OVER 50's & 60's MOVING BACK TO THE UK.
#5071
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Bluenose,
Hope you enjoyed your wine.
I'm 72 and I would like to return to the UK and I have been looking around your area or around Hereford. I wear the heck out of Google Earth Cam on the computer.
I sweat each day in US desert area with the 104 degree heat and I therefore I stay housebound in the air conditioned house.
I would like to live in a village, UK, but I also would like to have access to buses and trains. I also would like to use the designated footbaths over the farm lands. I get so nostalgic at seeing styles and field gates. (is that how you spell those things you clime over to get into fields?)
The one place I've been looking at is Ross on Wye but it seems slightly industrial? (weely bins all over the place and commercial vans in the driveway and the lawns, in front of the houses, have been torn up and replaced with gravel for parking the precious car)
Hope you enjoyed your wine.
I'm 72 and I would like to return to the UK and I have been looking around your area or around Hereford. I wear the heck out of Google Earth Cam on the computer.
I sweat each day in US desert area with the 104 degree heat and I therefore I stay housebound in the air conditioned house.
I would like to live in a village, UK, but I also would like to have access to buses and trains. I also would like to use the designated footbaths over the farm lands. I get so nostalgic at seeing styles and field gates. (is that how you spell those things you clime over to get into fields?)
The one place I've been looking at is Ross on Wye but it seems slightly industrial? (weely bins all over the place and commercial vans in the driveway and the lawns, in front of the houses, have been torn up and replaced with gravel for parking the precious car)
when you return. The problem here is most families have more than one car
and parking space is at a premium. As soon as kids are old enough they think they are entitled to a set of wheels.
I am well aquainted with styles, as metal detecting is another of my hobbies,
but I have to bribe the farmers with my plonk.
Rodney, as you are a bonny lad of 65, you would not have been old enough
for National Service. Might well have changed your life. Best of luck in Pompey.
The one person who seems to have no luck at all is ED,as nobody should have to put up with the endless heartbreak she has enjured. I wonder if you
have considered going back to Canada? On the other hand, you might find it a little easier in the Lake District ,Cotswolds, or even further south.
I just hope you land on your feet ASAP.
It is now 1-15 am, so good night to you all.
Ray.
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DDL, so nice to hear from you and I'm very envious about the pub grub.
The Queen Mary sounds wonderful - definitely how I would like to travel!
I know! But it's actually on pretty much everywhere in the world except the US. It's a very good news channel with lots of good programming.
I can't wait to hear about all your adventures in the coming days. Do you know which part of the country you will settle in?
The Queen Mary sounds wonderful - definitely how I would like to travel!
We were shocked to see an Al Jazeera channel (with English subtitles) on the telly!
I can't wait to hear about all your adventures in the coming days. Do you know which part of the country you will settle in?
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Great update DDL, thaks for that.
I think the voyage for $2500 is a fantastic deal, I really hope we can do it that way when the time comes
I think the voyage for $2500 is a fantastic deal, I really hope we can do it that way when the time comes
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DDL, thrilled you arrived safely and what a great post. I am hooked on the thought of the QM2 as well, and after reading your experience I can't imagine going any other way ![Big Grin](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
It seems to have been a smooth transition for you so far, especialy with mother-in-law opening your boxes washing and ironing all your clothes
I did have a smile.
for hubby and his interview. That will surely be one huge weight off your little shoulders!
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It seems to have been a smooth transition for you so far, especialy with mother-in-law opening your boxes washing and ironing all your clothes
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DDL....Thankyou for that great update. That was really helpful. Once we sell the house if we have to wait for a sailing I will be prepared to do that. Once you know you are on your way the waiting does not seem as bad. You can just sit back and enjoy yourself. Have to pop to the top of the driveway and say a few more prayers next to St. Joseph.
ED...The dog grooming sound like a great place for you to unwind and take stock of what comes next. I know it must be hard being away from your hubby and babies but with your perseverance I am sure things will improve soon. Lets hope the housing market overhere gets better. Cant get much worse. I added you to my prayers to St. Joseph incase he thinks you need helping before me.
ED...The dog grooming sound like a great place for you to unwind and take stock of what comes next. I know it must be hard being away from your hubby and babies but with your perseverance I am sure things will improve soon. Lets hope the housing market overhere gets better. Cant get much worse. I added you to my prayers to St. Joseph incase he thinks you need helping before me.
