see'ing the uk in a different light
Jun 21st 2005 | 5:16 am
#181
Thread Starter
Forum Regular
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 105
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
well thanks for the helpful replies
and er thanks for the stuff about heating which went off on a tangent so still unsure what to do about the move but if i do i will fully up with all the aspects of heating/weather conditions and insultion and electric costs...
karl
and er thanks for the stuff about heating which went off on a tangent so still unsure what to do about the move but if i do i will fully up with all the aspects of heating/weather conditions and insultion and electric costs...
karl
Jun 21st 2005 | 7:53 am
#182
home again, home again
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,748
From: Notts to Perth, Perth to Notts
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by Megalania
Never seen even the most basic house in Aus without any heating - perhaps the landlords take it out specially for Pom tenants to try to make them feel at home?
Honest, we didnt have 'any' heating. We ended up buying a really crap electric heater!!
None of the homes we looked at (to buy) had any heating at all. When we rented the house had been owned by Italian and there was a lovely wood burner which I was very fond of. We sat very close to it during the first winter but it didnt heat the whole house just the room it was in.
Jun 21st 2005 | 8:01 am
#183
home again, home again
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,748
From: Notts to Perth, Perth to Notts
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by Badge
I recall having the very same 1970s heating in bedrooms at home - yes it was cold - but I find that once under a doona that you are always warm - your body heat warms up the cavity under it. It could be 10 outside and I would be fine. Can never work out all the socks and gear.
I have woken up outside in a sleeping bag at sub zeros temps and felt cold of course. I'm trying to think of the times I have been so cold I want to die.
Being cold is one thing, being cold and having to think is another. Reminds me of living outside for a week or two in winter.
Coldest I have ever been in the UK is lying on the ground in snow in Hampshire at 4am..trying to stay awake - your body aches, or in the back of a speedboat roaring across a Scottish lake and remembering your warm kit is in your rucksack. gibber gibber. Or sleeping on the floor in the back of a truck down the M4 with the wind roaring through..
The other thing is getting in a plane bloody cold in the back - so wrapping up warm - then parachuting ending up bloody hot because you haven't got time to divest the clothes - finally stopping, then all the sweat freezes..lol. After a week of not eating much you get colder and colder, your feet get wetter and wetter, and it is very easy to go down unless you are scrupulous about hygiene, dry socks etc. Its the little things you have to manage even when you are knackered like brushing off as much snow as you can before you get in to a sleeping bag etc.Then you have to boil water to shave in if you have time - otherwise cold water etc.
The plus side is if you strip off to wash - even in the snow - you feel warm when you put it all back on again lol.
memories
Badge
I have woken up outside in a sleeping bag at sub zeros temps and felt cold of course. I'm trying to think of the times I have been so cold I want to die.
Being cold is one thing, being cold and having to think is another. Reminds me of living outside for a week or two in winter.
Coldest I have ever been in the UK is lying on the ground in snow in Hampshire at 4am..trying to stay awake - your body aches, or in the back of a speedboat roaring across a Scottish lake and remembering your warm kit is in your rucksack. gibber gibber. Or sleeping on the floor in the back of a truck down the M4 with the wind roaring through..
The other thing is getting in a plane bloody cold in the back - so wrapping up warm - then parachuting ending up bloody hot because you haven't got time to divest the clothes - finally stopping, then all the sweat freezes..lol. After a week of not eating much you get colder and colder, your feet get wetter and wetter, and it is very easy to go down unless you are scrupulous about hygiene, dry socks etc. Its the little things you have to manage even when you are knackered like brushing off as much snow as you can before you get in to a sleeping bag etc.Then you have to boil water to shave in if you have time - otherwise cold water etc.
The plus side is if you strip off to wash - even in the snow - you feel warm when you put it all back on again lol.
memories
Badge
It's taken me a while I know (sorry) but I've just realised who you actually are Badge........
You're that bloke of the old advert for 'Black Magic' aren't you? The one that can do every stunt and trick in the book. The one that has lived through the worst and will live through the best?
Jun 21st 2005 | 8:30 am
#184
Banned
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,614
From: Manchester-Sydney August 07 and maybe Brisbane or Melbourne 08
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
[QUOTE=baggie]well thanks for the helpful replies
and er thanks for the stuff about heating which went off on a tangent so still unsure what to do about the move but if i do i will fully up with all the aspects of heating/weather conditions and insultion and electric costs...
Thats why this site is so great. Ask a simple question and get this
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ight=lightbulb
Megalania, i love you.xxx We share so much. BTW BRITAIN is spelt as so not Briton if you want to criticise british standards.
