Re: An American view.
 

Some people are just glass half empty and when you're that down, logic and reasoning don't come into play so they will be unable to see any fact from any other viewpoint so it is pointless arguing. So I just feel sorry for them...imagine to having to wake up every day and be that miserable.

Even at my worst homesickness which thankfully seems to be easing, I didn't feel the need to kick Canada and could still see it for what it was..... I'm just I'm glad I get to be me and not him/her.

Re: An American view.
 

My view is Mr & Mrs L know the pro's & cons of living in the US. Its not about the elderly or healthcare issues & comparisons. Mrs L listed her annoyances living in smallville UK. Its a bit of the whinging POM syndrome [back home this, that & the other, its not the same here] comparison, looking at what infuriates one with the new surroundings or culture .... nothing more, nothing less IMO.

They have choices, they made a choice, they are in the UK 2 years in & hopefully with each passing day are enjoying living in it. We cannot IMO fix the issues Mrs L has in her OP, or say to them 'if you don't like it, then shove off back to the US'. After spending most of her life in the US, could it be that Mrs L is somewhat disappointed with her UK lifestyle, possibly home sick - who knows & its none of our business. I admire the OP for her post, even though I think its either a rant or a whinge & trust she feels better for doing it.

Of course living in the US, healthcare charges, healthcare insurance, cable TV, internet, council/property tax, car/house insurance are likely more costly in the US compared to the average in the UK. As for welfare & unemployment, even folks on food stamps would annoy me. Living on the East coast of the US, extreme weather conditions, extreme heat & cold, power outages, snowed in, floods .... the list is endless

Re: An American view.
 

I find that odd and confusing too. I can't speak for all of North America but our phone bill includes a fee for "provision" of 911 services. :blink:

Not to mention the charges to patient for an ambulance. :eek:

Re: An American view.
 

Thank you dunroving and others on here who have been able to show some compassion for Mrs & Mrs London1947

Heaven forbid any of the rest of you should ever find yourselves, elderly, far from family and friends, on limited income with limited choices, depressed and feeling you have made a wrong decision and that you may not be able to reverse it.

Good grief, so an unhappy, homesick American expat living in the UK vents on an expats message board a rather sweeping statement about what she does not like about living in the UK. If you can't see that its coming from a person who is depressed and in pain then you are clearly lacking in imagination and empathy. By all means give a different view and point out factual errors but that can be done kindly without suggesting she and her husband have no right to express what they are feeling or to even be on this message board.

Maybe instead of bashing and suggesting the OP is trolling you should just thank your lucky stars that you aren't in such a dark place (emotionally) yourselves.

It is hard to see the bright side or give a balanced view when you are deeply unhappy and feeling trapped, those of us who read this forum regularly have been able to see London1947's increasing unhappiness and depression from his posts, please just be gentle to someone who is already clearly hurting. I have seen so much kindness, compassion and patience from strangers to strangers on BE, this thread could do with some more of that right now.

Re: An American view.
 

:goodpost:

Re: An American view.
 

Absolutely, I agree with correcting factual inaccuracies, but there are ways and ways, and at times it is clearly used as an excuse for giving someone a kicking even though it's obvious they are miserable.

Re: An American view.
 

Have you actually read the posts where some of us have said we can see why the OP is unhappy, but we would like to actually correct their facts where necessary? There are loads of posters on here like me who are not 'bashing' anyone, far from it, we can understand the feelings. Bur trying to get sympathy by quoting facts that just aren't true isn't going to help!
No-one is saying the OP is a troll either, they've made loads of posts, they are obviously posting genuinely.

Re: An American view.
 

Indeed, having been on the receiving end of vitriol from the OP and been accused of lying all I wish to do is point out the ridiculous inaccuracies in most of the comments made. Because of their attitude in the past they will get neither understanding nor empathy from me. If that offends others that is unfortunate.

Re: An American view.
 

Actually, Petrichor suggested that the OP was trolling in Post 99, and one poster has changed their name to self-appointed "Troll hunter" since one or two people have come to the defence of London1947.

Anyways, personally I disagree with a lot of what MrsLondon1947 thinks of the UK (I think my TV licence is possibly the best value for money I get every year, for example). I just don't feel the need to correct inaccuracies when I can see they are just the exaggerated perceptions of someone who has been replanted into a totally alien environment and appears to be thoroughly miserable. Been there, done that and just grateful I no longer have to eat the pies...

Re: An American view.
 

