what to do and where to live in uk

Posted by: DAVOhorn on 18 November 2008

Dear All,

I need a bit of advice.

I am currently applying for permanent residency here in Aus. Now i know that because i am an old bastard ie over 40, over 45 and more importantly over 50 years of age. So i know that i have a 50/50 chance of being successful.

So should i be unsuccessful it will be back to blighty about july next year.

I have decided i will not return to Norfolk Suffolk .

But would consider Somerset but have not lived there since 1979 and Herefordshire but have not been there since i was a young child.

So for those of you who live there what are your thoughts on this.

Also if you had a choice of where to live in UK where would you live? Hopefully rural semi rural areas with natural beauty scenery etc.etc.

Many thanks for your thoughts on this.

regards David
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by Lontano
quote:
Originally posted by winkyincanada:

Yeah, but why anybody would want to live in Sydney is totally beyond me. The "life support systems" apparently don't work. Sydney-siders seem to do nothing but bang on about the traffic, toll roads, tunnels, public transport, lack of parking, hospitals, inconsiderate bicycle riders, shite telecoms, decimation of the (y)arts etc etc... They're a bunch of whiners. I personally couldn't wait to see the back of the Sydney-centric sense of entitlement. How the hell they're going to cope now that the holy altar of real-estate-based "wealth generation" had come crashing down, nobody knows.

Yep, Sydney is beautiful for the 0.001% who have a "harbour view"; the rest is ugly sprawl.

Factor in that the whole country is rapidly being turned into a desert by rampant deforestation and farming, combined with climate change; all in a dearth of any reasonable political courage/policy and I don't miss the place in the slightest. The endless sunshine depressed me.... it is the harbinger of the destruction of the ecosystem. And don't get me started on the f%^&ing "baby bonus".

I have no plans to return.


Wow Winky, you must have had a bad Sydney experience. I cannot recognise the city or the people you describe from my more than four years living in the city.

Sydney was a fabulous place to live. Like every city it has it's not so good areas but there are so many lovely suburbs to live in that are not on the harbour. I would have no hesitation going back to live the good sunny life if I could. In fact I would love to.
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by winkyincanada
quote:
Originally posted by Lontano:
quote:
Originally posted by winkyincanada:

Yeah, but why anybody would want to live in Sydney is totally beyond me. The "life support systems" apparently don't work. Sydney-siders seem to do nothing but bang on about the traffic, toll roads, tunnels, public transport, lack of parking, hospitals, inconsiderate bicycle riders, shite telecoms, decimation of the (y)arts etc etc... They're a bunch of whiners. I personally couldn't wait to see the back of the Sydney-centric sense of entitlement. How the hell they're going to cope now that the holy altar of real-estate-based "wealth generation" had come crashing down, nobody knows.

Yep, Sydney is beautiful for the 0.001% who have a "harbour view"; the rest is ugly sprawl.

Factor in that the whole country is rapidly being turned into a desert by rampant deforestation and farming, combined with climate change; all in a dearth of any reasonable political courage/policy and I don't miss the place in the slightest. The endless sunshine depressed me.... it is the harbinger of the destruction of the ecosystem. And don't get me started on the f%^&ing "baby bonus".

I have no plans to return.


Wow Winky, you must have had a bad Sydney experience. I cannot recognise the city or the people you describe from my more than four years living in the city.

Sydney was a fabulous place to live. Like every city it has it's not so good areas but there are so many lovely suburbs to live in that are not on the harbour. I would have no hesitation going back to live the good sunny life if I could. In fact I would love to.


No, my post was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek rant. I think Sydney is a pretty good place to live, actually. I always enjoyed my time there. It is almost totally car-centric in the way of North American cities and many areas definitely suffer badly from "growth" and development, but my conclusion that the inhabitants complain about everything incessantly is drawn mainly from reading the letters page of the SMH. I know its not like that. I was just having a bit of fun.

