Poms Going Home to UK (register)

[Guest JohnAvoca]

Its nice to hear a post I could have written myself if I were to be leaving oz having given it a good go.

 

We have been here 7 months and are about to embark on a 650k mortgage, not nice but required. Oz isnt for everyone but you have to give it a go to know its not for you so there is surely no shame in going back.

 

We love it here, earn ok money and love the llifestyle.

 

However as you mention, you have to get here to know its not for you

 

Sean

Sean, 650k mortgage on okay money? Mate, who is your mortgage broker. They're obviously good and I could do with talking to them. My bloke was useless.

 

Like you, I love it here. I've lived in London, Essex, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Swansea and Derby and travelled a fair bit overseas. Nowhere is perfect and you can find for and against for everywhere. But, all in all, Australia ticks more boxes for me than anywhere else I've been.

 

I've got a blog at mylifeinaustralia.com talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of living Down Under.

[kissofthegypsy]

Sean, 650k mortgage on okay money? Mate, who is your mortgage broker. They're obviously good and I could do with talking to them. My bloke was useless.

 

Like you, I love it here. I've lived in London, Essex, Portsmouth, Hampshire, Swansea and Derby and travelled a fair bit overseas. Nowhere is perfect and you can find for and against for everywhere. But, all in all, Australia ticks more boxes for me than anywhere else I've been.

 

I've got a blog at mylifeinaustralia.com talking about the good, the bad and the ugly of living Down Under.

 

Hi John

 

As we are just about to be granted PR (previously on 457) it opened up a number of options and although we initially used a broker, westpac were offering a better deal for a high LVR - we needed 95% lend. So all in all we needed 58k upfront, mortgage insurance, stamp duty which we get back on a joint income of approx 240k per annum. The servicing wasnt the problem, but, all in all, well happy with westpac in the end. The morgage too was 0.75 lower than standard variable for the duration of th mortgage which didnt seem too bad although I know westpac are at times higher than everyone else but we bank with them as well so thing were just easier.

 

Hopefully in by xmas, love it here tho and not interested in going back to the UK anytime soon, gonna carry on contracting and the missus wants to eventually work for herself so we are both not going anywhere.

 

Sean

[Guest JohnAvoca]

Sean,

 

Okay, on 240k that makes sense. What do you guys do over there? And are there any vacancies!!!

 

Being on decent money here means you have a lifestyle you'd probably have to be very wealthy to match in the UK.

 

When we left London I reckoned you needed 100 grand (sterling) to live in a reasonable area, send your kids to a half decent school, eat out every so often etc.

 

I know Australia has become a lot more expensive in recent years, but I still think, in terms of lifestyle, you get a better deal here.

[kissofthegypsy]

Sean,

 

Okay, on 240k that makes sense. What do you guys do over there? And are there any vacancies!!!

 

Being on decent money here means you have a lifestyle you'd probably have to be very wealthy to match in the UK.

 

When we left London I reckoned you needed 100 grand (sterling) to live in a reasonable area, send your kids to a half decent school, eat out every so often etc.

 

I know Australia has become a lot more expensive in recent years, but I still think, in terms of lifestyle, you get a better deal here.

 

 

I know what you mean, we used to earn more in the UK but the quality of life was crap. I would be down the pub and the missus was stuck in the house in the winter as there was nothing to do. Now we still work just as hard but at weekends we do stuff together and to be honest the house we are building would cost you 500k in England, easy and its close to the water, on a protected estate.

 

I work in IT and the missus is in the health service, same jobs as we had in the UK although I pay a lot more tax over here.

 

Looked at sydney originally but thought it was too expensive so chose queensland and love the weather.

 

Want to do some travelling tho.

 

Sean

[Paul1Perth]

You seem to give the impression that everyone who is not happy has done no research, just paid the money for a visa and a flight and then wondered WTF? when they get down here.

All of us have gone through the testing process of obtaining a visa, you wouldn't put your self through it unless you really wanted one. I went through it twice having been rejected over work experience the first time round. It has taken 5 years. Trust me, with family in Oz and having visited a dozen times and widely travelled this country more than any Australian, I had thought this move through!!!

Why then am I here 7 months later getting quotes to ship boxes back, looking up flights, jobs in the UK and flats? Sometimes I really ask myself that too, but I just can not see a future here, for many of the reasons people have previously posted on here and for financial reasons I mention below.... and that is such an odd thing to feel when you have spend half a decade trying to get here. This really is something that you just feel after you arrive here, you can't plan or prepare for it. It is like 'altitude sickness', you don't know how it will affect you... the fittest guy may not make it to the summit, where as the overweight smoker does. It's not homesickness, it's much more complex than that.

