spouse of scouse

I 'unignored' you because I saw a quoted post from you that I liked Just think of me as a quarrelsome sister.

mi5agent

Curious about what exactly????

There are no original complaints to add to a forum thread like this - like the Highlander - there can be only one - and after that they get repeated to fit the situation of the person who posted!!

Aussie's in general don't like anybody - who "was not born here".
OK we have some Aussie friends - but they were hard to persuade that we really do have a shower at least once a year or that I have an English document, issued by the UK embassy in Sydney - that exempts me from from attending barbies that is likely turn into a drunken, loud - lets ignore the neighbours example of how not to grow up. Actually I tell them I have a stomach ulcer...saves a lot of nagging to have more burnt over salted meat or sausages with unknown content. And I cannot drink coz I have to drive home due to the OH having an eye condition that stops her driving in the dark!

BTW - "community spirit" which the Aussies like to say they they encourage - is none existent ! What it boils down to is usually the people everybody avoids clan together like the mud at the bottom of the pond and booze till hey fall over or drive home zigzagging down the highway to fast to avoid trees jumping out onto the road or the odd house being built in a stupid place - usually near a roundabout that is to small and forces them to drift wide to end up watching a late film on TV.. in somebody else s living room.

Why am I still here - easy England is in a worse state - at least the aussies are nearly understandable when they speak.

Amazulu

What a steaming pile 'o shite

spouse of scouse

Agree, Scouse and I had a good laugh at that one

BadgeIsBack

Mate - I know Aussies who like to party and drink - but I would not tar the entire society like that. It seems you are latching on to a big cliche and have got in with the worst crowd - or you are observing the very worst. I've been to country properties where a sport is racing quads around the paddocks and if you break something - well so what. But I've also been at Henley on Thames where people think nothing of collapsing the marquee down on themselves and pissing out of an eight for all to see.

I actually agree with you there. It is a never ending source of amusement for me that in conferences between Melbourne and London that the Melbourne office can field the better accents and diction. A rich baritone versus a garbled Jamie Oliver.

I took the job and laughed when they told me they found it hard to understand the Brits - if truth be told, so do I!

Jb90896

Interesting perspective. Im in the Uk, my only son is in Sydney and i have similar feelings of being trapped because of family commitments here. The recession has also meant my self employed husband has lost tens, possibly hundreds of thousands of pounds of income over the past eight years and the government have increased my retirement age by six years. Im supposed to soldier on working full time for another six years to keep the household going while supporting my elderly dad who has dementia.

Recent experiences of the NHS hospitals and Social Services have made me dread what happens in the future when Im old and have no children here to fight my corner for me. The days of having a doctor who knows you and actually has time to talk to you properly are long gone. I dont blame the individual staff concerned in any of this as i know they are victims too.
This country has many great aspects but unless you live in the country, it is dirty, overcrowded and with plenty of racists and cultural tensions.

I agree with your comments about Australian TV and radio - thank goodness for the BBC but then we need it as we're basically trapped indoors with the central heating on for about 9 months of the year due to the awful weather . We have loads of trashy tv channels too - we record everything and fast forward through the ads on playback.

Im not trying to downplay how you feel - maybe an extended stay back to the UK may help with the homesickness, or maybe try another location in Australia? I know thats easier said than done.
A trip to Kangaroo Valley NSW at the right time of year would give you a great sense of Autumn in the UK with all the rolling countryside and hedgerows.

I think one of the problems that come with a certain age is that you realise that not all options are open to you like they were when you were young and the world was your oyster And heres us wishing we'd upped sticks to Australia while we were young enough for it not to cost us a kings ransome for the visa!
I hope things work out for you