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gosh DDL thanks for the great update. 2500 for 2 of you sounds a great deal and to be honest trip on ship sounds so much fun than being on boring plane ride with folks who talk all damn time and pass gas.. ugh.. so happy to hear how you and husband are doing. good luck with husband's interview/job....
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Denise, what a wonderful post, it must be lovely back with family and it sounds like you are getting things done. Coming over on the ship sounds so civilized compared to a plane journey.
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Hi Peigi/ED no i didn't it's amazing how this thread has grown.
I'm sure things will come together for you soon. Have you thought of where you might try if nothing comes up in Ayr. It's always been harder to find work in most parts of Scotland than it is in England even in the better times.
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for you.
Take care Chris![Smile](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/smile.gif)
I'm sure things will come together for you soon. Have you thought of where you might try if nothing comes up in Ayr. It's always been harder to find work in most parts of Scotland than it is in England even in the better times.
I am keeping everything
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Take care Chris
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I have never been a quiter, so I have to believe that I will get to my goal this year. I do have to thank all of you for your thoughts and encouragement, you have become like family to me.
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I certainly have thought about moving further down south but at the moment financially it would be very difficult. I think the job situation is similiar to Ontario/Praries in Canada, always seems like there is more work in the East. Sometimes I find myself waking up in the middle of the night in an absolute panic that my husband and I will never be together again. I have thought about returning but then all that we have endured not only now but before would seem pointless. I do think though that when you are taken as a young child to another country you will always feel that you don't really belong anywhere![Confused](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/confused.gif)
I have never been a quiter, so I have to believe that I will get to my goal this year. I do have to thank all of you for your thoughts and encouragement, you have become like family to me.![Love](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/wub.gif)
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I have never been a quiter, so I have to believe that I will get to my goal this year. I do have to thank all of you for your thoughts and encouragement, you have become like family to me.
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Hello from England! ![Thumbs Up](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/thumbsup.gif)
Voyage from New York to Southampton (08 Aug – 14 Aug)
The trip over on the QM2 was superb. Our balcony stateroom was large and very comfortable with nightly turndown service and, yes, chocolates on the pillow. The staff were excellent, the food was delicious. Afternoon Tea was served daily in two different locations. The sheer amount of onboard activities (mostly all included in the trip cost, except for the painting classes) kept us very busy – lectures, films, classes, dances, wine tastings, etc. Our favorite activity was quiz time twice a day in The Golden Lion pub. John Cleese, the celebrity lecturer, was brilliant and we really enjoyed his talks which included an interview about his life and career, a Q&A session with the audience, and a special screening of “The Psychiatrist” episode of Fawlty Towers. (Celia Imrie, one of the “Calendar Girls”, was also onboard and did a couple of talks.) We had calm seas the entire way. Immigration was a breeze. They dealt with visas/passports on a deck-by-deck basis and it took about 5 minutes for me to have my Visa stamped “14 Aug 2010 Southampton”. For those of you who might be considering a transatlantic voyage over, we paid about $2,500 for both of us. It is all-inclusive except for the cost of soft drinks (for $27.95 Tony purchased the unlimited soft-drinks package) and alcoholic drinks; and internet access was $47.95/120 minutes (there were more expensive packages also available). And oh yes - we would set our clocks ahead one hour every night when we went to bed so that 5-hour time difference was gradual and certainly made life easier once we finally arrived.
All in all, I would definitely recommend arriving in England by a transatlantic journey. In our situation, it was cheaper than airfare, so excellent value for money. If anyone has any questions at all, I will be happy to try and answer them!
Arrival in Southampton
We disembarked at 9:45 am and caught a taxi for the 5 minute ride to Hertz Car Rental where we had pre-booked a month-long rental. (It's a Kia manual, sorry I can't recall the model. Cost: about£750 for a 30-day rental) There were several cruise ships in that morning so it took some time (almost an hour) before we were actually in our rental, but we eventually got it sorted and headed up to London via the M25/M3. It took us several hours due to a couple of traffic accidents. WELCOME TO ENGLAND!![LOL](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/lol.gif)
Saturday
We arrived at my mum-in-law’s (we are living with her until we find jobs/accommodation) at about 2:00pm and the rest of the day was spent unpacking our luggage and drinking cups of tea with all the many family/friends who stopped by to see us. Tony’s son and his wife came by with their little boy who is a year old and that was the first time Tony had seen his grandson, which was just lovely. Over the previous few months, we had sent ahead about 10 boxes of our clothing and other bits and bobs and – would you believe this – mum had taken all our clothes out of those boxes, washed and IRONED everything, and had them hanging in the closets of our guestroom! She is such a lovely woman, my mum-in-law. She even made a special point of setting out framed pictures of Tony’s kids and my grandchildren on the window ledge of our room to make it homey for us.
