Exile

May I ask why you feel this way?

NKSK version 2

Sure.

Well I see the world as a place which needs seeing. I suppose that's why I criticise Australia so much. It isn't the be-all or end-all for me. It's just one place that we have chosen to live in for a few years. We've lived in Asia, the UK and travelled widely so get so see countries with a bit of perspective.

The UK (England in my case!) has many excellent aspects - the media, the NHS, the system of government, the countryside, civil liberties, education system. All of these are criticised at one time or another - often by Brits who have seen little to compare. The more I travel the more I feel that the UK has so many things right.

But for me the weather is critical - I just can't stand grey days - I love the hard cold and the heat. I love dramatic storms and snow but I hate with a passion endless grey days. The thought of getting older in that greyness fills me with depression!

There is so much to see in the world - for me currently, SE Asia is the place I enjoy the most. I like the humidity, I like having a maid, I like being able to travel and stay in top hotels for relatively little, I like the attitude and friendliness of the people. If China ever gets less polluted I'd like to live there for a few years. Ditto India. Who knows, I might even try Brisbane!!

What I won't do is rush back to the UK - I was there for 30 years. I've done it. And life is short

Exile

I understand exactly how you feel. I felt like that for many years, but now feel like the UK is drawing me back.

Thank you.

JosieJ

No worries Dotnron - hope today is better for you - feel free to send me an email/pm if you ever feel you need to offload! Keep smiling - it's the only thing that gets me through sometimes!!
x

jugsy

It always amazes me when I hear people say they spend weekends like this in the U.K.
I don't understand it. We get out with our kids every single weekend.
We walk in the woods, go to the park, walk in the countryside or walk along the beach. When we lived in a city we used to drive out and do these things.
I can tell you that it's not very often that the weather stops us.
It doesn't actually rain as much as people think it does. If it does rain we wear coats and wellies - the kids love it! If it's cold we wear hats, scarves and gloves and walk faster. I think sometimes people think a move to another country is the only way to get the life they want when in actual fact a change in attitude is often all that's needed.

Wol

Precisely.

It's the endless grey days that make the climate so sorry: people who have never seen how fabulous a good climate is will never appreciate the difference.

There are probably no more than a handful of days in most of the UK each year where the sky really *is* blue - that brilliant sparkling blue that you get in say Washington state or the Pacific islands. There is always that pale masking haze.

Wol

Oh - so easy to say!

Just try year after year with chronic sinus headaches, athritis and other pains - virtually all of which disappear in a benevolent climate - and see the difference.

Plus the "aged" attitude of the population: each spring I would return to the UK after a winter in Florida and almost weep to see the stooped, slow movements of the seniors in Sussex - ten years younger in many cases than those I had been lucky to play tennis and golf with in the States. Sorry, it's NOT just a case of attitude.

jugsy

Of course it's not always attitude and I do accept that a warmer climate is better for the elderly. However for the average person the weather in Britain should not be a barrier to spending time outside.

Grayling

Totally agree.

The weather has never stopped me doing anything.

Britain actually has a very moderate mild climate.

It is lack of imagination or idleness as much as attitude.

G

geordie mandy

Many family outing we have had has been in awful weather we fill flasks with soup and other warm food and try and go to the woods with the dogs and kids. But having to do that all the time is a pain.
2 of my children and husband have March birthdays and we promised a trip to the zoo. The night before we had blizzards and thought we would have to cancel. Setting of at 5am we set off packed for the winter condtions , driving from Durham to the South lakes zoo. We virtualy had the Zoo to our selves and yes we did enjoy it. Despite the cold weather a lot of the animals were out including the animals in the Australia section. The down side to this adventure was my kids came down with bronchites the following week.
When you only get a handful of decent days to tour your own country can be soul destroying.
Mandy

jugsy

Mandy I used to feel like this so I understand where you are coming from. However what we have discovered is that it is possible to have a really outdoorsy life as long as you are spontaneous. we used to plan ahead - say lets go to the woods on Sunday. Saturday would pass by, it would be dry outside but we would do shopping, cleaning etc. Then on Sunday when we wanted to go out if it was raining we would be disappointed. Planning ahead is difficult especially for bbq's etc.
What we do now is make the most of weather as it comes. If it's nice on Saturday we go out and leave the shopping etc til another day. Then if it's miserable on sunday we feel ok about staying in as we got out the day before.
Having said that we still go out if it's raining- we just dress appropriately. Most kids would rather go out in the rain all wrapped up than stay indoors.
What I have noticed though is it's not actually as often as you might think that we have to put our waterproofs on. most of our rain seems to fall in one go over the course of a few days then it stops.

arkon

I'm with you on this jugsy. We almost never had a weekend in doors, we were always out and about. You just add layers, gloves and hats and sometimes a brolly. I think this is one of the things I actually dislike about Australia, for large parts of the year we can't go out and do anything more strenuous than drinking a beer. There's only so many clothes you can remove to get comfortable. I for one spend far less time out doors here than I did in the UK. Give me rain and cold over heat, flies and mozzies anyday.

tonyk38

Ah right. My apologies Steve!

Still think it just about sums it up mind...