My discombobulated return
Jul 15th 2012, 4:44 pm
#16
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Re: My discombobulated return
A wonderful read, it is amazing what we can do in order to be happy. It is always good to hear other people's life experiences when they return. 
Well..........it`s discombobulated because it`s got an unplanned air about it!
The story so far is I came back to the UK because my sister died. We`d planned to come back anyway after being in the USA for five years. Immediately afterwards, I stayed with my sister`s family, moving on to my mother in law`s after the funeral. Mum in law was away on holiday, so I got this wonderful house and garden in Suffolk all to myself, and it was like a tonic, having that peace and quiet to absorb the events of the preceding weeks.
I was then joined by my younger son, (early twenties) and we stayed for another week, and now we are in our Yorkshire house, camping out, the tenants having just moved out. It`s amazing how light and airy our house is without the furniture! We have camping chairs (a fiver each), airbeds and bits of garden furniture rescued from the garage and attic.
The first day here, a neighbour brought round a tv for us so I got to watch Wimbledon!
My best friend is Tesco Direct because I dont have a car and so I`ve ordered the necessities of life online and take great pleasure in having stuff delivered to my door! What a wonderful invention online shopping is! Have to say, I`ve ordered a bed because the airbed and sleeping on the floor doesnt do it for me!
I was also pleased that my Dyson vacuum has waited for me! I`ve got it back again, my son found it in the garage and it`s still in working order.
Last week was taken up with people coming to fix this and that after the tenants went, and getting signed up for utilities.
A lovely surprise is, as others have said, how much people will just chat away with me, something I`ve missed! At times its as if my life has gone into 3-D again!
My husband is in the US, still, working and organising the shipping of the furniture. Our house hasnt sold and also got a hole in the roof from the storms that swept through two weeks ago, but we are now looking for tenants if we cant get a buyer. Luckily we`d done a massive clear out before I left, so we were prepared for this situation.
The weather here has either been deleriously lovely or absolute poop, but, on the whole, it`s lovely to be back in my own house and garden.
Oooh, havent even mentioned the food! It`s all soooooo tasty! My waistband is straining already!
OK, this is where I waddle off into the sunset, weighed down by having eaten everything I`ve missed for the last five years. Adios, partners, or rather a bientot!
The story so far is I came back to the UK because my sister died. We`d planned to come back anyway after being in the USA for five years. Immediately afterwards, I stayed with my sister`s family, moving on to my mother in law`s after the funeral. Mum in law was away on holiday, so I got this wonderful house and garden in Suffolk all to myself, and it was like a tonic, having that peace and quiet to absorb the events of the preceding weeks.
I was then joined by my younger son, (early twenties) and we stayed for another week, and now we are in our Yorkshire house, camping out, the tenants having just moved out. It`s amazing how light and airy our house is without the furniture! We have camping chairs (a fiver each), airbeds and bits of garden furniture rescued from the garage and attic.
The first day here, a neighbour brought round a tv for us so I got to watch Wimbledon!
My best friend is Tesco Direct because I dont have a car and so I`ve ordered the necessities of life online and take great pleasure in having stuff delivered to my door! What a wonderful invention online shopping is! Have to say, I`ve ordered a bed because the airbed and sleeping on the floor doesnt do it for me!
I was also pleased that my Dyson vacuum has waited for me! I`ve got it back again, my son found it in the garage and it`s still in working order.
Last week was taken up with people coming to fix this and that after the tenants went, and getting signed up for utilities.
A lovely surprise is, as others have said, how much people will just chat away with me, something I`ve missed! At times its as if my life has gone into 3-D again!
My husband is in the US, still, working and organising the shipping of the furniture. Our house hasnt sold and also got a hole in the roof from the storms that swept through two weeks ago, but we are now looking for tenants if we cant get a buyer. Luckily we`d done a massive clear out before I left, so we were prepared for this situation.
The weather here has either been deleriously lovely or absolute poop, but, on the whole, it`s lovely to be back in my own house and garden.
Oooh, havent even mentioned the food! It`s all soooooo tasty! My waistband is straining already!
OK, this is where I waddle off into the sunset, weighed down by having eaten everything I`ve missed for the last five years. Adios, partners, or rather a bientot!
