ozzieeagle

Sister, two nieces and their kids live there. Visited some nice pubs and I've got a photo thats really worth sharing on here.... see if I can get if off my phone. Tell you what it's far behind Milton Keynes on the roundabout count though eh ?


People in the UK are asking me where the hell I got the photo of the old phone boxes.

Dreamy

When I first started driving down, back in 1987, I'd get off the motorway (through the 'do not use' back exit from Burtonwood Service Station, natch) and drive several miles through open country side to Sankey/Penketh. There were all these random roundabouts on the way - absolutely no connecting roads or anything!

Now of course, the roundabouts all connect to roads that go to the new housing estates that sprang up like chicken pox and the open countryside is practically non-existant. Progress, yes?

But yeah, Warringtonians like their roundabouts lol.

ozzieeagle

Well everyone I'm talking to and mostly Aussies is envious of our 13C temps in Rhyl that we are enjoying right now as it's 39C in Melbourne today and no one can be stuffed going outside. All huddled around the airconditioning drinking beer.

As for me.... I'm going on another enjoyable 5k walk in pleasant walking conditions. I wouldn't be doing that back home today.

ozzieeagle

Took a picture last night that sums up what I'm enjoying so much about this trip. Little things like walking amongst interesting buildings.

Pollyana

Reminding you of all those things long-forgotten!

ozzieeagle

I'm slightly peeved that people seem very surprised that I've spent the last 35 years in Aus... on account of my London accent. I've no UK identity for the past 35 years and my Aus one seems irrelevant to the point that it feels like people think I'm making it up/on a wind up for some weird reason . It's quite disconcerting for me actually. I guess it shouldn't matter, but it really does to me.

So I'm developing a bit of a hesitance towards strangers now.... which is sad.... I can't talk about my background as people think I'm bullshitting. Not the best thing to happen to a lone traveller.

Pollyana

Thats a shame, and its something I haven't come across, though my accent does apprently have a slight Aussie twang to it ( for the first couple of days at home anyway, after that I manage to disguise it with Somerset!).
Maybe its down to the area you're in, I spend a lot of time in London and I guess they are more used to people from Aus turning up there.
Its more common for southerners to lose their accents than northerners, and I have to say when I met you I just LOVED the accent and the fact you'd managed to keep it -drinking with you two was like being in a London boozer

i guess you could brandish your Aussie passport and ask if they think you got that in a Christmas cracker........

BadgeIsBack

I have two boys on my team who are from Essex. One is also so softly spoken over audio that I keep thinking he is selling me a second-hand car or is about to sound like he is from a Carry On movie. He almost needs a translator : yet he is from the city (more or less) I grew up in.

He has a colleague with a double-barrelled name with a nice military style accent (possibly, I can detect it). Every few sentences there's a sudden injection of Estuary English. I reckon accents have changed a lot in London with Estuary rampant.18 years ago, you'd wouldn't expect to find it in certain situations but my wife and I notice it everywhere now. It's the Lingua Franca of London and the SE. Even public schoolboys fade it in and out!

ozzieeagle

I'm finding it a bit daunting really, because I'm coming across as either a Walter Mitty type such is the disbelief or on a con job.

There goes the belief I had where my family kept telling me how Aus I sounded on the phone.

I know my accent has softened a lot, because in the early stages in Aus, every 3rd person couldn't understand me and I'd have to repeat myself.... that never happens now.....wonder if it will when I go back for the first week or so.

I'm not going to mention Aus in future convos with strangers from this point on.

Pollyana

You sounded beautfully London to me

Yeah, try the approach of not mentioning Aus to further down the line, after a few beers, then surprise them with it at a convenient point in conversation

ozzieeagle

I can confirm that Aus Post accepted the UK doctors certificate and gave me this leave as Carers leave which comes out of my Sick Pay. Which is basically base rate pay with no shift allowance etc or 17.5 pct leave loading.

I've not seen anyone do anything like this on these boards before and it's very important to note that sick leave is not paid out at the end of ones employment in Aus. So to get this leave taken out of Sick leave rather than Holiday leave is worth a fair chunk of money when I finally leave Aus Post.... or keep my full current holidays entitlements instead. IE: I've still got my 26 weeks Long service leave.

So it's very much worth noting that people in similar situations to myself... IE: caring for a loved one after bereavement, is covered by Aus Sick leave entitlements, as long as your employed under the Award wages system like the majority of full time workers in Aus.

In otherwords I've got this trip for free paid for out of sick leave, which usually disappears into the ether when ones leaves a job.


Just in case people are wondering what the hell I'm on about...... Here's the Governments fairworks explantion.... I think it's all up to the individual companies in the UK ???????

https://www.fairwork.gov.au/leave/sick-and-carers-leave

Aus post allows 20 days per year accruing sick leave... so one gives up a lot when they eventually leave if they haven't used much of this entitlement.

It's been a good financial day today... sorted out my old private pension from the 70's and touched base with the Willis group in Ipswich and found out a few pointers for 4 years time when I hit 65. Plus I've finally got my old NI number back in my hand. I haven't known that for years.

Rhubarb65

Very sorry to hear about your mum, OE; you seem to be making the best of that trip that no-one wants to take - good on you.

I'm sure that you will have enjoyed the last-gasp winner on Saturday! I watched the highlights with my son on Match of the Day (Sunday morning here in Melb) - I try not to see the scores before I watch it.

I managed to get to the home game vs Man. City and away game at Spurs when I visited my folks in September. My brother politely told me to clear off back to Australia as Palace lost both games!

I'll join you for a $14 pint when you get back and we can share Palace stories.

cheers

ozzieeagle

No worries sounds like a good idea.... are you aware of this group... the 300 strong Facebook Melbourne Supporters group.... they get together at the Charles Dickens hotel in Collins street every week. Quite a few of erm come to Melbourne Victory games as well.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CPFC...pporters.Club/

Pollyana

I shall investigate this as I shall inevitably need it one day, and the last time I had to use annual leave, although we did kindly get allowed 2 days extra bereavement leave if we have to travel abroad......

On a lighter note, the BE Polls have just been put up in the Lounge....

http://britishexpats.com/forum/loung...d-male-869524/

ozzieeagle

Did you know.... They don't know what Bourbon and Dry is in North Wales....

They keep giving me ginger beer ! Instead of dry ginger ale With my bourbon. Which is a very common drink in Aus.

They really don't.

Is it really exclusively an Aus drink ?

This must happen the other way around, where they don't know what your on about in Aus as well... Any examples ? Short mixes only I mean.

I've not been to one pub yet, where they squirt the mixer out of the tap.. it's all in little and i mean very little bottles.