sumobear

Just wondered if anyone could tell me what a normal day is like for you in Oz and how it varies, if at all, from a normal day in UK ie, up at 7.30 get myself and kids ready for school, drop them off, go to work till 5 then get tea ready, play with kids a while then get them in bed by around 8.

We are looking to make best use of the weather and great outdoors in Oz so wondered how you all did that in a normal day.

I got the impression from somewhere that a lot of people get up early to go to beach before work, Is that the case ?? I am sure a lot of you will go to beach after work or school, is that the norm ??

Thanks

arkon

Get up at 6am and go out to work on the land before 10am when it gets too hot. I get bit to buggery by the mossies at this time but hey ho no choice got to avoid the heat. Go back indoors to work on my other business untill about 3.30pm when I go back out to continue the chores till about 4.30 Have to come in then cos the mossies eat me to buggery even worse in the evening. Go back indoors watch an episode of stargate, Cook dinner, eat dinner go to bed by 9pm. Repeat 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year and that just about sums up our new life.

Oh Rarely go to the beach as although we are close it's a 30 minute ride and once youve been to it a couple of dozen times it gets rather boring. Oh and the sandflies on the beach eat me to buggery.

phoenixinoz

Mon to Fri we work.

Weekends we shop, clean, wash.

Sat / Sun we go out.

Same shit, shinier bucket.

Cept it's a much shinier, lovelier bucket....for us

Vash the Stampede

Sounds about the same as back home.

A normal day is too busy for recreational pursuits! Save it for the weekend!

No.

No.

Maybe on the weekend, though.

Who has time for the beach during a hectic school/work week? Millionaires, perhaps - but not the average punter!

BadgeIsBack

My day.

I get up at 5.45, to get the early train in to the city so that I can be at my desk at 7.30am. The hour's ride in, I read or sleep. I have a young daughter so I really appreciate dead time.

I leave work just after 4. Sometimes even earlier as I only have to do a 37 hour week. I am back home by 5.30, or earlier. Again I enjoy the train time. If it is summer and a Monday, I mow when I get home, the back yard and half the paddock. If not a Monday, I'll do 10mins of pool maintenance. I might go to CFA training or a meeting, cook, or play with my daughter before she goes to bed. Some people will observe that I have a pretty long commute; well the commute would be as long if I was commuting in to London from a half decent town, and I would have a smaller home without the lifestyle and I would have no time otherwise to read.

Weekends! This is where my life in Australia really comes in to its own.
I might be going to a farmers' market, one in Dandenong, or one in Pakenham, or to Bunnings if I need supplies, going early to avoid the rush. I can't stand the local shopping complex. It makes me depressed; shopping centres are depressing the world over, full of people shopping for shopping's sake like zombies. There are people near there for whom it provides their only real leisure activity.

On Sunday I might pay a visit to the 'local' market down the bottom of the hill, it has the best secondhand bookshop I've ever seen anywhere. Today I got a book on meteorology or geology (an interest Australia has fueled which I did not have before), some 19th century history books on Australia and a wood working book.

I might be reading some plans for something I'm planning to build in my 'workshop'. First thing, I've got to put some wood sheds in by the time Chief comes back,so the local timber yard plays a prominant role. Today, this morning, I walked for 3 hours around our village, with a team of people, and I've been collecting and chainsawing some redgum wood and stacking it, yesterday I was putting in some extra drainage channels, and planning a new drainpipe. I also dropped in to a neighbours workshop to discuss carpentry and tools, 'is that the time! ' I'll mow in the evening before dinner cutting what I haven't cut in the week. We might have a BBQ, or stay in, or go to friends. I might even wash and wax Chief's car for her if I'm feeling charitable.
There is always burning off, getting on the roof and clearing the gutters, even giving Chief's bum a quick pinch lol.

Occasionally we have a day out in the city, Chief might get her hair cut in some salon and talk to this gay bloke that loves her lol. We always seem to end up in Malvern, my wife has some dancer friends there. We like it there, and we have friends in Glen Iris too. We love the mix of country and city in Melbourne, it really is one of the most liveable cities in the world where only 50mins seperate the 2.

