Originally Posted by Fleaflyfloflum

I could kill for a minted Jersery Royal

Originally Posted by St.Georges Girl

Jersey Royals, :

Originally Posted by TraceyW

Can you get them in February? I've forgotten when they're in season?????

Originally Posted by St.Georges Girl

How spooky you should post that Flea. OH and I were only saying that last night. I had asked him if he would like me to cook a roast dinner this Sunday and if so which meat would he like. He said he'd like Lamb with Jersey Royals, so we're having Beef with shite spuds.

Originally Posted by Fleaflyfloflum

Funny that. We are having beef and shite spuds tonight too

Geez, i cant stop thinking about Jerseys now. I wonder why they dont grow them here or lots of the other varieties come to that. Is it the different soil or something?

Originally Posted by St.Georges Girl

What made you choose Feb. to go back Tracey?

Originally Posted by TraceyW

I'll be back at uni for MY FINAL YEAR (...did I say that loud enough?) at the end of February and I'll be full on teaching for most of this year, so I won't have another chance to go.

Oh, that and the fact it was a $1000 cheaper than January.

Originally Posted by TraceyW

Can you get them in February? I've forgotten when they're in season?????

Originally Posted by TraceyW

Can you get them in February? I've forgotten when they're in season?????

Originally Posted by kizbut1

Jersey spuds are in season in May, English strawberries are June, chestnuts November, seville oranges (for marmalade) January, sainsburys Taste the Diff sausages all year round, sniff, sniff waaahhhh . If you are missing English food, our local Coles has started selling Hellmans mayo, McVities choccie digestives and Hob nobs and you can usually find a copy of BBC Good Food magazine at a decent sized newsagents. It makes me really homesick and a bit peeved when I see all the decent chocolate too, but I wouldn't be without it - even if it is a month late when it gets here. Some things are worth waiting for - how sad is that

Originally Posted by emmahafryn

Hey Everyone,

Well we are back in this wide brown land having spent the last month in little old Blighty and quite frankly, I am still struggling to get to grips with it all! Didn't help that I got back to Melbourne to enjoy a lovely (42 degrees in the shade day) and am still feeling decidedly woozy!

Anyway, here are my observations/ramblings. Nothing scientific, probably nothing you didn't already know and not intended to run either country down, they are just my experiences that some of you might like to hear.

THE JOURNEY THERE...
Well, having done loads of research (mostly BE based) I was fully equipped to entertain a toddler in a tin can for 24 hours. I was crapping myself none the less as he's not one to sit quietly at the best of times but he was absolutely fantastic. He never complained, cried or even tried to get off my lap once on the entire journey there or back. He slept for a few hours on each leg and the rest of the time was happy to sit and play with all the new (and wrapped) bits and bobs that were recently purchased from the $2 shop!
We had a stopover for 8 hrs at Chiangi airport where we were booked into the transit hotel for a bit of a rest. The idea was to have a swim and something decent to eat and then have a sleep in a proper bed before doing the long leg to LHR. Unfortunately, Singapore airlines lost our stroller (which should have come off the plane with us) and couldn't actually tell us where it was. We kept being told that they'd found it and to come back in 1/2 hr but when we did go back they'd just shrug and say they still weren't sure whether it was in Singapore, London or Abu frigging Dabi. So infact, we spent 7 hrs arguing & faffing about with SIA "customer services" - who really are the biggest bunch of clueless idiots I have ever had the misfortune to meet -before carrying a 15kg toddler, and all our hand luggage, the length of the airport (this is seriously around a mile) to get on the next flight

Flight itself -
Transit hotel and pool
SIA Customer Services

ON ARRIVAL...
Well, I was a little bit emotional by now as even when Oshi was asleep it was on me so I wasn't, & I'd had a serious falling out with the muppets at SIA which was taking it's toll but we did manage to reclaim our stroller in LHR (we found it in a lift by itself - I have no idea where it was going to or from!) Then we lost 'Lamby' - you know, the one thing my little boy cannot eat, sleep or function without - in the duty free. He'd obviously fancied the offer on Baileys - 2 massive bottles for 20GBP!

