happyhammers

The old Gene Wilder version uses the orange ones , the Johnny Depp version has a small Indian looking fella and he isn't even orange

Good luck with the sell of your house

49thparallel

Hi anders101,

If you are seriously considering a move but not yet sure where, I absolutely suggest you take a look at Winnipeg... I am recommending Winnipeg as I can talk about this city. Sure there are other beautiful places in Canada and Winnipeg can be the butt of some jokes at times and the winters are harsh (summers are absolutely beautiful), it is a great city and a wonderful place to bring up kids with lots of things to do. It is a decent sized city without too much of a big city feel. Winnipeg is also booming at the moment with a number of new construction projects underway not to mention new plans being unveiled every other week... Seriously, if you don't mind not being on the coast, you should consider it. Admittedly for me, one of the hardest adjustments was not having the coast, the sea, the crashing of the waves and the salt air but I have adapted.

I am here 10 years and am very happy. Of course this is my experience but when you see that those who left Winnipeg after university and came back after they got married to bring up their kids it says something positive too.

Anyhow, I read your post with interest, you have made a lot of valid points which I think many BE immigrants can relate to as part of settling into new life in Canada and yes, it can take a few years for these feelings / observations to fully materialize.

I wish you the very best of luck...

manitobain

..so much has now been said of it being boring and not stimulating (doesn't seem much to matter which province?!) .. so what exactly does that mean? What is it, that had you stimulated and not bored in the UK?

Or is it simply city versus rural (and not so much the country you live in) ?

I came from rural (Germany) and moved to rural (over time have been in Quebec, SK and now MB) and found in every province I was able to do more than I would have ever being able to do/afford in Germany.

AlmostThere12

This is why I get my periodical dose of civilisation and hills in Alberta! I feel Canadians don't have as much drive or sense of adventure as Brits. So many people I have met have barely left their Province, let alone the country, if they do its one of very few destinations(I think anyone can name them). They find it strange that we do. We have 3 kids and one income right now, but I'll be darned if I'll let that stop us. Camping, is thankfully cheap and the kids are not opposed to several hours in a car!

Cookie

People here in rural NS seem to be very happy socialising with their family and friends at the cottage, out boating or relaxing at the beach and firing up the BBQ in their backyard in the summer because there is no need to go anywhere else really since the weather is fab. Local events also seem very well attended so they make the most of what goes on in their community.

I have asked many Canadian friends if they won a large sum of money would they move elsewhere and nearly all have said no. It must be very nice to be so happy and content with your life - quite enviable really. Not everyone needs adventure to feel fulfilled.

Me, I love to travel and if I won a bucket load of money then I want to travel the world very slowy

Lamin

I moved from Alberta for all those reasons, bored, depressed I think and the long endless winter------ and I skied twice a week.

Winnipeg and Edmonton I frequented regularly with work---- you couldn't pay me to live there.

BC-- bring cash!!!

About to give up on it all before homing in on NS, yes there are challenges but for us we have found our peice of Canada!!!!!

A day on a beautiful beach, feeling the sea breeze, walking the Halifax board walk, saying hello to a local and still chatting 20 minutes later, eating lobster, hiking or whale watching, having a house that comes with a parking space, watching the tall ships, tattoo, festivals, going to wineries, 45 minutes from skiing, deep sea fishing and a host of kids activities that they wouldn't, couldn't do so easily in the Uk------- batten down for the worst part of winter then enjoy the rest!!!

Everybody is different, with different needs and outlooks----- we found our place.

Will it be home for ever---- I doubt it as we explore and change but for now it suits and fits the requirements.

Bellanova

This is exactly how I feel too, it really does suck the life out of you for sure! I can't wait to escape and if I had my time again I absolutely wouldn't have moved to NS, good luck with your future endeavours

Silverdragon102

We all have different experiences. Both hubby and me love it here, we have the rural setting we always wanted, he is lucky to work from home and I work in a long term care facility. We don't have many friends, hubby is very much a hermit, however I always find things to do including learn new hobbies like stain glass and pyrography. Although I do at times get frustrated in the layout of my house Big and Awkward to heat we don't want to move

dbd33

I misread that as "pornography". My, I thought, and in a rural setting.

Silverdragon102

Well you never know what happens

Cookie

You are right about having all those lovely things on your doorstep here in NS. It is beautiful here and I love being so close to to the ocean. We often go to the Halifax boardwalk and Seaport market, even during the winter when we travel to the city for Mooseheads game. Heading back to Cape Breton again this summer with visitors from Scotland (took them to PEI last time they visited). Also visiting Lunenburg and Peggy's Cove as I have yet to see them - shame on me!

I think this winter has almost sucked the life out of me - too cold for too long. Thank goodness it's not the norm. Due to health issues I haven't been as active this winter and can honestly say if it hadn't been for hockey it would have sucked big time - yes, 50 year old British woman loves hockey, attends all the local junior A games and travels to Halifax to see the Mooseheads. Also went to Ottawa a couple of weeks ago and to our first ever NHL game, Sens Vs Blackhawks. The love of hockey puts a positive spin on winter.

Lychee

It's not just a NS thing, the same phenomenon exists in the UK. Swap Mexico for Spain, and all-inclusive resorts for English pubs, and it's the general equivalent. There are adventurous travel types, and non-adventurous travel types wherever you go in the world.

anders101

I have thought long and hard about what it was that stimulated me in the UK that I cannot get here. We have always been quite self sufficient with finding our own entertainment. It is not that we look for 'laid on activities as such.' In the UK I suppose we visited different towns/rural places at weekends, visited family and had weekend breaks cheaply when we desired. A villa in Spain etc was affordable every now and again and there was just a variety of 'stuff' to do. I would love to be able to do trips to Toronto, or drive to America for short breaks' The distances are just too far to drive and the flights are just too damn expensive. I would just like the option to get away if desired. Also I am sure along with so many Brits I miss the 'banter.' The Nova Scotians are particularly insular. Many have never left the Province so any sort of comment/joke involving the most simple lateral thinking falls on stony ground. I have colleagues who come from different areas of Canada who seem to have a bit more 'life experience' and I can have interesting conversation with (often even involving humour!) I always used to look forward to staffroom talk in the UK. Even if we had not done anything ourselves at the weekend, others would share their experiences and it was interesting. Here, post weekend talk involves who run the furthest, what bootcamp they attended, what flavour of cookie dough is on sale this week and what is offer in the flyers. No one actually seems to do anything of interest. I have friends in Ontario, and they seem to be off doing stuff all the time.

Right now.....even the thought to a trip to Ikea fills me full of endorphines to the point I feel I might act inappropriately with euphoria if I ever actually got there again!

Steve_

Reading the OP's post it sounds like yet another person who moved to the back end of beyond who is surprised to find they live in the back end of beyond. Nearly-nowhere-Nova-Scotia is where you retire to.

Calgary can be pretty dull but it ain't that dull.

AlmostThere12

That will soooo be me this summer, when I spend a couple of days in Edmonton on the way back from camping in the Rockies!