Omlet cube and run

[Chortle Chook]

I sometimes feel my life needs 'waking up' and I have been curled up in the gloom for too long. OH says we should go and live abroad and on the Oxfordshire radio this morning they had a thing going about people who had shaken the UK dust from their shoes. People were phoning in from Spain etc. where they were overlooking swimming pools or the sea and sipping coffee in the warm sun. BUT I just can't quite see myself doing it. I have this nagging feeling that I'd miss the daffs too much and would spend the time reading "Country Living Magazine" or listening to the Oxfordshire radio on the Internet and if I was doing that then I really would be better staying here On the other hand I don't want to end up like some of the old men in the park, sitting on benches in the cold while thier dogs run about and they discuss the golf

 

Is anyone here tempted to up sticks, or has anyone actually done so, and come back again and if so why? Is the grass greener?

[Cinnamon]

Just posted about a possible trip to Bulgaria to look at properties.

 

I love Oxfordshire too,but to be honest,now that my girls are all grown up, there is not much keeping us here & the prospect of moving away is tempting.

I think that ultimately we would prefer to wait until the mortgage is paid off (only 3 years!), then downsize this house to something that we could rent out, or just rent this place, then buy elsewhere.

But where, that is the problem.....

 

I don't think I would like to be in a non English speaking country as i find socialising difficult enough,but they are all so far away.

 

Its a huge decision to make & not one we will make easily, but I do see a move of some sort on the horizon for us.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

Yup . I love Edinburgh, we have a good quality of life, lovely surroundings (apart from the housing development at the bottom of my garden ) and my kids are both at Uni an hour away.

 

So we're staying put . (Despite the weather .)

Edited April 18, 2013 by Guest

[bluekarin]

We have often spoke about if we ever were brave enough we'd emigrate to New Zealand. My sister in law and her family are off there next month. I have never been but something about the country appeals. I don't think we'd ever do it though.

[Alis girls]

No - i hate the way this country is going. I would like to live in France or Canada - Cyprus (OH's country of origin) isnt a possibility as the boys would have to do National Service despite being UK Citizens. Also Greek is so hard I couldnt cope there and dont want to settle with ex pats.

[The Dogmother]

I've lived abroad before (as a youngster) and while I loved it at the time, when there's constant sunshine and heat, I just yearned fro crisp, frosty mornings I love travelling but my home is here and much as I hate the winter months, I think I will be staying.

[newcountrygirl]

We were all set to go live in France a few years back but they changed the health regulations. At the time my husband had Colitis and was on a lot of tablets. They didnt count it as serious enough to go into their health scheme even though without the tablets he would die! So we put it off. Then he had to have his colon removed and had an ileostomy. Under their current rules he is classed as cured so again couldnt do it (but they have now classed colitis as acceptable). In the end we decided to move from Yorkshire to Lincolnshire and love it. We have 31/2 acres and 2 fishing lakes and live in a lovely village where everyone is friendly. So........................Shabbychic - if you want huge skies, water voles, deer, rabbits and hares not to mention loads of birds in your garden (and seals 1 and 1/2 miles up the road by the sea.................come and live in Lincolnshire. I could get a job with the tourist board at this rate!!

[Daphne]

I'm sending this from a ferry from Bilbao, having just driven with OH and our worldly possessions to a rented house in Portugal, where we are staying for a year. We are back to the UK for the weekend, then back to our new home on Sun. Yesterday we met 4 different neighbours, went on a 2 hour tour of the cherry orchard belonging to one of them and identified virtually every fruit tree and vegetable he grows in a mix of portugeuse, french and english, drank some of his wine, admired his 4 chooks and sat in the sun for hours reading. I have learnt 2 new portuguese words - fox and pomegranate (I managed to mime the latter ) We saw no cars past the house all day This morning we were held up on a Spanish motorway by an escaped cow, a cowboy on a horse, the police and 2 very young calves

 

I know this new life won't be all fun in the sun, but it has started very well indeed

[patsylabrador]

No. I haven't got a problem with England particularly but I'd love some adventure. Trouble is, because of OH's absolute devotion to being a policeman all these years I think we've left it too late. Going to try and travel about as much as possible instead and think of here as a sort of basecamp. We're in a great place for transport links so it makes sense really.