Last edited by Back2UK; Jul 15th 2012 at 4:46 pm.
Jul 20th 2012, 2:23 am
#17
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Re: My discombobulated return
glad you are getting settled in. Curious as to how your son is adjusting as I have a daughter in her late 20's considering moving back.
Jul 20th 2012, 6:32 am
#18
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Re: My discombobulated return
Hi Morayeel, I cant say its really easy for him. He`s 24, been away three years, which is a long time at that age! There are a reasonable number of job vacancies around in our area (North Yorkshire), so he`s been busy applying. He`s still got some friends from having grown up here. Good public transport. I`m optimistic things will turn out well. I`ll keep you posted.
Aug 19th 2012, 8:33 pm
#19
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Re: My discombobulated return
Latest update-I`m still without furniture, but now completely used to it. I`ve decided that the only essentials for a happy life are a comfy bed,and a kettle which I`ve got.
I signed up at the local health centre and had a check with the nurse which involved being weighed- yikes, better lay off the Hobnobs! It was really nice not to have to lay out the co-pay, and I also applied for a prescription exemption card because I`m on drugs for thyroid and post cancer treatment which are free with one of the cards. I had a wry smile about how controversial my 'free' treatment would be on the other side of the pond.
I live in a market town in North Yorkshire and have had the lovely experience of walking into town and having people I meet on the way in, smiling and saying "Hello", whether I know them or not. I also meet people I`ve known for years around the town which makes me feel at home. It sounds idyllic, doesnt it? It kind of is, after feeling so anonymous for the last five years.
My husbands been over from the US and we`ve decided to make a big effort to get the house decorated before the furniture arrives- that could be a race against time because I have a gut feeling it may not take as long as predicted to get here.
What has surprised me is I havent yet had a euphoric feeling of "Great, I`m back!". I think it`s nerves, in part, about how everythings going to work out.
I must have had a charmed life, but I`m also conscious for the first time that I`m going to have to work at, and put some more effort into making and maintaining friendships because I`m the one that p***ed off for five years! I have, though, the expat advantage of being able to greet people and tell them my life story in five seconds flat!
Thats all for now, no big developments, apart from I`m now mum to my sister`s cats, which I love, just a slow readjustment.
I signed up at the local health centre and had a check with the nurse which involved being weighed- yikes, better lay off the Hobnobs! It was really nice not to have to lay out the co-pay, and I also applied for a prescription exemption card because I`m on drugs for thyroid and post cancer treatment which are free with one of the cards. I had a wry smile about how controversial my 'free' treatment would be on the other side of the pond.
I live in a market town in North Yorkshire and have had the lovely experience of walking into town and having people I meet on the way in, smiling and saying "Hello", whether I know them or not. I also meet people I`ve known for years around the town which makes me feel at home. It sounds idyllic, doesnt it? It kind of is, after feeling so anonymous for the last five years.
My husbands been over from the US and we`ve decided to make a big effort to get the house decorated before the furniture arrives- that could be a race against time because I have a gut feeling it may not take as long as predicted to get here.
What has surprised me is I havent yet had a euphoric feeling of "Great, I`m back!". I think it`s nerves, in part, about how everythings going to work out.
I must have had a charmed life, but I`m also conscious for the first time that I`m going to have to work at, and put some more effort into making and maintaining friendships because I`m the one that p***ed off for five years! I have, though, the expat advantage of being able to greet people and tell them my life story in five seconds flat!
Thats all for now, no big developments, apart from I`m now mum to my sister`s cats, which I love, just a slow readjustment.
Aug 19th 2012, 9:18 pm
#20
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Re: My discombobulated return
Now we're working at building new experiences with our friends. We try to squeeze ourselves in when they're not busy and we are careful to plan interesting things to do. We'll see how it goes
Sep 11th 2012, 2:01 pm
#21
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Re: My discombobulated return
Well, the latest is my husband came back for a few days, absorbed the state of the house and got 'makeover fever'. I also had a visit from a friend who`s an interior designer who said "paint everything white', so that`s whats happening, and I`ve become an expert on Scandinavian design, yay for IKEA! The house is undergoing a grand makeover before the furniture turns up. I`ve spent hours up a ladder, but have to confess we also have a decorator who`s been working on it. Usual story, you paint one room, the next one looks shabby and so on.