Sunday
We overslept on Sunday morning! Then in the afternoon, we joined Tony’s son and other friends/family for a picnic on the river in Richmond. (Parking was a NIGHTMARE - but we knew it would be.) Some of us then rode out to Richmond Park where Tony’s dad’s ashes are scattered.
Monday
On Monday, we got straight to work! First of all, we went to a huge car auction in Camberley. We didn’t plan on that, but a family friend’s car was going to be in the auction and we knew how well it was cared for and hoped to get it. None of us had ever been to a car auction before (it is open to the public and to dealers) and I must say, it was an AMAZING experience … even though we were outbid on the car.
Loads of fun, it was. We do have the Hertz rental car for a month, but we may actually go back up to the auction again now that we know a bit more about how it works. There were cars sold of every make, model and year and the auction prices ranged from £300 to £20,000 plus. I'm not a "gear-head" but it sure was interesting!
After the auction, we did some shopping. Purchased 2 mobile phones for ourselves at Tesco – we bought the prepaid type mainly because as of yet we do not know exactly where we will eventually settle. We got very basic phones which cost £15 each. Tesco have a deal where you buy their phone and load £10 of airtime, and then they give you an additional £20 of airtime for free; you can do this every month. Calls are 20p/minute but you can program in 5 special numbers and calls to those numbers are 10p/minute.
We picked up paperwork at a local medical clinic in order to sign-on with them. We’ll be turning that in soon as we will be needing prescription refills within the next month or so.
I brought my American Acer Aspire netbook with me and we easily purchased a UK power lead for it at Maplan for £8.99. (It was less expensive there than PC World.)
Went to The Goat for a meal with an aunt, uncle and cousin. So nice to be eating pub grub again!
Tuesday
Tony is on the phone right now with the unemployment office giving them – practically –his life history in order to sign up for benefits. We have no idea what, if anything, he will be entitled to but we figured it wouldn’t hurt. But the good news is that he already has a job interview on Thursday, so maybe unemployment compensation will not even be necessary. Just fyi – you make your initial contact to Job Service via a telephone call. UPDATE: We have an appointment for tomorrow and are supposed to bring in all our bank information, etc. so I will keep you updated on what happens.
Tonight we are out to The Bell for a meal.
Misc notes
We previously lived in SW London and are familiar with heavy traffic – but the traffic has definitely seemed to have increased tenfold in the 6 years that we have been away.
We were shocked to see an Al Jazeera channel (with English subtitles) on the telly!
Having to pay for parking is a real downer - but again, we’ve lived here before and know about it but we still don’t like it!
So that’s my news to date everyone. Now I’m going to fix myself a nice cuppa and try to read through all the posts that I’ve missed. I will try to get back here within the next day or so. Please bear with me as we're still adjusting!![Big Grin](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/biggrin.gif)
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Voyage from New York to Southampton (08 Aug – 14 Aug)
The trip over on the QM2 was superb. Our balcony stateroom was large and very comfortable with nightly turndown service and, yes, chocolates on the pillow. The staff were excellent, the food was delicious. Afternoon Tea was served daily in two different locations. The sheer amount of onboard activities (mostly all included in the trip cost, except for the painting classes) kept us very busy – lectures, films, classes, dances, wine tastings, etc. Our favorite activity was quiz time twice a day in The Golden Lion pub. John Cleese, the celebrity lecturer, was brilliant and we really enjoyed his talks which included an interview about his life and career, a Q&A session with the audience, and a special screening of “The Psychiatrist” episode of Fawlty Towers. (Celia Imrie, one of the “Calendar Girls”, was also onboard and did a couple of talks.) We had calm seas the entire way. Immigration was a breeze. They dealt with visas/passports on a deck-by-deck basis and it took about 5 minutes for me to have my Visa stamped “14 Aug 2010 Southampton”. For those of you who might be considering a transatlantic voyage over, we paid about $2,500 for both of us. It is all-inclusive except for the cost of soft drinks (for $27.95 Tony purchased the unlimited soft-drinks package) and alcoholic drinks; and internet access was $47.95/120 minutes (there were more expensive packages also available). And oh yes - we would set our clocks ahead one hour every night when we went to bed so that 5-hour time difference was gradual and certainly made life easier once we finally arrived.
