Rascal

They certainly are Joan.
Its easy to get blown away with ohhhsss and ahhhhas when visiting a place anyway, thinking life will be as idylic as the pixs or the scenery.
I only like one brand of bread here, Quality Bakers, $3.74 a loaf!
Usually its on offer at 3 for $5 though, so my freezer gets full!
I have found shopping in NZ (food mainly) so expensive with little variety. I have gone off most things here now, should be a size 8!
Its an isolated place to live, we thought that we would be able to afford a few trips abroad, hols, days out etc, but its costly and expensive with the dollar not stretching too far!
Unlike the Uk/Europe, it doesn't have many places to visit either, everyone clusters round the cities, with not much in between tbh.
There are a few places to go with an hour/2 hours but you can only go so many times before getting bored with it.
NZ is probably a nice place to retire when you have seen the world IMO, as long as you have lots of money to afford the heating bills in winter! lol

blowfly

Bread isn't cheap here. I have found that the Aussies put more hidden suger in their foods too,ie tins tomato.baked beans.meat isn't to bad here price wise Britain has higher food standards regarding many food stuffs.Are you thinking of living thee for here?

JoanMC

We live in an energy efficient well insulated house with 7 hours of half price electricity a day (economy 7), that's when we do the Laundry and whack up the heat in winter !
I heard Northland is warm but don't know anything about nursing jobs there -

JoanMC

Well, having thoughts'''grass is always greener etc; but my husband says that while you are looking at someone elses grass there is someone looking enviously at yours!

We love to moan here but having lived in various countries before, I have yet to find anything to match our value for money on clothes and food..And the selection is good..

Rascal

Northland is warmer but wetter as a rule.
As for jobs up there?? Wouldn't think there's much there at all Joan.
Its scenic but isolated, long haul to supermarkets if you go right up North.
Few shops.
Not my scene at all.
You're right about the grass.lol
You're just like me, itchy feet, looking for that perfect somewhere, thinking it has to be xx??k miles away, when in truth, its right under our noses all we ever wanted.

blowfly

It sounds like you have everything you want and if your content all the better.
Brilliant

Pollyana

Tnis one is really shops/restaurants - what do you miss?

Vinegar for my chips! Chip shops rarely have it, and I love my chips drenched in ti. Anyhow, today The Bloke took me out for lunch nowhere pish, quite ordinary family-type place, chips and salad with everything. So the girl said to me "Can I get you any sauce?" and rambled off this list of chilli/tomato/bbq/brown/bbq again/mayonnaise/more bbq etc. "I just smiled and asked if they had any vinegar. She looked at me as if I'd sprouted three heads and turned green, muttered "eerrrrrrrrr I'll see if we have any" and ran
10 minutes later, I was served a BOWL of vinegar, on its own plate, about the size of a Japanese finger bowl! Trying to dribble it over the chips was a whole new game - thank god I like it strong!

I even asked The Bloke why they don't just have sachets - the cafe at work does now - and he said there would be no demand cos "Australian's don't like vinegar". Got news for him - there's a lot of Poms here, and a lot of us DO like it!

iamthecreaturefromuranus

Used to get that sort of stuff even in the UK.... being a Northern lad I like gravy on my chips.. when I moved to Bristol and asked for chips and gravy I got a very strange look !

meljor

Chips and gravy mmmmmm chips and mushroom gravy from our local chinky mmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Pollyana

I couldn't do the chips and gravy thing - my ex grew up in Blackpool and loved it, but I was always dubious.
I think the funniest bit with the vinegar was the way they ceremoniously brought me this dish of it!!

meljor

God your going to miss that insulation and cheap heating. We rent a house it's up for sale at $460,000 and you can see daylight through the floorboards :scared: it's weatherboard which the Aussies love but as far as I'm concerned it's just a well decorated shed. You get a lot more for your money regarding solid house with cavity wall insulation, double glazing and central heating in England, might not be as big and might have to share a wall with the neighbours but won't cost you a fortune in heating and cooling.

meljor

How about meat pie mushy peas and mint sauce, beats meat pie and tomato sauce any day of the week.

JoanMC

Sachet ! Probably thought you were talking about a new dance craze!
Considering its our National dish and the Australian background that is incredible,,maybe it's a deliberate slight on things British?.when Americans visit here they can't get enough of our trad F&Chips,No vinegar is almost as bad as a pub with no beer!,,,,BTW, do they drink "real ale" in Australia or is it that chemical stuff that my husband says pretends to be lager.....That would say it all...

northernbird

being a northern bird I am exactly the same. We used to get chips, scraps and gravy. yummo.

northernbird

being a northern bird I am exactly the same. We used to get chips, scraps and gravy. yummo.