bunbury61 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 What a Country France is we have been 10 times now and I am in love with place,,,the people,the culture .the beuty of the place..the food...what a fantastic Country...it must be the best place to live in the world.....Germany is also pulling my donga though as we spent a weekend sailing down the rhine...:jiggy: Europe led by Germany and France ( with or without Britain),will be major players,when the U.S takes a tumble. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flipflop Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 Have found food and white goods very cheap in the UK, I shop at Lid'l. Aldi. Morrissons who do 3 bottles of really really good South African Shiras 3 for a tenner which knocks the socks of any Australian red I have ever tasted. Aldi sells loads of German foods which you cannot get in oZ which do not help the waistline:shocked: but taste fantastic and boooze is so cheap, I have taken to cider ND TESCO,S SELL 24 CANS FOR A TENNER :jiggy:how do the do that? 24 cans for £10. You cannot afford to "not drink" at them prices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andromeda9 Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 how I miss my £10.00 bottle of good branded whiskey,almost sober over here in OZ,but got to say I love both the UK and Australia,miss the UK also because of all the wonderful near by different cultured holiday destinations,especially Spain,but as the saying goes you cant have it all (but you can try ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flipflop Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 how I miss my £10.00 bottle of good branded whiskey,almost sober over here in OZ,but got to say I love both the UK and Australia,miss the UK also because of all the wonderful near by different cultured holiday destinations,especially Spain,but as the saying goes you cant have it all (but you can try ) ahhhh mate agree 100% both Countries have their attractions, duty free has blown my socks off:jiggy:last month we had 2 bottles of litre famous grouse whisky for £14 and the wifes favourite gin 2 litre bottles of bombay sapphire for £18 for 2x litre bottles that is £9 a litre bottle and she was payin £25 in tescos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jodie_dirk Posted September 8, 2009 Share Posted September 8, 2009 ive come back to the uk for a 2 month break to confirm where i want to be. ive been in perth with my OH and 2 children for just over a year and can safely say though its been nice seeing people perth to me is by far better for all of us, esp the kids to grow up in. i love the beauty and openess of the place and the calm quietness. yes its hard being away from family and friends here but have a good network in oz and am happy to leave all the hustle and bustle of what was great britain behind Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fantasia Posted September 9, 2009 Share Posted September 9, 2009 I am waiting for the dogs to do their quarantine thing so they don't have to go into quarantine when I am returning to the UK in approx. 3 months when dogs quarantine (AQIS thing) is complete - hurrah! Keep looking at the BBC Wales website (as that is where I am returning to) and see that almost every day this summer it has rained - it rained here (Sydney) on Monday and I turned the telly down so that I could hear the rain thundering down on the roof - lovely! went onto the BOM website and followed where the rain was and was willing it to remain here in my suburb - it didn't and now I can't see any rain due for the next week - probably a lot longer too. Can't wait to put on a mac, grab a brolly and head down the sea front - pure bliss!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunbury61 Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 I am waiting for the dogs to do their quarantine thing so they don't have to go into quarantine when I am returning to the UK in approx. 3 months when dogs quarantine (AQIS thing) is complete - hurrah! Keep looking at the BBC Wales website (as that is where I am returning to) and see that almost every day this summer it has rained - it rained here (Sydney) on Monday and I turned the telly down so that I could hear the rain thundering down on the roof - lovely! went onto the BOM website and followed where the rain was and was willing it to remain here in my suburb - it didn't and now I can't see any rain due for the next week - probably a lot longer too. Can't wait to put on a mac, grab a brolly and head down the sea front - pure bliss!! Last week or so has been fantastic weather wise.....29c ( in the sun) on saturday ....not bad for the end of September Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flipflop Posted September 21, 2009 Share Posted September 21, 2009 Last week or so has been fantastic weather wise.....29c ( in the sun) on saturday ....not bad for the end of September Good innit.:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest WA WA WARRGH Posted September 22, 2009 Share Posted September 22, 2009 September has always been good for those warm sunny days....fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest twilighter Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 just to let you know that we came back to uk after 10 mths and the weather has been delightful since every day i have my washing out what does that tell you and it depends where you live try to move on to a new place, we did and never looked back, nice little village with good schools and great access to york, good luck and follow your heart. things are defo not that bad here infact i think its worse there, sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flipflop Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 I am waiting for the dogs to do their quarantine thing so they don't have to go into quarantine when I am returning to the UK in approx. 