I know it's not exactly Zabars, but that pie and pasty shop in Dawlish is pretty nice though. You can a nice piece of bread pudding there, too.

Re: An American view.
 

I'm intrigued to know the rationale for the OP choosing Dawlish in the first place. Upper West Side to a British seaside resort is certainly a huge step, especially in later life.

Re: An American view.
 

Indeed. I pay $3.39 a month on my cell phone bill for 911 services.

Re: An American view.
 

I'm curious to know the story too. It would probably help some people who are returning ... let's try to get some insight and learn rather than berate.

When I lived in Tennessee I used to ride 100's of miles way out where the people still have tails. I almost bought a plot of land in the country, in a beautiful hollow about 20 miles from anywhere. The idea was to build a house. Nice and peaceful, I thought it would be idyllic. On reflection, I would probably have gone mad within months from the solitude and thoughts that if an axe murderer paid me a visit, no-one would know for days ... maybe the OP thought a quiet, quaint village would be the perfect life.

Re: An American view.
 

Well I just said "Zabars" as an illustrative flourish. I do not know if they lived in the Upper West Side, or some other city milieu.

Re: An American view.
 

The problem is that seaside resorts are anything but quiet. You get inundated by tourists for some of the year and the population in general tends to be more itinerant them is typical. Not my idea of a place to live, but we are all different of course.

Re: An American view.
 

Seems high! I wasn't aware of 911 charges, so checked my landline bill. I pay 35 cents per month for 911 services.

Re: An American view.
 

Yeh, I know. I was doing likewise :-)

Re: An American view.
 

Sorry but In between the lines, I believe many shown empathy, but this is social media
platform where people, wring out their laundry, and various opinions, and has mentioned by other posters, its the inaccuracies in those comparisons, and to be fair,
posters took it at face value, so even Brits and the expats who decided to head back
to the UK know we aint perfect, but it was the inaccuracies that negated the sympathy.
Plus we are not all psychoanalyst, or social workers interested in pros and cons.
Sometimes a bit of dry wit, and good old British/European sarcasm, can help shake off those depressive swings and blue clouds.

I do know, I have been there.From a fit and able man who has walked every major city, and trekked most areas on this planet, reduced to max 2km streches,with crutches, Electric-bikes that help me to still enjoy the country side,but only 20-30km before the painkillers wear off.My life is with permanent pain.They are my woes.
The posters opening gambet was taken at face value, nothing more nothing less.
The Britexpats threads and posts can be caustic, often full of unsympathetic wry humour, but the same members who dish it out ,show the same level of care and support when suggestions or advice is requested or asked for.
Sometimes our halo slips, thats all.

Re: An American view.
 

Can be a good place to start out, because of cheap winter rents, and favorable supply/demand situation for the person looking for a rental or a place to buy...

Re: An American view.
 

Most of mine is a San Francisco fee. I also pay a small amount to California for 911 services. I have no idea why I have to pay twice. I don't have a landline so I have no idea what the comparative charges for that would be.

Re: An American view.
 

A good point about out of season rentals for the short term. But I am not sure about a place to buy. Don't seaside resorts tend to have higher property values?

Re: An American view.
 

UK-Yankee Forum - Index Is a good one.

Re: An American view.
 

End of the day, those inaccuracies or not, they have no real baring on one's day to day life do they.

Who cares if a kid is done with school at 15 or 18. Who cares if your neighbour is on benefits. Who cares that someone has a metered water/electric meter or not.

None of those things affect you in your day to day life.

Re: An American view.
 

I agree. I think being miserable leads you to a distorted view of what is important and how things really are. So, being miserable leads to the inaccuracies rather than vice versa.

Re: An American view.
 

Some seaside places are expensive, like Salcombe in Devon, which caters to the jet setting and yachting crowd. But the great majority seem to be very good value. I looked in Norwich, Aylsham and Cromer, for instance. All within 25 miles, one a big city, one a modest, mixed market town, one a seaside resort. Cromer is maybe 20% cheaper. Norwich seems overheated, despite being too far from London for commuters; more demand than supply (all those highly paid city professionals, bureaucrats and execs.) Aylsham is expensive, just not enough properties in a small town. Cromer has everything from small flats for 60,000 pounds to nice houses for 600,000. Like many seaside resorts, it was chronically overbuilt over the last 150 years.

Re: An American view.
 

I don't know Dawlish. I'm living on the other side of the county. The nearest town I'm familiar with is Exeter but I'm puzzled by the OP's experience. From his complaints, he seems to be experiencing the worst of British urban life:-- crime, anti-social behaviour, urban decay, littering and drunkenness on the streets.