The cats are well settled in and now know I`m their go-to girl for feeding. I love having them, they are such characters, and it`s so much more like home with them around. First vet visit yesterday, brought back memories. Our time in the States was "petless" because we were only temporarily there.
On Sunday we started the business of looking at cars. My neighbour had offered to sell me hers which would have been a good deal, but wasnt what I was looking for. We shared a car in the US, but here we have gone for two. One is the 'mid-life crisis car" and the other the sensible one. I was amazed that I had "muscle memory' for driving a manual, did forget to change gear once or twice, though!
We dont know where the furniture is, or when it will arrive. I suppose it must look weird to other people, our "squatter-chic" style of living, but I`ve got used to it, and it`s ok, really.
I`m enjoying the gentleness of the early autumn weather. I love feeling the breeze.
In myself, I`ve started to feel optimistic. Everyone`s taking to this move back better than I anticipated. In five years in the States I weathered a lot of big crises and it`s made me quite fearful and slightly depressed, but I keep telling myself that there`s as good a chance that things will go well as that they wont.
In the meantime, if I need therapy I can always paint something!
The cats are well settled in and now know I`m their go-to girl for feeding. I love having them, they are such characters, and it`s so much more like home with them around. First vet visit yesterday, brought back memories. Our time in the States was "petless" because we were only temporarily there.
On Sunday we started the business of looking at cars. My neighbour had offered to sell me hers which would have been a good deal, but wasnt what I was looking for. We shared a car in the US, but here we have gone for two. One is the 'mid-life crisis car" and the other the sensible one. I was amazed that I had "muscle memory' for driving a manual, did forget to change gear once or twice, though!
We dont know where the furniture is, or when it will arrive. I suppose it must look weird to other people, our "squatter-chic" style of living, but I`ve got used to it, and it`s ok, really.
I`m enjoying the gentleness of the early autumn weather. I love feeling the breeze.
In myself, I`ve started to feel optimistic. Everyone`s taking to this move back better than I anticipated. In five years in the States I weathered a lot of big crises and it`s made me quite fearful and slightly depressed, but I keep telling myself that there`s as good a chance that things will go well as that they wont.
In the meantime, if I need therapy I can always paint something!
Last edited by jemima55; Sep 11th 2012 at 2:03 pm.
Sep 11th 2012, 2:18 pm
#22
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Re: My discombobulated return
Well, the latest is my husband came back for a few days, absorbed the state of the house and got 'makeover fever'. I also had a visit from a friend who`s an interior designer who said "paint everything white', so that`s whats happening, and I`ve become an expert on Scandinavian design, yay for IKEA! The house is undergoing a grand makeover before the furniture turns up. I`ve spent hours up a ladder, but have to confess we also have a decorator who`s been working on it. Usual story, you paint one room, the next one looks shabby and so on.
The cats are well settled in and now know I`m their go-to girl for feeding. I love having them, they are such characters, and it`s so much more like home with them around. First vet visit yesterday, brought back memories. Our time in the States was "petless" because we were only temporarily there.
On Sunday we started the business of looking at cars. My neighbour had offered to sell me hers which would have been a good deal, but wasnt what I was looking for. We shared a car in the US, but here we have gone for two. One is the 'mid-life crisis car" and the other the sensible one. I was amazed that I had "muscle memory' for driving a manual, did forget to change gear once or twice, though!
We dont know where the furniture is, or when it will arrive. I suppose it must look weird to other people, our "squatter-chic" style of living, but I`ve got used to it, and it`s ok, really.
I`m enjoying the gentleness of the early autumn weather. I love feeling the breeze.
In myself, I`ve started to feel optimistic. Everyone`s taking to this move back better than I anticipated. In five years in the States I weathered a lot of big crises and it`s made me quite fearful and slightly depressed, but I keep telling myself that there`s as good a chance that things will go well as that they wont.
In the meantime, if I need therapy I can always paint something!
