Have you sorted a hire car for when you arrive? Take a week I would say. Watch out for whats around, what you like the look of etc. THEN make a decision.
Personally I'd say with a family of 5 you're pretty limited IF you want to be able to ferry visitors\friends around with you. All depends on your circumstances as well, if you know people here it doesnt matter if you need to carry big things (somebody will know somebody with a truck or suv or people carrier) if you dont AND your going to be buying BBQs, patio furniture etc AND you dont want to pay for delivery maybe you should rule out sedans and smaller vehicles.
OK tell me I'm teaching my Grandmother to suck eggs I dont mind.

Im not going to give you a group hug im going to shake you violently - "PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER WOMEN!!!!"" No seriously its hard but think of all the reasons why you are comming here! its awesome remember! and freinds are only a phone call or red eye flight away.

Good luck with the move and landing and such, you deserve it!

I suppose our invite was lost in the post?

She is a he by the way

Hello Butch, luckily for us we do have family in Calgary and we will be staying with them until we find a house to buy. I have been looking at the SUVs and I loke the look of the 7 seaters e.g Ford explorer of the chevy trail blazer. Unfortunately my Brother in law in Calgary says don't buy a ford explorer because they are not reliable however it seems to have everything we are looking for, size, 4x4 etc.

Hello Graham, hope you are well. Any news on the medicals yet. Well as you can see it is crunch time and I am starting to panic, however from what I have read, it is only natural. I am sure that as soon as we move into our new home and I find a job I will settle down again. Regards.

Everything was sent back to CHC by the doctor about three weeks ago and I also sent a couple of supporting letters in respect of our daughters GH treatment.

It is now just wait and see and keep our fingers crossed that we get the green light.

As soon as we get our Visas (hopefully) we intend to go over on a recce trip. As some point in time we hope to get over to Alberta for a look around as we have never been any further west than Ontario.

Good luck with your imminent move.

Have you finished work yet?

Hope to hear from you soon.

Regards

Graham

Hello Graham. I am still working my notice period and my employer will continue to pay me right up to the day I fly which is nice. I have still not decided what I will do when I get there however I will probably stay in financial services and take the necessary exam. I have sent my C.V to a number of the big Banks and Insurance Companies and HSBC and TD Bank want to see me when I arrive. Unfortunately alot of the others will not respond without me having the licencing exams.

Alex

Why do you not see if any of the companies will take you on initially as a "Specialist Adviser" offering advice to UK expats who still have UK pensions, life cover etc. Just a thought.

No Canadian financial adviser will be able to advise on these products I would have thought.

Graham

Mondo hug on its way (in case I missed the group one).

Must have been a great party. Now just remeber that you are one of the successful ones - lot's of people talk the talk etc. You only really have to worry if 120 people turn up at the airport to make sure you go

Or you could go the convertible route like we once did

Now I know that I have been here a while...I cry at the thought of the inevitable visits back to the UK

George, is that because you can't wait to see everyone again or in horror at the thought of going??

Hi
I find that I don't get homesick until our UK visitors are leaving to go home (whoever it is). I then realise how far away everything is and how nice it has been to catch up on everything in the UK.
Still it doesn't make me want to go back again. I suppose after a while everyone will stop visiting and we will have to go and visit them. That will be a good reminder of why we love living here.

Couldn't agree with you more. It is great to show off your new life to your friends and family. I still find that I feel more comfortable with my old UK friends than any of my 'new' friends.
Family and friends did seem to swamp us with visits during the first 5 yrs, that has now slowed down and our usual is to have one lot of guest's a year. We haven't been back (as a family) for 5yrs and I don't imagine that we will be going back for another 5....This is my home and I don't like leaving it.
Trips back the the UK really are a good remedy for any homesickness that I might have had. That said I would say that for every reason that I prefer my life here, there is another reason that I would prefer life in Blighty.