Is anyone going to a new town on their return? Starting afresh or are most returning to the places they came from.[/QUOTE]


We are returning hopefully on the Queen Mary 2 in Sept this year and are looking to try somewhere different to live. Husband comes from Dorset, me from London.
Looking at Hampshire/Wiltshire/Dorset/Somerset/Devon.....house prices will be the deciding factor for us, we'd like to get as much for our pound as possible !
Can't wait to get back....I reckon I'm as excited to go back as I was to leave in the first place !!! How bizarre is that !
My dad had words of wisdom for me (he had lived in South Africa) that on my return there will be no nasty shocks or surprises because you know it already having lived here for 30 years. What a sigh of relief that will be....aaaahhhh!

Hi Amanda and Paul,
Noticed you're in the same boat as me because you answered my thread on accomadation once back in UK !

My pets had their rabies shot on Friday, they had only had one in Aug but needed chipping, so how long are you waiting before the blood test, our vet said 2-3 weeks because the previous shot is already there. Don't want to do it too soon and it be negative....

How much do you know of the residental areas of Bournemouth ? Houses seem more reasonable here than some places but I'm at a lost as to if its ''nice'' areas. Whats Parkstone Poole like ?

It is bizarre, but I feel the same way! I couldn't wait to leave the UK and now I can't wait to get back. It's a funny old life, being an expat.

A friend said something similar to me. I was worried that I would have changed too much and would hate it. She told me that I know what the UK is like because I grew up there and know that I will like it. I also know what I dislike about it, but as you said, those things won't be a shock. Not like when I came here and had my eyes opened to what the US is really like!

Always21

Yes USA is different to live in, not like a Disneyland holiday that everybody thinks you're living !

My bug at the mo is my heating costs...bloody hell....one months gas here is the the same as 6 months in my old house in Dorset.

It sure will be nice to walk into a pub, have a curry and watch Mark Austin on the ITV news at 6pm.

You def going back this year then 21 ??

It will come around quicker than you think..yippeeeee

I've got friends in Isleham and their house has just gone on the market, and I'm just getting a house near Stowmarket ex RAF so relatively cheap, theres quite a few ex MOD ones about atm, seems theres been a mass sell off I don't know if there are any over Newmarket way as I guess thats more USAF territory

Hi Lisa

I will start off by saying that we have really enjoyed our stay here for lots of reasons. We love the Brisbane area and all the facilities we have here. We have two children a girl of 13 and buy of 4. We have both found people here very friendly in the main and have made quite a few friends - although more expats than Aussies, not for any particular reason just seems to work out that way. We have both found finding jobs very easy and have not struggled to find work ( Plumber & Accountant) and although the pay is slightly less in general we have a similar amount of disposable income as the UK. We opted for the private school system but they aren't all expensive - annual cost per child approx $3000 and worth every cent. We have been to some fantastic places and done some great things over here. The houses here are spacious and I much prefer them in the main.

That said we miss friends and family more than we ever thought possible. We have web cams, email, MSN and frequent visits from them but it just isn't the same. We feel that the children are missing out on their grandparents and our relationship with them has become rather one dimensional. We miss the support with the children - esp when the chips are down, illness etc. We miss the social life - people with children here don't tend to go out in the evening anywhere near as frequently as we do! We have struggled to find people in our age group to out with for this reason - my best friend here is 24 -I am 37! We tend to always go to barbes at peoples houses alot as they don't tend to want to do much else. We do find alot of Aussies very insular and alot never travel overseas - that is not a criticism just an observation. We miss the British sense of humour and lots of little things that mean nothing in isolation but added up make us feel like we don't belong here long term - or at least not now. If we had done this before having the kids I think things would be very very different - who knows.

We will have been here for nearly 3 years by the time we return and are leaving our house here rented out. We do harbour plans to return but when and whether it will be on a full time basis I can't say.

If this is something you feel that you want to do then you must do it. If you don't you will always wonder - I always apply this logic to most things in life! Good luck!

Well originally from Manchester but lived in Bournemouth for 3 years (Charminster and Alum Chime) and loved it (more than Sydney!), even though I had no family anywhere near! It's a great part of the country and so much to see and do nearby. When we return (late April) we'll probably stay with very good friends of ours (with our baby daughter and dog), who fortuitously have moved to...Southbourne! to a 7 bedroom house!!

