aes1

Welcome to the family, Suzie!!! I am sure you will love it here!! Come to Malta!!! You would fit right in!!!

aes1

Don't worry be happy - who sang that??? True, true, true. And a safe journey home

Easterndawn

Thanks Rodney for your kind words, the job gives me the challenges I seem to need in a job, would not be good working on a assemble line. The depression that I felt was a new experience for me and very frightening, I found myself thinking very dark thoughts and knew I had to get myself out of that hole. Beside getting my hubby and dogs over here as soon as possible, my next goal is to buy a little car. I have always loved getting in my car after a day at work and just going for a drive, I miss that and there is so many place that I want to revisit.
I do love the pace of Ayr much more than Kilmarnock, the high street seems to be always bustling with happy visitors coming for a day or a few days at the beach. I have met two ladies who have become very good friends, one is my first employer when I arrived and the other is my old landlady. They have been there with me during my ups and downs, always calling me to make sure I was okay and celebrating my victories with me. I find that when you make friends here they are so genuine and you always feel comfortable with them. Well, time to get ready for work, hope everyone has a wonderful day.

Has anyone heard from Chris, I wonder how she is doing back home? There are so many of us who have moved back or making plans to go home now. When I first decided to make the decision to come back home I could not find anyone who was experiencing the same emotions that I was, now there are so many of us.

Easterndawn

Hi Anna, working in a zoo would be my dream job, especial working with the primates, they fasinate me. Guess they remind me of some of the people I have met in my life I used to have no problem with rats and when I was a child, my mom would not allow me to have pets, so when i would get my weekly allowance I used to go to the pet store and buy a couple of white mice and then go home and let them loose in the house. She used to complain to my dad that we had some very funny mice in our large country house, my dad knew what was going on, but not my mom. Once I went to a stream that flows through our village and brought back a very large eel and put it in the bathtub, can still hear the screams Was thinking of getting a goldfish here but they are not very cuddly, I think this is the longest time in my adult life that I have been without a dog/cat in my home and I really miss that contact. I find myself petting strange dogs on the high street, better watch that, as I might get a reputation of being that mad Canadian who stalks dogs lol

Fish n Chips 56

Hello Denise...

Ahhhhhhh, the banks have us coming and going, they make the rules we just have to live with them.

By the way, I see you are taking your car with you as its worth very little, have you looked at the big picture, cost of importing and running in the UK???, it may make more sense to leave it behind...

Fish n Chips 56

Huhhhhhhhhhh... My main reason for wanting to leave...

It totally baffles me how some people in the USA dont want to pay for healthcare through taxes, theyd sooner use an insurance company and pay them well over the odds, filling their pockets while they deny care and cherry pick...

Some Americans are so against helping the poor in this country, how come they are so blind as not realise they already pay for the poor one way or another, Everyone that has medical Insurance coverage pays indirectly through inflated pricing... Brainwashed and Totally Ignorant...

Ive heard all the excuses why it wont or cant work here, what a Load, #1 seems to be we dont trust the Government, so please tell me they voted for these people, and Im refering to either party.

Ive never seen a bunch of people so convinced it cant work, all part of the political brainwashing...

Im thrilled that not all Americans are fooled, those are the ones I RESPECT...

Beedubya

I do have some info to add to the thread if and when you start it Denise. As you know I worked for Peverel Management Services Limited (mainly privately bought flats) but I do have some insider knowledge plus both of my sisters worked for Anchor Housing Trust, so I can ask them questions.

BTW Housing21 used to be called The Royal British Legion Housing..........

Barb

aes1

I love it, an eel in the bathtub!!!! I agree, I would work in a zoo too, none in Malta though! They do have a dolphin park, where you can swim with the dolphins, and they are my 'totem' animal, but I don't really swim so that's out! Once, some moons ago, my boyfriend at the time in the US rescued baby possums from their dead mother, and one survived. She was about 4 inches long! We kept her, Opie, in the spare bedroom, till she grew full size and caused havoc! Then we built a natural reserve for her in the garden. We got two dwarf floppy eared rabbits to keep her company, Chocolate and Smores, but they were scared stiff of her! Then one day, Opie climbed up the dogwood tree and out of her pen, and we never saw her again. When I was at the zoo I became known as the snake lady because I was always the first to volunteer to handle the black rat snake. Fascinating animal. But I think the one I am in awe of most is the leather back turtle. I had the opportunity to see her lay her eggs on the sand in Costa Rica. That was about 4 in the morning. Mother (unbelievably large!) swam onto shore and burrowed out a nest where she laid about 60-80 eggs. Then she covered them up with sand and swam back in the Pacific ocean, never to see her 'babies' again. In South Carolina I also saw the little loggerhead turtles hatch and waddle off into the Atlantic. Nature is so awesome!!! Life is beautiful!!! Come to Malta, Phil, and 'adopt' a Maltese cat!!!

