The thing you miss most about Ireland

jamesozzie

When I was in Oz there were a few simple things I missed such as good cheese, good bread and also good old yoplait and muller yoghurts!!

watna

Now that I've been in NZ a few weeks and settled down there's a few (kind odd really) things I miss. The most important one is central heating. They just don't have it here and it makes life very cold. I also strangely miss valances. We bought some for the bed here and there not valances in the strictest sense, they're bedskirts and I had a fight with the bed earlier. I also really really miss diet coke. The stuff here is horrible. I've had to stop drinking it. I have found a lovely NZ drink called L & P to replace it which is great!

I'm sure there'll be more but other than those I'm happy enough!

Crumble Froo

dont forget insulated houses, and double glazed windows.

watna

Crumble Froo wrote: »

dont forget insulated houses, and double glazed windows.

Of course!

/goes off to dream about not having to put extra clothes on just to watch tv!

Crumble Froo

thought of another one today! solid plugs! not ones that feel like they're gonna snap if you dont get them exactly in the right holes the first time. gah.

BraziliaNZ

jamesozzie wrote: »

When I was in Oz there were a few simple things I missed such as good cheese, good bread and also good old yoplait and muller yoghurts!!

Seriously man where were you living, Alice Springs or something? The range of different styles of bakeries here in Melbourne is unbelievable, and specialist cheese shops etc. The range and quality of food in Dublin looks bland and narrow compared to Melbourne (I can't speak for elsewhere in Australia). I don't miss anything from home except Guinness, but I think I'm over that now. The girls here are friendlier too.

pclancy

watna wrote: »

Now that I've been in NZ a few weeks and settled down there's a few (kind odd really) things I miss. The most important one is central heating. They just don't have it here and it makes life very cold. I also strangely miss valances. We bought some for the bed here and there not valances in the strictest sense, they're bedskirts and I had a fight with the bed earlier. I also really really miss diet coke. The stuff here is horrible. I've had to stop drinking it. I have found a lovely NZ drink called L & P to replace it which is great!

I'm sure there'll be more but other than those I'm happy enough!

LOL! As I write this im shivering in my room even though im beside a 2000w electric heater! Its so crap the way they dont have central heating or properly insulated houses...! The view of Wellington harbour from my window makes it worthwhile though but jesus Kiwis, learn how to build warm houses!!!

Also diet coke tastes the very same to me? Nearly tried L and P today but went for diet coke and thought it was grand.

watna

pclancy wrote: »

LOL! As I write this im shivering in my room even though im beside a 2000w electric heater! Its so crap the way they dont have central heating or properly insulated houses...! The view of Wellington harbour from my window makes it worthwhile though but jesus Kiwis, learn how to build warm houses!!!

Also diet coke tastes the very same to me? Nearly tried L and P today but went for diet coke and thought it was grand.

Go for the L & P. It's worth it!

Every kiwi I've complaied to about central heating agrees with me but yet nobody has it. I'm wearing about 7 layers at the moment just to watch tv!

Whereabouts in Wellington are you living?

pclancy

Just got a place in Brooklyn, working in the hospital near newtown so its a grand 10 minute scenic bus ride. Tried walking it but the hills nearly killed me How bout yourselves?

watna

pclancy wrote: »

Just got a place in Brooklyn, working in the hospital near newtown so its a grand 10 minute scenic bus ride. Tried walking it but the hills nearly killed me How bout yourselves?

I know the hospital. We spent a lot of time furniture shopping in Newtown! Mostly from the Salvation army. I don't really like giving them money so they can use it to save people's souls but it was all so cheap!

We're living in Hataitai - on top of a hill so I've already lost a few pounds! It's behind Mount Vic so we can walk from our flat over mount vic to Courtney Place and it only takes 15 minutes. Pretty sweet, although I'm too tired to walk to work in the mornings and it's too dark to walk home in the evening. Hataitai is a nice area, even if the name is hard to say! It only gets sun in the mornings though, hence my no central heating complaint. Our flat can get pretty cold!

God I miss central heating!

