spuds

Hello All,

You may remember me from my depressed and desperate blatherings back at the beginning of the year (and before!) while I pined to return to the UK. You may even remember my excitement as my decision was made and my departure date grew near and you may have even waved me off (cyber-fashion) as I left my last Southern Hemisphere post with firm promises to be in touch and report back at the fist opportunity.

Oops! Sorry everyone, I have thought about posting an update a few times but it's been a pretty full-on few months and this really is the first chance I've had. So anyway, if you can forgive my tardiness, here is my account of my return to the UK... (in typical waffling fashion so you may want to get yourself a cuppa...)

Packing/Unpacking:
We used King & Wilson in the end after a bit of too and froing. I'd definitely recommend them and apart from one or two little hiccups - everything went pretty smoothly. We opted for them to do the whole thing - wrap, pack, load, ship, unload and unpack. TOP TIP - negotiate your insurance! I spent ages trying to find a better deal through independent insurance agencies as K&Ws quote was rather steep and I hate paying insurance at the best of times. The lady from K&W called to ask me why I hadn't yet signed the paperwork and I explained I was trying to find an insurance quote that was more reasonable. I had found one with a UK company that was around 1.6% (though this didn't include 'sets & pairs' cover which I may or may not have neglected to tell said lady ) while the K&W quote was 3.5%. Anyway, the K&W lady said she'd see what she could do and low and behold - they managed to knock it down to 1.6% - including sets and pairs! Good eh?

The unpacking was done by Anglo Pacific who I have heard very bad reports about but am happy to say were absolutely marvelous! The customer service agent kept me informed on delivery and clearance etc and was a joy to deal with and the guys who turned up to unload everything were cheerful and helpful (despite having found 2 live redbacks amongst out cartons!) and didn't break anything!
Shipping-
Possibly introducing Red Backs to the UK -

Pet Shipping:
We went with Jetpets for shipping my two cats across the world, again after a bit of negotiating on the price. They were really great and I would definitely recommend them. The whole experience was pretty horrible as I was already stressed and it's not pleasant thinking of your fluffies going through all that. I have one cat with a heart murmur and one who's about 80 years old so that didn't help either. I am pleased to report that apart from being STARVING they were seemingly unaffected by the entire process! Infact, they actually seem heaps happier here than they ever did in Oz! Our oldest cat was born and bred in Oz and never set foot past the back door. She was very timid and frail and incredibly fussy about food. Here she is a complete nutter - chasing cats/dogs/squirrels/birds, climbing trees and hasn't stopped eating since I brought her home from the airport!
Jetpets/Giving the fluffs a new lease of life -

WORLD BAGGAGE - I won't go into too much detail on this, as it is not good for my health, but I would advise you to keep yourselves and your well earned cash away from this company. Briefly, they are very rude and utterly incompetent and the whole process of airfreighting 1 box and 1 small bag to the UK so that we would have essentials for a wedding we were attending and a job interview my hubby had lined up, was an utter farce. I had to drive to Tullamarine from Torquay TWICE because they had lost our paperwork TWICE and then, having been given guarantees that the freight would arrive before the date of the wedding, they happily informed me (while I was myself enroute) that it would infact, arrive 3 days afterwards (i.e. post wedding and interview) and as that was a weekend, I would be charged additional holding fees for the privilege. When I dared to voice my displeasure I was met with a torrent of abuse and a 'what do you want me to do about it?' attitude. It's worth mentioning that these guys were recommended on 'Getaway' and were admittedly, offering very good rates. Katrina Rowntree has clearly never had the pleasure of actually dealing with the company I am sure. So, while I would never presume to tell you what to do, I must advise that you (if you value your sanity) DO NOT USE WORLD BAGGAGE

Enroute:
After a little stop off in Torquay which was (largely thanks to the above company) not as relaxing as intended, we left Melbourne for the last time for a quick flight to Bali. I'm not really sure what I felt at this point. I suppose a mixture of relief, anticipation, anxiety and exhaustion but not really sadness. I have never felt like I didn't make it in Oz so I was not disappointed to be leaving and trying something else for a while.

