You may remember me from my depressed and desperate blatherings on the discussion forum back at the beginning of the year while I pined to return to the UK. You may even remember my excitement as my decision was made and my departure date grew near, and you may have even waved me off (cyber-fashion) as I left my last Southern Hemisphere post with firm promises to be in touch and report back at the fist opportunity.

Oops! Sorry everyone, I have thought about writing an update a few times but it's been a pretty full-on few months and this really is the first chance I've had. So anyway, if you can forgive my tardiness, here is my account of my return to the UK...

Life in the UK

Well, there have been ups and downs if I am honest and some times in the past few months when we didn't have a home or hubby didn't have a job, have been downright horrible but I have never once regretted my decision.

I am still consistently impressed with the level of customer service in this country (I am not including Virgin/NTHELL in this) and the friendliness of the people here. Complaints and queries are met with professionalism and (most helpfully) rectification of the problem. Drivers are generally courteous and there is none of that 'fight to the death' mentality that I remember from the freeways in Melbourne. There is something uniquely British about that wave you get for letting someone pull out or change lanes or the flash of headlights that acknowledges that little flashing orange light on your car and the fact that it won't really mess up their day to let you turn right before next Friday (seriously, I have wondered whether I might starve to death at busy Australian intersections.)

I can't pretend that the British are not prone to grumbling but when compared to the blinkered ignorance sometimes expressed in Australia; it's quite refreshing! It does seem as though people here have their own sense of ignorance in that most of the complainers have never been anywhere outside of the UK and actually have nothing at all to compare it to but I tend to stay away from the Daily Mail/Express set! I have met my fair share of Eastern Europeans since I've been back but I can't say this has affected in either a positive or negative way. Interestingly, my hubby reliably informs me that over 50% of the Eastern European immigrants who came to the UK have gone home in the past 12 months though this statistic has, obviously, passed the readership of the afore mentioned publications by.

The country is in general much grubbier than Oz with parks, pavements and facilities nowhere near as squeaky clean and new as in Australia. Houses too are nothing like in Australia though this has good and bad points. Trying to fit the contents of our Australian house into our UK one was rather a challenge and though we can't actually open the garage door for fear of being squashed by the cross-trainer/pushchair/contents of that ever pointless 'formal lounge,' this is more than made up for by the 120 foot of garden complete with pear, apple and plum trees, a shed (also full of crap!) and a playhouse for our son. I have always found it ironic that in a country as sparsely populated as Australia we could never have a big garden. The focus on the epicentres of Australia meant that we could never live out of commuting distance of the city and consequently, could never achieve the lifestyle we wanted. I can't describe the joy of picking your own apples and pears or just chasing my little one up and down a lush green lawn. The garden is full of squirrels, birds (My little boy finally answers 'tweet' instead of 'squawk' when asked "What does a bird say?") and hedgehogs and it's truly marvelous! I think my husband worries about me as I have become very weird about all this. I can often be found standing in the middle of the garden beaming in true simpleton fashion at a Robin and turn into a complete dribbling idiot when confronted with the history and countryside that the UK offers at every turn.

Shopping is predictably lovely here and the amount of choice available to the British consumer is staggering (and brilliant.) In general, grocery shopping and utilities are no more expensive (if indeed, a bit cheaper) than they were in Australia (even petrol is coming down) and the quality of services from the range at the supermarket to our 10mb internet connection is in a whole new league.

© BE Member "Spuds"