LinziM

I was in Australia for 20 years, came back January 2012 with my 2nd (British) husband. He fully supported the move back, but didn't settle and went back to Oz. Both my adult daughters are there, but I have all my other family here in the UK. I am lucky enough to live on the coast in beautiful Saundersfoot and I appreciate living here every day. Even driving to work, the views, the hedges going from daffodils to bluebells & blossom. I see my parents and my sister every week, my school and old friends from time to time. You can't beat a good chat and reminisce with someone who knew you before you wore a bra! As to Britain being awful, yes of course there are issues and I wouldn't want to live in a city. But it's home and where I belong. I'm not earning anywhere near what I was in Perth, but I've bought a house and I manage. I will be going out there for Xmas this year, first time back and it will be 4 years. It will be interesting to see how that feels, but apart from missing the girls occasionally - they're adults and we were all working fulltime, didn't live close and only got together on high days and holidays anyway, I haven't missed Australia at all. Not even on those miserable grey rainy days.

i made the decision to return after 22 years (here 18 months and very happy to be back). First thing is to apply for your UK Passport. I had a copy of my NI number and NHS number from before I left, but the local GP practice wasn't worried, just wanted to know I was born in UK and took my name and date of birth, that was enough. I did get a written reference from my employer in Oz before i left (don't know if that helped me get my present job). There are several online employment sites available, register with them all. I moved to a rural area, Pembrokeshire, but got my present job because I was in the right place at the right time. There are jobs, but I did put a lot of time in during the 'trying to find a job period', at least an hour a day on average filling out very complicated online application forms - nothing like my experience in Oz. Good luck and keep us posted...........

This is a last update as we are now well settled back in the UK. After 22 years in Oz, I was very much wanting to go home, but worried by the posts from people on PIO who had regretted the move. Luckily, hubby and I are very happy. He is still working part time for his previous employer (online) and I am working in a real estate office. We have bought a beautiful house and spent a few months making it our own. We have had visits from hubbys brother and other Australian friends The only thing I miss is my daughter. When we made the decision to come back, she was happily married and affluent. She is now a single parent and although she is not poor, the expected annual visit will not be happening. She is a wedding photographer and planned to come and stay for a month each Australian winter when she is not shooting weddings. This has been a blow, both her personal unhappiness (although she is over it now and a year down the track has a new man) and the fact we may not be seeing her and my two grandsons as often as planned. She didn't live near us in Oz, so we were used to only seeing her on high days and holidays. Otherwise, I feel no pull back to Oz. My family are all here apart from my daughter and it has been great to see them without everyone trying not to cry because we are off to the other side of the world - again. I am having Christmas lunch with all the family at my home and it will be the first time in 23 years - fantastic. It's autumn here now and I just love the countryside and the colours, having to wear hat, scarf, gloves and boots. But the air is so fresh and the people are so friendly. Our postman, Russell, stops for a chat. The lady from the charity shop in the nearest village waves to you. I can take quilting and knitting workshops and I have the time to do some craft. I was always exhausted with work or it was way too hot. And I can pop in and have coffee with mom and dad and not just turn up for a few days a year and then for the funeral. It sounds silly when you write it down, but these things mean a lot to me. I was happy most of the time in Oz, or should I say content. I always missed the UK and my family, but you put up with it, don't you? But I always think of the 80/20 rule. If you're OK 80% of the time, then you can put up with the 20% not so good times. But to those people who are very unhappy, don't be frightened. Think hard, plan well, save some money and then go for it and good luck.

We have just claimed for damage to an expensive marble dining table and wanted to recommend Letton Percival for their prompt attention and for paying our claim. Rather than just a random amount of insurance, I wrote a list of our stuff with values (not every single thing, but two A4 typed sheets with all our major stuff listed individually and an amount to cover cooking implement/bedding/glasses/clothes etc) and this really speeded things up. When asking for a quote, I sent the list and had them agree the values by stamping and dating as part of the contract for shipping insurance. Without this we may have had to have a loss adjuster visit us and we would also have had to provide estimates from various suppliers to replace any items lost or damaged. Although it takes time to do this, I strongly recommend everyone does the same. We insured our table for AUD2,000 which meant I was able to claim this amount, otherwise if you were able to replace the item for AUD1,000 that's all you get (from what I was told by the insurer). Seems a bit open to abuse to me, although I stress Letton Percival were fine with me. Linzi