10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
#16
Home and Happy
Joined: Dec 2002
Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,815
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
This is a huge shame, as the nice pub culture is something I truly miss about the UK. Not sure how it is in the south West, but I hope there is some last vestige of charm and character left, and it isn't all Weatherspoons.
I'm back for a month at Christmas, so I guess I'll find out then...
S
I'm back for a month at Christmas, so I guess I'll find out then...
S
Yes there are Weathersoons and harvesters and Fayre and Simple ( a chain I discovered tonight when seeking a late pint) but there are also a multitude of traditional familiar "local" pubs all across the country. Even the chain pub tonight had a traditional welcome and a good beer garden, and I went there after visiting three traditional pubs within 15 minutes walk. The majority of my experience these days is London/Gatwick/Brighton/Bristol/Somerset/Wiltshire and I have no problem finding good honest pubs. But I know they also exist in their hundreds across the rest of the UK -thank goodness!
Last edited by Pollyana; Jul 17th 2015 at 11:18 pm.
#17
Last resort... format c:/
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Singapore to Surfers Paradise to... Tenerife... to Gran Canaria!
Posts: 1,627
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
9) Pubs. The removal of all character from all pubs in the UK continues and it’s a ****ing disgrace. Wetherspoons everywhere and all the old boozers I drank in have been replaced by anodyne metro-pubs with stripped pine tables and chairs and lounges so awkward to sit on you wonder if they’re for display purposes only.
12) Quality of life. Your mileage may vary but there’s no comparison for us - Oz is miles better. Here in the UK everything seems to revolve around a way of spending money - but our weekends in OZ are about exploring, visiting new areas, snorkelling, walking in the numerous parks or entertaining friends. Healthcare is excellent for us (and we have no private medical), schools are first rate, so no complaints from us on that front.
13) Growing up. They all seemed pretty obsessed with labels of one kind or another whereas my son couldn’t give a shit whose logo was on his t-shirt. Also the girls his age seemed to dress like 25 year olds and spend their time trying to get into pubs and clubs. Seems to me that the kids in Australia are happy to be kids for a lot longer than their UK counterparts. Not sure if there’s any difference in the ages they all start shagging, or indeed if that’s any different from when I was a kid, but it seems to be primary focus of the teenage girls we’ve met on this trip according to their parents.
#18
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
Hey Hutch,
Loved reading about your comparisons. I have to agree 100% with you. I have lived in Sydney for over 6 years and Perth for a few months on another visit, but am in the UK at present in Worcestershire.
I'm working at the high likelihood of getting back into Sydney sometime later this year before Chrsitmas, to work and live with the aim of gaining my Citizenship.
The UK economy and attitude in general has put me off again. It seems to never change. I have family here but feel my best efforts here are not doing them or me and good.... therefore, I'm highly considering a move back to Sydney. or wherever I can secure a job offer in Australia.
Would it be alright to ask you any advice on where currently I could find work? Reliable/good Agencies or anything you may know of off hand? Any help/info would be gratefully received. PM me if you wish. Again, great story and enjoyed reading it
Loved reading about your comparisons. I have to agree 100% with you. I have lived in Sydney for over 6 years and Perth for a few months on another visit, but am in the UK at present in Worcestershire.
I'm working at the high likelihood of getting back into Sydney sometime later this year before Chrsitmas, to work and live with the aim of gaining my Citizenship.
The UK economy and attitude in general has put me off again. It seems to never change. I have family here but feel my best efforts here are not doing them or me and good.... therefore, I'm highly considering a move back to Sydney. or wherever I can secure a job offer in Australia.
Would it be alright to ask you any advice on where currently I could find work? Reliable/good Agencies or anything you may know of off hand? Any help/info would be gratefully received. PM me if you wish. Again, great story and enjoyed reading it
#19
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
Great review, I agree with nearly all of that.
I got back yesterday from a 3 week trip. The countryside is beautiful plus the birds and butterflies in the garden are great, I love the dawn chorus.
Everything else was shit, driving, expensive prices, pubs (all my old haunts were nearly all empty plus prices have gone through the roof), dickhead "Border Force" staff. I don't think I'll ever be going back now my dad is dead.
I got back yesterday from a 3 week trip. The countryside is beautiful plus the birds and butterflies in the garden are great, I love the dawn chorus.
Everything else was shit, driving, expensive prices, pubs (all my old haunts were nearly all empty plus prices have gone through the roof), dickhead "Border Force" staff. I don't think I'll ever be going back now my dad is dead.
