Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

We've been back in the UK a year, and I must say it's been a bit of a challenge! We left Australia partly because we were missing family and with two young girls we wanted them to grow up with grandparents around.

The main reason we left, however, was that I was there on the Kiwi spouse visa. As many of you will know this visa is always temporary, renewable every five years, no recourse to public funds etc. This was fine when we were all full of nonsense in our late 20's, but when I became quite ill when I was pregnant at the same time as having issues with my business which my husband also worked within, it was around then we got "the fear". All that settled down, and I sorted my business (with a newborn in tow!), and my husband then started another business which did incredibly well. However, by then we had already decided it was better in the long term to sort out living in a country that would look after us if we needed it. We also felt not having a complete "family set" of passports for a home country was a bit of a future weakness.


So we sold the most beautiful house in the world which we had poured our heart and soul into, and came back to the UK. We could have gone to NZ but Hubby's family live in Auckland, and we lacked the million dollars you need for a bog standard house there. Or even the resources to rent one while we got back on our feet!

The only rental we could get when we returned was a hideous damp 3 bed terrace with noisy neighbours on two sides, no privacy in the garden, and parking space nutters next door up but one. Our eldest daughter (3) had a very bad reaction to the upheaval and treated us to several months of horrible behaviour, and I had to run my business in my bedroom which was above the noisy house next door. Oh, and the house was also for sale and the letting agent (also estate agent) said I had to conduct all the viewings. We felt constantly exhausted and demotivated.

When my 3 year old started nursery I got a less than enthusiastic welcome from my fellow mums and dads at the school gate.

I miss Australia terribly, I miss the place I lived, I miss my friends, and I keep walking the streets here looking at things and thinking "is this really my life now?!". I feel more Australian than I ever realised.

This is coupled with my extreme resentment at the process we have had to go through to get my husband into the country (He is a Kiwi).

BUT. Mid-October we moved to a new house with enough room and total, blissful silence. There's a relatively private garden, and it's owned by family. They leave us to get on with things.

Miss 3 is at a wonderful nursery who have been so supportive of the anxiety she's suffered, and have really helped her, and my other child Miss 2 is with a wonderful childminder. The education and support they are getting here is better than at the huge daycare we used in Aus. And the terrible illnesses they brought home at least twice a month - don't miss those.

The ladies at the school gate seemed to notice me after a term. Now they'll talk to me. Most of them anyway LOL. I still have no friends other than my extended family, most of whom I don't really see very regularly. However it is the most beautiful thing in the world to see my girls have a relationship with grandparents, and as an only child I no longer feel guilty about being away from my parents.

At the moment I flip flop, some days I'm blown away by the beauty of the area we live in, and all the things to do with the kids, others I just want to go back to my old, familiar life. It has not been easy, and honestly if I had known how I would feel I would not have been able to go through with the move. I knew there would be reverse culture shock, but it's been stronger than I thought.

However, my husband and I are determined to get him his British passport. When we were in Aus we did feel a million miles from the travel opportunities within the UK and Europe. Travel was a huge part of our lives before children. So now we have *finally* got a family home we can feel ourselves in, we are going to buy a caravan and try to re-establish our love affair with the UK (and Europe we hope). We will return to our old motto "the first year you put down roots, the second year, you start enjoying yourself".

I'm hoping much of my negative feelings was actually about a huge change in quality of living standards, a move from city to country (a shock on its own), and missing friends. We are going to give it a full go and enjoy the next few years here. If we get to the point of having a passport for Hubster and still not feeling 100%, we will look at our options either within Europe or... it's off to NZ for us.

So year 1 - bit of a mixed bag. But we are going to try this coming year and really get out and enter the community more, join some clubs, and try to organise family socials.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Enjoyed reading your post.. Wish all the best.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Thanks - appreciate the words :)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Glad to hear things are going better now.
Can you explain in more detail in what ways living standards / quality of life was better in Australia?
I'm hoping to move back to the UK from France in a few years but I haven't quite made up my mind yet.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I am sure you are not the first to feel the reverse culture shock. I did initially with our house which was most comfortable before we left for Canada, but once having lived in a country with large home's and everything at a touch of a button, it can be frustrating in these small homes. I hate the traffic and lack of parking as well. However, I do feel more at home here than in Canada and when I feel down, I try and think of the long term goal, which is to get my ILR back then proceed to citizenship. Think of this as a phase in your life's journey and take it month by month. Also think of your parents who must be enjoying their only child home and grandchildren. We also found family not that gushy or even happy to have us back. They hardly contact us and it is us making all the arrangements even though they complained like mad to their father when we lived abroad, so it is a case of not ever satisfying them! I am though very much enjoying our friends and neighbours who make up for the lack of family interest. Go well!

