Sunny spells

sad to see that a choice of this importance is made based on comedy and music, particulalry when, as pointed out, such things are widely available with today's technology.

is it just me who think that a good place where to live is where the weather is good but the country is not in a mess? Where there are enough people willing to work to have a prosperous economy, but not too many so that when a sport event or concert is on tickets don't sell in minutes and house prices are not so high that all is left after paying the mortgae for the studio flat is just enough for a bag of greasy chips?
I must be going mad ....

steven'n'debi

theres a wee shop in mandurah thet sells imposted sweets from the uk!! i did notice the sweets in perth where crap!!

notice i said uk? not "home" i hate people in oz calling uk home!!!

Simone

Home is where the heart is........

steven'n'debi

the murrys! just what i was on about earlier!! pay an extra 100k for a house over the road from the crap hole! and as if thats gony make a difference!!

where r u now?

NAC

Now in Perth (Scotland, that is!). Plan to be in Queensland by September,though!!
Carolyn

Innyjim

Bloody hell, five pages ! Only said we're coming home......

Sorry I didn't get to reply last night, I got side tracked.

The Jonathon Ross/Peter Kay really wasn't meant too seriously but just an example of what, in our opinion, is missing from Australian popular culture.

Why then ? Money ? Maybe. We earn in dollars the same figure that we used to earn in pounds. Our mortgage payment is about the same as it was in the UK. That means a serious shortfall of spare monies each month. I compared our Coles shopping bill against Sainsbury's Online and Coles were 10% more expensive. Yeah petrol is cheap, but I fill my car once a month so the savings are minimum. We failed to appreciate how low salaries are here.

I was amused to notice that one of the posters made reference to the state of NHS hospitals in the UK. I wonder if that individual has ever been in a hospital in Australia ? I have, I work in one and be assured that they are just as under funded and waiting lists are just as long as their UK counterparts.....

Pleas don't get me wrong, I'm not on a pro UK crusade here, I just answering the 'why are we going home' question. I don't want to shatter anybody's dreams, if someone had told me a year ago what I know it wouldn't have changed anything. I don't regret a minute of it.....

Take care and good luck all !!

IJ xx

wmoore

Thanks for sharing. Sorry it didn't work out for you but at least you have no regrets. Now you can head for the UK with head held high because you've been there, done that.

Badge

If I knew I was going to earn in dollars what I earnt in pounds I might have thought twice in the first place, years ago. But as my housing is subsidised here it might have been worth it.

Badge

BAY

You earn in dollars what you used to earn in pounds, but isn't the cost of living proportionally cheaper ?

If you've got an expensive mortgage wasn't that your chioce ? Buy a cheaper place with a cheaper mortgage.

Merlot

Can't we as a Forum for once wish Innyjim well and for him being brave enough to say it wasn't for him for whatever reason.

I am sure that options have been thought out and at the end of the day a person will make their own decision based on the information they have at the time. Whatever we ramble on about will be considered but not the b all. Shame to see folks having nigglys with each other.

I have been back in the UK for over 12 months, the bulk of the time I love it as it is the closeness to my family. I had a few bumpy months in Jan/Feb time but you just have to get on with it.

As for everything else in the UK, call me blinkered but I'd rather get my energies into things I can change and avoid the down sides if I can, crap happens in all places but I can't stop crime, violence, illegal immigration, etc unfortunately as much as I would like.

My issues have been compounded as my other half wants to go back to Oz which was his home for nearly 18 years. We just have to compromise and make the best of it.

I wish you well again IJ. Whatever makes you happy.

Merlot

wmoore

The cost of living isn't that much cheaper. Most people can't expect to earn the same salary as they did in the UK (though some end up much better off actually) but to earn less than half certainly isn't proportional with the cost of living.

A lot of people get around this 'problem' by making a mint on selling their UK house before they leave and living with little or no mortgage in Oz but it doesn't always work that way.

wmoore

Nail ... hitting ... head

You have the same philosophy as me by the sound of it. If you don't like something, ask yourself "Can I change it?". If you can then get on with it. If you can't, don't waste time and energy worrying about it.

MrsDagboy

Absolutely!

ABSOLUTELY!!!!!!!!!!

Couldnt have put it better myself .

steandleigh

Innyjim,

good luck to you and your's. You had 'The dream', you 'had a go' and it wasn't for you, so you're off back to the U.k.

Nothing to be ashamed of and everything to be proud of...many folks never even leave their 'comfort zone'.

Best wishes, x

Merlot

Why thank you Sir, the sun is shining here today, I have a day off (always makes one feel more human I say) and yep just getting on with it.

The story about life that makes me smile is the one about two ladies I used to work with, one was harping on about the conservatory she was getting built and how she wanted it done for the "summer". Did she used it in the "summer", nupe. When I asked her she said she didn't have time as she wanted the living room painted before "Christmas" Needless to say once the living room had been done she had started on the spare room.

We spend so much time wanting to get somewhere and not appreciating what is happening now.

I for one could not give a monkey's and will proceed to enjoy life with a glass of Merlot strapped to one's hand, letting my curtains and TV collect dust!

M