Buying a dog in Australia is an expensive affair. Ours is a little Moodle (Maltese - Poodle X) that we got from Pet Rescue - cost about $200, and now we're looking at $2100-$2500 for a one way ticket. But there's no way we'd have him abandoned again. He was left tied to a lamppost by a road last time

As for property I think things have stood still there for well over a year. We look at www.goadsby.co.uk. So keep in touch in if we're all in Southbourne/Bournemouth we can meet for a coffee to compare re-pat notes!

We feel like we're coming out of early retirement (we're only 31!) and realised that life here is just too shallow for us. We can't wait to get back to our homeland. Britain is an amazing place, if only we'd appreciate it a bit more (but maintaining some British, or rather English, reserve).

Ah well, it's all a learning process, this lark...

How lucky are you - Southbourne/7 beds - sounds like you have landed on your feet! My friends agree that prices are stagnating over there at the moment - talk to my parents though and prices are booming. I think that they think it'll get me back quicker - they know that I worry we won't be able to afford anything!

We feel like retirees with no quality of life - at least when you are retired you don't have to work!! Am looking forward to a bit of a faster pace I can tell you. A few extra holidays in Europe/States ahhh.

Have you guys applied for citizenship? We are applying next week, just waiting for our photos to be signed and we'll be ready. Praying that we get in before the residency rules change.

We must keep in touch - would love to meet up and swap expat experiences. I think there are three of us going back to the Poole/Bournemouth area in the next 8 months - funny eh?

Hi Katie

Our Toby had his jab this week so we are practically at the same point in the process - lets hope that neither of us has any hitches. Luckily we had Toby chipped as a pup so one less thing to think about.

We left Bournemouth at the end of 2003, I think that Bournemouth is slightly cheaper than Poole not sure why. I know that when we lived in Bournemouth the council tax was higher in Poole. My step sister has a lovely 4 bed house in Upper Parkstone - Cranbrook Road. It is about 80 years old and has alot of original features but has been renovated to bring it bang up to date. She bought it the month before we left for £200K. She loves the area as it is nice and central for both Poole and Bournemouth. I guess if I was going to live in Parkstone I would go for Lower Parkstone - Ashley Cross, Penn Hill, Branksome Park. All these areas are nice, houses are pretty good and closer to the beach. My mum lives in Oakdale, Poole - I grew up here and like that area too. Houses around my mum go for approx £250K for a decent 3 bed detached so not bad either. If you are into renovating I reckon you could get an older house in any of these areas and mould it into your ideal place. My dad has a place on Poole Quay which is nice but no good for families. They have done alot of developing on the Quay now, while we were there they put loads of posh new flats up there, dad says it is really plush there now - can't wait to see.

I am going to get some property papers sent over for us - once I have finished I am more than happy to mail to you. You get to see so much more than the internet listings give you - I think that quite often it is only the stuff that has been hanging around that ends up on these sites. The good stuff is probably snapped up. Will be the best travelled Poole/Bournemouth Advertisers in history!

Keep in touch

Amanda

Pending house sale, yes. Wife's sister gets married here in September so we want to leave as soon as possible after that. I need to get some advice on how early to put the house on the market to try and get the timing right.

For me, I had to be away from Britain to realise HOW much I appreciate it and to recognise how British I am, is this true for others? I don't regret emigration at all as at the very least it has given me a stronger sense of identity.

BTW our house goes on the market next week - market here is strong, so we shouldn't have too many problems selling! Really excited!

Absolutely. I never hated the place, but I didn't appreciate what I had either until I moved away. I've just been looking up web sites for the various towns and cities we're considering moving to and all of them have wonderful shopping centres, old buildings, beautiful old churches or cathedrals, even castles and ruins. I will really appreciate all that when I go back; I was getting so excited just looking at the pictures.

Also, I am naturally quiet and thought that moving here and being with my more confident American wife would make me more confident. In fact, the opposite has happened. I let her do the talking and avoid answering the phone or opening the door if at all possible. Before anyone tells me that moving back to the UK won't change who I am, let me say that I was never this bad in the UK. I HAVE realised how British I am and can't wait to be able to easily converse with people again and for them to appreciate my sense of humour (my work colleagues in the UK used to think I was so funny, but over here I have to explain all my jokes!).

This rings SO true. I've lost count of the number of times I've made a joke at work only to receive blank expressions which mean "What on earth is this guy talking about?!?!". Even little expressions like "I was poorly at the week end" are not understood. Having to explain myself all the time has become really wearysome.

Have been looking at areas to move to as well - at the moment thinking about Hereford, Shropshire, maybe North Derbyshire. I've realised how totally attached to the UK I am.