All a bit of fun and hard to describe sarcasm whilst typing, so i hope no harm done as none intended. WDP.
alk
and er thanks for the stuff about heating which went off on a tangent so still unsure what to do about the move but if i do i will fully up with all the aspects of heating/weather conditions and insultion and electric costs...
Thats why this site is so great. Ask a simple question and get this
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showt...ight=lightbulb
Megalania, i love you.xxx We share so much. BTW BRITAIN is spelt as so not Briton if you want to criticise british standards.
All a bit of fun and hard to describe sarcasm whilst typing, so i hope no harm done as none intended. WDP.
alk
Jun 21st 2005 | 9:56 am
#185
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,430
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by janeyray
Honest, we didnt have 'any' heating. We ended up buying a really crap electric heater!! None of the homes we looked at (to buy) had any heating at all.
When we rented the house had been owned by Italian and there was a lovely wood burner which I was very fond of. We sat very close to it during the first winter but it didnt heat the whole house just the room it was in.
None of the homes we looked at (to buy) had any heating at all. When we rented the house had been owned by Italian and there was a lovely wood burner which I was very fond of. We sat very close to it during the first winter but it didnt heat the whole house just the room it was in.
Your second complaint is that you bought a non-functional electric heater?
Your third complaint would have been answered if you had left the internal doors open and stoked up the fire.
Jun 21st 2005 | 9:59 am
#186
Banned
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 4,430
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by alkristensen
BTW BRITAIN is spelt as so not Briton if you want to criticise british standards.
Jun 21st 2005 | 10:20 am
#187
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by janeyray
It's taken me a while I know (sorry) but I've just realised who you actually are Badge........
You're that bloke of the old advert for 'Black Magic' aren't you? The one that can do every stunt and trick in the book. The one that has lived through the worst and will live through the best?
You're that bloke of the old advert for 'Black Magic' aren't you? The one that can do every stunt and trick in the book. The one that has lived through the worst and will live through the best?
Sums it up better than my image of a cross between superman and batman 
Wearing tights while saving melbourne would be warm tho
Last edited by jad n rich; Jun 21st 2005 at 10:58 am.
Jun 21st 2005 | 10:27 am
#188
Just Joined
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 4
From: wigan
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by aussie73
Yes, but is'nt there more to be gained immigrating to OZ then nice weather which it has alot more of then the UK, for example OZ is a country 70 times the size of the Uk with 3 times less the population which means plenty of open spaces, less crowds, conjestion, pollution. OZ as the largest island on earth has thousands of miles of scenic, unspoilt coastline which is great for swimming, surfing etc. Oz has plenty of great national parks and a variety of scenic places and landscapes, from tropical islands and the great barrier reef and rainforests in Queensland, snowcapped mountains in NSW and Victoria etc. The cost of housing is cheaper which means many people immigrating can live in a larger house mortgage free.
Jun 21st 2005 | 10:51 am
#189
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Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 226
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
And are the people governing Australia so different?
Jun 21st 2005 | 11:02 am
#190
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 10,375
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by Jollymae1
Unfortunately for us, a summers day does not shine bright enough to blind us from the real reasons we want to leave the uk. this country, my daughter (19m old Molly) will be governed by a generation of selfish and disrespectful fools who have no concern for the future, that is why we want to leave and no number of sunny days will change that!
Which parts of australian politics and australian political figures do you like?
Jun 21st 2005 | 1:26 pm
#191
Guest
Posts: n/a
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by jad n rich
Sums it up better than my image of a cross between superman and batman Wearing tights while saving melbourne would be warm tho It was my intention to parachute in to Holland one year with a box of chocs for my girlfriend but it never came to fruition. Close ..close..
Badge
Jun 21st 2005 | 7:05 pm
#192
Bitter and twisted
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 17,503
From: Upmarket
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
Originally Posted by Badge
karma to both Janeyray and jad and rich.
It was my intention to parachute in to Holland one year with a box of chocs for my girlfriend but it never came to fruition. Close ..close..
Badge
It was my intention to parachute in to Holland one year with a box of chocs for my girlfriend but it never came to fruition. Close ..close..
Badge
Is it a plane?
No....it's Badgeman
G
Jun 21st 2005 | 8:00 pm
#193
Forum Regular
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 30
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
One of the main reasons I want to leave the UK is to get away from the yobs. I live in a posh part of the south east and my kids are afraid to go out on the streets.
A while ago I saw two yobs on my highstreet outside a shop. It was 6 o'cock on a Friday evening. One of them turned and vomited on the floor - right in front of people standing behind him. No apology - nothing. He and his mate sauntered off laughing.