BraziliaNZ

That 24hr pie shop in Hataitai is the sh*t, many drunken nights I've woken up with half eaten butter chicken pies in my bed. I used to live on Waitoa road by the bus tunnel. The Realm does good food but the bar is never busy. You can also walk to Pac N Save and Lyall bay fairly easily.

watna

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

That 24hr pie shop in Hataitai is the sh*t, many drunken nights I've woken up with half eaten butter chicken pies in my bed. I used to live on Waitoa road by the bus tunnel. The Realm does good food but the bar is never busy. You can also walk to Pac N Save and Lyall bay fairly easily.

Where's the pie shop? We've been to the chipper and the bakery but never seen a pie shop! Mmm, pies. That is one thing NZ does better than anywhere else!

From talking to people most people have lived on Waitoa Road at some stage!

We have a car so have made a few pak n save and Lyall Bay trips. I can't get over the fact that birds live in Pak n Save. I got a shock when I saw them flying around the shelves and picking crumbs up off the floor!

Haven't been to the realm yet but the Sunday brunch looks good!

Crumble Froo

the pack n save in papanui is bird infested aswell... always avoid going there, cos there's no way im touching that fruit and veg.

pclancy

first pac and save we went to was in Whangarei and was the same shock! Like little spitfires suddenly swooping in and grabbing stuff off the floor before being kicked by some big maori woman!

The Cornerstore bar down the road from us in Brooklyn does amazing pies too, sooo tasty. Cheap beers and poker during the week too. Our landlord knows the chef so we've had a few freebies after pints

One of my favorite things about NZ is the fact they have those pie heater things in every petrol station and news agent.

BraziliaNZ

the pie shop is probably that bakery you mentioned, it's on the same side as the fish and chips and the asian place, on Friday/Saturday nights it doesn't close. The lamb shanks in the realm are awesome. You're in for a hell of a winter, here in Melbourne it's a piece of cake compared to last winter in Welli, it's even worse than Dublin.

watna

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

the pie shop is probably that bakery you mentioned, it's on the same side as the fish and chips and the asian place, on Friday/Saturday nights it doesn't close. The lamb shanks in the realm are awesome. You're in for a hell of a winter, here in Melbourne it's a piece of cake compared to last winter in Welli, it's even worse than Dublin.

Very interesting. Will inestigate the bakery this weekend. Just told the OH about 24 hour pies and he's very excited!

Yes, Winter in Wellington is not fun.. and we've another two months of it! Going skiing in August though and will get some weekends in the north island in before then.

I suppose the number one ting I miss about Ireland at the moment is summer. People on boards are talking about bbqs and long evenings and it's cold, dark and damp here! April was a bad time to move to the Southern Hemisphere!

Crumble Froo

SSSSSHHHHHHHH! i keep hearing how she's lucky to be up in welly!

the cold made me all slow and refusing to move and between the frost on the road, me gettin constantly sick here, and the petrol prices (my god, 206.9?), we had our first sober argument today.

The Sweeper

What can I say.

Watna and Crumble, I'm not sure when you moved, but trust me - if you moved at the end of the Irish winter, like Feb to May this year, you cannot underestimate the effect the second winter is having on you. I did it last year, moved to Melbourne from Surrey in April 2007.

The second winter nearly killed me. I became agitated, felt trapped, was miserable, started to become depressed and anxious, was snappy, moody and had a truly horrible first six months in Australia. Some of that was due to myself and himself's living arrangements and the fact it was a huge change in our lives, but a massive, unimaginable amount of it was a whopping great dose of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) and how that was affecting my ability to cope with everything else that had changed.

When summer rocked around I spent an age soaking up every ounce of daylight I could, did lots of things outdoors and managed to shake the feeling, and now a year on I'm coping better with this winter - marking the solstice is helping, because it's only another ten days until the days start getting longer again. It also helps that I work peculiar hours so am finished work by 11.30am and get to spend some time out in the daylight in the middle of the day.

Try and get outside as much as you can - even if it's cold. Bundle yourself up and go sit outside and read a book. If you have a car go sit in the car - the extra exposure to daylight helps a lot.

