arlene Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Hi There seems to be alot of people heading back to the UK at the moment so I thought I would let you know our experience. We came back to the UK after living in Perth for a year. We loved Perth but due to family illness and death we decided that Australia is so far away and decided to head back. We have settled back into life here but have missed Australia too, we nearly headed back to Perth 2 years ago but due to the credit crunch etc we have stayed here. Despite loving Australia there is so much going for the UK too, there are pros and cons to both places. I don't think Australia gives a better life for children because of the heat, my children definitely play outside more here. I love my children having lots of contact with grandparents and other family, sunshine will never make up for that. I look at the Uk in a different light now there are so many lovely places to visit and yes there are a lot of horrible places too but Australia has it's problem areas too. All in all good luck to everyone moving back to the UK, life can be good here as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 HiThere seems to be alot of people heading back to the UK at the moment so I thought I would let you know our experience. We came back to the UK after living in Perth for a year. We loved Perth but due to family illness and death we decided that Australia is so far away and decided to head back. We have settled back into life here but have missed Australia too, we nearly headed back to Perth 2 years ago but due to the credit crunch etc we have stayed here. Despite loving Australia there is so much going for the UK too, there are pros and cons to both places. I don't think Australia gives a better life for children because of the heat, my children definitely play outside more here. I love my children having lots of contact with grandparents and other family, sunshine will never make up for that. I look at the Uk in a different light now there are so many lovely places to visit and yes there are a lot of horrible places too but Australia has it's problem areas too. All in all good luck to everyone moving back to the UK, life can be good here as well. Lovely post Arlene...I believe the UK has a great deal to offer too 2 weeks to go.....:jiggy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 It's interesting to hear you say that your kids have a more outdoor life in UK than in Aus - that would be my feeling too, that the heat is more of a deterrent to playing outside (with sunscreen, hats, mozzie repellant etc) than is the cold. Whenever I took the boys to UK - and it was pretty much always in winter because of the long holidays here - we never had any problems being out and about all the time. I can remember one very cold winter when I forgot to bring the boys' overcoats (you dont think of that in an Aussie December) - we picked up a couple of really nice duffels from an op shop and they were toasty warm and we did so much stuff. I hope you continue to enjoy your lives in England - I think it is a great place to bring up kids! So much variety! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest roma 1 Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Hi Arlene, It is interesting to hear your children play outside more here as quoll has said because when we "were going" i had this vision of our girl enjoying being out in the sunshine then remembered what a pain it is to get her to put suncream on when we go abroad and she is now 12 and will still play up!! We have a trampoline for her and our home backs on to woods and she is always outside but hates the insects etc so all in all i think she would have become a hermit in Oz!!!! Thanks for a great post, Gail x ps will not wear a blooming hat either.. spolis her look!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conniebygaslight Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Hi Arlene,It is interesting to hear your children play outside more here as quoll has said because when we "were going" i had this vision of our girl enjoying being out in the sunshine then remembered what a pain it is to get her to put suncream on when we go abroad and she is now 12 and will still play up!! We have a trampoline for her and our home backs on to woods and she is always outside but hates the insects etc so all in all i think she would have become a hermit in Oz!!!! Thanks for a great post, Gail x ps will not wear a blooming hat either.. spolis her look!!!! Lol Gail, Our daughter went on a school trip the otherday and the teacherwas warning them all about the "nasty evil sun" that can still burn you if you don't wear a hat when it's cloudy...there is a real problem here with lack of vitamin D, the sun is definitely the enemy. We have lived in our rental house since January, we have a big garden with a small wire fence to each side and the back. There are neighbours eitherside and 2 at the back-we have never seen any of them outside ever (except on their ride on mowers-they mow and then they go inside). We find that so many people stay indoors here it's unbelieveable you seldom see anyone walking anywhere and when the cooler weather comes they all say it's too cold to go out!!!:arghh: We went to the coast at Easter and it was completely deserted, it was nice to be quiet but after a while it feels really eerie. You just don't see kids playing out here. It really is a very strange and surreal place - a bit like being underwater...I find 2 weeks to go:jiggy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Connie,you have described exactly how my hubbie and I feel when you say it is like being underwater.Our kids do play outside and now their friends on the street join them too,it took some convincing though.They do not play out when it is very hot though as it would be madness.We spend a lot of time out under the shade in the garden but have never seen a neighbour out.They do pop out every week to mow the lawn and then rush back in to view it through the window,they sure are obsessed about mowing the lawns they never use,beats me why they all talk about an outdoor lifestyle because only the rare aussie has such a life and they often end up with skin cancer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest famousfive Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Arlene,nice balanced post,thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Yes a very good balanced post. I have never understood this belief that kids will be outdoors more here, our boys don't spend that much time outside really as it is often too hot. I do really miss all the stuff we used to do back in the UK and I am constantly amazed by some of the things I hear people say about the country, I can only assume they live in a horrible area which is a great shame as they obviously haven't been able to appreciate what Britain has to offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 all the best to those going back to the uk-you've got to do whats right for you and