3 months when dogs quarantine (AQIS thing) is complete - hurrah! Keep looking at the BBC Wales website (as that is where I am returning to) and see that almost every day this summer it has rained - it rained here (Sydney) on Monday and I turned the telly down so that I could hear the rain thundering down on the roof - lovely! went onto the BOM website and followed where the rain was and was willing it to remain here in my suburb - it didn't and now I can't see any rain due for the next week - probably a lot longer too. Can't wait to put on a mac, grab a brolly and head down the sea front - pure bliss!! Soory to dissapoint but the weather has been very nive sunny and warm for the last few weeks, you will have plenty in the winter though.:wink: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sh7t man no way Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 i have recently returned for a short while---- im loving it--we spent a lot of time in queensland,and the heat for the most part infringed on my days--reason being during the summer i spent most of my time avoiding the sun ,and mozzies--early morning walks,then looking for air conditioned entertainment,weather it was at home,pictures,or shoping mall.in contrast to my surprise the english summer has been great,doesnt get dark till 9-10 at night (no qld daylight saving-whos bothered about unhappy cows,to me they dont know any different).i also love gardening which means i can enjoy this without the fear of brown snakes,green/bull ants,and spiders plus water restrictions.i must admit i get carried away with the hose pipe (car wash on a sunday is another english thing i quite enjoy).i love aus but it would be nice to blend both countries into one.so yes im happy with my return to the UK-- thank you for asking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Miz Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 I agree with you ...er...sh7t....( lol at the name by the way ).... I left Queensland to live in Tasmania, no mozzies, none of that trying to avoid the sun and find air-conditioning, not to mention that unbearable summer in Qld seems to be more like nine months of the year than three. While we do have bull ants here we don't have those green ants and I swear they have the most painful bite of any insect. Although even here in Tas we have had some water restrictions due to the drought and I do get tired of seeing everything go brown, dusty and dry in summer. I suspect that Tasmania may be the the Oz state with the most similarity to England, certainly closer climate wise than Qld is anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sh7t man no way Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 love tasi-- best state in oz--brouge is my second best beer--t new is no 1--gold i can only drink when im in the toilet--spend most of pee22ing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonnaC Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 my sister in law has been back in the UK for a year, and hates it, and she cant wait to go back to Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest treesea Posted September 27, 2009 Share Posted September 27, 2009 Good luck with the move, both countries have their good and bad points, and we're exceptionally lucky to be able to choose which one we live in, only word of caution I would have for you based on friends experience is that you are more or less moving to a new country, the Britain you knew no longer exists except in your memory, I hope you find what you are looking for ( We haven't yet) hopefully you'll keep us updated on how you are doing. I agree with that 100%. We came back five years ago and fully intended to live in London, my home town. What a shock! So polluted (Bayswater) that our hair washed out black at night. We caught a train out to Hounslow - 3 p.m., mind you ,so not rush hour, but it was so crowded it felt like being stuck in a sardine can. Goodness knows what rush hour would have been like. We saw a few flats to rent, but they weren't exactly my idea of value for money. If you dont go now you will never go and can you live with that? This is a great time to be going because of the dollar value against the pound - that probably wont get much better, it puts some really nice properties in reasonable range of Aus property values (before they plummet) - Aussies have always been quite disadvantaged with their dollars not travelling well at all and until recently we couldnt have bought anything half decent by cashing in our house. Yes, definitely a good time to be moving given the strength of the dollar against the pound. Though the pound may yet have a bit further to fall, because of all the