British Expats - Bittersweet Christmas

British Expats (https://britishexpats.com/forum/)

- Canada (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/)

- - Bittersweet Christmas (https://britishexpats.com/forum/canada-56/bittersweet-christmas-580197/)

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 7104819)

Now, now. Since the man is too humble to reveal his true nature you and I must take up the cudgel in defense of his beatification.

I've heard him called blessed though never beatified. <or was it damned? >

Cudgels, I can do cudgels. :DYou meant metaphorical ones though didn't you?
Damn, I'm going to have to quell that latent anglo violent streak, again.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by fledermaus (Post 7104826)

anglo? I assumed Viking stock?

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 7104832)

anglo? I assumed Viking stock?

hah, you were thinking of tall blondes again weren't you. Bad boy.

"Anglo" is wrong anyway I used that to mean not a Celt if you see what I mean. No, I am a short, dark haired, fair skinned troublemaker. I think that makes me an Ancient Briton.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by fledermaus (Post 7104846)

hah, you were thinking of tall blondes again weren't you. Bad boy.

"Anglo" is wrong anyway I used that to mean not a Celt if you see what I mean. No, I am a short, dark haired, fair skinned troublemaker. I think that makes me an Ancient Briton.

Or a mackem.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 7104857)

Or a mackem.

You can't fight nature. :p

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianscottie43 (Post 7104179)

The fact that you have supportive family here will be of great assistance in getting you settled much more quickly. They will be able to walk you through so many aspects of everyday life here. I believe you have said in previous posts that you have visited Canada a number of times and no doubt during these visits you checked into things and your glasses are fully clear rather than rose-tinted. I, like your uncle and Montreal Mike, have been here for many years and I also have no regrets. Your reasons for leaving the UK are nobody's business but your own. As I said in another thread, I have no doubt whatsoever that the crime/bullying/harassment you experience in your area is true and as you've experienced Canada on vacation, you want to live here. GO FOR IT and to Hell with those on this website with their smart-aleck, negative, judgmental comments.

Thank you so much for your post, this really helps and you are right I'm not coming in with rose tinted glasses, quite the opposite and I really appreciate that you can see that.

I really appreciate your post, thank you.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by moondevil (Post 7104365)

I think the OP would of read the articles in the forum and made her judgement and is still willing to do the move, we are not here to judge others, we are here to help others on there long journey ;)

If it wasnt for some real nice people on here, then i would of found the move over harder than what we have done, to have kids and do the move is real hard for anyone, we do not live 30+ years ago when people landed with just suitcases and just got on with it :blink:

We have internet now and why not use it to your advanage, help others
I know since we arrived the amount of support that we have had from locals is way more than i could ever ask for, to be welcomed with no questions asked, they are not bothered about my background, who i know and what level of education i have..........etc

Maybe instead of coming on OP post and having a go, be nice, offer support, see if there is anything you can help her with..........abit of karma goes along way:eek::eek:

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BristolUK (Post 7104461)

Good advice. I spend some time on that forum even now.

It is noticeable, however, that in all the reasons given for wanting to return to the UK, one rarely, if at all, sees anyone mentioning yob culture/crime/anti-social behaviour etc in the country to which they moved as a factor influencing their decision.

Excellent point and I too very regularly read that forum and so far nothing on there has really resonated with me personally and given me a reason not to make the move.

Thank you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by startwin (Post 7104472)

I think you've kind of hit the nail on the head with this posting. We certainly are not here to judge others nor should we question their motives. I was one of those who arrived 30+ years ago with no prior visit or reccie, very naive, but got on with it and made a life. I'm not sure if I would have done that with forums like this, I would have been questioning myself over and over and agonising on if we had made the right decision. So there are pros and cons to having the internet and all the resources available. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, and you just do what you think is right for you and your family. I left England in the mid-70's when life in the UK was very grim. I'm still glad we left, and it turned out to be the right decision for us. The UK got out of the mire of that time and prospered, but it's not the same country anymore and I wouldn't want to live there. And that's the thing - you do what you believe is right for you, not what the other posters on here think is right.

Thank you, I appreciate this post, in part I'm glad I started these threads and in others sorry because you know, we want to go out and find out for ourselves and make our own mistakes and find our own feet in so many ways yet in other ways I want all the answers now and am in danger of trusting the judgement of others to make decisions for me based on their experiences not ours.

I'd rather die having given it a go and not liking than die wonder "what if".

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yogi-Bear (Post 7100606)

However, 5 miles South of here is an area called "Redditch" - yes the good old constituency of our prize joker the home secretary "Jackie Smith" who cannot even control the area she represents - let alone the nation!

Redditch is made up of lots of districts, the majority of which Tiny describes would be a nightly event.

Now, never mind the book, lets get real! I'd have a bet with you on here that you could not walk through a part of Redditch - at night without being attacked, or being subjected to some sort of altication.

Batchley's such a lovely place, NOT!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 7102285)

One in five homicides in Canada occurred in Toronto in 2007. However, taking population differences into account, homicide rates were highest in Saskatoon, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary."

Yet if you believed the media you'd think that Toronto was a shooting gallery and that you experience a home invasion twice a month.

