just saying "Hi"

[Guest Brummie]

:jiggy:Hi I'm originally from Birmingham, have lived here for the last 39 years, and wouldn't have it any other way. Came out as a 10 pound pom with my parents. Married an Australian and have been very happliy married for 33 years with 3 grown up sons.

Love to hear from anyone.

[Guest The Pottertons]

Hi and welcome to PIA. Wow what a success story. I really hope my children will settle and love it as you have. It excites me to think our further generations will be aussies!! Im sure you will have a lot of advice for people on here!! Yvonne

[Guest The Dimmocks]

Hi, Where abouts in Brum did you live? 39 years is a long time, way before I was born. It nice to read about people who have lived there so long and enjoying themselves.

[Guest Tiddlypush]

Hi there,

 

Iwas brought up in Brum but only for 9 years my parents moved to staffs for a better life for the children - sounds familiar!

 

I bet you have seen some changes over the years. Have you been back to UK at all it isnt all doom and gloom as the scenery where I live in Devon is still very pretty. However, rising unemployment even for graduates is a worry especially as we have ED graduating next year.

[Guest the4hopes]

Hi We watched a documentary the other night about the ten pound poms, it was really interesting. Nice to hear from you.

Laura

[Guest kangomik]

HI there welcome to PIA.

 

Can i ask one question please?

 

How much has it all changed in that time?

 

Cheers

 

Mik

[Guest countdown1975]

Hi there,

 

Iwas brought up in Brum but only for 9 years my parents moved to staffs for a better life for the children - sounds familiar!

 

I bet you have seen some changes over the years. Have you been back to UK at all it isnt all doom and gloom as the scenery where I live in Devon is still very pretty. However, rising unemployment even for graduates is a worry especially as we have ED graduating next year.

Hi,

Where in Devon are you from? I was born in Exeter but lived in Teignmouth, Paignton and Torquay :-)

[Guest Tiddlypush]

Hi inbetween Bovey to be precise. Hope to be there in November

[Guest Brummie]

;)Hi to everyone who welcomed me to PIA. I am originally from Sparkbrook, I came back for my first visit in 2006. In your mind you see the place as you left it and I must admit I was shocked to see how much everything had changed. The city of Birmingham is not the same. The old Bull Ring was much more full of life, with the outside markets near St Martins church. The rag market and fish market with the stall holders calling out their wares. I couldn't find my way around the new Bull Ring. When I went back to around Sparkbrook, I was so sad to see the way it is now. My old house is still standing, and the street we lived, always seemed so long, when we were there, but it's short. Everything seems so small and closed in. I guess I am used to the open spaces here. As much as I enjoyed my stay, I couldn't come back and live there, wouldn't be able to stand the weather. I came here with my parents, two brothers and two sisters, we didn't have any relatives here, so our first home was a migrant hostel. Dad was a carpenter by trade, but his first job was with the Highways department, and he stayed there until he retired. Dad loved this country, mum was a bit different, she found it hard to settle at first, having brothers and sisters still living back in England. After 5 years she went back for a holiday, with a friend she made in the hostel. She couldn't get back here quick enough, and after that she was as happy as larry. Sadly she only lived 10 years here before she died, aged 52. Dad never wanted to go back, said he didn't want to waste his money. He lived a happy life here, passed away in 2006 aged 89. Always said they were the best years of his life. As for me, well I meet a wonderful Australian guy, named Malcolm, have been married for 33 years this October. Have three great sons. Paul is 28, Matthew 26 and Luke 20. We live in a modest 4 bedroom home,in Golden Grove, we all have a car each, and we have just bought a new camper trailer, so hopefully travel at bit now. I've only ever lived in South Australia, so can't compare with other states. Adelaide is small compared to the other states. Which some might find boring and quiet. It can get very hot and dry in the summer 40+ and if you don't know already the temps are taken in the shade here. So can get 60C in the sun. So don't go laying around on the beaches for more than 5 minutes, even with sun screen on. Winters are mild, we don't get much rain in Adelaide, we are the driest state in Australia. Even on a winters day the sun will shine, and when the sun is out, it puts a smile in your heart, which in turn puts a smile on your face. Well must go now, look forward to hearing from anyone it's bed time now:SLEEP:

[Guest Brummie]

Hope that you are liking it here in South Australia. Where about did you settle, and I bet by now your kids have little "Aussie accents". How did you cope with your first hot summer?

[Guest Tiddlypush]

my goodness - my first home was Sparkbrook! Believe or not it has changed lots since I lived there too. We are looking forward to coming and hope that us and our teenagers settle as well as your family did.

[Guest The Dimmocks]

My Dad lives in Sparkbrook, Ladypool Road. I was brought up in Handsworth!!!! Moved when I was 8 (parents divorced) to the Black Country and lived here ever since (not for long though - fingers crossed). Don't realised just how small this world is when you start talking to people.

[Guest mysnix]

Hi Brummie - we came from Marston Green, but we lived in Moseley as students and Ladypool road was our favourite haunt - so know Sparkbrook pretty well. It must have changed remarkably over those years though.

 

I actually love the new Bull Ring, when it reopened it re-energised Birmingham - the old Bull Ring had become a real squaller, it was a maze of small dark passages and was full of boarded up shops. It was not a nice place. It was a shame to lose the market, but that had gone down hill a lot too though, they should have found more space for a new one. There is a market there, and the outdoor one is still there, but I agree it has changed. The Birmingham of today is a massive improvement on the oone I found when I moved there in 1992 though - the city centre was almost a no go zone in the evenings and weekends.

[The Monaghans]

I agree with Mysnix. We're Brummies as well, I was born in Erdington and lived there most of my life until I met Richie and moved to Sutton Coldfield. The new Bull Ring is great, lovely shops and lots of nice places to eat. The old Bull Ring was so run down, full of gangs of kids just looking for a fight or a handbag to snatch. We're hoping to go back for a visit next year and it will be interesting to see how much it's changed again.

[Diane]

I reckon you count more as GoldenGrover now than a Brummie! If you're free, it would be great if you could come along to one of our girls' nights out - we usually go to the Golden Grove Tavern on a weeknight - you've just missed our May night, but there'll be another one in June - keep an eye on the forum as I try to remember to post up the details! It's a mix of newbies and oldies (in terms of time being here - age completely irrelevant!) and it'd be great to hear about your experiences first hand and pick your brains a bit too!

 

Do you still have your pommie accent?! We've met people that have been here for over 40 years and still sound as English or Scottish as the day they arrived!! Of course, coming from Essex, I don't have an accent - it's everyone else that sounds funny (to me)!!!!!

 

Diane

[Guest LISA 79]

Hi

im lisa i moved out from birmingham last november i have two little boys and im married.my husband is the brummy im from darlington, we lived in yardley.

Were nearly setteled now my husband's got a great job but im finding it hard to get one but with a little time and effort i should.

[Guest Fozziebear]

Hi Brummie

 

My parents were also £10 poms, back in around 1963. I was born in McLaren Vale hospital in 1965, with the family then living in O'Sullivan Beach. When I was just three years old, dad became homesick (or he thought he was), and we packed up and came back to the UK (I have two older brothers born in the UK). Needless to say, after a very short time he felt that coming back was a mistake, but by then all monies and possibilites to go back had been exhausted. So here I still am - 43 years later.

 

I have noticed that some PiA families have children not wanting to emigrate to Oz, finding it difficult to settle when there, and giving the family some worries. I myself wondered what on earth I had done to upset my parents when after a long sea voyage we landed in the UK to snow and freezing cold!! I had to ask what the snow was. Everything seemed sad and grey to me, and I was "dropped on" when I realised that the toilet in our new home was across a dirt yard in a row of others. Having a "bath" in the stone kitchen sink was a bit of a shock as well...........:embarrassed:

 

Anyway, enough of my life history - quite a lot for my first post, after being a visitor to the PiA site for approx 18 months!!

[Guest Brummie]

Hi Lisa 79

 

Welcome to Australia!

I'm glad that you are settling in ok, and i'm sure after a while you will find a job, enjoy yourself while the kids are young, by being a stay at home mum. Hope the summer wasn't too hot for you, you arrived just at the start of our summer. Have you got your own house now,

 

Brummie Rita:)

[Guest Brummie]

Hi Diane,

 

Thanks for the invite to the Tavern, I will try and make it. No I don't think I have a pommie accent now, I guess being married to an Aussie helps loose it too.

 

Brummie Rita

[Guest Brummie]

Hi Tiddlypush,

 

It's nice to hear from you, did you go to Montgomery Street School too. When do you expect to arrive here, and which state are you thinking to move too. Hope that your teenagers settle well, it's hard for them to leave all their friends behind. But in the long run they will make new friends and adjust to the new life. Living in Australia especially in summer most to the time is spent outside, so it will be a great life for your kids.

 

Brummie Rita

[Guest Brummie]

Hi Pottertons,

 

Sounds like you are hoping to be here soon, have to a date yet. Which area are you looking to settle in, or haven't you made your minds up yet. Does your husband have a job to come too? Be nice to hear from you again

 

Bye Rita

[Guest kangomik]

Awww Brummie, thats a great account of your trip back home.

 

We move to greenwith soon, currently in Dernancourt, our kids love it here. The upspeak is slowly starting.

 

Hot in summer, just a little bit.

 

Cold in winter, who thought you would wrap up so much at night? Brrrrrrr and i see this weekend is colder!

[Guest Brummie]

Hi Kangomik.

 

I guess because it's been so long since I left England, the changes were dramatic. When we were living there you still had pounds shillings and pence. There was no spagetti junction. And it was still the old Bull Ring. It wasn't run down then either. I guess I never saw the old Bull Ring in it's bad days, so don't appreciate the new Bull Ring as much as someone living there. I would love to come back for another visit though.

 

Rita

[Guest Brummie]

Hi Kangomik

 

Sounds like we will be close neighbors soon, if you are moving to Greenwith. How long have you lived in Australia? I think because the summers are so hot, we feel the cold more in winter. And the weather changes so quick with just a short autumn and spring.

 

Rita

[Guest kangomik]

Hi Rita.

 

13 months now, from Lancashire. We love it here. We are surprised at just how many rellies we have here. Before comming we did not know of any, but as the family look into it we find more and more.

 

We move into the house this weekend, so we will be pretty close.

 

The weather is great, yes it gets hot, very hot. But there are still 4 seasons. When it gets to frosting the vehicle windows next month i will just have to remeber how much snow the UK had this winter and smile.

We were typical pomms last year, T shirt and shorts, laffing at the people with coats on.

Now the daughter won't go to school without fleece and long pants unless its over 23 !!!!!

So yes i agree we adapt fast, very fast. This should make us appreciate the warmth a little more.

 

My wife usually meets the girls on the monthly meet up, has missed the last few due to rellies and work, but they usually have a good giggle from what i can gather.