The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Jun 30th 2010, 6:06 am
#31
pink 'n' bouncy
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Zombie nation
Posts: 6,087
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
[QUOTE=BadgeIsBack;8666579]
One piece of advice to the board - or bored. Stop acting bland. Take this in the nicest possible way :make things happen and stop acting like a peasant.
QUOTE]
"a peasant" ? you're so far up your own arse its
take this in the nicest possible way
One piece of advice to the board - or bored. Stop acting bland. Take this in the nicest possible way :make things happen and stop acting like a peasant.
QUOTE]
"a peasant" ? you're so far up your own arse its
take this in the nicest possible way
Jun 30th 2010, 7:01 am
#32
Victorian Evangelist
Joined: Sep 2005
Location: Melbourne, by the beach, living the dream.
Posts: 7,704
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
[QUOTE=stuckinblighty;8667111]
Typo. He meant pheasant. 
BB
BB
Jun 30th 2010, 9:07 am
#33
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Sorry, no, really. I could excuse myself and reply to the arse comment but I won't as invariably you can't win these arguments and it's not right in this instance!
Last edited by BadgeIsBack; Jun 30th 2010 at 9:10 am.
Jul 1st 2010, 2:12 am
#34
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,374
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Hi Lee
I actually like living here and can appreciate much of the safety and improved standard of life stuff. I do however know exactly what you mean. I explained it to an Argentinian and a well travelled Australian the other week as 'there is a trade off when you lose the edginess and variety of the UK for the safety of peace of Australia, if you don't get it right Australia can seem very bland'. Both of them got what I meant.
I wish you and all the posters in this thread well in finding your place to be.
I actually like living here and can appreciate much of the safety and improved standard of life stuff. I do however know exactly what you mean. I explained it to an Argentinian and a well travelled Australian the other week as 'there is a trade off when you lose the edginess and variety of the UK for the safety of peace of Australia, if you don't get it right Australia can seem very bland'. Both of them got what I meant.
I wish you and all the posters in this thread well in finding your place to be.
Sounds like all is well with you
For me am still confusesd
by the whole Australia thing, i can certainly see it good side, including everything you said above and for my children i think it holds some fantastic opportunities. My 18 year old is having the time of her life!!, I am convinced Australia will always be here permenant home nowFor me its just not 'in my heart and soul the way Scotland is
'
Jul 1st 2010, 2:21 am
#35
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Hi there BB, long time, no post:, then an excellent post
Sounds like all is well with you
For me am still confusesd by the whole Australia thing, i can certainly see it good side, including everything you said above and for my children i think it holds some fantastic opportunities. My 18 year old is having the time of her life!!, I am convinced Australia will always be here permenant home now
For me its just not 'in my heart and soul the way Scotland is'
Sounds like all is well with you
For me am still confusesd
by the whole Australia thing, i can certainly see it good side, including everything you said above and for my children i think it holds some fantastic opportunities. My 18 year old is having the time of her life!!, I am convinced Australia will always be here permenant home nowFor me its just not 'in my heart and soul the way Scotland is
'
Jul 1st 2010, 6:48 am
#36
pink 'n' bouncy
Thread Starter
Joined: Jul 2006
Location: Zombie nation
Posts: 6,087
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
I will mate...it's this whole culture of loss and difficulty I find baffling. It's not my culture, maybe.
Sorry, no, really. I could excuse myself and reply to the arse comment but I won't as invariably you can't win these arguments and it's not right in this instance!
Sorry, no, really. I could excuse myself and reply to the arse comment but I won't as invariably you can't win these arguments and it's not right in this instance!
Jul 1st 2010, 6:52 am
#37
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,374
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Jul 1st 2010, 10:20 am
#38
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Oct 2005
Location: Hill overlooking the SE Melbourne suburbs
Posts: 16,622
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Given the choice of a inner City townhouse (rent) against owning a 4x2 out in outer suburban Melbourne I'd rather have the townhouse.
Have to admit though I like the idea of owning in the long term.
Jul 1st 2010, 4:59 pm
#39
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 839
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Not gonna be a long one this.