#20
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
I was there a few weeks ago
Traditional pub culture still exists and will always be around to a degree but it is getting less and less all the time - just as the dire 'culture' of Wetherspoons, Yates etc rises. Wetherspoons are shit. Sure they are cheap but the atmosphere in most of their places is awful and they serve dog food
Alcohol prices were interesting. Yes, you can pay GBP2 for a pint in some places but they are usually dumps. In one trendy but totally going off bar in Manchester, I was paying GBP6.50 - basically up with Perth prices
Booze in supermarkets is dirt cheap
Driving is a major PITA. Heavy traffic everywhere. You do notice the courtesy of drivers there but driving standards are no better than Australia
Everyone drives nice cars. You see nice vehicles parked outside shithole houses
I found 4G coverage to be excellent most places that I went - Google maps was a life saver
A lot of groceries are cheaper but a lot isn't - swings and roundabouts
Eating out is generally of a lower standard than Australia
Service standards are generally low but then they are here too
Technology prices (apart from phones) are ridiculous. Stuff is 15-30% more than in Australia and there is no bargaining
I went to 3 northern cities - Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield - and they are all physically pretty grim places. Some nice architecture interspersed among a sea of grey, bland and run down. Saying that the people are generally pretty friendly (especially in Liverpool) and the night life is good
Everywhere I went the pavements were filthy and broken, smeared in chewing gum, litter all over the place. They cannot repair roads properly. Full stop. Some of the surfaces were a f**king disgrace and like something out of the 3rd world
The countryside is so lovely and was a highlight
Overall I had a great time. Met up with some old friends from SA days, went to my brother's wedding, drank in some superb, friendly pubs. If I had to live there again I could but it would be a struggle. The great job opportunities for me, coupled with the top contracting rates on offer and the truly awesome tax avoidance possibilities may prove too strong a lure and a few years could possibly be spent there - never, ever permanent though
Oh, and British girls, overall, have massive tits and dress like sluts - top eye candy and no complaints from me
Traditional pub culture still exists and will always be around to a degree but it is getting less and less all the time - just as the dire 'culture' of Wetherspoons, Yates etc rises. Wetherspoons are shit. Sure they are cheap but the atmosphere in most of their places is awful and they serve dog food
Alcohol prices were interesting. Yes, you can pay GBP2 for a pint in some places but they are usually dumps. In one trendy but totally going off bar in Manchester, I was paying GBP6.50 - basically up with Perth prices
Booze in supermarkets is dirt cheap
Driving is a major PITA. Heavy traffic everywhere. You do notice the courtesy of drivers there but driving standards are no better than Australia
Everyone drives nice cars. You see nice vehicles parked outside shithole houses
I found 4G coverage to be excellent most places that I went - Google maps was a life saver
A lot of groceries are cheaper but a lot isn't - swings and roundabouts
Eating out is generally of a lower standard than Australia
Service standards are generally low but then they are here too
Technology prices (apart from phones) are ridiculous. Stuff is 15-30% more than in Australia and there is no bargaining
I went to 3 northern cities - Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield - and they are all physically pretty grim places. Some nice architecture interspersed among a sea of grey, bland and run down. Saying that the people are generally pretty friendly (especially in Liverpool) and the night life is good
Everywhere I went the pavements were filthy and broken, smeared in chewing gum, litter all over the place. They cannot repair roads properly. Full stop. Some of the surfaces were a f**king disgrace and like something out of the 3rd world
The countryside is so lovely and was a highlight
Overall I had a great time. Met up with some old friends from SA days, went to my brother's wedding, drank in some superb, friendly pubs. If I had to live there again I could but it would be a struggle. The great job opportunities for me, coupled with the top contracting rates on offer and the truly awesome tax avoidance possibilities may prove too strong a lure and a few years could possibly be spent there - never, ever permanent though
Oh, and British girls, overall, have massive tits and dress like sluts - top eye candy and no complaints from me
Last edited by Amazulu; Jul 20th 2015 at 5:22 am.
#24
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 706
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
#26
Victorian Evangelist
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Melbourne, by the beach, living the dream.
Posts: 7,704
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
Not as a chain-store, no. But there are many many great independent grocers.
Never confuse Queensland with Australia.
BB
BB
#28
Last resort... format c:/
Joined: Mar 2012
Location: Singapore to Surfers Paradise to... Tenerife... to Gran Canaria!
Posts: 1,627
Re: 10 Years on - Reflections on a First Return Visit to the UK
My, what a frigging mistake that was. All this organic nonsense, no real food but just seeds and stuff... it felt like the sort of place you go to to get grub for your pet parrot or hamster. This was my remake of "Gone in 60 Seconds."
This is Australia. The rest is just latching on to the best that this country has to offer. Every time I feel like I need to bolt out of here I remind myself that there are less fortunate souls trapped in Sydney - which admittedly is a lovely city at the right time of year - and then there are those stuck in Melbourne for whom Sydney must seem like paradise. Just kidding...