Guest earlswood Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Maybe i need to put my glasses on but i think she preferes Scotland, not England to Oz....How the UK was described upon here return is exactly how i remebr it and exactly why i wanted to leave!!....But i know you love it there Earlswood, not nocking you..!!! Yes I do love the UK and appriciate it even more since I have been back,it takes all sorts to make a world and some find the UK a better quality of life and others find it in oz, shame if we were all the same. I hated Oz and found the graffeti and anti-social behaviour etc really bad , maybe I was in the wrong place at the time. Not much difference in either Country regarding problems etc, there is good and bad places and you need to pick your spot in Australia very carefully as you do in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasia Posted December 1, 2008 Share Posted December 1, 2008 Yes I do love the UK and appriciate it even more since I have been back,it takes all sorts to make a world and some find the UK a better quality of life and others find it in oz, shame if we were all the same.I hated Oz and found the graffeti and anti-social behaviour etc really bad , maybe I was in the wrong place at the time. Not much difference in either Country regarding problems etc, there is good and bad places and you need to pick your spot in Australia very carefully as you do in the UK. I totally agree with Earlswood about choosing where you live in Australia very carefully, the same as you would in the UK. Unfortunately I wasn't/am not in the position to be so choosy ($$) and had a choice of renting a flat near Sydney CBD to be near work or buying a house and commuting (3 hours per day) into work - I chose the latter - partly 'cos I have pets and also because I wanted a garden. It could be a lovely area where I live, but..... graffiti, anti-social behaviour, and, dare I say it, an unsuccessful experiment by the Australian government of trying to develop a wonderful multi-cultural society, which, certainly where I live, just doesn't seem to be working, for example, 12 year old neighbour's daughter quote "kill all aussies" and group of kids from ethnic background telling 3 year old girl to "go away you can't play with us you're white"!! By the way Earlswood, do you come from Earlswood (Lakes)? Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest earlswood Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 I totally agree with Earlswood about choosing where you live in Australia very carefully, the same as you would in the UK. Unfortunately I wasn't/am not in the position to be so choosy ($$) and had a choice of renting a flat near Sydney CBD to be near work or buying a house and commuting (3 hours per day) into work - I chose the latter - partly 'cos I have pets and also because I wanted a garden. It could be a lovely area where I live, but..... graffiti, anti-social behaviour, and, dare I say it, an unsuccessful experiment by the Australian government of trying to develop a wonderful multi-cultural society, which, certainly where I live, just doesn't seem to be working, for example, 12 year old neighbour's daughter quote "kill all aussies" and group of kids from ethnic background telling 3 year old girl to "go away you can't play with us you're white"!! By the way Earlswood, do you come from Earlswood (Lakes)? Regards. Family originally came from the little hamlet of Earlswood, do you know the 3 lakes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Emmap Posted December 2, 2008 Share Posted December 2, 2008 Yes I do love the UK and appriciate it even more since I have been back,it takes all sorts to make a world and some find the UK a better quality of life and others find it in oz, shame if we were all the same.I hated Oz and found the graffeti and anti-social behaviour etc really bad , maybe I was in the wrong place at the time. Not much difference in either Country regarding problems etc, there is good and bad places and you need to pick your spot in Australia very carefully as you do in the UK. Wow, not an insult in sight..........that was the most normal and well said thing ive seen you write on here....well done....:notworthy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasia Posted December 3, 2008 Share Posted December 3, 2008 Family originally came from the little hamlet of Earlswood, do you know the 3 lakes? Yes I do know them, used to visit when I was a child. My brother lives on a narrowboat that he usually moors at Tardebigge. You're lucky to be back for Christmas. It just isn't the same over here. I really miss the cold winter days, English shops, English pubs... in fact everything English. I expect I'll go home for good one day. I'm sitting at my desk feeling very uncomfortable, it is so hot and humid, the a/c in this building is hopeless and there are no windows - the building was built in the 19th Century. the train was un air conditioned this morning so had very uncomfortable hour long trip into work. Wish I was back in UK doing my Christmas shopping wrapped up in coat and scarf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted December 5, 2008 Share Posted December 5, 2008 I totally agree with Earlswood about choosing where you live in Australia very carefully, the same as you would in the UK. Unfortunately I wasn't/am not in the position to be so choosy ($$) and had a choice of renting a flat near Sydney CBD to be near work or buying a house and commuting (3 hours per day) into work - I chose the latter - partly 'cos I have pets and also because I wanted a garden. It could be a lovely area where I live, but..... graffiti, anti-social behaviour, and, dare I say it, an unsuccessful experiment by the Australian government of trying to develop a wonderful multi-cultural society, which, certainly where I live, just doesn't seem to be working, for example, 12 year old neighbour's daughter quote "kill all aussies" and group of kids from ethnic background