What is a better Lifestyle?

I think it’s pretty safe to say that as your reading this you’re considering a move (or have already made the move) Down Under.

When we moved to Australia one of the main things that drove us here was the better lifestyle we saw Australia giving our family.

When you think about it though, what is a better lifestyle?

It’s pretty much an all encompassing statement isn’t it?

With this in mind I’d thought I’d attempt to break down ‘a better lifestyle’ into a number of key components and then ask you guys to let me know which of these things drive you to help us all understand the key drivers for moving to Australia.

Is it the just the weather or are you looking for something else?

I had to have a good think about the list and I’m sure there are obvious thing’s I’ve missed out but I think it’s a reasonable list for starters:

Heres the Poll Read more

Popularity: 6% [?]

Junk Week

The towns and cities in Australia by UK standards are pretty spotless.

Rubbish is kept to a minimum and there seems to be quite a large army of street cleaners that help keep the places looking nice and tidy.

This applies to the suburbs to. You don’t see blokes riding along on their ’super sucker 2000′ street vacuum cleaners but they must exist in some form as any rubbish spied on one day is quickly tidied away by the next.

An interesting sign appeared on our street the other day. It was erected by someone from the council and simply had ‘Junk Week’ written on it in big bold letters with some simple instruction advising the local residents to leave their junk out for collection. Read more

Popularity: 8% [?]

Quinns Rocks Beach - Hmmmm!

Although I’ve not able to post any pictures of our new house in Quinns Rocks yet (by virtue of the fact that we still haven’t paid for it) I thought I’d post a picture of our local beach which is about five minutes away

As mentioned earlier today we decided to go down to the beach this arvo for a Fathers day picnic and what better beach to go to than the beach closest to our new home.

As you’ll see by the photos (which aren’t that great as they were taken on my phone but should still give you an idea) the Indian Ocean is starting to turn that really nice turquoise blue colour (click thumbnail for a bigger picture). The sand is still a little full of the seaweed chucked up during the strong winter tides but this will clear in the next few weeks leaving a spotless beach behind. Read more

Popularity: 5% [?]

Wild Flowers at Kings Park - Spring is really here

Wow, well that’s winter out of the way. September brings with it the first day of Spring and it certainly seems like spring is well and truly here.

We had a great day at Kings Park yesterday, the sun was shining and the temperatures rose to the early twentys.

Junior had fun playing on all the climbing frames and playing on the park at the synergy Parkland as we chilled out in the Spring sunshine drinking latte’s.

Yep, yesterday was a very tough day indeed and it was nice to get out in the sunshine again!

I’d almost forgotten what a great place Kings park is! It’s been a while since we have been to Kings park and due the missus condition she has avoided going there alone just incase something should happen on the baby front.

I’d heard that the flowers in Kings Park were pretty impressive during the springtime but I hadn’t fully appreciated that they would be out so early. Read more

Popularity: 5% [?]

Subiaco Oval - Pretty Impressive

Well, I went to see my first AFL Footie Match yesterday and I have to say I had a pretty good time.

We had great seats and I even managed to get my head around some of the rules.

The game was played at a Stadium called the Subicao Oval I took a picture on my phone so have a click to see a larger (slightly blurry) picture.

The Subiaco Oval, known colloquially as Subi, is the highest capacity sports stadium in Perth and is the home ground for the West Coast Eagles and Fremantle Football Club, the two Western Australian teams in the Australian Football League.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with the Subi and it was jam packed with supporters. Read more

Popularity: 5% [?]

Going to the footie

Well, I had to get my first AFL footie match in at some point and today is the day.

I’ve been invited by a supplier to attend an AFL match between a team called the West Coast Eagles and Richmond at the Subiaco Oval which is one of the larger stadiums here in Perth.

‘The Eagles’ Won the AFL Champions league last year so are supposed to be quite good apparently.

I’m hoping that the Aussies that I’m attending the game with will be able to educate me a little on the rules. I really have no idea whats going on when I’ve watched the matches on TV.