I might even go and do some training, like a run or a walk to the local shops and back, 5 km, if its a walk, we'll take the buggy and take Little Miss, taking some food for our neighbour's horses. We also eat out in a steak house at the end of our lane, or go to the pub and have a counter meal in front of a fire - if it is winter, or a drink overlooking the vineyard.

It all gets forgotten if I get a day or night call out with the Fire Brigade. If it rains, I expect a traffic accident so have my yellows and boots to hand. Plus socks on my feet. Sometimes there are 2 calls a day.

Badge

Izzy

after the honeymoon period, you soon realise that life carries on pretty much as in the UK, (well if you have children anyway)

Mon - Fri - busy with school, homework, ( we have a horse, so we ride once or twice during the week). Dinner, homework, bath and bed (oh and packed lunch for school). Weekends, as in England for us, - but there is still a house to keep clean and gardens to weed and mow. Weeds grow like buggery out here ! Hubby works outdoors in sun all day so is not keen to go to beach in evening !

I suppose it is the little things that make the difference. We regularly see horses being taken for a morning dip in the ocean on our way to school which is quite magical, but don't bank on this place being the promised land, just a different one.

Realistically, if you don't race around the block for a jog at 5.30 am at the moment, the likelihood is that you won't in Oz either.

As I mentioned though - easier to change your ways / routines if you haven't got kids.

BadgeIsBack

Queenslanders(only generalising!) and people in beach suburbs do get up early. but the rest of us are either too far away, or don't care for beaches much anyway. People in beach suburbs pay a premium for this lifestyle.

worzel

I get up at 6.15am and it takes about 45 mins to get to work by car / train / walk. I normally start around 7.30am which is about average in our office. I tend to skip lunch so I have done 9 hours by about 4.30pm. (Standard is 40hr/wk but 45 is the norm). I get home about 5.30pm. At the start of the week I am usually feeling virtuous and do 50 laps of the pool but that tends to fall by the wayside. There is nothing on tv so after dinner and checking emails / news / these forums I will usually be in bed not long after 9pm.

But the weekends make the difference. Sam doesn't work out here so I don't have to go to the supermarket or help with chores. We even have someone to mow the lawn. Typically we will spend one day either going to the beach, bodyboarding or in/around the pool. And then we tend to do something / go somewhere the other day. There is still lots to explore and councils etc put on loads of events over here. We often end up at the Boat at Mindarie Keys for a mini session and meal later on Sunday arvo .

So while Monday-Friday is harder than it used to be in the UK it is well worth it as we are on holiday 2 days in every 7 .

wmoore

Mon-Fri - go to work, come home, catch up on housey chores, do a bit of studying, a bit of BEing and maybe a bit of watching telly.

The weekend - always, always get out somewhere. Maybe to beaches, shows, theme parks, the outback, museums ..... In fact, in the 8 months we've been here, the only weekend we've stayed in was when Mrs M worked Saturday and I had a stinking hangover on the Sunday after a barbie

That's the difference for us. Weekdays are much the same as they always have been except a nice walk down by the river at lunch-time and the fact the it gets dark stupidly early. Weekends we make the most of.

sunshinesarah

Our move here enabled us to go from full time work (around 10 hr days Mon- Frii) inc travel to working part time here so our day to day life has changed a lot.

Mon, Tues, Wed - days off. Nothing extravagent but simple lunches by river ($5-6 for fish n chips) walks in national parks (free), day trips anywhere from brisbane up to Noosa , couple of swims a week up at local pool ($3). Wake up a lot earlier and jump out of bed. IN UK, a real struggle for me to get out of bed. Generally home by 5pm - like to watch Deal or No Deal at 5.30pm. Absolute rubbish but love to see them lose.!!

Tuesday has started to be pub (well surf club or RSL night) night with friends but out early (6-ish) and rarely home later than 10.30pm. Tuesdays are also known as Tight Arse Tuesdays. Cheap pizza take outs $4.95 from Dominos or the like and $1 per DVD rental at video shop so get a few of those for the week as saving grace for the crap TV, also half price cinema on Tuesdays.

Thursday, Fri and Sats - go to work (start at 8.30, finish 4.30) 15 min drive on scooter compared to 1.20 hr drive in a lot of congestion. Thurs and fridays after work I do an hours combined walk/run along beach. Other half off Thursdays so will catch a DVD and have a day to himself.