Anyway, Bali was quite nice but I don't think I'd head back there. Maybe our few days there were overshadowed by the desire to get home but while the people were lovely, the accommodation and weather were great and we couldn't seem to spend any money despite our best efforts, Bali has an overwhelming sense of poverty and is eerily quiet post-bombings. I'm sure it'll still appeal to many but I would definitely rather spend my time in Europe (and happily now can.)

We flew with Singapore Airlines and, having finally managed to wring some air-miles rewards out of them, it was free! Booking that was a nightmare in itself but I really won't go into that and we got there in the end. We had one of the new airbuses on the way back and even in economy you can really tell the difference. Loads more leg and head room, swisher seats and more gadgets and gizmos than even my nerdy hubby could have hoped for.

The A380 -
Single-handedly entertaining a toddler while hubby obsesses about the inflight entertainment for 13 hrs -

Arrivals
Well, having alternated between stoical, maniacal, sensible and just plain mad, I had still managed to generally retain the stiff upper lip and keep myself and my family together. Once I exited the plane however, I became a complete jelly! I really did not expect this to happen but I was immensely teary and completely overcome with relief that I was back home.

As soon as I was outside the terminal I was bombarded with text messages from my nearest and dearest welcoming me back and affirming my decision to go through hell and back to get there!


Life in the UK
Well, there have been ups and downs if I am honest and some times in the past few months when we didn't have a home or hubby didn't have a job, have been downright horrible but I have never once regretted my decision.

I am still consistently impressed with the level of customer service in this country (I am not including Virgin/NTHELL in this) and the friendliness of the people here. Complaints and queries are met with professionalism and (most helpfully) rectification of the problem. Drivers are generally courteous and there is none of that 'fight to the death' mentality that I remember from the freeways in Melbourne. There is something uniquely British about that wave you get for letting someone pull out or change lanes or the flash of headlights that acknowledges that little flashing orange light on your car and the fact that it won't really mess up their day to let you turn right before next Friday (seriously, I have wondered whether I might starve to death at busy Australian intersections.)

I can't pretend that the British are not prone to grumbling but when compared to the blinkered ignorance sometimes expressed in Australia; it's quite refreshing! It does seem as though people here have their own sense of ignorance in that most of the complainers have never been anywhere outside of the UK and actually have nothing at all to compare it to but I tend to stay away from the Daily Mail/Express set! I have met my fair share of Eastern Europeans since I've been back but I can't say this has affected in either a positive or negative way. Interestingly, my hubby reliably informs me that over 50% of the Eastern European immigrants who came to the UK have gone home in the past 12 months though this statistic has, obviously, passed the readership of the afore mentioned publications by.

The country is in general much grubbier than Oz with parks, pavements and facilities nowhere near as squeaky clean and new as in Australia. Houses too are nothing like in Australia though this has good and bad points. Trying to fit the contents of our Australian house into our UK one was rather a challenge and though we can't actually open the garage door for fear of being squashed by the cross-trainer/pushchair/contents of that ever pointless 'formal lounge,' this is more than made up for by the 120 foot of garden complete with pear, apple and plum trees, a shed (also full of crap!) and a playhouse for our son. I have always found it ironic that in a country as sparsely populated as Australia we could never have a big garden. The focus on the epicentres of Australia meant that we could never live out of commuting distance of the city and consequently, could never achieve the lifestyle we wanted. I can't describe the joy of picking your own apples and pears or just chasing my little one up and down a lush green lawn. The garden is full of squirrels, birds (My little boy finally answers 'tweet' instead of 'squawk' when asked "What does a bird say?") and hedgehogs and it's truly marvelous! I think my husband worries about me as I have become very weird about all this. I can often be found standing in the middle of the garden beaming in true simpleton fashion at a Robin and turn into a complete dribbling idiot when confronted with the history and countryside that the UK offers at every turn.