All in all, I would definitely recommend arriving in England by a transatlantic journey. In our situation, it was cheaper than airfare, so excellent value for money. If anyone has any questions at all, I will be happy to try and answer them!
Arrival in Southampton
We disembarked at 9:45 am and caught a taxi for the 5 minute ride to Hertz Car Rental where we had pre-booked a month-long rental. (It's a Kia manual, sorry I can't recall the model. Cost: about£750 for a 30-day rental) There were several cruise ships in that morning so it took some time (almost an hour) before we were actually in our rental, but we eventually got it sorted and headed up to London via the M25/M3. It took us several hours due to a couple of traffic accidents. WELCOME TO ENGLAND!
![LOL](https://britishexpats.com/forum/images/smilies/lol.gif)
Saturday
We arrived at my mum-in-law’s (we are living with her until we find jobs/accommodation) at about 2:00pm and the rest of the day was spent unpacking our luggage and drinking cups of tea with all the many family/friends who stopped by to see us. Tony’s son and his wife came by with their little boy who is a year old and that was the first time Tony had seen his grandson, which was just lovely. Over the previous few months, we had sent ahead about 10 boxes of our clothing and other bits and bobs and – would you believe this – mum had taken all our clothes out of those boxes, washed and IRONED everything, and had them hanging in the closets of our guestroom! She is such a lovely woman, my mum-in-law. She even made a special point of setting out framed pictures of Tony’s kids and my grandchildren on the window ledge of our room to make it homey for us.
Sunday
We overslept on Sunday morning! Then in the afternoon, we joined Tony’s son and other friends/family for a picnic on the river in Richmond. (Parking was a NIGHTMARE - but we knew it would be.) Some of us then rode out to Richmond Park where Tony’s dad’s ashes are scattered.
Monday
On Monday, we got straight to work! First of all, we went to a huge car auction in Camberley. We didn’t plan on that, but a family friend’s car was going to be in the auction and we knew how well it was cared for and hoped to get it. None of us had ever been to a car auction before (it is open to the public and to dealers) and I must say, it was an AMAZING experience … even though we were outbid on the car.
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After the auction, we did some shopping. Purchased 2 mobile phones for ourselves at Tesco – we bought the prepaid type mainly because as of yet we do not know exactly where we will eventually settle. We got very basic phones which cost £15 each. Tesco have a deal where you buy their phone and load £10 of airtime, and then they give you an additional £20 of airtime for free; you can do this every month. Calls are 20p/minute but you can program in 5 special numbers and calls to those numbers are 10p/minute.
We picked up paperwork at a local medical clinic in order to sign-on with them. We’ll be turning that in soon as we will be needing prescription refills within the next month or so.
I brought my American Acer Aspire netbook with me and we easily purchased a UK power lead for it at Maplan for £8.99. (It was less expensive there than PC World.)
Went to The Goat for a meal with an aunt, uncle and cousin. So nice to be eating pub grub again!
Tuesday
Tony is on the phone right now with the unemployment office giving them – practically –his life history in order to sign up for benefits. We have no idea what, if anything, he will be entitled to but we figured it wouldn’t hurt. But the good news is that he already has a job interview on Thursday, so maybe unemployment compensation will not even be necessary. Just fyi – you make your initial contact to Job Service via a telephone call. UPDATE: We have an appointment for tomorrow and are supposed to bring in all our bank information, etc. so I will keep you updated on what happens.
Tonight we are out to The Bell for a meal.
Misc notes
We previously lived in SW London and are familiar with heavy traffic – but the traffic has definitely seemed to have increased tenfold in the 6 years that we have been away.
We were shocked to see an Al Jazeera channel (with English subtitles) on the telly!
Having to pay for parking is a real downer - but again, we’ve lived here before and know about it but we still don’t like it!
So that’s my news to date everyone. Now I’m going to fix myself a nice cuppa and try to read through all the posts that I’ve missed. I will try to get back here within the next day or so. Please bear with me as we're still adjusting!
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You sound like you are having a ball.
Enjoy and
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Chris
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Hi Chris and welcome home!!!!
What a lovely way to end one stage of your life and start another, I would love to have that experience, and little bit of luxury.
