first time back in 10 years
Jan 30th 2011, 8:16 am
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 77
first time back in 10 years
Well, where to start. I received the phone call all of us dread. From my sister tell me to get back as soon as possible. Mother had been diagnosed with bowel cancer and was going in for an op with in 48 hours. Well I made back for her waking up from the medication. Good news is everything has gone as good as could be hoped for, so far.
What really surprised me was my very negative reaction to the visit. I know I have been away a while and mid Jan is not a great time to visit, but when did the country get flushed down the toilet?
The areas I was back to see are not, and never have been the beast. But they were the areas I grew up in and worked. Wishaw, Motherwell, Port Glasgow and Greenock. All old steel manufacturing and ship building areas.
I seem to have miss the final death throws of all these industries. With all signs of there existence being wiped of the face of the earth, only to be replace with soulless housing estates.
I have wondered if I could ever move back to Scotland, but the simple answer is never. All I can say is I am no longer an ex pat Scot living in Australia. I am an Australian and was visiting a foreign country.
so things I liked....
1) haggis as part of a fried breakfast
2) wandering about TESCO and ASDA confirming to myself that coles has a really bad range of goods.
3) Meeting up with old friends from work.
4) watching the seagulls walking over strathclyde loch on the ice.
things i did not like.
1) the depression brought on by seeing all the closed and boarded up shops,
2) the cold, the dark, the rain, the sleet, the black ice, being stuck in stuffy house with the heating turned up high to stay warm.
3) endless 1 pound special shops.
4) every one walk about in the uniform of Black beanie, and black jacket.
5) endless news reports of redundancies
6) news papers only full of political scandals, redundancies, the love lives of page 3 celebrities.
7) and i will never bad mouth Austar again. Not compared to what has happened to SKY
8) Meeting up with old friends and seeing them redundant or stuck in meaning less dead end jobs.
On re reading this I seem to be totally negative. I did like seeing my mother , sister and old work friends. But I could not go back. I may not even go back to visit again.
To sum it up. After traveling for 36 hours, with a bad cold, feeling like crap. I get to the doors at the airport. They open. I felt the heat hit me. The humidity. The smells of the tropics. I felt the heat soaking in to my bones, for the first time in 10 days I was warm. AHHHHH its nice to be home in Townsville.
What really surprised me was my very negative reaction to the visit. I know I have been away a while and mid Jan is not a great time to visit, but when did the country get flushed down the toilet?
The areas I was back to see are not, and never have been the beast. But they were the areas I grew up in and worked. Wishaw, Motherwell, Port Glasgow and Greenock. All old steel manufacturing and ship building areas.
I seem to have miss the final death throws of all these industries. With all signs of there existence being wiped of the face of the earth, only to be replace with soulless housing estates.
I have wondered if I could ever move back to Scotland, but the simple answer is never. All I can say is I am no longer an ex pat Scot living in Australia. I am an Australian and was visiting a foreign country.
so things I liked....
1) haggis as part of a fried breakfast
2) wandering about TESCO and ASDA confirming to myself that coles has a really bad range of goods.
3) Meeting up with old friends from work.
4) watching the seagulls walking over strathclyde loch on the ice.
things i did not like.
1) the depression brought on by seeing all the closed and boarded up shops,
2) the cold, the dark, the rain, the sleet, the black ice, being stuck in stuffy house with the heating turned up high to stay warm.
3) endless 1 pound special shops.
4) every one walk about in the uniform of Black beanie, and black jacket.
5) endless news reports of redundancies
6) news papers only full of political scandals, redundancies, the love lives of page 3 celebrities.
7) and i will never bad mouth Austar again. Not compared to what has happened to SKY
8) Meeting up with old friends and seeing them redundant or stuck in meaning less dead end jobs.
On re reading this I seem to be totally negative. I did like seeing my mother , sister and old work friends. But I could not go back. I may not even go back to visit again.
