Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Jul 16th 2008, 8:26 am
#1
Crazy Cat Lady
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Look away now if a) you're easily bored; b) not interested 
; or c) going to read the blog because it's a cut and paste of roughly what's going on that!
We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing
.
I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much
). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied 
Refused that offer.
Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads
There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless 
I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.
Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
; or c) going to read the blog because it's a cut and paste of roughly what's going on that!We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing
. I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much
). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied Refused that offer.Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads
There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there
They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
Jul 16th 2008, 8:42 am
#2
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 15,526
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
Isn't it great to be back though, makes you appreciate it here just that little bit more.
Jul 16th 2008, 9:13 am
#3
here and staying
Joined: Jul 2005
Location: happy in the hills of Perth......
Posts: 4,351
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Look away now if a) you're easily bored; b) not interested ; or c) going to read the blog because it's a cut and paste of roughly what's going on that!
We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing.
I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied Refused that offer.
Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless
I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.
Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
; or c) going to read the blog because it's a cut and paste of roughly what's going on that!We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing
. I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much
). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied Refused that offer.Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads
There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there
They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
Fab post
Yeap Perth is wey much cheap
Looking at March 2010 at the mo.....check your diary!!!
Jul 16th 2008, 9:31 am
#4
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: London
Posts: 276
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Great post and very balanced.
I have just come back from a 4 week trip to England and I had a fantastic time. Yes it is expensive and there is a media frenzy about knife crime and a recession is looming, but it is still a great place (especially at this time of year when it is light til 10.00pm and everything is in bloom) and it has so much to offer.
Just a couple of things that struck me.
Not my experience - I found that driving was much better in the UK particularly on the motorways (we travelled practically the whole length of England from south west to north east) and there was no tail-gating which is really common here, although the new average speed checks on motorways were a bit of a shock. I even found that London drivers were not too bad, although I think I had forgotten just how bad the traffic congestion is and spent the first few days being horribly late and then gave up and used public transport a lot more.
I still love England and I think being away has made me appreciate it more. I've missed London a lot since we moved here so we did quite a bit of touristy stuff there and even wet weather didn't spoil things. We had one day of rain whilst we were in London, but we just went to the Science Museum. The kids had a ball and, better still, entrance is free and LU only charges £1 for each child on a family travelcard, so it was a cheap day out.
We all found it just as hard to leave friends and family as when we first left the UK just over 2 years ago, but for the moment the Sunshine Coast is home, although we haven't ruled out a return to the UK at some point in the future. Like you say, both countries have their good points, but at the moment I just wish that the Sunshine Coast could live up to its name - it has rained every day since we got back at the weekend - we only had 2 days of rain in 4 weeks in the UK! My OH even got comments at work about the tan he had picked up whilst on holiday - that's Devon and North Yorkshire for you.
I have just come back from a 4 week trip to England and I had a fantastic time. Yes it is expensive and there is a media frenzy about knife crime and a recession is looming, but it is still a great place (especially at this time of year when it is light til 10.00pm and everything is in bloom) and it has so much to offer.
Just a couple of things that struck me.
Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are.
We all found it just as hard to leave friends and family as when we first left the UK just over 2 years ago, but for the moment the Sunshine Coast is home, although we haven't ruled out a return to the UK at some point in the future. Like you say, both countries have their good points, but at the moment I just wish that the Sunshine Coast could live up to its name - it has rained every day since we got back at the weekend - we only had 2 days of rain in 4 weeks in the UK! My OH even got comments at work about the tan he had picked up whilst on holiday - that's Devon and North Yorkshire for you.
Jul 17th 2008, 12:50 am
#5
Banned
Joined: Dec 2004
Location: Tapping (Perth)
Posts: 2,619
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
I just wish that the Sunshine Coast could live up to its name - it has rained every day since we got back at the weekend - we only had 2 days of rain in 4 weeks in the UK! My OH even got comments at work about the tan he had picked up whilst on holiday - that's Devon and North Yorkshire for you.
Gina
Jul 17th 2008, 2:00 am
#6
Forum Regular
Joined: Feb 2007
Location: London
Posts: 276
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
My comment was made in the context that a lot of Aussies enjoy teasing Poms about "the fact" that it rains all the time in the UK, even in summer, so some have been amazed by evidence that the sun shines there too. Also, winter on the Sunshine Coast is usually the driest time of year (with normal daytime temps of about 22°C) so it was a bit surprising and depressing to return to several days of rain. However, normal service has been resumed today - bright blue skies, sunshine and currently about 20°C.
Jul 18th 2008, 9:45 am
#7
I'm now an Aussie too!!!