Lots of running around and kicking and tackling and kicking and running around throughout the four quarters which seem to last anywhere between 20 - 30 minutes. How confusing!

I think I’d actually quite like to get into AFL though. It’ll make for good bonding time for me and Junior who also fancies going to a footie match sometime soon.

Will the Eagles be our team of choice? Well that depends if they win of course!

Come on the Kangaroos, err Eagles!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Steamy nights and a trip down to Rockingham

It has been really steamy over the last couple of days. The thermometer has been hitting 42 degrees Celsius (107 F in old money) during the day and hasn’t been dropping below 24 C (75 F) during the night which has been pretty uncomfortable.

Still, I’m not complaining…!

The nights may be pretty uncomfortable but the days and evenings are great. Thinking back to what we were all doing this time last year makes a bloke really appreciate even the stickiest of weather.

As it was Labour Day yesterday (a public holiday here in Australia) we had a drive down to a little place called Rockingham.

Rockingham is a holiday resort city located about 47km south of Perth. It forms the southernmost border of the Perth metropolitan area and is a popular tourist spot due to its large population of wild seals, dolphins and penguins (yes, they have penguins in Western Australia).

It took us a little over an hour to get there from Kinross and I have to say what a lovely place Rockingham really is.

The most impressive thing for me was the quality of the beaches. The beaches in Rockingham really are quite fantastic; the water is calm and beautifully crystal clear.

It’s sometimes easy to forget that we now live only a mile or so from the Indian Ocean but when you see the turquoise blue and green hues of the ocean, lapping gently against a shoreline of squeaky clean golden sand it quickly dawns on you how lucky we really are.

Popularity: 5% [?]

Happy Australia Day!

Well, Happy Australia Day!

Its our first Australia day today and we’re looking forward to enjoying some of the activities on offer.

A big bonus is that Australia day is a public holiday which is great news as I get a day of work and a nice long weekend too.

Apparently for a number of years the holiday was held on the closest Monday, to provide a long weekend for everyone. Now the government (one assumes) has made the change so Australia Day is now held on the actual anniversary (today) but thankfully we’ll get the long weekend anyway

Not surprising, for such a big day there are some huge events planned, all around Australia including the Order of Australia and Australian of the Year awards for outstanding achievement.

Air Force aerial displays are being held in many of the capital cities including here in Perth so I’ll be sure to duck as the planes fly past.

Citizenship ceremonies are also held on Australia Day so hopefully this time in two years we’ll be pleding our oath to the Australian flag

There is an Australia Day Achievement ceremony where medallions are awarded to citizens based on excellence in both government and non-government organisations.

Customarily, the Prime Minister will make an address to the nation. I’m unsure if this will be like the Queens speach we get back in the UK but it be worth watching.

John Howard certainly has some interesting stuff to say at times. I’m sure it’ll make more sense once I’ve had a couple of beers.

Fireworks celebrations are held in many towns and cities around the country (click the picture above for an idea of whats in store).

The one we get here in Perth is supposed to be the best.

The Lotterywest Skyworks display, named after the sponsors of the display; Lottery West is billed as the largest Australia Day celebration in the country, with more than a third of the city’s population (around 600,000 estimated for the 2007 Skyworks) lining the river foreshore for the display.

We were going to go down to the rivers foreshoure ourselves but most of the roads are going to be blocked off this afternoon and although were close to the city, walking that far with a four year old isn’t really an option for us.

Getting there by walking wouldn’t be a problem, but getting back late at night when all his lordship wants to do is sleep, would not be the most relaxing of times for any of us.

So, we’re going to enjoy the display from our balcony at home.

Although we are on the wrong side of Bankwest Tower (as you’ll see in the picture we can see the CBD skyline but not the river behind it) we’ll still get an ace view of the fireworks (we hope) from the balcony outside our bedroom so we’ll see how things go.

I’ll post some photo’s but then again, if they come out like all pictures of fireworks come out I maybe won’t!

I’ve been reading that apparently for many Aboriginal Australians and sympathisers, the Australia Day celebrations arouse hostility; there has been some comment on how the arrival of the British adversely affected the indigenous people of the country which I guess goes without saying unfortunately.

