in greater London. It's a geographical term. Edited March 5, 2018 by newjez Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 6, 2018 Author Share Posted March 6, 2018 5 hours ago, Toots said: I just hope most people living there don't take it for granted. I certainly did when growing up - couldn't wait to move away. I do appreciate the UK when I go back and look at it through different eyes now. Too many do take what we have here for granted which is a terrible shame as it truly is a great country. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maidensarah Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 13 hours ago, bristolman said: I'll be honest the temperate usually mild climate suits me more and certainly don't find it grey most of the time, not at all. I think it is grey most of the time. It was the thing I noticed most after coming back from a year in Australia. It must be grey as whenever it’s a sunny day it’s always a bit ’ooh what a lovely sunny day we’ve had’ kind of reaction. Saying that, one of the things that does put me off moving to Aus is how hot the weather could be in the future. I could cope with it now but what’s it going to be like for our children’s children etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 6, 2018 Author Share Posted March 6, 2018 1 minute ago, maidensarah said: I think it is grey most of the time. It was the thing I noticed most after coming back from a year in Australia. It must be grey as whenever it’s a sunny day it’s always a bit ’ooh what a lovely sunny day we’ve had’ kind of reaction. Saying that, one of the things that does put me off moving to Aus is how hot the weather could be in the future. I could cope with it now but what’s it going to be like for our children’s children etc. I guess if you are from Scotland for example then that may well be the case. It's not something we notice but that's fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 Borders ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted March 6, 2018 Share Posted March 6, 2018 12 hours ago, maidensarah said: I think it is grey most of the time. It was the thing I noticed most after coming back from a year in Australia. It must be grey as whenever it’s a sunny day it’s always a bit ’ooh what a lovely sunny day we’ve had’ kind of reaction. Saying that, one of the things that does put me off moving to Aus is how hot the weather could be in the future. I could cope with it now but what’s it going to be like for our children’s children etc. I think I would describe it as more muted, softer. Australia always presents to me as bright. Everything is newer, brighter. It hurts my eyes, bright. The UK is a much older place in terms of buildings etc and they seem to exude that age, the landscapes feel mysterious and the history of battles fought and civilisations long buried are suited to the mists (or drizzle! ?). Even a sunny day is softer in its brightness. Australian civilisation, whilst much older, was nomadic and spiritual so less tangible impact in terms of buildings Etc. Until whitey arrived and gave everyone the pox, obviously. Both places suit their weather. Bright, new, shiny Australia and muted, misty historical UK! 8 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meme78 Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 One thing which I'm sure has taken its toll on me was the constant glare in Australia. Even in winter, I'd struggle to drive without sunnies. That can't be good, surely?! I find I am super sensitive these days to light and I wonder if 10 years down under had some sort of effect on that. The UK can be grey let's face it, but it can also be wonderfully changing, stimulating and different. I find being in tune with the seasons here does wonders for my natural body clock- I truly believe there is something to be said about feeling the 'right way up' and better placed in the northern hemisphere (if you grew up this way around). I always felt the wrong way around in Australia, seasons, time, you name it. I think it added to the sense of displacement. Whilst winters are no longer 'hard' in the UK (certainly not in the South anyway) by the time March arrives I hold my hands up and i'm desperate for Spring. But, I was also desperate for the Adelaide summer to bog off in March- and awaited more gentler weather patterns. I find the UK busy, diverse, culturally rich, problematic, historically interesting, the natural environment amazing, the people for the most part friendly and interesting, certain things expensive, certain things not. The best thing about it, is that it feels like home. 10 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 54 minutes ago, meme78 said: One thing which I'm sure has taken its toll on me was the constant glare in Australia. Even in winter, I'd struggle to drive without sunnies. That can't be good, surely?! I find I am super sensitive these days to light and I wonder if 10 years down under had some sort of effect on that. Increased sensitivity to glare is one of the earliest and most common age-related changes to vision. It would have happened anyway with advancing age but I don't know if the light environment affects the speed with which it happens. Fortunately not all parts of Australia have constant glare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetBlast Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I can't believe trains got a mention in number 1. They are far from great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 1 hour ago, meme78 said: One thing which I'm sure has taken its toll on me was the constant glare in Australia. Even in winter, I'd struggle to drive without sunnies. That can't be good, surely?! I find I am super sensitive these days to light and I wonder if 10 years down under had some sort of effect on that. The UK can be grey let's face it, but it can also be wonderfully changing, stimulating and different. I find being in tune with the seasons here does wonders for my natural body clock- I truly believe there is something to be said about feeling the 'right way up' and better placed in the northern hemisphere (if you grew up this way around). I always felt the wrong way around in Australia, seasons, time, you name it. I think it added to the sense of displacement. Whilst winters are no longer 'hard' in the UK (certainly not in the South anyway) by the time March arrives I hold my hands up and i'm desperate for Spring. But, I was also desperate for the Adelaide summer to bog off in March- and awaited more gentler weather patterns. I find the UK busy, diverse, culturally rich, problematic, historically interesting, the natural environment amazing, the people for the most part friendly and interesting, certain things expensive, certain things