Landed in Melbourne June 9th 2008 and after a year renting in Pakenham we bought a house in Berwick (yes we've gone upmarket
)
Me and the missus both work full time and the kids are at school.Kids are very settled and seem to enjoy it here..my lad loves AFL
Wife also seems to like it here.
As for me i'm seriously underwhelmed by the whole thing.Heres a list of pro's/cons.These are only my opinions and quite frankly i couldnt give toss if people agree...
Pro's
Climate - love the back end of summer and all of Autumn.Warmer all year round
Beaches on the Mornington Peninsular - i wanted to move here but the missus won
Relative 'safe' feel of Melbourne
Cons
Work - pay/conditions worse than in the UK
Geographical position - friggin miles from anywhere in Aus let alone the rest of the world.
Social side - Bbq's in the garden and thats yer lot...miss the pubs/pub atmosphere.
Family - The biggy for me ( wont go into details )
Schooling - Shite...too 'touchy feely'.Kids seem to do bugger all work.
Houses - Piss poor build quality.Cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
Cost of living - If you think Blighty is expensive then dont come to Aus.Total lack of competition (banking,supermarkets etc)
Aussie 'pride' - Aus is the best place in the world...end of .What a load of old bollocks
Goes way over the top to he point of being embarrasing.
I could waffle on for ages but i wont bother.If the family was'nt happy we'd all be on a plane back home but it looks like i'm gonna have to suck it up for a while.
Two more (long) years and the kids can get citizenship and then take it from there...home to England hopefully.
After reading all that i've just wrote i'm not totally down on Aus its just that i really dont think moving to Aus has been worth all the aggro mentally,financially,emotionally etc.
Home is where the heart is...so so true
Thanks for reading
Lee
Landed in Melbourne June 9th 2008 and after a year renting in Pakenham we bought a house in Berwick (yes we've gone upmarket
)Me and the missus both work full time and the kids are at school.Kids are very settled and seem to enjoy it here..my lad loves AFL
Wife also seems to like it here.As for me i'm seriously underwhelmed by the whole thing.Heres a list of pro's/cons.These are only my opinions and quite frankly i couldnt give toss if people agree...
Pro's
Climate - love the back end of summer and all of Autumn.Warmer all year round
Beaches on the Mornington Peninsular - i wanted to move here but the missus won
Relative 'safe' feel of Melbourne
Cons
Work - pay/conditions worse than in the UK
Geographical position - friggin miles from anywhere in Aus let alone the rest of the world.
Social side - Bbq's in the garden and thats yer lot...miss the pubs/pub atmosphere.
Family - The biggy for me ( wont go into details )
Schooling - Shite...too 'touchy feely'.Kids seem to do bugger all work.
Houses - Piss poor build quality.Cold in the winter and hot in the summer.
Cost of living - If you think Blighty is expensive then dont come to Aus.Total lack of competition (banking,supermarkets etc)
Aussie 'pride' - Aus is the best place in the world...end of .What a load of old bollocks
Goes way over the top to he point of being embarrasing.I could waffle on for ages but i wont bother.If the family was'nt happy we'd all be on a plane back home but it looks like i'm gonna have to suck it up for a while.
Two more (long) years and the kids can get citizenship and then take it from there...home to England hopefully.
After reading all that i've just wrote i'm not totally down on Aus its just that i really dont think moving to Aus has been worth all the aggro mentally,financially,emotionally etc.
Home is where the heart is...so so true
Thanks for reading
Lee
I hope you get home.
Jul 2nd 2010, 12:53 pm
#40
Account Closed
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 4,374
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Well over 10 years ago in London I remember that the mortgage was the easy bit and that the thing stopping many people buying was getting that 10pc deposit together, or lack of will. These were younger people admittedly.
Given the choice of a inner City townhouse (rent) against owning a 4x2 out in outer suburban Melbourne I'd rather have the townhouse.
Have to admit though I like the idea of owning in the long term.
Given the choice of a inner City townhouse (rent) against owning a 4x2 out in outer suburban Melbourne I'd rather have the townhouse.
Have to admit though I like the idea of owning in the long term.