quantatative easing that has been going on. I have noticed though, just recently, that the pound, in spite of deflationary pressures here, doesn't seem to buy as much as it used to on the quality front. For example, at Poundland, it used to be that you could get 6 35m x 24mm rolls of sellotape for £1, and 5 of the same at Poundmania. Then it shrunk to 4 rolls, at both places. Now, at Poundmania, it has shrunk even further, down to 4 20m rolls, 22mm wide. Well, that's for imported things. For home grown items, the prices are ridiculously low. Today's price for milk paid to farmers here (22.4 p per litre) is less that they got in 1995 (around 26p per litre). Retail is 99p for two litres. Goodness only knows what the farmers live on. It couldn't possibly be their profits. We bought 12 hamburger buns today from tesco for £1. So 8p each, which is currently worth around AUD$0.16c. I don't remember a time, and this is going back over two decades, when hamburger rolls were that cheap in Australia. I have read about how bad the weather has been in the UK this Summer and the kids there have spent all their time indoors over the school holidays, but does that really bother me probably not we can do lots of things indoors and then people talk about the economy, Chavs it is just all too scary. I am just wondering am I being selfish and should I be doing the best thing by my children we do have a good lifestyle out here and fairly set up so do we have to go through the uproot just for me and my feelings. I just honestly do not know. That's probably a good thing about Britain, when it comes to weather, it caters for all tastes. Sunny and warm (Brighton, Bournemouth, parts of Cornwall), sunny and cold (Edinburgh), all four seasons, sometimes in one day (pretty much anywhere in the Scottish Highlands) warm and wet (South Wales), serious rain days (Manchester has it's moments) wild weather (West Scotland) decent snow (I'd like to say Scotland, but Scottish snow is a bit of a myth in the cities - the best bet for decent snow these past few years, imho (meow with envy...), has been southern England. Hi, my family and I have just returned back to the UK and are finding it very hard to settle back in. It is so hard when you emmigrate because you open up a can of worms as you never belong in either country. We dont know whether to go back but because finding jobs is so hard and the house prices are up we are scared we will put ourselves back financially yet again. Four years after our move to Oz we still dont own a home and have to penny pinch all the time. Does anyone have any advice? Same for us. We haven't bought a house since we came back to the UK, even though housing prices have dropped considerably, and we penny pinch compared to Australia. And it is hard to find work over here, if working for someone else is your preference. If you know for sure you are living where you want to live in the UK, my advice would be to give it some time. When we came back, my first thought, getting off the plane was (Home at last, thank God!) Literally in my case, because I come from Harlington, just across the Bath Road from Heathrow. I thought then I would give it five years, and if after five years, I still felt the same, I would stay in Britain. And sure enough, that feeling has never wavered once. Still though, on a more sober note, after the reasonably high incomes some people may have enjoyed, as we did, in Australia, it's worth keeping in mind that Britain is a low wage economy, and never more so than now, with the downwards pressure on the pound, plenty of competition for jobs keeping wages down, and increasing taxation. Fuel tax has just gone up again and VAT will be back up to 17.5% (from 15%) in January. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest livejazz Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I must say...people obviously leave the UK for the wrong reasons so it is quite right they return. I read the post above about the family in scotland..and the 100s of activities to do (I presume mostly indoors). Great, why did they leave in the first place? I honestly do think that if people are content with what they have...stay put or go to aus for a brief time for the experience. Personally...taking the kids to a soft play area in the UK is not my cup of tea. Doing some picnics, or taking them to parks, wildlife farms etc...is for me. People are different. I find soft play areas unimaginative. But others find them convenient. (By the way, finding lots of good quality activities in the UK that do not cost a 10 quid entry fee has been a challenge!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John Locke Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 I must say...people obviously leave the UK for the wrong reasons so it is quite right they return. er, no...people leave for all different reasons....they then return because they can`t settle... because they simply do not like living in Australia as much as they anticpated they would...some people do find it rather dull compared to life in the U.K (something people can`t possibly know or anticipate until you`ve tried it) Personally...taking the kids to a soft play area in the UK is not my cup of tea. Doing some picnics, or taking them to parks, wildlife farms etc...is for me. People are different. I find soft play areas unimaginative. But others find them convenient. (By the way, finding lots of good quality activities in the UK that do not cost a 10 quid entry fee has been a challenge!) I`ve wracked my brains over this, as some of these posts have almost convinced me that we, as a family, spent our life in the U.K trapped indoors because of the weather. No, in all honesty, we were out pretty much every weekend...picnics, parks and wildlife farms and a whole lot of other activities (obviously if it was absolutely bucketing down then, no...but unless there has been a huge fundamental change in British weather, that wasn`t always the case...and if drizzling, windy or downright cold? Hats and coats!!!!)