They call the day “Invasion Day” as they regard it as celebrating the decimation of their people, the confiscation of their lands and the destruction of their culture. In recent years, some indigenous Australians have also celebrated the day as “Survival Day,” thankful that their ancestors were not completely wiped out by the newly arrived settlers.

Australia Day is also treated with ambivalence by those who consider the anniversary of the founding of one colony not relevant to Australia as a whole.

Some proud Western Australians point out that Western Australia was not even claimed by Britain until 19 September 1829.

For us though, we’re just going to enjoy Australia day for what it is, a celebration.

Hopefully the day will be pretty uneventful , one thing thats for sure is it’s going to be a very hot one - it’s forecast to be 102° F today!

Popularity: 5% [?]

Ten things I’ve noticed whilst living in Australia

It’s two months to the day that we arrived here in Sunny Perth so I thought I’d celebrate the occasion by writing about ten things that I’ve noticed about that fantastic country that we now live in.

I have a feeling that this will not be the last entry I make on this subject matter and as always, please feel free to make a comment:

1. There is not always a red-back or Funnel web spider hiding under your toilet seat.

Neither is there a deadly snake lurking in every crevice or around every corner waiting to jump out at you (that’s if snakes could jump).

We have seen redbacks and snakes and other spiders but in both instances these were safely secured behind glass at Perth zoo. When we see the real things out ‘in the wild’ you’ll read it here first.

2. Parrots are a damn sight louder at 6 am then sparrows and blackbirds.

I remember waking up to the ‘dawn chorus’ in the early hours of the morning back in the UK. Depending on my mood and whether or not I had a hangover it was sometimes a really nice way to wake up.

On the flip side, some UK birds, however much they might try, couldn’t quite grasp the concept of birdsong.

I’ve got to say though, by comparison, even the most annoying UK bird song is positively harmonious compared to the shrieks and squawks made by the local parrots first thing in the morning.

I’d love to be able to tune myself in to bird talk so I could understand what the hell these little guys were shouting to each other in their own little parrot ways.

At a rough estimate I think it would go something like:

Parrot 1: “hey Bruce that’s my branch”
Parrot 2: ‘bollocks to you its mine”
Parrot 1: “no it’s MY bloody branch”
Parrot 2: “look I’ve been here since last night it’s MY branch”
Parrot 1: “Bruce, I’m coming over it’s my branch”
Parrot 3: “is anyone sat on this branch?” etc.

Although a tad annoying, I’m sat here writing about the annoyance of Parrots squawking first thing in the morning. In hindsight it’s actually pretty damn cool.

3. All Aussies do not spend Christmas day on the beach

A very common misconception and if I’m being honest; until I got out here and spoke to ‘home grown’ Australians it was a view shared by me to.

In Perth some of the local Australians do go to the beach but this is normally in the evening (Cottesloe is a popular spot as it’s floodlit in the evening during the Christmas Period). This way they can enjoy the beach without the heat of the sun and without the risk of bumping into too many drunken Poms.

4. Aussies are the most compliant folks I have seen when it comes to crossing the road.

Folks living in Australia obey the green and red man at pedestrian crossings like their life depends on it (which probably explains the low number of road fatalities on roads where pedestrian crossings are located).

Many a time I have found myself stood at the side of a road, waiting to cross in Perth’s central business district with about 20 people on either side. There is not a car to be seen but the almighty red man god says ‘do not cross’ so everyone remains at the road side until the red man goes green.

I guess I shouldn’t really joke and I must say it certainly helps when it comes to teaching our four year old the ‘green cross code’ with so many obedient people around.

5. Trying to find a house to rent in Perth.

One of the most expensive cities in Australia aparantly and a damn sight harder then I originally thought it would be.

6. Traffic lights do indeed stay red for a very….very…..very long time.

I’d heard and read about this before I came out to Australia but its right, sitting in your car at a traffic light for 2 – 3 minutes isn’t unheard of down under. On the flip side, going the other direction the traffic lights stay green for a very….very….very long time. Worst case scenario is you get an opportunity to appreciate the scenery around you.