Joined: May 2006
Location: 'Home by the Sea' Elanora
Posts: 5,030
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Look away now if a) you're easily bored; b) not interested or c) going to read the blog because it's a cut and paste of roughly what's going on that!
We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing.
I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied Refused that offer.
Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless
I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.
Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing
. I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much
). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied Refused that offer.Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads
There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there
They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
And what about parking spaces, small or what!!! C x
Jul 19th 2008, 6:44 pm
#8
Forum Regular
Joined: Jul 2007
Location: Ely to Adelaide in Sept 08
Posts: 298
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
I have one exactly like that will only talk to my chest!!!!
glad to hear you views
Jul 21st 2008, 12:30 am
#9
(It's not my real name)
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Ilukapool. WA
Posts: 12,467
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
First day back at work today for me.
Had another great trip to the UK via Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific - good airline, not as good as Singapore or Emirates but still good. The reason we go Cathay - we love Hong Kong, great place for a stopover - 3 nights both ways.
UK - great place for a holiday, wouldn't want to live there. Harpenden, as Moneypen says - so many cars such narrow (badly maintained) roads.
Supermarkets - wow, the choice, the variety, cheap - BOGOF offers, craps all over Australia in that regard.
Yes, lots of stabbings on the news - every day, big recession coming, people losing their jobs crap weather.
Worst of all my mum is terminally ill and not got too long now, very sad.
Later.
Had another great trip to the UK via Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific - good airline, not as good as Singapore or Emirates but still good. The reason we go Cathay - we love Hong Kong, great place for a stopover - 3 nights both ways.
UK - great place for a holiday, wouldn't want to live there. Harpenden, as Moneypen says - so many cars such narrow (badly maintained) roads.
Supermarkets - wow, the choice, the variety, cheap - BOGOF offers, craps all over Australia in that regard.
Yes, lots of stabbings on the news - every day, big recession coming, people losing their jobs crap weather.
Worst of all my mum is terminally ill and not got too long now, very sad.
Later.
Jul 21st 2008, 1:02 am
#10
happy to be here!
Joined: Aug 2003
Location: Ellenbrook, WA
Posts: 2,732
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Sorry to hear about your Mum Renth.
Jul 21st 2008, 3:12 am
#11
Gutter Gob!!
Joined: Feb 2005
Location: Perth
Posts: 13,098
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
First day back at work today for me.
Had another great trip to the UK via Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific - good airline, not as good as Singapore or Emirates but still good. The reason we go Cathay - we love Hong Kong, great place for a stopover - 3 nights both ways.
UK - great place for a holiday, wouldn't want to live there. Harpenden, as Moneypen says - so many cars such narrow (badly maintained) roads.
Supermarkets - wow, the choice, the variety, cheap - BOGOF offers, craps all over Australia in that regard.
Yes, lots of stabbings on the news - every day, big recession coming, people losing their jobs crap weather.
Worst of all my mum is terminally ill and not got too long now, very sad.
Later.
Had another great trip to the UK via Hong Kong.
Cathay Pacific - good airline, not as good as Singapore or Emirates but still good. The reason we go Cathay - we love Hong Kong, great place for a stopover - 3 nights both ways.
UK - great place for a holiday, wouldn't want to live there. Harpenden, as Moneypen says - so many cars such narrow (badly maintained) roads.
Supermarkets - wow, the choice, the variety, cheap - BOGOF offers, craps all over Australia in that regard.
Yes, lots of stabbings on the news - every day, big recession coming, people losing their jobs crap weather.
Worst of all my mum is terminally ill and not got too long now, very sad.
Later.
Jul 21st 2008, 3:27 am
#12
Crazy Cat Lady
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Bummer about your mum Renth, so sorry Hope she's not in too much pain and discomfort.
You didn't go in the Silver Cup on Tuesday 31st did you? That would have been spooky
Hope she's not in too much pain and discomfort.You didn't go in the Silver Cup on Tuesday 31st did you? That would have been spooky
Jul 21st 2008, 4:14 am
#13
(It's not my real name)
Joined: Sep 2002
Location: Ilukapool. WA
Posts: 12,467
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Did you go to the Highland Gathering?
Jul 21st 2008, 8:47 am
#14
Crazy Cat Lady
Thread Starter
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 65,493
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Had a meal in my old doctors surgery - that was weird, lovely food but grateful we weren't put in the nurses room - would have brought back way to many memories best forgotten
Jul 21st 2008, 11:50 am
#15
Forum Regular
Joined: May 2008
Location: Warlingham, Surrey
Posts: 81
Re: Two week holiday in sunny (sometimes) England.
Look away now if a) you're easily bored; b) not interested ; or c) going to read the blog because it's a cut and paste of roughly what's going on that!
