Sally Redux

Yes it's quite hard to compete with those clubs. I noticed though that crafts of various kinds seem to be really popular here - I bet she could find other quilters! Good luck anyway. Plenty of info on here about Florida

Jerseygirl

2 1/2 years ago we moved from our 5,000 sq ft house with acreage into our 950 sq ft condo in Toronto. All we took with us was clothes and a few personal bits and pieces. Moving from a very small town in the US to Canada's largest city is quite a contrast. From our condo we have fabulous views across Lake Ontario, stores, mall, restaurants, bars, theatres etc are all within walking distance.

So far so good...but I do miss the space. An extra 1,000 sq ft would be nice.

Novocastrian

Whey, yer married to a Geordie pet? Y've gone reet t' the top of me canny list.

I think we'll be around from about the 21st of June until about the 18th of July.

Giviz a bell.

Sally Redux

Why aye pet, will dee that

robin1234

Yeah I might yank their chain on the U.S. Forum, ask them about buying a pool maintenance company or something...

Stormer999

Waking up and not hearing the dock workers boots on the road cobbles so down the front stairs to get the milk off the step but rattling the letterbox to make sure there isn't a bank of snow waiting to cave in. Down the back stairs with a kettle full of hot water to melt the ice in the outside nettie and hang some more newspaper on the nail. Across the street to buy two red hot stottie cakes for breakfast stopping at downstairs corner shop for a quarter of salted Norwegian butter straight out of the cask. Two jumpers on to fight the fret off the sea because it is summer in South Shields......

Perth

Wow! Are you a writer? If not you should be.

aries

You've given me the shivers mentioning the spiders. A few years ago I stayed at my brother's converted barn in Warwickshire, and one day found a spider completely covering the water in the loo. But worse, there were little spiders all over the room including in the bath, and in 2 days I killed more than 60. I had noisy possums in South Australia, and at one time had a licence to catch 12 a year and relocate them in a national park. In the end I gave up, they just kept coming.

As for downsizing, I have a 2-bedroom flat after living in a house in Oz, and after 4 years here, I still can't get used to my tiny kitchen. Walking space is only 6' 6" by 3' 3" with scant working top and 3 minuscule drawers. I had originally thought the kitchen would be adequate, but I soon found out that I was wrong.

For expats who live in bigger houses and planning to return to the UK, it is probably wise to leave furniture behind, and see what room is available when they move back. I gave all mine away in Oz, to family, new immigrants with nothing, and charity shops. It was sad to see my life disappearing like this, but once gone, very little was missed.

Nevertheless, adapting to expensive Lilliput/UK isn't easy!

Editha

Our house in Devon has one of the smallest kitchens I've ever had. We considered building an extension, but eventually settled for moving the boiler to create more space. The new external oil-fired boiler is being installed right now. Then we are having the kitchen gutted and refitted from scratch. It is the most expensive house-renovation project I've ever paid for; just thinking about the cost brings on a mild panic attack. Yet, when the work is done I'll still have a small kitchen, only one with granite worktops and Neff appliances.

Novocastrian

Go north young man.

(South Shields has a brand new rather impressive library now, probably them evil bureaucrats in Brussels' doing).

Stormer999

Ha ha my memories of growing up in Alice Street Sneaking big North sea crabs up our jumpers to get past the pier master, shouting abuse at the fishing boats at North Shields coming back loaded with cod and collecting the herring in newspapers that the fishermen threw at us to get grandma to make roll mop. Going along to Marsden Grotto when the sea and sand were both frozen. Buying 6d of winkles in the market with pin and asking the fish and chip shop for free scraps (batter).........split pea soup in a billy can.....bag of crab claws....

Novocastrian

Hmmm. Perhaps you've been away too long. Marsden Grotto is no more. I used to pop in there now and again in my youth, but it no longer serves booze and the funicular thingy is derelict.

Oi vey.

As to the rest of your reminiscences ... get over it. Tempus fugit. Except that the North Shields fishmongers are still doing OK.

Mummy in the foothills

I'm north and although we have the same number of rooms 3bed/2bath and a garage, we really miss the massive garage we had. I was an extra deep one so bigger than a normal two car garage and here we have a single, wide enough to get the car in, but not wide enough to get a car door open to get out. Dh has enough room for all his tool chests and stuff, but only has a walkway around the centre tool bench not much room to do/make anything.
We talked about downsizing, from a 2 story here to a bungalow, but they seem to build them with minuscule rooms, neither I nor my furniture has shrunk (all furniture is from UK and not oversized), why do they make them so small you can't move around, with no room for more than one slim person in the kitchen and a bathroom so small I bump bum on the wall if I bend over to pick anything up.

Novocastrian

Muah'Dib will know.

Lorry1

Personally, I had no issue down sizing.

In Canada we lived in a 5,500 sq ft house which I loved at first, then started to resent.
We hardly used our huge rec room in the basement, along with a spare bedroom and large storage room. The kids got the most use out of the basement when they had friends over.

Our living space on the first floor was great and we had a real fire in the lounge. But our bedroom was the whole of the 2nd floor. Who needs that? we had no furniture to fill the space it was so huge!

The maintenance on the house was ongoing. We weren't financially well off in Canada (Nova Scotia) so were unable to keep up with everything and the house fell into disaray. This is why I started to resent it really. The house was wood and we had to paint the outside to keep it weather resistant. The roof tiles started coming off. Roofs had to be replaced every 20 years or so. The real wood floors in the lounge/diner were totally wrecked when we got our puppy. All the windows needed replacing. I hated the bathrooms and the bath was too short to relax in so never had one.
Just the day to day cleaning of a house that large was horrendous.

Anyway, I love my little detatched 4 bed with manageable garden now. It's cozy and I am a lot happier, even though it cost quadruple what our Canada house did!
We are a lot more financially well off here with hubby working IT in London. We have already done a lot more to this house than we ever did in Canada and have more free money for nights out and holidays. Very happy