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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Shall the Aussie Mumsnetters have a thread to chat a bit?

498 replies

HennyPennyHorror · 25/09/2019 01:48

I suppose AIBU to put this here...but it IS the busiest area. I just thought...I'd see if there were any other MNrs in Oz who'd like a little chat thread together?

OP posts:
Thread gallery
5
StartupRepair · 02/10/2019 01:07

For anyone with family in Melbourne, know that we are having a few days of utterly perfect spring weather.

echt · 02/10/2019 02:45

It is lovely, isn't it? Though as gardener I'm aghast at the lack of rain, and not much for the next two weeks. I took the dog down to the beach yesterday, utterly flat sea and beautiful blue skies. And loads of blue blubber jellies washed up on the sand.

A pity you can't get the scale: about as big as a dinner plate:

Shall the Aussie Mumsnetters have a thread to chat a bit?
theyoungishman · 02/10/2019 02:53

Hi from Perth!!

Petsgalore · 02/10/2019 03:28

Hi from Perth too!

WillaDaPeephole · 02/10/2019 04:43

Hi from Melbourne! I’ve dragged out the hats and sun cream today, I hope this lovely weather lasts through the school holidays.

BaruFisher · 02/10/2019 04:55

Hi from central QLD and a beautiful day where last nights rain brought the temp down do a delicious 27.
Heatwave in high 30s at start of next week so making the most of it!

EagleSqueak · 02/10/2019 05:30

echt, which beach was that? DDs are going to the beach for the first time this spring, maybe I should warn them! 😄. I’m just off to Mentone with Ddog too..
I’m loving this weather - all the cushion covers, mattress and pillow protectors are fluttering on the line looking snowy white. I’m a domestic goddess!

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 02/10/2019 07:31

So jealous of your warm weather, its still low 20s and showers forecast in Perth! I want to go to the beach! Grin

EagleSqueak · 02/10/2019 07:57

always, you’ll get it soon and it’ll be more reliably hot and for longer than here. I love Perth spring and autumn!

echt · 02/10/2019 08:00

I go to the dog beach next to Rickett's Point, a great place - off leash all year round.

EagleSqueak · 02/10/2019 08:15

I’ve just had a look - I think we’ve been there with the dog. It’s lovely!

bluetongue · 02/10/2019 13:41

I hate any forecast temperature with a 3 in front of it Grin

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 02/10/2019 23:21

bluetongue and I love them! When I moved here I remember going down to the beach when it was 28 degrees and it was deserted apart from other poms. I couldn't believe it, to me the weather was glorious! And now I don't even think of going to the beach until its at least 30 degrees, and preferably 35, talk about acclimatised! Although I am more careful now if its over 35, last year I went to the beach one day when it was 39 and blistered my foot on the sand. I had to borrow my husband's sand shoes to get off the beach, which was quite a sight. Grin

wellhelloyou · 03/10/2019 02:44

How do you (non-Aussies) find the hot Christmases?!

Original poster
HennyPennyHorror · 03/10/2019 04:45

Well I hated it the first year I visited here. That was 10 years before I actually moved here. It seemed so un-Christmassy! Hot...hot...hot...kids getting paddling pools for their presents and families going on holiday around the Christmas break seemed wrong!

Now, 4 years after moving here, I'm adjusted and have begun to associate the heat with all things Christmas. Fairy lights...hot nights...cherries, pools, BBQs, the beach...all seem synonymous with Chrimbo.

But I would in the future like to book a holiday cottage somewhere snowy....might try to go to Canada one year or something! My children love hot Christmas though...I've even adjusted to and love the summery Christmas food now. I also enjoy the fact that there's less focus on shopping and buying here.