I do feel grateful that I have been given this chance where others may not make it. Sometimes I feel selfish that I have got this far and want to turn back while others are still battling it out trying to get a visa, especially now when they are restricting numbers etc. I remember thinking exactly like that when I was in the queue, and all those criminals and illegal immigrants were being waved in infront of me. Now... If I could hand my visa back at the airport to someone else who wants to give it a go, I would. But they don't let you. Nor can I even try and sell it on ebay and try and get back some of the huge amount of money I have spent thus far!!!!!!!

For me, had my visa been granted the first time round 3 years ago, things would be very different. I was younger for a start, fed up with my job, had a retard flat mate ( who turned out to be a criminal!) cost of living and property were dirt cheap in Oz back then and the exchange rate was $2.4 to a pound..... I was ready to go. While waiting for the second time, I got a great job in London and things had settled down. Over here though, the cost of living had rocketed, property in MEL had gone up 18% in 4 months and the exchange rate had nosedived to $1.7. However, I had gone through too much not to give this a go when I was finally granted a visa.

I hope that I can 'no doubt just pick up where I left off ' as you say. Somehow I am sure it won't be that easy. It takes balls to make the move down to Australia, but admitting it isn't working and buying a ticket back takes bigger balls than you thought possible.

I hope your circumstances do not change and that you live the dream you always had planned here, because I wouldn't wish these feelings on anyone.

 

Hi MrCatania,

Have you tried living somewhere else other than Melbourne? There are plenty of places to try before making the move back to the UK.

I live in Perth and can't fault it. Been here since 92 and it's the best thing we ever did. As you say though it doesn't suit everyone and it's hard to get people to understand your feelings. I know several people who have made the move back and forth more than once. It's cost them a fortune and they still can't make their minds up.

[ezzie]

...likewise, I have no idea how that stuff about Stoke got into my post. What's going on here????

 

Ezzie , whatevers happened .....that aint my post ....iam back in the UK .....15 YEARS ACTUALLY .

Dont know how my tag has been bolted to that thread ?

[Guest proud2beaussie]

Care is needed when using the quote function,if you don't do it correctly then it won't work and other peoples words can appear in your post,for example in the above post the following words which were originally posted by Bunbury 61 have not been quoted the way that ezzie wished.

"Ezzie , whatevers happened .....that aint my post ....iam back in the UK .....15 YEARS ACTUALLY .

Dont know how my tag has been bolted to that thread ?"

if the quote function works as desired then quoted text will appear in a box like this.

Ezzie , whatevers happened .....that aint my post ....iam back in the UK .....15 YEARS ACTUALLY .

Dont know how my tag has been bolted to that thread ?

to do it copy the text to be quoted,click on the quote box and place the cursor between the two quote tags and paste the text in.

sometimes the forum software may not work properly but I find that it does 9 times out of 10.

Also if it doesn't work correctly on one post and others copy the same text then the error can be repeated continually when others try and use the quote function,it appears that is what has happened here.

[Guest SO,DIZZY]

There is no dream unless you are cashed up and can afford not to work , takin their jobs is ****, you have to get your head down and struggle , travel to work , if ther aint none look further afield , nice partying but you have to go and get what you can , I have a poxy job in a warehouse ,travel 65 kms and 65 back for 600 bucks a week but its a job. All this dream **** does my head in , DREAM sleep like activity , Aus is bloody hard and you have to do the **** to reap the benefit

0

 

 

 

Just to reply to this as i thought your comments were very harsh...in my opinin I think you have missed the point of the other persons post and the fact that you are having to work so hard at getting by is testimont to what the op has said.... they are absolutly right the hype and bull that people are being fed before they get here does not reflect the reality in Australia.. these are people who have planned and reserched and waited there turn to get here were told that they were needed as highly skilled migrants in demand, the land of opertunity no one said the wages would be crap, housing extotionate cost of living way too high in terms of s**t wages... no instead they say bring your money here spend it in the rental market buy white goods and cars then struggle for months and when your money is done sell all that you bought to aussies for a fraction of what they cost to pay for flights twice or three times what you payed to get here now f*** off home you winging pom....

 

they are just like many others that couldnt find work or a wage that pays enough to get by on and thats not as little as you think, some people have no other option but to return home wether indefinate or otherwise because they are skint

 

and there is an ozzie culture of employing ozzies first especially in Queensland an elemant of jobs for the boys among the tradies everywere.. and tradies are having a real hard time at present my OH being one of them infact he is at the moment on the phone trying to chase up last weeks wages something we have been doing every week for months and is traveling over an hour to work every day getting up at 5am we knew life would be hard at first here but being constantly skint and undemined does have an effect over time on how you feel about a place... my son went for a job in a chippy a couple of weeks ago wrapping fish suppers they asked him for a resume now that takes the biscuit they dont even wrap fish here they just put it in a paper bag... my husband said last week he felt like going home he is that sick of the wages saga every week.. I know he doesnt realy meen that but it would only take a couple of weeks with no wages and we might be forced to... not everyone is that well placed here even with a job, travelling miles, **** wages and making an absolute go of it, we are making the best of it here and trying to enjoy life but we are living with a constant fear of work drying up which is making it harder to feel settled for sure... and im sure thats a big elemant for many.. and I dont meen to sound rude but im sure they werent looking for warehouse hands on the modl...

[NigelWaring]

I wonder just how long you need to stay in a country to give it a fair go, some posters seem to be going back after six months and I don't think that it is really long enough to get to know the place. I first moved from UK to New Zealand and hated it but I gave it about four years before moving to Australia. Went to Western Australia first and had a difficult time, more than six months unemployed but eventually found a great job, I intended to stay in it for about ten years but the firm was a sub-contractor to a mining company and they lost their contract. I could see that jobs were no easier to find in Perth so I came to Sydney, landed a great job and also got married, eventually retired, not rich but comfortable and have enough to do what we want. We have visited UK often but honestly it is now a foreign country to me and there is no way that I could ever live there. I often wondered what I'd be doing now if I'd given up in New Zealand and returned to UK. I'm still in touch with many friends in UK but would certainly not like to be living the way that they do. I have top cover medical here, most of them in UK have to queue for hours to get medical treatment and then they do not get any choice of hospital, doctor or specialist. I know my way around Sydney, where to get good value and the things that we like. We often buy a couple of senior's transport tickets at $2.50 each, take a few sandwiches and have a great day out around Sydney, plenty of free things to do so we have a great time for next to nothing; it may be possible to do something similar in UK but I don't think any of our friends know about it and certainly not during the cold weather. I know many people who came to Australia as ten quid Poms, the most successful ones intended to have a three year working holiday then return to UK, so many have stayed here and some don't even want to go back for a holiday. I really think that those who plan on returning after just a few months should have a really good think about it, will they really be happier in UK? Have they given Oz a fair go? I certainly could not make a good decision in just six months.

 

 

I'd like to hear from some of those who returned to UK say two or more years ago, do they still prefer UK or do they have any regrets?

[Emmylou23]

I'd just like to point out that the NHS has changed alot... You do have a choice of drs and specialist in the public system in the UK and most patients should be seen within 30 days. The NHS also have target waiting times for ops and the hospitals lose out no funding if they don't make those targets. GPs are overloaded and that can be a problem, but at least it's free at point of entry. Don't get me started on dental care! Unless you have 'top private cover' in Oz you're essentially stuffed and have no choice in your health care.

 

As someone who has worked in the UK health care system and who is working in the Australian health care system I have also noticed that private health cover or not when you get old your choices are more limited in Australia and most private hospitals will off load their elderly patients to the public hospitals whether they have top level cover or not. Australia is not a place to grow old. It can cost $200,000 upfront to get into a decent nursing home in some areas. That just doesn't happen in the UK.

 

What you get in Australia in one hand is taken from the other. I certainly won't be growing old here!

[ezzie]

Yes, I concur with this - nursing homes/retirement villages in Oz are dead zones. Awful...no character at all. People just sweating it out and waiting to die. Very expensive too, if you don't have a very large supeannuation fund, you're well and truly stuffed over here.

 

 

Australia is not a place to grow old. It can cost $200,000 upfront to get into a decent nursing home in some areas. That just doesn't happen in the UK.

 

What you get in Australia in one hand is taken from the other. I certainly won't be growing old here!

[Skani]

Yes, I concur with this - nursing homes/retirement villages in Oz are dead zones. Awful...no character at all. People just sweating it out and waiting to die. Very expensive too, if you don't have a very large supeannuation fund, you're well and truly stuffed over here.

