65 million

Its so easy to take your own country for granted!!.

I have a wishlist of things I want to do whilst in the UK before we finally (hopefully) leave for Melbourne.

For me, missing family won't be a problem. What I will miss will be friends, the English Countryside and events like Wimbledon.

What I won't miss about the UK will be how little housing you get for your money here (compared to Narre Warren, south east of Melbourne). The dodgy weather and the population density.

How about you?.

etlniwd

• Brighton and Hove Albion
• British humour
• London theatre
• British TV
• being cosy indoors when it's cold outside
• snow
• low income tax
• free banking
• cornish pasties
• my family
• my cats
• being able to go anywhere in Europe for the weekend
• tax-free investments
• relatively high salaries
• lack of bureaucracy
• real pubs

Ceri

Nothing about England! ... ahh just a joke, I'm Welsh ... couldn't resist it mate .. sorry

cheers

Just a little list, off the top of my head

Old British Pubs
Humour
cold christmas's
Family
Old friends
British TV
The landscape of Gower, and going fishing on Bury Holmes, with no one about you
Fresh cockles and Lava Bread
The diversity of people
Feeling "this is your land/home" ... in the heart

could go on... but I'm getting all sentimental now
cheers

Sandra

Being Irish, Belfast born and bred, I miss the UK for

Missing family
My mates
Humour, my Irish jokes put the thick english in their rightful place
Family to help with kids, especially kids parties
Family pubs
Being up past 10.00 pm and feeling normal
NOT having a conversation in work without having to say Aus is wonderful

Love Aus for
My family with me, we get stronger together
Visiting family, long may it last
Challenge and opportunity to have a laugh
opportunity to choose to stay or go, our choice

-ve and +ve = I am staying for now!!!!

Cheers

Sandra

Sorry, being sentimental before, now I will answer original post

what I did before I went

Visited Grandmother, 88, not likely to get back before whatever!
Kids went to London with Dad, London Eye etc great day
Kids came with Mum to Belfast (Belfast won)
Went camping South Coast, wet and wonderful (all camping gear here now for it to be more wonderful)
We (hubby and I) spent brilliant weekend in London with my sister and boyfriend for long weekend (sans children).

I would love to hear what others did/plan to do.

Cheers

mashiraz

What i will miss;

Family close by to babysit and help out with diy and jobs
Historic sites, english country gardens, landscape
crunchy autumn leaves and conkers
bright crisp winter mornings
Family seeing their grandchildren grow up
knowing what everything is / where everything is


What I will not miss;

Cold grey drizzle for days
Damp that penetrates the bones
Traffic jams and miserable faces
Routine
Not being able to plan anything 'cus of the weather
Poor customer service, bad manners
graffiti & uncleanliness
dirty grimy steeets
lack of opportunities
mortgage payments.

Mash..

Grub

Mash- you took the words out of my mouth. Autumn mornings, dew on the ground, sun shining through the trees. I will miss crisp air in the mornings,crunchy ground.

Mind you- i dont think i'll care too much when i am jumping into my pool on Xmas day!

Family close by to babysit and help out with diy and jobs
Historic sites, english country gardens, landscape
crunchy autumn leaves and conkers
bright crisp winter mornings
Family seeing their grandchildren grow up
knowing what everything is / where everything is


What I will not miss;

Cold grey drizzle for days
Damp that penetrates the bones
Traffic jams and miserable faces
Routine
Not being able to plan anything 'cus of the weather
Poor customer service, bad manners
graffiti & uncleanliness
dirty grimy steeets
lack of opportunities
mortgage payments.

Mash..

Herman

Quite a lengthy list. Sorry, I was bored at work and got carried away......

Things we miss about England:
Seasons
Dinner parties not BBQ's
Skiing in the Alps every January
Christmas (its not the same in Oz)
Family and 'real' friends
Being part of a local community where everyone know us
Comedy
Worldliness of most British
People's ability to laugh at themselves and humility
Politeness
Walking through country lanes in summer and visiting country pubs
Low taxes, high salaries
History
French driving holidays in September
European weekends away
The feeling of belonging
British TV on Monday nights
Professionalism at work
Feeling of self worth as an employee - better pay, maternity leave, sick leave, other policies that make you feel valued
Winter evenings in front of the fire
Bristish pubs, especially as a sanctuary on a freezing night

Things we'll miss about Sydney when we return to England next year:
Our apartment - bigger and better than we could dream about in England
Quiet Sunday breakfasts on our balcony in the sunshine
Sydney itself - great city, incredible surrounds
Surfing, sailing and diving
Confident friendly people
The birds - every colour, shape and size
How easy it is to be better than your work colleagues!
Beaches
Crisp dry sunny winter walks in the Blue Mountains
Quality of meat, fruit and vegetables
Opening the blinds morning after morning to a view of Sydney bathed in bright sunlight
The swimming pool in our apartment block
Good Aussie wine - fruity, but nice
Cheap petrol
National pride
Relative lack of care about fashions and trends, especially blokes!

