My OH lost his job about 8 weeks ago and as a result we have to go home...At the time I was very unhappy but decided after reading other peoples postings that we were not so bad off, I at least still had my job and visa so we could survive, after much talk we decided that for my husbands sanity he would look for work back home...
After 8 weeks of nothing much happening my OH making endless phone calls and writing endless emails, harrassing agencies, going home for 3 weeks he got a call out of the blue to go for an interview and today he got a job offer which he accepted so we are off back to Aberdeen which is my OH home town...
My OH starts work in 2 weeks, I wont return to UK until April as that is when I can ship our dog, I know the time will fly...I might even be lucky and get my christmas I have always wanted.. wearing PJ's all day, laying on sofa eating cadburys chocolate, drinking Jack Daniels while watching crap on TV...Bliss...no turkey...

Life is good...

Ach youll be fine. It would have been better had you gotten to the stage first where you wanted to go back but this is fine too no? Sometimes being given no choice is as good as anything to get you to hunker down and get it done.

Unbelievable your OH got a job though, with the state things in Scotland at the minute he is very lucky!

That has to be the funniest idea of the best Christmas day Although the pajamas and Chocolate sound good
It'll all fly by in no time I'm sure you seem to have a very positive attitude towards all the upheaval.
You'll have to come on here and keep us updated as to how it's all going.

Just reading your post while sitting in Halifax airport nova scotia on my way back to Aberdeen of all places. Only back for 8 days for a good old catch-up. I wonder how much has changed or maybe I will have changed. Been living in ns for 4 years and feel really settled here. Hope you all enjoy being back home. I believe in fate

This is sooooo true..we are trying to emigrate out to Canada, as my OH is struggling to find a job in Aberdeenshire!!

Glad he got his job sorted though...

And in the mean time, if anyone out there needs a health and safety proffessional??

Your so right we had talked about going home, my OH missed the culture, going to the pub and he is was heavily into cricket, but thats all we did was talk so when they ended his contract we had to buckle down and get on with it.. we know we have been very lucky him getting the job but he actually was interviewed over here in Houston for the job back home, it was a case of who you know that opened the door for him...

I will say I was very much doing the spoilt brat, stamping my feet and saying I wasnt going, telling my OH " if you think I am going to be hanging out with you and your chums and their wives think again I wont like them"...LOL

I decided however that this was going to happen regardless so I might as well start thinking of all the good things, like seeing my grandson grow up in person, country pubs with real log fires and going out to places like Ballater for home made scotch broth soup...mmmm

I shall keep you posted...thnaks for your replies...

Cookie I will be interested to know what you think of Aberdeen its been 10 years since we lived there and 5 years since I visited...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SNODgG0Fd4

Very best of luck getting the move sorted, and enjoy your Christmas day, sounds like my idea of a good day!

Lovely pics. Thanks!

Bev

I have been wondering how you were getting on. I am so pleased everything is working out for you and I wish you good luck with your move and new life. Is your dog a Houston dog? He will certainly be in for a change with the weather!!
Keep in touch.

Love it...thank you for reminding me of some of the beautiful things in Aberdeen, like the granite buildings I just love them...

Good luck and April will be around the corner before you know it...we had our first snow fall yesterday and it was just lovely to see.....went for a drive with a Cadbury's hot chocolate....let our dog out to see the snow...(she's an Aussie dog) and she had a ball....lol...nothing like a cozy home to return to with the lovely atmosphere this time of year.

You would notice a lot of changes. Lots of new buildings especially flats around the beech area. New shopping mall called Union Square beside bus/railway station. Lots of good shopping around town and plenty places to eat and drink. Westhill has boomed - has Tesco, M&S, and loads of other shops and the new industrial estate is full of oil-related companies - looks nice.

Roads extremely busy and you'll notice just how narrow they are and how tight parking spaces are (even at the supermarkets). Massive cuts in council spending (again). Parking charges now apply overnight in the city centre (pay up until 8pm plus a 1.50 GBP overnight charge).

1000s of Eastern European immigrants are now housed in woodside, Logie, Torry etc and all the flats/houses that were boarded up have come alive again with this new community. New urban village to be built beside Grandholm.

The local newspaper is mostly all gloom and doom. Crime on almost every page - my own neice was recently attacked in broad daylight and had her face slashed twice and hit with a crowbar while grocery shopping with her young children just because she refused to buy alcohol for underage teens. Also, a young girl was brutally attacked and raped by 2 men in the city centre while I was over.

This was my second trip back in 4 years. I love seeing the countryside and old buildings. Although I had a great time shopping and catching up with friends and family, I feel fine about returning back to Nova Scotia.

Nice post Cookie! We left Inverness for NS on 22nd Dec last year and haven't looked back but just recently (probably due to a very homesick son) was thinking about what it's like back 'home', not that I'd ever consider living there permanently again. You are so right about the newspapers - all I have to do to is look at the Inverness Courier or the P&J online to remember all the reasons I left. Welcome back to NS

Terrible.

Aberdeen was great when I was last there - awesome nightlife and I had to go home early because all the drinks seemed to be 2 for the price of 1.

Did get a couple of glass ashtrays thrown at me though - that was in Tillydrone though so kinda expected.