[Princess Leia]

We seriously considered NZ about 15 years ago when the boys were young, but decided against it due to OH's elderly parents health (he's an only son), plus potential school issues. The difficulty may be that "the grass is always greener" thoughts abound and it's not always true. Of all the people I know who did it, about half came back - not always in the same marital state as they went... You have both got to want it for it to work. I know a lot of folks moan about the state of the UK, but other countries (especially some of the ones that look cheap to live in) have the same problems - in some case far worse. It especially affects older folks as their healthcare requirements increase with age.

 

That being said, if my boys decided they wanted to go, I certainly wouldn't try and stop them (hard as it would be).

[Charlottechicken]

I'm staying too, even if I had the money to move anywhere in the world. I adore the countryside and our seasons, we have some beautiful places. Birmingham is very busy and congested, and we do hope to move towards countryside soon, but will have to be within commuting distance for the time being, but I couldn't move abroad. OH has lived in USA and Italy, and travelled the world for many years in a band, but prefers England to just about anywhere else.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I lived about 1/2 mile over the Rutland border into Lincolnshire for 3 years...... and felt homesick. So I can't imagine I'll be moving abroad any time soon I really love England. It's not perfect but it's my home.

[pips_pekins]

It's such an interesting question and one we have discussed a lot. I love seeing new places and we have been fortunate enough to travel to quite a few different places. We used to ponder a move away but now I don't think either of us can imagine being anywhere other than in the UK. However, I have always been a bit of a nomad in terms of moving around and don't have any particular attachment to the area we live in now; it is where we live because it is near our jobs and, for DS, all he knows but there are some really beautiful places within the UK and I love the seaside. As he is hopefully off to uni in September, we will be able to move if the right opportunities come along, so who knows where we may end up

[The Dogmother]

I really love England. It's not perfect but it's my home.

 

I think that just about sums it up for me - the weather gets on my wick sometimes though - I just wish that winter was shorter and the summers hotter - must be my Mediterranean blood! I think I've loved England's green and pleasant land more as I've got older but if I had the means to relocate to Tuscany where my family comes from, then I might consider it.

[sparkysmum]

I'm with you Shabby Chic! I would love to live anywhere that is dry, warm and sunny for even part of the year. I feel we have become an indoor nation. Even although I am out with the dogs every day its simply too cold to spend more than an our or two out at a time. We have had a long hard winter here and even yesterday the temperature didnt creep above 4 degrees. I am def an out doors person # dogs, running, garden, hens, but so far this year the ground has been too cold to garden and am struggling to run again. I know of people who have sold up and have bought a small house abroad ( France) and have kept a small property here. I think if you have the money this is the ideal, however for the moment I can only dream...........

[Willow]

Interesting question.

I love where I live and whilst I would love to travel and live somewhere else for a while I'd always come back.

 

I've been to some interesting countries for work and love Japan and Denmark the most. I wish I'd spent some time living in both when I was younger.

 

I really like going to Ireland. It feels like home and the friendliness of the people and the scenery are wonderful. But I miss England's multiculturalism when I am there, nearly everyone around me has the same colour skin and hair as me and I prefer more variety

 

As I get older I've found I want to spend more time with my siblings and cousins and the majority are in England and Ireland. I also have some good friends locally that I would miss dreadfully.

[chickencam]

I love this country, the fickle weather being one of it's charms, we appreciate it so much more when it is nice. I like the variety of the seasons, the green lush countryside and the great British seaside. I also feel safe here,we have stable government, and our much maligned NHS.

[Patricia W]

I'm just about to get the plane home after 3 weeks in Australia. It's lovely to visit, but I can't wait to get back!

[Cate in NZ]

No, I wouldn't choose to live in the UK again, assuming no major change in my circumstances.

I used to be a major contributor to this forum until around 4 years ago, & those who knew me then may remember some of my agonies re emigrating. My husband was a police officer in London, rapidly approaching his 30 years service & probable enforced retirement, but he got a job offer to transfer to NZ police. I, at the time, was very bored in my job, but in a comfortable little rut really & with 2 teenaged children. I loved the idea of emigrating, but had any number of panic attacks around the whole issue of leaving friends & family & uprooting to the other side of the world.

