Hello Sydneysiders

[neuroticlady]

OMG had no IDEA there was an overseas 'section' (so technical) on mumsnet. Have been skulking around thinking I must be the only pom living overseas. I am nerdily excited to have discovered I am not alone .
Been living in Sydney for six years with DH after 20 years in London, 15 weeks pg with first bub. Feeling rather lost without family support. But living in fab part of Sydney (as anyone else on Northern Beaches will know)and really looking forward to some lovely warm spring weather! (Never thought I'd find an Aussie winter cold after 30-odd years of English ones, but they say your blood thins or something... .) Be lovely to say hello to other pommie Sydneysiders, and reminisce about Marks and Spencers prawn and mayo sarnies, Radio 2 some decent telly, pub gardens, having your family down the road...

[neuroticlady]

Hello PPM! Hooray for a fellow northern beaches Mumsnetter. Congrats on the recent new arrival. Hope things are going well for you.

Your post gave me a boost because at least I feel it's not weird to be feeling this way - and I'm sure that once bub is here it will get better; as you did I will just have to work at it.

[Aquasea]

Hi Neuroticlady, thank you so much for your advice. I am so sorry I haven't responded - our computer died and we have been trying to get it fixed (we finally gave up and bought a new computer yesterday so this is the first chance I have had in ages to get on line). Your sugessions really helped and I will have to get on to properly researching them. I can't believe we leave so soon (fly out Nov 30th). Nothing is sorted! Ah well, it's all an adventure! How is your pregnancy going? are you blooming?! (I don't think I ever got to that fabled blooming stage!)

Thanks also for your message Peppapigsmum. It all sounds so lovely. I will have to put lots of energy into building up a social network too. I really don't want to be lonely on the other side of the world with a six month old.

Anyway, I hope you guys see this. I will keep you updated on our thoughts (and of course where we end up). Oh, DH office is actually in Darling Harbour - I don't know if this makes any difference to the suggestions.

Thanks again ladies, you really make me feel so much more positive about all this.
A x

[Jackaroo]

Afternoon all - Aquasea, I was worried that I hadn't written recently too - but I guess that's the thing on here, no one holds it against you

We are setting off 19th Dec for my folks in Cyprus, then we'll be in Sydney 13/14th January, and even that feels very soon... hate hearing how homesick everyone feels when pg. as that is my plan whilst I'm there.. heyho. Maybe I can join you all for a coffee at some point? We'll be further up Upper North Shore, but still managable; I suspect I would go quite a long way to meet you guys !!

Oops can smell lunch...

[Aquasea]

Hi! Definitely up for meeting up for coffee with anyone who's up for it.

[PeppaPigsMum]

hello again. sorry for the lack of a response - have been going to bed very early in the evening recently (how is your little one btw Aquasea?). hope everyone is OK, and those heading over to Sydney are feeling organised!

just noticed the mention of meeting for coffee some time - i'd definitely be around for this. i'll keep an eye on the thread to see who's about.

good luck to those flying over - hope it all goes smoothly. we've got a trip to the UK coming up very soon. it will be the first time i've been home in 2 years - am wondering how i will find the UK after all this time. hope the jet-lag isn't too bad!

[neuroticlady]

Me too for coffee/lunch/chin-wag: am feeling most envious that the Melbourne girls are organising nice get-together on another thread: so who else in Sydney is up for a meet up? Shall we try and make a date before Christmas? (Bearing in mind various trips home and looming birth dates etc!)

[sunnydelight]

Hi - can I butt in! I would love to do coffee/lunch/something. I used to be a regular at the wonderful, very boozy, Brighton mumsnet meet ups! We're in St. Ives (would ideally like to be in Avalon but that wouldn't suit OH's commute). We've been here since July but I had to go back to Ireland recently as my dad is seriously ill, so I feel like I'm back to squre one socially! I have a 14 year old at Northern Beaches school, and am currently home schooling my others (8 and 4) but they will all go to school eventually!!!!

[neuroticlady]

Hi sunnydelight, lovely to 'meet' another Sydneysider! Sorry to hear your dad is so ill, that really must be hard to deal with from here. I hope you're managing to settle in ok, despite the worry about your dad and subsequent trip back.

Oh what a shame you're not in Avalon (with me!). But you're right, it is a pain to commute from here. And St Ives is lovely.

I bet the Brighton meet ups were boozy... had lots of (boozy) friends there before moving out here so know it fairly well. It's a fantastic place.

Good luck with schooling etc and hope we get to meet up soon.

[arfishy]

Yes!! Sydney meet up would be lovely.

PPM - I went home for the first time in 2 years recently. Out of London everything was the same.

The London demographics were different with the influx from Europe. People seemed very grumpy in comparison to Aussies, I'd forgotten about not smiling on the streets!

found that I'd changed - I missed the sunny skies, healthy food and smoothies. DD asked for a smoothie every single day poor thing.

I was VERY pleased with the supermarkets, M&S and Monsoon though.

Have a good trip back!

[MABS]

Hiya Sunny, so sorry to hear yr dad so poorly xx

[PeppaPigsMum]

arfishy - it will be interesting to see what London is like. we still own a house in East London, so will be heading over to have a look around.

this trip is going to be an important one - am hoping it will take off my rose-tinted glasses wrt life in the UK, and clarify how i'd feel about staying in Oz for longer than our 4 year business visa. i've got the age-old argument of lifestyle vs family proximity running round my head.

looking forward to UK supermarkets though. and Gap! here's hoping the jetlag isn't too bad - think my 3 year old will be OK, but our 4 month old could be a bit more tricky. may need some matchsticks for my eyes...

so, when would be a good time/place to get together (i'm back in Oz mid-November)?

[neuroticlady]

I think London is lovely in the autumn, PPM. You may even catch the fab Selfridges Christmas window display, or do you think you'll be a little bit too early for that?

Quite agree re UK supermarkets. When I went back for Christmas four years ago I earned masses of brownie points for volunteering to enter the Christmas Eve scrum at Waitrose and collect the turkey at the crack of dawn. Little did everyone know I was totally jet-lagged so awake at 3am anyway and just blissfully happy to push trolley dreamily around Waitrose aisles and look at all their lovely produce...

Am VERY jealous re: Gap. How come they're not over here? It's very annoying.

Will keep it all crossed for you with the time zones and the little ones. My sis did it in reverse with a two year-old (and two older kids) when they came here and it was amazingly painless so you never know...

Come on girls, let's get the diaries out and set a date for a meet up that suits us all. Starting point is mid Nov...

[AussieSim]

Hi guys. I am not a Pom, but am a Sydneysider who has been MNing since 2002 - started while I was living in Germany. I am on the Upper Northern Beaches which is just far enough away to get away from the backpackers but close enough to get to the beach. A Sydney meet up would be a great idea!

[neuroticlady]

Hi AussieSim, whereabouts on upper n beaches are you? I'm Avalon...

[AussieSim]

I am Belrose - kind of up and in ...

[sunnydelight]

Hey AussieSim - we were looking at houses around Belrose today , then headed up to the Newport Arms for lunch, we definitely have to do a meet up!

Lovely to hear from you MABS - will e-mail you!