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

A lot of it is simply down to our change in financial circumstances, naturally a move costs a lot and we are still recovering. Each country has it's own merits I think. However the main things we don't have in the UK that we did over there:

- Outdoor lifestyle and great amenities such as outdoor pools, amazing parks, and the good old Aussie BBQ which are placed just about everywhere for your convenience to use FOC.

- House size. Our house was a stunner. I sat in it and cried for three hours the day we locked it up.

- Produce - we lived in QLD so we really miss the quality produce, particularly the tropical fruit. Where we are living now there don't seem to be many growers of produce either, but in other areas of UK you can get amazing fresh stuff so a bit of that is our current location.

So I guess a lot of quality of life is down to personal preferences and requirements. All the above are the things I knew I'd miss terribly.



Thankyou that really helps - it does all take time as you say, and I do try to remember we won't be the first or last people who have felt like this. There is an adjustment period. Oddly, my husband is happier here than me (for now). We'll see how he goes after a couple more Brit winters.

I feel fortunate that we will have the option of Europe or NZ. Being a freelancer my work comes with me wherever I go. Perhaps a fair bit of the emotional struggle has been the knowledge we are on this path for the next 4 or so years.

I think a lot of people in our position have similar experiences. Immediately being taken for granted by family. Most of them I had to insist upon them visiting us, like issuing an appointment. And they gladly came.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I appreciate them and feel less alone!

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I can relate to how you feel, I've been back in the uk for 6 months with my Uk partner and our 4 year old. It has been a lot harder than I thought the reverse culture shock, was very unexpected. I've been told that it will take about 18 months to settle, but I'm not sure if I want to wait that long. We came over here to be closer to my partners family Nd so my daughter could build a relationship with her family here. If I had know I would feel this homesick and down , I would have reconsidered. Things seem to be looking up for you and I'm sure things will turn out, it just takes time. I do find it hard to get jobs over here, a lot of people don't give you a chance . Bets of luck and thanks for posting, I feel less alone now :)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

It will get easier I'm sure Jayne, it's hard to establish yourself. And you do start at the bottom of the pile work-wise. Friends of ours came back a few months before us and have struggled with work, but things are now improving on that front. Unlike us, they are loving being back! I'll drop you a PM :)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Thanks for the support, it's so reassuring to know I'm not the only one struggling to adjust. I can't read your PM yet, as I need to post two more posts, apparently you need to have posted 3 times before you can access PM s. I'm only just understanding how all of these forums work. Are you the only one who is feeling this way? How do your daughters feel, do they talk about Oz much ?

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I know you are still figuring things out, but it might be the case that you don't feel at home because you owned a home in Australia and are now in rented accommodation? Even if it will be a smaller house in the UK, if you had your own garden, maybe growing your own veg, a covered patio, or even a hot tub would help:-)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

My husband is pretty happy, and as my girls are only 23 months & 3.5they don't really remember Australia but the 3 year old occasionally breaks my heart by saying she wants to go back to the old house and see the kangaroos. We had those in our garden. I don't think the way I'm feeling is unusual, particularly because I had my children there.



Look, yes I believe it is a big factor - for both my husband and I owning our own place is important. We rushed into that in Aus and nearly came a cropper in the downturn but came out not too badly scalded in the end lol.

In our last place I did grow things in tubs and it helped *hugely*, I had a quarter acre of lovely tropical gardens in Aus and do miss them. I love gardening, and grew my own pineapples over there. Fortunately this new rental my family have said "go for your life", it has space for three veg patches and I'm buying a greenhouse.

I do predict that come Spring I'll be a much, much happier Scottish bunny ;)

Thankyou :)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Sorry to hear you are struggling, I guess one just never knows and a leap of faith it is, I hope in time you do start to find more positives and am looking forward to regular updates:)

I know I will miss my house here, like you its beautiful, huge, hot tub, sauna, 40acres, my horses on my door, land to walk my dogs on, I cannot afford anything like that in the UK but the draw is so strong and I am aware of what I am giving up and I am hoping I adjust as Ive missed so much the horse scene back there and it should be easy to slot back into!

