Zen10

With record cold and 2 degrees in England during August it's just as well you don't feel the cold. According to

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/topics/we...st-summer.html

The British are putting their heating back on at the end of summer. This combined with the record wet tells me that there is one bastard of a winter on the way, just as I believe we're going to get one bastard of a summer.

lf1

I have a good friend, in Calgary, who wore shorts year round. So you are in good company chris955

sallysimmons

I wish I knew an English person who put their heating on! We haven't turned ours off at all - I don't get the concept. But then I like my comforts. But all our friends and family seem to take some perverse pleasure from being cold just to prove they can tough it out.

Not worried about the winter. Just looking forward to not having to dig 2 feet of snow from the driveway on a regular basis. Brits who've never lived somewhere really cold don't know how lucky they are.

Zen10

Britain has a much nicer winter than some of those in Canada/USA I think. You can get snow there but it's rarely so bad that you start to hate it, and if you live somewhere beautiful it just enhances it, in my opinion. I used to love going for the old Boxing Day walk in the frost. The only time I really got fed up was the bit in between New Year and clocks forward - that used to get me down.

Here, the Christmases are just surreal frankly, and I would be lying if I said we enjoyed them like we did back in England.

Bud the Wiser

He won't be there on Christams day, not with the snow lying round about deep and crisp and even. A multitude of robin red breasts hopping from branch to branch, chirping in accompaniment to the heavenly chorus of the carol singers slowly making their way down the street shadowed by the light of the candles in their lanterns. A sight only overshadowed by the shooting star from the east that stopped for a brief moment to shine a ray of dazzling light upon Chris's sit on lawn mower and majestically the distant sound of excited childrens voices can be heard singing their favourite yuletide song....

"Dashing through the snow
on a 1 horse power sit on lawn mower."

.......... and the best bit. In that little piece of paradise they really do believe in Santa Claus.

feelbritish

Getting back to the best part of Appreciating Britain, when we were on holiday we bought a gps and usually put in the shortest route to a place only to find, it was not the shortest timewise (like the motorways) but the shortest going as the crow flies and that involved going through wonderful small villages and farm tracks that only take 1 car with passing places. My OH who spent 50 years in the area we were visiting said that he was going down roads and seeing villages he had never seen before in his life. It was so magic and gave us a different appreciation of England.

brissybee

To be fair, Chris has a far greater chance of enjoying the type of Christmas you describe in the UK than he would have had back in Australia.

He's enjoying life in the UK and he doesn't suffer from the cold. What's wrong with that?

Bud the Wiser

Couldn't agree more, but to be fair to Australians, most have seen through the santa claus bit by the time they are six, maybe seven in remote areas.

Nothing, never said there was.

brissybee

[QUOTE=Bud the Wiser;10258055]Couldn't agree more, but to be fair to Australians, most have seen through the santa claus bit by the time they are six, maybe seven in remote areas.

Maybe most Australians never get to enjoy anything except the sun the surf and big prawns.

I'm in a black mood at the moment and am having trouble seeing anyhting but a land where mediocrity and sameness are all that matters.

Let him like Father Christmas, Robins and snow. It's no skin off your nose.

Pomster

we have done a fair bit of this driving (these narrow roads are everywhere!) with huge hedgerows and no chance of seeing what is coming. We were both terrified of encountering some local who drives like a GP driver, coming round the corner. Mostly we met these people on straighter stretches.
Phew!

Zen10

Brilliant. Now I know what I've been reading about in Chris's posts -Little cartoon bluebirds hopping about on the magnolias in summer, fresh homemade lemonade pressed from the cartoon lemons, and in December it becomes a winter wonderland of stripey candy canes hanging from frosty pine trees and lashings of jovial ruddy-cheeked locals waving Hallo there! from their sleighs - Disneyshire!

sallysimmons

The fact that Chris's happiness is attracting so many nasty comments is something I just don't understand. But then there's nothing so queer as folk!

Bud the Wiser

Just a bit of gentle ribbing Sally, nothing more. I think part of the problem is that Chris is very selective in what he posts and doesn't give a realistic view of what life would be like in the UK for many of those returning. For example, he didn't let everyone know that in the small village where he lives the police once described three of the streets as being 'very dangerous' in relation to crime. Only a dozen streets in the village.

Karrie72

I'm so happy when I read of success stories moving back. Those people that have had fairly seamless transitions make for inspirational reading.

However it is informative to have some balance and I always appreciate those who write with honesty about the challenges, set-backs and even regrets at moving back.

GB can't be all frolicking lambs and friendly villagers in flat caps, nor would we want it to be all like that. And a lot of us are setting ourselves up for a massive let-down if we get sucked into the fairy-tale imagery.

It's fascinating and educational to read about the grit and reality of home too and that can be just as helpful as the success stories IMO.

Homeiswheretheheartis

I've just come back on to the site after decided to have a break, because the negative comments from Bubwiser and others had changed the feel of this area.

I don't expect the site to only say positive things all the time, but Bubswiser especially appears to just say the opposite of Chris all the time.

Can I ask Bub, where do you live, have you lived there very long, are you happy, do you have any intention of moving and why do you seem to be so negative about EVERYTHING

When I first came on the thread it was because I felt really alone, the chat on here was happy, people helping others and encouraging.

Yes I will say Bubwiser you have played a part in changing the tone of the threads you comment on and don't understand why you have to always put on negative comments.