HeatherS

Thanks for that Mandy! I was starting to get depressed with the other posts!
Just shows how the glass can be half full or half empty depending who's talking about it.........

sashimi

Herman,

you always try to write seemingly well-thought-through and balanced posts, but the one you wrote about the empty weekend stretching ahead of you says more about you, than Sydney, to me.

If you need your family around you to make you happy, well yes, then you've got a problem in Australia, I can see that, but that's hardly Oz' fault. You moan about wandering aimlessly around the streets of Sydney. Again that indicates you have a very hard time taking advantage of what's around you. Fantastic scenery, and if the weather's as mild as you say, at least you can't moan about it being too hot to go for a hike. There's endless cafes, parks, sports clubs, oh but I forgot, they're full of shallow uninteresting Australians, the same ones, I guess, that are now coming to your goodbye parties.

I've lived in countries where we stayed a year or two, and of course the people you get to know there you cannot have the same history with as with friends you've known for many years, but if you're willing and interested you can make extremely interesting and worthwhile friendships.

My husband works for one of the large Swiss banks and he can tell you a story or two about"considerate" Swiss bosses, and colleagues of his who work late into the evening every evening and most weekends as well. Daily articles on the bbc website make it very clear how many and long hours people are expected to work in the UK, to the extent that two-thirds of all fathers hardly ever see their children.

But as I'm beneath your contempt you're probably not going to read this anyway. You have a nice life too.

Sashimi

Ginny

Hi there Dotty and everyone.

My weekend started with singing Happy Birthday to my bewildered little girl who is two years old today!

Having a little family party to celebrate. Weather is looking promising as it's dry and there appears to be a little bit of sunshine breaking through.

Got her a wee bike so we might manage to get outside and use it!

Hope everyone else is having fun.

Love Ginny

Herman

We enjoy wandering aimlessly FYI. We have 2 weekends left in Sydney, which means lots to sort out, a need to be close to home for selling our possessions, little time for clubs etc. I really dont need to explain myself to you and you really are not remotely qualified to judge me or anyone on this forum with your little outbursts. And yes, I do hold people who are arrogant enough to believe they can judge those they know nothing about with contempt!

dotty

Look, if anybodys bored a new tourist attraction called the Big Ant is just about to open. A 6m x 11 m ant (meat eating type). I am sure this will provide many hours of amusments.
Who says aus is dull.

Dont be too quick to assume comments like "wandering about aimlessly" are sarcastic. Although Sydney is indeed beautiful, many people call it a 3 day wonder city. All the picture postcard bits are really in a very small klm radius. As for the Blue (90 min drive) Mountains, great day out, nice walks, cafes and so pretty, well worth a visit.

I think people who dont live here probably dont appreciate, how far apart and limiting entertainment is here. Think what you could do in a 12 hour drive from London. Here that would take me almost to Sydney or a very very boring drive Northwards to townsville. Or a deserted 12 hours across desert westwards. 12 hours from London I could probably visit 6 other countries, also think what I would see in the UK in 12 hours.

Knock people who live here all you like but you will soon see what we mean after your first exciting its all new first 6 months.

Shiralee

Sorry but it seems I've been sorely misled here - I actually thought this section was for expats living in Australia and New Zealand, unless there's a Zurich on the Australian map I've missed then could you please leave your immature and inane comments for your own forum.

yafm

Spent yesterday sorting out in the garden cutting the lawn and enjoying the sunshine Husband STILL trying to get rid of 47 years of accomulated 'rubbish'

Today Sunday we are looking forward to meeting with the rest of the 'Essex Girls' and lothers - about 40 we think - in a pub near the M25 All from this site should be a good lunch time

Remember you can have a good time ANYWHERE you live so long as you have the right frame of mind. Even a freezing wet winders day - a nice fire and a good book (plus a glass of plonk):lecture: :lecture:

sashimi

Dotty,

maybe using the word "pathetic" was coming on a bit strong. It's just that having read quite a few of your and PS and Herman's earlier posts after reading the headline of this one, it was difficult to assume that much of what was being written was meant to be "positive" God, it's difficult saying this, one word wrong and people jump down one's throat.

