St.Georges Girl

But sometimes you don't know you can't until you do!

Living the 'dream' of sun, sea, beaches, the bigger house, pool, spa etc.etc. can turn into a nightmare when you realise that you'd really like to share it with your family and you can't. Lonliness sets in and the material things mean nothing, so what's left? Sun, sea & beaches? They mean diddly squat when you're homesick.

THEGREATIDIOT

Yeah, I've been feeling old since I was like 21 coz of this place.

blowfly

My house in the Uk was a smaller but was always full of people now it has nothing.I don't need the big house that's for sure.

TopCat3

Can you folks tell me what you liked to do/what you long to be doing in UK that you are not doing here that is making you feel as you do?

Do you think people in the UK are more motivated to get out and "do things" than the populace here? What are those things that they do?

Do you think it is the "laid back lifestyle/attitude" prevalent here that is causing you to feel like a retiree or just the lack of things to do?

This is not meant to be challenging or confrontational in any way and I hope that's not how it comes across. Seriously, I'm interested to know. It's my own mind I'm trying to dig around in and sometimes people on the forum are able to put things into words and I say to myself: That's IT. and it helps me.

Cheers have a nice weekend
TC

THEGREATIDIOT

Lack of things to do. The fact that if there is something to do, it takes a million years to get there because everything is so far away. Total disinterest from the locals in wanting to know anyone new (may well be some English resentment there too). The fact that Aussie 'culture' is basically "BBQ's and the beach" and if you don't find those things terribly interesting or fun, you're screwed. Personally, I liked the beach when I was 10 and made sandcastles. Don't get much pleasure out of lying on it doing nothing all day at 31. And bbq's - why would I want to share my food with millions of flies?
I remember when we moved house a couple of years ago - it took us all day, it was about 7pm when we'd done, so we thought we'd get some fish n chips and eat it on a bench overlooking the beach. Within a second of opening the packet, flies everywhere. We ended up eating it in the car.
Thrilling place, this, y'know...

THEGREATIDIOT

And I haven't even mentioned the heat. Don't even get me started on that...

toandfro

sounds like a new tread , but just simple things like travelling to a different village just for lunch and see some thing different .or a house full of friends ours the kids just popping round for a chat ,cuppa or in the evening a drink and nibbles in front of the idiot box which no one is watching cos the conversation is in full flow or walking along the bank of the canal with a thermos sitting in the garden in the summer evening warm enough to enjoy a beer not so hot you fry the birds twitter not screach, picking berries good free fun then making pies out of the few that make it home and having to buy a new shirt cos of the blackberry stains .spending 2 hours in tescos without being asked what are you looking for what would you like to buy and walking out with only a smile ......enough now let some one else have a turn

blowfly

For me it is bland ,sterile,to hot, no where to go beach is okay not fussed bbqs(not another) people, just being English can be enough to give you grief,lack of humour, I also don't want to be confrontational,but afew weeks ago oz just wasn't for me, then I don't like it really and now I am begining to hate it.Sorry folks.

toandfro

heat what heat I thought the race had run and Australia won they win everthing don't they... they tell me they do ,thats why oz is great 12 of them won a game of some thing some where

blowfly

I don't care what they win at in sport they should sort out some of the rubbish that goes on in this town, oh sorry they are laidback arn't they.lazy B****s.

Pollyana

Ok, its an "average" Saturday - I went to bed late as that way I'm knackered so I sleep in the 24 degrees we had last night. Got up late, hot, humid, sticky, soaked to the skin with sweat putting out the rubbish and sorting out the washing. I've now taken refuge in the coolest corner of the house. Its 28 degrees which is kak, but it's get much hotter yet.The Bloke is working, then wandering round the shops, then he'll come home and sit in front of the TV till bedtime cos he feels the heat and won't move outside the house unless forced.

In the UK, I'd have been up earlier, walked down to the supermarket and gone wandering round Brighton's Lanes and the fab little shops - can't even dream of that here - its just too hot for a 40 minute walk unless you want to be a wet rag when you get there. And even then its just a faceless Chermside Mall. So I rarely go shopping, as I can't drive, and he has the car anyway. Back home, I'd get the bus back with the shopping, curl up with lunch and The Times, watch a bit of TV, potter about, then be out ths evening with mates for a drink or a meal or just a drive. here my few mates have retreated home to distant suburbs and I'll see them again at work on Monday.

I feel I'm isolated, and I feel a lot of my life is ruled by the heat. Back home you could still go places, regardless of the weather, as cold gloomy wet days are less physically draining than hot humid ones.

Rascal

Oh dont get me started on cheating 'wins'
96 first time here, mate Frankie wins the 240cc World Championship stock cars in NZ! Ouch! That did NOT go down well!
Every race after that (and remember this is NOT demolition derby) at the drop of the green flag, all cars piled into Frankie! Lol
Except he was so much better driver than them, he got away and left them stuck in the mud!
Sooooooo funny!
He has continued to come to NZ to 'race' (they cheat, he races)
Won the title again a few years back.
Double Ouch!
Same treatment again, every race he came out for, they just piled into him, even sneaked slowly around the track just waiting for him to pass them so they could turn their car into him!
Last year, he was winning again (it is over 3 races) he was top of points going into last race. Hubby said "Oh Frankie is gonna win this title again"..
"No", said I "the Kiwis wont let him win, they will do exactly the same as they have done in previous years.
They did!
Second place man then went on to become the 'winner' of the 2400cc WC title. Kiwi of course.
One man (kiwi) said to me, "Good race, good result eh?"
I just looked at him and said "You call that WINNING??"" I said "Sorry, but if thats the only way you can win anything, I call that being GIVEN"
Tutted off calling me the usual whinging Pom!
But, that sums up the Kiwi mentality in ALL aspects of life here, dont get their own way, and they are the biggest babies on the planet!

toandfro

sounds like you need some air con at lease then you would be able to sleep

Pollyana

Bit difficult to do anything as its a rental house. The Bloke adores air con, but believes it should be on all the time - had it in the last place and it was like living in a freezer! I used to put on woolly jumpers to go indoors, when it was 35 degrees + outside! I'm a natural night owl though so the going to bed late doesn't really worry me that much. I just think sometimes people that haven't lived in Qld don't really understand the ongoing heat and how draining it is.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

I dread to think what its like Polly. Its not to bad here in the Illawarra, and I'm only 300m or so from the beach, so the humidity is usually OK, but we get the odd day when the temps go up and the breeze drops and its a bit of a killer... really wouldn't fancy it on a regular basis.