Anyway, we demanded we were allowed to re-enter arrivals to search for a fallen comrade and a few tears (mine not toddler's) and 2 bottles of Baileys (bought not consumed) later, Lamby and Oshi were reunited and we dragged ourselves outside to wait for the transit bus to the car hire depot. By now it was 7am UK time and very cold and dark. We'd been travelling for over 30 hrs and my little boy was a star - he stood waiting for the bus giggling like an idiot as he could see his own breath in the air! So far we'd spoken to the airport services lady, the shop assistant in the duty free and the courtesy bus driver and they were all fabulous. I had been expecting that grumpy grey ignorance that the UK service industry was/is renowned for and got cheery, polite and extremely helpful instead.

Right, car acquired (what's this clutch thing for again?) and we were on our way to the inlaws via the M25. Actually I must say that driving was a thoroughly pleasant experience in the UK. People are FAR more courteous than I have experienced in Oz and I found myself reacting like a bewildered badger (maybe that was just the jetlag) when someone flashed their lights to allow me through a tight spot or to change lanes as I am very much used to the opposite attitude over here. I am sure I'll get a slating for this comment but I also found the standard of driving much better in the UK. EVERYDAY in Melbourne I go round the same roundabout fearing for my life as some idiot or other attempts to ram me off the road or at the very least, test my reactions, but everything was very orderly & polite over there.

Even the traffic wasn't as bad as I expected and certainly not much worse than the Princes Freeway into Melbourne at peak times. The only incidents were when the engine of our naff little Astra died (actually I approached a roundabout and forgot it was manual, stalled the car and then wondered why it was 'broken' - I am not even blonde!) and trying to negotiate tiny lanes in Suffolk when I am used to BIG roads! I also thought parking spaces were miniscule compared to over here (or at least that was my excuse for parking like a prat) but there are far more of them and millions of mother and baby spots at supermarkets and the like.

UK customer service -
Driving/Parking/Traffic -
Ability to drive non-automatic car -

FIRST IMPRESSIONS...
Everywhere looked like a scene from a Xmas card - leafless trees covered in frost and twinkling in the sun. Christmas lights twinkling from everywhere. Even in winter is was much greener than Oz. On closer inspection it's also a lot dirtier than Oz. There seemed to be an awful lot of litter and dog poo around in most places (though not all) and it (obviously) felt a lot more crowded than Oz. I really was impressed at how lovely it is in general though. It was fabulous to see old buildings and cobbled streets, especially as they were trimmed up for Xmas - positively Dickensian!

The first time it got dark at 3pm was a bit of a shock but I loved it! We were walking down the high street with our little one and all the shop windows were blazing, lights aglow everywhere you look, someone selling Jacket potatoes in the street (now, I must just let you know about the potato thing- I never realised they were so awful in Oz. You can't buy a Jacket sized spud for love nor money in the supermarket, nor can you buy baby potatoes. What's that about? It's middle of the road or nothing! How I miss the humble spud!) even carol singers for God's Sake it was wonderful!

Houses were a bit of a strange experience having lived in Oz for so long. My house here in Oz is fabulous (IMHO!!). It's big and modern and utterly lovely and everything we saw in the UK tended to be rather cramped and damp in comparison! Both my inlaws and my parents have very small houses - even by UK standards - and were chock full of rellies for Xmas which was a bit claustrophobic plus they seem to insist on having the heating on at a nice, comfortable 40 degrees which really did feel like being suffocated. We'd packed loads of nice warm jumpers which never saw the light of day and spent the whole time turning off radiators and opening windows! No doubt we've got used to the rubbish insulation over here but it really was difficult to get any oxygen over there! We were researching somewhere to live while we were there and to be fair, found some fab places (including really lovely houses) so I think there's hope yet.

