For me England will always remain home, if things were up to me I would go back like a shot but unfortunately things aren't, I am back home now for a months, and these things I am finding better:

Baby
Formula - don't have to bother with powder, just get ready-done stuff and so straight forward. Price of 1 litre formula here 1.60 pounds. Similar price in walmart nearly $10!!!
Baby clothes - so much choice and have really stocked up on a lot of stuff and actually am finding things a little cheaper.
Food jars - a lot more choice again here, and the quality here is better, in Canada more water to food. I do my own stuff normally but not doing it when I am away as it takes a little while to do.
Nappies - am actually able to buy smaller packs which is great when you are away, only saw this at the airport going nowhere else

No baby police! Constantly being stopped by people to 'offer' their opinion, here in England people just leave you to yourself

Clothes - much more choice again and really have stocked up on stuff

Food - do I really need to go there? Supermarkets a dream here and although eating out is more expensive, it is a lot better.

It really will be tough going back as I want to stay here so much but I am going to keep trying in coming back here.

Hi Babsi....where have you gone back to in the UK and where in Canada have you left?

Toronto -----> West Sussex

Rock and a hard place springs to mind.

Hope you enjoy your stay in the Uk. Have you priced out the maple syrup in the supermarket there? You can buy it in Ontario for around $15 per liter.

How much are the raspberries? I just bought 6 pints for $8.88 here.

I'm heading home in 10 days time for the first time in 4 months and really looking forward to it so much. the trouble with coming and going regularly is it really makes the homesick worse, but its difficult not to go when you are able.

my first stop will be a real pub for some real beer with some real flavour! then some real food! after 5 hours I will be cursing the bloody place and the maniac people and will then jump on a plane to Spain for 5 days! its a tough life.

seriously though, its very frustrating getting used to how things are done here and i find myself using the exact same phrases my wife used when she first moved to England! things are just different i guess

Thats why we haven't gone back yet and don't plan too until next summer (2 yrs since we left by then)

I felt we needed to feel like Canada had become home before we went back..........................don't think the old nerves would stand leaving familiarity again before that happens.

Grrrrr....Not good reading as I'm from Havant (porstmouth) and heading to Barrie, ontario.

Why come back?

I've been in Canada 6 months now. We'll sort of more like 4months here and 2 months in London as keep flying back for work

Gotta say......you cannot beat the choice of food, clothes and qaulity of restaurants in London.

I personally find London cheaper for day to day shopping items (though don't really know much about prices of most items....but my parents recently visited and they found grocery shopping more or less like for like ....maybe I haven't found the right shops in canada yet!)

However.....each trip I make....I am desperate to come back to Canada.....hate the overcrowding, roads and road rage, attitude of people, behaviour of people, litter etc etc....

However, its great for me to get my fix of London ... but could i go back...no way

Rgds
Mans

Are those the main things that struck you when you went back?

I often wonder how we'll feel and what hits us as being so UNLIKE Canada when we do eventually go back to visit. I was thinking the roads will feel narrow as with no real hedgerows here, it all feels wide and open doesn't it.

Also, does everywhere look grey and drab? I only say that because MIL commented on how bright and light the houses and roads look here...............and clean too.

Is that really Havant or is it Leigh Park?

Beauty is here no-one knows or cares about the difference.

He He


Thats a great point and you know your georgraphy......... and your right its actually West Leigh, but I'm not pround to say that.

Yeah....roads feel real narrow....in fact instead of zooming on when a car is coming down the opposite side as I did before ... I now slow right down scared its gonna take my mirror off!

People do look more grey and drab...maybe thats just a London thing though

However, I know Canadian cities are having its share of headlines re trouble and violance.....but I still feel safe here......whereas I now feel threatened walking around London.

dead smack in the centre of Leigh Park myself, Mum and sisters still living there.

Find having lived there helps to filter some of the crap out of the newspapers. If one area is always written as a bad area I start looking deeper into the good stories and find the same selective reporting happening here. Not everyone is an angel but not eveyone is a prat either. Just like the whole Havant area there are some good parts to live and some ok and some not. We have an advantage of that experience and tend not to be wearing to much rose tinting in the glasses department.

here's hoping you all enjoy yourselves and find what your looking for.

My last trip to the UK was a few years ago but I soon got claustrophobia. Narrow crowded streets and roads, tiny homes and hotel rooms, cars the size of golf carts etc. People seem to live on top of each other. Recently read in a expat newspaper that grave space is now limited so doubling up on old graves is now being considered.

It's bad when you can't even get privacy when you're dead!