dunroving

Haven't heard from Easterndawn in a similarly long period (18 months?)

I sometimes wonder about Marmalade too.

She returned from the US about 3 years ago and never posted once after the day she said she was leaving the US*. I have sent her occasional PM's and emails since then, to check if she is all right but never heard back. I fear the worst and hope for the best.

* I just checked and it was August 9th, 2010. She was all excited because it was her birthday and she was due to fly home the next day. It was very strange that we never heard back from her after that.

islandwoman120

I am in touch with DDL - she is fine and working and seems to be enjoying UK living. I will not post anything else about her as she has a right to a private life and she left here because she was unhappy with comments made. I shall, however. tell her that she was being asked after. Then it is up to her to be in touch, alright?

cheers

Hey thanks. I'm glad you are in touch with her. She was living in Windsor last I heard.

When we were in Windsor last July we felt it had changed ecologically because of the crowds of tourists. We would not go out of our way to go there again. We were looking for a shop that sold china that were seconds. Apparently the shop has long gone. We had bought from them the last time we were there and we were very happy with the china plates.

Say Hi to Denise next time you write.

Cheers

cheers

I'm forwarding this item about people who have renounced their US citizenship and why they decided to do it.

http://www.deseretnews.com/user/comm...l#cId_28610808

Derrygal

I believe she closed her account - thought some people expressed anti-American views so she decided she was done with the forum. I don't know what is up with Rodney - hope he's okay.

between two worlds

Here are some things I love about being back:

the changeable skies
the greenness
the friendly and often jokey way people in shops, at bus-stops etc talk to you
Waitrose
the newspapers (and I take real, print ones!)
Waterstones
second-hand bookshops (those that struggle on. Sigh.)
the song of blackbirds
ditto thrushes
ditto robins
daisies in the grass
lovely countryside so close at hand


...this list is just a start.

curleytops

hedgerows
old stone walls
the ivy that winds itself around tree trunks
elderberry trees in bloom along the roadside
gorse and heather
blackberries there for the picking along so many of our paths
spring lambs
fish and chips
proper bakeries
the way the sun shines on the south coast that makes the waves look silvery
sunrise on the Yorkshire coast
the smell of the sand and salt sea air in my home town
old red phone boxes and post boxes

islandwoman120

church bells
real church spires, not fiberglass ones
ancient gravestones
common land
trains
buses that take me where I want to go
sweet shops
Devon cream
the smell of seaweed and salt spray
being called 'my love' or 'darling' by shopkeepers
mist on the moor
primroses
soft falling rain
mild winters

dunroving

... and skylarks. Hear them on my walks a lot.

cappuccino

Hi everyone - has anybody here tried living 6 months in the UK and 6 months in another country (or other split of time/countries?). I am considering doing this and hopefully I could get contract work in different countries. I know there will be tax implications but would be good to chat to other people who have done something similar. I'm currently living in NZ and as I have a Kiwi passport, will also be able to live and work in Australia. I'm an IT professional so there should be enough contract work for me. I have no partner/children/ pets to consider.

islandwoman120

Yesterday there was a celebration in town, with massed bagpipes from four towns. Here are some photos I took - they are in the 'snapshot' category but I thought you would like to see tartans and bagpipes and, though it was a windy day, nothing did show, so no need ask, OK? There were lady bagpipers, and young bagpipers as well as men.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/island...7644356821734/

between two worlds

Hi cappucino,

we thought of doing this--it was our dream, in fact. And we may still be able to work out something like that...of course now I am back in the UK I just want to feel rooted here! but we still have a son in the US and it's still my husband's native land.

The problem is accommodation. We have a property there that is paid off, but leaving it empty and un-lived in is a huge worry. At the moment our son is living there, so that's great; but what about when he moves on?
We could rent it out, on a six-month contract (though I think these are rarer in US than UK) but then we would need to remove all our personal stuff, and there's no separate storage room or anything. I suppose we could sell it and find something where that would exist...
Or there's renting for the six months in US. But that's expensive when we still have to pay council tax and other expenses on our place in the UK as well...

so this "six months here, six months there" ideal, which we thought was achievable in retirement, turns out to be a bit difficult practically speaking....I too would be interested to hear of someone who has done it. And I don't mean multi-millionaires who can afford housekeepers in both properties and etc etc!!

between two worlds

YES how could I forget skylarks, I hear them too when walking on the hills...

I love the lists from curleytops and islandwoman, too.

Derrygal

If they did that here, no doubt some people would sue for sexual harassment! I must admit I get tired of the "have a nice day" here. I know the majority of store clerks/shopkeepers don't give a sh*t about what kind of day I have! They are only interested in how much money I spend! I always remember when my youngest daughter was getting married. I decided to "splash out" and purchase an expensive lipstick at a department store (I usually buy the cheaper drug store type). I think the clerk was a little annoyed with me that I only purchased the one item. As I was leaving she told me to have a nice day and also come back and spend more money next time!! I thought she was very rude!

islandwoman120

There was a fire two nights ago that burned down a local Cafe - it was located at Coryton Cove, a lovely area in Dawlish were the beach huts were located, the ones (except for three standing all alone and lonely) washed away by the winter storms .
https://www.flickr.com/photos/island...7644350178142/