Your mother in Law sounds lovely, and really thoughtful, I too am envious of the pub grub hmmmmm
Keeping fingers crossed for hubbys job interview, would'nt that be the icing on the cake, good luck to you both and i am looking forward to hearing all your updates
Denise
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Good Morning everyone, well I must be feeling a bit emotional because Denise, you post made tears well up in my eyes, ....guess i am feeling very homesick today. Wow what a wonderful journey so far and what a wonderful Mum in law, I have a question about the boxes you sent, can you tell me who you sent them with and do you remember how much they cost, you know just an average per pound even something like that. I have some things that if I make it back i want to take but no enough to send in a container or anything.
Denise1 how are you settling down?
ED I do hope something really good happens for you, so the grooming lady you met her since you went home this time? Thats awesome.
Rodney get started on the garage!!!!!!!!!! You will be sorry if you dont.
Welcome Cheers!
Chris glad everything is going well in Ireland.
5 weeks today I will be getting ready to leave for my 8 weeks trip to the UK.......I cant wait. waited 13 years to have this time for me......
Good luck everyone.....
Fish how you doing??
Trotty coffee, beer, wine, ice cream, let me know, call me??
Denise1 how are you settling down?
ED I do hope something really good happens for you, so the grooming lady you met her since you went home this time? Thats awesome.
Rodney get started on the garage!!!!!!!!!! You will be sorry if you dont.
Welcome Cheers!
Chris glad everything is going well in Ireland.
5 weeks today I will be getting ready to leave for my 8 weeks trip to the UK.......I cant wait. waited 13 years to have this time for me......
Good luck everyone.....
Fish how you doing??
Trotty coffee, beer, wine, ice cream, let me know, call me??
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Good Morning everyone, well I must be feeling a bit emotional because Denise, you post made tears well up in my eyes, ....guess i am feeling very homesick today. Wow what a wonderful journey so far and what a wonderful Mum in law, I have a question about the boxes you sent, can you tell me who you sent them with and do you remember how much they cost, you know just an average per pound even something like that. I have some things that if I make it back i want to take but no enough to send in a container or anything.
Denise1 how are you settling down?
ED I do hope something really good happens for you, so the grooming lady you met her since you went home this time? Thats awesome.
Rodney get started on the garage!!!!!!!!!! You will be sorry if you dont.
Welcome Cheers!
Chris glad everything is going well in Ireland.
5 weeks today I will be getting ready to leave for my 8 weeks trip to the UK.......I cant wait. waited 13 years to have this time for me......
Good luck everyone.....
Fish how you doing??
Trotty coffee, beer, wine, ice cream, let me know, call me??
Denise1 how are you settling down?
ED I do hope something really good happens for you, so the grooming lady you met her since you went home this time? Thats awesome.
Rodney get started on the garage!!!!!!!!!! You will be sorry if you dont.
Welcome Cheers!
Chris glad everything is going well in Ireland.
5 weeks today I will be getting ready to leave for my 8 weeks trip to the UK.......I cant wait. waited 13 years to have this time for me......
Good luck everyone.....
Fish how you doing??
Trotty coffee, beer, wine, ice cream, let me know, call me??
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Actually Charleygirl, I looked up on the internet to see if there were any dog grooming shops in the area that I first moved too last September and called her when I was still in Canada, asking if she had any work as I do have experience in dog grooming, she told me to give her a call when I arrived. I worked for her for a few months off and on when I first arrived and we have become good friends. This has been my first time back in UK since I left over 45 years ago as a young child, so this has been a huge culture shock.
I hear what you say about a culture shock, I think everyone returning experiences this on some level. I was 7 when my parents dragged me off to Africa - I will have been 50 years out of UK when I return in a few (short) years, although I have been back for holidays and have loads of family and friends there. When my mum was in her 60's she wanted to return to Northumberland, to her family, but never had the courage. She has since died, and so when I go back, I go back for us both!
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The heavy traffic in London these days doesn't surprise me, or the parking fees, I was talking to a couple from London just yesterday, (I get to meet a lot of people from many countries in the world at my Job) and well they mentioned that they live on the outskirts of London and when ever they have to go into the city that there is a toll fee of about 10 pounds,
Please keep your postings coming, they are so important to everyone, especially to the people on here that are going home shortly,
And I also envy you on the Pub Grub, is there any fish & chip shops near by to where you live?
Take care,
Rodney.
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