Mummy in the foothills

I agree house sales and rents are both higher in the south. If I wasn't aiming for North Wales I'd look at Yorkshire, never been there but the locals rave about the place and the pictures look lovely.

chriswinter

Gosh, Cheers..at my age I hate to think about that stuff for me. But I have determined..it will be cremation. My one daughter has her dads' ashes, am thinking this will be the daughter that will hold on to mine as well. Best of British Luck to my dau..having her dad and I in the same house again!

bandrui

Sally, I did the same thing on one of my trips back to England. I have a good friend Judi in my home town. We have known each other since 5 years old. She told me she would try and find my ex-boyfriend that I nearly married. She did. He had died of a heart attack . It really shocked me.
I made a decision at 13 years of age that I would leave England when I was old enough. Looking back I think it was to escape the fact that my family had my life all planned out, if you know what I mean but also I always loved travel and was intrigued by foreign countries, different cultures. Went to France at 15, Spain at 16, and so it has been. I always knew that was my destiny.
At the same time, when I go back, I see everything as though through a child's eyes. I find the simplest little things so magical, like the shape of the green fields as you fly in, double decker buses. Just ordinary everyday things have this wonderful feeling of Englishness to them and it warms my heart. I, like you, look at my friends' lives and a part of me wishes I could have been a part of what they have experienced by staying there, that sense of belonging and continuity. I know that I cannot recreate that continuity when I go back but at least I will be in my country and be better able to appreciate it than those who have never experienced living somewhere else.

BEVS

I went back just over two years ago for a few months. It was to care for my Dad until he passed away. T'was winter-time and there was a red robin in the garden and a resident fox. Snow was on the ground.

We don't get such things here where I live in New Zealand. We've been here over 7 years now.

I took the time to walk down the zigzag and go along the prom a way. I just love that view. It's in my heart and soul forever. Isle of Wight to the right. Purbecks to the left. Pointy beach huts . Groynes.

My parents deliberately chose Bournemouth in the 50's . The beach and B'mth gardens were my playground when I was young.

Easterndawn

My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your mom, remember the good memories, it is good that you are home to support your mom.

between two worlds

Sally, I can relate. I too have felt like this sometimes on occasion, I too had a serious boyfriend when young, one who wasn't interested in going off and travelling the way I was. (THough that wasn't really why we broke up).
And in later life we got back in touch--and, as you say about yours, he has a life very close to where we grew up, familiar surroundings, etc etc. So yes, I have sometimes wondered "What if..."

BUT....despite sometimes wishing I had that comfort of living in familiar English surroundings, that continuity, I don't really regret a thing! I went off to Italy right after college, and the five years I spent there were wonderful....plus I met there the man I'm still in love with, thirty-three years after we met. Yes, he's from the US, which has meant lots of heartbreak --because all my "family of origin" is still in UK--and has created that sense of always being torn between worlds. And that is painful,and will never be completely resolved now, as my children are Americans and will probably always live there. BUT--if I hadn't gone off seeking pastures new, we wouldn't have met, had our life together, we wouldn't have had these three wonderful children...

So, in my own case, yes, I've had those moments of wistful regret, those wonderings what it would have been like to have stayed in England...but then I think, well, I do feel it was all "meant to be" the way it happened.

The thing is, when I was young, although I did know--much more than lots of expats seem to have done-- that I loved England passionately, I didn't realise quite how much and how deeply. I only found that out later. And yes, sometimes I have chastised myself for that youthful blindness.

But in the end, no regrets.

Tina

jasper123

BON VOYAGE Lorac, and dont worry about settling in, you will be fine.

HighSpeedGrandma

The zigzag is the walk I take. I love walking along the prom. Yes the views, are just beautiful. I am very much enjoying appreciating the beauty the UK has to offer. Something I never appreciated when I was a young mum with two small girls.

Now I feel it's 'me' time. And I am loving it. But I couldn't be doing it without the help of family. It's so lovely to be back near family again after 21 years away from them all.

You were lucky to have such a lovely place to spend your childhood. What lovely memories.

curleytops

My condolences Rodney, please, you and your Mum take care of one another

cheers

Thats where DW wants to go on the next holiday over there so maybe I can spark an interest for that part of the world.

curleytops

Sally, I think it's only natural to wonder about all the "what if's" and its very easy to beat yourself up for not choosing other options in the past. There are times when my hubby-to-be and I feel a bit sadness in not having been together years ago and we both believe that had I remained in our home town in the UK we would have ended up together years ago. We would have loved to have had kids together but we are too old for that now and just tell each other to cherish what we have now and look forward to enjoying our lives together. I told him some time back that perhaps we had to go through some of the bumps and pitfalls in our pasts to become the people we are today and that's why our relationship means so much to us now. So, with that in mind, next week I am going home to marry a curly haired little lad I met when we were both five years old and I am taking with me a very special appreciation of him and the land I left so long ago. In one way, we are all fortunate to have had the time away because it has given us a very special appreciation of home!

cheers

CREMATION.

That reminds me of someone who had the ashes of their Uncle Fred, who had passed away in Australia, sent back to England by some of his friends there. They posted the ashes with no message so when the relatives received it they thought it was from Uncle Fred and they also thought the ashes were some kind of special seasoning from Australian and they proceeded to put it on every thing they cooked. It was only later when they received a follow up letter that they found out it was Uncle Freds ashes.

cheers

You put into words some of my thoughts. When I look at farm gates on Rightmove or styles to go into fields and then there are simple common sights of red pillar boxes for the post and red phone boxes. Also there is the smell and feel of the sea air..wonderful. Yes, the feeling of Englishness.
As I have previously posted....'no man knows England from within who doesn't know England from without'

Cheers.

cheers

You can always count on Americans to do the right thing—after they’ve tried everything else.

Winston S. Churchill

cheers

An Englishman, even if he is alone, forms an orderly queue of one.
George Mikes

The reason why Englishmen are the best husbands in the world is because they want to be faithful. A Frenchman or an Italian will wake up in the morning and wonder what girl he will meet. An Englishman wakes up and wonders what the cricket score is.
Barbara Cartland

The English contribution to world cuisine - the chip.
John Cleese

On the Continent people have good food; in England people have good table manners.
George Mikes