Originally Posted by Pollyana

2 large holdalls, plus as many bags as I can sneak through as hand luggage! My best mate is seeing me off, and is under orders to post anything I can't carry!!!
Books in Asda have been perused - I daren't look at any more as I can't carry anything else! I think we managed to go everywhere we planned to go; amazing 6 hour lunch today, so I have been well spoilt

Also stood on Seaford seafront in a howling gale, getting soaked by the spray from a grey sea, and it was STUNNING!!!! Beat the Gold Coast beaches hollow!

Originally Posted by woodyinoz

oh this should be posted on the other site.
You would cause world war 3

Originally Posted by woodyinoz

One question though! Have you found the British polite. I am sick of being knocked over by kids rushing around with no sorry in their vocabularies and drivers - ohh don't get me started

Originally Posted by woodyinoz

I'm laughing at the image.

I put the trousers against me here and they come upto my neck!!! I can't be bothered to adjust the length so they becoming plotting paper for all the puddles.

Originally Posted by Pollyana

2 large holdalls, plus as many bags as I can sneak through as hand luggage! My best mate is seeing me off, and is under orders to post anything I can't carry!!!

Someone did mention that you can always give some of your boarding
stuff to a friend at the airport so the check in people miss it, maybe even
stick it up your jumper and they may not notice lol...

There was also a post on Jetta, you can send stuff back if you're going
to get charged excess baggage, they're at most airports and it costs
half the price the airlines charge but sounds like you're mate's got that covered.

http://www.jetta.com.au/

Have a great weekend and take notes...we want to hear it all

Originally Posted by Pants

lol

I used to try and buy trousers/jeans out there and they normally became ankle swingers..no long length so 3/4 pants seemed the only option...!!!

Originally Posted by SCOTTISH MARK 2

My best mate is an airline pilot, so we are well prepared for the sneaky trick of leaving the hand luggage with him while I check-in.....!!!!
There is one bag that I am in two minds about (with a very very cheap Asda duvet in it!) - if I decide to leave it with him, he's going to do some pricing and it'll probably get shipped with Excess Baggage; I used them when I emigrated and they were very good. Like the idea of sticking it up my jumper though - except I would look sooooo pregnant they might refuse me boarding

Originally Posted by Pollyana

I thought for quite a while before deciding to post this, and I think it belongs in here rather than in the Aus forum where I usually hang out.

I'm back here in the UK for 3 weeks, from my new "home" in Brisbane. First trip back since I left almost 2 years ago (Hallowe'en 2003), and I approached it with very mixed emotions.
- I was worried the people would have changed a lot (friends/family)
- I was worried that the country would be worse than I remembered - all those stories about crime etc
- I was worried that I just wouldn't like it here.

How wrong can you be!

I landed through Terminal 3 at Heathrow at 6am on a wet windy morning, and felt at home from the moment I got of the plane. One simple reason why - familiarity!

24 hours with my best mate, then off to the family where I am in the middle of a 10 day stint being part of a family again. And not being spoilt particularly, I've just slotted in as "Aunty" exactly where I was before. After Hallowe'en I'm off to Sussex for some serious partying with my best mate and his partner, and a load of old friends.

I've "done" Sainsburys & Asda - the local ones are clean, bright shops, with full shelves, polite but unobtrusive staff ( I am sooo sick of discussing my life when I buy a loaf of bread!), and so much choice! My first Sainsburys was the one at Green Park in Bath - such a beautiful shop I nearly followed the example of another poster by bursting into tears!
I've revelled in the delights of Boots, marvelled at W H Smith, and spent a small fortune in M&S.

I spent today watching my nephew (12) and my eldest niece (10) winning trophies and medals for singing in a local Eisteddfod, and I am so proud of them! Especially when they told their teacher I had come from Australia to watch them

To sum it up, I'm so happy! For 3 short weeks I feel I'm alive again. I feel fitter than I have for two years. I know I have to return to Aus, but at least I know I can look forward to my next trip, knowing that the UK is still everything I loved about it.

If The Bloke reads this post, I can only hope he understands. He's never been an Expat, so he can't know what it feels like, though he does his best. Its not that I don't like Australia - I sometimes feel Australia neither likes nor wants me, however hard I try. For that reason I am trying not to make comparisons at the moment, but to accept the UK as it is. Its not perfect by any means, but its HOME!

Originally Posted by SCOTTISH MARK 2

My best mate is an airline pilot, so we are well prepared for the sneaky trick of leaving the hand luggage with him while I check-in.....!!!!
There is one bag that I am in two minds about (with a very very cheap Asda duvet in it!) - if I decide to leave it with him, he's going to do some pricing and it'll probably get shipped with Excess Baggage; I used them when I emigrated and they were very good. Like the idea of sticking it up my jumper though - except I would look sooooo pregnant they might refuse me boarding

Originally Posted by gdcollectables

Hi Pollyana

thank you so much for these posts about your trip back to the UK, they have been very helpful with our indecision - well done!


Also Arkons latest saga, had me laughing for ages last night - sorry Arkon!

I just couldn't get the picture of you out of my mind, standing in a field with Alpacas, a tumble down wall, bogan shirt, turned up jeans, swatting flies and singing 'C'mon Irene'!! You are just so funny!


gd

Originally Posted by arkon

I wasn't laughing this morning though as I went to put on my dexys jeans and discovered why wearing turnups and working on an Australian farm definately do not mix!! Sometime yesterday a giant locust must have fallen or jumped into my turnups and stayed hidden all through the night on the floor next to my bed and when I went to put them on today guess what was on the leg smiling up at me!! In the panic I thought it was a 4 inch spider with massive eyes. Then learnt the 2nd most important rule of Australian rural living...When confronted by a creature with eyes bigger than its head don't flee the room in panic, stay and keep an eye on it!! Call for help but DONT take your eye off it!! I did and it took an hour to find it again. Pretty scary when you didn't know what it was and turning over all the clothes on the floor carfully with a big stick. This lead to the 3rd rule of Australian rural living....DONT leave piles of your clothes on the floor or any other bag or potential bug hiding place!

Now where the Fkkk did I put those mogodons?

Originally Posted by psb182

I sincerely hope you have a great time.....I remember seeing you post a week or two ago saying you wanted to cancel......glad for you that you didn't.....take care