Renting also means i can work a 35 hr week instead of a 40 -45 hr one Remember i came from scotland , not London, and a small town where they filmed 'The scheme", these r the breaks, we all came from somewhere!However I have this battle with myself say every couple of months about buying!!, wold love to own my own home for that sense of security!
Last edited by Margaret3; Jul 2nd 2010 at 12:55 pm.
Jul 3rd 2010, 10:04 am
#41
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Mar 2009
Location: Kohimarama
Posts: 1,626
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Badge, here it is in all honesty, we have enought for a 15% deposit, but we have chosen to live in a suburb which has decent public schools, coz we cant afford private, our 15% also leaves me with the feeling i can get the **** outta here Renting also means i can work a 35 hr week instead of a 40 -45 hr one Remember i came from scotland , not London, and a small town where they filmed 'The scheme", these r the breaks, we all came from somewhere!
However I have this battle with myself say every couple of months about buying!!, wold love to own my own home for that sense of security!
Renting also means i can work a 35 hr week instead of a 40 -45 hr one Remember i came from scotland , not London, and a small town where they filmed 'The scheme", these r the breaks, we all came from somewhere!However I have this battle with myself say every couple of months about buying!!, wold love to own my own home for that sense of security!
Jul 3rd 2010, 10:54 am
#42
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Sydney, NSW
Posts: 7,580
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Been here nearly 2 years now, and mostly love it, but have a strange craving for Tesco's jam doughnuts and proper gammon.
Looking at the education, you can't really compare it to the UK: my daughter was at a good grammar school in the UK, and when we got here she was 2 years ahead in all her languages. She is only just catching up with the curriculum she had done in the UK now. Having said that, she was under a huge amount of pressure in the UK, and teachers taught to the tests, often only covering a subject superficially. (I know, first hand as an ex-teacher) There was too much emphasis on growing up and taking exams. Here she still has tests, but has a much broader, deeper curriculum, with more emphasis on developing a well rounded person. She has the opportunity to try out all sorts of things- martial arts, cheerleading, surfing, theatre sports (etc) as part of her curriculum. Children have an opportunity to be individuals rather than moulded into some exam passing object. She has more friends here and is really happy. In the UK she was bullied because she didn't fit in with the boy snogging, thong wearing, sexualised pre pubescents.
Having said that, it IS pricey here- our mortgage is three times the size of the UK one, and the medical/dentist bills are horrendous. The houses are cold in winter as they are not insulated or double glazed, and I am colder than I was in the UK. However, both my husband and daughter are having a much better life. Mine is pretty much the same as it was, apart from health issues.
We have to go back and see the family this month, and I am not sure I want to go- too far to travel, I don't want to celebrate my 50th birthday as I'll be OLD, and then rushing around trying to see everyone in the space of 2 and a 1/2 weeks. Still, I don't think it will be hard for me to get on the plane and come back here. Australia is now my home.
DISCLAIMER: these are my opinions, and do not necessarily reflect the views of others in this thread. Please don't jump on me for expressing them!
Looking at the education, you can't really compare it to the UK: my daughter was at a good grammar school in the UK, and when we got here she was 2 years ahead in all her languages. She is only just catching up with the curriculum she had done in the UK now. Having said that, she was under a huge amount of pressure in the UK, and teachers taught to the tests, often only covering a subject superficially. (I know, first hand as an ex-teacher) There was too much emphasis on growing up and taking exams. Here she still has tests, but has a much broader, deeper curriculum, with more emphasis on developing a well rounded person. She has the opportunity to try out all sorts of things- martial arts, cheerleading, surfing, theatre sports (etc) as part of her curriculum. Children have an opportunity to be individuals rather than moulded into some exam passing object. She has more friends here and is really happy. In the UK she was bullied because she didn't fit in with the boy snogging, thong wearing, sexualised pre pubescents.
Having said that, it IS pricey here- our mortgage is three times the size of the UK one, and the medical/dentist bills are horrendous. The houses are cold in winter as they are not insulated or double glazed, and I am colder than I was in the UK. However, both my husband and daughter are having a much better life. Mine is pretty much the same as it was, apart from health issues.
