Finally going home
 

As of April 1st and barring any slips I will be setting foot in my flat in Folkestone and officially moving, albeit part time, back into English life.
I've waited a long time for this...decades...during which I've seen my parents and my brother pass on, my little nieces and nephews grow up, raise families and become grandparents themselves and the country change beyond all recognition to the one I left in the grim 1970s.
Folkestone is where I enjoyed my first Knickerbocker Glory and where I walked with my best friend and her parents along the Leas almost a half century ago.
That best friend is still my bestie and we turned back the years two weeks ago with another stroll along the Leas followed by lunch at Rocksalt at the harbour.
The decision to move back and all the planning surrounding the move has not been easy. I have decided to transition by living part time in both countries for a year. This will give me time to acclimatise but still have a foot in both places in case I realize the move the wrong thing to do or if unforseen problems arise..
My friends have generously emptied their kitchens, storage closets and spare rooms to provide provisional furnishings for my flat. If I decide to move back for good, I'll buy my own furnishings and sell my US stuff rather than ship from the US. It will be a new life which will deserve a fresh start. Anyway, My American furniture would crowd a tiny retirement flat!
So, very soon I will be enjoying all of the wonderful times I've missed over the years: knitting groups with my sister and niece; family dinners and get togethers; movie nights with old friends; weekend getaways to Derbyshire; The South of England Agricultural Show and Kentish cherries!
I'm realistic enough to know it won't be all sweetness and light. There will be days when I'll be as lonely in my Folkestone flat as I am in my Vermont apartment; when I'll miss my car ( buses and trains only for me in the UK to save money) and when even a sunny day in the Kent countryside will be unfavourably compared to the open roads, verdant meadows and the breathtaking gorgeousness that is New England in the fall.
But, I'm ready for the challenge.
So begins the adventure.
Life part three.

Re: Finally going home
 

Jensmate - what a beautiful posting - eloquent, gracious, and heartfelt. All the very best as you return to your roots and “life part three.” How lovely to be able to say “that best friend is still my bestie.”

Re: Finally going home
 

I too have renounced Henry Ford and all his works !

Re: Finally going home
 

Thank you Caroline. It is my best friend that has so very generously offered to rent the seafront flat that belonged to her mother and where she lived her last year before passing.
I will never be able to repay her for her kindness but I'll do my damnedest!

Re: Finally going home
 

Unless one lives in the back of beyond in the UK, cars are not an absolute necessity. That said, there is probably a bus service that goes to and from the back of beyond at least once a day.

Re: Finally going home
 

But be aware that the Britain you left is not there any more. You will have to get used to living in a different country. That is unless you buy a Time Machine that will transport you back.


This was one reason why I chose a different part of Scotland to the one where I grew up.

Re: Finally going home
 

Oh! I'm well aware that the country has changed. Much for the better, some not so much. As has the US. The America I arrived in back in the 70s bears little resemblance to the America of today.
I grew up in the South West of London. I will remake my life in Kent.
Change happens. We go with the flow.

Re: Finally going home
 

I moved to Folkestone more than 10 years ago. You cannot miss the changes most for the best in this vibrant seaside town. We go to Spain for up to 5 months of the year but always come back for Easter and the summer - we love it here. Plenty places to walk good restaurants lots of groups etc to join if you want to, enough shops to get by with and then there are good bus links and trains to London Canterbury etc. and it's easy to get to France. Welcome back!

Re: Finally going home
 

Thank you Bridie55. I've spent a lot of time in Folkestone and around the area over the past year. It's a lovely place and everything will be within walking distance from my flat. It will be a pleasure getting to know Folkestone better.

Re: Finally going home
 

Love this post and I think its the right way to approach it. Wishing you well and looking forward to hearing your experiences positive and not so when you are able to log in.

Re: Finally going home
 

Thank you Vikingsail. I'm currently in the process of "letting go" of many belongings which I've collected (or which have collected me) over the years that I don't need/don't want to take with me to the UK.
I intend to travel light for the remainder of my days.
I'll certainly post updates as and when I can. Thank you for you encouragement.

