3 years!
 

Hi all, hope everyone is well and happy!

Well, we hit the 3 year mark today, still very happy and no regrets. We live in the perfect spot with a 20 minute commute to Reading and just an hour to London by train.

I must admit though, I did have a wobble just after Brexit. I felt very disillusioned about Britain and my fellow Brits. I am angry that there is so much hatred & racial tension right now. Also, I want my European citizenship back!

Still, I have to move on and make the best of what lies ahead.

I still find myself in awe of the beautiful countryside & the old buildings. I could be just driving along roads I drive on every day, and suddenly spot a gorgeous old house and my jaw drops.
Still go off for weekends visiting places I had never been before and just loving it really.

Hubby still works in London and still loves his job. Commute sucks but in 3/4 years my youngest finishes school and we are already planning to move closer to the city, but not too close. A nice little house or apartment would be great for just the 2 of us.

I am still working from home selling cruises. Happy to choose my own hours and be here to drop off/pick up daughter at school.

Youngest, age 13, is doing well. She has just changed schools due to bullying. She's had it a bit rough too be honest, but that's bloody kids for you!
She is now in a school in a town we lived in before emigrating to Canada so she knows a few people already and they've made her feel really welcome. My eldest went there for just a year before we left.

The downside?...Eldest, age 21, is back in Nova Scotia, has been since March. She is living with her boyfriend and they will be looking for an apartment later in the year. I knew it was going to happen so just had to support her and deal with it really. We speak every day so it's almost like she's still here.
Don't know how I'll feel the day she tells me she's pregnant, but I'll have to cross that bridge when I come to it.
Her and the BF are visiting in August for 2 weeks and coming down to Italy with us. Am really looking forward to that :)

I do think of Canada sometimes and miss bits & pieces (and of course my friends), but too be honest, I think it's mainly due to the fact that my eldest is there and so that's a pull for me. I can't see myself leaving here to return though, this is home for me.

So, that's it in a nutshell. Happy happy happy :thumbsup:

Re: 3 years!
 

That's great Lorry, although difficult with your daughter, main thing she is happy. Brexit was a downer for sure.

Re: 3 years!
 

Hi Sally, how are you? haven't seen you around for a while.

Re: 3 years!
 

Nice to hear your update. I live near you and we do live in a lovely spot. I was looking at some photos of our house in Canada and the beach and our holidays and never felt a longing for it. Was nice but not home! I feel more at home here and like you sometimes in awe when I come across really old buildings. We are National Trust members and have so many places to see. As for Brexit, I am positive something good will come out of it. I think we have had racism building up for years but has been hidden and just reared its ugly head during the referendum. We recently had a very gruesome murder of an elderly widow who lived in a remote house by herself. Kind wonderful lady and yesterday the police gave his name and he was Lithuanian with no job. That does not help the locals feel comforted. You will always have that connection to Canada now with your daughter but who knows she may one day return. Canadian Affair do nice cheap tickets back. Mind you I have noticed when you buy air tickets in Canada instead of UK they are definitely cheaper and it may be better for you getting her and her boyfriend to visit with you as they may then see the lifestyle here rather.

Re: 3 years!
 

I'm glad things are going well for you Lorry.

Re: 3 years!
 

Hi FeelBritish, I am so glad you have settled back here and in a beautiful part of the country. I know you were also unhappy over in BC.

Its funny I was looking through photos the other day too of our Canadian house and some places we went to there. Gorgeous house, all 5,500 sq ft of it! ultimately it turned out a nightmare with all the maintenance and it just made me want to leave more.

Unfortunately, crime by immigrants is picked out more and helps with the hatred. I am sure there are plenty of British scum who are just as evil. I just feel gutted that some people are happy to live in 'little England' with just us and the lazy benefit scrounging Brits who never worked or paid a penny into the NHS, yet are happy to sit and moan about hard working people from other countries who come here and...work! I do feel a bit disillusioned by it all after returning here with such optimism.
Oh well, must stop moaning now! :lol:

yes, my daughter and boyfriend are over next month. My husband is not ready to return to Nova Scotia yet, as he didn't want to leave. Also, we don't want to take our youngest back yet incase it upsets her settling here. We are planning a trip to ON or NY though and maybe rent a cottage for us all. Maybe next year?

Re: 3 years!
 

Thanks Editha :)

Re: 3 years!
 

The other day, my husband, who is Canadian, was asked why, if he doesn't like Brexit, he doesn't go back to Canada.

Re: 3 years!
 

Doing good, thanks, time for my 2 year update soon x

Re: 3 years!
 

That's disgusting. That's the kind of attitude that is displayed against the immigrants. Bloody bigots.

Re: 3 years!
 

Oh good, that's excellent, I'll look out for it :)

Re: 3 years!
 

I'd say we were bemused rather than disgusted. The remark was from someone we know, only because he is a friend of a couple of friends of ours, one of whom is from an EU country, and because we've considered renting his daughter and son-in-law's holiday home in an EU country. But, I think Brexit is making some people feel they have permission to express prejudices normally kept well under wraps.

Re: 3 years!
 

Novo 1, Sally and Editha 2, Lorry 3. All good (except for UK politics). :thumbup:

Re: 3 years!
 

Yeah I know sorry, didn't want to say too much about it, but it just kind of...slipped out :lol:

Glad you are happy too Novo. Won't you miss all that wonderful snow this winter? :eek:

Re: 3 years!
 

Lovely update! Sorry about your daughter. I know you were kind of expecting it, but it can't have been easy when the time came. We will be leaving our 24 year old daughter back here, settled and happy, living with her boyfriend and in graduate school. I know I am going to have a very tough time of it when it comes time to leave her :(