lisas

Hi, if anyone read my previous posts just thought I'd update you on our move back. We were on the gold coast and made the move back after just 8 months. My partner wanted to come home as it just didn't live up to his dreams, hopes and expectations.

The last few weeks in oz were so hectic, but everything just slotted into place, thank God. On our last week there we confirmed the shippers on the Monday, took the cats to the airport on the Tuesday, shippers came on the wednesday and we sold the car to a student that evening, moved out of rental on the Thursday, Met student on Friday morning to exchange money and car, she very kindly drove us to surfers were we hired a dodgy old banger for a day. Then in the afternoon we went back to our friends, booked flights for the next day using there internet and Saturday we drove the old banger hire car to the airport in the early morning. As we set off two kangaroos crossed the road in front of us coming from the housing estate going into the bushland! An amazing sight to see but it did make me think about how all that building is encroaching on the natural habitats of some fantastic wildlife. Anyway, that last week was non-stop and I was exhausted!

We got back to the Uk and had to live at my mum and dad's for 3 weeks until the notice was up for our tenant. Not ideal living with parents, but we saved a bit of money so can't complain. Been back in our own home for a week and half now and I still love my house, which is good. We have lovely views front and back and it is so much nicer and more homely than the rental in oz.

For the first few weeks back in the UK I felt really stressed, as stressed as I did in Oz. Think it took a few weeks to calm down and recover and basically get my head together, but I feel good now. I feel like I thought I would, I have settled back in to life here and don't wish I was back in Oz. I occasionally think about some of the nice things I liked such as weather and views etc, but have found the views outside my own window just as nice, just a different kind of nice. Sometimes you need to step away from things to appreciate what's good about them.

It feels like I've never been away really but I have the addition of a more positive attitude, that's one thing I've taken away from Oz. Everyone at home tends to be negative about a lot of stuff, but we've realised it's all about how you look at something. We are glad we went to oz and tried it otherwise we would always have wondered what if and it made us think about what we really want out of life, so we are taking the positives out of the experience.

Michael has got a franchise over here with Travel Counsellors so he can still work in travel which he loves, but gets to sell any type of travel from the comfort of his own home. He gets the backing of a big company but he has more independence, no commute and a better work life balance. I'm going to go back to teaching but doing supply so I get a better work life balance, plus I've got some ideas for an internet business that I'm going to give a go, as life's about new experiences and new things and I figure that if you think about something you need to act upon it too, and see where it takes you. At least I'm going to give it a go and if nothing comes of it, well at least I tried.

My cats stayed with Michael's mum and dad for 3 weeks until we got our house back, but when we did they knew exactly were they where! They just wondered what had happened to the furniture! They were desperate to go exploring their fields and It's the happiest I've seen them in ages. They are definitely glad to be home. Custard, my ginger cat walked around every room 'talking' to it and purring, he was so happy!

Everyone here is complaining about food and petrol prices etc, but they were in Oz too. At least here there is so much more choice. I've started to go to the market to get my fruit and veg cheaper. The choice is amazing for food in Tesco and all the supermarkets are having price wars and drastically reducing select items each week, which is great for the consumer. Oh and at last I can get decent tasting and looking vegetarian food.

We went to Dublin yesterday for the day. Flew very early in the morning and came back very late at night. Cost 2.50 GBP each on Ryanair and 3 GBP to get from Dublin airport to the city on an all day bus ticket! A cheap day out!!! Oh we did go to the guiness factory and a free pint of guiness was included in the entrance price, so all in all I can't complain. My dad came too and he'd been to the factory 50 yrs ago when you could watch them making the woodedn barrels, entry was free and you got to keep the glass haha.

My mum's a bit upset that she isn't going to get to spend 3 months in the sunshine over winter, but she'd only complain she was too hot and that her pension would go further in England. My nieces are glad we are back and Michael's sister gets her free babysitters back! Michael loves the fact that wherever we go we'll bump into someone we know and he can have a chat. It's great for his business too as he's already booked a family friend on their hols for next year and he's only been set up a week! Since being back we've bumped into an old friend from 10 yrs ago, 2 old friends have found him on facebook and he can actually meet up with them for a chat (although, one is making plans to move to oz!), and he gets to play footie with friends once a week. I'm going to see my friend 2moro and her new baby. Life is just so much easier where you have friends and family around you and you know how the whole system works. We feel a step ahead instead of a step behind.

I keep joking that all the money we've spent getting to oz and back could have been spent on a loft conversion! However I'm glad of the experience, no matter how stressful. I did want to stay in oz longer and give it more of a go as I did like the place, but we are home now and life is what you make it, so I'm not going to live with regrets but I'm going to get on with life here and make the most of it.

Thanks to everyone who gave advice etc through the stressful times in oz. You were all a great help.

Jay Bird

What a lovely post..............I'm so pleased it's all going so well for you all. Mr Oldbag and I feel exactly the same....we've been back just over a week and I feel like I've never been away. We'd been in Canada for almost 4 years and I knew a few days after we moved into our house I didn't want to be there, so these past few years have been extremely difficult for me. But, here we are Home again. I can phone my family whenever I want, I can pop round to see my parents, as I did today; took my mum out shopping for a while....just like old times. Great!
We bought a car on Monday, and although I was a little nervous about driving over here, I tootled about all over the place today and loved it!
It's rained a lot with more on the way, but the killer humidity we suffered over there is a thing of the past for me now. And guess how hard I'll be laughing once we hit the winter months!

quoll

Good to hear that things have settled down and you are back and enjoying things again - it certainly does help to have had the experience so you can really appreciate what you had even though you didnt really want to make the move back. Hope it continues to go smoothly for you!!!

SarahInTX

Thanks for the post Lisa! Glad to hear you're settling back in and things are going well.

bithbheo

Fantastic post am so glad all has gone so well for you.....can't wait to get back home myself....Roll on 2009.

Also happy for oldbag

Nu-Shooz

Well done to you guys, sounds like you have done the right thing.

Here's to your happy future

peanut21

Thanks Lisa
Whenver I read posts like this one I do think yes one day that will be me writing something like that. Now if the flippin house would just sell......:curse: