Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 So we landed back on April 19th, here is an update for those interested...... (background: We're both Poms, been in Melbourne for 6 years, hubby got a transfer to London because he's been homesick) Preparation to leave Australia We decided to rent out our house in Melbourne rather than sell as we don't have any fixed plans to stay in the UK long term and I think if we sold our house now we'd never get back in the market. Unfortunately we couldn't rent it out for what we (and the estate agent) estimated - so much for a tight rental market in Melbourne! - so it's costing us $1,200 a month to not live there :-( As we've got two young kids we decided to go stay in a hotel whilst the house was emptied and cleaned prior to departure, which worked out ok. Allied Pickfords did a great job of packing up the house and Jetpets collected our precious furbaby to stay in kennels for a few days before she flew. Hubby's relocation package included 300kg of airfreight and I think the rest took up about half a shipping container. I think the biggest pita was selling the car, excess furniture & excess clothes. I also found it very depressing giving away the contents of my pantry :-( Although it was fun using up my stash of cake baking supplies (the Allied Pickfords guys were fuelled by many many peanut butter cookies). Very emotional saying goodbye to my mother's group, work colleagues and other friends we've made over the past 6 years - I don't think I've ever cried so much. Journey We flew with Qantas to Singapore and did a 2 day stopover there (hubby's work wanted him to do a meet and greet at the office there). Qantas was great and the stopover was just about right, we spent a day at Gardens by the Bay which are just a-may-zing! This was followed by an utterly cr@p flight with British Airlines to Heathrow. 14 hour journey with no TVs (!!). Hubby had to break out the laptop to entertain the kids and we just got very, very bored. It was an A380 but gosh the seats were uncomfortable - I had to go and sit with the cabin crew at one point as I'd tried to go to the bathroom but I'd been so screwed up in my seat I was feeling faint and they took one look at me and bundled me into one of their chairs with some iced water and an apple. Our kids were asleep when the meals were served so when they woke up I asked for some food but the was told there was none - in the end the stewardess ended up raiding business/first class for some more apples and a few bread buns. Arrived at Heathrow at 6am, 4 degrees, grey and miserable :-( Took ages to find the taxi driver hubby had booked and then it was nearly 3 hours drive into London - with the cabbie farting intermittently and opening the windows to let the stench out and the freezing cold air in. Fun. Not. Arrival in UK We spent the first 4 weeks in some serviced apartments in Southwark, London (organised by hubby's employer). I never really liked London (being a Lancashire lass) but I actively dislike it now. It's so dirty and noisy and smelly!! As soon as we stepped outside the apartment building I could taste the exhaust fumes and smell that gross combination of litter and urine. Bleurgh!! Woke up every morning and had to go and clear my nose of the accumulated cr@p from breathing in the pollution the previous day. Makes me appreciate the clean Australian air a whole lot more. Trying to get around London also made me appreciate how flat and accessible Melbourne is - waaaay too many inaccessible places in London. We got set up with phones relatively easily and we still had our old UK bank accounts open so none of that was an issue. Our air freight arrived within two weeks so we had plenty of clothes to wear - which was perhaps as well because it was miserable weather. 7 whole days without actually seeing the sun - my 3yo kept asking "Why is it still raining Mum?" :-( We decided to get out of London and spend a long weekend in Hertfordshire whilst we looked for houses to rent. We looked at 6 houses on one Saturday and applied for and were accepted on our preferred house within the week. That's where the good news ended however..... within 3 days of moving in, a water pipe in the upstairs bathroom leaked so we had water pouring down the walls :-( As a result of this (plus trying to live in a house with two small children, no beds, tables, chairs or much of anything) I moved back up north to my parents house whilst hubby stayed down south. Spent a pleasant enough two weeks up north, however whilst we were there both the Manchester & London Bridge terrorist attacks occurred. As hubby works right between Westminster Bridge and London Bridge, I'm really quite worried about him going into work (thankfully that's usually only a couple of days a week). Our sea freight arrived on 30th May (which I think was pretty speedy) and so far everything appears to have been transported without breakages. Our dog weathered