I recounted that episode to my sister-in-law who lives in the suburbs of Sydney (lived there for 15 years now - 20 years before that in NZ). She said 'If you are leaving England to escape that sort of yobbish behaviour, Australia is not where you want to come - we have plenty of yaboos (think that was the word she used) here.
I wonder what others think that live in Australia now?
I don't think you can overestimate the trauma on a family when a generation moves and (obviously) takes its children. For the grandparents left behind it is like a bereavement. They might get over once a year but as they get older this will be harder and harder to so. Strikes me you need a really powerful, completely compelling reason to go - the separation causes a lot of pain. My parents are dead now - I could never have contemplated going when my Mum was still alive.
To be honest, you sound like you'll go - and come back.
A while ago I saw two yobs on my highstreet outside a shop. It was 6 o'cock on a Friday evening. One of them turned and vomited on the floor - right in front of people standing behind him. No apology - nothing. He and his mate sauntered off laughing.
I recounted that episode to my sister-in-law who lives in the suburbs of Sydney (lived there for 15 years now - 20 years before that in NZ). She said 'If you are leaving England to escape that sort of yobbish behaviour, Australia is not where you want to come - we have plenty of yaboos (think that was the word she used) here.
I wonder what others think that live in Australia now?
I don't think you can overestimate the trauma on a family when a generation moves and (obviously) takes its children. For the grandparents left behind it is like a bereavement. They might get over once a year but as they get older this will be harder and harder to so. Strikes me you need a really powerful, completely compelling reason to go - the separation causes a lot of pain. My parents are dead now - I could never have contemplated going when my Mum was still alive.
To be honest, you sound like you'll go - and come back.
Jun 21st 2005 | 8:43 pm
#194
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 315
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
[QUOTE=Seriously]
I don't think you can overestimate the trauma on a family when a generation moves and (obviously) takes its children.
QUOTE]
This is something that is affecting me personally more and more as my departure date nears. I do think that it is going to be traumatic for my parents.
However, I do think that there is another aspect to this.
Some parents are better than others at managing it. I know of some who completely accept it and say things along the lines of "Of course I'll miss the kids but I'd do exactly the same if i was in your shoes".
The annual visit of grandparents obviously cannot make up for living on the doorstep but a one to two month visit can be much better than a situation where the family lives in London and the parents in Scotland and a weekend visit 4 times a year is the norm.
I also think that the whole thing is very much dependent on the personality of the grandparent. If they lead fulfilling lives then the loss will be much easier to cope with than someone who sits at home every day twiddling their thumbs waiting for the grandchildren to visit.
One last thing, obviously the older parents get the harder it is for them to travel but a 65 year old parent could easily expect to travel for another 15 years. (by which time most children will have left the family home anyhow and grandparent visits will be reduced to a Christmas duty.
I'm not trying to be glib about any of this - in a way I suppose I'm trying to ease my guilt. But I don't think that it is necessarily as devastating for all grandparents.
I don't think you can overestimate the trauma on a family when a generation moves and (obviously) takes its children.
QUOTE]
This is something that is affecting me personally more and more as my departure date nears. I do think that it is going to be traumatic for my parents.
However, I do think that there is another aspect to this.
Some parents are better than others at managing it. I know of some who completely accept it and say things along the lines of "Of course I'll miss the kids but I'd do exactly the same if i was in your shoes".
The annual visit of grandparents obviously cannot make up for living on the doorstep but a one to two month visit can be much better than a situation where the family lives in London and the parents in Scotland and a weekend visit 4 times a year is the norm.
I also think that the whole thing is very much dependent on the personality of the grandparent. If they lead fulfilling lives then the loss will be much easier to cope with than someone who sits at home every day twiddling their thumbs waiting for the grandchildren to visit.
One last thing, obviously the older parents get the harder it is for them to travel but a 65 year old parent could easily expect to travel for another 15 years. (by which time most children will have left the family home anyhow and grandparent visits will be reduced to a Christmas duty.
I'm not trying to be glib about any of this - in a way I suppose I'm trying to ease my guilt. But I don't think that it is necessarily as devastating for all grandparents.
Jun 21st 2005 | 11:13 pm
#195
Banned
Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,614
From: Manchester-Sydney August 07 and maybe Brisbane or Melbourne 08
Re: see'ing the uk in a different light
I agree, my mother said to me "go and enjoy your life son, you only get one chance at life, live it to the full!" I really respect her for saying that. My dad is off to spain in 4 weeks, so he cant complain!
Ill do my best to get her over when i am settled, if not then she will be happy near to my older brother round the corner, as he is keeping her in enough grandkids to satisfy her needs!!
alk
Ill do my best to get her over when i am settled, if not then she will be happy near to my older brother round the corner, as he is keeping her in enough grandkids to satisfy her needs!!
alk
