pown1976

A few months ago I was so sure I wanted to move back to the U.K with my husband and to very young daughters. However since making the decision to move back to Blighty at the end of the year.

I am so scared every day I think about the move

One minute I'm sure and next minute I'm thinking this is the biggest mistake of our lives

I miss that feeling of belonging, miss the family, even miss the glum weather sometimes.

Although I do enjoy Aus the great weather the fact that we have got a great house a nice car basically we are doing alright.

So just not sure if we should go but just keep thinking if we don't do it now we'll regret it we are just telling everyone we're off for 12 months but just going to see how it goes its a big move after arriving here 10 years ago with nothing more than a suit case each.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Cheers

kimmie

[QUOTE=pown1976;7495414]A few months ago I was so sure I wanted to move back to the U.K with my husband and to very young daughters. However since making the decision to move back to Blighty at the end of the year.

I am so scared every day I think about the move

One minute I'm sure and next minute I'm thinking this is the biggest mistake of our lives

I miss that feeling of belonging, miss the family, even miss the glum weather sometimes.

Although I do enjoy Aus the great weather the fact that we have got a great house a nice car basically we are doing alright.

So just not sure if we should go but just keep thinking if we don't do it now we'll regret it we are just telling everyone we're off for 12 months but just going to see how it goes its a big move after arriving here 10 years ago with nothing more than a suit case each.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated

Cheers[/QUOT Dont do it! stay where you are as it sounds like you have a great life already. We moved back to the UK last year from Greece after many years away (many of your reasons too) with 4 young children and although we are doing ok here we have decided to go back again later this year as we miss our previous lifestyle etc so much more than the things we missed in the UK. When you are away you always think about the things you miss and there will always be things you miss about the UK but its so much harder to go back again afterwards!!!!

jonfrank123

Hi

To put the other point of view forward...

I've just moved back to the UK from Canada. I had exactly the same scared feelings as you, I even tried to back out a couple of times but now I'm here it feels bloody brilliant.

It's possible to get a great house and a great car in the UK, the weather also isn't that bad here. If thats all thats keeping you in australia then I would come back.

ezzie

Great to hear the other side Jonfrank. Can I asked what you missed about the UK enough to return and is there anything you miss about Canada? We're at the same point and I'm up and sleepless wondering what the hell I'm doing wanting to go back to a country that everyone else seems so keen to escape!

bromleygirl

I moved back to the UK from the US 4 half years ago and realised that I had made a mistake a few weeks after...I am now in the process of relocating back to the US because I do believe that we had and will have a better lifestyle than what we have in the UK. I thought that based on previous visits, family and friends would be much more involved than what they have been after returning which has dissapointed me. I'm also fed up with the gloomy at times weather, litter, congestion, etc etc.

If I were you I would try to imgaine what your life for your family would be if you did return to the UK and right a list of the pro's and con's for both places.

ezzie

If I did a list of pros and cons...I'd stay right here in Oz, no two ways about it. But the pull of the heart strings is tough to resist and it's also about unquantifiable things such as having a bit of cheery banter down at the shops, or not having to explain jokes, the song of a blackbird, or enjoying someone dropping-in for a cuppa.

pown1976

You see its things like that we miss and never having that sense of being apart of an extended family I get so jealous when friends say there catching up with family or old school friends, and things like leaving the kids overnight with family that really want to have them rather than a babysitter that's just doing her job.

Me and my husband are both POMES so we've got no-one here is there anyone which is kind of sad for the kids not being able to see a nana or a grandad more occasional than once a year.

Just so confused

ezzie

We'd actually be leaving our family here to return to the UK! Very hard decision but wish I'd done it years ago - whilst the kids were younger and a recession was just a twinkle in Brown's eye!

Nu-Shooz

Hi ezzie, i have been looking out for you on that TV programme you did. But i think i have missed them all. I saw one show on ITV2 last week.

Anyway, we returned to UK in Jan and we all love it. No regrets, just joy

I would never tell anyone not to come back as we love it, so those who don't like it will obviously say 'don't do it' ....the choice is yours

ezzie

Great to hear from you Nu-Shooz. Brilliant that you love being back...where are you? The bad news is, you haven't missed the show....apparently on in June - I'm dreading it. I'm sure we're going to look like a right bunch of plonkers.

Nu-Shooz

Oh brilliant, been waiting to watch it. I will have to try and remember.
Maybe nearer the day you could remind me
I don't think i could have done it...or maybe i could have been persuaded with a large amount of cash hehehehe

p.s..we returned to fabulous Yorkshire. Red hot here at the mo lol.

cricket1again

I watched Eastenders last night and realised how depressing the programme makes the UK look. But then after that I watched Doc Martin and this reminded me of the humour and the funny side Britain has in it's nature.
So it's simple for me. I just leave the negative stuff and focus on what's good.
I've never been able to do this in Oz though. No matter how hard I try, I find life here dull, flat, the same old so I am going back to the UK in June. I've lived here 51/2 years and there are now things I really do hate about the place, which means I've never been able to form a sentimental connection with any of it. I know I'm not going to miss it.
BUT! If you have children, Oz can be a great place for giving them space, freedom and a fun outdoor environment. It's like a huge playground for kids and that's got to make life easier for the parents.
I miss what I had in the UK and I am going back to it. It wasn't my choice to move here anyway, I came in support of a partner.
I probably did go through a bit of a dilemma because I have an adult son here and he created a few dramas recently. I think he was hoping I'd stay but we've sorted him out so it's back home to England where I have a daughter who needs some support.
Not easy to have family spread out so far apart so my advice is if you want to avoid this situation further down the track, go home, focus on all that's good about the UK and just don't watch Eastenders or anything else that makes you feel miserable.

Kathryn V

From somebody who has been back here for almost 14 months and spent 16 months planning our return, I would say come over for 12 months to see how you feel. Thereby giving yourself a chance to decide 100% that it would be the right move, without making the move permanent initially. This was something that was suggested to us and we didn't consider it. We missed family and friends and we were hell bent on coming back. Now that we are back here we are not at all sure that we want to be here. The recession definitely doesn't help, but we couldn't have foreseen that when we left Oz in early March 08, at least you can delay your return. I think that where ever you are you miss things, whether it be family, friends, a sense of belonging, a good cup of tea, sunshine, good wine, relaxed lifestyle or economic stability and it really depends on what you want out of life.

I wish you all the luck in the world, because it isn't an easy decision to make, even when you think it is.

Take your time, think long and hard and leave yourself options.

Kathryn

jonfrank123

For me it wasn't really so much missing the UK, I was running my UK business from Canada. Being so far away was holding me back. Moving back to the UK will increase my ability to make money. My kids are also about to start school and I think the UK has a better education system.

Take heart, I don't know anybody who is desparate to escape the UK, so it certainly isn't everyone who wants to leave.

What will I miss about Canada? Some members of my wife's family, a few friends and the Quebec subsidised Daycare system. Maybe even the snow a little bit but we will be going back twice a year to see my wife's parents.

Just Do It

ezzie

Which is great advice...if you have the time. Some of us aren't spring chickens and have kids that need to be in high school by August or they'll be up for massive uni costs (thanks to barmy UK gov't rulings). Sometimes, not even 12 months isn't enough - you're always going to miss something of the other place - just have to plump for the one where you get to laugh more!