Originally Posted by Bix (Post 6498429)

Ah, Bugle has a fond place in my heart.
I scored a great goal there once.
Need a good reason to go there. ;)

Originally Posted by Vin 'n Bin (Post 6498385)

Newquay????....oh my!! :(...just not what I expected it to be or what I was led to believe it was like :(

Originally Posted by rockpeblar (Post 6499714)

I was brought up in Bodmin and used to catch the bus to Tall Trees in Newquay on a Saturday night - what an experience that was. :rofl:
Totally agree about St Austell - what a dive the town centre is. I have a brother who lives in Trewoon.
The wife hails from the Truro area, in-laws currently live in Trispen and her other rellies are in Idless and Tresillian.
Agree that if we ever went back it would have to be Truro or possibly Padstow. Spent many a summers day on Tregirls beach when I was growing up .

Originally Posted by rockpeblar (Post 6499714)

Agree that if we ever went back it would have to be Truro or possibly Padstow. Spent many a summers day on Tregirls beach when I was growing up .

Originally Posted by lesleys (Post 6491398)

Luverly post :thumbsup:

St.Austell started plans to rebuild the town centre 10 years ago. When we emigrated 4 years ago they had demolished half of the old one. Today they are still only doing the foundations.

In 1945 Edenbridge (in Kent) planned to build a bypass around the town's main street. We lived there before we came here 4 years ago but didn't wait long enough to see the bypass - it opened after we left.

'Grey' sums up the UK so well.

Originally Posted by Bix (Post 6491288)

St.Austell has changed a lot in the few years we have been away. 4 years ago we would walk anywhere and feel secure but today the reverse is true. The government in their wisdom have transferred many miscreants from cities around England and put them into cheap housing. They’ve set up a druggie rehab and convicts place. I guess they think putting them amongst the docile Cornish public will have a positive affect whereas the reverse is true. There are now enclaves of undesirables and of course the crime rate has risen.

The youth has become far more belligerent and violent with groups roaming the streets. Mates of the boys say they don’t go to many of the local venues for fear of getting beaten up.....for no reason.

There is a friction in the air I’ve not felt before. Older people who previously wouldn’t say a bad thing against the place or people are now openly discussing the sad state of affairs. They all have a story to tell.

We witnessed a drug deal one day while waiting for traffic lights to change. In broad daylight on the pavement of a busy road. The dealer was waiving the sachet in the nose of the buyer as he counted out his money. I've never seen anything like that before. :eek:

The town itself has died. Many years ago some of the larger stores wanted to set up but the local chamber of commerce saw it as competition to their small shops and kept them out. Consequently they all went to Truro which is now the thriving Mecca for shopping in Cornwall.

St.Austell started plans to rebuild the town centre 10 years ago. When we emigrated 4 years ago they had demolished half of the old one. Today they are still only doing the foundations. There is this huge boarded up area that the locals call The Pit. They wonder if anything will ever come out of it. The plans from what I can gather will really only recreate what was there before. Shops mingled with cheap flats. What a wasted opportunity. The future looks bleak.


xxxxx


When you go back there are a few edible things you can’t wait to catch up with.

Icelandic cod and chips – from 2 of our favourite chippies; both were dire.

Cup of tea – tasted strange. Just not what we remembered.

Hogs pudding – what have they done to it ?

ASDA bread – nothing remarkable.

So it seems stuff we occasionally had pangs about were more in the mind. Guess our taste buds have moved on.

The two things I really did enjoy though were:

Pasties – home made and from shops. Both as good as ever.

Galaxy chocolate – bloody luverly.


xxxxx


One day Da Boss says “Have you noticed how people keep looking at us ?”

I says “ Maybe it’s because of me kangaroo bush hat and I Love Australia T-shirt”.

“No, thickhead. I mean every day”.

She was convinced they spotted us as “different”. The conclusion being we had a spring in our step and weren’t as dawdy in our demeanour.

In actual fact she was right. Although I hadn’t noticed people looking at us as such I had noticed how people seemed dour and miserable. Sort of trudging through life waiting for the inevitable to happen. Maybe it’s the difference waking to sunshine most days makes. You know, the old SAD syndrome type thing.

Actually other than that one evening of rain the weather was absolutely fabulous for our visit. As good as it gets for the time of year. Sunshine every day but with a cool breeze.


xxxxx


I’ve gone on long enough so in summary:

It was great catching up with family, friends and acquaintances and seeing the fabulous Cornish countryside again. It is a beautiful county. :thumbsup:

However that small part of the UK called St. Austell is dire.....in a word - shithole. :thumbdown:

It is claustrophobic, congested and dirty, full of miserable “grey” people.

If ever we went back we could not live there again.

CAIRNS ROCKS.:thumbup:

Originally Posted by nomads (Post 6503915)

Phew thank God I came across your post I was feeling homesick - we last lived in the UK between St Austell and Meva. Have had a few wobbles lately but you have just brought me back to my senses. Thanks so much for that Bix. Great read. I feel much more positive about being down under now!

Originally Posted by Hutch (Post 6500436)

lol - don't you mean Padstein? Not tempted to live over the river in posh Rock with the chinless wonder brigade? :D

Originally Posted by bigAPE (Post 6498171)

Well at least the Aussies got the mining right, because their Pasties are shocking. ******* carrots on everything and filo pastry http://209.85.122.87/5900/89/0/e2746//e2746.gif

Al

Originally Posted by wardy2 (Post 6504735)

Hi Bix

Great to have you back, I think its quite sad when you return from whence you came and find this happening I know its happened to my home town, but mines not as glamourous as Cornwall.

Things for us have been delayed house sale still not completed and my mum has cancer again as a result of treatment for another cancer so we need to find out what "stage" her illness is at before making final decisions.

Saw the post about the humidity in Qld sorry you got such a hard time I wanted to reply but I didn't want to escalate it for you...madness.

You are one of the reasons people find this site so helpful so keep up the good work x


Have you not ventured over to the new forum I know your name is on the list of people who would most like to be seen on there :rofl:

take care

kaye x