MissBetty

Thank you, I will, my sister and I are doing the cooking to give Mum a break this year so will start shopping next week - so excited! Yes saw a lovely Ted Baker chrissie jumper at Heathrow so might just be tempted to go all out this year - ho ho ho!!! Hope you have a lovely Xmas too

MissBetty

Ha ha! Yes last day here, just wandering round the shops buying a few pressies, it's so hot and it still feels weird seeing all the Xmas stuff in the shops and hearing carols here!!! Fly back tonight so hoping for a nice easy journey where I can just nod off and say "There's no place like home!" Lol!

Merry Xmas to you too, it's been an incredible year for us hasn't it?! Hoping for snow, will have a drink for us both and all my BE family on Xmas Day - cheers!!!

Englishmum

Another place to check out in Covent Garden is Balthazar's. It's my fave place in NYC (a French brasserie opened by a Brit, Keith McNally) and they now have one in London, which is exactly the same decor as in NY but the toilets are nicer and more spacious lol! I was there a few weeks ago, we hadn't booked but they managed to squeeze us in at the bar where I had a fab Eggs Benedict with salmon and a couple of Bloody Mary's, but you can just go for drinks at the bar. Highly recommend

http://balthazarlondon.com/

Have a fab BRITISH Christmas!

MissBetty

That looks fantastic, love Eggs Benedict too - thanks very much, I'll check it out soon, already planning what I'll be having for breakfast lol! Sitting at Changi Airport, tired as and wishing the next 17 hours away!!! I loathe this flight, hopefully never again

Hope you have a fantastic Xmas too

MissBetty

Hello everyone - just to let you know I made it back home with no further mishaps lol!

Got back at 1930 hrs and when I got out of the taxi it was all cold and frosty (lovely!), all the Christmas lights were up in my street and I was just SO happy to be home again.

Spent the last day and a half sleeping off the jet lag and drinking lots of tea, going out today to buy some woolly gloves and a nice warm scarf too, looking forward to my usual hike along the seafront, missed it so much!

Thanks for all the replies, yet again BE has stopped me from going mental ha ha ha! Hope you all have a fantastic Christmas - cheers!!!!

Perth

Happy Christmas!!!

petrichor

Just read this thread. You know, Miss Betty, Oz doesn't seem to like you.
Glad to hear you're back safe and sound in frosty Blighty.

MissBetty

Lol! The feeling is mutual - trust me! Looks like my next posting will be in Europe somewhere - thank God! Yes happy to be home, just very relieved to be back in one piece and in time for Crimbo

rabble_rouser

I'm a newbie here and found your story funny and interesting.

Its true about the "Hey, how are ya going?". Whilst visiting my bro on holiday in Sydney I remarked how friendly the shop people are and he says "oh no don't mistake it that's not friendly its just what they say". Kind of like how English people always say "sorry" even if they aren't.

Out of interest what prompted to move to Oz in the first place?

MissBetty

Hi and welcome to BE! Yes it makes me laugh cos I find myself doing it here now and then I find people start chatting and actually tell me how they are today - well I suppose I did ask lol!

I grew up in Oz, my parents emigrated when I was 2, they came back to the UK when I was 14 and I was so unhappy I just always longed to go back. A job came up in Qld so off I went but it didn't really work out for me, mainly work stuff and the awful bullying I experienced, kinda soured things for me. Mind you lots of expats really thrive out there, depends on your experience/circumstances IMHO. I just prefer my life in the UK and I love being back with my family

chris955

Your story is so similar to mine, went to Australia at 18 months and came back at 9 for a year or so and then again at about 14 and finished my schooling over there. All I wanted to do was get back to Australia when I was younger but as I got older I realised this country offered me so much more. Once you wade through the absolute rubbish spouted by many expats and lots of Aussies it becomes clear just how great this country still is. Now I wouldnt live anywhere else, even our Brisbane born kids love it here.

