Dell

Hi there. You know, I don't feel nervous about going back at all. I do feel nervous about the actual trip, packing everything, having to either sell or give away some of my furniture which is meaningful to me. I shan't go unless I am absolutely clear on how much money I am going to have to live on. That is my red line! I'm still digging at the moment but have been helped tremendously by our colleagues here already! I know I will be starting again, on my own. I have a step-cousin who is in the same town and I will probably go and look her up. That will be a start. We're not close but still it will be nice to touch base. I plan then on trying to sort myself out accommodation-wise. I will have already booked some accommodation that will tied me over for a couple of weeks. I'll do that online. Then start deciding whether to rent or to buy a house/flat/park house, something! In between all this, I plan to join a few things/groups. That's how I intend to go on ... if I go! You could do that and you have several years on me!! You've obviously been through some very trying times with your husband, as I did. One partner looks after the other and it happened to be us in this case. It was a very harrowing time. On top of that, I also lost my mother just before my husband! So it's taken me a long time to get over it and I'm sure it is the same for you. I'm now ready to step into another phase of my life. You may or may not be ready. Looking at it clinically, the best thing would be for you to come to an understanding with him before you contemplate going so that you leave knowing that it's not a real goodbye. That would be so important for you. The fact that you have your son here is a huge draw for you, although perhaps distance may help in this case. My sister had a time when she was very isolated from her children and it took years to bring them all back together again but they did, in the end. People change, people forgive (when they're ready) Things that were unimportant to them become very important as time goes on. This Aussie pension thing is difficult to navigate. The fact that if I do not buy a property of some kind in the UK will mean that the Aussie government will start deeming interest on whatever amount I put into a savings account, so they've told me it would benefit me to have as little in a savings account as possible!! So it's tricky. Would you take your dog with you? I would have to take at least one with me, the younger one. Choosing which one, I can't even contemplate at this moment! I've transported three animals from the US once. Apart from being VERY expensive, it is traumatic for them, well, it was for mine, anyway. But times have changed and I've found a good animal transporter, Dogtainers, who I would trust, I think. But one dog costs around $3,800! And maybe more if you want it door to door! So lots of expense, lots of upheaval but, I think, worth it if you are in a similar situation! Good luck with your decision-making! It's not easy.

No, I didn't interpret your message that way! All the messages are VERY helpful to me and I've got some good ideas from them. I will have a look at the link you've given me. I might already have seen that one. I've been pouring over them all month. I quite like some of the parks. They're set out very prettily and some have green fields around them which gives one a good view. Public transport there is wonderful so I could get into town very easily, unlike here where I am, where there are no buses or trains within 200ks so I use my car everywhere. (The joys of living in an Aussie country town!) I think most Aussies agree with me, though. The small towns here are sadly neglected when they could be developed so easily. A lot of them were thriving towns but were allowed to deteriorate when the trains stopped running. In the early part of the last century, NSW had a wonderful railway network put in by the early settlers, I suppose, which stretched throughout the whole state. Very sad. Instead, they now have overcrowding in Sydney in many suburbs and house prices are hugely expensive. It could have been very different if successive town planners had used their brains! Sorry, I digress! I know I hate renting. It's been battered into me by my parents and grandparents. Perhaps I'd better have another look at the park housing! Cheers!

Hi, there. I am a newbie but understand your feelings. Perhaps you are even wondering if, once back in the UK, you may feel you don't want to come back to Aust because of the pull on your feelings of seeing your parents again and the fact that you have settled here and are enjoying it. However, this is exactly the reason you must reverse that feeling and simply enjoy being there with your parents, seeing your old friends again, and just enjoying your homeland. We never know what is around the next corner, do we? So look forward to your trip, enjoy every moment, and then when the time comes to return, tearfully say goodbye, invite them to come and stay with you, if that is possible, and enjoy returning to your new life. The worst that can happen is that your parents perhaps might need your assistance in the future. If so, you would drop everything and go back as I had to do when my father became ill. We all face these things on occasion and it's just about being flexible enough to react to the occasion. So have a lovely trip and enjoy every moment!