telling 3 year old girl to "go away you can't play with us you're white"!! That kind of thing happens over here in the UK too. Multiculturalism UK style is, kids from a Pakistani background, who, I might add, are usually British by birth, telling white kids in Bradford, so my cousin was telling me one day, to "get out of our street." Since we've come back I've had new migrants - some of them asylum seekers, tell me that people who live in predominantly council estates are "scum" and "flotsam". Never mind that these same people haven't worked a day since they arrived, and 85% of the people in the "council" estates work. When coming to a place to live though, it is worth keeping in mind that, unlike in the UK, as a rough rule of thumb, the further you are from the city centre, particularly to the west of the city, the poorer and "not so nice a place to live" the area. Over here, the priority seems to be to live on the outskirts of the city, because then you are right next to the countryside. So in Edinburgh, places like Fairmilehead (southern edge of the city) and Penicuik (beyond the city limits) are popular. In Manchester, places like Sale, Altringham, Macclesfield. Or Harrow in London. All lovely areas, but miles away from the city. In Australia, it's the opposite. Places in Melbourne like (eastern edge) Pakenham, Cranbourne, Chirnside Park, Hallam, (western edge) Deer Park, St Albans, Werribee, Taylors Lake. In Sydney, Penrith, Campbelltown, Liverpool, or in Adelaide, somewhere like Elizabeth. The housing may look okay, and you may think they are "value for money", but these kinds of places have relatively poor facilities, transport into the city costs an arm and a leg, the schools are poor and underfunded - which figures since the population in these areas is relatively poor, so most parents don't pay the school levy, which can cut the discretionary part of the budget by around $100,000 a year, compared to more well off middle class areas. To anyone who has ended up in an area or city they don't like in Australia, but are committed to a fairly long stint there, my advice is to move. If there's no sense of community, that's probably because there isn't much of a community. These outskirts kinds of places tend to be commuter suburbs. Places that pretty much empty during 9 to 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ptp113 Posted January 14, 2009 Share Posted January 14, 2009 Sure wasn't a 'stupid selfish decision' for me. I bless my parents every day for moving me to wonderland in 1967 even though they are long departed. The quality of life for myself and brother is unmatched and so good for my 9 yr old daughter. Best get off the chair and kiss the ground! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest earlswood Posted January 16, 2009 Share Posted January 16, 2009 Sure wasn't a 'stupid selfish decision' for me. I bless my parents every day for moving me to wonderland in 1967 even though they are long departed. The quality of life for myself and brother is unmatched and so good for my 9 yr old daughter. Best get off the chair and kiss the ground! Good for you but I found Australia very poor in relation to the far better quality of life I have in the UK....everyone is different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jacqueline Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hello I am Jacqueline and my husband Sean and our 2 beautiful children Connor 9 and Cameron 6.5 moved to Australia in Nov 2006 from Poole Dorset in the uk. We took 2 years in the uk before we got all our visa etc and arrived in Nov 2006. The first year out here was great the sun the beach lifestyle etc. Then we had a house built brand new and its huge (compared to England) anyway and we have a large garden 900 block. Anyway have had afew troubles on the way ny children especailly the eldest got bullied quite badly at school and the principle did nothing but watch me fall apart right there and then in his office! I had to leave my children at this school and go off to work each day until I could find them a different School why did I leave them you are asking? well why do any of us do anything ? anyway it was all quite horrific to be honest even my husband felt bad about it all and he does not usually get so dramatic like I do! Anyway we have a dog called Indie and a cat called millie and 4 snakes. The boys now go to aprivate school and that seems to be the only way to get a descent education here (my opinion only) what more could you want? Well everything we do seems to be hollow and we feel so empty all the time and it has taken us until now to realise that we are missing home. My dad and his partner came out for christmas this year and went back again and words can not describe the feelings i felt when they left it was heart wrenching pure raw emotion having to say goodbye yet again. Well thats finalised it for us and we have now put our house on the market and hope to be back home in the uk with our familes by the summer. I have never been on a forum like this before and since Sean went on here the other evening we have both realised that we are not alone in our thoughts and concerns it seems there are others and it is a feel somewhat of a comfort to us although every situation is different and no body can actually tell you what to do that has to be done for yourself. In ways I wish I had never came here I do not believe in that saying better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all as I will now have to take all these memories back with me and it may seem like it has been a dream I can help thinking what if when I get back I miss here and think ooops what have I done but I know that we can not live our lives like that on what ifs. The whole reason we left the uk was for financial gain, a better way of life for us and our children and did not think that we would miss family that much as we were not exactly that close( or so we thought) and yet the reason we want to "go home" is