Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

Mc Donald's coffee was horrible !!!

Other than that, and trying to get in my rental car via the passenger door, all was good.

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

I can't imagine any wine in a 1.5 litre bottle that would be drinkable. But then I thought the same about "home made" wine too.

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

@printer
How's the price of Scotch?

$36.79 for Grants or Teachers 1.14l here.
At least that's cheaper than in Sainsburys - but then one has the advantage of Sainsburys version which is a bit less.

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

Purely from a price point of view - where every time I see a 1.5 litre bottle it's double the cost of the usual 750 - I don't understand why people buy them.

If it's 'off' or just not to your taste, that's the whole 1.5 wasted instead of one bottle. And whatever you don't drink immediately won't be much good soon.

But Printer seems lucky enough to be able to buy the stuff cheaper than this province - no matter the size. I'd be tempted by a $10 bottle that I liked if it was $15 for double the amount, providing I was confident none would be wasted.

Although I always use anything left for cooking anyway

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

I went back in February and was surprised how much I liked it there. It was wet, as it was raining pretty much non stop but much warmer to me, than here.
Everyone else was whinging about how cold it was and I was, well, warm.

It was lovely to walk around Tescos and marvel at how cheap it was and how inconvenienced the staff appeared to be if I asked a question on anything. I was raced through the checkout at a sainsburys express type garage, not ok, ok, ok questions before my pin number, just pin please on the credit card machine. I automatically said visa to the person there and he looked at me as if to say, who cares....and then had no interest in asking how my day was, I was a little put out...
I wanted a drive through coffee badly and eventually found a McDonalds where the coffee sucked big time.. I missed the coffee on any trip culture of here.

Next was a major disappointment, I went in three and found nothing I wanted to buy, but the pubs rocked. It was great to see all my friends again and to drive on "the wrong side of the road".
All in all a good trip, I no longer have issues with the UK, I like it now. I like living here and knowing I have there to visit.

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

About the same i think. Teachers was showing at $23.75 for 750ml

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

Parking is going to be hell!

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

We're just back from our first trip home. We tried the 'visit everyone' model and it was quite exhausting. I did enjoy seeing everyone and catching up though, even though my sister, who was supposed to be giving birth while I was there, didn't! (We're still waiting :) )
I didn't really experience any homesickness, favourite bit was shopping in Glasgow and Edinburgh; loads of great clothes shops to browse around and fairly cheap prices. Supermarkets were fun, though not everything was as cheap as I thought it was going to be - the change in exchange rate might have affected that.
I found everywhere very busy, and the people all rather fed up looking and very self-absorbed... No one seems to really consider other people, from the checkout person who can't be bothered to serve you to the person in the street who expects you to get out of their way. I found the bustle and congestion quite tiring after a while.
And boy are they bad drivers! I got used to the speed quite quickly, but it was the cutting in and out of lanes at high speed, no indicating, undertaking madness that goes on everywhere that I found very unnerving! Every time I was in the outside lane overtaking I expected someone to pull out inches in front of me with no warning.
Also the roads seemed so narrow, and the parking spaces - when I could find one - so small! And this was despite driving a small hire hire when used to driving a truck in Canada.

I enjoyed the food, the friends and family, and the familiar places and the history, but I was quite happy to get on a plane back to NS :)

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

I've been back a few times for short visits, usually engineered to be tacked on the end of business trips to Europe (saves the company money, conveniently, to selflessly volunteer to break a flight at LHR over a weekend vs changing planes on a Friday afternoon in FRA or AMS or CDG...). The whole family's going for the first time this summer.

My parents are too unwell to travel to visit us, so haven't yet met their youngest grandchild. My elder sister hasn't made the trip to visit us in the 8 years we've been here (can't tell you how much that annoyed me at first, but now it's just a "whatever" when they book another expensive holiday somewhere else rather than accept their open invitation...), and younger sister came over sans kids last year; so there is a gaggle of cousins who haven't met each other except on Skype.