Hi Lady Rainicorn, good advice, thank you! I have seen houses with the words 'Band A,' etc, and wondered what it meant. I'm learning heaps here. Yes, once there, I would certainly NOT be planning on coming back. Once will be enough this time around. I very much appreciate knowing that if I did apply for a tiny UK pension, it would open the door to, perhaps, other supplements, so I will keep that in mind. It's a bit hard to compare pension amounts because I do get the full pension here which is, I think, a little more than the UK one but I will be paid in Aussie dollars which will fluctuate. It's all very iffy at the moment in knowing exactly how much I will receive but have already received some valuable information here today, so I can build on that info. Thank you all very much for being so friendly! Re saving for retirement, etc, yes, one does wonder about it. I saw an old post from someone on here who had bought a house on his return and said afterwards he wished he'd rented and not bought. Oh, yes, the UK has wonderful Social Services. My father always lived in the UK and when he became ill, I went over there to arrange things for him and the same thing happened for him, too. They put a toilet and shower under the stairs for him, to save him going upstairs. I was amazed. I don't think they'd be too keen to do that here, but I may be wrong, I suppose. Well, it might not be something we like to think about but it's going to happen to all of us at some point so we might as well be prepared!

Well, that's interesting, Quoll. Last time I enquired some years ago about the UK pension, they told me that because I had worked only until I was 23, I wasn't eligible because they didn't count the early years between 15 and 21. However, they must have changed and now may consider some of my work history from here, too! I did chat with the Aussie pensions people last week and they told me yes, by all means put a claim in to the UK and see what happens but I must remember that the more extra money I attain through whatever means, my Aussie pension will reduce!!! Re where I would be heading in the UK, I am a Lancashire lass and I would go back to the town I know which is by the coast. I even have cousins there although we are not close but I am very familiar with it as I've been back and forth there several times in the past. It's a pricey place, though, re housing so I might end up renting, depending on how my luck goes. All good advice, thanks.

Yes, amibovered, I have sent off an email to the local council and am waiting for somebody who has gone off on leave to come back! So, hopefully, she will have some answers for me.

Thank you, rammygirl, for your thoughts on moving. I have travelled around Australia in my many years living here and yes, there are parts of many of the states here that are attractive. But ... I just have this longing to go home!

Hi there, well, once I'd worked out what a saff was (!), yes, I do find the heat really hard to take in mid summer but you mention spring in the UK. There's nothing like it when the daffs come out and if you're lucky, you get a lovely spring day with the sun shining and everything so green and it really is fantastic. I miss that, amongst other things. However, I have a vivid memory of very wet springs indeed so have no illusions, haha

Thanks, Cal. Just had a look and it looks as if I might qualify for 25% off if I get somewhere on my own. Still not sure how much it is, though. I will keep looking.

Many thanks, Ali. We'll see exactly how adventurous I am when I get all the info I need.

Thanks, Perthburn, for your thoughts. Oh, look, of course it's going to be a big commitment. One does not do this unless you have thought out all the pros and cons and that's what I'm doing, I suppose. If I was comfortable and have a lot of friends and contacts, I would not be contemplating this but since losing my husband and selling our house and moving to a little town in rural NSW, I have not settled well. The locals are very parochial and it's just too darn quiet here for me. I much prefer the social life of most UK towns and the English are much more friendly to newcomers, I hazard to say with quaking knees! Unfortunately, not sure whether you are aware of this but house prices in built up areas here are going through the roof. I could no longer get a mortgage, not that I'd want one, and so I'm a bit stuck in the boonies here in many ways!

Thank you, ambiovered! Okay, that's a help in understanding what council tax actually is! So if I don't own property, I don't pay Council Tax, I gather from that. Well, that's positive ... maybe.

Thanks, Bungo, but what exactly do you mean by UK only generous to people with children? Do you mean financially or socially?

Hi, yes, I am seriously contemplating moving back. My husband passed away several years ago and the big move seems slightly daunting on my own but I'm a fairly young at heart person and as I'm living in a small country town in Oz at the moment due to house prices being less expensive but not enjoying it much, I am absolutely itching to get back to the UK whilst I can. My 'careful' side says I'm mad but my other side, my 'adventurous' side, says go for it. You only live once! I have visited and worked several times in the UK since emigrating here so have more or less kept up with developments in my home town, which I have missed from Day 1. I am an Aussie citizen as well as a British one and receive the Aussie pension. I have found out that if I do move back, I will lose any supplements to the pension such as energy supplement, etc. I can live with that. However, I am having difficulty in finding out how far my Aussie pension will go in day to day living??? Obviously, I would be paid in Aussie dollars which means it will go up and down vs the pound, so I would have to be ready for that. There is such a thing as Council Tax in the UK. What is that actually for? Is it instead of rates? I'd like to know how much it is and whether I would be able to receive any financial help with that. Perhaps there are other supplements I could pursue as well. I am trying to arrive at a final weekly figure I would have to live on, and it's quite difficult. I've obviously written off to the UK to find out but I've been waiting for an answer for quite a while now so thought I'd ask the questions here. This is obviously a mad idea at my age and I even have dogs, too, of course! Any positive thoughts would be appreciated. Many thanks.