because everything here seems so shallow and empty and we miss our family. Hopeless cases arnt we? Oh well I will go just now it has been so good to just sit here and type away all my feelings on life. I have a lot to thank this forum for more than you will know. Jacqueline:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest kevin747 Posted January 22, 2009 Share Posted January 22, 2009 Hello I am Jacqueline and my husband Sean and our 2 beautiful children Connor 9 and Cameron 6.5 moved to Australia in Nov 2006 from Poole Dorset in the uk. We took 2 years in the uk before we got all our visa etc and arrived in Nov 2006. The first year out here was great the sun the beach lifestyle etc. Then we had a house built brand new and its huge (compared to England) anyway and we have a large garden 900 block. Anyway have had afew troubles on the way ny children especailly the eldest got bullied quite badly at school and the principle did nothing but watch me fall apart right there and then in his office! I had to leave my children at this school and go off to work each day until I could find them a different School why did I leave them you are asking? well why do any of us do anything ? anyway it was all quite horrific to be honest even my husband felt bad about it all and he does not usually get so dramatic like I do! Anyway we have a dog called Indie and a cat called millie and 4 snakes. The boys now go to aprivate school and that seems to be the only way to get a descent education here (my opinion only) what more could you want? Well everything we do seems to be hollow and we feel so empty all the time and it has taken us until now to realise that we are missing home. My dad and his partner came out for christmas this year and went back again and words can not describe the feelings i felt when they left it was heart wrenching pure raw emotion having to say goodbye yet again. Well thats finalised it for us and we have now put our house on the market and hope to be back home in the uk with our familes by the summer. I have never been on a forum like this before and since Sean went on here the other evening we have both realised that we are not alone in our thoughts and concerns it seems there are others and it is a feel somewhat of a comfort to us although every situation is different and no body can actually tell you what to do that has to be done for yourself. In ways I wish I had never came here I do not believe in that saying better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all as I will now have to take all these memories back with me and it may seem like it has been a dream I can help thinking what if when I get back I miss here and think ooops what have I done but I know that we can not live our lives like that on what ifs. The whole reason we left the uk was for financial gain, a better way of life for us and our children and did not think that we would miss family that much as we were not exactly that close( or so we thought) and yet the reason we want to "go home" is because everything here seems so shallow and empty and we miss our family. Hopeless cases arnt we? Oh well I will go just now it has been so good to just sit here and type away all my feelings on life. I have a lot to thank this forum for more than you will know.Jacqueline:eek: Welcome. There are a lot of us who feel the same.Australia IMO is second rate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 The whole reason we left the uk was for financial gain, a better way of life for us and our children and did not think that we would miss family that much as we were not exactly that close( or so we thought) and yet the reason we want to "go home" is because everything here seems so shallow and empty and we miss our family. Jacqueline:eek: I know what you mean about shallow and empty, but sometimes that is the life of an immigrant. Sometimes, you can live in a place but never really feel of the place or have strong roots there because in your heart, you belong elsewhere. Some people feel equally at home wherever they live in the world. I'm not one of them. I thought Australia was a great place to live - we have good friends from there, made good money and have plenty of good memories. Yet every now and then I would feel a twinge. A perfectly blue sea (the Australian sea practically 99% of the time in the southern states) and my mind would wander back to a silver sea, a distant memory that refused to quite fade. It's one of the first places I went to when we came back, to Norfolk, just to see the North Sea, and there it was, a beautiful pale, almost translucent silver, as far as the eye could see. It's odd, now we are back, what sets this feeling of "home at last!" off. Every time we drive past the Angel of The North, the haar, family gravestones going back 400 years, D&B.... Things like Britain is in a bad recession, it's hard to get work, the weather is sometimes awful (though Edinburgh is probably like Brighton in that respect - you wait al long time to see the bad weather and if you blink, you'll miss it), it gets dark early in winter, winters are cold, petrol is expensive - I realise all of this, but if you are meant to be here, imho, none of that will really touch you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnett Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 Treesea .. I know what you mean and always read your posts because in a way you're the 'me' who made it back. So thanks for sharing your thoughts. Know what you mean about the British sea, too, the atmosphere it imparts and all that brings with it. Certain moments here in Australia .. when the light is 'just so' for a brief time, or when rounding a corner .. and it all comes back, quite unexpectedly as a rule. I'll even take a walk well out of my way at certain times of day here in Oz, usually towards evening in late Spring or Autumn, because I know a certain section of street at a particular time of day will ... just for a few seconds .. 