Yup, would definitely need to use the down jacket I bought especially for my two most recent trips to UK and which remained virgin in the car boot both times LOL. We get down to -7C in Canberra quite often - still have visions of my sons and husband riding their bikes to school/work in their shorts on days like that - totally bonkers all of them.

There seems to be an obsession with temperature on this thread, yes it's very much winter in the UK and summer in Australia at this moment in time.

The problem is not the viewpoint, it's the tone. From time to time you get silly troll-like behaviour. In general they are single men.

This thread is OK so far.

I'm glad that your enjoying the UK.... I honestly wish I could because I love history and havent seen enough of my old country. Methinks I've changed permanently in my expectations of what life should be after 30 years in Australia. Which is a sad thing for my retirement aspirations.

I love to read stories of people going back and feeling happy. In fact I'm dead jealous... I just wish I could feel like that.. It's like letting go of a dear old friend.

My Aus born Daughter gave it 5 good years, and came back with a negative report... which is sad for her as well. She complained bitterly about being treated badly by the locals.... Jaffa, Skip, people kangaroo hopping, happend a lot... etc etc no one taking her Aus work experience seriously. She gave up in the end... came back got an instant (well 2nd job full time she applied for) 15,000 Aud per year pay increase, 55,000 Aud... as opposed to the 22,000 pounds she was getting in London... with a true career path, with leave for University built in, which was the most important part for her. I'm amazed she couldn't find that in London, even more so by the seemingly rock solid fact that it was here all the time.

. Seems that where you are happy and suited really does come down to how you are made up, rather than the Country you are in.

Just to repeat I'm fairly sad now that I've had to let the UK go.... I'm going to give it one more go and base myself in France the next time, and hopefully I will be sad rather than relieved everytime I go back after visiting relatives, across the Channel to our proposed base in Lille.

Enjoy your life MD... there is a huge part of me that is dead jealous that I cannot feel like you.

Thank You Sir,

Mutual respect.

So sorry it didnt work out for your daughter, my son has just the opposite experience but he did go with a uni degree behind him - he certainly has the potential for future study built into his work and it is encouraged but of course not all industries are the same. He's here at the moment on holiday (he gets really good holidays but works hard in the interim) and his one time intentions to return to raise a family seem to have disappeared and he is almost itching to get back to UK - he has another 12 days to go and I suspect it cant come quick enough for him. He had no intention of staying in UK beyond his gap year but is rapidly coming up to 9 years! Interesting how things turn out in the end but there you go!

Nail --> Head

I wonder how many people have kids that have been raised here, that actually end up back in the UK.

Daughter No3... is out on one of her first driving lessons as I type. Is making going to UK noises. Dont they bloody grow up quick... she's blind sided me the Viola playing youngest girl. I suppose you tend to concentrate on the needs of the Youngest... he starts high school next year, Almost 56 years old with a youngster starting high school LOL... Everyone else around me is looking forwards to retirement dammit. I reckon he will go for a while as well, chats to his cousins at least every other day.

I'm so over the responsibility of being a Parent to youngsters... 28 years now ! All I want to do is get in a van and POQ.

Back to thread.....

Even to Blighty

Maybe, this is my view.

I don't buy all this 'self-justification' because it smacks of the fact that someone doubts their decision andtherefore has the obligation to defend it. The OP and anyone else is entitled to make a decision, stand by it, and be happy with it! How they come across in argument and deal with other people's decisions is something else.

My kids have both been raised here, they were in primary school when we emigrated and are now both in their 30's. ()

I had a big talk with my daughter the other week when I told her of my decision to move back to England, she said that she couldn't stand the cold for one minute and does nothing but whinge here in the Aussie winter anyways LOL!! She is the real Aussie, down the beach with the kids swimming, Barbie in the backyard type.........

My son is in England right now, he went over for a funeral at the end of October and was going to stay for maybe 6 months, he is now coming back on January 13th as he could only get a job that pays extremely poorly for long night shifts and he misses the sun and surf.............he is the bodyboarding type.....he took his wetsuits and flippers and bodyboards with him, not much bodyboarding to be done on the Manchester Ship Canal.

But he did say he would definitely pay more attention to keeping in touch with the family and trying to get over for a visit every few years......

Oh, I dunno. I've sat in this pub, The Mark Addy, more than once and seen thing float past that you could have bodyboarded on... including a fridge and once, when it was in full flow, what looked like a Ford Anglia !!

My daughter is only 2, so it's a long, long way off! But I'm kinda expecting it to happen. She was born there, but she moved here 9 months ago; she'll never remember Blighty. But she has a British passport. And she has parents who moved to t'other side of the planet, just because they could. How on earth could we tell her not to do the same?! I hope that she will travel and explore. But I hope she'll always call Australia home and come back to us.

Kinda ironic, really. We partly justified the move to ourselves in terms of giving our daughter opportunities. One of the opportunities we'll give her is the ability to go and live in another country - the very one we happen to have left.

Its a great time to be in UK, was there last year with the snow and the great exchange rate, had brill time, UK does a nice Christmas, didnt freeze just enjoyed it 100%.

Fast forward a year and I am leaving soggy soaked qld for soggy melbourne I just hope they havent got their PC Holiday decorations up this year

I'll enjoy melbourne, but if I could divert jetstar to heathrow I would be happy

Never mind UK in february, by that time I will have been hot and sweaty for 4 months and will kiss the bloody snow if it comes, even drizzle will be welcome.

See the water is as crystal clear as ever then!!

I just think of it as being high in beneficial minerals !!