 

Those you have seen must be very different from those I have seen - and with numerous elderly relatives of both my and my OHs family as residents and several family members as nursing staff, I've seen quite a few.

 

The type of payment and how it is administered is very complex and there are many different categories according to

1. income

2. assets

3. level of care needed.

However, no one is "stuffed", even if your only income is a pension and you have no assets.

 

This is all very topical for me because it is a situation we have just had to organise for my mother in law. She has only a small superannuation and a part pension and is now in beautiful residential care with beautiful caring staff.

[Guest Guest37175]

Camping in the bush ! .......what a load of bollocks that is .........many great things in oz ,but camping in the bush ......sod that

 

Needless to say, he never got me out there!.

[Guest Guest37175]

Hey guys.

 

Well I have lived in Australia since I was 3 years old, I'm now almost 39. I've never left. I am moving back to the UK on the 26th of March.. flight booked and passport obtained. Can't wait. 36 years on this dry brown island in the south pacific is more than enough. I'm bustin out of the penal colony.

 

Cheers

Matt

 

Matt I've been reading your posts with interest over recent months. I think you'll have a cracking time in Manchester - loads of great pubs, clubs, restaurants, shops and galleries. The shopping's ace (Trafford Centre) and there are great music venues big and small across the place if you're into that.

 

Yeah, the weather can be a bit gloomy but we northerners (Scouser speaking here) make sure there are plenty of indoors entertainments to make up for the inclement conditions!

 

Also, if you're a fan of curry then the 'Curry Mile' in Rusholme is the place to head - more restaurants than you can shake a samosa at!

 

Best of luck:smile:

[ezzie]

I'm sure there are truly lovely places available. But it's all about money. I left a large facility which has one of the best reputations in the State because I was expected to jab residents several times a day for BSL levels because the retirement village would get more money for that resident.

 

Drugs were routinely used out of date. The staffing level on a high needs unit was 1 RN to 43 residents - plus 5 untrained staff. In the assisted living unit, there was 1 RN to 162 residents! Each day the amount of medication errors was extreme.

 

Everyone I met who had parents there couldn't say enough good things about the place, but I was on the other side of things, so I saw the truth every day. I don't imagine it's very different elsewhere.

 

Many of the staff were kind, but didn't have the time to even spend a moment with the older people. So many of them just cried and cried over being deserted by family and being stuck in a room. Absolutely tragic. All they have, if they can get out, is a trip to the shops, bowling or cinema.

 

When I was in the UK, oldies, less fit than many in the Australian homes, would be out down the shops having a cuppa with friends, or often volunteering in the charity shops/libraries etc. They'd be coach loads at the historic houses and there was an enormous group of old folk in their 80's on the Calais ferry...all pissed as farts and having a rollicking old time. It was good to see.

 

 

Those you have seen must be very different from those I have seen - and with numerous elderly relatives of both my and my OHs family as residents and several family members as nursing staff, I've seen quite a few.

 

The type of payment and how it is administered is very complex and there are many different categories according to

1. income

2. assets

3. level of care needed.

However, no one is "stuffed", even if your only income is a pension and you have no assets.

 

This is all very topical for me because it is a situation we have just had to organise for my mother in law. She has only a small superannuation and a part pension and is now in beautiful residential care with beautiful caring staff.

[Woofyhugger]

Hey Oz,

 

Thanks so much for being one of the rare few individuals on these forums to not rag on someone for moving back to the UK, or be doom and gloom about the current real or imagined state of the UK. Your post was very refreshing to read, and some great info for someone like me who's moving to that area for the first time, and looking for some moral support. You're ace.

 

Cheers

Matt

 

Matt I've been reading your posts with interest over recent months. I think you'll have a cracking time in Manchester - loads of great pubs, clubs, restaurants, shops and galleries. The shopping's ace (Trafford Centre) and there are great music venues big and small across the place if you're into that.

 

Yeah, the weather can be a bit gloomy but we northerners (Scouser speaking here) make sure there are plenty of indoors entertainments to make up for the inclement conditions!

 

Also, if you're a fan of curry then the 'Curry Mile' in Rusholme is the place to head - more restaurants than you can shake a samosa at!

 

Best of luck:smile:

[Quoll]

Those you have seen must be very different from those I have seen - and with numerous elderly relatives of both my and my OHs family as residents and several family members as nursing staff, I've seen quite a few.

