Pistolpete2

Judging by the posts yesterday and today on here I think that you are pretty close to the mark.

Unfortunately, if one for instance tries to contribute something meaningful by spilling one's guts to provide an alternative though maybe unconventional (i.e. not primarily to take advantage of the NHS as opposed to US healthcare or something similar) point of view to moving back one is largely (acknowledge though trottytrue ) ignored, so there's no winning. It can be very frustrating!

Moving right along, it's best to set-up your own thread with your lists as these could be a useful foundation for future reference. Think of what you can bring to the forum and not just what you can take out.

Perks for over 60s returning to the UK: maybe.

I agree with other posters that it really is just as easy for you to do research than anybody else on here as we aren't there yet and might not necessarily be motivated by the perks per se whether we are or aren't. The thought of that being the prime motivator can rub some people up the wrong way - me for instance. I've seen stony silence after such request posts all over BE.

We are supposed to at least pretend that we are longing for home and family and old friends. Those who approach the move on just the WIIFM basis can get some cold-shouldering, possibly depending upon whether they are part of the crew or just johnny-come-lately.

sallysimmons

This made me smile and reminded me of something I read lately about misunderstandings between Americans and Brits.

In America 'quite nice' is a positive, whereas in the UK 'quite nice' means 'actually not all that great but I don't want to sound rude.'

cheers

That's interesting.

I'll try 'that's a beautiful area/ride'

Beedubya

cheers

Pete this thread got divided into sub areas for different interests and then about 10 days ago the whole thing died so I thought since this is the main thread I would post everything on here because no one was posting. So now that everyone is getting involved I will use the chit/chat thread where most of my posts belong.
Some threads died when they were spun off, example, healthcare and halfway house for returning expats.

Is this what you were saying or did I get it wrong?

Gabgoeshome

No .no ...not again...

<<holds head in hands >>

Beedubya

It only spun off when it was US Healthcare getting slammed, not British NHS which is what my post was about, now that seems to have upset some people because it is seen as being part of the crew?

I am getting so tired of all this malarkey, I remember when I joined back in January 2010 this thread had a whole different vibe which slowly seems to have gone downhill.........

Pistolpete2

Partly cheers! but I was taking more than one bite from the cherry.

Straying off topic for extended periods can be a mortal sin . Lots of folks throw it up in our collective faces from time to time on all threads but this one was looking good there for a time just now and onlookers were rightfully impressed.

If we have time on our hands to stray off-topic that time would be better devoted to responding to inquiries.

New posters clearly regard this as a critical information resource in spite of the resource generators being unpaid volunteers who are probably mostly using it as a recreational pursuit.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with that on all threads, so long as we abide by the intent of the OP who can typically claim licence or title. I'm sure you will agree that they jump in and tell us about ourselves when we are very naughty.

Regarding dying threads,

I think that we need to recognise that if we work hard early on we will probably cover all the ground there is to cover and run out of new items to post about, if we don't strain it. Location.... is now pretty mature, at least for Southern research but that is not a problem and it can still be referred to.

This thread should be regarded as a resource and chat should be elsewhere as you point out. The chat thread is still active.

Personally, I regard chat ref the NHS access bit as hard to take because it is discretionary and the discretionary piece is broke(n). Not at all satisfactory overall, though it could be for the prospective patient if they are given access that they should NOT be entitled to and I see an awful lot of that (ref the NHS) where I come from. But that's me!

The rules regarding access to the NHS are changing slightly and more access to overall healthcare including hospital treatment is being supposedly gained through Doctors' consortia. This makes eligibility an even more important issue which should be better defined than pure discretion.

sallysimmons

I agree. I stayed away because of the constant hectoring about what was and wasn't appropriate for discussion. I came back because things seemed to have settled down and the conversation was interesting again ... apparently I was wrong.

What nonsense.

Pistolpete, have at it - it's all yours!

Beedubya

Well done, not long to go, you are now on the emotional roller coaster so hang on and hold tight and be prepared for all the ups and downs.