The cats are well settled in and now know I`m their go-to girl for feeding. I love having them, they are such characters, and it`s so much more like home with them around. First vet visit yesterday, brought back memories. Our time in the States was "petless" because we were only temporarily there.
On Sunday we started the business of looking at cars. My neighbour had offered to sell me hers which would have been a good deal, but wasnt what I was looking for. We shared a car in the US, but here we have gone for two. One is the 'mid-life crisis car" and the other the sensible one. I was amazed that I had "muscle memory' for driving a manual, did forget to change gear once or twice, though!
We dont know where the furniture is, or when it will arrive. I suppose it must look weird to other people, our "squatter-chic" style of living, but I`ve got used to it, and it`s ok, really.
I`m enjoying the gentleness of the early autumn weather. I love feeling the breeze.
In myself, I`ve started to feel optimistic. Everyone`s taking to this move back better than I anticipated. In five years in the States I weathered a lot of big crises and it`s made me quite fearful and slightly depressed, but I keep telling myself that there`s as good a chance that things will go well as that they wont.
In the meantime, if I need therapy I can always paint something!
Sep 11th 2012, 2:24 pm
#23
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Re: My discombobulated return
Sep 11th 2012, 2:31 pm
#24
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Re: My discombobulated return
Hi Jemima55, I am glad that things are working out for you. When we redecorated our house, we did something similar to you. We painted all the walls and woodwork cream, except any original wood and the window frames. I like having a neutral backdrop and I can add colour through accents pieces. Also, it makes the rooms feel a little bigger and I like the continuity through the house.
Good luck with driving. I had my second lesson yesterday. I just feel more comfortable getting familiar with the windy roads under the guidance of a professional, especially since it over 30 years since I have driven in the UK. I am going to stick with an automatic car, as I don't want to sit my test again.
Good luck with driving. I had my second lesson yesterday. I just feel more comfortable getting familiar with the windy roads under the guidance of a professional, especially since it over 30 years since I have driven in the UK. I am going to stick with an automatic car, as I don't want to sit my test again.
Sep 11th 2012, 2:38 pm
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Re: My discombobulated return
Oh, I was tempted to stay with an automatic, but my son needs to learn to drive and so it needed to be a manual really. Also I didnt think it would be too much of a stretch to get back into the habit of changing gear, since it`s only been five years!
Sep 11th 2012, 2:40 pm
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Re: My discombobulated return
Sep 11th 2012, 3:34 pm
#27
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Re: My discombobulated return
Hi Jemima, it sounds like you are settling back into English life perfectly
It's weird because I'm quite a plain girl, black or white or red or purple is my limit to wear on me but when I paint the house I love colours. I do like the sound of having accent colour cushions and things instead though. Hmmmm
Anyway glad you are having fun
It's weird because I'm quite a plain girl, black or white or red or purple is my limit to wear on me but when I paint the house I love colours. I do like the sound of having accent colour cushions and things instead though. Hmmmm
Anyway glad you are having fun
Sep 11th 2012, 4:25 pm
#28
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Re: My discombobulated return
Hi Lorry! I love colours too, but I`m willing to give white a go, since whats up now looks outdated, and white does seem to bring more light into the house.
Googling scandinavian interiors they dont seem to use much else. Anyway it`s all a dramatic change and thats what new beginnings are about.
Not long now, eh Lorry?
Googling scandinavian interiors they dont seem to use much else. Anyway it`s all a dramatic change and thats what new beginnings are about.
Not long now, eh Lorry?
Sep 11th 2012, 4:49 pm
#29
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Re: My discombobulated return
Hi Lorry! I love colours too, but I`m willing to give white a go, since whats up now looks outdated, and white does seem to bring more light into the house.
Googling scandinavian interiors they dont seem to use much else. Anyway it`s all a dramatic change and thats what new beginnings are about.
Not long now, eh Lorry?
Googling scandinavian interiors they dont seem to use much else. Anyway it`s all a dramatic change and thats what new beginnings are about.
Not long now, eh Lorry?
Sep 11th 2012, 4:52 pm
#30
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Re: My discombobulated return
Significantly less than a year then! Better get downsizing, chucking out and all that good stuff!