To sum it up. After traveling for 36 hours, with a bad cold, feeling like crap. I get to the doors at the airport. They open. I felt the heat hit me. The humidity. The smells of the tropics. I felt the heat soaking in to my bones, for the first time in 10 days I was warm. AHHHHH its nice to be home in Townsville.
Jan 30th 2011, 8:24 am
#2
da Bonehead
Joined: Jan 2004
Location: Lion in da jungle
Posts: 22,767
Re: first time back in 10 years
If ever you needed confirmation of where home is, I guess you got it Derf.
Probably best to remember the old life as it was, rather than what you just saw.
Probably best to remember the old life as it was, rather than what you just saw.
Jan 30th 2011, 8:26 am
#3
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Somewhere South... Not Telling YOU
Posts: 10,959
Re: first time back in 10 years
Jan 30th 2011, 7:58 pm
#4
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,042
Re: first time back in 10 years
Well, where to start. I received the phone call all of us dread. From my sister tell me to get back as soon as possible. Mother had been diagnosed with bowel cancer and was going in for an op with in 48 hours. Well I made back for her waking up from the medication. Good news is everything has gone as good as could be hoped for, so far.
What really surprised me was my very negative reaction to the visit. I know I have been away a while and mid Jan is not a great time to visit, but when did the country get flushed down the toilet?
The areas I was back to see are not, and never have been the beast. But they were the areas I grew up in and worked. Wishaw, Motherwell, Port Glasgow and Greenock. All old steel manufacturing and ship building areas.
I seem to have miss the final death throws of all these industries. With all signs of there existence being wiped of the face of the earth, only to be replace with soulless housing estates.
I have wondered if I could ever move back to Scotland, but the simple answer is never. All I can say is I am no longer an ex pat Scot living in Australia. I am an Australian and was visiting a foreign country.
so things I liked....
1) haggis as part of a fried breakfast
2) wandering about TESCO and ASDA confirming to myself that coles has a really bad range of goods.
3) Meeting up with old friends from work.
4) watching the seagulls walking over strathclyde loch on the ice.
things i did not like.
1) the depression brought on by seeing all the closed and boarded up shops,
2) the cold, the dark, the rain, the sleet, the black ice, being stuck in stuffy house with the heating turned up high to stay warm.
3) endless 1 pound special shops.
4) every one walk about in the uniform of Black beanie, and black jacket.
5) endless news reports of redundancies
6) news papers only full of political scandals, redundancies, the love lives of page 3 celebrities.
7) and i will never bad mouth Austar again. Not compared to what has happened to SKY
8) Meeting up with old friends and seeing them redundant or stuck in meaning less dead end jobs.
On re reading this I seem to be totally negative. I did like seeing my mother , sister and old work friends. But I could not go back. I may not even go back to visit again.
To sum it up. After traveling for 36 hours, with a bad cold, feeling like crap. I get to the doors at the airport. They open. I felt the heat hit me. The humidity. The smells of the tropics. I felt the heat soaking in to my bones, for the first time in 10 days I was warm. AHHHHH its nice to be home in Townsville.
What really surprised me was my very negative reaction to the visit. I know I have been away a while and mid Jan is not a great time to visit, but when did the country get flushed down the toilet?
The areas I was back to see are not, and never have been the beast. But they were the areas I grew up in and worked. Wishaw, Motherwell, Port Glasgow and Greenock. All old steel manufacturing and ship building areas.
I seem to have miss the final death throws of all these industries. With all signs of there existence being wiped of the face of the earth, only to be replace with soulless housing estates.
I have wondered if I could ever move back to Scotland, but the simple answer is never. All I can say is I am no longer an ex pat Scot living in Australia. I am an Australian and was visiting a foreign country.
so things I liked....
1) haggis as part of a fried breakfast
2) wandering about TESCO and ASDA confirming to myself that coles has a really bad range of goods.
3) Meeting up with old friends from work.
4) watching the seagulls walking over strathclyde loch on the ice.
things i did not like.
1) the depression brought on by seeing all the closed and boarded up shops,
2) the cold, the dark, the rain, the sleet, the black ice, being stuck in stuffy house with the heating turned up high to stay warm.