We have to go back and see the family this month, and I am not sure I want to go- too far to travel, I don't want to celebrate my 50th birthday as I'll be OLD, and then rushing around trying to see everyone in the space of 2 and a 1/2 weeks. Still, I don't think it will be hard for me to get on the plane and come back here. Australia is now my home.
DISCLAIMER: these are my opinions, and do not necessarily reflect the views of others in this thread. Please don't jump on me for expressing them!
Jul 3rd 2010, 10:57 am
#43
BE Forum Addict
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 3,566
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Been here nearly 2 years now, and mostly love it, but have a strange craving for Tesco's jam doughnuts and proper gammon.
Looking at the education, you can't really compare it to the UK: my daughter was at a good grammar school in the UK, and when we got here she was 2 years ahead in all her languages. She is only just catching up with the curriculum she had done in the UK now. Having said that, she was under a huge amount of pressure in the UK, and teachers taught to the tests, often only covering a subject superficially. (I know, first hand as an ex-teacher) There was too much emphasis on growing up and taking exams. Here she still has tests, but has a much broader, deeper curriculum, with more emphasis on developing a well rounded person. She has the opportunity to try out all sorts of things- martial arts, cheerleading, surfing, theatre sports (etc) as part of her curriculum. Children have an opportunity to be individuals rather than moulded into some exam passing object. She has more friends here and is really happy. In the UK she was bullied because she didn't fit in with the boy snogging, thong wearing, sexualised pre pubescents.
Having said that, it IS pricey here- our mortgage is three times the size of the UK one, and the medical/dentist bills are horrendous. The houses are cold in winter as they are not insulated or double glazed, and I am colder than I was in the UK. However, both my husband and daughter are having a much better life. Mine is pretty much the same as it was, apart from health issues.
We have to go back and see the family this month, and I am not sure I want to go- too far to travel, I don't want to celebrate my 50th birthday as I'll be OLD, and then rushing around trying to see everyone in the space of 2 and a 1/2 weeks. Still, I don't think it will be hard for me to get on the plane and come back here. Australia is now my home.
DISCLAIMER: these are my opinions, and do not necessarily reflect the views of others in this thread. Please don't jump on me for expressing them!
Looking at the education, you can't really compare it to the UK: my daughter was at a good grammar school in the UK, and when we got here she was 2 years ahead in all her languages. She is only just catching up with the curriculum she had done in the UK now. Having said that, she was under a huge amount of pressure in the UK, and teachers taught to the tests, often only covering a subject superficially. (I know, first hand as an ex-teacher) There was too much emphasis on growing up and taking exams. Here she still has tests, but has a much broader, deeper curriculum, with more emphasis on developing a well rounded person. She has the opportunity to try out all sorts of things- martial arts, cheerleading, surfing, theatre sports (etc) as part of her curriculum. Children have an opportunity to be individuals rather than moulded into some exam passing object. She has more friends here and is really happy. In the UK she was bullied because she didn't fit in with the boy snogging, thong wearing, sexualised pre pubescents.
Having said that, it IS pricey here- our mortgage is three times the size of the UK one, and the medical/dentist bills are horrendous. The houses are cold in winter as they are not insulated or double glazed, and I am colder than I was in the UK. However, both my husband and daughter are having a much better life. Mine is pretty much the same as it was, apart from health issues.
We have to go back and see the family this month, and I am not sure I want to go- too far to travel, I don't want to celebrate my 50th birthday as I'll be OLD, and then rushing around trying to see everyone in the space of 2 and a 1/2 weeks. Still, I don't think it will be hard for me to get on the plane and come back here. Australia is now my home.
DISCLAIMER: these are my opinions, and do not necessarily reflect the views of others in this thread. Please don't jump on me for expressing them!
Jul 3rd 2010, 11:22 am
#44
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Mar 2008
Location: Sydney, NSW
Posts: 7,580
Re: The obligatory '2 year' thread.
Sorry, I thought that the point of these was to discuss- if we all have the same point of view it isn't really a discussion.
Apologies.
Apologies.