4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[AJuff]

that my friend and her lovely family are moving down to Essex and I'll really miss them.

[redhotchick]

I feel for you AJuff.

 

My best friend in the world moved to.......Australia

 

We've e-mailed a couple of times a week for years!

We phone occasionally and we've visited each other.

I'm going this Christmas.

It's not the same as meeting up for coffee, or being there for each other through difficult times, but real friendships endure.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

What a shame .

[Cyber Chook]

Is that a long way away from where you are? My dearest friend moved away to Pembrokeshire from London. She comes to London sometimes, and we pick up where we left off, and I know we'll always be friends, but it isn't the same as having that closer contact. It's hard isn't it, I think for me it felt like the end of an era, in a way.

 

Sending a hug

 

Caroline

[Olly]

I understand why you're feeling sad. I moved from Leicestershire to London 11 years ago, and left my dear best friend behind. We didn't live in the same town, but she was only 20 minutes away and it's a big difference knowing that she wasn't there if I needed her (because I live alone, friends are very important!).

 

Eleven years on we text each other frequently, email and phone regularly, and meet up every few months - because we don't see each other so often, we spend whole weekends together which I probably wouldn't have done when we lived near each other. We also go away for a weekend once every year. If it's a good friendship, it will endure.

 

I do know what it feels like however, it's a huge loss. I have made new, equally good friends down in London, and she's made other friends who live nearby, but we both value our relationship which goes back such a long way.

 

Essex is lovely, You could come and visit her!

[Snowy]

Horrid when people move away isn't it? My best friend moved to another village - only 10 miles away, but it is not the same as popping in for coffee on the way to the shop or after the school run. And my brother and his wife and children went to Canada - they lived in the same village as us and we were very close. I miss them both terribly.

(((Hugs))) for you Ajuff - I know how you must be feeling

[Cyber Chook]

IWe also go away for a weekend once every year.

 

I like that idea Olly, what a nice tradition to start up, and I'll suggest it to my friend. Sometimes my imagination doesn't seem to wake up to how easy it is to do something like that, and how important it is to make that effort with friendships, too.

 

Caroline

[Alis girls]

Yes my ex flatmate also moved to OS and we email regulalrly. Shes godmum to my boys and I am to one of her girls. She lived in Surrey and me in Mill Hill so we did see each other every 2months, but I cant see us getting to Os in near future - expense. Thank God for email

[Cinnamon]

My best pal Rhoda moved back to Austrailia with her family just under 3 years ago, & I have missed her horribly. I felt truly lost for weeks after she went,& it was made worse by knowing that she didn't want to leave at all,but they had to for family reasons.

 

She has just been back to visiit,they are in the air flying home now in fact,but it was so manic that we only got to meet up once,for lunch.

 

All the good intentions of keeping in touch fall by the wayside a bit when 'real life' kicks in ,but as Redhotchick says,true friendships endure & I know that she is always there for me,even is she is thousands of miles away.

 

Darn it,I have gone all weepy now too

[Redwing]

I moved away from Bristol last year and left my best friend behind, she has been to visit and I have been back down there and on the rare occassions we do manage to meet up its like I never moved away and its lovely

 

Like others have already said, a real friendship endures

[Staffordmum]

I left London for Bristol 4 yrs ago leaving friends, family and work ...

 

We were silly enough to think a cottage in the country would mean ppl flocking to see us - NOT!

 

I visited London last week for the Flower Show and it was quite impossible to get to see/speak to everyone I wanted/needed to. I was absolutely exhausted by the time I reached home.

 

Don't get me wrong - I wouldn't return to London if you paid me. However, I agree, all good intentions of keeping in touch simply "fall by the wayside" over time ...

 

I have made a few good friends here, it's always nice to meet like minded ppl - and chat on the forum, of course!

 

Thank goodness for the internet - without which, I'd be totally lost ...

 

Pat & Steve

[Sheilaz]

...

We were silly enough to think a cottage in the country would mean ppl flocking to see us - NOT!

Pat & Steve

 

That made me think; there are a couple of people that I've thought of visiting but somehow feel I might be imposing.

 

If I say, "I was thinking of calling when I'm down that way", they can't really say "sorry, have a new life, don't really want hoards of visitors, just because we live in a country cottage doesn't mean we're a holiday drop in centre..." so I don't put them in that position.

 

So, your friends (reserved Londoners?) might be doing the same thing. It sounds daft now I've typed it, but I might be thinking not to impose, and my friends might be thinking no one ever calls.

 

Perhaps making sure you've issued lots of sincere open invitations, and even direct ones to best friends?

 

A new neighbour observed that the locals will invite you once & it's polite to decline, then if they ask again you accept because they really meant it!

 

Just a thought.

 

You'll be inundated with Omleteers now anyway!

[*mummy_hen*]

* Hugs *

 

True friendship will survive anything though. My mum and Dad moved away from their best friends years and years and years ago and although they wish they sure them more often, they always come to stay at least once a year and their friendship is as good as ever!

[AJuff]

I'm in Hexham and Essex is a long long way away . . . . .

 

email and texts are a good things to keep in contact but they don't beat getting together.

[Sheilaz]

It is hard, I do sympathise. . I meant to add this to my previous post but somehow ended up with error messages & had to log out.

 

DS2's three best friends, who all lived within a few yards of us, all moved far away at the end of year 6! Nothing we said, honestly! 2 of the mums were my most regular friends too!

It's such a shame, it did alter our lives, not for the better. I think it's harder for the ones left behind, there's a gap, rather than an adventure.

 

However, in the 14 years since, I have seen the one 60 miles away 3 times a year, we have a day in London which includes a very long lunch! For a couple of years the boys spent time in the holidays, then it fizzled. They've recently deliberately met up again, their own initiative, and I'm sure they're friends for life too.

 

The one further away joins in about once a year & we'll always meet up too. We've agreed to see each other onto the train, whoever needs it most, in years to come.

 

So, these can be advantages, having friends dotted around as well as local ones, but it does hurt when they go. Best wishes, AJuff.

[Valkyrie]

A friend I used to work with in London lived in Greenwich. I lived in Virginia Water. She was my bridesmaid and I went to her wedding. They moved to Switzerland for a long time and we still exchanged news via letters. Then she came home to Blackheath while we moved away to Hook. She has now moved to Bromley and we still keep in touch and visit now and again. It doesn't have to mean "never again" just because of a few miles (OK you know what I mean though).