As the old saying goes.......... " The mind is like a parachute, it works best when open.".............." But not that open that your brains fall out."

Some people are so parochial that, as you so wonderfully put it, can't disseminate the s_ _ t from the shinola.

I thought the pics in the link were stunning and fully deserved to be put on this thread and as for the 'bolve calling', well, what a wonderful experience that would have been to witness.

Appreciating Britain indeed.

I think what I'm saying is more:

Give us at least a little credit that we can disseminate the s_ _ t from the shinola even if we do read or view sections of the DM and possibly other similar rags - waste of time though it typically is.

I am certainly not negative by nature, everywhere has its good points, I just go by actual experience rather than read a lot of cock and bull in papers...if someone does not want to listen they usually turn the advice around to become a negative one...if you dont want to hear others opinions then you should just get on with your move and live happily ever after and I would wish you all the best.

Most persons interested in MBTTUK will either have left the UK in the first place for economic/opportunity or family reasons (the vast majority economic/opportunity) and will now be looking to return for similar reasons coupled with concerns relating to health and the provision of health services via the NHS.

So far as I am aware, there are very few on here who state their specific work requirements and most certainly very very few who would outline their work experience and qualifications. If looking for work, it will be these items and the location for job search which are key to success. We can look to others for tid-bits of information regarding the logistics of the actual move but personal experiences of others are likely to have precious little bearing on one's own actual ability to return to the UK and find employment or sustain oneself based upon one's own personal accumulated finances.

We have multiple posts from returnees, many recent, who have found themselves in deep water because it seems they relied upon the positive cheer-leading of others on here and did not do adequate personal research related to their own specific circumstances or those of their partners.

Part of the adequate personal research will be gleaned from reading newspaper articles relating to:

Schools & Colleges and fees for same, employment trends, economic trends, cost of living and regional variations, shopping and markets, fuel, transport and costs, insurance, jobs they are hiring for and jobs they are letting people go, job hotspots and job deadspots, retirement trends, investments/savings, relevant government policy and change in policy, property ownership/renting/mortgages, pensions and annuities, taxes, exchange rates, healthcare, regional climate and flooding, access to leisure activities, major breaking news ref the UK economy and future capital projects.

This adequate research might then give rise to specific queries placed on this forum for personal advice.

ALL the newspapers cover many of these (above) items - some much better than others (The Guardian online in particular is most useful because of the way its sections are carved up and for its general content) and though there may be evidence of political bias, the facts that we need can still be picked out without, hopefully, any permanent injury . Government websites (such as directgov) are very useful and are actually best researched as needed because they are in a constant state of change, so a link from a post on BE can be redundant in no time flat. Likewise, it seems, access to the NHS for primary health which we have to at present look to newspapers for the latest.

Nobody else is going to do this thing for us so we have to do most of the leg-work ourselves in spite of others possibly suggesting that everything is going to be just fine and we just need to go ahead and do it.

I found newspapers to be pretty unhelpful to be honest because they are so relentlessly negative (the whole of the UK media is like that actually) and, no matter what their political persuasion, they generally make things appear worse than they are. That's certainly been my experience coming back anyway.

As we made our decision, the things that helped us most were talking to friends and family about their lives/experiences/concerns etc. (didn't listen too much to my mum as unfortunately she's one of the people who buys everything in the DM ). We also didn't ask them 'what do you think about us coming home?' because their opinions weren't really valuable having not walked in our shoes. Instead we asked specifics about their lives.

The next valuable research point was traveling back a few times and experiencing every day life.

But I think the most important thing we did was to think about what made us happy in life and then make sure that we designed a move back focused on those things. We decided that friends and family were important, so we moved close to them. We both love theatre, art and music, so we made sure we were within easy traveling distance of several cities. We wanted peace and quiet so we moved to a country village. Having really thought through what was important, we were able to make a move back that has made us very happy.

I think that's the best way to approach moving back - because in the course of working out what really matters to you, you might find the UK can't offer it.

I can't see how the newspapers can put a meaningful negative spin on 90% of the items that I listed in my items for research. I agree that on the economy there's an economist for every "season" and there is no decent guidance but one can still glean general guidance if one needs it.

Can't talk to friends and family back in the UK because don't have any or they are simply not on the same wave-length. I know this from talking to them regularly on skype. Half of us must be like that one would think.