MissBetty

I must admit your posts always really resonate with me as, like you say, our stories are so similar!

I can't believe how disappointed I was when I went back. Sure it was all marvellous for the first year or so then I slowly began to realise just exactly what a good life I'd had in the UK and how I'd just casually thrown it all away.

Mind you, I guess we just had to go through that whole process to get to our happy place - no experience is wasted IMHO as long as you learn from it lol!

Glad you and your family are settled back in, I've just been given a new contract for work in 2014 and it's ongoing so guaranteed money for at least 6 months possibly more Off to India in a few weeks time which I'm looking forward to, been there before and loved it so happy as - was praying they didn't send me back to Oz again!!!!!

Merry Xmas to you and your family Chris

chris955

Thank you Merry Christmas to you and yours.

I agree, no experience should be viewed as wasted and wehad a wonderful time in Brisbane. I have been told that it is unfortunate that I have had such an unhappy life in Australia which is far from the truth but it was a numpty I dont even know outside a forum. My life has been wonderful and extremely full and I actually love many aspects of Australia and in lots of ways it is my home as it is where I grew up. The reason some see me as anti Australian is that I just got sick of being told how great everything is and how lucky I was to live there and surely I could never imagine going back to the UK. It just pushed me the other way to a point I hated things about Australia which is something I never thought would happen. If only many Australians and new Australians could see that it is just another 1st world country with all the same problems as every other country it would actually be a better place to live.
Anyway enough of all that, great news about work and I hope it continues for you.

MissBetty

Totally agree with everything you said! Like you there are some things about Australia that I love but I drives me mad the way everyone puts the UK down and it's deemed acceptable. Why??? I work with many different nationalities and I can tell you you'll never hear a Norwegian, Dane, Filipino, etc bad mouthing their own country - NEVER!

ATM I'm seeing all these Facebook posts of newly emigrated friends in Oz posting up pics of them sitting by the pool in 40* heat and loads of comments from people in the UK saying "Ooh you're so lucky, it's SO s*** here!" Whilst I'm just shaking my head thinking I couldn't imagine anything worse than spending another Xmas sweating under the aircon!

I mean good luck to them, I'm happy it's working out for them but why put the UK down at the same time? Yesterday I went into town with my sister, we got lots of things for Xmas and it was so lovely down there. Sure it was cold but we rugged up well, all the Xmas lights were up, there's a temporary ice rink set up in the town centre and we went for a hot chocolate afterwards in the Costa coffee shop which is upstairs at the book store - it was just fab!

Thanks for the good wishes, I'm looking forward to meeting my new crew, they're mainly Norwegian and I do find them lovely to work with, generally very friendly and easy going. I would never have had this opportunity in Oz as I would have been told my UK qualifications weren't recognised/good enough etc etc

So happy I don't have to deal with that rubbish anymore!

rabble_rouser

English people are hyper self critical. Its just a national pastime, that's all. I'm not sure why people do it, its just a kind of a national trait or pastime I guess. Probably still smarting from being the world no #1 at pretty much everything sets impossibly high standards.

The reason people from the UK love it in Oz is because they can do things they cannot do back at home such as:

• The simple pleasure of walking outside in a t-shirt and shorts.
• Going on a nature walking and there's not a car or person in sight or sound.
• Go fishing pretty much wherever.
• Have a boat and go sailing.
• Be actually able to go swimming outdoors.

So Oz has no history or old things to be sure, so if you going there for that or antiques shops you'll be sorely disappointed.

And, with the greatest respect Australians are not renowned for their intellect, so you do get some people, (especially those that operate machinery for some reason) that have this combined arrogant/ignorant attitude. You know, the guys that think their shit hot because they can drive a 17&1/2 wheel trailer. I'm sure those that have lived there are much more well acquainted with that mind set. I suspect it stems from Australian wild west origins where self sufficiency and competency were critical.

Anyways to a lot of people, including me, it seems worth the trade-off.