...we`ve spent more weekends at home here than we did back there...sounds strange eh? But once you`ve done the park and the wildlife park in your area it becomes mind numbing after awhile unless you`re lucky enough to have the choice of say different ones just up the road....it has become increasingly difficult after awhile to keep the kids entertained and find somewhere for them with a bit of diversity....ironically, we have had (Australian) friends say to us, God you guys are always doing things with your kids, you make us feel bad!!!!! They are happy to let their kids splash around in the pool all weekend (ummm. stimulating, eh?). Also ironic is the fact that there are a couple of really good indoor play areas here where we live that are more often than not packed out on weekends and school holidays...speaks volumes...at least in the U.K though, us parents could enjoy a pint or a meal in the restuarant/bar attatched...it can cost a bit in the U.K paying the children`s way, but things are not free here unless it`s the beach again or the same ol` park again...can cost a bit in travelling for hours though to find anything remotely different for them (and ourselves) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
possie in brissy Posted October 5, 2009 Share Posted October 5, 2009 er, no...people leave for all different reasons....they then return because they can`t settle... because they simply do not like living in Australia as much as they anticpated they would...some people do find it rather dull compared to life in the U.K (something people can`t possibly know or anticipate until you`ve tried it) I`ve wracked my brains over this, as some of these posts have almost convinced me that we, as a family, spent our life in the U.K trapped indoors because of the weather. No, in all honesty, we were out pretty much every weekend...picnics, parks and wildlife farms and a whole lot of other activities (obviously if it was absolutely bucketing down then, no...but unless there has been a huge fundamental change in British weather, that wasn`t always the case...and if drizzling, windy or downright cold? Hats and coats!!!!)...we`ve spent more weekends at home here than we did back there...sounds strange eh? But once you`ve done the park and the wildlife park in your area it becomes mind numbing after awhile unless you`re lucky enough to have the choice of say different ones just up the road....it has become increasingly difficult after awhile to keep the kids entertained and find somewhere for them with a bit of diversity....ironically, we have had (Australian) friends say to us, God you guys are always doing things with your kids, you make us feel bad!!!!! They are happy to let their kids splash around in the pool all weekend (ummm. stimulating, eh?). Also ironic is the fact that there are a couple of really good indoor play areas here where we live that are more often than not packed out on weekends and school holidays...speaks volumes...at least in the U.K though, us parents could enjoy a pint or a meal in the restuarant/bar attatched...it can cost a bit in the U.K paying the children`s way, but things are not free here unless it`s the beach again or the same ol` park again...can cost a bit in travelling for hours though to find anything remotely different for them (and ourselves) well said John, could not ave said it better myself, my sentiments exacly!!!!! nothing stimulates after a while!!!!! Great post:biggrin: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sooveroz Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I must say...people obviously leave the UK for the wrong reasons so it is quite right they return. I read the post above about the family in scotland..and the 100s of activities to do (I presume mostly indoors). Great, why did they leave in the first place? I honestly do think that if people are content with what they have...stay put or go to aus for a brief time for the experience. Personally...taking the kids to a soft play area in the UK is not my cup of tea. Doing some picnics, or taking them to parks, wildlife farms etc...is for me. People are different. I find soft play areas unimaginative. But others find them convenient. (By the way, finding lots of good quality activities in the UK that do not cost a 10 quid entry fee has been a challenge!) soft play areas for younger kids are ok and actually they are extremely common in australia as it is often either too hot or too wet to have picnics and spend a long time in the park. whiteman park in perth is great but once summer starts - its just too damn hot/too many flies to be outside more than an hour or so. so we go about once a year. the majority of parks are empty most of the time as everyone is keeping their kids indoors rather than baking them outside. add in the attacking magpies (our parks are out of bounds for the next month or so) then the flies for the next 3 months - i honestly spent more time out doors in the UK than i do here! go to any of the indoor play areas in perth and they will be mobbed. and not cheap either! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tlander56 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 soft play areas for younger kids are ok and actually they are extremely common in australia as it is often either too hot or too wet to have picnics and spend a long time in the park. whiteman park in perth is great but once summer starts - its just too damn hot/too many flies to be outside more than an hour or so. so we go about once a year. the majority of parks are empty most of the time as everyone is keeping their kids indoors rather than baking them outside. add in the attacking magpies (our parks are out of bounds for the next month or so) then the flies for the next 3 months - i honestly spent more time out doors in the UK than i do here! go to any of the indoor play areas in perth and they will be mobbed. and not cheap either! I have to agree...personally speaking, we would never allow our children to spend the day outside in the Qld climate.....play centres, indoor pools..or simply just staying home are our only options in summer. Looking back, I think we spent more time outdoors whilst living in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest sooveroz Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I have to agree...personally speaking, we would never allow our children to spend the day outside in the Qld climate.....play centres, indoor pools..or simply just staying home are our only options in summer.Looking back, I think we spent more time outdoors whilst living in the UK. I am also worried about sunscreen and the amount of petrochemicals in some of them. I really dont like covering my children in them all the time but the alternative is to have them burnt to a crisp within 5 mintues! half of my workmates walk around with lumps and bumps cut out of them because of skin cancer - atlhough mostly the less serious type and not melanoma - and i am seeing more and more people driving with gloves on to stop the radiation that comes in through the car window. Australia is only going to get hotter and the whole in the ozone layer bigger - at least no-one's ever caught cancer from the constant drizzle in the UK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tlander56 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I am also worried about sunscreen and the amount of petrochemicals in some of them. I really dont like covering my children in them all the time but the alternative is to have them burnt to a crisp within 5 mintues! half of my workmates walk around with lumps and bumps cut out of them because of skin cancer - atlhough mostly the less serious type and not melanoma - and i am seeing more and more people driving with gloves on to stop the radiation that comes in through the car window. Australia is only going to get hotter and the whole in the ozone layer bigger - at least no-one's ever caught cancer from the constant drizzle in the UK. Yes..this is very true....I worry a great deal about the effects of solar radiation on my children...and as you mentioned the chemicals in Australian sunscreens...some of which in fact have been banned in other parts of the world. Sometimes staying out of this intense sun and applying sunscreen just isn't enough! The skin cancer horror stories my husband tells me are endless.....:no: As you said...bit of rain and drizzle never killed anyone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest flipflop Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 Yes..this is very true....I worry a great deal about the effects of solar radiation on my children...and as you mentioned the chemicals in Australian sunscreens...some of which in fact have been banned in other parts of the world. Sometimes staying out of this intense sun and applying sunscreen just isn't enough!The skin cancer horror stories my husband tells me are endless.....:no: As you said...bit of rain and drizzle never killed anyone. I agree with the dangers of the sun but Australia constanly tells you not to go out without protection, more and more younger Australians will not even sunbathe these days as the message is getting through thank god, I would never even think of sunbathing in the UK TO BE HONEST.:laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tlander56 Posted October 6, 2009 Share Posted October 6, 2009 I agree with the dangers of the sun but Australia constanly tells you not to go out without protection, more and more younger Australians will not even sunbathe these days as the message is getting through thank god, I would never even think of sunbathing in the UK TO BE HONEST.:laugh: No, me neither...although apparently skin cancer is now the 2nd most common cancer in 18-24 yr olds in the UK.....No hope for us here in Aus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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