UK People - What do you miss/like?

[filmgirlgail]

Hi Everyone

Just thought I'd start a fun thread to see what we miss about the UK and like about living here. I'm not including the obvious - missing family and friends.

What I miss about the UK

Girlie nights out with old mates
the supermarkets!!
the green green grass of home
Radio 2 (I listen to it on the internet :o )
the changing of the seasons
UK chocolate - just not the same over here!!
knowing what shops to go to for specific things IYKWIM plus where to go for good clothes which fit me (namely missing Next, Hennes, Primark, etc)
lime dippas!!! Not found them here. My sister is stocking up for my visit next week :smiliedance:
old buildings and winding country lanes
pubs and pub lunches
post arriving first thingWhat I like about living here


the size of the house we can afford
the usually predictable weather which leads to hanging out the washing most days
having a laundry room as opposed to wm in the kitchen and tumbler in the study
better outdoor life for the kids
my in-laws! All very nice and help out with the kids when neededI'm sure there's lots more for both but just thought I'd get this posted.

[millymoo]

Here`s a few

What I miss about the UK

Walkers Crisps(cheese and onion in particular)
Wine Bars
Girlie nights
Summer eves in the beer garden of local pub
Late light summer nights
Shopping of all kinds
Sainsbury
Boots or MandS sandwiches already made up(can`t find any here!!)
Twiglets

What I like about here

The weather
The beach
Kids being safer
Coffee choices
Cheap plonk


I am sure there are more...it has made more homesick!! But a good thread Gail !!

[filmgirlgail]

Ooh yes - some good ones there. And, another for here - I don't HAVE to go to work if I don't want to.

[millymoo]

Yes I agree....I had 2 jobs at home !!

I love being a sahm.

One from home.......

Dressing up in winter clothes and feeling cosy!

[warringtonlove]

Gosh I forgot how many things I really enjoyed back in the UK until I saw this thread.

What I miss about the UK
- country walks finishing with a pub lunch
- wine bars
- Supermarkets - I was back in the UK in october and couldn't believe how big they were and how much choice you had.
- M&S food - especially weight watchers chocolate muffins-nothing that good can be healthy for you!!!
- Winter clothing - being all snug in a big jumper.
- Christmas
-English t.v. - I didn't think I would miss it until I experience Aussie tv!
- Summer nights
- Yorkie bars

Things I enjoy about here
- Beaches
- Being Outside
- Family orientated
- Nothing being vanalised
- BBQ's
- Weather
- Wine

[PunkyDiva]

Have dual nationality but only lived Scotland for 4 years so maybe an intruder but oh well, enjoy...

What I miss about the UK

Tesco brekkie
Raking leaves then jumping into the big pile
Bulbs that would be flowering now, planted in fairy circles around the trees
Going to the beach but not having to swim cause it's too cold, so no sand in my car
Stone walls everywhere
Not having to drive more then 10mins on quiet country back roads
Freshly fallen snow
Karaoke with the girls on a Friday night
Being part of a tight knit community
Guy Fawkes night then walking home in pitch dark
Quaint alleyways with a suprising array of small shops
Cheap shoes and boots
Footbal(soccer)rugged up against the cold and rain sipping hot coffee from a thermos
Pub crawls up the main street in Edinburgh then a walk up Arthurs seat to sober up before sleeping on the train home
Being loved where ever we went because we were Aussies and no class distinction in our accent so could mix in any circles
Watching and listening to Gaelic TV/radio
Could afford pay TV
Rolling easter eggs down the hillocks
Duck races in the bourn(sp)
Castles, how could I forget them as was my fav pasttime, Glamis was only 10 min drive away and we had summer passes for picnics, walking dogs, etc in the grounds


What I like about living here

Designated bike paths and footpaths
Not having to dodge dog poop when walking
Being able to take pram into shops
Fresh fruit and vegetables, and steak cheap
BBQ's and outdoor lifestyle
Cost of living is 1/3 that of UK
Wearing skimpy summer clothes again, my first summer in UK I still wore my thermal underwear
Not getting wet for 7 months of the year straight
The sunshine
Tim Tams (taught mums in UK to suck coffee through them, they substituted penguin biscuits but not the same IMO)
Vegemite
An accent that although sounded harsh and strange when we first arrived home at least didn't take me two years to understand what people were saying
Not having to make set appointments for people to come over for a coffee and natter, they had just got the hang of dropping in when we left


I have lots for both but thought these might bring back some memories.