We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing.
I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied Refused that offer.
Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless
I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.
Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
; or c) going to read the blog because it's a cut and paste of roughly what's going on that!We (me, first born and tiddler) had our first trip back to blighty, leaving Him Outdoors home alone. Had various hiccups with the flights in the weeks preceding but eventually, we thought, all was good. Drove to the Brissie airport on the Friday, arriving just before final check in, only to find Royal Brunei had changed the flight time and neglected to pass the info on to quite a few agents. Apparently our agent had been on the phone shouting at them and they had held the flight so straight on the plane - no duty free no nothing
. I don't care what people say, in my world and with my view of things, England has not changed. Brilliant weather one week, total rubbish the next but at least Wimbledon finished with a flourish - cracking match! Didn't see any Poles (human variety anyway), didn't hear any, didn't see any signs written in a foreign language. Read (looked at) the Daily Mail on a couple of occasions and it seemed fairly calm apart from the belief that every teenager known to man now carries a knife. Reporting knife crimes has obviously become the latest 'must do' for the media, taking over from teenage girls binge drinking I assume.
The MIL and FIL seemed to have a vaguely unhealthy obsession with their deaths although they were both very fit and healthy (apart from FIL's groin problem about which we heard way too much
). They decided we had to take various items of jewellery with us incase their solicitor half inched it between death and our arrival to sort stuff out. Also wanted us to take anything out of the china/glass cabinet we fancied Refused that offer.Dorset is still beautiful even if the local drivers have obviously never taken a driving lesson in their lives - more on that later.
Our friends were brill and lovely as ever and all seemed very pleased to see us which was nice. My family haven't changed a bit apart from being on their best behaviour - even my mother was bearable. Hells teeth she looks old though. My uncle is still a slimy perv and managed to freak first born and two of my nieces out but we managed to have him sit at the other end of the table from them for the family dinner so it's all good. Having your great uncle tell you you have great legs and have turned into a stunner whilst spittle forms at the corners of very pink slobbery lips is not pleasant
Harpenden seemed really busy car wise and who the hell narrowed the roads
There seems to have been a mass coffee shop birth since we moved away which is fine except they were all full of loud, city money wives with young babies screaming which wasn't. Not sure if I met Renth or Mike Stanton but if I did they were harmless I don't care what anyone else thinks of the driving standards between Aus and the UK, from what I saw driving in the UK is 100 times poorer than anything I see when I drive around here and that includes the occasional trip into Brissie.
My nephew who neglected to ring or visit us when staying half an hour away for three weeks made up for his sins by taking us to the airport at 6am - he must have loved hearing the girls sobbing and sniffing on the backseat all the way there
They were fine once we'd checked in though. The flight was ok except the second leg Dubai to Brunei as my body decided it was time for a major migraine which lasted 8 hours. Managed to hold on to my stomach although did lose my eyesight for part of it 24 hours in Brunei was brilliant though - lovely place and people.Anyway home again and happy to be here even if it is cold and rainy! We never left the UK because we hated it or for any negatives, it was always for the adventure and experience. Had a brilliant holiday, shame it is so damned expensive to visit more often but that flight is hardwork and I'm not sure I can be bothered to do it for a long while. Both countries have their good and bad points, the trick is to minimise the bad and maximise the good wherever you are. Both our old home town and now our new one are in stunning areas with gorgeous countryside and with brilliant facilities not far away. Would I go back to live? Never say never but I can't see it. Friends are in Herts and I don't think we'd go there simply because it's too crowded and busy and way too expensive so there's little point in making the move even if we had the inclination.
Next holiday will be closer to home and probably cheaper.
Sounds like you had a lovely time and I'm really pleased for you that it all seemed to be well. All I would say is if ever you do head this way again don't come anywhere near Croydon (where I live), or Slough (where I work) you may be horrified as, imo, only half the story ever gets to the papers as most of the horror stories you read are just the norm now days.
As far as the Poles/foreigner thing goes, I'm not going to go down the "I'm not a racist" line as that is rather cliché. I grew up in the middles east, spent eight years of my initial career in the Military and was abroad for most of that. I have been working abroad, up until recently, since June '97. I am well travelled and love living and mixing with foreign people and cultures. A lot of how I feel has been articulated at length in many other mails. I agree with some of it, but not all. What I will say, amongst other things, is I just get very weary of continually having problems trying to make myself understood in my own country. From a girl in a Nero Coffee shop not being able to understand that I would like an Espresso shot in my coffee (they advertise this as an option I might add) to being in B&Q and it being impossible to get through to the guy that I was looking for a carpenter’s pencil.
On a lighter note, my holiday is in the other direction in October, for a month. Rock on!
Spencer.