I don't have Koi, but I did inherit 8 goldfish (2 of which I managed to kill within a few weeks, but the rest I've kept alive). Yes, they've successfully hibernated under the ice for 3 winters now.

I really couldn't be bothered with a fishpond but I feel responsible for the 6 remaining souls in there -to the point that I've paid for repairs to the pond pump and all kinds of other baloney. Honestly, I need to be more ruthless, but it's not just one of those ponds I could just give away the fish and turn it into a flower bed (it's a raised pond, and ... oh, it's complicated just like the rest of the House that Jack Built and I ended up being stupid enough to buy).

Thanks Fish, I will be following my guts, it's the only way to live

Wonderfulperson, my mother, aunts and elder sister all went to the Royal A&A School for a bit, when were you there?

Out of interest where in Surrey are you thinking of moving to?? I'm just looking at trying to go the other way (hopefully to somewhere in Canada by the end of the year) as things aren't particularly great at the moment in my profession and just generally (bad in a different way to the bad situation in the USA).

Sorry can't keep up with the posts, MBTTUK has gone a bit crazy today!!

Well in the general area of Heathrow, don't know really, it would be like you emigrating to Canada, I know nowt about darn sarf!!

Wow... Henleys nice as I remember...

hahhaaaaaa Best laugh of the day for me, tell Jack Thanks...

I know what you mean, if you go somewhere you want to make the right decision rather than just blindly end up somewhere and have to make the best of it as you didn't do the necessary groundwork. So you're thinking of somewhere like Hillingdon?? (that's more like West London - I'm closer to Gatwick).

I had visions of gangs wearing fred perry shirts and talking with a posh accents
I'm told we have a gang and drug problem here where we live and we are rural, I've never seen a one, everyone is nice that we've met and I feel very safe. (apart from the dogs)
But we live in an extremely high use Meth area. Social services has more than twice the number of children in care than the neighboring county, and that county has double the number of people living there.
Now pit bulls are a big problem around our neighborhood, I swear the family at the end of the road are running a puppy mill on a small scale.
In UK I used to complain about Dog doo all over, but I'd rather dodge that that be charged at by a raging pitbull dog.

Yikes Mummy I love dogs but I dont care for those and a few others, I know some defend them and say they are nice, thats OK for them so say, I just dont trust them, its a gut feeling thing or basic Fear.

Meths seems a like problem everywhere and look at the mess it leaves, I know a guy whos kids got on that, now he's playing Dad to his Grandkids at 65 and in bad health with Diabetes, they had to remove his leg, Drugs are a major problem in this world as they affect others indirectly, and I know the problem will always be here.

the pitbull thing here is insane.... i love dogs more thana nything but really couldnt care for therm, i know people say "its hwothey are raised" but they are fighting dogs, just last nigt on the new a little girl aged 4 was killed by te 2 pitbulls next door to her, pulled the poor girl about like a rag doll... some apartmens i worked at in florida banned them....

This is too much of a generalization as it depends where you live. Where I am now is safer than the area of Toronto I lived in. And where I plan to move in the UK is safer than here.

Love the fact you feel responsible for them, Dunroving. Very few feel that way. That's how I would feel, too, though.

I found it a bit odd that the seller didn't even mention that he was leaving them behind - but then he was a pretty odd person. Haven't heard a good word said about him in the 4 years I've lived here, and I have found some bizarre things buried in the garden.

He did have some Koi in the pond, apparently, but sold them to a neighbour (I think they are quite expensive).

Weird things buried in the garden eh! Sounds like you bought the UK version of H.S. house in the US over the in the Lounge section
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=639785 It starts out strange enough and gets worse, he uncovers so many creepy things. and theres pictures.