[millymoo]

You obviously had a good time in those 4 years !

Great memories.

[2pinkmonkeys]

I miss Next!

[annb]

the amazing choice of food in Tescos/M&S etc
cheap kids clothes in tescos/asda etc
Next Xmas sale
the sense of humour (from liverpool)
going to the pub on a Monday night and having a good time
karaoke at the pub
quiz nights at the pub
family friendly pubs
walks along the canal to feed the ducks
being able to drive a short distance and be somewhere actually interesting with a bit of history or culture
pantomimes at christmas
a good variety of theatre type shows

[shell1985]

What I miss about home:
Tesco
Chocolate
Weetabix (sorry they are **** here)
Nights out with the girls
Green Grass
Sense of humour
Pub dinners
Cold christmas's
Buying alcohol in Supermarkets
TopShop
Dotti P's
Next
Primark-underwear saviour
Wimpy burgers
My house

I am sure I could think of more, i'll be back!!

[shell1985]

Oh yes.....how could i forget

English TV....i watch UKTV here

[millymoo]

Yes we are all addicted to it too!! Eastenders is the best for me at the moment. Also like Lifestyle...lots Uk shows on that.

H x

[filmgirlgail]

Yep - UKTV for me - Hustle, New Tricks, Jonathon Creek. DS loves 60 min makeover on How To, or maybe he likes Claire Sweeneys t*ts!!! Advantage for here is getting Drs appts on the day you ring up! Still don't understand the payment system tho

[millymoo]

Sounds like you has a great time Gail...lucky with the weather. My friend is due back..had 5 weeks in Uk from Easter time and I can`t wait to see har and hear all about it. Hope you are over jet lag.

[bechope]

I'm from Wales and i miss laver bread and cockles.. YUM!!

I also miss proper chip shops where you get sausage in batter, chips and curry sauce. I can't wait to go over there next year i will be coming back twice my size... LOL

[tanyac1976]

I miss Next!

oooh...me too...clothes that can be washed and washed and still look good:wave:

[TyBaby]

Pub lunches, sausages in batter,Oxford & Regent st Christmas lights, the tube, all night buses, coffee shops open late, dodgy kebabs, primark kids pj's, boots, m&s, sainsburys, waitrose, jager.....I could go on!!

Likes- better quality of life for children, sunny weather, you can leave your handbag on the floor and mobile on the table at a cafe and not worry about it getting pinched!!:yelclap:

[Mammy]

Everything you ladies said!!
As well as

*Pret a Manger -there is nowhere here that you can pop in and get a fresh sanga :crying:
*Jaffa Cakes
*Proper coffee from Strabucks and Coffee Republic, not the same here...
*Packing my own bag at the supermarket, just kidding!

[mayasmummy]

Hi everyone :wave:

Such a great topic.....my hubby always tells me to bu**er off back to Blighty coz I complain about missing some of the stuff so much! :eek:

Here's my list:


Twiglets - yum
Harribo sour mix
Pickled Onion Monster Munch
Topics, toffee crisps, double deckers.....a bit of a theme developing here....:p
Yorkshire tea
Satsumas
Breaded ham
Scrumpy cider in a pint glass in the beer garden on a warm summer's evening
Xmas in the cold - esp mulled wine at Greenwich Market (with Slade on the radio)What I don't miss

London underground
How expensive it is
The NHS
Not having a summer
Going to work in the dark...coming home in the dark
Starting the car 15 minutes before going somewhere so the windows can defrostHmmmm I'm sure there's more than that but my mind has gone blank....well actually if I'm honest I can think of nothing else except twiglets.......Picture Homer Simpson :p

Have you all heard about the car bombs? Soooo scary.

[Beany]

You don't miss London Underground? Really? I do!

I think the public transport here is awful - there are so many places that are just unreachable by train. Buses are tough with a cranky child and a stroller.

Heh - my husband knows better than to tell me to bugger off back home. I would :D

[Rose19]

My goodness, I think everyone before me has covered most of what I miss and don't miss, but I'll give you my list anyway...........