'take me back'. It's a certain lessened intensity of light and glare, when the foliage and house windows are not 'whited-out' by the usual Ozzie glare, which possess the magic to remind of 'home'. It's all the more poignant when unexpected. At times like that, I tend to loiter and just absorb the moment. Always makes me feel at peace and the wonderful part is, lost-memories half surface at times like that too, providing me a fleeting visit to the British Isles. Then it's a case of 'move on now, it's over', and I pick up my step and head home. After more than 50 years here in Oz, I long ago learned to repress the worst of the homesickness. It's there underneath and sometimes surfaces, like a twinge from a touchy tooth, lol. It's little things, such as a glimpse of a particular shade of green, usually in some hidden and sheltered part of someone's garden, or a pane of leadlight at dusk, which can trigger full-blown pangs of longing for home for a second or two. Then you're 'round the corner of the street with the full strength of the setting Aussie sun blinding you again, and it's all gone. When we lived on the Gold Coast, way back, there was a street from which, as you came around a corner, you could see northwards, up the Broadwater as it ran below Nerang Street and past what was then the convent. If the light was right, it could have been one of the UK Victorian seaside towns, with the sea-wall and promenade, overlooked by grand buildings. Can't tell you how much I loved seeing it. I used to bring it back to mind whilst sitting in a hot classroom, or playing on the sand at Main Beach. I can still remember it .. despite that I don't know for sure which part of England it had reminded me of. Must have been some place I visited as a child in UK. All gone now of course, beneath the Gold Coast's endless redevelopment. Anyway, I've been meaning to post this next snippit of info, because I think for some, it will have particular relevance. Came across it while browsing a book about .. of all things .. fortified wines. Apparently, there's a sherry which is produced only in a particular and small region of Portugal (I think it was Portugal and not Spain .. book's in storage at the moment). The sherry from the region in question is known as the 'English sherry', apparently, because in times past (and it may still be so) it was a great favourite of 'the English' and had to be obtained years in advance, at auction, so rare and prized was it. What they discovered however, was that this sherry 'lost it's unique flavour' ... once it had been removed from its home ! It was still enjoyable, as evidenced by the fact it was so highly sought. But its full flavour and uniqueness diminished when it was removed from the location in which it was grown. Isn't that remarkable ? And doesn't it perhaps say a lot ? We think of the grapes growing in that tiny region. They're picked. Crushed. Fermented. Then combined with earlier vintage sherries from the same region. Bottled. Corked. Crated. Yet according to those from the UK who for several hundred years have favoured this particular elixir and have savoured it on its home ground as well as in the UK .. the flavour differs substantially once it's removed from the place where it commenced as grapes on the vine. The sherry 'remembers'. It KNOWS it's not at home. And it must pine for its homeland --- must suffer 'homesickness' to such a degree --- that it's reknowned unique flavour lessens .. diminishes. I was stunned when I read that. It explained a lot. And finally, some years ago now, I was reading excerpts from an old book, online. Undoubtedly it would be out of print. Written by a retired headmaster, from memory. Just an obscure old book from 1910 or so which probably didn't have a very large print run. Can't remember what it was about, but a phrase leapt out to me. It said something along the lines of we are all 'marked' in time and space at the moment of our birth .. pretty much in the same way a navigator fixes co-ordinates for a particular location. And, according the author of the book, we 'resonate' with that co-ordinate for the duration of time we inhabit our physical body. He said that we will never 'resonate' (feel as 'at home' in other words, I think) as successfully (at cellular level) with any other location. Nature. Some of us are as much a part of Nature as trees, rocks, sherries. Some of us need to be 'at home' and in some, that need is stronger than in others. Has little to do with the physical beauty or standard of living provided in other locations, quite often. And is more a case of the pull and power of Nature .. the Nature within us .. mind, body and spirit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I definitely agree with you, Burnett, that there is a rhythm, both to ancient cultures and old lands. Well, all land is old, but I think when you are born into a place where your people are the native people, that resonance is much stronger. My uncle came out 35 years ago to NZ, lasted 18 months and came home. It didn't help (he was a boilermaker) that his workplace went on strike the day he arrived and was out for weeks. He told me, 20 years later when I caught up with him, that it wasn't just the family he missed- it was the feeling of being in Britain, and, for him, in Yorkshire, where he is from. One good thing about coming back though is, having dual citizenship, the certainty that if I came back and was disappointed, I could always go back to Australia, or NZ, for the price of a plane ticket. I wouldn't do that, because, locations aside, it is much easier to own and operate a business in the UK than it is in Australia. My goodness, grants, rates assistance, rent assistance, apprenticeship grants, tax breaks, fast track planning permission - you name it, the UK is doling it out to entrepreneurs like there is no tomorrow. Australia couldn't be more opposite. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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