I miss being able to walk from shop to shop, small not mall shops, you know, having beautiful scenery within a short drive(not 4 hours)to go hiking or riding in, the sea, man I miss the sea, even Sandyhills and Southerness lol!

Im a little worried about finding a job that will pay enough to support myself an my furry family but thats life isnt it, Im sure I will be ok in time:)

You are doing this for your children and I think you are right, having grandparents around will be important for them, can your friends from NZ come visit, most people are desperate to visit europe, Im hoping I get plenty of visitors, esp if I can offer free accomodation!

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

A huge positive about this area (and I know you are interesting in places near where I am) is the cost of living. Our monthly living cost including quite a bit of discretionary spending is the same as our old *interest* payment on the mortgage we had in Aus. Much less stressful with kidlets.

I hear you on the shops thing though - it used to drive us nuts, wasn't unusual to cover 50k hunting around various malls and groups of shops for some elusive item lol.

And walking around the high street here is nice, park in one place, shop, then go home.

Your place in Canada sounds beautiful!

Oh, and no visitors on the horizon yet but we went on holiday to... Southerness!! in October and met up with old uni pals. It was actually really awesome there :)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

LOL!...Too funny, Southerness!.....Ive been kinda wondering about the cost of living, my cousin who I havent spoken to in cripes over 20 years told me to expect to pay about 1000 pounds a month for food, bills, property tax, insurance for house and 1 car, hope its not much more, trying to find out online about peoples average power and heating bills is nigh on impossible though!

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Rent is the killer, it's quite high compared to wages here (but dirt cheap compared to more urban areas in the UK). You might get a rural place for £350 a month, but not much less. Council tax be about £110 (10 months of year) less single person discount (25%?). Electric and Gas - we are in all day every day so we pay £100 a month on a direct debit over the year. Lot less for someone out working and without the kids.

Our car insurance was £470 for the first year thanks to overseas no claims not being good enough. Ours is a big car though as we bought planning to tow things. Renters insurance was good value £90 a year. BT phone line and broadband £26 a month. TV license direct debit is now £12 a month, was more to start with but can't remember.

In this area I think you'd be OK on circa £1000, but maybe not ordering champers at the bar that often ;)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Our council tax for a 2 bedroom flat is £157-£200 pounds per month, a lot more than I was expecting considering we live in a small flat, with no garden . Rent here is expensive and it's really hard to find rental accommodation compared to Oz, there is a definite shortage � ����

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

We are quite lucky with rent prices where we are, and with renting from family we are getting a good price as no need for agents etc. The place I used to live before we left - we couldn't actually afford a family home there in our current circumstances.

Fortunately I still own a flat there so we are still on the UK property ladder as it were... but jeezo things are definitely more tight. Although the area I lived in Aus when we first moved wasn't much better - 15 people turning up on the open day for family rentals with applications in hand!

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

£157-£200 per month just tax for a 2 bed apartment???? I haven't been living in the UK for a while, but that does seem pretty high. We pay €225 per year for a 4 bed house 0.6 acres here in Ireland and that seems to be too much for most people here. Ok, you might be getting more services in the UK for the money, but still seems way too much for an apartment and you're not even in a city if I'm right?

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Christ on a bike, are your bins emptied daily by Elton John? We live in a large two bedroom townhouse, smack bang in the middle of Winchester and in a conservation area, with on street resident parking and we ' only' pay £177 per mth.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

OK guys......bet you can't beat this.....we have a very modest 3 bedroomed house in Essex county (New Jersey, USA) on a third of an acre plot of land.

Drum roll..... $16,000 per year in our housing (council) tax :eek:

There aren't even any sidewalks/pavements in our neighbourhood.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Them's Donald Trump prices surely?! What a shocker lol

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Our property tax went up this year.
We paid them on Monday when they were due. $410.

Cheers

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Oh does the accounts but we pay approx £120/month in Buckinhamshire for an end of terrace house. We get excellent services, in fact too good as we have to keep 3 large wheeliebins plus box for paper and cardboard and then our food waste box and every week either garbage or recycling is collected. We do get more for our buck here than we ever did in Canada where we paid about $3200/year and got no services like sewerage or garbage collection. We were disappointed to find out pensioners do not get discount though!