Gabgoeshome

I'm sorry.

You have had such a bad W/end to boot.

Thank you for your post,I have no idea why that post would be out of place *anywhere* in this section

glad you are on the mend Bee!

charleygirl

Hi wondered if you saw this on moved back thread, in fact not sure if he posted it here but anyway.

Posted by Barnstable today:

I feel the need to give something back to this forum, because I have leaned on the experiences of so many members during the past three or four years while agonizing over some necessary decisions that had to be made. I hope that, in some small way, our experiences may assist others who may be in similar positions, and I look forward to answering any questions that other members may have.

My wife and I returned to England in February 2011, after living in Canada for 23 years.

It wasn't an easy decision to make, especially as it meant leaving grown children and grand children in North America. The truth is that I have always missed England and have never in my heart given myself to Canada, so therein may have lain part of the problem.

A number of reasons came into play, including the fact that we did not want to grow old in Canada, to perhaps end up in an old folks home, and to be in a position whereby we were "stuck" and couldn't return to England.

My health is taking a turn for the worse and the extremes in Canadian temperatures were getting harder to take. Neither of us were enjoying the hot and humid summers and the freezing cold winters.

We did enjoy the North American way of life, in the main, so our decision to return was based mainly on personal reasons. Any "dislikes" we had of living in Canada were not, in themselves, enough to motivate us to return to England other than the weather. As mentioned, I have always missed England and the beautiful scenery, and also being near to the sea.

So we arrived back in England in February 2011, and stayed with friends in Devon. We have today heard that our furniture has been shipped, and is due to arrive in London on 2 July; the day after we move into our new home.

On the day of our arrival it rained heavily the whole of the way from Heathrow to Devon, but in the weeks that followed we saw no further rain. In fact the sun came out every day and the excellent weather helped to welcome us home.

Since our arrival we have thankfully confirmed that our decision to return was the correct one. Re-discovering the west country has been delightful, and we have especially enjoyed visiting Dartmoor, Exmoor and other places of beauty.

I think we are lucky to live in Devon, however, because some of the inner city areas that we have visited look to be dirty and jammed with traffic. The roads within housing areas look to be extremely narrow, with numerous cars parked on either side. The situation is so bad that it is difficult for even small cars to negotiate their way through.

The service in shops and restaurants still has its' shortcomings and many Brits seem to have taken on the North American way of speaking, with "have a good day" and similar sayings overheard all over. Perhaps a little more North American service, but less of the North American lingo and some of the attitude ?

The biggest shock is the cost of everyday items, especially petrol and consumer goods. It seems to us that it's pounds instead of dollars in cost, although the choice in everyday items, whether it be food or clothing, is vastly superior.

So we don't miss Canada at all, but do abhor the fact that the UK seems to be so overcrowded in some areas, even in the smaller towns, and that there seems to be so much "doom and gloom" around. Perhaps it is the "whinging Brits" syndrome or the content of the newspapers, but everything seems so negative here.

So that, in a nutshell, is our experience. As mentioned, if I can answer any questions, or even provide any advice to prospective "movers" - in either direction - I would be pleased to be of service.

charleygirl

And another post from a returnee, not sure if I want to read this but I think we all need to see both sides..........

frequentflyer posted this today

http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=721960

jasper123

Barb I joined this thread in August 2009 just about when it was launched by trottytrue, it started small then got big and we all gave each other support, we cared, we shared, we cried, we laughed, then the thread started to get really huge, all the new people were like us old people we were all just one great big happy family, everyone was welcome, ---- then a few bad apples came in --- I suppose that was inevitable really,
But here we are all together the old are trying to get back on here and get it back to where it was and then some jack ass makes a stupid comment and then the oldies just back off like frightened rabbits, --- well I say f--k em if somebody bothers you just ignore them as though there not there

Celticspirit

Barb....I am so relieved that you got such great emergency health care. It must have been very frightening for you. I have never heard a single complaint from my family in the UK regarding health care and I know for sure that my parents were very well taken care of in their elderly years.
Take care of yourself...,,