Things you miss about Britain

[MARYROSE02]

On 04/02/2022 at 17:13, Blue Flu said:

Van life is a growing trend in UK. Around half a million already partaking. 

I listen to Radio Solent on occasions. Daily Mail , Sky News, Fox News I'm a bit concerned at times subvert your world view if taken seriously. I suppose in all fairness I should add Spurs to that list. 

I agree . Just back from South Coast WA and know a couple of great Indian restaurants , while hardly cheap turn out as good as most anywhere. Sadly never found a favourite in Perth though. I've only ever crossed a Bangla run Indian restaurant twice in Australia, one of those was in Sydney. The owner a Brick Lane boy. (Bangla Town East London)  Other here close to me in Leederville was called Brick Lane but didn't last. There attempt to bring British Indian food to the masses ended in failure.

Far easier to recall Australian history than British or European being of such short duration. While history is history some have a deep intricate story behind where they stand now.

Cycling even better in countries like Denmark and Germany. 

I had the chance to do Aussie history when I started at UNSW in 1982 but I did European History from, I think 16th to 18th centuries.  I regret that looking back. Some units cover hundreds of years, others shorter periods, eg Austria and Germany 1919 to 1939 and Germany since 1945 (in 1990). I can't be bothered with it now.  I am doing Open University but I do creative writing units so I don't have to bother with writing essays and footnoting. But I might push myself to do an Australian history unit. 

Van Life?

[MARYROSE02]

On 24/01/2022 at 14:39, Bulya said:

Every little corner shop and supermarket sells alcohol here.  They treat us like adults.  

Except when they close the pubs or don't they do the "last orders" "time gentlemen please" BS any more at 1050pm, 11pm or 1020pm, 1030pm on Sundays? If they treated you like adults you would be able to buy booze whenever you want and pub and restaurant operators would be able to sell it whenever THEY want.

[beketamun]

On 23/01/2022 at 17:56, newjez said:

I know a lot of people who only drink in the pub and never drink at home. I always assumed it was a British thing.

we were the opposite....we never drank at home in the UK, always always a social thing in a pub.   In Oz, we have so much beer at home it's untrue,  but drink it in moderation.

The social UK thing ended up being binge and session drinking with mates and very enjoyable it was...but hardly been drunk in Oz in 10 years.

[Bulya]

8 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Except when they close the pubs or don't they do the "last orders" "time gentlemen please" BS any more at 1050pm, 11pm or 1020pm, 1030pm on Sundays? If they treated you like adults you would be able to buy booze whenever you want and pub and restaurant operators would be able to sell it whenever THEY want.

The ACT has the loosest alcohol rules in the country and always has.  In 1976 24 hour opening eg. The Lakeside Hotel bar and even the Civic service station had a bottle shop.  I remember going to Sydney for training in the 80’s and asking corner shop staff where the alcohol was, of course there was none…

[Blue Flu]

10 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I had the chance to do Aussie history when I started at UNSW in 1982 but I did European History from, I think 16th to 18th centuries.  I regret that looking back. Some units cover hundreds of years, others shorter periods, eg Austria and Germany 1919 to 1939 and Germany since 1945 (in 1990). I can't be bothered with it now.  I am doing Open University but I do creative writing units so I don't have to bother with writing essays and footnoting. But I might push myself to do an Australian history unit. 

Van Life?

Van life is people living in vans out of both necessity and desire I guess. Increasingly the case in Australia as well. 

I learnt Australian history at school along with European/British  and American, but only touched on Asian in those days. Being of short duration you can read it up yourself if having the desire. But history is a very interesting subject. 

[Blue Flu]

10 hours ago, beketamun said:

we were the opposite....we never drank at home in the UK, always always a social thing in a pub.   In Oz, we have so much beer at home it's untrue,  but drink it in moderation.

The social UK thing ended up being binge and session drinking with mates and very enjoyable it was...but hardly been drunk in Oz in 10 years.

Far cheaper to drink at home in Australia as well. Besides pubs being expensive I'd only go to ones with a degree of atmosphere. 