OP posts:
WillaDaPeephole · 03/10/2019 04:48

wellhelloyou hot Xmas still doesn’t feel christmassy to me, but on the other hand I think there’s a lot less pressure to buy stuff and make a performance out of the day than in the UK. We’ll have a chilled out day, probably drinks and a BBQ in the afternoon, perhaps to the beach if I can drag the kids away from their pressies.

echt · 03/10/2019 05:02

The day I love in Australia is Hallowe'en. Always good weather, and the streets thronged with little kids all dressed up until about 6.30. some teens until 8.00., but no-one calls unless the house directly advertises it, e.g. orange/black balloons, and when you take them down when you've has enough, no-one else calls. Very civilised.

alwayscrashinginthesamecar1 · 03/10/2019 05:04

I much prefer Xmas here, much less fussy, no crazy scenes in the shops, just bbq, pressies and a morning swim with chilled champagne. It doesn't seem especially xmassy I admit, but as my workplace shuts down for two weeks I will take two weeks of chilling in the sun over trudging through the slush to pick up a turkey any day. I'd love to get my folks out here for Xmas though, shame the plane tickets are so bloody expensive at that time of year.

BaruFisher · 03/10/2019 08:24

Iveonlybeenhere for one so far and while it was hot it was also wet as I was in FNQ. Going home for Christmas this year and not looking forward to the cold!

SnowsInWater · 03/10/2019 09:22

It took me ages to get used to it as I am a Christmas tragic but this will be our 13th here so we are well into different routines. I do still cook the traditional roast (usually Sydney isn't stinking hot at Christmas and there have been a few rainy ones, but I do remember one year when we delayed eating because of the heat at which point a few people had had WAY too many poolside cocktails and it all went a bit pearshaped!) Tbh by now I would cheerfully do a seafood buffet but my kids would revolt as I trained them too well. I would never go back to UK/Ireland over Christmas though, we have embraced the long hot Christmas/Summer holiday here.

echt · 03/10/2019 09:36

always I know what you mean about Christmas being lower key, though to my eyes it has got "bigger" since we arrived twelve years ago. We very soon adapted to the hot Christmas Day lunch: oyster shoots for breakfast, prawns, lobster and potato salad for lunch. Fab.

On thing that I found startling was Christmas Carols concerts at schools. I tooled up to DD's school expecting the trad stuff. Oh no. As a government school (and I have no quarrel with this), no religion is taught, so the carol concert consisted of Rudolph/JingleBell Rock.

No Jesus. WTF - why bother?

I'm a resolute atheist and absolutely get that whatever has happened to the Christmas festival over time, it is still predicated on the birth of Jesus (let's forget the hi-jacking of Yule). To find it absolutely ignored by a government body, while ostensibly celebrating it, shocked me. I never went back. On a non-school note I found it very difficult to find sacredly-themed Christmas cards; all Santa jokes, etc. I always send sacred cards to my religious relatives and ended up buying V&A cards to send back to the UK. Hmm

echt · 04/10/2019 09:53

How are we all today? Some welcome, though not enough rain in the Melbs. I don't know why I even say that, Melbourne is as big as London so has different weather depending on where you are.

I'm settling down to a cosy Friday evening watching Gardening Australia, followed by some Scandi-noir/Midsomer Murders/Wallander to take my mind off doing anything about work next week.:o

EmeraldShamrock · 04/10/2019 10:00

Hi to the other side of the world. Smile
I wish I was an Aussie Mnetter, not in miserable grey Ireland.

wellhelloyou · 04/10/2019 12:12

Wild weather in Perth today. 25,000 homes without power I've read

SnowsInWater · 05/10/2019 00:46

I'm Irish @EmeraldShamrock and I have to say that there is no way I could ever live there again, as beautiful as the country is. I was in West Cork with my sister last year and have so many happy memories of childhood but the endless days of "soft rain" would drive me crazy. I'm grumpy this morning as it's raining here in Sydney, it was 31 with blazing sunshine yesterday which made me much happier!

You made me laugh about school Christmas plays @echt. My kids went to an independent Christian primary school here so I didn't think full on nativity was too much to expect but it was strictly for the reception class only. I was very disappointed 😁