Beedubya

All the VERY VERY best to you both as you fly off into your new adventure!!

Barb

Beedubya

1. Make up your mind to be happy, learn to find pleasure in simple things.

2. Make the best of your circumstances, no one has everything and everyone has something of sorrow intermingled with the gladness of life. The trick is to make the laughter outweigh the tears.

3. Don't take yourself too seriously, don't think that somehow you should be protected from misfortunes that befall others.

4. You can't please everybody, don't let criticism hurt you.

5. Don't let your neighbours set your standards, be yourself.

6. Do the things you enjoy doing, but always stay out of debt.

7. Don't borrow trouble, imaginary things are harder to bear than the actual ones.

8. Since hate poisons the soul, don't cherish enmities or grudges, avoid people who make you unhappy.

9. Have many interests, if you can't travel, read about new places.

10. Don't hold post-mortems, don't spend your life brooding over sorrows or mistakes, don't be the one who never gets over things.

11. Do what you can for those less fortunate than yourself.

12. Keep busy at something, a busy person never has time to be unhappy.

by Robert Louis Stevenson

bought at a church one day in passing at Frome, Somerset, England, UK

Beedubya

Marmalade

A wise Scotsman indeed

jasper123

Fish I have not met a single American that thought the socialized health care would work, not since Obama has been fighting for the heath care reform, not one person at work and not one person that I have met, even my dear friend, my only friend here in Vegas --- who incidently is a life time republican American Man, thinks socialized heath care is the worst thing in the world, thinks that if we get socialized medicine the government will just let him die if he gets very sick when he gets too old,
The brain washing is amazing in USA and not to insult born in the country Americans ( I would never do that cause I like them) but a lot of people here are so very gullible, but I respect them cause they are so hard workers, anyone that will go along with one or two weeks Vacation each year and will work 60 or 70 hours a week just to make ends meet ---- and some that work two full time Jobs and still dont have any medical insurance, well I take my hat off to them, they should be taken care of by there government in regards to either affordable heath care or socilized heath care, all the other developed countries in the world care about there people and provide socilized health care to there people, it just seems to me that all the governments in USA through the years are just using there people and giving very little back,

Remember the slogan that the US military used in the second word war, ---- (YOUR COUNTRY NEEDS YOU) well what about we need the country to give back a little too,
And what about the other slogan that was used, dont ask what your country can do for you ---- but what I can do for my country,
Even (I) worked two full time Jobs once, it was in Reno at the time when Jobs were very plentiful in the late 70,s I was a cook at the time and I worked day shift in one Job and had one hour before I had to start the second Job on swing shift, both Jobs were in casino restaurants, I did it for two years ---- but of course I was a young chicken at the time so it was quite easy for me to do,
So who am I to say whats wrong or whats right?
But I did have health insurance, isn't it strange we all probably had pretty good heath insurance when we were young in USA --- it was affordable then, and we really didn't need it did we cause we were probably all or most of us quite healthy when we were young, ---- but here we are now over three decades later for a lot of us, and a lot of us right now dont have any health insurance --- either because our company here does not offer it --- or in my case the premiums are too high that I cant afford to enrol in there Insurance, not if I want to eat now and again,
Well you take care Fish, nice to talk to you again,
Rodney.

dgjamison

Hi fish and chips, no I havent looked into importing it, my daughters have been on to the DVLA in the the uk, and from what they see, it may have to go through a test, to ensure it comes up to European standards, that will cost approx £199. I know the petrol is expensive in the uk, though we are thinking of going to Spain, and as it is left hand drive over there and the petrol is much cheaper than the uk, we thought it was worth the $1400 extra to bring it, but will try and really check this out first. I am still having trouble with the banks, and it is so annoying, I honestly would'nt mind but we are trying to book our flights for end of June as after that the fares are really expensive, : I just can't understand what the difference is in a letter and a hand written fax, with my signature, but we just have to go along with them. will let you know how we get on with the car cheers
Denise

Fish n Chips 56

Wow Barb Those are terrific words of wisdom, they make so much sense.

I like 6, 7 and 8...

We spend much of our life working to pay off debt for things we really didnt need, Right now I buy only things I can afford to pay for in cash, I hate that we pay such alot for homes, a $100.000 loan will cost you $300.000 by the time you have added interest, and look how much actual money you have to earn and pay taxes on to pay off
$300.000, its crazy... I just wish Id figured this out years ago...

Worry... I bet most of us worry about things that never come to pass...

Hate does poison the soul, Ive found I can accomplish more and feel so much better about life if I forgive, Dont let people rent space in your head.

Thanks Barb those are certainly words to live by...