[Blue Flu]

10 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

Except when they close the pubs or don't they do the "last orders" "time gentlemen please" BS any more at 1050pm, 11pm or 1020pm, 1030pm on Sundays? If they treated you like adults you would be able to buy booze whenever you want and pub and restaurant operators would be able to sell it whenever THEY want.

But at least the seriously weird afternoon closing has been scrapped. That was the situation when first went to UK to live. 

[newjez]

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

But at least the seriously weird afternoon closing has been scrapped. That was the situation when first went to UK to live. 

They used to have weird pub hours on a Sunday in the UK, but then the Sunday session in Perth never made sense. When we lived in Perth you could only buy wine on Sunday from a bottle shop. Not beer or spirit. Madness.

[Rallyman]

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

But at least the seriously weird afternoon closing has been scrapped. That was the situation when first went to UK to live. 

Lived in wales when Sunday was Dry ! 

[MARYROSE02]

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Van life is people living in vans out of both necessity and desire I guess. Increasingly the case in Australia as well. 

I learnt Australian history at school along with European/British  and American, but only touched on Asian in those days. Being of short duration you can read it up yourself if having the desire. But history is a very interesting subject. 

I know there are "Grey Nomads" who spend their retirement driving round Australia in motor homes. Maybe there are "ungrey nomads" too? I don't know if increasing numbers of people are being forced into caravan parks? There are a couple of caravan parks in my village in England.  They've always been there. 

 

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

But at least the seriously weird afternoon closing has been scrapped. That was the situation when first went to UK to live. 

When I first started going to the pubs in the 70s they opened and closed fourteen times a week at various times according to the day. Australia had its own restrictions according to which state you lived in.  Open all day Monday to Saturday in Sydney but mostly closed on Sundays. The shops closed at 1230 on Saturday too. Sundays were dull. The cinemas and Macca were open though.

[MARYROSE02]

3 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

Far cheaper to drink at home in Australia as well. Besides pubs being expensive I'd only go to ones with a degree of atmosphere. 

"Atmos" for me means being a "local" - a known "face." My local pub in Sydney is entirely devoid of atmosphere since they turned the front bar into the pokies' room but i know most of the people who go there. 

Here in Surfers I go to the Surf Club where i can sit on the verandah looking out to the Esplanade and the ocean beyond. But again, I go there because I know a few people and the staff know me.

[Blue Flu]

44 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

"Atmos" for me means being a "local" - a known "face." My local pub in Sydney is entirely devoid of atmosphere since they turned the front bar into the pokies' room but i know most of the people who go there. 

Here in Surfers I go to the Surf Club where i can sit on the verandah looking out to the Esplanade and the ocean beyond. But again, I go there because I know a few people and the staff know me.

But loads of crime from my understanding. May well be a case of jumping into the fire. I did consider Surfers for awhile. Surely the pubs cater for a younger demographic ? 

[Blue Flu]

57 minutes ago, MARYROSE02 said:

I know there are "Grey Nomads" who spend their retirement driving round Australia in motor homes. Maybe there are "ungrey nomads" too? I don't know if increasing numbers of people are being forced into caravan parks? There are a couple of caravan parks in my village in England.  They've always been there. 

 

When I first started going to the pubs in the 70s they opened and closed fourteen times a week at various times according to the day. Australia had its own restrictions according to which state you lived in.  Open all day Monday to Saturday in Sydney but mostly closed on Sundays. The shops closed at 1230 on Saturday too. Sundays were dull. The cinemas and Macca were open though.

Not closed in WA. You just could not under law purchase alcohol to take away. Sunday was open, but closed early. Don't recall the time. It could have been six, but off hand unsure. Shops closed at 12 PM and the city was a ghost town for all intents and purposes half an hour later. (Perth was anyway) 

As mentioned seemingly half a million subscribed in UK to van life now.  Grey Nomads in OZ are usually different in having an alternative unmovable house to return to. No doubt some take the option of making it permanent though. More a younger set I'd suggest in the main. Unable to gain access through design or choice in the housing market. 

