Although we had very good reasons for moving back to England, I must admit I was worried I would plunge into regret/misery the minute I realised what we’d left behind in Australia. While I do often fear this feeling will creep up on me, so far, I’ve adapted to life back in the UK like a digestive dunked in Earl Grey – maybe I won’t be a ping pong Pom afterall!
So, here are some of the things I’m enjoying most about being back home again.
Spoiler: The Bodyguard, biscuits and sandwiches feature heavily.
It seems, you can take the girl out of England but she’ll soon come home missing Marks & Spencers.
10 good things about living in the UK
- Journalism
When I told a fellow expat in Sydney about our plan to move home she sighed and said, ‘Oh you’ll have good journalism again.’ It has been so refreshing to move back to a land of global news, detailed editorial and original programming – even if much of the news is filled with dreary Brexit debates.
- BBC Dramas
Speaking of journalism, I’ve got straight into soaking up everything the BBC is producing lately, especially The Bodyguard (you’ve watched it right?) and Press. I’ve been binge-watching shows on iPlayer (Stacey Dooley I love you) and spent last night with Joanna Lumley as she explored the Silk Road. (Trying to erase all memories of ghastly Aussie travel shows like Getaway!)
- Saturday night telly
For my Aussie friends I need to explain how much we Brits love a takeaway and Saturday night telly, particularly at this time of year. While in my Antipodean days we would have spent Saturday nights eating out or browsing Netflix, back home in Blighty I’ve embraced the old routine of watching X Factor and Strictly along with the rest of the nation while we tuck into fish n’ chips or curry from the local takeaway. (We ring the order through to the chippie in advance, it gets that busy!)
- Sunday papers
I’ve also embraced my old Sunday morning routine and got straight back into enjoying a bacon sarnie, with a giant cup of tea, the Sunday Times (print edition – obviously) and Sunday Brunch on the TV.
(I realise I’m making my life in the UK sound massively boring compared to the coastal walks and hotcakes that were a part of my Sydney weekends – but that’s what we do here and I’m all for it at the minute.)
- Biscuits
This post is basically an ode to British telly and junk food isn’t it? But can we talk about how good we Brits are at biscuits. From Waitrose luxury cookies, to choc chip digestives and everything by Fox’s – my cupboards are filled with biscuits ready for dunking in giant cups of tea.
- Sandwiches
Man have I missed the convenience of grabbing a sandwich at pretty much anywhere on the UK high street. I’ve been making my own doorsteps sarnies with Tiger bread and popping into Pret/ M&S/ the local deli every chance I get coz I’m owed 4 years of good sandwiches. Also, how good are meal deals? (Australia: Imagine if Priceline did a meal deal – that would be revolutionary!)
- Cheat dinners
I’ve also been loving how many aisles English supermarkets have dedicated to dinners made easy. Whether it be M&S dine in for two deals or Hunter’s Chicken from Waitrose, I love that you can buy cheat dinners that taste delicious and no one seems to judge you for it.
- Amazon Prime
This is one that Justin is loving more than me but having a new house to furnish/make cosy has been made 100% easier by Amazon Prime’s fast and free delivery. From the hoover to hangers, we’ve had items at the door within minutes and even did a grocery shop one day that arrived in 2 hours.
- Shopping for home furnishings
I’ve enjoyed furnishing the house here a lot more than I did in Oz as there are so many different decently priced home stores to choose from. We made the most of Next’s 5-day delivery option to get the living room filled in little time and I’ve perused everywhere from H&M to Matalan, Dunelm, TK Maxx, John Lewis & M&S for all the linen, kitchenware and soft furnishings we need. We haven’t needed to step in Ikea once and for that my 6-month pregnant body thanks the kingdom.
- Cheap getaways
We’ve only been back a few weeks and already we’ve popped to the continent for some last-minute sunshine and oodles of tzatziki. Our Greek babymoon was all thanks to a last-minute deal I found for £400 each including flights, 7-nights hotel and transfers. You’d be hard-pressed to make it anywhere outside of Oz for that price – and believe me I looked over the years!
The downsides to living in the UK
Of course, I couple of the downsides to living in the UK have also cropped up already.
Cost of rail travel
How expensive are regional trains here? Jeez. To give you an idea, Justin paid £65 return for a 1 hour train to Gatwick Airport last week – that’s the same as a flight to Europe on EasyJet. So far, I haven’t left the county but I’m not looking forward to getting ripped off when I try to visit friends on the other side of London.
House prices
When we struggled to find a place to rent available on the dates we needed we considered plunging straight into buying a new build instead, that was until I realised the eye-popping prices of properties within the London commuter belt. I haven’t paid much attention to the UK property market over the last 4 years but prices seem to have gone up and up so there’s almost no correlation between what you pay and what you get. (I mean, £500k+ for a box-standard 3 bed squeezed next to 100 others? Purlease!)