Climate change is a looming catastrophe for Australia though, and I do feel very strongly about (against) the Federal policy of encouraging population growth.
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by Gary S.
David

As somebody born and bred in Somerset, I would say it would be a good choice. A bit rural at times, depending where you settle, but certainly a fairly relaxed place to live. Property prices are reasonably high (or at least they were!) but certainly not as bad as Cornwall/Devon.

With the demise of Avon, Somerset is now somewhat bigger than it used to be of course. It does however have a strange phenomena - since it is split almost straight down the middle by the M5, it has sort of developed into two separate comunities, those living north of the M5 (Minehead, Quantocks & Exmoor etc) rarely ventue south and likewise, those living souuth of the M5 (Yeovil, Ilminster, Chard etc) rarely ventue north. If either wants to go shopping somewhere bigger than their own town they go to Taunton which is on the M5 and if they want something bigger they either go up to Bristol or down to Exeter. Therefore the two communities rarely meet and it sometimes feels a bit "us and them" if you know what I mean. Me, I'm a south Somerset man and wouldn't have anything to do with those northern types!

Not too many Naimees down here and whilst there are a few Naim dealers I choose to travel to the Cotswolds for good advice.

Regards

Gary
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by Lontano
quote:
Originally posted by winkyincanada:
No, my post was a bit of a tongue-in-cheek rant. I think Sydney is a pretty good place to live, actually. I always enjoyed my time there. It is almost totally car-centric in the way of North American cities and many areas definitely suffer badly from "growth" and development, but my conclusion that the inhabitants complain about everything incessantly is drawn mainly from reading the letters page of the SMH. I know its not like that. I was just having a bit of fun.



Thank goodness for that as I don't know too many nicer places to live. Cool
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by Mike7
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
How Hythe got in book one, I will never no. Winker


Thats because its minging..come and live in Lympne man Winker
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by Jim Lawson
quote:
Sydney-siders seem to do nothing but bang on about the traffic, toll roads, tunnels, public transport, lack of parking, hospitals, inconsiderate bicycle riders, shite telecoms, decimation of the (y)arts etc etc... They're a bunch of whiners. I


Unlike us Canadians, eh? Winker
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by Jono 13
Try looking around the Malvern/Ledbury area for the best of rural and developed areas.

There are good transport links across the country and beautiful countryside.

Jono
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by hungryhalibut
quote:
Are you nearby?

We live in Emsworth, near Chichester, which incidentally is a great place to live - on the coast with easy access to the countryside. And only 10 minutes from the ferry port.

Nigel
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by winkyincanada
quote:
Originally posted by Jim Lawson:
quote:
Sydney-siders seem to do nothing but bang on about the traffic, toll roads, tunnels, public transport, lack of parking, hospitals, inconsiderate bicycle riders, shite telecoms, decimation of the (y)arts etc etc... They're a bunch of whiners. I


Unlike us Canadians, eh? Winker


Ouch! Smile
Posted on: 26 November 2008 by naim_nymph
quote:
Originally posted by BigH47:
quote:
But the new library will be brilliant.


Nigel
Looking forward to that opening. Are you nearby?




This'll make you home counties boyo's really envyious! Big Grin

nymph
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by BigH47
quote:
We live in Emsworth, near Chichester, which incidentally is a great place to live

It is a nice area unless you need to use the Chichester so called by pass/car park. Smile
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by Mike7
[/QUOTE]And a Woolworths that was open today.[/QUOTE]

Which probably wont be tomorrow..
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by Mike7
quote:
Originally posted by munch:
quote:
Originally posted by Mike7:
And a Woolworths that was open today.


Which probably wont be tomorrow..[/QUOTE]Picky Winker
It will be a big downer man if it does close.
Its the main shop in town,And the only one to buy cds dvds, Games and all the other stuff. they do.
But the company have been in trouble for well over six months, like well before the crunch.
Shame.[/QUOTE]

I thought it was the ONLY shop in town, but yes very true it will be a shame
Posted on: 27 November 2008 by Jeremy Marchant
quote:
Originally posted by Gary S.:
I choose to travel to the Cotswolds for good advice.

