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An Expats Home Sickness Remedy Treats - (where to get them if you're really desperate)

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Its not often that I am lost for words. Ask anyone especially my husband Super G and he will tell you that this Yorkshire girl can talk under water. However, this week I was chatting to our newest Opal and I was asked the pretty simple question of what I miss most about England. I was stumped. I normally can reel a whole load of things off but as I sat there looking at him, I was silent. I think my newest Opal mistook my silence for being upset and as they reached across the table to touch my hand and ask if I was ok, I couldn’t think of a word to say. Years ago, what I missed from the UK read like a shopping list, and every time I had visitors I would online shop at Asda and get it delivered directly to them to pack in their suitcases. After greeting them at the airport and hugging them I would practically ransack their suitcases. Fast forward a few years and how different this story is. I now ask for a few token items which each time I’m asked the list gets less and less. So,
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Moving to Brisbane - Pommie coffee newbie to Aussie coffee snob

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Moving to Brisbane has turned me into a coffee snob. This is a fact! You can keep your Starbucks and Costa Coffee and any other big chain coffee places that you find all over the world, if you want a decent coffee then head to a cafe in Brisbane. Once there, don’t expect to be able to make a quick decision on what you want, there are too many options for anything to be quick. I always thought the only decision to have to make was to have in store or takeaway; how wrong was I.  First, there is the decision of what coffee to have. If you have seen any coffee menu in Brisbane, you will know this list can be like a novel. As well as your normal cafe drinks such as cappuccino and a latte there is also my personal favourites such as: Long black /Americano A long black is hot water in a mug with 2 shots of espresso added into it. A small foam is left on top of the coffee. If you were to make the espresso shots first and then add the water this would result in an Americano, less fo
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Medicare and The Ninja Warrior

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I am the proud owner of a sporting injury! Yes, you did just read that correctly! I may not be able to walk properly, or sleep through the night without waking up in pain but I got it via sport!! Now those of you who know me are probably saying “is this our girl?” “maybe Shelley has been abducted by aliens!!” “who is this imposter?”. Let me assure you this is me, and the sports injury is part of my healthier Aussie lifestyle. I haven’t ditched the coffee or the bread, I still love Gin and binge watching English TV, but the love for women’s strength training has taken over me. Now I know this doesn’t sound like fun but let me explain it a little more.  In April this year I found myself walking past our local gym, it may have been the loud music coming from inside (I love a bit of Taylor Swift), or the amazing outfits I saw the girls in, but I was hypnotised into walking in… Half an hour later and a few hundred dollars lighter, I had a swipe card, an appointment with a
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How Long Have You Been In Australia?

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How long have you been in Australia? is probably one of the first questions people ask me when we meet. It can be in any manner of places, at the checkout queue in the supermarket, waiting for the bus, waiting for people at the airport and it comes from all different types of people. When I’m asked I always feel a little self-conscious of my Yorkshire accent, after all this is what has probably given me away. When I tell the questioner “11 years” I already know the response: ‘wow you sound like you have just stepped off a plane, isn’t your accent cute”   Whilst I always answer the question with a smile, and sometimes truth be told I may answer “all my life” or “about 10 minutes”. I always then feel the need to explain why I don’t sound like an aussie after all this time. The thing is I spend an awful lot of time speaking to my family back home, even after nearly 11 years. I video call my sisters and parents nearly every day, even if it’s just for 5 minutes while I am waiti
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A Yorkshire Girl Down Under

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It seems that everyone writes blogs these days. Some are funny, some are honest, some touch on taboo topics and some are trying to sell you something. What they all have in common is that they are written on subjects that people are interested in, and believe me there are some crazy ones out there!! I find myself drawn to reading the most unusual of blogs and get caught up in the stories, when I look up hours have passed. Some of my favourite blogs feature travel and coffee – two of my favourite things 😊 It came to me this morning that maybe I should jump on the band wagon and blog about the life and times of a Barnsley girl living in Brisbane, Australia who happens to relocate families from around the world into Australia for a business. Great idea, right? So here goes my first post… You will have to bear with me sometimes, I like to talk a lot and I think that it will come across that way too, and it might take me a while to get to the point… I probably should give
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Location: Brisbane QLD, Australia
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