the trip pretty well and pick up at Heathrow was quick and straightforward, although the FIL totally overfed her whilst he was looking after her so she's now on a diet and exercise regime which she is less than impressed with. First impressions of being back England is so green! Every shade of green - it actually hurts my eyes a bit! But gosh the weather is grey. Grey, grey, grey. I forgotten about the weather forecasts for days being "bright" ie relentless cloud cover but still quite, erm, bright. Shop assistants are mostly miserable and service is non-existent compared to Aus. Our new neighbours are so friendly though - one side even bought some books for our girls as a welcoming present. It's lovely to see daisies and buttercups again. Vastly disappointed in M&S food; maybe I'd built up the expectation too much in my head but some of their ready meals were either tasteless or just plain inedible. Food prices are weird: Milk, bread, butter, fruits are cheaper (yay, Lurpak!) but oats, yoghurt, tinned veg/fish/beans are more expensive. Going to have to change our eating habits again - we lived on chilli con carne in Australia and I could get a kilo of capsicums for $2, here a single capsicum is 50p! Ouch! And tinned tomatoes here are cr@p. Good quality meat seems comparable/more expensive than Aus too. Bit worried about the local schools here, my eldest is due to start nursery in September and I was looking at the curriculum and it seems quite basic and the facilities don't look great , plus we have no choice in the school due to the zoning and all the good schools being oversubscribed (in Australia we had a choice of two good schools). Rent is so expensive!! More than we paid in Australia (and we always lived inner Melbourne). Travel is also expensive - petrol and train fares. England is seriously lacking in birdlife - I've seen blackbirds, a couple of robins and a few sparrows and tits and one kestrel-type but nothing compared to the squawking cockatoos, chortling magpies, crows, pelicans, mudlarks and squadrons of lorikeets and crimson rosellas we used to get in Aus (ok, so maybe I don't miss the squadrons of lorikeets trying to find a tree to roost in every evening). Double glazing is awesome. Roads are too narrow but drivers are way more polite. Coffee is cr@p. Water tastes awful. Kids activities (ballet and swimming at least) are cheaper here. Pizza Express is still awesome. So there, that's our experience thus far. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yelverton Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Great post - really enjoyed reading it. We are at decision point at the moment and this is making me want to stay in Australia! We're going back to the UK for a visit for the first time in 2 years in a couple of weeks - hope the weather is better then. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 so when are you going back to Australia? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 1 hour ago, Yelverton said: Great post - really enjoyed reading it. We are at decision point at the moment and this is making me want to stay in Australia! We're going back to the UK for a visit for the first time in 2 years in a couple of weeks - hope the weather is better then. It's supposed to be beautiful today (26 and sunny) and for the next couple of days, think we may even break out the barbie! It's just the greyness that gets me down - it's grey interspersed with sunshine rather than the other way around. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 50 minutes ago, simmo said: so when are you going back to Australia? The Plan is we make a call on it before our eldest is due to start school properly (so September 2018/January 2019). On paper (if we weren't shelling out on our mortgage in Australia) we'd be better off here financially. Buuuuutttt, it depends on lots of other factors too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Just now, Bobths said: The Plan is we make a call on it before our eldest is due to start school properly (so September 2018/January 2019). On paper (if we weren't shelling out on our mortgage in Australia) we'd be better off here financially. Buuuuutttt, it depends on lots of other factors too. It sounds like you have made your mind up. You description of London makes that abundantly clear. Does you OH feel the same way? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 2 minutes ago, simmo said: It sounds like you have made your mind up. You description of London makes that abundantly clear. Does you OH feel the same way? Lol, we've been back two months, one month of which was in London - I'm not making my mind up yet. Initial thoughts are not great but then I've left behind a great job, fab friends and a lovely beach/city lifestyle. It will take time to build up a similar thing here, but I can see the potential in Hertfordshire. Like I said, lots of factors to consider eg my husband likes being closer to his family but time will tell whether we actually see them much more as they are up north and because of his job we have to live down south (his sister does live nearby however). House prices are a big issue. Schooling is an issue. We're going back to Australia for a friend's wedding in February so maybe we'll be able to decide then. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 It will take time to settle and adjust, just as does moving here, so hopefully things will improve for you. The weather is supposed to warm up soon ,so that may help you feel a better. The flight to London sounds horrendous, i could not imagine doing with that journey with no TV.. Did you apply for any compensation off them? Cal x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 Apart from a few days we have had a great spring/early summer. weather wise If Bobths isn't happy now, I doubt she ever will be ( don't mean to sound evil) I note that you are visiting Aus in Feb. Feb is the most miserable time of year in the northern hemisphere and visa versa - you may as well pack your stuff now. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 21 minutes ago, calNgary said: It will take time to settle and adjust, just as does moving here, so hopefully things will improve for you. The weather is supposed to warm up soon ,so that may help you feel a better. The flight to London sounds horrendous, i could not imagine doing with that journey with no TV.. Did you apply for any compensation off them? Cal x Thanks Cal. I'm sure we will adjust, just hard finding our feet with the house and two young kids. I'm sure with a glass of wine in hand, kids in the paddling pool and the smell of charcoal going later, things will be looking up :-) Yes we did apply for compensation and they gave us a heap of air miles - we now have enough to do business class flights within Europe somewhere so hubby and I will do a city break without the kids later this year. Big plus, Europe in the doorstep again :-) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 16 minutes ago, simmo said: Apart from a few days we have had a great spring/early summer. weather wise If Bobths isn't happy now, I doubt she ever will be ( don't mean to sound evil) I note that you are visiting Aus in Feb. Feb is the most miserable time of year in the northern hemisphere and visa versa - you may as well pack your stuff now. It isn't all about the weather - esp in Melbourne (4 seasons in one day and all that). Plus my parents live in the South of France so if the weather gets me down we can just hop over there from here - not something we can do in Australia (doing that exact thing next week in fact lol). Lots of factors, like I said. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 6 minutes ago, Bobths said: It isn't all about the weather - esp in Melbourne (4 seasons in one day and all that). Plus my parents live in the South of France so if the weather gets me down we can just hop over there from here - not something we can do in Australia (doing that exact thing next week in fact lol). Lots of factors, like I said. If you ask me, I think you returned prematurely. The itch is still there. You won't settle as long as you have that itch. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 See how your kids settle into school- they will probably decide for you, one way or another! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 1 hour ago, starlight7 said: See how your kids settle into school- they will probably decide for you, one way or another! Yes I agree totally, that's going to be a big one - whether my eldest settles in nursery or not and whether they make friends here. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 17, 2017 Author Share Posted June 17, 2017 6 hours ago, simmo said: If you ask me, I think you returned prematurely. The itch is still there. You won't settle as long as you have that itch. There are many reasons why we chose to move now, way too many to list. I don't think it would be fair to my hubby to wait until I have no longer 'have that itch'. I love Australia, it's quite possible that I would never scratch the itch completely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 17, 2017 Share Posted June 17, 2017 11 hours ago, Bobths said: Yes I agree totally, that's going to be a big one - whether my eldest settles in nursery or not and whether they make friends here. At their ages, the chances are they will settle just fine, make friends and be away. Pretty much as they would have done in Aus. Nursery is pretty easy going in the UK. Its play based and kids do like to play usually Admittedly there is tons of paperwork they have to fill in for what amounts to 15 hours a week unless attending more because you work or prefer more hours etc, but really, the staff are drilled to ensure kids are included, that they have the big sharing policy and kindness towards others. What will matter more IMHO is making