Sundays - other half working so I usually go to beach for a couple of hours, catch up with girlie mates etc. A Sunday morning national park walk, followed by beach swim, followed by brunch are becoming a bit of a ritual with a gang of us.

Amoungst all that, still have to have Sat night takeaway. Eat out more than ever did in UK. Never have a dedicated cleaning, ironing or shopping day as I did in England - the weather's too hot to clean during day so do spurts in evenings and the days are generally too good to be doing chores that can be done at night.

Queensland is very much a day place we find so gradually getting up earlier and earlier though still can't do the going to bed early bit at all. Our entire street's asleep by 9.30pm

At night, the surf clubs seem to be the busiest/have most atmosphere while many other pubs can be virtually empty here on Sunshine Coast.

Feel fitter and healthier than I have done in a long time. Many Aussies I know are up at 5.30 and do the beach, gym or boot camp before work. Have not worked up to that yet.

Sunshine Sarah

sumobear

I see a few are getting up early for work starting around 7.30am, Is that a choice thing so you can finish early or is it normal for office kind of work to start so early.

I am currently a loss adjuster in UK and would be looking for the same kind of job or other insurance work in an office o would be interested to learn.

BadgeIsBack

It does seem that weekends are to live for over here. My days are not shabby, my hours are reasonable, there's alot to do at lunch and cheap nights for eating out.

Some people complain about the early to bed people/culture. My view is, so what? If you got your arse out of bed you'd enjoy the day at it's best too. I can't see what is so bigger or clever about being out late. I grew out of that by the time I was 20.

BadgeIsBack

It actually follows from when I drove in - for obvious reasons. I either left at 830 and got to work at 930 or leave at 0630 and get there at 0730 missing the traffic. I would never dream of driving in to work in London, I would be taking leave of my senses.

Also, I get more work done between 0730 and 0930 before the office gets busy and there are all the distractions. I work hard from 0800- lunch. After an hour's lunch, I've only a few hours to push.....getting home earlier is good for Chief as well, if I go in late, then I stay longer in bed, so less quality time with her.

zx10r_aus

You forgot to tell him about pissing the locals off, and going out and buying the last of everything mate....


ZX....

ElshaUK

A normal day for me in Perth was...

Mon - Fri

Get up at 5am, shower and get ready in work uniform, get breaky and cuppa tea and sit in front of PC, chatting with fiance (well, he wasn't then) on the Internet. At 7.20 I would walk down to the end of my road, and wait for the first of 2 buses which would take me to Whitfords City. 2nd bus went from Joondalup Station.

Arrive at work at 8.15 and get straight to whatever part of the shop I was working (usually merchandise auditing - Target)

Work from 8.30 - 1.30 (mostly) and then leave to come home. Might buy something to eat, might not. Usually had walked through shopping centre. 2 buses to get home, sometimes taking the scenic ocean view. get home for around 2.45pm. (lived at home with parents. Mum worked from home as a day care mum) normally had a cuppa, cool shower and then crashed for a nap.

Wake up about 4-4.30 and then usually read, watched videos or hung out on phone with friends. Had dinner with family at 6.30.

Might meet up with friends, very rarely went to pubs.

In bed by 10pm!

Sat/Sun

up early again....tidy room. laundry. hang out with friends....movies...shopping etc

Of course, I was in my very early 20's when I left Australia. Here in England I work full time (as retail is full time here). I get up at 7.30 and leave for work by 8.30. I mainly walk here as I live closer to work.

By 6.30 when I get out, it is normally dark - thank goodness the better weather is coming now and I normally sit in front of the telly or read, hang out online a lot.

I meet up with friends occasionally and go to the pub but that has dropped off somewhat since I moved out of my inlaws house and into our own flat!

to re-cap though... There are many differences, yet many similarities. In Australia we'd BBQ outside a lot more, we'd go for scenic drives on weekends, or go to national parks, ferry rides etc. When you live in a place, you don't always do the stuff, you would do if you were holidaying. There is a lot of England I have not seen....a lot of London which I haven't explored *and I live in West London*