Exile Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I've thought of something else I'd add to my list of things I'd like to do/see when/if I get back: Going to a crappy car boot sale on a sunday morning in a field somewhere outside of Cheltenham. The disclaimer here is that I genuinely acknowledge that I'm looking through rose tinted glasses and nostalgia at this one. Its a car boot sale....in a field....the field probably has some cowsh!t in it too...and there's nothing of any worth being sold...and I imagine its bitterly cold and muddy too. But its the experience of the whole thing. Thats what counts! Maybe its the fact that my other half has started watching Bargain Hunt on TV! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I've thought of something else I'd add to my list of things I'd like to do/see when/if I get back: Going to a crappy car boot sale on a sunday morning in a field somewhere outside of Cheltenham. The disclaimer here is that I genuinely acknowledge that I'm looking through rose tinted glasses and nostalgia at this one. Its a car boot sale....in a field....the field probably has some cowsh!t in it too...and there's nothing of any worth being sold...and I imagine its bitterly cold and muddy too. But its the experience of the whole thing. Thats what counts! Maybe its the fact that my other half has started watching Bargain Hunt on TV! I could think of worse places to be than a field outside of Cheltenham, beautiful part of the world. I used to live in 'nam, and back in 'nam I used to 'enjoy' cycling up Cleeve Hill, well actually I hated cycling up it but coming down was something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exile Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I could think of worse places to be than a field outside of Cheltenham, beautiful part of the world.I used to live in 'nam, and back in 'nam I used to 'enjoy' cycling up Cleeve Hill, well actually I hated cycling up it but coming down was something else I know it well. I've done a couple ot Tours of Duty in 'Nam. I even attempted birlip hill on a bike a few times...well OK, once. I concluded that it is much easier in a car, but more fun on the way down on a bike. The Cheltenham part wasnt overly important in my analogy. The important bit was teh crappy goods, the muddy field and the cold weather. Glorious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hilton Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 Yeah Exile, cold weather, 4 seasons etc is stuff I look forward to, great racing into your house during the bad weather to be warmed up by a cuppa, makes me feel alive. Even before I came 2 oz the bad weather at home didnt bother me which some people found strange. The whole great oz weather doesnt appeal to me like most, in saying that the weather hasnt been that fantastic since ive been here in QLD. Be nice to get the monkey hat, gloves etc on again when going for a stroll instead of the sunscreen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I know it well. I've done a couple ot Tours of Duty in 'Nam.I even attempted birlip hill on a bike a few times...well OK, once. I concluded that it is much easier in a car, but more fun on the way down on a bike. The Cheltenham part wasnt overly important in my analogy. The important bit was teh crappy goods, the muddy field and the cold weather. Glorious cor blimey, you must miss home! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Bobby Posted March 30, 2011 Share Posted March 30, 2011 I agree with this. The things that I thought I would miss (family and friends) are actually playing second to the things that it didn't occur to me that I would miss, but now I seem to crave: The specific colour green that drapes the UK countryside. There's nothing like that colour over here, the countryside is more of a burnt yellowy/greeny/brown colour. Old cobbled streets Buildings where I had to duck to get in, because the medieval folk were really small. Areas of stark rugged "nothingness" (dartmoor, lake district etc). The distinct change of seasons. Winter is different to Spring, is different to Summer is different to Autumn, and the crazy traditional local festivals that coincide with the turns of the season (cheese rolling in Gloucester in June, burning barrels in Ottery St Mary in November etc etc). I find in Sydney there are only two: Summer and Winter. The transition between the two is very very small. Old pubs. It never occurred to me whilst sitting in The Cheshire Cheese pub on Blackfriars in London, that there is nothing quite like these places anywhere in the world. Unfortunately there's nothing even remotely close in Australia The early days of spring where it is cloudless sky and there's a real chill in the air. The noise of wood pigeons, as per an earlier post. To me, right now, that noise seems to personify UK summers evenings. I even downloaded a sample of one just to have a listen. History. Castles. Stately Homes. Old towns and villages. The close proximity to other places. I have explored and enjoyed, but have no real interest in Asian cultures, other than as a one off holiday. For me, the roots are firmly set in Europe - which makes quick breaks to places of culture that resonate with me nigh on impossible. Not having to put on sun screen, hats and walk in shade just to get to the shops. Not Breaking into a heat sweat for 9 months of the year I recall there being substantially less whinge fest shoes like Today Tonight, A Current Affair or other similarly xenophobic insular news reporting. TV in general: Can you imagine something like "The Farmer Wants A Wife" in the UK. It would be comically bad (more so than here). The Farmer wants some teeth and a thicker Barbour jacket, more like. Having said that, to me, shows like this epitomise the overall sh!tness of Australian free to air TV. Sure there are plenty of things that I will miss about Australia, but for me, they just cant compare. I know that when/if I get back there, I will see the place in a completely different light. Living in Australia has made me realise how I would appraoch a new life back in the UK. Last time I lived in London and didn't bother getting a car. This time I will commute to work, live further out, or even work in a smaller town/city, and spend the weekends exploring, taking the car over to the continent and just taking it all in and reconnecting. Ryan air will be getting a steady commission from me, as there are so many places that I want to go and see and unfortunmately they are all generally in the northern hemisphere. Not geographically viable at the moment. Maybe I'm mellowing out as I'm not in my 20's anymore and the partying is dying down, but as Robert Plant once said "I can hear it calling me back home". Swop the cuckoo for the pigeon and you forgot the magical sound of the blackbird that can keep you transfixed as you amaze at the magic of it's sound.:cute: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RockDr Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 Swop the cuckoo for the pigeon and you forgot the magical sound of the blackbird that can keep you transfixed as you amaze at the magic of it's sound.:cute: You get blackbirds in Australia, we're got a few that visit the trees outside our window... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest36762 Posted March 31, 2011 Share Posted March 31, 2011 You get blackbirds in Australia, we're got a few that visit the trees outside our window... we get plenty of blackbirds here, and in fact more sparrows than in the UK, where I think they're in decline. I miss the tweets of robins and bluetits, but then we've got blue wrens and honeyeaters which are really cute Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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