those friends but having it extend outside of nursery (some parents don't want to make more adult friends or have playdates with kids from nursery as they already have their friendship groups) and being prepared to start at a school where perhaps none or only a few of the kids form nursery may attend. Again though, school is really inclusive and reception is very much play based with lots of time for kids to be kids. They usually figure it out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Collie Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 10 hours ago, Bobths said: There are many reasons why we chose to move now, way too many to list. I don't think it would be fair to my hubby to wait until I have no longer 'have that itch'. I love Australia, it's quite possible that I would never scratch the itch completely. Yeah, look enjoy it and embrace it (& ignore the naysayers). Don't put too much pressure on yourselves. As somebody who has ping ponged a few times, it takes 12-18 months to truly settle. The kids will most likely settle more quickly than you guys. I believe in "Don't die wondering" so you give it a proper go, if it works out great, if not so what you gave it a go and you can be more assured in your decision to return to Melbourne. The price paid is only money which is not what life is all about. Having Europe on your doorstep is a huge plus, make sure you take advantage of it. A proper Xmas and proximity to the Alps (if you have the money bring the kids skiing next winter - they'll love and Australia doesn't really have mountains) 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted June 18, 2017 Share Posted June 18, 2017 18 hours ago, Bobths said: Lol, we've been back two months, one month of which was in London - I'm not making my mind up yet. Initial thoughts are not great but then I've left behind a great job, fab friends and a lovely beach/city lifestyle. It will take time to build up a similar thing here, but I can see the potential in Hertfordshire. Like I said, lots of factors to consider eg my husband likes being closer to his family but time will tell whether we actually see them much more as they are up north and because of his job we have to live down south (his sister does live nearby however). House prices are a big issue. Schooling is an issue. We're going back to Australia for a friend's wedding in February so maybe we'll be able to decide then. My SIL and her OH live in Hertford. I really like the town very much in fact I really like all of Hertfordshire. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pixie77 Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Good read, we're about to head back with a 3 & 1 year old . Sad to say bye to my mother's group friends who have made all the difference in my life here . Family is up north but hubbies job (transferring) is Oxford but a few hours drive is better than a days flight right? We're in the throws of deciding what to take, house settlement is 4 weeks time, going to go to hotel for 2 days whilst clean house etc then fly after settlement. Finding it hard to get rid of stuff- don't want to sell/ give away to soon & be without but don't want to be frantic the last week! Thanks for the read, I'm looking forward to our new adventure! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imapla Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 On 6/17/2017 at 08:41, Bobths said: So we landed back on April 19th, here is an update for those interested...... (background: We're both Poms, been in Melbourne for 6 years, hubby got a transfer to London because he's been homesick) Preparation to leave Australia We decided to rent out our house in Melbourne rather than sell as we don't have any fixed plans to stay in the UK long term and I think if we sold our house now we'd never get back in the market. Unfortunately we couldn't rent it out for what we (and the estate agent) estimated - so much for a tight rental market in Melbourne! - so it's costing us $1,200 a month to not live there :-( As we've got two young kids we decided to go stay in a hotel whilst the house was emptied and cleaned prior to departure, which worked out ok. Allied Pickfords did a great job of packing up the house and Jetpets collected our precious furbaby to stay in kennels for a few days before she flew. Hubby's relocation package included 300kg of airfreight and I think the rest took up about half a shipping container. I think the biggest pita was selling the car, excess furniture & excess clothes. I also found it very depressing giving away the contents of my pantry :-( Although it was fun using up my stash of cake baking supplies (the Allied Pickfords guys were fuelled by many many peanut butter cookies). Very emotional saying goodbye to my mother's group, work colleagues and other friends we've made over the past 6 years - I don't think I've ever cried so much. Journey We flew with Qantas to Singapore and did a 2 day stopover there (hubby's work wanted him to do a meet and greet at the office there). Qantas was great and the stopover was just about right, we spent a day at Gardens by the Bay which are just a-may-zing! This was followed by an utterly cr@p flight with British Airlines to Heathrow. 