Can't devote the time to multiple trips to check on everyday life due to commitments where I live and to cost and that must be typical for almost all returnees. Did do such a trip to check on France this year and will do similar next to the UK but that is for retirement which is much easier to consider at age 61, in my view.

Most returning to the UK are looking to return and find work and the social side of things has to be secondary though still very important. For retirees, your social side thought process is important to consider and much more relevant as many are worried about money and being able to afford the UK.

I can't see where your personal experiences are relevant to the vast majority though because the work issue almost always governs (or should govern) location and occupies so much of every weekday. Then there are often children who feature so highly in the priority list to make it tougher still.

There has been no change of work for you and your priority has been where to live for access to the things that you love in the North and to important friends and family.

These balance items are going to be invariably compromised when it comes to finding a decent paying and worthwhile job or jobs (worse still) in a generally very tough job market and folks are returning in many cases because they simply can't bear being where they are any more - period.

I do, however, agree with your last sentence which is all important, particularly for those who feel that just being in the UK will make them happy.

I am not sure I agree with that comment - I know there are posters that have had some difficulties on returning (not sure I would use the phrase 'in deep water'), but I cannot think of a single example where they have suggested (either explicitly or implicitly) that they had relied on posters on here in making their plans and decisions.

In addition to news media for research - as you say 'part' of adequate personal research, I would suggest more primary sources.

It's all well and good reading broad brush articles, but often the devil is in the detail and primary sources can provide that much better (IMO).

Websites such as the direct gov website for details on university fees, pensions, benefits etc, ofsted for schools, local council websites for school admission polices, job search sites, rightmove for actual housing costs and the moneysavingsexpert site and it's forum for excellent up to date info on pretty much any subject you can imagine that has any kind of link (however tenuous) to matters financial.

Excellent posts Pete and Sally!

I would also suggest that if people want to move back they go over to UK, and stay for at least a few weeks not with family, in some type of self catering place where they can experience what it will be like driving around, shopping, visiting friends etc - when visiting friends and family remember on your visits back it is always exciting but that can wear down eventually when you move back and you slot into everyday life.

These posts are for expats telling how it is for them returning and for info relating to that, not to help you make up your mind to return, you must do that for yourself as others say looking at your own circumstances

I don't mind listening to 99% of the posts, but as you know we have some who post a load of horse manure.

Cheers for being concerned, I feel touched.

Don't be....one less Red and the UK is a far better place lol....

When I was in France for a month earlier this year in a rented apartment in a very atmospheric town in Northern Brittany which was comparable in price to renting long-term in the UK, I tried to map out the days as though I was actually living retired there.

A drawback was the lack of English language TV but for the rest I paced myself - I read, did the housework, checked the internet, shopped at the supermarket, ate out and enjoyed the wine and local cider on a fairly tight budget, "tripped", market-ed, walked, used only public transport, exercised, cooked and worked with the on-off weather - you remember mid June to mid July - it was in northern France too. Truly memorable but I will probably stick to only that period next time in France and maybe September also, if I can get my hands on the right place actually in a town. There is just too much temptation to go out and eat that good French stuff which is one of the reasons we chose to live in the sticks in St Lucia as opposed to being in the mainstream vacation areas.

I've yet to find a comparable property or venue in the UK, where the cost of a week in season can usually run close to what I paid for a month, so we will go self-catering by the week next year in a previously established favourite inland spot in a large village between two decent towns in Suffolk. We can again mostly use public transport and eat out fairly well while still trying to keep to that budget in some fashion. Not as much to do as in France so I think the UK search has to go on still and it still looks like Canterbury is #1 at this point for its many varied positive attributes. Ancient and Medieval seem to be winners!

Conceptually, the France trip is worth trying a repeat of in England but I'm concerned about the impact of the return of the cold weather on our normal movements when we are not just in the UK as tourists playing at being retired so this bit cannot be addressed when we are taking Summer family vacations there.

As has been suggested, there is nothing to stop one going to a regular rental agent and asking about short-term rentals on traditional long-term rental properties - there could just be an opening.

You don't even know what he is referring to, do you?

ALL CHANGE!

Government website is now:

https://www.gov.uk/

Which replaces:

directgov and businesslink

Just been down to a DIY shop near where I live, I bought 5 paintbrushes and a wall roller for ...... £3

Now that's what I call a bargain.