The cold hasn't pinched us too badly yet this year - I'm 60k north of Melbourne, so we're prone to ground frost and heavy fog in winter. I agree on the crapness of heating and insulation in houses in Australia, though the antipodeans generally seem to be copping on to it. We're building a house at the moment and it comes in for a five-star energy rating, with insulation and, depending on the orientation of the property, requirements for double glazing or low-e glazing to keep sun out in summer and heat in in winter.

Crumble Froo

i know, you've mentioned how much the two winters messed you up before... i've had a weird year season-wise, i had two weeks of pure summery bliss in nz last march, then home for the irish 'summer', then back to nz in october-december for 6 weeks of blazing summer, where it was too hot for me, and i spent a couple of days just sick and nauseous with the heat. it's more the actual temperatures and dampness that are getting me. if you leave clothes/ bags etc on teh floor for a couple of days in my bedroom, they grow mould. when it gets colder, ive been warned that the glass of water beside my bed will freeze overnight. it's the extreme in the cold and the heat that get to me more than anything else... i loved irelands climate... damn, what i wouldnt give to trade in some of this cold and heat for just a bit of rain every other day.

BraziliaNZ

seriously I think Wellington winters are worse than Dublin, especially combined with the damp houses and lack of heating. I left my bag under my bed for a few months and it was covered in mould next time i took it out. So far in Melbourne it's been beautiful really, not really cold at all, but winter hasn't fully kicked in yet. Last winter I went to Fiji at the end of August for 10 days, weather was 30+ every day and beautiful. Really cheered me up, best holiday ever. I suggest you get your arses up there pronto. And try and spend some time in Mt Maunganui in Summer, it really goes off and is idyllic, I spent 5 months there last year in spring/summer, will be back next Xmas for a bit too, can't wait.

pclancy

Yeah i'm thinking about doing the same though wont be till october as i'm on a contract till end of sept. Its been fine so far though, windy of course but not too cold, certainly not colder then Ireland. The houses are weird I miss central heating and good insulation. Really looking forward to our first electricity bill after getting a 2000w heater.

Crumble Froo

eep! :eek:

that is gonna be some nasty ****ing bill! we just have an old one from my fella's brother's shed. pretty good, but a mixed blessing, cos it's warm, so we know it's gonna cost a bundle, but it really dries out teh air... never long til i start coughing once that thing's turned on.

watna

Yeah, Winter is really starting to get me down. I haven't been myself all week. I've been off work and have been very low. Basically no energy, moping around and sleeping a lot. I think it's because my body expects it to be light for longer and warmer.

Feeling better today but as MAJD said happened to her, the two winters thing is really affecting me.

BraziliaNZ

that's the reason i didn't stay in wellington, it's kind of a boring city, and it doesn't even have much better weather than Eire

The Sweeper

Guys if you're in really cold houses, as opposed to spending a lot of money on heating, spend a bit on some temporary insulation. I know you can't do much in rented accommodation, but head down the hardware store and buy some insulating tape - the sort of draft excluder foam stuff. Insulate the edges of doors and windows. If you don't have curtains, either head down the op shop and see what you can buy, or buy blankets and tape or staple them over the windows.

If you can't afford insulation tape, literally use wads of tissue and masking tape them over any drafty gaps. The damp is a bitch, so after you've draft-proofed the place to the best of your ability, wash down any mould on the walls with a solution of bleach and hot water. If there are piles of clothes in teh backs of cupboards and stuff, move them. Once the place is draft-proofed and damp-proofed, trying turning on your heaters gloriously high for 24-48 hours. It'll cost a bit, but it'll take the chill and damp out of the house, and then you can reset them to a low setting.

We've had to do this in our house, our gas ducted bill was $100 a week. We're in a weatherboard house with single-glazed, wooden windows and no attic, so all that's between us and the sky is some tongue n groove boards, a single sheet of insulation roll and a colourbond roof. Insulation tape and curtains are vital, because a single glazed windows is like a bloody hole in the wall. You can even buy a sort of clear insultation sheeting that you can put over single-glazing glass, but I'm not sure how expensive it would be.