Shopping is predictably lovely here and the amount of choice available to the British consumer is staggering (and brilliant.) In general, grocery shopping and utilities are no more expensive (if indeed, a bit cheaper) than they were in Australia (even petrol is coming down) and the quality of services from the range at the supermarket to our 10mb internet connection is in a whole new league.

Things in the UK are different from my last visit with the economic situation having a large bearing on this. There is a general sense that money is tight and life a bit uneasy for many people but with typical British grit, that doesn't seem to keep them down. There is an alarming number of repossessions popping up on the property market and the employment forecast looks grim but so far we have been unaffected by this and it's worth remembering that it's a world-wide phenomena. I noticed yesterday (by virtue of the fact the I accidently made $600 while transferring some money to Oz ) that the dollar has taken a huge tumble so there's seemingly no getting away from it.

By far the best thing and biggest reason for being back is family and friends. We still live 2-3 hrs from both sets of grandparents but we see them at least once a month and when we can't see them, there are plenty of friends to catch up with. The weather has been diabolical for pretty much the whole of the British summer and I'm glad I got an Ozzie summer in before I left but I truly don't care! Yes, al fresco dining would be nice but with good company it really doesn't matter if you eat off your laps and we're popping to Portugal for a week next Weds to make up for it!

There are definitely things I miss about Australia and we haven't ruled out going back at some point in the future but for now, I am too busy planning a proper Halloween, Bonfire night and Christmas to worry about it.

The grass isn't always greener but experiencing another lifestyle is invaluable in making you appreciate what really is important to your personally and what each place has to offer. I am not at all regretful that I moved to Australia, and now that I am happier, I feel proud to have citizenship of both countries.

3 go mad in Adelaide

Wonderful post spuds, didn't know you whilst you were in aus, as we have only been here since May, but very glad to hear that the decision to return has been the right one for you. Long may it continue!

Londonuck

Spent most of it reading your post!

4 years we were back absolutely flew by i have to say.

Great post.

Hertford

You're so lucky! I'm still pining to return the UK, and the only way I'm going to be able to do it is either wait another nine months for the summer to come around or wait another twenty months for the next summer to come! The only alternative to these is if I go on an exchange trip in February.

Londonuck

My mate is commuting from Robsons Creek over to Vancouver. When he moved over there was a guy running a small ferry which was quite cheap. Not long after he went out of business. Still, hes from SE London anything is better than Charlton!

Tr1boy

Great post Spuds, thanks for sharing

Fleaflyfloflum

What an excellent post

Having just returned from a 4mth stint up there, I agree about prices etc. I dont understand how people can say that things are generally more expensive in UK. found the complete opposite! Of course there were odd things sheaper here than there, but overall I found UK much better value, and of course the quality and range of products far superior.
A quick comparison off the top of my head. OH treated me to a muffi here in Sydney yesterday. Cost him $3.50 for one at muffin break. Tesco do a pack of 4 of the nicest muffins i ever had for £1.59!!
Tesco also do a regular deal where you can buy three packs of vaious meat or fish for £10.00. Try getting the same deal down here!
Then theres the fab BOGOFs which i was addicted to. My daughter would laugh at me, as i trawled the supermarket looking for the tickets...lol
Didnt have BOGOFs before i left UK.

Also the price of TVs and electrical items I found much much better.

Enjoy your new life back home. Good luck to you all

quoll

What a great post! I do so know what you mean about the wonderful tweet tweet instead of the cacophony of cockies/maggies/whatever waking you up at some truly antisocial hour.

cherry6

I enjoyed reading your post. Got me even more excited about going back!

Marmalade

Thanks for posting Spuds ~ very interesting read

Cherry ~ this is October, what day are you leaving? You lucky one

cherry6

We are leaving on the 27th October (11.40am) and I am so excited about going back! Even though I have to do a 28hr flight with 4 kids (aargh!!).

Marmalade

Just under 3 weeks............you lucky thing. 4 kids, good luck with that one Seriously, have a wonderful trip, and make sure and update us when you have regained your sanity from the long flight

cherry6

Dont worry, i will post every detail

Marmalade

Ta

spuds

Thought I'd add some visual impact...!