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Addition

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Have you checked that you're being charged the correct council tax band? That seems an awful lot. We pay 1,340 quid per year (works out to about 110 per month) for a 5 bedroom semi in a nice part of the Wirral.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

That is in line with our detached in a village four miles from Aylesbury it is around 160 a month. Like you in Canada we get nothing in the USA, our children went to private schools as the local ones are some of the worst in the state.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I have checked the council tax is the correct amount, we live in a block of 14 flats in a 2 bedroom flat and it is between 167- 200 per month, we live in Buxton, Derbyshire. We are quiet central to town but as far as I am aware all they do is empty the bins. Our body corporate , or management committee look after other services like garden maintence ( mind you there is really no garden to speak of ) and lift maintence .

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I don't understand how on earth it can be that high but I also don't understand how it can between those two amounts. ? Huge difference there.

My council tax varies by £3 for the first two months and then is exactly the same for the next 8 mths.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Hello elonii, how are you ?

I've been living in New Zealand since 2011 in a small town on the west coast of the central north island of New Zealand. I'm married to a British born kiwi, so I have a family category visa which gives me Permanent Residency in NZ. I will be able to apply for NZ citizenship next year. I'm guessing your husband is doing the reverse of this in Britain, i.e. he's got his visa because of his relationship with you, a British citizen. Sorry to put it so bluntly. How many years does he have to live in Britain before he can apply for British citizenship ?

I'm a bit fascinated by you being able to live and work in Aus on a special category visa for Aus because you are married to a New Zealander. I understand, as you say, it's a temporary special category visa - renewable every five years. The whole special category visa for Kiwi's is dependant on the Aus government's grace and favour anyway. Albeit, the same could be said for any government as they write laws for their own country.

Again, I don't mean to be blunt, but how did you get a special category visa if you weren't yet an NZ citizen ? I realise it was extended to you because you're in a relationship with a kiwi. New Zealand permanent residency is not recognised by the Aus government for living and working in Aus, but NZ citizenship is. It's not a route to Aus citizenship as you know. That seems grudging to me from the Aus govt, but hey. Especially as you have already mentioned Kiwis in Aus can work and pay tax there but will not get any public assistance if they lose their job or need any other benefit.

Where about are you living in Britain ? (sorry if you've already said and I missed it.)

We have it in mind to return to Britain. I'm not expecting my family to get particularly excited about our return. We will go back to things being at arms length, so to speak like they were before we left for NZ.

My husband's family live in Auckland. We only see them when we visit them. As it goes, that suits all parties. Doesn't stop it being the best part of an 8 hour drive to get there :blink:. His sister has children which he has been able to get to know. His old mum isn't getting any younger.

We did look for work on arrival in Auckland but after three weeks and no offers we decided to continue our journey to Christchurch as planned, not least that's where our furniture was headed to. Three and a half difficult months living there ended when we moved to where we are now on account of my husband's job offer. I've only been able to get temporary jobs which have been few and far between. We don't want to live in Auckland. Property as you've said is overpriced. There's also to much 'emotional baggage' because of family ties there. For me, happiness is Auckland in the rear view mirror !

I know you are missing your old house and Australia itself. I expect I will miss the house that became home for us in NZ. Especially as, like you, we put time, money and effort bringing it up to our taste. I will probably miss our old New Zealand home town, not least because everything is familiar. However, for the first few months after arrival in NZ (which were something of a debacle despite years of planning. I blame the Christchurch earthquake myself but that's a whole other story) I very keenly missed our old home in Surrey where we had lived for ten years. Where are you from originally in the UK ?

I expect the process of returning to Britain will be frustrating at times. Yes, there will be reverse culture shock. I doubt Britain will have improved in the few years we have been away either. It is unlikely that we will return to Surrey. Been there, done that. I thought anywhere from Dorset to Birmingham to Norfolk down to the south coast. Although, I've heard good things about North Yorkshire. Manchester would be a busy city too........

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Hello :)

It's a 5 year wait for UK citizenship, we've already done one year. The difference between the UK and other places is that Perm Residency isn't awarded after say two years. ILR is after the 5 years then you apply for the old passport.

The Aussie visa is open to any spouse of a NZ citizen regardless of whether they have NZ residency rights. It's not a great visa I must say. The only reason they covered my medical care was because of the reciprocal agreement with the UK. However, I guess given Australia's strictness on immigration it's fairly generous I was allowed in at all!