I miss from England

My close friends and family the most but a close second comes.......
Monster Munch and skips
French wine
Pubs - Ploughmans lunch
english sense of humour, much more sarcastic
long summer nights
being so close to europe and flying to a new country for the weekend
going to the pub after work on a whim
christmas lights in the streets
english soaps

what I dont' miss

public transport
wet and cold weather
how expensive everything is

and what i like about living here

is....... affording a better quality of life than what our same jobs in the uk would afford us
the beach and the sun
bbqs
camping
living with windows open

[joetsmum]

Wow, I've been in Oz for 10 years this year but reading this has made me realise what i still miss so here goes:

my family
my old school friends
proper pork sausages
being able to buy wine in the supermarket
going out for a curry
pub lunches on a rainy Sunday
country lanes and holidays in Cornwall
Going to Brighton for the weekend
European holidays
clothes shops like Next and H&M
Shoe shops
traditional wintery christmas

What I love about Sydney:

Safer for raising children
Warm and sunny days in winter
Great standard of living
Friendly people
Delicious food and great restaurants
Cheap wine
My australian husband

[leane7]

I have been in Melbourne for 8 years. I miss the regular things like family, friends etc. I miss xmas in the cold (sounds weird I know).

I miss having chips from the chippy with curry & a nice egg custard from burtons bakery. I also miss the taste of cadbury chocolate from UK, its more creamy and I miss dream topping!

I miss a lot of different foods but I have been able to find a few of them (the same or very similar) over here. Aldi is the best for finding UK type foods, since it has been in UK for 15 yrs or something like that.

Heres a few things that I like to get here:

Jaffa Cakes - Aldi
Fox's Biscuits - Aldi
Bisto Gravy granuals - Safeway (sometimes)
Revels - Safeway (sometimes)
Mr.Kipling (cakes/pies) - Safeway
Pork Pies - Safeway (Deli)
Irn Bru Drnk - Safeway
Vimto - Safeway
Aunt Bettys Yorkshire puddings - Aldi

Am trying to think of a few more......

Oh & those that miss next, they have a next factory outlet somewhere in Melbourne, I remember going to it ages ago. I think its on Nicholson street?

I like.....

The people in Australia - More relaxed
BBQ's on a real BBQ, not some brick thing my dad built in the backyard!
Having a swimming pool
The cost of living
The oppurtunities available here
Mixture of cultures
Spring & autumn weather (Summer gets a bit hot)

I dislike about Aus....

The cost of second hand cars (lol - they are a rip off compared to UK)
The schooling system

[Beany]

A real pastie.

Cornish pasties and cheese and onion pasties. They just don't exist here.

[leane7]

They sell Cornish pasties in safeway in the frozenfood section they are made by Herbert & i can't remember. They arent as good as the real thing but they are pretty nice. They also sell cheese & onion crisps in safeway made by Lays I think. They taste pretty much the same.

[Beany]

Crisps are about the only thing that do! :) I'm pretty happy with the crisps here, though I wish they'd get onto the idea of pickled onion Monster Munch. And possibly prawn cocktail flavour.

[leane7]

Just realised that they sell all sorts of haribo mixes in Aldi. Does anyone remember those biscuits called 'Rocky Bars', you could get them from Morrisons, well anyway they sell the exact same biscuits in Aldi but they are called 'Wacko's', give them a try......

[shazb]

I am off to aldi to get yorkshire puds and jaffa cakes.

:smiliedance: :smiliedance: :smiliedance: :smiliedance:

[millymoo]

I miss radiators!!

It was 6deg this morning in The Hunter!

[glamourgrrl]

Hi there

We've found the Treats from Home Shop for English things.

I've even bough Fairy liquid and flying saucers.

And they do crisps!!

http://www.treatsfromhome.com.au/

Been a lifesaver.

[leane7]

Just remembered how much I miss Mushroom Toast Toppers........... YUMMMMY.

Anyone remember them?

[leane7]

Just dooing a google search for toast toppers & look what I found! You can get everything on here!

http://www.expats-shoppingarcade.co.uk/

[ThomasMum]

You don't miss London Underground? Really? I do!

Are you serious? Not us! Maybe because the last time we came back to UK the trainlines somewhere near Hammersmith station wasnt working so we all had to get out, everyone were panicking and it was a total chaos, no help from Brit rail whatsoever :thumbsdown: (as ussual)

Now if anything happened in Sydney, Sydney City Rail would replaced with buses and taxis within second!

My DH went to London couple months ago for work, nothing have changed he said in regards to public transport (esp the tubes)...

[jackie99]

i have been living here now for 5 years, and there is soooooo much i miss but yes you can have MOST of the items we talked about @ treatsfromhome, just google it and for a not so bad fee you can have all the walkers u like. thanks jackie