 

The type of payment and how it is administered is very complex and there are many different categories according to

1. income

2. assets

3. level of care needed.

However, no one is "stuffed", even if your only income is a pension and you have no assets.

 

This is all very topical for me because it is a situation we have just had to organise for my mother in law. She has only a small superannuation and a part pension and is now in beautiful residential care with beautiful caring staff.

 

Dunno, I tend to agree with Ezzie - having been through this with my MIL who is in, to all extents and purposes, "a beautiful residential care home with beautiful caring staff" - cost her a bond of $300 000 for starters and she sits in a room and watches the hours go by - she's deaf so the tv is no panacea like it is for many of the residents who often have theirs turned up to rock concert volume (the staff have been known to turn them all onto the same channel to avoid the cacophony). She has never been taken out on a trip from the nursing home as far as I am aware and they are happy if she just "sits quietly" and dont encourage any sort of independence although they do like the residents to go to the social activities so they can clean the rooms.

 

Yesterday I visited a National Trust property here in UK and there were several bus loads of elderly folk being wheeled about the gardens, all rugged up against the slight chill of a beautiful day enjoying looking at the snow drops and having a cuppa in the restaurant after their ambles. If my MIL's place did trips like that I am sure she would get more out of life - but they dont, it is a life in 4 walls unfortunately - super facilities, lovely staff notwithstanding. I'll be taking the CO (Carbon Monoxide) option well before I am condemned to that.

[Skani]

Everyone I met who had parents there couldn't say enough good things about the place, but I was on the other side of things, so I saw the truth every day. I don't imagine it's very different elsewhere.

.

 

Well, actually it can be. Mum in law is in a campus of 20 residents and there isn't a day go by that they aren't offered trips and activities outside. Gee whiz, they have a far more social life than I do!

Just glad I live in a "backward" place down here in Tassie where individuals and quality of life matter - and I had the wisdom to escape those foreign cities on the north island years ago:biggrin:

[Guest siamsusie]

Well, actually it can be. Mum in law is in a campus of 20 residents and there isn't a day go by that they aren't offered trips and activities outside. Gee whiz, they have a far more social life than I do!

Just glad I live in a "backward" place down here in Tassie where individuals and quality of life matter - and I had the wisdom to escape those foreign cities on the north island years ago

I have visited friend's parent in aged homes in the north here in Tasmania and have been extremely impressed. "Backward" in Tasmania:laugh:I am all for it! The residents were not afraid to speak out either!

[tracy123]

Hey Oz,

 

Thanks so much for being one of the rare few individuals on these forums to not rag on someone for moving back to the UK, or be doom and gloom about the current real or imagined state of the UK. Your post was very refreshing to read, and some great info for someone like me who's moving to that area for the first time, and looking for some moral support. You're ace.

 

Cheers

Matt

 

Hi Matt

 

I'm like yourself seen lots of Australia and wanted to see something different and let me tell you the UK is different (not in a bad way)

I found my parents sparked an interest for me, when they spoke of the UK it was with a fondness that just isn't here anymore. I'm not saying don't come (to late the tickets are booked LOL) just be warned.

When I flew over the UK I remember thinking how green it was (how that soon changed (flew in September)) the rain and cold hit as soon as I walked out, driving to my cousins house, I remember thinking how dirty the UK was, gray skies, all the buildings looking the same, litter everywhere, not a great first impression. Catching a bus into Manchester I remember seeing a guy walk up to a car smashing it's window and taking out a radio while people just walked by (never seen it since), talking to people on a bus and a black kid asked me if I was a copper! when I said no and asked why, he said "the only white people that ever talk to me are coppers!!!" even now I still find it strange that people don't say hi as they walk bye (they don't like making eye contact) walking out of a night club in Oldham and seeing fights breaking out coppers using their battons, police dogs etc, how crap the food was, getting lost all the time (buy a sat nav their maps are crap, Long live melways) I could go on....... The only positve I could see at the start was how cheap everything was even petrol seemed cheap!!! (before converting it back to dollars)

 

But saying all that once I knew where to go out, where to eat, how things work, the UK didn't seem so bad. As another poster said the UK isn't a bad place it has lots to offer, it's just learning where all the good things are.

I'm sure you'll love the UK it can offer a single bloke a great life and you'll feel alive (once set up) being able to see the world for a fraction of the cost (something I never did) but there comes a point where it turns into the same old, same old and that's when you'll know what you really want.