We're going at least in part because it won't be long before my Dad has no clue who I am (or, for that matter, anyone else - it's nothing personal ;) ). But also to soak up a bit of the cultural stuff that Canada doesn't do well - castles, old buildings, the whole history-as-built-environment thing. We'll be staying in rural Wiltshire, and plan trips to Corfe Castle and the beach at Swanage, the New Forest (I've even got a pass from SWMBO to go to the motor museum at Beaulieu), city excursions to Salisbury, Bath and Winchester, a country walk or two in the Wylie and Test valleys. These are mostly places of childhood memory for both of us, so I'm prepared for the reality not quite to meet my own expectations, but it's for the kids, innit ;) (actually, no, it's really not. I wouldn't care if they didn't come too, I'm still going to build a sandcastle and ogle Bluebird for old time's sake...).

I expect in equal measure to notice how green, dirty, crowded, peaceful, busy, small, old, familiar and different it all is. I'll recall singing evensong as a schoolboy in Salisbury Cathedral and Bath Abbey, and compare that experience to the modernist concrete-and-glass 1990s structure where I sang an Easter service last weekend. I'll throw at least one reluctant child into the sea so that they can say they've had the experience of swimming in the Channel. I'll drink an ale or two in the company of old friends. And I'll be glad to be home safe at the end of it all.

[edited to add: apologies for long post - that's what happens when nostalgia takes over!]

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

I’ve been back most years since I’ve been in Canada. Sometimes for work, sometimes not. I’ve done most of the holiday trips within the UK one would do from London; the Lake District, Dartmoor, the Antrim coast. I see my relatives in the UK more than the ones in Canada. It seems to me that although one may be obliged to live abroad there’s no need to lose touch (assuming there’s no constraint such as a tax reason or avoidance of extradition treaties).

The overwhelming memory of the first, and subsequent trips, back is that England is a green and pleasant land. What a lot of green space there is in London compared to Southern Ontario! What a lot of flowers there are there! Visiting the UK is a breath of fresh air.

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

That was an interesting thread!

Well we are back and had a great time seeing everyone but are totally knackered now. Too much going from one house to another and a ton of nights out - man - fun but wrecked!

Lovely to see all the greenery and we visited the Northumberland coast which I love with all the castles so that was nice.

Did feel overcrowded compared to what we are used to and going to supermarket on Easter Monday morning was an eyeopener. People practically fighting over everything.

So whilst we had a great time - We were all ready to get back on the plane and come "home"

:)

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

I have been here 4 years and been back 4 times. Once in 11 and 12 twice last year. I don't feel homesick but would move back in a heartbeat if I the cost of housing was not so expensive. I barley afford a one bed flat without a massive deposit in Bournemouth area (where I would want to live).

The differences I notice/appreciate when home:

You ask someone a question and you get a straight answer
You get through the supermarket checkout in a reasonable about of time without the pointless conversation about the price of x item you have or what they usually do with it - I dont give a flying!!! GET ON WITH IT!!
Drivers who communicate and pull out and go.
Driving in general -Twisty A roads that you can enjoy chucking the car
around :)
CURRY!!!!
Real Ale
Pedestrianized streets and people walking around instead of drive everywhere and try to park inside when they get there.
Food that is sensibly priced.
Banter in general terms
Football and Rugby
Being able to have a conversation with your mates without having to watch what you say in case you hurt one of their feelings. People take on board what you say as oppose to just how you said it.
Small houses- although they are not plasticy.
Proper fish and chips
Much better choices for eating and nightlife that you can walk between - pub crawls :D (thats more a flaw with Moncton than Canada per se)

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

That is really shocking that almost all the cashiers were Polish - can you expand on that?

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

What's to expand?

Re: Thoughts on first visit back to Blighty
 

Try re-reading my whole sentence slowly and note my laugh at the end, not a frown, roll eyes, thumbs down, angry face, etc.

Their new accent and use of Doric language made me chuckle. What can I expand on. She asked 'fit like i day?' I replied 'nae bad, yersel?...... Does that help you with the main point of my sentence now. :)