However fast forward 5 years (I arrived here June 2008) & it's the best thing we ever did. I've only been back to the UK once, last year, & whilst I loved catching up with friends & family (including some Omlet friends) I returned to my NZ home with a sigh of relief. I love our life here, great friends, kinder climate, smaller population & I haven't sat in a traffic jam that didn't feature sheep for years! Scenery is lovely, beaches, bush, mountains, also volcanoes & earthquakes! Swap all this for my old life in the UK? Not a chance! Teenagers are now young adults, over here they can afford to drive & insure their cars & both are at uni building good careers for themselves. Which may or may not feature future work experience in the UK. Most young kiwi's travel, having knowledge of their "whakapapa" (family history) is pretty much a Maori cultural requirement & kiwi's travel to discover where their ancestors came from. My 2 have the passport to get into Europe without stress, so I expect them to return, almost a right of passage.

It was a big move for sure, I had so many doubts, but no regrets. So, yes, given the opportunity I'd encourage anyone to travel overseas & experience life in another country. It doesn't have to be forever after all.

[snowberry]

I've been dallying with the idea of moving to Sweden for a few years now; I love learning the language but my speaking skills are rubbish If I ever had the opportunity, it would have to be NZ or Canada. However, I have no skills that are in demand

[kinsk]

I love where we live, but if we had no family ties and commitments here I would be off in a flash and I know my husdand would be leading the way!

 

I hate what this country has been allowed to become, I hate paying a fortune into a bottomless pit that so many leach off, still want more and still feel hard done to. I can only see it getting worse and I'd rather make my own luck somewhere else than continue to prop up a system that no-one has got the guts to sort out.

[Olly]

I'm posting this from Norway, where I'm on holiday. It's beautiful here - unspoilt countryside, clear air, and a very high standard of living. I just can't imagine living anywhere other than the UK though, with all its faults. We have a great tradition of democracy and tolerance, fabulous countryside if you're prepared to go more than 100 yards from a carpark, and we have the NHS. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

[Margaret]

Love the idea, especially as OH has now retired.

But.... have a 21 month old grandson who holds my heart and see at least 3 days a week, and 3 adult children, who are I dont think I could leave, so stuck here.

[kinsk]

Love the idea, especially as OH has now retired.

But.... have a 21 month old grandson who holds my heart and see at least 3 days a week, and 3 adult children, who are I dont think I could leave, so stuck here.

 

I get that.

 

We do have lovely countryside, but as someone who lives in it it really is getting harder and harder, and to be quite honest I can't see how we can carry on affording to do what we do, and that is without a mortgage or rent.

 

All my family have paid in over the years and really got nothing back. As kids we were very lucky that our parents could afford to send us to private schools, our family business has always provided us with private health care (for which we pay extra tax for the benefit, despite saving the government money) none of us benefit from street lights where we live, we don't benefit from drainage, we have a septic tank.

 

Other than a few jabs I had to have last year, and that was to do a help for heroes charity thing in Mongolia, I cannot think of a penny I have had in return for everything I have paid in. So the NHS doesn't swing it for me. My closest friends parents moved to Portugal about 10 years ago and have never looked back. her father has just been diagnosed with cancer and has received the most amazing treatment.

[Chortle Chook]

All everyone has written is so interesting. Personally I love the beauty and the variety here. We are such a small island but golly how the scenery changes over just a few miles I love the different seasons too. I also willingly pay into a system that ensures some sort of safety net for the less able and less fortunate. To me that is a real mark of civilisation.

 

However I hate the fact that we have become such an indoor and really rather cold nation. Unless someone has a dog most people don't walk at all and although round here they have built 300+ new homes in the last 3 or so years, I hardly ever see a soul out and about. Even though there are rows and rows of empty houses up north (I used to live in Yorkshire ) the governement continues to encourage everyone to crowd into the South East and here what were fields when I arrived, are now covered in concrete and dormitory / exec homes. There are masses more people and yet most of the time there is an eerie silence and at weekends almost all the houses are empty. I hate all the litter and the gratuitous rudness and agression you get everywhere too.

 

Despite that, as I can't go back to where I grew up (Iran) this is the most like home for me and my roots seem to grow down deeper with every day.