 

Sorry it may not seem positive but I guess what I'm trying to say is don't be to dissapointed what you are looking for is out there, it will just take a while to find

 

All the best and good luck with your new life

[Guest Guest37175]

Hey Oz,

 

Thanks so much for being one of the rare few individuals on these forums to not rag on someone for moving back to the UK, or be doom and gloom about the current real or imagined state of the UK. Your post was very refreshing to read, and some great info for someone like me who's moving to that area for the first time, and looking for some moral support. You're ace.

 

Cheers

Matt

 

You're welcome mate. I forgot to mention that location-wise a great place to live is Chorlton. Loads of great pubs and restaurants but leafy, safe and close to the city centre. Can be a bit pricey if you're renting on your own but it's a very studenty / young professional area so there's loads of house and flat-shares if you don't mind the company of others.

 

All the best

Oz

[Guest John Locke]

Hey Oz,

 

Thanks so much for being one of the rare few individuals on these forums to not rag on someone for moving back to the UK, or be doom and gloom about the current real or imagined state of the UK. Your post was very refreshing to read, and some great info for someone like me who's moving to that area for the first time, and looking for some moral support. You're ace.

 

Cheers

Matt

 

Hi Matt

I`m John`s wife, never posted on here but have the occasional read. I left Australia when I was about 20 for a working holiday,to do the Europe thing etc, met John and ended up staying for 10 yrs. I was quite happy in London with John, always felt quite at home and didn`t really miss Australia but when our son was about 4 we decided we wanted more children and I knew that a change of circumstance and financially, more than anything, it would be easier in Australia.

 

I did say that it didn`t have to be forever and I think that maybe we stayed a few years longer than we should have but life takes over and there`s usually a a lot more involved than just jumping on a plane...we did have quite a good life in Australia but aside from John`s unhappiness there, there was always something missing for both of us I think (maybe because I had lived in London I had something to compare or maybe for me Australia isn`t the same Australia portrayed to migrants, it`s just where I grew up) but I was as happy and eagre to move back as John was.

 

It seemed that Australia had served its purpose and as a family it no longer offered us what we wanted. The U.K feels like home to me, maybe that`s because I got married here, bought our first home, had our first child etc, and life here does feel more fuller.

 

It does seem to me that some people disilusioined with life in the U.K. and desperste to escape use these threads in this section as a springboard to justify their own reasons for leaving and almost want to force that disilusionment on returnees. I would say just get out there and experience it for yourself and after awhile you`ll soon know what is right and what is wrong for you. We are all different, all want different things and different things make us happy. Best of luck.

M

[ezzie]

Truly glad there are exceptions to the rule.

 

Well, actually it can be. Mum in law is in a campus of 20 residents and there isn't a day go by that they aren't offered trips and activities outside. Gee whiz, they have a far more social life than I do!

Just glad I live in a "backward" place down here in Tassie where individuals and quality of life matter - and I had the wisdom to escape those foreign cities on the north island years ago:biggrin:

[ezzie]

Flippin' hell...I'm surprised you didn't do a runner. What, no one did anything when that guy robbed the car...amazing!

 

My kids have been known to pull people up over littering here...first thing I told them when travelling back to the UK was 'don't try that one here, you'll end up in hospital or worse'.

 

 

Hi Matt

 

how dirty the UK was, gray skies, all the buildings looking the same, litter everywhere, not a great first impression. Catching a bus into Manchester I remember seeing a guy walk up to a car smashing it's window and taking out a radio while people just walked by (never seen it since), talking to people on a bus and a black kid asked me if I was a copper! when I said no and asked why, he said "the only white people that ever talk to me are coppers!!!" even now I still find it strange that people don't say hi as they walk bye (they don't like making eye contact) walking out of a night club in Oldham and seeing fights breaking out coppers using their battons, police dogs etc, how crap the food was,

 

 

[tracy123]

Flippin' hell...I'm surprised you didn't do a runner. What, no one did anything when that guy robbed the car...amazing!

 

My kids have been known to pull people up over littering here...first thing I told them when travelling back to the UK was 'don't try that one here, you'll end up in hospital or worse'.

 

It was only a base from where I planned to travel around Europe, (tramping (driving trucks)) The funny thing was the day I got offered a job was the day Tracy told me she wanted me to stay local and if I went away that was it for us! (she never knew I got the job offer) so I turned it down. Never mind 5 yrs on and I'm a very happy man...:cute: