That would be ignorance on my part. Bristol is being very gracious about it.

All art is derivative I suppose.

My painting instructor was taught by someone who was apprenticed to James McDonald so does that make me a third cousin once removed or somesuch? He was from Durham too.

This is true. Except mine.

I'm sure it isn't and I speak from experience, not horrible just bland. Horses for courses.

They play a part, for sure, but I believe the choices you make in life are more important.

Maybe you chose to have kids, take foreign holidays, buy nice vehicles, I've no idea what you did with your discretionary spending. It's not a matter of f*****g up, it's a matter of deciding what's important to you. I chose financial security and forgoing many of those things for a long time. Just a different priority, that's all.

Dogs and Kids in the UK? - Did you not hear that the coalition government banned them both?

Believe me I have looked at houses just outside of Ottawa in very desirable places and yep I can afford a bigger house than I can get where I'm from

I've also looked at jobs, comparable to what I am doing now, I'll have a greater disposable income even after higher taxes and slightly higher cost of living. I may only get 4 weeks holiday a year compared to 5 here but so what, I know my weekends will be a lot more fulfilling.

As far as skiing goes I'm pretty sure that just over the line into Quebec there are plenty of places to hit the slopes.

Do you have a job offer though?? Being a natural party pooper and all that but depending on what you do finding a job often isn't straightforward.

Well...good luck

"snobbery my arse" I think this sufficiently applies to yourself and Novocastrian, I made sure to copy and paste so as to avoid any human errors in spelling or interpretation:

Snobbery :noun
1.a person who imitates, cultivates, or slavishly admires social superiors and is condescending or overbearing to others.
2.a person who believes himself or herself an expert or connoisseur in a given field and is condescending toward or disdainful of those who hold other opinions or have different tastes regarding this field: a musical snob.

I don't think anyone is being snobby. Moncton isn't in the same league as Toronto or Montreal, it's just not. So what? Doesn't mean it's a bad place to live, just means if you're looking for that big city vibe you're unlikely to find it there.

Nobody said it was. What I find annoying is the absolute dismissal of anywhere that's not one of the big few.

Apparently cheaper properties are only the back of beyond fixer-uppers that nobody wants. That's ignorant nonsense.

I feel honoured to have incurred your disdain.

Sorry, but how did you get that from my post?

I just said it's probably not a bad place to live. sigh. Why are you so defensive?

I don't know why this is such a difficult concept for you to grasp. Cheaper property is cheaper because there is less demand. Ergo, if property is cheap, there is probably a reason. It doesn't mean that the cheaper city is a bad place, or the back of beyond, or doesn't have amenities. It's just not as appealing as other, more expensive places.

Why am I doing this. Why. I know it's pointless? Why am I doing this?

Ah, yes. The traffic jams, the road rage, the service-without-a-smile. Missing it already.

NB, like here in NS, the big cheap houses are more likely further away from the city and amenities. That's simply all I meant. I didn't say NB is crap!

Also, houses in Ottawa and Ontario in general are more expensive. That is all.

When did you move back to the UK?