Grey skies
To be fair, we’ve been eased back into life in the UK with a pretty balmy September and relatively blue skied October, so far anyway. However, we’ve also had a few days when I needed to turn the lights (and heating!) on at 3pm as zero light was coming through the overcast gloom out the window. It’s funny how quickly I’d forgotten that persistent grey skies are a real thing in England. How much do you wanna bet I have a case of SAD come January?!
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Image credits to: Annie Spratt, Anjana Menon, Calum Lewis & Bobby Allen on Unsplash
I’m so glad there are more positives than negatives Jayne. Fish and chips are the best, and I’m totally with you on the BBC dramas. Sounds like you’re settling back in just fine.
Stupid trains though – prices and delays are ridiculous.
I’m totally settling into my basic bitch British life haha. At some point I should probably stop eating all the junk and takeaways!
I am so confused by this post – I just don’t know a lot of terms and traditions it seems. Why do you dunk chocolate covered cookies into tea? And what is the difference between a cookie and a biscuit? And why don’t they have sandwiches in Australia? But yeah for you for embracing it all!!
Hahaha I didn’t realise I was talking in code until I saw your questions. So cookies are a specific type of biscuit and all biscuits can (should!) be dipped in tea – although some are in more danger of splitting off and sinking than others. I actually had to school Justin on checking the structural integrity of biscuits before dunking hahah. And Oz does have sandwiches – but more of the chunky deli Turkish bread types as opposed to the slices of bread and filling we have all over the high street. I enjoy the Aussie style but love the convenience of walking into a supermarket, chemist or bakers here and getting something to go. It’s the small things we miss isn’t it. Novelty will probably wear off soon!
Every time I go back to visit the UK my trip is based around food! I miss M&S so much! And boots meal deals. And Sunday Roast… fry ups…And proper tea. And good biscuits….
What was I saying?
Aaah
Hahaha this is my exact train of thought pretty much every day at the moment!!
It is my ultimate dream to live in the United Kingdom for at least a year. I have always loved London and England in general and, when I went there in May, I fell so in love with it.
Great post! x
Michelle
dressingwithstyle-s.com
Hope you get a chance to fulfil that dream Michelle. I loved my time living in Australia but it feels good to be home 😀
Great post. You sum up a lot of what I miss about Britain – particularly decent fish & chips, great TV dramas and biscuits. Aargh – what I would give for a Bourbon biscuit right now!
Bourbon? How retro lol! I’m slowly working through all my childhood faves too.
Hi Jayne, having just got back from a week all by myself in Oxford, I can so relate to the things you are enjoying back there. I was there for the Bodyguard finale and loved watching it with a pal tucked up in our hotel beds, a real event.
House prices in Sydney sound worse than London though… that’s a downside of here, maybe Melbourne is not so bad. They are dropping here though.
Jammie Dodger biscuits are tjhe BEST… our local Woollies has them – win!
Am enjoying following you as you settle in, now is your time for nesting and getting all ready for the babe. It will be so good to re-read this in a year’s time, do write it annually… of course, I am hoping you will come back….
Our supermarket in Sydney used to have a British section and that was my fave 🙂 Never found one in Melbourne though.
Melbourne house prices are def better than Sydney. I think what surprised me in the UK is that the prices don’t really drop outside of London – not if you’re still within the commuter belt. Whereas if you go an hour outside Melbourne or Sydney it’s another story – far more isolated mind you!
I shall def try and write some regular resettling updates. We plan to visit Oz next Easter so I’m imagine I’ll start gushing then about all I’ve missed!
Love this post! All very true!
This is so amazing! I want to live in the UK now!
-Kate // http://www.classyandkate.com/48-hours-in-niagara-falls/
Oh man, I’ve just moved over to Melbourne but all of these things are making me miss home so much!!
Frankie x
http://www.joieandthevivre.com
Enjoy settling into Melbourne. I’m sure you’ll stop feeling homesick when the sun comes out and you’re tucking into al fresco brunch in January!
Thank you for the article. I am going to the UK this summer for the first time, sounds like an umbrella is a must pack item!?!?!
Always haha!
Brilliant post Jayne – you’ve summed it up perfectly. Funny to think we moved back almost the same time! I wish I could combine all the good points about both UK and Aus and make one country as there’s just things I miss and find hard to live without. The trains, honestly… don’t get me started though!
Urgh I know, I’ve seen your Stories and it enrages me to think how much you have to pay to sit on the floor! I don’t know about you but I wasn’t expecting to enjoy being back home as much as I have been – reckon it might wear off come Jan?! If only we could pull Oz a little closer and pop back for the weekends x
Hi Jayne, we are moving back to the UK after 14 years in New Zealand, lots of emotions, excited, scared etc….But I just feel deep down that I need to be home where I belong, its a sense of belonging and familiarity hey. I will always feel like an immigrant here tbh.
Can’t wait for M & S sandwiches and Next same day delivery and proper Christmas in the snow yeh!!
hi jo . did you make it back to england?? I am in the same situation as you – been here 14 years and am so desperately missing home – even more so now that I can’t actually get home what with covid. Have you found moving back easy? any regrets? would love to hear your story xx
Rachel