Just sitting here reading about everyone wanting to return to the UK,we currently live in Spain and will be moving back to UK in May.The silly things we miss are things like carpet,central heating,british sense of humour etc.What is it that you all miss so much? (oh families and friends too!)

Have now been back in the UK for 3 months but just wanted to say we were in Spain for 4 years, and carpets and central heating were the exact same things i craved for!!!! There is nothing more cosy than being inside with your heating on, feet on the carpet, and watching some poor sod battling with an inside out umbrella outside

I think carpets and heating would be the main thing for most,but until you dont have it you dont miss it.So how have you found life back there after 4 years,do you appreciate things more now?

I won't fib, i really miss Spain but due to our circumstances we had no choice but to move back. I will say though that the UK does look after you. All my family have lived in spain and are now back in the UK, and we all agree that you need to live outside of the UK for a few years to appreciate it. You get so many people moaning that the UK is a terrible place to live etc etc but after having lived in Spain for 4 years, i couldn't believe how easy some things were here, i.e. telephone line, electric etc, and i speak fluent spanish!! Its just the weather really here but even when i was in spain i said to my friends, you know the weather isn't everything, i'd rather be secure in the rain than constantly worried for our future in the sun. How long have you been in spain?

Our story is so very much the same,we have been here for 2 years,all my family were here but they have returned after being here for 6-7 years.We are not returning until May,due to waiting for blood results on our animals.We have a 12 yr old son who is fluent Spanish,unlike us,but we get by.He is looking forward to seeing his friends again,although children here in Spain seem to be slightly better behaved and respectful,our son says they are a bit 'weird',they dont come out to play much after school etc!!!So have you moved back to a new area or the same?We are moving back to the same area in West sussex.

We moved back to a different area completely. When my mum, dad and sisters moved back they decided to try the new forest as we all previously lived in East Anglia so we decided to move near them. I must admit the big regret i have is that my son will not grow up in Spain, he is 11 months old and to be honest he was the main reason for moving back if that makes sense!! We could have struggled on financially (just) with the two of us, but with a child i felt we couldn't live like that and needed some security in our lives. It is a shame that he won't grow up bilingual but when you weigh that up against the many pitfalls we would have faced had we of stayed it doesn't really compare. I think you get badly behaved children wherever you are, although there is a lot of chav type people here, i am dreading the time when Noah starts school and gets influenced by other children, i suppose i just have to do my best for him while i still have that influence. He would have mixed with horrible children whatever country we were in. We have two dogs also that we had driven back, are your pets going to go into quarantine in the UK or are you going to wait for their 6 months to be up?

No we are waiting for 6 months,well it has been 8 months in total,they had a double jab for whatever it was called just to make sure they passed!But we got the all clear last month so now its a waiting game.I know New Forest,bit different from your area East Anglia though isnt it?We are moving back to just outside Brighton,lots to do when we get back but will be worth it.

Top of my list is, belonging.

After that, and in no particular order: soft green grass, hills, woodland that you can walk in without the threat of being bitten, stung etc., listening to Radio 5 Live at the right time of day, British newspapers, 24 hour shopping, Amazon UK, Ebay UK, being able to drive somewhere different without it taking more than 5 hours, going into a shop without being jumped on by an assistant saying "hi, how ya going today", the NHS, decent TV, Stephen Fry, decent radio, good clothes shops, good education, houses that are built to last, history, culture, smell of chimney smoke, smell of the air after rain, blackbirds, bluetits, robins, thrushes, bluebells, snowdrops, daffodils, tulips, roses, conkers, blossom, Peak District, National Trust, Stately Homes, villages, windy roads, courtesy on roads ie., letting people out at a junction, belonging.

Yes, I'm going home in July after only 7 months!

Got to say it, I'll miss my swimming pool, the parrots, sun, sea, vivid blue sky, seeing the moon 24/7, cheap petrol, my two friends.

Blimey,thats a list!! why did you ever leave England! lolBut saying that ,everything you put i would agree on..........few things there that you mentioned made me think,how could i forget that! Where abouts will you be moving back too?Not sure about there in Aussie,but here in Spain one of the most annoying things is when the shops close for siesta,between 2 and 5......will be nice to to have to worry about the time,hoping you get there b4 2pm!At 5 pm when they open is when the children come out of school,so thats no good!

apprecaite cadbury's chocolate even more now back in Uk!

I miss the sense of belonging, having the right accent so people don't look at you and ask where you are from all the time. Only trying to be friendly I know but it gets old....
I also miss the sense of humour. The American comedy is just so different (and not funny IMO)
I miss the way that the average Joe in the street is well-informed and willing to discuss his views on politics or any topical event. Here people are very guarded about their views. I miss the good natured arguments over dinner debate.
I miss the milder winter.

Now there is also a long list of what I DON'T miss, but thats a whole other post....

Susie.

I ask myself that everyday!

We're going back to Chesterfield as our house, cars and furniture are still there! It isn't the prettiest of towns, but the beautiful Peak District is only a ten minute drive away. The M1 (although jammed most of the time), is a 2 minute drive away, so easy access to everywhere.

I need to get away from the isolation and quietness that is Perth, and get some stress back in my life!

Thank Goodness for 24 hour shopping in the UK. Here, the supermarkets are only open on a Sunday in the school holidays; they close again once terms starts. The liquor stores are open though!

Yes, just blending in, not analysing my life all the time.

Hits the nail on the head for me. It'll be bliss just to get on with life again, instead of terrorising my mind all the time!

I'm in qld:
I miss carpet
central heating
familiarity
feeling of belonging
decent xmas feeling
Big bubble bath in my claw foot (it being cold enough to appreciate it) and then putting my lovely slippers and big fluffy gown on
FAMILY
British sense of humour
Monster munch
November 5th - lovely firework smells and the cold that should go with it
Being able to walk to places
Being able to go out for an evening without having to stay over or drive
UK TV
UK radio
listening to people without thinking that they sound like idiots IT'S project NOT prOject!!!!:curse:
Decent shops
better made items
Pubs
classy restaurants
My HOME

All that said, the beaches here are loads nicer than the UK and the weather is always good enough to make the most of it BUT it's just so hot.