gilliantay

A visit back to the UK for the arrival of grandchild number one cemented my decision to return to the UK - Made the visit in November and was back living in the UK by the following June - Been back 3 years this June and am now on grandchild number 3 !!!

My grandchildren started arriving and that was all the reason I needed to fly the coop back to Scotland. I pushed for the move to Oz and my OH dragged his heels - when I decided that I wanted to return to Scotland my OH had slotted into the Ozzie way of life and did not want to return. Suffice to say that he did return with me and we have been back for 2 years now - I think the only way I would return to Oz is if I won the lottery (not much chance of that when I rarely play the game). I could not envisage leading my life without seeing my grandkids on a regular basis - such is life

I even went to the British shop in Melbourne to get Bisto - hated handing over the money for it but I just could not get used to the Oz version.....lol More money than sense !

Poor you, it is not very nice to be stuck between a rock and a hard place.......................... I have been back for 2 years now and YES, surprisingly, I have had days when I have thought "why in the hell did I come back"........................... I think that we are very spoiled in the fact that we have the opportunity to live, work and breathe another country - some people would give their back teeth to have this opportunity - which begs the question..........what in the hell is wrong with us returnees ? Just as well we are all different - what a boring old place the world would be................................. My 1st grandchild arrived (in Scotland) while we were in Australia - we came back to see her and that was my downfall (but was it really?) - I just couldn't shake the feeling that if I stayed in Australia I would miss so much and with the 1st one arriving I knew that , pretty soon, others would start to arrive (the 3rd one should arrive today at some point). We arrived back to find that nothing had really changed - everyone was going about their life just the same as they had when we had left - the only people who had changed were us (like you have stated)..................................but at the end of the day, they are family and friends that you have spent your whole life with - you feel comfort and familiarity being around them.......I do anyway lol. I felt rather lonely in Australia - reflecting on this, someone should have just given me a good old kick up the a*se.....................BUT.............................having the good job, the house, the money was just not enough for me in the end.................so back we came - all my doing of course - I dragged us there then I dragged us back. I love being back as much as I hate being back - would I return to Australia.....................................YES, in a heartbeat......................................BUT, I am honest with myself now and know in my heart of hearts that I would want to return back to Scotland again so I will not put myself through all that emotional turmoil again........I think I am staying put........unless I win the Lottery !!! Only you really know what is best for you and your family - it is great having everyone coming on and giving their tuppence worth (me included) but only you can make this decision - it is not an easy decision but you really have to be quite focused and stick to your guns - can you afford to move back down under at the moment? - are these feelings of homesickness going to rear their ugly head again if you do return? It truly is the curse of the expat.............................................some of us take to it like a duck to water for others it unravels their life at a speed of knots. Wishing you all the best

Oh Emma - what a tangled web we weave - It does not really come as any surprise (to me at least) that you feel this way. I should think that most returnees will undergo this 'WHAT HAVE I DONE' feeling at some point when they land back on the shores that they departed. I did and still do some days but there comes a moment when you have to 'screw the head' and make the decision which country you are going to put solid roots down in, unless of course you can afford to fly back and forth. Is it down to the fact that your parents have decided that they will not be returning to Scotland ? Have you realised that you are not actually missing anyone/anything and life in Edinburgh/Scotland is just trundling along as it always has done. What will you do if you return to Oz and the feelings resurface of the want/need to get back to Edinburgh. I have been back for just under 2 years now - Family, Friends, Familiarity - my reasons for returning.................................... Family are a drain........well the grandkids (they are popping out in quick succession) but how could I not be here to watch them grow up. Friends ......... I may not see them often but I know that they are just 5 mins away Familiarity.........I know everything/everyone.....it is a comfortable feeling................................. Edinburgh is not a cheap option - hell, I stay in Perth and we call this city a suburb of Edinburgh............................ You need to give it a little longer - do not make hasty decisions that you may regret further down the line. It's not a nice place to be at the moment.................................. Wishing you all the best

Hi there, I am a wee bit up the road from you in Perth and we have been back for nearly 2 years now - it is so easy to remember the (good) things about Oz when the weather is horrendous or you feel your life is crap ! In saying that, I thought the extreme heat in Oz was horrendous and like the saying goes, you can easily wrap up warmer than strip to stay cool. We make life so much harder for ourselves by constantly comparing, I think once you have made the move to Oz then made the return journey back to the northern hemisphere you remain in a constant state of unsettledness (is that a word?) - I have no regrets about moving back - yes, I miss my family in Oz and the friends I made in Oz and there are days when I think it would be nice to see them again but I know that I would pine to come back here again. My OH, 2 years down the line is still wanting to go back to Oz and it has changed our relationship in many ways. Who knows what is round the corner ? You have to be careful that you do not make rash decisions - this applies to the Oz/Uk move as much as the UK/Oz move. Can you afford to move back to Oz ? How long will you be back in Oz before you realise that you have made a judgement error or do you think that you can overcome the reasons which made you return to the UK and settle into life in Australia again ? Only you can make such decisions and it is a hard one. Wishing you all the best.