Things we wont miss about Sydney:
Sport obsession
Inward looking people, inward looking news, ignorance about anywhere but Australia
Some locals inability to conceive that anywhere else can be as good as Australia, despite having never been outside Sydney
Appalling TV - 5 year old US programmes
Poor driving, dreadful roads
Cowboy politicians who are inept and self serving
Subservience in face of all things American
Crooked corporate practices
Hypocracy - 'give everyone a fair go' = racism, discrimination and locking up immigrants in the desert
Poor air quality in Sydney
Bluebottles in the sea in summer. Both swam into a swarm of them last Jan and were repeatedly stung - OWCH. Wife wont go in the sea now.
Being constantly disappointed when we visit places Australians describe as 'the most beautiful place on earth'. Its never true - we've seen nothing so beautiful here to rival Austria, Switzerland or France in summer
Pubs full of 'blokes' and the general macho culture
Employers who take the piss
Temporary friends - everyone seems to be just passing through or planning to leave, even the locals

Want we dont look foward to about the UK:
Grey skys
Pale miserable people, especially morose bus drivers
The national health service
Petrol and food prices
Road congestion
Getting sucked into family problems, rows etc
Competitiveness when it comes to 'keeping up with the Jones's'. Must try to resist this time....
Paranioa - always thinking there must be something better
Pubs and bars with a 'dress code'. Utter nonsense.
Aggressive atmospheres in some bars/lager louts
'Rip off Britain' - corporates take us for a ride and we let them
I wont say house prices as Sydney is worse than where we will be living in the UK (just outside Bristol)
Snobbery, especially private school snobbery that lasts for life and old boy networks
Stupid system that gave land/wealth in sickening quantities to distant relatives to the royal family

OK, I could go on but I better do some work now.

pommie bastard

Do miss about UK

1. People with humour
2. Ease of travel to Europe and America
3.The great British Pub
4.Communitys
5.Job opportunities
6.Seasons Spring, Summer, Autumn even Winter.
7.Football
8.Rugby
9.Good Fish and Chip Shops
10.Family and Old Friends
11.British TV
12.English Country side
13.Wales Scotland and Ireland
14.Keeping more of my wage each week
15.Wild life in UK
16.Service in Shops no falseness
17.Christmas New Year
18.Lower Morgage rates
19.Better Banking
20.People with Drive and Know How
21.Good take aways
22.No Want to be Yanks
23.Houses that feel Warm in Winter
24.Cheap Beer
25.Better Sick leave
26.More Holidays Per Year
27.A Green Landscape

Things I like about Australia

1.Good Golf Courses
2.More Sunny Days Per Year
3.Cheaper Petrol
4.Whinging Poms
5.Walking up the Coast
6.The Sea Air
7.True Blue Aussies
8.New Friends
9.Good Wine and Cheap
10.Having a old banger Car because no MOT

Seems a case of some you win some you lose?

Ceri

I missed that one out on my list... too true!
I'm buying/building a house, and I wish my family were around to help me out with the little things.

Also I miss them (my mum mostly) when I really need someone to talk to ... about something only my mum would understand. I recently lost a good friend (died), and wished my mum was with me..... my phone bill was high that month!.

Also must add Cornwall to my list.... I miss holidaying in Cornwall, little fishing villages, quaint buildings, and quaint folks

Cheers

stay or go ?

missing about england (been in Aus for 2yrs'ish):

politeness of the locals, real friends (as against the plastic superficial ones you get here), cold winters, varied scenery, Cumbria / Scotland / Dartmoor, mountain walking, proximity and relatively cheap foreign destination travel, variety, British Pubs, British Beer (or any beer other than this australian piss !), knowing where you stand (Yorkshire and North only !!!lol !), heritage, history, world-awareness, good TV (even wish we could pay a license to stop Big Kev and his "IM EXCITED" drivel !).

not missing about england:

(relative) cost of petrol, lack of a substantial summer, good dive locations (that are relatively cheap), not being able to 4WD anywhere, housing (cost and quality), LONDON (aaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhhhhh hate that place with a passion), cost of continued education.

so far, Australia wins, but only by a Knats Fart.