julius smith

hello, all! well, as i sit here in merry olde england, typing this out, i am looking at my back garden, where the sparrows are frolicking in the birdbath, a pair of magpies are noisily chattering about their business, while a flock of starlings are chomping away at last nights morsels of cheese i hung up for them on the branches of my old apple tree. and all this through the sun thats shining brightly! this is the life---no killer windchill here, me hearties! seriously, the kids have accepted that this is not such a bad place to be--they have been accepted back at school, and the main thing is that they wont be trudging to school through -30C windchill, and us being afraid of them losing their noses or ears in the bitterly evil cold! i went for a walk last night, even though it was a bit windy and what a delight it was! i have found everyone so polite and courteous, which i found a bit lacking in canada, even though everyone used the "have a nice day" thing! and i am finding i can get things done so quickly here, with none of the driving around for miles i was doing in canada. so my advice to those who are thinking about coming back is this: do it NOW while you still are able, or you may find yourself unable to get back and unable to leave canada, a limboland situation. i have no regrets at all--at least i have gone and done it and nobody can say i never tried. by the way, how's mississauga today....!!?

SimonG

Congrats. House is sold, wife and kids return in 2 weeks, me to follow end of March, can't wait.

By the way Mississauga is covered in freezing rain. Tok me 10 minutes to get off my street. The three cars in front f me thought that the only way to get moving on the ice was to spin their tyres as fast as possible.

callé

AAAHHHH JS, This post is music to my ears. Some people may want the toys in life (bigger houses, cars etc.). I just want the simple pleasures of a green and pleasant land with nice English birds and real people!
Wonderful news for you that the children are settleling. Keep us posted!

Deb+Chris

Brilliant!!

Glad you're liking being back.. you sound very happy

PhillyD

Hello Julius, WELL DONE! it made my heart sing to read your note. You do sound very happy. I am sitting here in Vancouver surrounded by packing boxes, and wishing I could close my eyes and wake up back in England. Less than three weeks to go. Yippee!

Good Luck and best wishes to you all. Here's to Blighty

ladylisa

Good for you Julias, I'm glad your settled in. You see, once you are back permanently the daily question over your families future will be a distant memory. You can just worry about putting your energy into getting on with your lives.

scrawni

I was wondering how you were getting on. Our shippers come end of next week and I am starting to get excited.

So glad the kids have settled down, I must have been a big worry for you.

Keep us posted over the next few weeks as I'm sure there will be alot to tell.

Good luck and all the best

Tiaribbon

Awww Julius I am so happy for you. It has been such a strain on you this past while. I hope you all settle in and life gets back to "normal" for you and your family.

Nothing in life has to be forever - you tried it, you didn't like it so you go back to what you do like. Nothing ventured, nothing gained! And it sounds like you HAVE gained something........happiness!

Have a wonderful life.

scottish

Its wonderful here isnt it LOL...

Sat in the garden this morning having a wee smoke, listening to the birds, blue skies and Spring is in the air. Loved it to bits!!!!

julius smith

Hi, phillyd and everyone else too! Yes, as I sip a nice hot cup of earl grey and take a leisurely stroll in the garden, theres a “springy� feeling in the air with the crocus and winter jasmine flowers showing off their wondrous colours, the goldfish swimming around lazily in the pond, I wonder why we moved anyway—there was no need for it really! I guess it was just a state of mind we reached by constantly accumulating all the negative aspects of life in the uk that we kept reading about and looking at, and not concentrating on the far bigger positive things we have here! We have all had good long chats and we agree that we will be much better off here than Canada. and it gets better everyday—I got a quote for a course at queen mary college in London for 1800 pounds sterling per year—compare that to $19000 per year at the Uni of Toronto!! I still have to go back there in order to pack up, sell the car etc but that shouldn’t take long. I have had a good quote for shipping our stuff back and its all packed anyway. We just feel much much more relaxed here for some reason—there seems to be a realness about the people here and a real spirit in the air (well, to my eyes anyway!)—in Canada we felt everyone was rushing around aimlessly and everything seemed to be all materialistic (my big new house, better sofa set, bigger car, landscaped garden, central vac, a/c, etc etc). that’s not to say that the Canadian way of life is wrong—it just was not our cup of tea. Yes, I know I am jacking in a good job in Canada, but I know in my heart of hearts that I will just as easily land another job here in England—after all, I am only in my mid to late 40s , so nobody can say I am over the hill yet, haha! Anyhow, I will keep you all informed as to my doings up until I finally settle down in the uk, so keep an eye open for my postings! Good luck and thanks in the meantime to all of you who have offered support and advice! If I can be of help to anyone, drop me a PM and I will try my level best to help out. Cheers!

julius smith

Hi, phillyd and everyone else too! Yes, as I sip a nice hot cup of earl grey and take a leisurely stroll in the garden, theres a “springy� feeling in the air with the crocus and winter jasmine flowers showing off their wondrous colours, the goldfish swimming around lazily in the pond, I wonder why we moved anyway—there was no need for it really! I guess it was just a state of mind we reached by constantly accumulating all the negative aspects of life in the uk that we kept reading about and looking at, and not concentrating on the far bigger positive things we have here! We have all had good long chats and we agree that we will be much better off here than Canada. and it gets better everyday—I got a quote for a clinical medicine course at queen mary college in London for 1800 pounds sterling per year—compare that to $19000 per year at the Uni of Toronto!! I still have to go back there in order to pack up, sell the car etc but that shouldn’t take long. I have had a good quote for shipping our stuff back and its all packed anyway. We just feel much much more relaxed here for some reason—there seems to be a realness about the people here and a real spirit in the air (well, to my eyes anyway!)—in Canada we felt everyone was rushing around aimlessly and everything seemed to be all materialistic (my big new house, better sofa set, bigger car, landscaped garden, central vac, a/c, etc etc). that’s not to say that the Canadian way of life is wrong—it just was not our cup of tea. Yes, I know I am jacking in a good job in Canada, but I know in my heart of hearts that I will just as easily land another job here in England—after all, I am only in my mid to late 40s , so nobody can say I am over the hill yet, haha! Anyhow, I will keep you all informed as to my doings up until I finally settle down in the uk, so keep an eye open for my postings! Good luck and thanks in the meantime to all of you who have offered support and advice! If I can be of help to anyone, drop me a PM and I will try my level best to help out. Cheers!

Deb+Chris

You've hit the nail on the head there... we feel exactly the same.

julius smith

wel, well..........got up early in the morning...had breakfast, then into the garden, sun shining brightly, listening to the birds twittering away, blue tits, wood pigeons, magpies, starlings wagtails, to name a few i see regularly in my garden!! did a spot of hoeing and another hot cup of tea... what a life!
just enjoying being home....

callé

Julius, dont think for one minute that I get tired of your posts!
You paint a lovely picture of bliss and sitting here with this endless waiting it actually takes me there for a few precious moments.
some of us just really enjoy the simple and most pleasant things in life.
Thank you

PhillyD

Hello Julius,

I am sitting on the sofa in the window of my sitting room here in Vancouver looking at the sea, and boats sailing up and down in the sunshine. I was feeling a little confused about my decision to leave it all behind. This time next week our things will be on there way to England. THEN I read your latest post. I phoned home spoke to all of my daughters, who are counting the days until we return, and now my heart is light and happy again. It is the simple things I have missed so much, I can't wait to get back to my garden, and the squirrels, and the birds in the morning. So glad you are all happy. Please keep sending he posts, they spur us on, thank you. Philly