geeandtee

haven't been here for a while, so I thought I'd drop by.

We're settling in well. It's been tight money-wise, but I've finally bitten the bullet and applied for some government help, as encouraged by the kind lady at Wiltshire County Council.

I am having no luck finding a job. I've applied for anything that makes sense and had one interview. I didn't get the job because I was overqualified. Um...I wouldn't have applied for the job if I didn't want it.

Our son is doing well at school. He had his first report card last week and we were blown away by how well he's doing. He loves it.

We collected our other cat from quarantine at the end of January. He has settled in very well, although I suspect the stink bombs he leaves in the litter tray are his revenge.

But, apart from the financial stress, we really are so glad to be back. I love it and I love the village we live in. I love the changing skies and seasons, the first hints of spring, snowdrops, birdsong. I can't believe it's nearly been 7 months since we returned.

iaink

Good luck, hope things work out.

pimpmycode

good on ya

fatcat65

I'm really happy for you and that you are happy with your decision to go back. Its a huge risk and very unsettling whilst you come to the decision to pack up and go home and i remember the emotions I went through to come to that decision, but once made it was a huge weight off my shoulders. I'm going home on 12th march!!
I wish you luck in securing work i hear its tough there at the moment. Not sure of the job situation where we're going to but i'll try for part-time to start and take it from there.

Did you rent when you went back and how did that work. What about a vehicle? I'm going to have to use public transport for now as we can't afford a car, which will be a novelty for us as there is no public transport in our town in Canada so we drive everywhere!

I'm looking forward to spring there too, i miss that. We've got snow here again in Canada and I'm so tired of the cold temperatures...the kids will be doing their paper routes in -28 this week!! That's no joke!
Great news though and glad its all coming together

Jerseygirl

Hey...it's lovely to hear from you again. I am so pleased you are happy to be back in the UK...even though things on the job and money front are proving to be a problem. Hopefully everything will all work out in time.

All the very best to you and your family...thank you for taking the time to update us. Good luck.

sallysimmons

Good to know it's going well!

Did that cat recognize you or was it like starting all over again?

geeandtee

Thanks!
We didn't really have a choice. I lost my job before our Green Cards were approved.

We're renting. There was only one house available for rent in the village. It's quite pricey but we should be eligible for housing benefits. I'm just waiting for the letter regarding our Tax credits. We are entitled to those, but they screwed up so I'm waiting for the revised one.

As for a car, we had enough saved up that I could buy a car outright. We live in the country so we need that car.

Thank you!

Although it's been a rough couple of years, I think coming home was the best thing that could've happened. Everyone I know says I'm happier. My blood pressure has dropped to "perfect" (according to the nurse at the local surgery)

Thank you all for your good wishes. We'll get by and it's great to be back where we belong and have rights.

ETA: Tigs settled in incredibly well. He recognised us and, after a day of spats with our other cat, they finally remembered each other and are back to squabbling and chasing each other around the house. He's always suffered from separation anxiety and 6 months in quarantine has made him even more affectionate.

charleygirl

Aw i remember your problems when i first joined this forum. So happy that you are happy to be home and I wish you lots of luck finding a job!!

sallysimmons

Aw that's great. I may have missed this, but why did he need to go into quarantine when the other cat didn't?

I don't mean to be nosy - just have 4 cats myself and trying to decide the best course of action.

geeandtee

No problem.
We had some serious visa issues the year before last and it looked like we were going to have to return to the UK then. At the time we had three cats. We made the decision to bring Bluey (the one who didn't go into quarantine) and our old cat. We started to try and find a home for the other. So we started the ball rolling on the pet passport stuff then. Thanks to very high level intervention, the visa issue was resolved.

When I lost my job, we were initially only going to bring Bluey with us, because Maggie, my old cat, had died. Then, we realised that we had to make the move as easy as possible for our son, so we brought Tigs back too. Because we hadn't started the passport process for him, he had to go into quarantine.

It was worth it, because when we got him back, we were all back together again.

Here we are:

sallysimmons

Awww. They look so happy! They also look like they're not letting you get away again

Thanks for the explanation. Two of my cats have chronic nasal infections. They're not particularly ill, they just sneeze and sniffle a lot. We've tried tons of vets and never been able to get either a diagnosis or a cure. I am worried that if we tried to take them home, they'd be stopped and put into quarantine and I wondered if that had happened to you. I can't find any answers about whether cats with illnesses are allowed into the UK.

Anyway, thanks and they're cuties!

geeandtee

You could always contact DEFRA, via their help line. I found them very helpful and efficient.

Mummy in the foothills

Those are two really pretty cats
How much did it cost to have him in quarantine for 6 months?

geeandtee

I'm pleased to announce that I FINALLY HAVE A JOB

Part time admin job at a care home for the elderly. Perfect for me and my family. I start in a couple of weeks and I can't wait.

It's been a long time, until last year, I've never been out of work for more than a week or two in thirty years. So I'm a happy bunny.

Jerseygirl

Congratulations...excellent news.