[Blue Flu]

1 hour ago, Rallyman said:

Lived in wales when Sunday was Dry ! 

Dragon country. Seriously weird. 

[Bobj]

1 hour ago, Rallyman said:

Lived in wales when Sunday was Dry ! 

 Reminds me of Derby*, WA…Sunday pub crawl was drinks from 10 to noon, then 2 to 4. But you could get 2 big bottles to take home at both sessions, plus another 2 if you knew the bar tender. That was in the early ‘60s

*Pronounced with the ‘e’.

Cheers, Bobj

[Toots]

20 minutes ago, Bobj said:

 Reminds me of Derby*, WA…Sunday pub crawl was drinks from 10 to noon, then 2 to 4. But you could get 2 big bottles to take home at both sessions, plus another 2 if you knew the bar tender. That was in the early ‘60s

*Pronounced with the ‘e’.

Cheers, Bobj

It was much the same in Perth when I did bar work mid 1970s.  Think the times were a bit different.  noon to 2 and you could take away the limit of 2 big bottles.  Some desperate souls would take their 2 bottles out to the car and return then ask for another 2 bottles. I can't remember if the pubs opened later in the day on a Sunday.

Also remember all shops closed at noon on Saturday until Monday.

Then there were the petrol rosters.  You had to check the local paper to find out which petrol stations were open at the weekend.

[Drumbeat]

5 hours ago, newjez said:

They used to have weird pub hours on a Sunday in the UK, but then the Sunday session in Perth never made sense. When we lived in Perth you could only buy wine on Sunday from a bottle shop. Not beer or spirit. Madness.

That changed a long time ago!

[Blue Flu]

5 hours ago, newjez said:

They used to have weird pub hours on a Sunday in the UK, but then the Sunday session in Perth never made sense. When we lived in Perth you could only buy wine on Sunday from a bottle shop. Not beer or spirit. Madness.

Indeed. I forgot wine being able to be purchased on a Sunday and not beer. Obviously wine was termed plonk in those days of minimal standard. Beer and to a lesser extent spirits were the poison. 

[MARYROSE02]

 

 

9 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

But loads of crime from my understanding. May well be a case of jumping into the fire. I did consider Surfers for awhile. Surely the pubs cater for a younger demographic ? 

I'm sitting in the Surf Club as I write this. I'm not aware of a high crime rate here.  It's 2230 and people are strolling on the promenade.  There's always a lot of people about.  It's true that in Fri and Sat nights there are huge crowds of young people queuing for the clubs but that's mostly in a little strip of two streets part of Cavill Ave and part of Orchid Ave but it does not mean mass brawls.  I find it quite exciting. 

There are lots of families here and lots of older retired people (me!) I like Surfers because everything I want is within 500 metres with the excellent tram service if I need to go further. 

 

[Blue Flu]

9 hours ago, MARYROSE02 said:

 

 

I'm sitting in the Surf Club as I write this. I'm not aware of a high crime rate here.  It's 2230 and people are strolling on the promenade.  There's always a lot of people about.  It's true that in Fri and Sat nights there are huge crowds of young people queuing for the clubs but that's mostly in a little strip of two streets part of Cavill Ave and part of Orchid Ave but it does not mean mass brawls.  I find it quite exciting. 

There are lots of families here and lots of older retired people (me!) I like Surfers because everything I want is within 500 metres with the excellent tram service if I need to go further. 

 

I guess I'm not surprised you not witnessing crime. I've lived what I would call totally 'clueless'  to the large amount of criminal activity around me for yonks. The trouble is once aware one can become hyper vigilant  to goings on not on the radar previously. 

I know Surfers has a lot of drugs , hardly alone in that, but still a stand out issue from my research. (as well as people with on ground experience) My impressions of Surfers outside of that is 'schoolies ' and an over representation of bogans , but imagine it attracts a cross section of 'fun seekers' looking for a good time in what must be a somewhat hedonistic type of place by its nature. 

But if that's the place you find exciting and to your liking it may be the place for you.  

[ramot]

4 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

I guess I'm not surprised you not witnessing crime. I've lived what I would call totally 'clueless'  to the large amount of criminal activity around me for yonks. The trouble is once aware one can become hyper vigilant  to goings on not on the radar previously. 

I know Surfers has a lot of drugs , hardly alone in that, but still a stand out issue from my research. (as well as people with on ground experience) My impressions of Surfers outside of that is 'schoolies ' and an over representation of bogans , but imagine it attracts a cross section of 'fun seekers' looking for a good time in what must be a somewhat hedonistic type of place by its nature. 

But if that's the place you find exciting and to your liking it may be the place for you.  

This ‘bogan’  had a great trip there recently. I prefer the Sunshine Coast obviously, but certainly will never be critical of people’s choice of where to live or holiday.

Edited February 9, 2022 by ramot

[MARYROSE02]

5 hours ago, Blue Flu said:

I guess I'm not surprised you not witnessing crime. I've lived what I would call totally 'clueless'  to the large amount of criminal activity around me for yonks. The trouble is once aware one can become hyper vigilant  to goings on not on the radar previously. 

I know Surfers has a lot of drugs , hardly alone in that, but still a stand out issue from my research. (as well as people with on ground experience) My impressions of Surfers outside of that is 'schoolies ' and an over representation of bogans , but imagine it attracts a cross section of 'fun seekers' looking for a good time in what must be a somewhat hedonistic type of place by its nature. 

But if that's the place you find exciting and to your liking it may be the place for you.  

"Schoolies" is a couple of weeks after the HSC and weekends are big for the clubbers but they "co-exist" with everybody else. It's probably like living in any seaside resort - Bournemouth,  Benidorm, Blackpool, Miami, locals, retires, holidaymakers, "snowbirds ",(Escaping the winter). I spoke to a  elderly lady from Yorks this morning pushing her stroller to the shops. Later,  I went to Woolies myself  ie "normality." I've seen more syringes in Surry Hills than in Surfers. 

[Blue Flu]

1 hour ago, MARYROSE02 said:

"Schoolies" is a couple of weeks after the HSC and weekends are big for the clubbers but they "co-exist" with everybody else. It's probably like living in any seaside resort - Bournemouth,  Benidorm, Blackpool, Miami, locals, retires, holidaymakers, "snowbirds ",(Escaping the winter). I spoke to a  elderly lady from Yorks this morning pushing her stroller to the shops. Later,  I went to Woolies myself  ie "normality." I've seen more syringes in Surry Hills than in Surfers. 

I know thank heavens , I badly timed a break once forgetting schoolies , a mistake never repeated. Actually never seen a syringe to this day in Leederville , but has nothing to do with the illegal drug activity I encounter on a daily basis. (I don't mean users in the main) 

I'd hope it is better than Blackpool for your sake, actually don't see seaside resorts at all as the same. In UK some are awful places full of social deprivation. Others I can think of have a degree of class , more across the Channel though. 

 

[Blue Flu]

3 hours ago, ramot said:

This ‘bogan’  had a great trip there recently. I prefer the Sunshine Coast obviously, but certainly will never be critical of people’s choice of where to live or holiday.

Well happiness assured I guess on finding ones 'tribe'. 

[Toots]

13 minutes ago, Blue Flu said:

I know thank heavens , I badly timed a break once forgetting schoolies , a mistake never repeated. Actually never seen a syringe to this day in Leederville , but has nothing to do with the illegal drug activity I encounter on a daily basis. (I don't mean users in the main) 

I'd hope it is better than Blackpool for your sake, actually don't see seaside resorts at all as the same. In UK some are awful places full of social deprivation. Others I can think of have a degree of class , more across the Channel though. 

 

The seaside towns of the UK were lovely places for a holiday until the cheap package holidays to Spain/Greece came about way back in the 60s.  As a child and young teen I enjoyed great holidays with cousins and their parents at Blackpool, Yarmouth, Scarborough and a few other places but a lot of them have gone downhill since then.