Re: An update.....
 

Does anyone else find it slightly odd that you get others basically telling you that your own observations are wrong ? Because I am quite honestly not seeing beggars in the streets or rubbish piled high or everyone panicking about their jobs I must be lying it would seem. Everyone we have encountered so far back in England has been friendly and helpful but because that doesnt fit the preconceived ideas of some you must be seeing life through rose tinted glasses. It seems to say more about their sad lives unfortunately.

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No more than people telling me I'm living in cloud cuckoo land because I say how things are for me, no. You seem intent on arguing with everyone who has a different opinion to you, you are appearing to be as unaccepting of their observations as they are of you. And you then stating that they obviously have sad lives because of it is obnoxious imo.

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I just think that you are in a nice area of the UK where life is generally good for most people. Just like where I live Lower North Shore is nice. But that doesn't mean bad things aren't happening in Sydney - almost every morning on Breakfast TV there is talk about drive by shootings somewhere West of here. I have no idea where these places are but it must be awful for people that live there - I think someone said there had been 50 this year so far.

So if someone was to read the headlines in a Sydney paper from abroad they might assume it was full of biker gangs going on shooting rampages but I don't see that ever (doesn't mean I like it here btw!).

It's nice to hear you feel you have made the right move - the majority of my friends and family can't understand why I want to go home and give up the pool and weather for rainy Wales so it's good to hear success stories.

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It just seems weird that people actually argue with personal observations, I cant fabricate bad things to make people feel better. :)
I wouldnt worry about rainy Wales, we realised long ago that the weather really isnt important in the scheme of things.

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I too live in a lovely part of Britain and have seen no litter, not one piece of dog poo (I was told that was everywhere), no so-called 'chavs', and no violence.

That said, last week we had to drive through Leeds to go to a retail park - the town itself seems buzzing, but the outskirts were another story. I can only imagine how grim life seems for the people who live there and those who live on the outskirts of most of Britain's cities.

I suppose the lesson is to live in the very nicest place you can afford - it doesn't always have to be the most expensive (there are much pricier places around me than the town I'm in) - just look for a place with a good community feel.

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Exactly, it is the absurd generalisations that annoy me. There is dog poo everywhere on the streets, well that clearly isnt the case and the same with litter but if you point this out you are wearing rose tinted glasses because there was a story on the news about it.

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I imagine it's true worldwide. Living in the nicest area you can afford.:nod:

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The things I was told when we were letting our friends in Aus know we were thinking of returning home....I'd get mugged, no British left in the U.K, the rubbish, everyone is glum etc...etc...lol and no for us its not been anything like that....everyone has their own opinion for sure but when someone starts "telling me" I must be wrong...now that gets my goat....but then again I don't suffer fools very well.

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The problem with us Brits is that we're too cynical for our own good at times. Like anywhere, Britain varies widely by region. Not all of it is the chav infested hellhole that many make it out to be, but there are problems.

I am torn between homesickness on one hand and realizing that the level of antisocial behavior was too much for me, especially if you're not wealthy enough to live away from it. When I was living in the West Midlands, there were a lot of chavs and they WILL mess with you if you pass them by.

If the UK sorts out law & order, makes an effort to reach out to the underclass by improving education, gets away from policies of deregulation and spending cuts and drops the Euroscepticism, I might be more inclined to move back, although I have more "personal" reasons for being unable to do so.

In many ways, I would rather be outside looking in, remembering the good aspects of living in the UK, rather than be thrust right back into a situation that as much as I may deny it, was not a happy place to be in.

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Yes it is bizarre the things you are told especially by people who have never even been here LOL. Like you we were told there was rubbish everywhere, the people were all miserable, everyone was on the bones of their bum. We havent seen any hoodie gangs, no crime, no beggars on the streets. We had someone tell us they would have willingly swapped places with us when we moved but then went on to tell us they knew quite a few people who had gone to Australia only to return to the UK.

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In the UK as in Australia I just wouldnt move to one of those areas you describe, we havent seen ANY gangs or anti social behaviour or anything to make us feel uneasy, at all.

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I like to think I am not a snob, its always good (if you want to) to work your way up in life so when people I met when we moved to Aus thought that their new area was wonderful I was pleased for them but sometimes I use to meet people that would slag off their old countries and how fab their new country was (all well and good, each to their own etc etc) but it use to get my goat when some would do that and generalize areas as the same, I had a friend who came from a pretty grotty part of Essex and at parties she would always (to people who were not from the UK) slag the whole of the UK off as if it was all the same type of area (bearing in mind she had never ventured further than Northampton or to nicer areas... yes there are some in Essex lol)so people use to just think the UK was all gangs,council and just chavs....one day my OH said "well it all depends on where your from and how you have lived" and that is mainly true, I would not live in an area I did not like because we have been fortunate enough to have lived in nice areas, would I live in certain parts of the North West ...no but then again I would not live in certain parts of Perth.

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https://encrypted-tbn2.google.com/im...EiNPRjIHWv6vPw

http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/M...TAIVGhBYKl.jpg


It all depends on where you live.

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Exactly, you could post photo's like that of literally anywhere in the world. I have no interest in areas like the second photo but can easily find somewhere to live similar to the first.

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Some people who have emigrated feel a need to justify it by saying Britain is an absolute disaster area. It very obviously isn't, but saying so seems to make those individuals feel better about their choice.