I can appreciate that especially living where you do that, yes maybe, it's limited what there is in entertainment and that you do have to drive very far to get anywhere. But what I was referring to with Herman and the "aimlessly wandering" was, also based on earlier posts where he points out how little there is to do and how boring it gets, that aimlessly wandering was not any fun, as he in response to your question "anybody with a more exciting agenda" writes "no" . And, yes, I don't live in Oz, yet, but it doesn't mean I haven't been there, and if you live in a city whether Adelaide, Sydney or even Zurich, there are quite a few things to do, but even here and in the UK, you live in a place it becomes routine, the lake, the 5,10, or 20 cafes or the art museum etc. they don't change anymore than attractions don't change in Sydney.

Herman, now who's the one doing the "outbursting"? But, no I don't know you, but for someone who has posted as much as you have, you cannot realistically expect people not to get an impression, at least. But, unless I've written something now to offend you, I suggest we call it a truce and all the best for your life back in Europe.

Shiralee, I didn't know that places like Kent, York, London or Scotland where in Australia.

Prestons

'...Dont fancy the beach, its windy and I hate the sandblasting effect on your skin which newly covered in sunblock sticks...'

Don't complain Dotty - get yourself down to that beach - people over here pay hundreds for those sandblasting face peel anti ageing treatments!

Stoney

It might blast that permanent frown off your face

Stoney

Prestons

Well said Stoney!!

Interested

Sydney is a fantastic city and I certainly wouldn't complain if I lived there. There are loads of things to do and other great places fairly nearby, like the hunter valley where some of the best wines in the world are produced.

Go on, go on a wine tour and let your hair down dotty etc, you might even have fun, woohoooo !!!

karawara88

12 hour drive from London going North to Manchester, 2 hours to get out of London sat in traffic jams, 2 hours stuck on the M6 at Birmingham, an hour stuck in traffic jam on M6 Thelwall viaduct. Traffic down to a crawl on M56 roadworks another hour to get to city center.

So thats 7 hours to do 250 miles. !!! and it lashed it down all the way.

pommie bastard

Try a new car or change your route the A5 is a good standby done London from the midlands in less than 120 mins to cover 100 miles going down the A5 even the M1 is a better bet , forget the M6 its the most over used Motorway in the UK.

PS nice bit from an Email I got last week


One big difference that you will notice is the opportunity for cheap european travel. If you go at the right time and are flexible with flight times, you can go abroad for the same cost as filling your car with 80p a litre fuel (Robbing bas***ds) and driving to Scotland and back.

You are a football fan and you can travel to watch big european games for little more than the price of a night out in the UK.

My mate is a golfer and will fly to Portugal or Spain for a game in our winter. My mate who lives in Portugal has flown to Bristol airport out of season for £19 and will then look on the internet for the cheapest return.

dotty

I guess you could use twelve hours to do that, or maybe a day trip to France. up to the cotswolds, down to devon, day out in Hastings, brighton, shopping trip to Nottingham..................

Youll know what we mean once youve lived here, day trip to the desert, big pineapple, big ant, 12 hours of looking at dead trees la de dah.........

And by the way we get lovely traffic jams here, even more lovely in 35 degree heat. Gridlocks in rush hour in sydney and Brisbane and Melbourne probably too. School traffic here something out of a nightmare. Of course the ugly deserted desert strips are nice and empty, dont go to fast tho you might hit a kangaroo and kill yourself, or if lucky you'll get done in by some murdering maniac, they love pommies enjoy he he!

By the way 100 or 110 is the top speed here, one lane highways the norm, bet you wont be going anywhere too fast here either, fine for speeding in NSW $545 according to the signs.