14 hour journey with no TVs (!!). Hubby had to break out the laptop to entertain the kids and we just got very, very bored. It was an A380 but gosh the seats were uncomfortable - I had to go and sit with the cabin crew at one point as I'd tried to go to the bathroom but I'd been so screwed up in my seat I was feeling faint and they took one look at me and bundled me into one of their chairs with some iced water and an apple. Our kids were asleep when the meals were served so when they woke up I asked for some food but the was told there was none - in the end the stewardess ended up raiding business/first class for some more apples and a few bread buns. Arrived at Heathrow at 6am, 4 degrees, grey and miserable :-( Took ages to find the taxi driver hubby had booked and then it was nearly 3 hours drive into London - with the cabbie farting intermittently and opening the windows to let the stench out and the freezing cold air in. Fun. Not. Arrival in UK We spent the first 4 weeks in some serviced apartments in Southwark, London (organised by hubby's employer). I never really liked London (being a Lancashire lass) but I actively dislike it now. It's so dirty and noisy and smelly!! As soon as we stepped outside the apartment building I could taste the exhaust fumes and smell that gross combination of litter and urine. Bleurgh!! Woke up every morning and had to go and clear my nose of the accumulated cr@p from breathing in the pollution the previous day. Makes me appreciate the clean Australian air a whole lot more. Trying to get around London also made me appreciate how flat and accessible Melbourne is - waaaay too many inaccessible places in London. We got set up with phones relatively easily and we still had our old UK bank accounts open so none of that was an issue. Our air freight arrived within two weeks so we had plenty of clothes to wear - which was perhaps as well because it was miserable weather. 7 whole days without actually seeing the sun - my 3yo kept asking "Why is it still raining Mum?" :-( We decided to get out of London and spend a long weekend in Hertfordshire whilst we looked for houses to rent. We looked at 6 houses on one Saturday and applied for and were accepted on our preferred house within the week. That's where the good news ended however..... within 3 days of moving in, a water pipe in the upstairs bathroom leaked so we had water pouring down the walls :-( As a result of this (plus trying to live in a house with two small children, no beds, tables, chairs or much of anything) I moved back up north to my parents house whilst hubby stayed down south. Spent a pleasant enough two weeks up north, however whilst we were there both the Manchester & London Bridge terrorist attacks occurred. As hubby works right between Westminster Bridge and London Bridge, I'm really quite worried about him going into work (thankfully that's usually only a couple of days a week). Our sea freight arrived on 30th May (which I think was pretty speedy) and so far everything appears to have been transported without breakages. Our dog weathered the trip pretty well and pick up at Heathrow was quick and straightforward, although the FIL totally overfed her whilst he was looking after her so she's now on a diet and exercise regime which she is less than impressed with. First impressions of being back England is so green! Every shade of green - it actually hurts my eyes a bit! But gosh the weather is grey. Grey, grey, grey. I forgotten about the weather forecasts for days being "bright" ie relentless cloud cover but still quite, erm, bright. Shop assistants are mostly miserable and service is non-existent compared to Aus. Our new neighbours are so friendly though - one side even bought some books for our girls as a welcoming present. It's lovely to see daisies and buttercups again. Vastly disappointed in M&S food; maybe I'd built up the expectation too much in my head but some of their ready meals were either tasteless or just plain inedible. Food prices are weird: Milk, bread, butter, fruits are cheaper (yay, Lurpak!) but oats, yoghurt, tinned veg/fish/beans are more expensive. Going to have to change our eating habits again - we lived on chilli con carne in Australia and I could get a kilo of capsicums for $2, here a single capsicum is 50p! Ouch! And tinned tomatoes here are cr@p. Good quality meat seems comparable/more expensive than Aus too. Bit worried about the local schools here, my eldest is due to start nursery in September and I was looking at the curriculum and it seems quite basic and the facilities don't look great , plus we have no choice in the school due to the zoning and all the good