I might have ended up in NZ but for Auckland. Part of me wishes we had gone there now, we could have afforded a house in Albany in 2007. And golly would that be worth selling right now hehehe. But yeah - awful traffic and a CBD that just felt empty. Loved the suburbs and access to recreation though. Those islands!

I'm living in South West Scotland north of Dumfries. It's a really nice area with lots to do for young kids and it's cheap to live. Issue may come if we are still here at Secondary School age - job prospects are zero for school leavers.

The reverse culture shock - yes I think most people will go through that. Hopefully if you are prepared for it you'll cope. Key seems to be getting out and being social for me. Even if its just a quick chat with the ladies at the School gate (the ones that'll talk to me, hahaha). I have been shocked by the empty shops on the UK high street. That is really sad. One of the reasons I came back to this area in the UK was that the small high streets have bucked the trend and there's not an empty shop in sight. I love that.

Drop me a PM if you want to chat further about returning to the UK. More than happy to talk and I would love to hear about your experiences of life in NZ too. I'll be surprised if we don't end up there at some point for a few years at least!

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Reverse culture can happen but I have been back and forth to Oz several times and lived in 5 other countries and reverse shock is definitely a two way street. I moved to Oz in the 80s and am am always shocked at the changes when I return, none of them for the better. The thing is, most folks return to Oz ( or wherever) fairly quickly so don't see the change but those of us that have been living for a long time can see it. it happens everywhere.

Working out the amount of change you are prepared to live with is the key ( if that stuff is important to you).

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Indeed

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I can relate to so much of your story. We too lived in Australia and felt the pull of returning to be closer to family.
We gave up a good secure life and took the kids away from all that they had known for 7 years - a great lifestyle, friends, school, familiar surroundings etc. and moved back to the UK.
We arrived in the UK full of hope and positivity so excited to be home. I can't tell you how content we felt seeing family, it felt like the warmest hug ever. Christmas was everything we remembered it to be and so magical, the build up was so festive but I think the cold weather helps with that nostalgia.
But after months of terrible weather, countless applications and rejections for work, seeing our beautiful hometown changed beyond recognition with so much poverty and crime and the realisation that owning a home was becoming more of a dream, 3 years books we needed showing a healthy profit but my husband managed just 3 weeks work over January and February due to wet weather and lack of work, we realised that our future was very bleak and our positive attitude sadly turned to despair.
Some family members offered nothing but criticism instead of support which eventually made our decision to move back to Australia a little easier.
So after 11 months we made the very emotional move back to Oz and have settled back to the same life we had before (different suburb though). The move back was a breeze, my husband came back months before to start work and set up and he got the kids back into their old school. The first day they were greeted to a swarm of their friends running across the school field to greet them and I knew then it was the right place to be for them.
Our eldest son, who managed to get a job in the UK - an apprenticeship on £3 per hour but no guarantee of a job at the end, he is so happy to be back and is living the life that a 19 year old should be living with friends he has grown up with. Not sat in his room all night because he can't afford to go out because he needs his money to pay for his train ticket to work for the week.
We will always miss the UK, our hearts will always be there. I do really wish things had worked out for us there but they didn't, I believe everything is for a reason one day I may look back and understand what that reason is :rofl:
I found strength I didn't know I had towards the end when my husband was commuting back & forth from the UK to Oz and I was left defending him to opinionated family members that should have been supporting him.
So for now home is in Oz, I don't know yet if it was the right thing to do but we don't feel the despair we did in the UK so that's a positive sign :fingerscrossed:

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I hope the move back has been the right thing! For us, we are determined to get my husband's UK passport then we will review our situation. Meanwhile, he likes it here a lot more than I do - but we have come to an area with great outdoor activities and lots of great stuff for kids. So that is a positive. I'm struggling with the weather but hoping once we are over the cost of the move we can travel a bit.

Thanks for the post, and the best of luck. I miss Australia so much, I'd be back there tomorrow if we could get PR :)

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I think this demonstrates that when people move back, they need to research as much as they did on the original move out. Simply going back to a home town is often a bad idea - the things that you didn't like that prompted the move in the first place are likely to be still there. Also, employment is just as variable as it is in Australia. There is zero point in moving to a part of the UK with poor employment prospects or where you are not going to be happy with the weather.