Surroundings - thumbs up
Housing -
General ambience - thumbsup


THE FESTIVE SEASON...
Where do I start? Proper pubs, proper friends and family, proper shops - Oh My Good God, the shops. Next, Principles, John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Dotty P, Habitat - aaahhh it was like a balm to the soul. And the super markets - ***** me - Asda's got two floors and a travelator!! It's awesome. We were thoroughly embarrassing on our first trip to Tescos "Look at the parking spaces!", "Look at the size of the place", "Look at the brilliant trolleys with a compartment for everything!" "Look, a DVD player for 13GBP!", "Look, wine from a place other than Australia!" we were like very sad tourists!

It was great, my little boy had the time of his life and I can confirm that Xmas round the BBQ has nothing on being with family and friends in a wintry Xmas. This did lead to us all having the lurgy for a week mind you!

Shopping -
Pubs -
Lurgy -

COMING BACK...
Well, I cried most of the way but otherwise, no incidents other than the truly awful family we had to sit next to on the flight from LHR to SING. My little boy slept for 10 hours which should have made for a rather lovely relaxing flight but I got to sit next to Jack who was utterly delightful and had no intention of being quiet or even pleasant. "Jack stoppit, Jack don't do that {sigh} Oh go on then, fine, do it!" Now that is a special type of parenting! To be fair to the child, he had absolutely nothing to play with and his mother was a muppet but it wasn't much fun either way!

I was very pleased to see my lovely big house and our toddler is loving belting up and down the hallway but after the initial sense of space wore off, it felt very empty - and still does. It's a truly lovely house but I'm not really sure it's a home anymore.

Our fluffbags pouted for the 1st few hours before giving in to being ridiculously pleased that we were home. I must admit I didn't actually miss them that much while I was away but it was lovely to be back with them. I had a email from the vet while we were away to say that they all passed the rabies test and are clear to go at the end of May!

FINAL THOUGHTS -
Well, it's probably quite clear from my novella that I have hopped down from the fence, and landed in the UK. It was actually a very useful trip as during the month OH and I went through a strange cycle of one person hating it and one person loving it (at opposite times strangely) but we both came to the conclusion that it's where we want to be - good bits and bad. There are still some things wrong with the place; it is definitely dirtier, more cramped, damp and dark but overall I was pleasantly surprised by the levels of service, the lack of chavs and the feeling of security we had over there. I don't know whether this was down to the areas we were in, the slanted portrayal of the UK or whether it has genuinely improved but the place, in general, has definitely gone up in my estimations. And NOTHING can replace the fabulous feeling of having your family around you. I feel so guilty that my little boy is not with his grampies as both he and they are devastated.


So it's actually all a bit tough being back at the moment, I am desperately sad and miss people terribly. I also have a very clingy toddler who's upset and jetlagged and am back at work but completely over it! We've been invited to a wedding in May so are planning to go back at the beginning of the month. We're still not sure how jobs and housing etc will pan out but hopefully planning and organising it all will make the next 4 months go quickly! It all seems a bit surreal and pointless over here at the moment. "Why on earth are we here where we have no one??" was the blinding realisation that came to me yesterday!

The trip made me appreciate quite a few things about Oz but more things about the UK. Going back is going to involve huge compromises and giving up things I dearly love but being away from everyone is a bigger compromise and not one I am willing to continue making.

We encountered plenty of that "What the bloody hell are you doing here when you could be in OZ?", "You must be mental to want to come back here" mentality but I've realised that it's really only from people who have never left the UK and think that life is one long barbie in Oz. I've learned to rise above that and pity them their ignorance and lack of ambition. They hate where they live but never had the guts to leave.

I'd definitely recommend a recce if you are still undecided about things. It has certainly put things in perspective for us. So, roll on May!

In the meantime, I will just have to get on and enjoy the coffee. Bloody hell that's dire in the UK!