I would not have expected a town like Dawlish to be experiencing these problems, and indeed the Devon County Council site gives statistics that show that although Dawlish is a poor area, with above average child poverty for example, it not only has below average crime rates compared with the rest of Britain, they are also lower than average in Devon.

I'd like to know whether the OP has actually experienced these things, or whether he and his wife are basing their opinions on what they see and read in the media.

Re: An American view.
 

I have only ever seen his posts give an unrealistic view of how perfect the US is, and berate the UK. If the US was the wonderland he has previously painted, one has to ask why he is now in this parlous position.

Re: An American view.
 

Just to clear up confusion I was born and bred in Northampton UK. I am a duel US/UK citizen. My wife is a US citizen. I asked her for her views on living in the UK now for two years. It was not a rant as some put it just her views and observations.

I had joined BE originally because it seemed to be a great place to get information and to air one's opinions and hopefully make some friends and contacts. Some on here have been very helpful, some have been downright rude and think they stand above anyone else that may have fallen on bad times. I for one have enjoyed talking to some of you. So from this point on I will not be part of BE and no doubt some would say good riddance. Thanks. SO AS CHRIS955 HAS STATED I WILL NOW BUG OF. THANKS CHRIS. I'M SURE THAT PEOPLE CAN ALWAYS COME TO YOU FOR YOUR BIASED VIEWS.

Regards
John

Re: An American view.
 

Do you mind giving us a clue as to why Dawlish? I know we have another poster who has settled there who seems happy enough, but her story is very different to yours. Just curious, because as others have said it seems an unusual choice. :)

Re: An American view.
 

DONE WITH BE !

Re: An American view.
 

I'm quite fond of Dawlish and have spent many an enjoyable weekend there.

I'm tempted to look up the word 'resort' in this context though, because it just doesn't seem right. Resort is a word I'd use for somewhere like Weymouth or Bournemouth. Even Lyme Regis.

Dawlish is a bit like a Bourton-on-the-water that happens to be by the sea. I mean that in a nice way.


Resort - a place that is a popular destination for vacations or recreation, or which is frequented for a particular purpose. "a seaside resort"

Doesn't say how many it has to be popular with :rofl:

Re: An American view.
 

Fair enough, but best to just stop posting then and unsubscribe from the thread if you're still receiving notifications for it.

Best of luck to you and your wife, I hope you can manage a move to somewhere nicer soon, whether that's in the UK or US.

Re: An American view.
 

Well a google search will pull up many pages calling it a resort (and many more for next door Dawlish Warren).

I like Dawlish too, but probably as a place to spend "an enjoyable weekend", rather than a place to live.

Re: An American view.
 

OK, no need to shout! I apologise for trying to be friendly :ohmy:

Re: An American view.
 

Morning from New Zealand John.

BE still is a great place to find info and to connect with others, so I would encourage you to stick around, even if it is to just chat with those you connect with.

It would be a huge shame for you both to kick BE into touch because you & a couple of posters butt heads , when there are several posters out there that you do connect with . There are also some who are encouraging you to enter into a more meaningful chat.

Do you get what I mean?

I woke at 4.30 a.m. ( I have discovered this happens the older I get :p) & you both popped into my mind straight away.

I actually don't like to think of you both being so unhappy. Life is far too short. You should be enjoying your day to day lives in your new place of residence. Thing is, it doesn't always turn out like that does it, as many of us know .

I would agree with Dunrovin' , Bob and some of the others that being in a miserable place does distort one's view of the place around you. It's a wisdom that comes from experience.

So. Clasp the outstretched hands being offered to you by many in this thread and use that to connect .

As is often said, we don't walk in each other's shoes do we.

...and something that may help. You may not realise but you can put those that irk you on 'ignore' so you don't have to read their posts.

PM me if you need help with this.

BEVS - 1954

Re: An American view.
 

London1947,

I hope you will be back on BE at some point, I know its hard to just ignore or laugh things off when you are feeling down and stressed but my experience on BE is that it is a very helpful and supportive board, there are sometimes misunderstandings and dust ups and some personalities just clash but it is a great resource with wonderful people.

Take a break and maybe come back in a few days when all of this will feel like a storm in a teacup. We might be a good sounding board when you are figuring out what you can do to make your situation a happier one.

Good luck and I hope things will soon get better for you and Mrs London1947

Re: An American view.
 

Beautifully said! :)

Re: An American view.
 

In that case I will close this thread.