7. Australia daytime TV

I was going to write about how terrible Australian TV was as a whole but now we’ve been here for two months it’s almost bearable. Early morning TV (up to about 9:30am) is good for the Kids, Early evening TV isn’t that bad either.

Daytime TV on the other hand is absolutely terrible. Despite all this, at the end of the day if you need something to encourage you to go out and enjoy everything this beautiful country has to offer, then Australian TV is just that.

One of the main channels, channel 10 has a slogan ‘Sun all day, Ten all night’ so it looks like I’m not alone in my thinking

8. The benches in Perth’s CBD (city centre) should carry a health warning!

9. The local animal quarantine station used for pets flying into Perth is about 45 minutes drive from the airport.

In a country with so much spare land I’m still trying to get my head around why Byford Quarantine Station is so damn far away.

10. Australian supermarket check out attendants.

I’ve endured 20 odd years trying to pack bags at the local supermarket whilst the young, earring clad check out assistant tries their hardest to break the Tesco/Asda/Sainsbury’s/Morrisons (delete as appropriate) ‘throw the shopping past the scanner in the fastest possible time’ record.

The check out experience at Australian supermarket is almost a positively relaxing experience. At the main supermarkets run by Woolworths (of all people) and Coles, the check out assistant does something amazing. Yep, they actually pack the shopping for you. That’s right, none of the half arsed ‘do you want any help with your packing?’ question you’ll often be begrudgingly asked back in the UK (if you’re lucky).

The checkouts here in Aus are designed so that the assistant scans the shopping; places the shopping expertly into a bag (grouping fresh, frozen and other stuff as appropriate) and then hands the full bag back to you before you pay.

Even more amazingly, they do this strange thing called…..speaking. Yes, they actually make the effort to talk to you about your day whilst cheerily packing your shopping for you. Amazing!

More observations to come, I have quite a few more up my sleave but I’ll save these for another day.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Newsflash – Hot City Bench attacks Yorkshiremens buttocks

Ouch!

As Australia and Perth charges towards the silly and extremely hot summer season, I’m often impressed by the buildings and objects scattered around the city that are designed to help make shopping in such steamy conditions a much more pleasant experience.

Many if not all the shops in the main Malls (Hay Street and Murray Street) have a large overhang which acts as a shade running along the front of the shops.

This effectively means that shoppers can browse for hours, meandering from shop to shop in the comfortable knowledge that they don’t risk picking up third degree burns or sun stroke along the way.

On really hot days, if you find that you’re starting to feel a little hot under the collar, help is at hand in the form of one of the many drinking fountains scattered throughout the CBD.

Wooden benches are also scattered at intervals throughout the CBD so if you’ve meandered around the shops, had a drink from a water fountain and decided that you want to rest you weary feet, help is at hand.

It’s not that straight forward though. I’ve come to the conclusion this afternoon that the people responsible for painting and looking after the benches in Perth’s CBD must have slightly sadistic tendencies.

It’s great that the Perth City council decided to provide places for its patrons to sit and it’s even better that they made the wise decision to use wooden benches instead of metal.

It begs the question though, who made the decision to paint said benches in Dark Brown (for added heat retention) gloss (for added heat reflection) paint.

Here I am, sandwich in hand looking for a spot to perch my weary Yorkshire buttocks.

No problems finding a spare bench but Jeeze…I now know why most of the benches were empty.

There’s the saying that when something’s really hot it’s ‘hot enough to fry an egg’.

I’d say the bench I sat on today was beyond that. Trying to save face (just in case some bugger who had done the same thing was watching from afar) I attempted to put up with the heat for about two minutes in the hope that without the direct sunshine the heat would quickly subside.

Unfortunately, even after two minutes of swapping from cheek to cheek my buttocks were entering a medium-rare state and I could handle no more.

And here’s me thinking I’d never have any use for those Damart Thermals, if only I’d have brought them with me.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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