islandwoman120

I loved the robin in the bakery story. The American robins are in the thrush family - when I first went to live in the USA and people told me there were robins, I of course looked for our little fellows. I was sorely disappointed to learn the truth, but when I lived in the woods of MN. I learned to love them all. Fledging season was a time of great drama, and trauma - little ones flying and crash landing all over.

jasper123

Hello everyone,
Just came back from doing a bit of quick shopping, skimmed milk, corned beef, big bag white potatoes, big bag of oven fries/chips bag frozen broccoli, a crusty white loaf, 2 cans custard, and a bag of already cut up roast potatoes, total £9.43 great when theres two of you, less then a fiver each,
you just put the roast potatoes in oven and bake for 30 minutes and there done golden brown, I do the same with the parsnips you buy them in bags already cut and ready for oven same 30 minutes, so it makes next Sundays roast beef dinner nice & easy for me to cook, and even the yorkshire pudding comes already for the oven in bags too these days emmmmm
Rodney.

ldyinlv

I am just back from the store too...lots of yummy English stuff..cream Donuts..yummy.(need them like a hole in my head)
What I like about England is there are real women here. Not everyone on TV is a size 2....its wonderful. I am having a hard time getting my sleep on track, up all night, and tired all day, but hopefully that will change soon. I hope everyone is well, will be back later.
Jackie..

charleygirl

Aw lovely to hear from you both ..........shopping trips sounds great! I love those Yorkshires Rodney! And they taste so homemade. Doesnt sound to expensive rodney either.....

I asked a while ago about how much your excess baggae charges were but the thread moved so quick I think you missed it, was it BA?

jackie so lovely to hear you sounding happy and contented, are you planning to look for work etc...

cheers

I went to sleep last night at 10:30pm and woke up at 1 am and that was it. This is getting to be a habit. I do take a nap during the day. Maybe things would straighten out if I came over there huh??

Great to read you posts

jasper123

Hi charleygirl,
Well my excess baggage was first case free, case 2 cost $48 case 3 & 4 cost
$112 each so grand total 4 bags = $272
I went by Virgin non stop from Vegas to Gatwick, --- but I arrived in the coldest December for 100 years in UK so too much snow at Gatwick so we were forced to land at Heathrow,
When you going back home?
Take care,
Rodney.

cally49

Hi again it will be four years since i was back there before that i had been going back every year for6 yrs for at least 6 weeks and one stint of 7 months when me and ex hubby split up......I shall be going back to a small village not far from Lincoln in Lincolnshire and initally staying with my mum and stepdad and then i have offers to stay with all my brothers if i want to have a change and if i decide to stay i know of a cottage coming up to rent.

Im pretty lucky as my brother owns a car sales so he makes sure i have some wheels lol and he said he's waiting for me to arive so he can take me to his boat in the south of france (his treat he said) so im looking forward to that....hey theres a thought maybe i can be his full time boat keeper and live on his boat in France lmao!
Safe travels for you and yes you are right it prob is my first post in the over 50s & 60s.......
Talk soon and good luck for your travels! xxx,

jasper123

Jackie you just take your sweet old time getting your sleep back in order, get used to the difference of this fabulous way of life that we once turned our back on, I love it here, thought I would but didn't have a clue it would be like this, for the first time Im in love with England, Im certain of it, well I will tell you one thing, this Man will never ever take the UK for granted again,


Don't look back
Never waste a single moment looking back to all thats gone
Instead focus on the future that you now may build upon,
Dont anguish with regret throughout every single day
About anything you did Or over things you didn't say,
Instead reach out for the stars shining brightly in the sky
And there bring to life a magic as each day goes passing by,
They will help to guide you along the path that lies ahead
So that you'll never again awaken with a sense of fear or dread,
So make a promise to yourself that you'll make a brand new start
And keep these words of wisdom closely in your heart!
Take care,
Rodney.

beachgal21

What a lovely verse, it quite brought a lump to my throat. I used to think that I wished I'd never moved to the US. Now I'm glad that I did, if only because it's made me really appreciate the what I left behind in the UK.

jasper123

Beachgal,
You got that right, a lot of people over here ask me where I come from and so I tell them and say Ive come home for good to retire, and so they say why did you want to come back to England for? and there looking at me very strange you know like Im crazy or something,
Thats it you see they dont get it cause they have always lived here, to appreciate it the way we do, to the degree that we do and to see it in our eyes you have to go away for sometime and then return,
The most important thing is that it dont matter how long we have been away for but when we return to our home (DONT LOOK BACK)
Take care,
Rodney.






























we never look back

trottytrue

Jasper123.........That was a lovely verse. Tonight when I take Gabby out in the cold and look up at the sky and the stars I will think about those words. Its cold and we are expecting another big snow storm so your words of inspiration come at a perfect time. No need to look back look to the future through the stars

People in the UK dont know how good they have it. Most have never been out of the country and just love to moan. I cannot tell you how many people ask me why am I coming home. I cant seem to make them understand. They seem to think everywhere else is paradise. They need to wake up. I had a friend who lived in Spain and moaned about having to go back to the UK when her husband got sick but she was very happy to get him healthcare.

I do think the law needs to change so they can get those people who love to sit on their backside and reap the benefit of other peoples hardwork are made to get a job. It takes away from those who really do need help.

I do fancy this coming Sundays dinner Rodney.

cheers

I think two things affect peoples attitudes towards Britain and one is the newspapers writing such silly things as a big iceberg could come and destroy Birmingham. The the word 'could' is used. Another thing that effects peoples attitude is the weather. If it cloudy and cold it can damper peoples spirit.

I can imagine some people wont want to keep talking to you if you start to tell them how great living in Britain is.

This all amounts to thinking and talking positive which as you point out Rod isn't very hard to do now that your in England.

Who wrote "No mans knows (and appreciates) England from within unless he knows England from without"?

Wawa

I shall say (well, when I eventually get there)....Dont knock it until you have lived in Canada It was -18 on my way to work this morning. THAT would give 'em something to grumble about.

We are expecting between 20-30 cms of snow tomorrow.

Rod that was a lovely poem, thanks for sharing. I have saved it. How fitting to us all trying to get back home. Its all about accepting our past so we can move into our future.

between two worlds

I don't know who wrote this, but it made me think of a beautiful poem by Ivor Gurney (1890-1937):

Song

Only the wanderer
Knows England’s graces,
Or can anew see clear
Familiar faces.

And who loves Joy as he
That dwells in shadows?
Do not forget me quite,
O Severn Meadows.

Ivor Gurney.

Many of you will know his work, he wrote many lovely poems about missing England during the first World War... which affected him terribly, though he did survive it. many of the poems are online, in the public domain now, i believe.

Tina

islandwoman120

I have noticed since moving back to the UK that when people speak they use negatives. For example: 'You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?' or 'You wouldn't happen to be taking the bus to town?'

They don't realise that they are speaking in negatives, so when I go into the library, for example, and say "Do you have a copy of ------" as opposed to "You wouldn't happen to have a copy of -------- would you?" it just makes more sense. When I hear the negatives spoken, I want to say "No. I don't" which is not the answer they are looking for. Like saying sorry when you bump into someone and they apologise to you!

It's a cultural thing for sure.