Taffy Duck

Have a great trip to OZ Eileen all the best..I'm flying to the the UK June 3rd for a 3 week visit...my Mum's 90th b/day, the whole family once again together. Hey Rod I'm still around just very busy at the moment selling and sorting you get the picture as it's never too early to start, I would rather have less to do at the end than rushing around like a madman. Next week we plan on a garage sale and this fall I'll be working on selling my large die-cast car collection can't drag that along with us, already sold a whole bunch of my British model train collection...wow I can't believe how much stuff I've collected over the years...just no end in sight...still it's all part of the process.

cheers...Taffy

Basil Brush

Thanks for the reply Quoll. That's what we kinda thought too, that if we do it now it could be a good thing as he will get British qualifications, which I would imagine will travel better than Aussie quals. He hasn't started VCE yet as he's in grade 10, so I would imagine he would have to do GCSE's before he can take A-Levels, but again I'm not sure how the system works. So was your son born in the UK or in Aus? It's great that he's happy over there.

Our son has fallen for a girl over here and it definitely complicates things once they get to their late teens!! This decision is the hardest decision I've ever been faced with and I think we need to do some more soul-searching to be honest.

Fulwood - thanks for your post also. We don't have citizenship yet but we are just about to apply, so would have it before we made any final decisions.

Marmalade

That is my favourite memory from my Granny's house. Every Sunday we would visit her and make toast on the coal fire with toasting forks - loved it, nothing better

huyton

Fish n Chips and Marmalade..
Yes i remember the toasting fork.Toast made on the fire was great. Here in the US toast never tastes the same as in England. And too, the bread is different. I have never aquired taste for white American bread. It sticks to the roof of your mouth!
Will always buy wheat. Also loved the roasted chestnuts on the fire...mmmm
As bad as things were, there are always nice memories
Liz

jasper123

Taffy your Mum is 90 on June 3rd mine is 91 on June 22nd, So your going back for her birthday, ---- thats great and the whole family will be together too,
When are you going home for good? I cant remember if you had a definite date or not,
Yes I certainly know what its like to have to sell everything, but you seem to have a lot of stuff, a lot more then me, but I am going to start selling my stuff in the next week, like you I dont want to leave it to the last minute,
Rodney.

jasper123

Very good advice Fish, I may just go into a big dealership for a dummy run so to speak and ask them what they would pay me for my car, so at least I will have a good idea of what to expect when I am ready to sell it,
Rodney.

jasper123

Oh Fish yes the coal fires!!! and dont forget toasting the crumpets with the long handled toasting forks, humm yummy.

jasper123

Oh yes Liz what would we do without our wonderful memories

jasper123

Eileen have a nice & safe trip to Oz and hope you have a good time, yes your drivers licence should be there when you get back, what a load of old codswhollop just to get your canadian licence changed over to UK one,
Well think of it this way at least being from Canada its a lot easier then if you were from US we have to pass a drivers test and written test too I think if we want to get a UK licence,

HighSpeedGrandma

Ok, give me your son's address, then if my daughter kicks me out I can go and crash at your sons. LOL. Promise I am no trouble. Ask my son in law!

Well, my flight to Hong Kong is booked. I haven't informed work yet that I will be leaving. I haven't returned yet after the 2 months off I have just had. They don't know yet but I will only be back 2 weeks before I tell them I am leaving. They won't care. They fire people all the time, so I am just saving them the hassle!

I will be unemployed with no income, at the age of 54. No insurance. Nothing to put in my pension. I have no idea how things will go in Hong Kong or when I return to England, but the time feels right and if my daughter and her hubby hadn't got the offer for Hong Kong this opportunity would not have arisen.

I say to everyone out there who is debating at our later age in life whether to go back or not, you will never ever be entirely certain how the future will turn out, but if you feel strongly enough about it and want it to happen, you will get there.
I have spent years dithering. I am terrified of what the future holds. I don't know how my hubby will do in America all by himself. I don't know what I will do when I haven't seen him for months. But I really, really want to go and do this. I have been away from my kids for 20 years. Now is my time to spend time with my daughter and grandkids and I am going to make the most of 6 months off work and then stress about it in December!!!

aes1

Good for you!!!!! I agree with everything you say, if you feel strongly enough about something, you just have to bite the bullet and do it. Might not be easy (for me I had a couple of rough days when I wanted to give up after I first got to Malta) but now I am at peace with myself. Right time, right place. Future? Who knows what that brings. It will happen whatever I do or don't do. That's fine. Only get one life, this is not a rehearsal, so enjoy it!!!

HighSpeedGrandma

Anna, completely on the same page as you. It's hit me that I really don't know how much longer I have and how would I feel in another year or so when this opportunity had passed and I hadn't taken advantage.

I still think when/if you get to England, particularly if you ARE in the Bournemouth area we should meet up. I am in contact with someone who will probably have a lovely cottage (it's basically a summer house on their property in a beautiful part of Dorset not too far a drive away from my daughter. Perhaps we could share or something, to split the costs. Who knows!

Wawa

Hi Grandma, I am in the same boat as you, 54 years old and planning to up sticks and move home. Also, the main draw is to be closer to my daughters and the rest of my family and very dear old friends. I have been living in various other countries around the world but the time has come to go home. I will also be looking for a job, and will be anxious to get back into the job market before I get much older, but thankfully I am in a field that age should not really be an issue (I hope!). My hubby is not all that keen on the move, as he worries about getting a decent job in his field. However he will move as I am so keen on it, we are just hoping the economy will start to get a little stronger now the election is over.
So dont feel alone, at this age its a daunting prospect, but down the road, in a year when we are all settled, we will be wondering what we were so stressed about !

Marmalade

Good for you. You are a very strong woman. I wish you the very best. Sounds like a great adventure, however, I certainly understand the dithering.

I am doing that right now. Have been doing it for the last few years. I'm afraid that when I move home I will not be able to find a job. I have always been self-sufficient, but the unknown does scare me. I was just talking to a friend about it, and I told her that I would go in a heartbeat (only one week of school left for me, I am a teacher), but I have a very negative family member at the other end that makes me feel awful everytime I talk to this family member. Which, makes me question myself continuously as I overanalyze everything..................I am sitting here with a feeling of excitement in my belly, but it is tinged with fear. The unknown makes me excited and fearful!

I love this quote:

Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile...initially scared me to death. (Betty Bender)

HighSpeedGrandma

Wawa, good luck. It IS very daunting. At least your hubby is coming back with you. My American hubby is afraid of not getting a job in the UK, so he is loathe to sell our house in case neither of us get work in the UK. So he is agreeable to me doing it this way. I get settled, get a job, bank account etc, then if that is where I want to settle, we will take the next step, whatever that may be. It is scary, but then so is the thoughts of living the rest of my life here in the US when that doesn't appeal to me, the older I get!
I really hope we are lucky in getting jobs! I am prepared to do anything to get some money coming in. My daughter is working on my CV for me.
She has a friend who works in HR as an analyst, so she sort of knows what they are looking for on CV's so hopefully that will help.
We shall see.

This entire thread has been absolutely incredibly helpful and inspiring. I spend a lot of my free time going back through all the old posts.