Hello

[Paulwhitton]

Hi all,

I figured I had better register as I have been to this site many times in the past.

I have now settled back in the UK after about 8 years in oz. Just started working for a company in Manchester and am a little rusty on the way things are done this side of the pond.

Will be registering for trade access soon,but must obviously do some posting first. So that said, off to the forums I go.

[RichL]

Welcome.

 

Hopefully Im off to oz for a couple of months in the next year or two, so Im interested in your opinions of it.

[Paulwhitton]

Its a great place. I lived in Sydney, but also visited most of the major cities there for work as well as doing the tourist thing.

Are you planning on working whilst there or just bumming around??

[norman]

Hello

[RichL]

Id like to travel across from the SE to Perth-ish, IIRC there's a train which takes several days. Thats one plan, also Id like to hire a car (something fun, no aussie ****) and drive up the east coast stopping at the small towns at my own pace. Maybe continue up to Thailand-ish and spend a couple of weeks in one of those huts half in/half out of the sea.

 

Just thoughts atm more than an actual plans but very much hoping to do something along those lines.

 

If I could also do it during an Ashes tour and cause some trouble then that would be great too.

 

WHy have you come back!

[Paulwhitton]

WHy have you come back!

Oh, that question AGAIN!!!

If I could have a pound for every time I've been asked it I would be a rich man lol

Guess its time to answer it here...

I went to oz when I was 13, started off on a round the world trip in my mid 20's where I met the missus(who is from stoke)

So I settled down in UK for about 6 years, eventually convincing her to move to oz with me. I made her promise to stay 5 years and not complain about missing home after 12 months(which I knew she would)

She lasted 6 years, I dragged it out to 8 years, but she was adament that she wanted to come back to stoke as she missed her family and friends.

I'm a man of my word, so we moved to the other side of the world, again.

At least this time I knew what I was getting myself in for, and despite a huge backward step in my career, so far I am enjoying the change. It is quite refreshing to go back on the tools again, and doing what I am told, rather than managing a bunch of young technicians and dealing with irate customers.

I have young children now, who have just started school, and they get on so much better with their English grandparents than the Ozzie ones, so all in all, the family is much happier now than they were 12 months ago. Hopefully thus will continue after the novelty has wore off.

Looking forward to my first proper (aka cold) Christmas in 8 years. I had only just got used to eating a roast turkey in the heat of a Sydney summer.

[matthew.brough]

Looking forward to my first proper (aka cold) Christmas

I think we can deliver on that

 

Welcome to tsi.

[Paulwhitton]

I think we can deliver on that

 

Yeah, I've been reading the papers, seems I've gone from the warmest Australian winter in decades to the coldest English one ... good job I like the cold

[datadiffusion]

Hi Paul, welcome, not sure about coldest, never thought I'd be doing major DIY in the garden on the 1st December!