Lorry1

Hi all, so it's our 4th Britiversary tomorrow, after spending 7 years in Nova Scotia, Canada, so I thought I would jot down a few lines; the good, the bad, and the fugly.

The good:
Driving - as soon as I returned I began to love driving again
The great British countryside
Old buildings - churches, cathedrals, Tudor house, Victorian houses, etc....
The variety in landscape
Shopping - food & clothes - the variety available and much cheaper
Booze - being able to buy at petrol stations, corner shops & supermarkets
Chocolate - no more needs to be said!
The restaurants - so much choice
Fantastic cheese, bacon, sausages & pies
The atmosphere - don't really know how to explain, I just feel alive here
Spring - arrives in February with beautiful flowers
NO SNOW - or much less of it
Cheap & easy access to Europe
Making up with my sister after 14 years and my great nephew being born

The bad:
Traffic - no surprise there
Roadworks - again, no surprise
My daughter not being here, she returned to NS last March she's doing well with a full time job, an apartment, and a boyfriend.

The fugly:
Can think of nothing

All in all I am still very happy I returned.
We are located in the sunny south, 20 minutes from Reading and an hour from London by train.
Second daughter is doing well at school & has lots of friends. She went to a party last Friday & Saturday and is doing the same this weekend. She has a better social life than me!
She MIGHT return to NS upon finishing school in 2 years, but who knows.
Husband still working in London, loves the job hates the commute.
I'm working from home selling cruises, hoping to return to the workplace after summer.

Husband and I have been making plans for the future as both daughters may be in NS. We are looking at spending 6 months in each for a while (England winter, Canada summer - obviously!) until both are certain of where they want to be. We will then decide upon which we will stay. So, we may return after all, but we'll see. I know, shock right! but I can actually appreciate what we had in Canada now that I am happy, and maybe it wasn't so bad.

So, that's all folks!

Novocastrian

The fugly is Brexit. (Which thankfully isn't going to happen).

Can you sell me a cruise?

Lorry1

yes, you are right, Brexit is very fugly!
Amongst other things, I hate that my European passport is being taken away from me! it's going to be a nightmare.
I just hope that with our 'special relationship' (I wish someone would tell me what that is!) with the US, we don't get shipped their earwax cheese on the cheap, while European cheese prices rise.
We are just going to get a sh1t deal all round

Yes, I can book you a cruise LOL

Novocastrian

Your obsession with cheese strongly suggests that you were in NS far too long.

feelbritish

Wow 4 years already! Your positives almost mirror mine! We are between Reading and High Wycombe so I totally agree about traffic and add parking too! Far too many cars here with some couples having 3 between them while we share 1.

Lorry1

I think you could be right.

Lorry1

Yes parking sucks too! The worse thing is paying to park in a town which is being regenerated (a great thing), but currently has few shops open.
I am actually so glad a lot of regeneration is happening at the moment. It will be a real job and economical boost for these towns. Lets hope theres more shops selling cheese

Bahtatboy

I'm looking forward -- end of next year, or shortly thereafter -- to returning after what will be 10 years in the Middle East / North Africa, and all the Good bits (apart from your cousin, of course) are the things I'm looking forward to, and the bad bits don't apply (I'll be oop North). I hate to wish time away, but I'm truly relishing access to the good things on a daily basis...and just hope that Brexit doesn't go the fugly way it could.

Perth

Four years! Time flies, doesn't it? Sounds like you are doing well. Even if you do return, you will have had an experience to remember.

Everyone here in Norwich complains about the traffic, and reports that cost of parking is more than in London, so we happily do with no car. Of course, you have to live somewhere where that is possible.

We have found the every-five-minutes buses take us anywhere we wish to go, including all around Norfolk county. We live a mere 5 mins walk from the train station, which takes us to the beach within an hour.

Lorry1

cheers yeah I remember wishing the time away too. I hated doing it but counting the days was the only way I could get by.
I hate Brexit I just wish it would go away.

Your time will come soon Then you will look back and start seeing good things from the Middle East (yes it takes a while but does come!)

Lorry1

Yes I am glad I would've had this extra time in England as I am much happier here. But I may have to go where my girls are. It would be the right thing, I think

We could probably live without a car, except daughter now goes to school out of our area and the school is quite a way from the train station there. I checked and the buses don't even match up wit the trains

Glad you are loving your time in Norwich. I only ent there once to a friends wedding. It was beautiful. Keep on loving

Perth

But have you considered what you will do if it ends up being one in each country? I guess the 6-month here/6-month there would work. Would you be able to have health coverage in both countries though? I knew a British couple in Florida who did the 50/50 thing, but they had private health insurance in both countries.

DD, who is 25, wants us to go back when she decides to have children. I'd much rather they grew up here, but that looks unlikely. OH's view is that he never wants to go back, and think of the glorious summer holidays they can have here! I don't think it is as easy as that though

Lorry1

We have to look into everything including tax, health implications etc, but hopefully it will work.
Hubby will contract in London for 6 months here and build up a good buffer, then hopefully do his photography for 6 months in Canada.
I will sell cruises in both lol. I am hoping to open my own shop here in the next couple of years and then have a partner to work with in Canada too.
This may only happen for a couple of years until we just buy in one place, whichever that will be.

I have said I don't want my grandchildren to grow up while I'm not there. I want to support my DD if she has kids.

We do not know what my other DD wants to do yet as she's just 14. So I may have the tough situation of one here and one there, which is why the 6 months in each may work for us initially.

It is so hard though as I really survive better here. Maybe with extended family over in Canada I will do better?

It was me who wanted to return here and hubby didn't. But now he wants to stay as the thought of another international move doesn't appeal.

Life is tough!

scot47

"Special relationship" in this case means that Washington tells London what to do. And it is done.

Lorry1

Yep, that's basically it!