yours at the end of the day. i have no plans to ever go back and we love it here.....but everyones different just had to post tho as my kids spend way more time outside here than they ever did in the uk! they wear hats and sunsits and suscreen and if we are just staying at home they ride their bikes/scooters under the giant pergola..... we're thinking of putting a sail over their swingset too..... when its really hot we head down the beach at four ish when hubby is home from work for a cool down ...its fab.... but we live only 500 metres from the beach lol! we were hardly ever outside in the uk as it was way too cold and windy (wales) and i cannot stand being cold! at the moment we're not outside much cause i think its cold at 17 degrees! we lived in a lovely beautiful area of the uk 'an area of natural outstanding beauty' quote but i only saw it from a car apart from a few weeks a year when it warm lol! so for us apart from when its 40 degrees obviously we are outside a lot! all the best to those going back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest chris955 Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 I agree that for those who love the sun and beach then there is no comparison. For many of us those things aren't important. We would always joke that when we went over the bridge into Wales it would be raining on the other side and almost invariably it was. It's weird how different the weather was from one side of the river to the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 i know it does generally seem to be raining in wales lol! bit like scotland i guess! we are here for the lifestyle i.e beach but for as a family we are also financially much better off here (hubby earns twice what he did in uk) and obviously for him as a tradie job prospects are much better. we have also been able to afford our own house here and a am a SAHM both of which werent possible in the uk also , something i know that is very important family and friends...all of my family have duel citizenship and my parents are in the process of buying here so they can split their time here and in the uk, my hubbys parents are also planning to spend three months a year here when they retire... we know we are in a very fotunate position as many people the ultimate draw back to the uk is family (tho we have met plenty who move to get away from family lol) we do miss people tho. everyones different tho - be boring if we stayed in the same place all our lives wouldnt it!?! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Its good to hear nice balanced posts about the UK and Australia. I love it in Australia and couldn't imagine ever living in the Uk but I have my family here and friends and that makes a huge difference. We don't get the extreme heat over in Melbourne except for Jan and Feb so keeping indoors is not so much of an issue here. What I do like about the UK is the lack of mosquitos and insects when you eat outside, compared with Australia. We always have to have bug zappers and anti-mosquito lamps etc ( it is quite bushy where we live). In the end, it is up to the individual where they feel happy and comfortable, it would be very boring if we were all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seekingsunshine Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Its good to hear nice balanced posts about the UK and Australia. I love it in Australia and couldn't imagine ever living in the Uk but I have my family here and friends and that makes a huge difference. We don't get the extreme heat over in Melbourne except for Jan and Feb so keeping indoors is not so much of an issue here. What I do like about the UK is the lack of mosquitos and insects when you eat outside, compared with Australia. We always have to have bug zappers and anti-mosquito lamps etc ( it is quite bushy where we live). In the end, it is up to the individual where they feel happy and comfortable, it would be very boring if we were all the same. snap starlight7!! we're thinking along the same lines here lol! :biggrin: benefits to living in either country! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Arnold Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 It's so funny that we all longed for the beaches and the sunshine, but once here it's not all that and you soon get bored with it. I can't stand it when it gets really hot in the summer, and when you see those awful skin cancer adverts...well thats enough to put you right off. I do keep my kids out of the summer sun, its so strong. I think my boys were outside far more summer and winter in the UK As my husband says it's all very well having big houses, beaches and the sunshine but no good if you can't share it with your loved ones. Goodluck to you all for the future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest KAS Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 My kids love it here, I need a bit more convincing,they are out alot more here than they ever where back in the U.K but I do have 2 boys who are more into sport and being outdoors rather than reading a book or being on the playstation! Just checked with the inlaws and it's rainging again! my kids would go srir crazy if they didn't go out after a couple of hours, I suppose if you're not into the outdoor sports then Oz is not for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsindecision Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 Hi we definitely spent more time indoors or under cover than out in Oz either too hot or pouring with torrential rain a lot of the time - also the dark evenings means if you want to get in an evening walk you need to be finished work early. People have commented on me being tanned since I got here but that is from UK sun as I am out in it all the time (even when it is hiding behind the clouds). I love sitting outside with my cup of tea with the sky above my head. Yesterday had an hours walk with friend and dogs by the river ( really lovely - different lovely to the beach but stunning all the same) everyone says hallo and stops to talk. In the evening hubby and I had a good march out across the national trust land picking blackberries along the way. It was beautiful. Neighbours have all introduced themselves and stop and properly talk - didn't know any of our neighbours in Oz. I lived next to a manmade lake in Oz and walked it regularly and just didn't feel the same connection. Just need my dog here now to fully feel part of nature. I also discussed with UK friends the weather and we calculated that from May to October you can pretty much go out in tee shirt and or sweatshirt most of the time. Nov to Feb is bloody cold proper wrapping up time and March and April chilly. In comparison I found you were in singlets and shorts 6 months in Oz (not a good luck for middle aged women) with an additional two months of the most intense humidity that used to make me murderous and had to time when you go out (sun and darkness). The winter in my house in oz was freezing even when the sun was 20 degrees because house designed for cool - I used to wear fleece, leggings, uggs and a scarf in the house during the day and the reverse air heating is not that much use. I also do think having family with you in Oz makes all the difference to being able to settle - those I know who did had parents, brothers, sisters near by. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arlene Posted August 12, 2010 Author Share Posted August 12, 2010 I think we probably would stayed in Oz if we had family nearby but the distance was too much especially when people are ill. I can see why people love Australia especially if they are financially better off there but it's definitely not all a bed of roses just because the sun shines alot. I personally do love the sunshine but the weather is just not my top priority after having lived in the sunshine for a year. I love being able to see my family whevever I want without having to dread them going home again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mammasez Posted August 12, 2010 Share Posted August 12, 2010 It is funny how perspective and perhaps what you are used to shape things. My Aussie born kids, definitely play less outside in England than they did in Australia. They also play more on consoles here in England than they did in Australia simply because to them it is just to cold to play outside They did play more wisely in Oz, playing in the cool of the day outside and then using the hotter parts for inside play. We ate many of our tea/breakfast meals out side on the back decking in Oz in summer and rarely get the chance to enjoy our garden here. We had a bbq on Saturday with friends and spent the afternoon running in and out of the house with plates of food to avoid intermittent rain showers. And unlike the locals here in England we are now in the middle of summer rugged up in winter clothes because the temps here are the same as what we were used too (and what our home town is registering now) in the middle of winter. This is our third summer and we can barely bring ourselves to call it that. But weather would never be my reason for staying/leaving a country... and I admit we are in the rainy city :wink: I am sure if we moved south we may have some finer days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arlene Posted August 13, 2010 Author Share Posted August 13, 2010 When we first came back to the UK I was really missing the sun etc and I spoke to an Autralian Doctor at work about living in the uk and I was asking her how did she manage to live here when she had been so used to the heat/sunshine, she said that her children also played outside alot here and if the weather was not that great she would put wellies on the kids and just go to the beach anyway. I did find it funny though in Perth in the winter when it was still 22 degrees outside and people were talking about the cold and rugging up! Having lived in Scotland all my life I don't think that would ever be cold. After saying this we did try a summer holiday 2 years ago in Kent and the weather was terrible we couldn't even try to enjoy it and I really missed Australia at that point. We are going to a friend's BBQ tomorrow and I'm sure the weather will be a bit dodgy but I don't care, we have know these friends for over 20 years and we always have a brilliant time despite the weather. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsindecision Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I do think it is about attitude - I was out walking by the river the other day (it must have been 20 degrees) passed a Mum and three kids under 10 - she had a full on family sized canoe the kids were in wetsuits and life jackets playing in the shallow bits of the water with the dog splashing around it looked so much fun and this is how they spend their summer. Along the water is the scouts water sports centre where they run a summer youth club (15+) for 50p a night , learning canoeing, sailing, kayaking etc. All good outdoor fun. Kids around me are on bikes, skateboards, scooters and horses! Everynight on the land opposite is cricket and also kite flying and model airplane enthusiasts - plenty going on in the great outdoors from what I can see right up til 9-10pm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mammasez Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I'll never forget the day the local kids came knocking at our front door to ask the kids to join in a water fight on a Spring day. My kids stood there in their jumpers and jeans horrified saying it was only 13 degrees! I agree with you to a point mrsindecision about attitude. I think the same when I hear people saying about the trouble of putting on sunscreen, hats, and insect repellent, and it being too hot to do anything, as you probably do if you were to hear my kids moan about putting on jumpers, rain coats, wellies and wetsuits in summer here (something they did in winter in Oz). But that is NOT because I was raised in Australia, it is because I enjoy the heat. I think life is what you make of it, and attitude is important. I also believe we are people who enjoy comfort. Those who enjoy the heat (as I do) come alive in it, those who don't hibernate (like I do in winter). I think the attitude part comes into pushing ourselves past our comfort zones to 'live' not hibernate. Cold makes me as cranky as heat makes some people, but I choose not to be cranky (some days :wink:). We learned pretty quickly here in England that if we waited for it to stop raining and warm up, we would never do anything or go any where. But I also think climate conditioning is a real thing, thus sporting teams train in odd climates before having to play the real game there. My kids used to love doing all those things you speak of in the hottest of hottest Sydney summer days with their local scout troops too. But they would only tolerate doing it here in summer, and end up shivering with blue lips. Yet they do it. They just don't enjoy it as much. Bit like camping, we do it here, but we loved doing it in Oz. Yet I have Aussie born friends in Sydney that spend their summer days in air conditioning and wouldn't dare go near a park until after 4 pm in the afternoon. So maybe sometimes despite where we live, we are wired a little differently too and find comfort in different things? We do that which makes us happy and we all put up with different things because it makes what we do worth while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsindecision Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 I also think its about acclimatisation - I am cold today and realise I am still in a thin t-shirt three quarter pants and everyone else is wearing long sleeves and long pants. Will have to upgrade my wardrobe. We missed the cold in Oz - although got to say something in between would be bloody perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mammasez Posted August 13, 2010 Share Posted August 13, 2010 rofl..... and did you just say pants? You've made my day. x Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.