Hi All,
I am new to this forum although I have viewed as a guest on several occasions! As my user name suggests..... I am a a complete alien abroad! Moved here at the end of October with my husband who is here on a TWP! The first month or so felt like a holiday but now reality has hit.......big time!!!! I realise the winter isn't a great time to move here but to be honest I am managing with it not too badly.....it's missing my family and friends back home that is getting to me at the moment!! I did expect to feel like this so I guess it's a case of head down and and get on with it!! Another thing I am struggling with is the truly awful tv!!! Lol...... It kills me just how bad it is......!! Anyway Happy New Year to you my fellow ex-pats here in Canada.....Onwards and Upwards x

Welcome and a Happy New Year to you too.

Grit your teeth for the winter and the bright sunlit uplands will come soon enough.

Totally agree about the TV........it is so bad here it makes me think they have professionals do it that way to force people outside or to the cinema. In my case I have given up with cable TV and have purchased an Apple TV and download all programming as I wish.

Humour, irony, startling wit or sarcasm are in very short supply here in Canada but you have found BritishExpats which will more than make up for it !!!

Good luck with the year ahead.

The TV doesn't have to be that bad. I have cable TV and a PVR box that I can set to record my stuff throughout the week and when watching it I can fast-forward through the commercials (my biggest irritation).
There are plenty of old Brit programs, if that's your pleasure.
Get used to the cold cos it happens every year, without fail.

I hate to tell you this but this winter has been nice in manitoba it's normally a lot colder!

My wife and I wish you all the best and we are not too far away if you ever want to meet up for a beer or two.

It's not much but it does help to socialise to break up the weekends!

Thank You for your replies...... The weather isn't causing me too much strife.....just the rigmarole of getting "suited and booted" becomes a bit tedious! But my Canadian neighbours complain about that too..... Some days I am positive but other days for no apparent reason I am on the floor..... I keep reminding myself no one held a gun to my head and I was equally involved in this decision to move here......no amount of research and preparation compares to reality though.

On a plus.......driving has posed no issues......my 2 kids that are with us have settled (oldest has stayed in Scotland to finish his highers)......our dogs who we brought with us are well and coping with the cold......

Will start 2013 with a positive attitude and ignore the bad days as much as possible.........watch this space......

Thanks ArthurBrit for the offer of a drink or two......will maybe do that one of these days

It is cliche but it does get easier, you settle into a rhythm over here. Peoples experiences vary but everyone on here has been through it and know to an extent what you are going through.