As do all right thinking people.
(And no mucking about ordering pucks either)
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by Kevin-W
David

My ex came from Harrogate in North Yorks and I always found the scenery breathtaking up there.

Otherwise, come to Balham, it's lovely here Big Grin
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by BigH47
quote:
Otherwise, come to Balham, it's lovely here


Ah yes the Friday & Saturday nights the broken windows the blood on the pavement, such great pubs. Roll Eyes Eek Smile
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by Kevin-W
quote:
Originally posted by Kevin-W:
quote:
Originally posted by BigH47:
quote:
Otherwise, come to Balham, it's lovely here


Ah yes the Friday & Saturday nights the broken windows the blood on the pavement, such great pubs. Roll Eyes Eek Smile


Actually it's a bit posher here these days (we have a Waitrose, and an organic supermarket that charges £11 for a box of mueseli don't you know). Tooting and Streatham's where it's at for fighting and general violence these days. Winker

We have some very good pubs, namely the Nightingale, the Bedford and the Clarence, plus a couple of good bars and some excellent restaurants.
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by BigH47
God the Bedford was one of the pubs I was talking about.
Last time I drove through I realised "the gateway to the South" was looking a lot better. We used to go to great Indian the other side of the Bec, for the life of me I can't remember the name now, would certainly have changed by now in the last 28 years. Smile
Posted on: 28 November 2008 by Kevin-W
quote:
Originally posted by BigH47:
God the Bedford was one of the pubs I was talking about.
Last time I drove through I realised "the gateway to the South" was looking a lot better. We used to go to great Indian the other side of the Bec, for the life of me I can't remember the name now, would certainly have changed by now in the last 28 years. Smile


I've lived in Balham long enough to remember the Bedford as a whore-frequented grothole. It's actually a very good pub now. I even persuaded my mum - a most delicate flower - to go in there last month. Big Grin
Posted on: 04 December 2008 by J.N.
Hi David,

Thanks for the Christmas card.

Why might you not get citizenship? Surely you are a desireable resident with a health-care profession?

As Tony says, there's a grand buch of Hi-Fi nutters hereabouts and it would be great to have you back. Suffolk was recently voted the best county in England to live in. Clearly, you think otherwise.

Anyway; have a good Christmas and keep us posted.

John.
Posted on: 04 December 2008 by DAVOhorn
DEar John,

Just had the receipt from dept immigration for my employers sponsorship application.

So we wait to hear if her application is successful.

If not can i sleep on your floor?

If accepted then i submit my application.

If that is accepted i get to stay in Aus. If not then again can i sleep on your floor.

My main problem is my advanced years.

Over 30
Over 40
Over 45
Over 50
This is real important for points.

Also my occupation is in the highest need. If too many aussies lose their jobs in UK (3000 returned in last 4 weeks) then they may want my job. If my occupation goes into the next level down then can i sleep on your floor?

So i have a 50/50 CHANCE.

a RECENT DODGE BY A german GP when his Down's syndrome son failed medical so family rejected was to go to the press. So they are now allowed to stay.

A teacher from Uk who failed for the same reason has appealed using the German Dr as a grounds for their application. Also Aus is reducing the no of immigrants allowed due to the job losses here.

So my glass is half full and can i sleep on your floor if needed.

I lived in Suffolk 20 years so would want a change.

One thing i have learnt here is how important ones roots are, so i might have a look at Bonnie Scotland as i have not lived there since 1977. So going back to my roots may be fun.

But at this time it is Aus until i am kicked out.

Then can i sleep on your floor?

If i went back to suffolk it would be a different part of suffolk.

regards David
Posted on: 05 December 2008 by JWM
quote:
Originally posted by DAVOhorn:
I lived in Suffolk 20 years so would want a change.


Norfolk? It's quite different (or rather, it's normal for Norfolk).
Posted on: 06 December 2008 by J.N.
Absolutely James. Still none of those big wide roads hereabouts, but we like it that way.

Strangely enough my current er ..... bathroom reading is 'Normal for Norfolk' by Keith Skipper, which is a good laugh.

John.