Re: Finally going home
 

I like that.

Re: Finally going home
 

Thank you. Far too much time and energy are expended swimming against the tide. I did it when I was much younger. Necessary to effect change I guess. But, no more. Time to enjoy where the winds and tides are going to take me.

Re: Finally going home
 

Jensmate - you really have a charming way with words.

Re: Finally going home
 

Jensmate - I'm so glad to hear you're very nearly here. You have a positive and realistic outlook with regard to what lies ahead for you and you've chosen to live in a lovely area we are both fond of.

I have my own happy memories of your new home. This April 1, coincidentally, will mark seven years since I walked into my own flat on the Leas (Langhorne Gardens) in Folkestone and I can imagine you're looking forward to all those lovely walks over the sea front. Hubby and I were married there and would like to return there to celebrate our 10th Anniversary with dinner at The Grand.

During the summer, we often used to go for early morning walks before the heat of the day came up and stop off at Sainsbury's for our bits and bobs on the way home - no car required. Hubby had a leafy green 20 minute walk to work. It was a lovely time.

I've attached a photo of a sight on the Leas you may have missed - This tribute to the Diamond Jubilee appeared just past the Harvey Monument back in 2012 and I believe it's gone now. It was taken the day of the Folkestone Air Show from our flat window.

I wish you every success and happiness for a new life in Kent. Please keep us posted about how you're getting on :starsmile:

Re: Finally going home
 

Thank you so much for your good wishes and the image you posted! I'm looking forward to some quiet times sitting on a bench on the Leas with my knitting needles and a latte or two mid morning at the Leas Cliff cafe.
Are you still in Folkestone?

Re: Finally going home
 

You're making me jealous. I'm from Dover originally and I have family in Folkestone. Been in the US best part of 20 years and would love to move back. It might happen with a lot of work and some good luck, but otherwise it might just be a walk on the Leas for me once every couple of years when on holiday. Have a dish of cockles for me in the harbour!

Re: Finally going home
 

I certainly will!

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We lived in Folkestone when I first returned, I was there for about 18 months but moved for work. Those benches were made for a good book or a knitting project. Enjoy the cafe :)

Re: Finally going home
 

And don't forget the cream teas in the faded grandeur of the Grand Hotel. We're leaving Folkestone for France in early April, but we've really enjoyed the two years we've lived here.

Re: Finally going home
 

Such a lovely post!
Best of luck in life part III:D

Re: Finally going home
 

Gosh to wait for decades is a long time indeed.

Re: Finally going home
 

We know Folkestone very well and spent many a happy day there when we lived in Kent. Really miss the seafood stalls by the harbour. We are seriously thinking of moving back to the UK. I like your idea of spending time in both - this makes really good sense. Keep us posted:goodpost:

Re: Finally going home
 

I'm waiting for the people piling on because of your username. What happened ?

Edit: nevermind, checked one of your other posts.

Re: Finally going home
 

We left UK just before the big crash. We really enjoyed the first 5 years in BC until the property market got out of hand. Since then everything has sky rocketed so fast. We went back to the UK and realized just how expensive BC had become. I have most of my bills for the 11 years we have been in BC and just about everything has doubled in cost. In the same period my salary went up by 10%. If that happens over the next 10 years in BC who an earth can afford to live here? How people on the average family income get by is beyond me. :confused:

Re: Finally going home
 

Same with me in BC its terrible the ways costs have rocketed. I am in Penticton and a house sells in average of 3 days far inflated and there are bidding wars for property.
Costs are lower in the UK now depending on area but possible to get a place semi detached for 150,000PDS impossible here.
Taxes are huge, wages are low, food is rocketing in price, utilities are rocketing.....I know one person who has a child and he does 2 jobs the wife one and their rent is $1400 a month for a dump here!!!!!