Keep the internal doors closed all the time, invest in a draft excluder for your front and back doors and once you've blasted the chill and damp out of the air for 24-28 hours, keep the heater on its lowest setting all of the time. It's a bit of cash and work up front, but afterwards it makes a huge difference.

Nerilka

Love this thread and the things people miss - so many the same.

I miss Irish milk (still not used to UHT after 4 years of it though it does ok on cereal), baked beans (can't believe they can't be got), Cadburys chocolate (and when my parents brought some a friend's dog ate it! - luckily I'm going home tomorrow and will stock up) and the sea...

Don't miss the cold weather.

maninasia

I have lived in Asia for 8 years, a world away from Ireland. I find I don't miss Ireland too much these days as you have to get on with your life wherever you are, especially if the place doesn't have much connection to Ireland. Not to compare apples to oranges but I've lived in US/UK/Australia previously and they are not a whole lot different than home and it doesn't take much adjusting (getting off topic I know ).

Things I miss.
1) Getting up in the morning in the spring sunshine, walking outside on the crunchy frost and breathing misty air. Listening to blackbirds singing. That fresh feeling, bizarre but it really makes me feel alive. Where I live can be very humid and hot.
2) Fresh air, even Dublin's air is fresh compared a large part of the world
3) Walking around, Asia is not easy to walk around in the cities
4) Chicken balls and chips (otherwise DO NOT miss bad Chinese food), fish and chips, italian burger and chips
5) Cheese and milk - even though Ireland's cheese is overrated especially it's still the taste of home. Irish milk, especially from the farm, that's good stuff
6) Soda bread, buttermilk, apple tart, rhubarb tart and real cream, ham. Pub lunches.
7) I miss the craic, meeting groups of friends for pints and weekends.
family and watching Irish TV and comedy. I miss RTE, the quality of RTEs documentaries and talk shows is very high. Also British documentaries, Channel 4, the variety and quality is best in world IMO
8) Cheap flights to europe
9) Easy social skills talking with Irish people, conversations with strangers (I guess less and less)
The more I travel the more I realise Irish people really do have an easiness in talking with people and a way with conversation that is hard to find in other places
10) Dublin's city centre variety of pubs, Irish pubs in general, real fire in a pub. The music, the conversation, the buzz of a night out
11) Irish money, just can't get used to the bland euros, you just know by looking at them they were invented by a german bureaucrat
12) People not noticing me or staring at me when walking down the street, the anomonymity.

I got over the lucozade, the crisps, the guinness, when I realised how bad they were for health and started eating and drinking better. Do you know how much sugar is in a lucozade or a club orange? Ok enough of the health lecture. Still one or two guinness would go down well!

I don't miss the attitude of people like Fanny? who told another poster he would be banned if he mentioned something negative about Irish people. That's a bit ridiculous, when did Irish people lose their sense of humour. I don't miss this aspect of Irish people at all, when I go home I find people can be quite pompous about Ireland, I'll put it down to the celtic tiger effect. Someone once asked me where I was from, I said Dublin, he said 'you don't sound like you're from Dublin'. And the point? (I wanted to tell him I speak to about 5 Irish people a year here, do you think an Irish accent can be understood in Asia, but I didn't bother cos what's the point, anyway why do people have an accent, it's because they pick it up off the people around them!)

I don't miss the crap weather and cold even in summer.

watna

I found a pub tonight that has Bulmers on tap. You would be surprised how excited I was by this. After a hard day of work cider is that best and nowhere here has any decent cider.

mmmmm bulmers!!!

Crumble Froo

irish bulmers or english bulmers?

im starting to miss home a little less, if im honest. kinda fitting into a group of mates now. and OMG! am going to a 'girly sleepover' tonight. rather scary, but im still chuffed i got invited

was so awesome the other day, i was out walking and actually ran into someone i knew! first time that's happened.

i most definitely miss everyone back home, and it's weird knowing everyone is moving on with their lives. some mates have turned 18, some have finished college, moved on to 9-5s and stuff... it's weird knowing that when i do go back, it's not going to be just how i left it, and i miss being there when the changes happen.

pclancy

What pub?