Life is the same as it was before we made the journey to Oz.......................... Still of the belief that I made the correct decision to return - the OH, of course, would disagree there ! Hope all is well with you and yours :hug:

You toying with the idea of moving back across the pond Dom !

I left 3 grown sons and 6 grandchildren and brought two much younger sons with me to Oz. I think it is me who has a major problem in the respect that I "FEEL" that I should be here with them............................I think I should sit down with them and actually ask them how they felt when I WAS away and how they would feel if the day came when I DECIDED to maybe go back again !!

In an ideal world, I think this is the scenario I would be most happy with, but with working in the NHS, I fear I will not see out my retirement.....lol

Thought I was finished with PIO as I felt no real need to log on any more - truth be told, I frequently visit the site without logging on and sit at the computer going through a whole heap of emotions (laughter mostly) as I read some of the threads. My sister has just spent a few weeks visiting us back in the Old Country and it has stirred up lots of emotions - I was quite sad to see her leave to go back to Oz. It got me thinking as to why the move to Oz has been so successful for her and others like her whereas, although I do not feel that I failed, why was I so adamant about returning to Scotland ?........... Of course, she moved as a 'whole' family unit - accompanied by her husband and 2 sons. I had to leave 3 children behind (no longer dependent) and I feel that when all is said and done, this was most likely the real reason for me returning as when grandchildren are thrown into the mix, it became so difficult (for me) to be living so far away. My grand daughter who was born when I was in Australia is now 2, my second grand child is due in 7 weeks and I have just found out that a third grandchild is due next year....................... Are there any of you who have moved over to Oz (and are still there after 2 years) who have left their kids and grand kids in the UK ? How do you cope and do you feel selfish ? My OH is continually asking to go back, but I feel it would be for all the wrong reasons ........... I would give myself 6 months and I would be busting a gut to get back to Scotland again.......................... Oh what a tangled web we weave................................. PS, I am perfectly happy back here but I now know how my OH felt when I was the one in Oz who was pushing for a move back to Scotland. Have not really explained my self properly but answers on a postcard please........................................................................................................................................

Sometimes find it hard to believe that 1 year has passed since I landed back on these shores. Some days I think back to how this journey all started................................. I was one who got carried away on the dream that was 'Australia'...................streets paved with gold and golden tickets..................UK crap and everything was going to be so much better when I landed at the other side of the world.........who needs family and a change is as good as a rest................................I cringe when I read my posts from way back. I have said before that I had a profession that was in demand so why not up sticks and try this new life! Australia was not new to me having been there a few times before the big move BUT living there is so much different to holidaying there. I was lucky in that I already had family based in Oz, so we literally stepped of the plane into the family fold.....................this certainly made things much easier. I was the major driver in this move to Australia, my OH and our son were dragged along on my crest of the wave - the funny thing is that my OH would dearly love to return to Australia (not that he hates the UK but I think he found his niche in Oz)........at the end up, he wanted to stay in Oz whereas I was hell bent on returning to Scotland come hell or high water.............................he did return with me and our son but will things really be the same? No-one will really know the outcome of their journey until they arrive - yes, you can research until you are blue in the face and be able to quote facts such as how much rainfall to how many kms you have to travel to work........................but the reality is that you have to be living and working to fully appreciate if it is going to be the life for you. I could write War and Peace on my journey from start to finish but I think we have heard it all before. At the end of the day, what is the difference between the UK and Australia - none really apart from the tyranny of distance..................................in my case, this was the nail in my coffin and I suppose the major factor in my return to the UK. Australia gave me a lot of pleasure as does Scotland. Suffice to say that I had a good life in Australia - I have a good life in Scotland.............I am healthy (for the time being), I have had the opportunity to experience something that some people can only dream about......................I am happy and content with my lot................................... I have used this site to gleam information over the years and poured over the MBTTUK when I was in the depths of despair but I have not really been an active participant within the forum so with this, I think in my case it is:- Over and Out x

After spending 2.5 years in Oz (with numerous trips back to the UK) - it was like I had just returned from my 2 weeks summer break in Spain, Turkey, Greece..............................nothing had changed................................the people were the same, the weather was the same, the people who were working when I had left were still working and the people who did not work, well, they were still ' not working'............................................ The good old NHS was still standing - the nurses were still frazzled, the workload was still horrendous, the shift work was still mandatory, the paperwork still came 1st and patients came last................nothing new there. The politicians were still as dodgy as the day I left Tesco were continuing with their world domination The High street was still the High Street - with a few shops missing and a few new ones opened up. British Rail were still charging exorbitant prices to travel 20 miles down the coast. I could go on but I think you get the picture........................................................ Still glad to be back though

You finally made it - enjoy the experience. Wishing you all the best