My theory is that drug money, and money laundering is responsible for the manic property price rises in Vancouver and surrounding areas. I heard of one Chinese couple who have been chased by Chinese agents on tourist visas who want the $12million they stole from a company, they of course bought a house with it in West Vancouver and the Canadian government won't help catch these crooks. A student was reported to own a $3million house with no income!!!! Go figure there are MANY more cases being reported.


Whats the point of being here.

Re: Finally going home
 

Skyrocketing costs (and cheaply made goods) and stagnating wages seems to be a North American problem overall, then. Socially, things seem to be more sensible in Canada (husband’s brother and his wife have lived there for nearly 30 years), but housing costs are tremendous! I asked my sister in law last year whether Canadians had that much more to invest in houses, and she replied, “No: they just take on more debt.” What a burden.

Here in the US, the divide between the rich and the poor has grown so much that it’s impossible to imagine how anyone but the very wealthy might achieve “the American Dream.” At the very most, most people grow up, go to college, are shackled with tremendous debt and spend the rest of their lives chained to modern indentured servitude in jobs that don’t pay enough and don’t provide adequate benefits while they pay off student debt and pay through the nose for health insurance (and costs that aren’t covered by health insurance). Far too few people get proper paid holiday and even fewer take that paid holiday when they can. Oh, and when folk get seriously ill or have to enter a care home, a list of peripheral entities suck any savings they’ve managed to accumulate entirely dry (and then place them on a “generous” subsidized program when those savings run out). What a life.

Sorry to vent and weave such a tale of woe, but my goodness, America has really become such a machine; people are cogs and are replaced when they wear out. It’s madness. I’ve been here for the better part of 15 years and it’s undoubtedly worse now than when I arrived.

OP, I’m so glad you’re taking this leap! I hope you find peace in your heart in Folkestone and spend lots of wonderful time with your friends and family! 😊

Re: Finally going home
 

Its good to hear how things really are in other parts of the world so people can get a good idea before they make their minds up to up and leave and then get a shock....so thanks for sharing the info...

Re: Finally going home
 

I can change the username for him/her if they contact me. ;)

Re: Finally going home
 

Thank you for all replies to my posts.
Im finally here!!!!
Well, it's been just over 24 hours since I stepped off the plane home and it's been a whirlwind of activity. I got the keys to my flat, had the carpet people in to measure up, give me a quote and scheduled the fitting; had the electricity account changed to my name; registered with the council to pay the tax on my flat, had a bacon bap, a cuppa and a long, lovely chat with my best mate at a cafe in Hythe; she and I took boxes of kitchen supplies to the flat and now back to her house for Lincolnshire sausages, mash and Brussels for dinner!!
I can't tell you how GOOD it feels to be home!

Re: Finally going home
 

Congratulations, sounds good! Especially the FOOD related parts of your post!

I think you've missed the worst of the late winter weather? I'm returning to England two weeks from today, and I'm planning on walking on the beach, barefoot, on my second day there - whatever the weather!

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So happy for you!

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Congratulations - you did it - you are home - enjoy it all!!

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Get out of Canada Quick?;):rofl:

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Do you wish me to alter your username to that ?

Re: Finally going home
 

I concur with your observations especially as they apply to America's Midwest. Having lived for a time in the Midwest in a region which I was familiar with ( having visited there over several decades) the decline in quality of life has been going on for at least the last two decades.

Re: Finally going home
 

"the decline in quality of life has been going on for at least the last two decades." The poster is writing about the USA.


For many of us in Scotland and in the UK as a whole this is also true. A small minority have prospered. For many life has become much more difficult.

Re: Finally going home
 

At least in UK there is more of a safety net for the unfortunate. Both countries exhibit some similar trends.

Re: Finally going home
 

Another post that is making me look at Folkestone! It is definitely worth looking into.

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Folkestone is a bargain! High speed rail to London yet Folkestone hasn't really been rediscovered yet. Not like Deal where the rich and famous are moving and are sending the prices skyrocketing. I love it!