3) endless 1 pound special shops.
4) every one walk about in the uniform of Black beanie, and black jacket.
5) endless news reports of redundancies
6) news papers only full of political scandals, redundancies, the love lives of page 3 celebrities.
7) and i will never bad mouth Austar again. Not compared to what has happened to SKY
8) Meeting up with old friends and seeing them redundant or stuck in meaning less dead end jobs.
On re reading this I seem to be totally negative. I did like seeing my mother , sister and old work friends. But I could not go back. I may not even go back to visit again.
To sum it up. After traveling for 36 hours, with a bad cold, feeling like crap. I get to the doors at the airport. They open. I felt the heat hit me. The humidity. The smells of the tropics. I felt the heat soaking in to my bones, for the first time in 10 days I was warm. AHHHHH its nice to be home in Townsville.
Jan 30th 2011, 8:23 pm
#5
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Perth from Paisley
Posts: 327
Re: first time back in 10 years
Well, where to start. I received the phone call all of us dread. From my sister tell me to get back as soon as possible. Mother had been diagnosed with bowel cancer and was going in for an op with in 48 hours. Well I made back for her waking up from the medication. Good news is everything has gone as good as could be hoped for, so far.
What really surprised me was my very negative reaction to the visit. I know I have been away a while and mid Jan is not a great time to visit, but when did the country get flushed down the toilet?
The areas I was back to see are not, and never have been the beast. But they were the areas I grew up in and worked. Wishaw, Motherwell, Port Glasgow and Greenock. All old steel manufacturing and ship building areas.
I seem to have miss the final death throws of all these industries. With all signs of there existence being wiped of the face of the earth, only to be replace with soulless housing estates.
I have wondered if I could ever move back to Scotland, but the simple answer is never. All I can say is I am no longer an ex pat Scot living in Australia. I am an Australian and was visiting a foreign country.
so things I liked....
1) haggis as part of a fried breakfast
2) wandering about TESCO and ASDA confirming to myself that coles has a really bad range of goods.
3) Meeting up with old friends from work.
4) watching the seagulls walking over strathclyde loch on the ice.
things i did not like.
1) the depression brought on by seeing all the closed and boarded up shops,
2) the cold, the dark, the rain, the sleet, the black ice, being stuck in stuffy house with the heating turned up high to stay warm.
3) endless 1 pound special shops.
4) every one walk about in the uniform of Black beanie, and black jacket.
5) endless news reports of redundancies
6) news papers only full of political scandals, redundancies, the love lives of page 3 celebrities.
7) and i will never bad mouth Austar again. Not compared to what has happened to SKY
8) Meeting up with old friends and seeing them redundant or stuck in meaning less dead end jobs.
On re reading this I seem to be totally negative. I did like seeing my mother , sister and old work friends. But I could not go back. I may not even go back to visit again.
To sum it up. After traveling for 36 hours, with a bad cold, feeling like crap. I get to the doors at the airport. They open. I felt the heat hit me. The humidity. The smells of the tropics. I felt the heat soaking in to my bones, for the first time in 10 days I was warm. AHHHHH its nice to be home in Townsville.
What really surprised me was my very negative reaction to the visit. I know I have been away a while and mid Jan is not a great time to visit, but when did the country get flushed down the toilet?
The areas I was back to see are not, and never have been the beast. But they were the areas I grew up in and worked. Wishaw, Motherwell, Port Glasgow and Greenock. All old steel manufacturing and ship building areas.
I seem to have miss the final death throws of all these industries. With all signs of there existence being wiped of the face of the earth, only to be replace with soulless housing estates.
I have wondered if I could ever move back to Scotland, but the simple answer is never. All I can say is I am no longer an ex pat Scot living in Australia. I am an Australian and was visiting a foreign country.
so things I liked....
1) haggis as part of a fried breakfast
2) wandering about TESCO and ASDA confirming to myself that coles has a really bad range of goods.
3) Meeting up with old friends from work.
4) watching the seagulls walking over strathclyde loch on the ice.
things i did not like.
1) the depression brought on by seeing all the closed and boarded up shops,
2) the cold, the dark, the rain, the sleet, the black ice, being stuck in stuffy house with the heating turned up high to stay warm.
3) endless 1 pound special shops.
4) every one walk about in the uniform of Black beanie, and black jacket.
5) endless news reports of redundancies
6) news papers only full of political scandals, redundancies, the love lives of page 3 celebrities.
7) and i will never bad mouth Austar again. Not compared to what has happened to SKY
8) Meeting up with old friends and seeing them redundant or stuck in meaning less dead end jobs.
On re reading this I seem to be totally negative. I did like seeing my mother , sister and old work friends. But I could not go back. I may not even go back to visit again.
To sum it up. After traveling for 36 hours, with a bad cold, feeling like crap. I get to the doors at the airport. They open. I felt the heat hit me. The humidity. The smells of the tropics. I felt the heat soaking in to my bones, for the first time in 10 days I was warm. AHHHHH its nice to be home in Townsville.
We're getting 2 new aircraft carriers again costing billions and they can't afford to put any aircraft on them.
Jan 30th 2011, 8:29 pm
#6
Happy migrant
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: Newcastle , NSW
Posts: 6,756
Re: first time back in 10 years
I hope your Mum makes a speedy recovery 
January is generally an awful month in the UK - I can't wait for spring
It's great that you were glad to get back to TV - I know what you mean about the feel of the tropics when you leave the airport it reminds me of holidays
January is generally an awful month in the UK - I can't wait for spring
It's great that you were glad to get back to TV - I know what you mean about the feel of the tropics when you leave the airport it reminds me of holidays
Jan 30th 2011, 8:56 pm
#7
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 77
Re: first time back in 10 years
Yup, did one drive through the town center and that was enough. The Star had not seemed to change at all. If I had been there later in the day I would have stopped at Saucy Sue for a chicken supper, but they were closed. Also I expect the supper would not have lived up to my memories of gravy soaked mass of chicken and chips, chased down by a bottle os Irn Bru.
Jan 30th 2011, 9:03 pm
#8
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2008
Location: Perth from Paisley
Posts: 327
Re: first time back in 10 years
Yup, did one drive through the town center and that was enough. The Star had not seemed to change at all. If I had been there later in the day I would have stopped at Saucy Sue for a chicken supper, but they were closed. Also I expect the supper would not have lived up to my memories of gravy soaked mass of chicken and chips, chased down by a bottle os Irn Bru.
Jan 30th 2011, 9:03 pm
#9
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 136
Re: first time back in 10 years
Hi
Well said the country is going damn the pan and I can hand on heart say I so glad to be getting out of here when I emigrate in July and August.
Doom and Gloom and more Doom and Gloom thats the outlook for the UK.
My thoughts are with you and I am sure it will give your mum a real comfort being back here.
Best wishes
Debbie
Well said the country is going damn the pan and I can hand on heart say I so glad to be getting out of here when I emigrate in July and August.
Doom and Gloom and more Doom and Gloom thats the outlook for the UK.
My thoughts are with you and I am sure it will give your mum a real comfort being back here.
Best wishes
Debbie
Jan 30th 2011, 9:06 pm
#10
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,042
Re: first time back in 10 years
Yup, did one drive through the town center and that was enough. The Star had not seemed to change at all. If I had been there later in the day I would have stopped at Saucy Sue for a chicken supper, but they were closed. Also I expect the supper would not have lived up to my memories of gravy soaked mass of chicken and chips, chased down by a bottle os Irn Bru.
. Are you from Port Glasgow derf?
Jan 30th 2011, 9:21 pm
#11
Fighting my corner
Joined: Aug 2005
Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Posts: 11,948
Re: first time back in 10 years
Jan 31st 2011, 12:26 am
#15
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 77
Re: first time back in 10 years
53? small world I was No.47.