Most of the murders in Toronto have been gang or drug related, with the weekend night shooting in the Entertainment district. There have been relatively few 'innocent bystander deaths as a percentage of the overall total.

If you avoid certain areas at certain times of the day or night, then you're minimising your risks.

Quote:

Originally Posted by dbd33 (Post 7102463)

Week in week out they serve the scum of the earth

Yes, you've already mentioned lawyers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fledermaus (Post 7102803)

So it looks about equal. I think UK student loans are interest free, and you can defer payment until you are earning enough to pay them back. Canadian ones aren't interest free and you have to start paying back 6 months after graduating.

Bank loans aren't free, so why shouldn't students have to learn to start paying back ASAP, instead of deferring them until they can be bothered to get a job. Paying them back on time in theory puts money back into the system for the next person to borrow.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruby Murray (Post 7102888)

I was under the impression that the supermarkets have clamped down big time on selling alcohol to those under the age of 18 and I know this from my own personal experience. Being back in June this year and in ASDA with my 17 year old son, he had a box of 8 Carling Black Label (the weak stuff) on the conveyor belt and the cashier asked him if the beers were for him and that he'd have to show photo ID....obviously, being under-age, I had to say that they were for me. So, deep down, I was applauding the staff at ASDA for insisting on the proof of age thing....however, an awful lot of 15/16/17 year olds hang around with 18 year olds and they simply get them to go in and buy the booze - that's where ASDA's morals get flushed down the pan unfortunately!!

So you find it acceptable to encourage your 17yr old to buy alcohol, even to the point of you lying to the cashier about it. It has nothing to do with ASDA's morals, it's the law, and you did what you complain that the 18yr olds are doing when they buy it for the younger teenagers.

What kind of respect for rules are you demonstrating to your son when you do this. You say that it was weak stuff, but alcohol is alcohol.

Quote:

Originally Posted by tinytears (Post 7104077)

Edited to add that reading through not just these posts but the forums in general, has made me more determined than ever to move. There are so many people who say that the move was the best thing they have ever done, and very few that say otherwise.

I understand you have been there for a long time, as has my uncle, and I am sure you are experiencing the same sort of disillusionment as he is, he says that he too can see a big change in the country and I believe everything he says. He has been in Canada for almost 40 years now and is married to a Canadian. When we went out last year for our reccy we had many conversations with him about the state of the Country but despite everything he still says that he has absolutely no regrets at all about making the move and that we still should do it and that he supports us all the way.

One of my siblings also lives in Canada and has been there ten years now, also married to a Canadian now and has two children. We too have spoken at length about the situaiton, the economy and the recession and again they are fully supportive of our move.

Make the move, rent until you know where you want to live permanantly whether it's in Canada or not, and if it doesn't work where you first go to try a different Province as they are different in lifestyles.

We all have opinions relevent to our own situations, and all you need to do is try it yourself.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainHook (Post 7105282)

I thought as a parent you can supply your child alcohol for consumption at home as long as they are over 5? Not saying that's right, but I don't think buying a case of beer for a 17 year old to consume sensibly at home is particularly wrong. I personally started drinking at home at about 15 - on the basis that my parents knew that if I didn't drink at home, I probably would have gone elsewhere for it and was more likely to get into other trouble....

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by G77 (Post 7105290)

I believe it's against the law in Ontario to provide alcoholic bevereges to anyone under the legal drinking age.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by brianscottie43 (Post 7105301)

I believe it's against the law in Ontario to provide alcoholic bevereges to anyone under the legal drinking age.

I think we're talking about the UK here, seeing as Asda was mentioned...

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainHook (Post 7105282)

Oh well slap my naughty bad-mother hands! So every parent who allows their (almost) adult child a drink under proper adult supervision is a BAD parent are they? We were there in the same room as him keeping our eye on the numbers he was consuming so that he didn't drink too much, spew up and make a tit of himself, AND the fact that we were on our "vacation" back then in June. Families throughout Europe allow their children glasses of wine with meals and that is quite acceptable....we are a sensible and decent family "with morals" too.....so don't point your high and mighty finger at me thanks very much. :mad:

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by G77 (Post 7105290)

You're correct. I just checked the relevant law and it states not for comsumption in a public place, so home, private party, etc, is ok.

Just because it's legally right doesn't make it morally so, but I do see your point about the lesser of two evils.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by Novocastrian (Post 7104819)

Now, now. Since the man is too humble to reveal his true nature you and I must take up the cudgel in defense of his beatification.

This beatification doesn't involve wax, does it? I went badly wrong in agreeing to brazilification.

Re: Bittersweet Christmas

Quote:

Originally Posted by CaptainHook (Post 7105316)

It's a tricky bridge that every parent has to cross - supply it yourself and supervise or outlaw it and let them find a way to get it unsupervised. Probably less of an issue in the more restrictive provinces of Canada though than it is in the UK. When I was a teenager there was always certain off-licenses that you knew would serve you under age.... Here, I still get asked for ID and I'm over 10 years over the legal age limit! I was in the US the other week and they had a sign on the checkout :-

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/2...5191205ox8.jpg

Now that's hardcore!