Genesis

Thank you sweetie!! I hail from Essex, Ilford/Dagenham I am afraid..really scraping the barrel of the county, aye? Are you NZ bound? Pray, what are y'all doing in the ol' US of A? I have friends in Raleigh NC...grrrrrrrreat place..and the Outer Banks..awsome man!!!! Would like to hear all about you!!!

Tara for now,

G. PS I am half french too..the other bit's Irish. Mad dog.

Batty

Well...... we live in Auckland and our door is hardly ever locked at night We forget - and you can only forget when your subconscious tells you it's safe to. It might bite us on the bum at some time but for now it's cool. I now sleep in at the weekends instead of being awake at the crack of dawn as I had been for years before we came here. Those are things that you can't put a quantifiable value on - I think.

Years ago, when I first met Mr Batty, I couldn't understand why he missed his country so much. I didn't miss mine. I missed my family but not the country. He was the other way round - and now I know why. It gets into your blood. This land that we are walking on every day is alive in a way that no other country I've lived in has been. Even without experiencing an earthquake, the volcanos, dead and alive, that I see are enough to remind me of that. And that makes me feel alive. The rain is as violent as the security shutters falling on a supermarket and even if I'm caught in it I laugh. You're a long time dead and anything that makes your blood race has got to be good.

KiwiKate

Woo hoooooo!!! All hail a fellow 'Namite - Dagenham born and bred me!!! Small world

KiwiKate

Ooooooooooops, got so carried away seeing a fellow Dag'nam persona on here, I forgot to cite why NZ is so great ...

Many, many, many, many reasons, but a fave one of mine is that I get asked for ID everywhere, and I'm 31 - got away with buying pints in 'Nam back when I was 14!!!

So flattering

Genesis

You sound like my wife who's also Kate, more than once has she been taken for my daughter! You Kates have extraordinary young looks..which is nice.

dazal

Hello fellow Essex person and Kiwikate too. I am also from Ilford (Gants Hill). Didnt know there were so many of us on here escaping good ol' Essex.

Also live in Auckland and agree with Batty. I never ever feel unsafe here. I know stuff happens but there isnt that air of menace you can get in some parts of London. In London hated going out after work and travelling home late at night on the tubes - that was menacing! But here doesnt bother me at all getting late night buses home from the city and never feel unsafe being in the city on my own either. I like that feeling.

Genesis

Gants Hill aye? I lived just off Perth Rd on the commonwealth estate...how appropriate considering where I have ended up!!!!!!!! I was in Christchurch Rd to de precise..next to Dunedin Rd, Brisbane Rd....etc, etc. There's a Palmerston Rd (Not north!) in Buckhurst Hill. How long you been over? We have been here since April 2005 and adore the place!!!!! The Gants Hill Odeon's gone now you know. Did you used to go to Faces? What a small world. NZ's great innit? Miss much about the UK...but there is home now for Kate the kids and myself..how about you..got kids etc?

mojos

We've escaped from Essex too

OH was born in Nam (Maxi Rd) but escaped to Marks Gate at a very young age. Don't know what's worse. We were living in Collier Row just before we moved out here.

I'm in the NZ is great camp too . It does feel safer and friendlier here. Saying that though, OH went for an early morning run today and a row of shops had their window's smashed in. It's a first. Hopefully it won't be a regular event

Jo