I knew that the weather would be a potential issue for us - my wife likes heat. My family and many friends are in the north of England. But, employment prospects are not great and the weather not as good as the south. So, we ended up in Windsor. A nice and very pretty town big enough for everything we need but with the addition of London on the door step. Significantly better weather than the North and masses of jobs - I was sat in my new job 36 hours after landing.

Speaking of the weather, we have been massively impressed. I have to record the weather every day as it is a legal requirement of my job. In the month we have been here, we have had 2 rain days, a few days with showers and the rest being mainly fine. I had to open the office windows yesterday because it was getting too hot.

So, while I am not in the same town / city as friends and family, I am only a car drive away - one of the great aspects of the UK is its size. It means we can live in a very pretty, clean place with great character, where there is plenty of work, but still see fiends and family regularly - we are going to north yorks this weekend, followed by Leicester for family get togethers. But, can come back to a wonderful place to live

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

I'm so glad you said this! I'm not far from you, and when people on the forums talk about the grey/rainy weather in the UK I often suggest they move areas, as we seem to get so much better weather than other places.

Or perhaps people just focus on the rain and don't remember the nice days - I know that when we were renovating our house, we had several months of reroofing, and the roofer only had 2 days in all that time that he couldn't work because it rained. Granted, it was a dry summer, but still I had friends just down the road who moaned about the weather and when I pointed out that we'd only had 2 continually rainy days in 4 months they were gobsmacked!

My parents are only 40 mins away from me, but they get noticeably wetter weather as they are in the Chiltern Hills, whereas being in the Thames Valley we're one of the driest parts of the UK. I will often speak to my mum and it'll be raining with her but dry with us.

And on that note, I'm off to have my coffee outside sitting on the patio, just as I did yesterday, as it's sunny and warm! :lol:

Enjoy Windsor, it's such a gorgeous town.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Freudian slip of the year?

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

One of my most major back ops was done in Windsor (Princess Margaret), at the time we were living in Godalming (we are Winchester now), my wife visited everyday and stayed for a few days with me. She went into town and came back all excited because she'd found a 'Bell and Dragon' coffee place in Windsor, we had one in Godalming in a converted chapel.

That's all I know about the place, except what the view is like from the hospital :lol:

On the original topic, we are staring down the barrel of returning to Oz, probably mid year onwards. Every time we go back to Oz I can't get over the changes. I said it before, people think it's only the UK changes but that's far from the truth (whether it's admitted or not!).

But our time in the UK is pretty much done and if I'm honest, we probably stayed about 18mths too long. When Mrs TB received her British passport in 2014, we probably should have headed back then. The money I earn in the UK is good but it's contracting and with little one in tow, we need to build a family life platform.

This can happen in the UK if I want it to but we'll see, we would be moving to Dorset mortgage free but putting a lot of eggs in one basket, bit risky at my age. We've always done fairly well here, lived in nice places with nice neighbours for the most part. I hardly recognise the country that some describe here but having said that, I lived in Sydney for 27 years and rarely recognise the descriptions of 'Oz' that get thrown around, as they are very different to life in Sydney.

I think the weight of expectation is the biggest factor. People move to Oz and think it will be laid back and a 'better life' and can be shocked and let down if it doesn't work that way. Conversely, the same is true of a move back to the UK, we all have a vision of 'home' and sometimes it lets us down also and I think that let down can be worse as it is usually something we 'banked on'.

For us, it's a question of having enough experience to know that rarely is life good all the time or bad all the time, wherever you are. These things come in waves and you learn to ride them as best you can.:thumbup:

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

When you come back after a long period away you are not coming back to the same country. The Britain that I live in now is so different from the Britain that I grew up in. Those who have spent time away are more aware of the changes than those who have lived through them.


There are lots of things about contemporary Britain that I do not like but I try to focus on the positive.

Re: Back In UK A Year From Aus - Choppy Waters!
 

Thank you.

I have known for a few years about the Brits inability to see good weather and paint it bleak. I was on a visit back to the UK a few years ago for 2 weeks. In that 2 weeks, we had 12 days of glorious sunshine - I was in shorts and t-shirt. We had one patchy day and one day it belted down the entire day. But, all everyone said was "hasn't the weather been awful".

Personally, I don't mind rain. In fact those days of constant light drizzle are my favourite days - perfect for going out hiking.