not. The best thing about it, is that it feels like home. It's odd but I never wear/wore sunnies in Aus - though, thanks to your post, I will take them with me when I go next month, just in case! But I do have to wear them in UK - I think it's because of the lower sun and I always seem to be driving into it! Or, it may be as Skani has said, I'm getting older and its just one of those things! I'm loving the longer days and am just hearing the dawn chorus at a nice reasonable hour. I hate the dawn cacophony that heralds a Canberra day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bristolman Posted March 10, 2018 Author Share Posted March 10, 2018 5 minutes ago, Quoll said: It's odd but I never wear/wore sunnies in Aus - though, thanks to your post, I will take them with me when I go next month, just in case! But I do have to wear them in UK - I think it's because of the lower sun and I always seem to be driving into it! Or, it may be as Skani has said, I'm getting older and its just one of those things! I'm loving the longer days and am just hearing the dawn chorus at a nice reasonable hour. I hate the dawn cacophony that heralds a Canberra day. The dawn chorus was one of the things my wife really missed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I had my eyes tested a couple of years ago and the optician (yes optician) said I had severe UV damage. Also rarely wore sunnies. She said good sunnies are as important as a good sun lotion. I think she really cared for me.. lots of body contact. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tulip1 Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 11 hours ago, Quoll said: It's odd but I never wear/wore sunnies in Aus - though, thanks to your post, I will take them with me when I go next month, just in case! But I do have to wear them in UK - I think it's because of the lower sun and I always seem to be driving into it! Or, it may be as Skani has said, I'm getting older and its just one of those things! I'm loving the longer days and am just hearing the dawn chorus at a nice reasonable hour. I hate the dawn cacophony that heralds a Canberra day. The low sun certainly gets to me, I often wear sunglasses on my drive to work all year round (especially in the winter, the low sun is blinding) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LKC Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 I trained as an optometrist, and it is indeed the UV that causes damage. It can cause cataracts, macular degeneration, pterygium (a sort of pink non-cancerous growth on the conjunctiva), photokeratitis (sunburn of the cornea, usually from being by the sea or snow all day with no sunglasses - from reflected light), and of course skin cancer which can occur on the lids and lid margins. I am finding the low sun more troublesome here, but it is due to the location of my house and the direction I have to travel in. In this house I am driving just off east when I take the kids to school, so the sun is in my eyes. If I go out at lunchtime the sun is positioned where I need to look south before turning north at a junction, so it is in my eyes. It isn't too bad when I come home from school. When we lived in a different village on the opposite side of school from where we are now, I had the opposite problem. If your house and workplace/school is located in a place where you are not driving east in the morning, south at lunchtime or west in the evening, you won't have any trouble. That said, UV levels are higher in Australia so I would always recommend sunnies are worn outside. Glass blocks/absorbs UV, so it won't matter from an eye health perspective if you don't wear sunnies in the car (providing the windows are closed). However, they also cut down glare, which helps with visual comfort. Hope that helps 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 12 hours ago, Quoll said: It's odd but I never wear/wore sunnies in Aus - though, thanks to your post, I will take them with me when I go next month, just in case! But I do have to wear them in UK - I think it's because of the lower sun and I always seem to be driving into it! Or, it may be as Skani has said, I'm getting older and its just one of those things! I'm loving the longer days and am just hearing the dawn chorus at a nice reasonable hour. I hate the dawn cacophony that heralds a Canberra day. I wear sunnies all year round Quoll. My two boys have worn them all year round too since they were toddlers as they both have blue eyes and the Dr said it's safer for people with lighter coloured eyes to wear them here as there all sorts of potential eye problems ahead of them due to the sun's glare and UV exposure. I've only recently needed to wear specs for reading so maybe looking after my eyes all those years has helped a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted March 10, 2018 Share Posted March 10, 2018 12 hours ago, bristolman said: The dawn chorus was one of the things my wife really missed. Here in Devonport we are awakened by song birds and the occasional kookaburra. The black and yellow parrots stay out in the bush/forests but arrive here when the fir cones are tender - feast on them for a week or so then disappear again. Don't often see the lorikeets or rosellas either. I miss them as we saw a lot of them where we lived in Sydney. There are lots of galahs in the grassy areas but they keep themselves to themselves and spend a lot of time on the ground eating seeds and grubs. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 56 minutes ago, Toots said: Don't often see the lorikeets or rosellas either. I think they've all moved down here to Hobart. My dawn chorus is mostly fairy wrens and honey eaters which is extremely pleasant. The forest ravens, currawongs and kookaburras don't wind up until later...which is very considerate of them. Have to agree with Quoll - that dawn chorus in Canberra is something else. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 15 minutes ago, Skani said: I think they've all moved down here to Hobart. My dawn chorus is mostly fairy wrens and honey eaters which is extremely pleasant. The forest ravens, currawongs and kookaburras don't wind up until later...which is very considerate of them. Have to agree with Quoll - that dawn chorus in Canberra is something else. Do you see much of the sulphur-crested cockatoos? Very rarely see them here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Snowball Posted March 11, 2018 Share Posted March 11, 2018 1 minute ago, Toots said: Do you see much of the sulphur-crested cockatoos? Very rarely see them here. I have lots here in outer east of Melbourne and they are all called Colin! ? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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