schools being oversubscribed (in Australia we had a choice of two good schools). Rent is so expensive!! More than we paid in Australia (and we always lived inner Melbourne). Travel is also expensive - petrol and train fares. England is seriously lacking in birdlife - I've seen blackbirds, a couple of robins and a few sparrows and tits and one kestrel-type but nothing compared to the squawking cockatoos, chortling magpies, crows, pelicans, mudlarks and squadrons of lorikeets and crimson rosellas we used to get in Aus (ok, so maybe I don't miss the squadrons of lorikeets trying to find a tree to roost in every evening). Double glazing is awesome. Roads are too narrow but drivers are way more polite. Coffee is cr@p. Water tastes awful. Kids activities (ballet and swimming at least) are cheaper here. Pizza Express is still awesome. So there, that's our experience thus far. HI I concur with everything you have said (except the M&S food part - I love the choices they give). Its so hard when you have one foot in each country - you want the best of both worlds and will forever be comparing. We have been in UK 2 long years now ....... going back by the end of this year - definitely, hopefully, maybe, absolutely !! Will be so hard to say goodbye to the parents and sisters again but It this has made me realise I need to be in a warm clime - in fact the other day on the hottest day since long long ago when most of my colleagues were wilting and complaining about the heat, I almost thought I could stay here and then I realised it was because I was warm to my soul again ! Good luck - hope it all works out for you - dogs and children make to ing and fro ing harder to do - maybe you should think about joining your parents in South of France ?? Although of course with Brexit that might not be as easy as it was. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simmo Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 40 minutes ago, Imapla said: in fact the other day on the hottest day since long long ago when most of my colleagues were wilting and complaining about the heat, I almost thought I could stay here and then I realised it was because I was warm to my soul again ! Do you think you may have a chemical imbalance? is it lady problems maybe.? and its as easy as it was before the brexit vote to get to the s of france. London direct to marsielle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 24, 2017 Author Share Posted June 24, 2017 5 hours ago, Imapla said: HI I concur with everything you have said (except the M&S food part - I love the choices they give). Its so hard when you have one foot in each country - you want the best of both worlds and will forever be comparing. We have been in UK 2 long years now ....... going back by the end of this year - definitely, hopefully, maybe, absolutely !! Will be so hard to say goodbye to the parents and sisters again but It this has made me realise I need to be in a warm clime - in fact the other day on the hottest day since long long ago when most of my colleagues were wilting and complaining about the heat, I almost thought I could stay here and then I realised it was because I was warm to my soul again ! Good luck - hope it all works out for you - dogs and children make to ing and fro ing harder to do - maybe you should think about joining your parents in South of France ?? Although of course with Brexit that might not be as easy as it was. Lol, same re weather. The recent heatwave was awesome! I swear I have Seasonal Affective Disorder or whatever it is. Just arrived in the South of France today ? So going to soak up some more sun hopefully. I honestly looked at whether we could feasibly live somewhere in France.....I adore France....but not possible. I'm sure the goodbyes will be difficult but at least you know which is the best country for you now xx 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobths Posted June 24, 2017 Author Share Posted June 24, 2017 17 hours ago, Pixie77 said: Good read, we're about to head back with a 3 & 1 year old . Sad to say bye to my mother's group friends who have made all the difference in my life here . Family is up north but hubbies job (transferring) is Oxford but a few hours drive is better than a days flight right? We're in the throws of deciding what to take, house settlement is 4 weeks time, going to go to hotel for 2 days whilst clean house etc then fly after settlement. Finding it hard to get rid of stuff- don't want to sell/ give away to soon & be without but don't want to be frantic the last week! Thanks for the read, I'm looking forward to our new adventure! I miss my mothers group soooo much! It's been so hard having my 3yo in tears because she's lonely and has no friends - I feel so guilty ? I also miss the adult conversation, coffee catchups and breaks from constantly entertaining the two of them. I ended up applying for a job at the end of May and got offered the position yesterday - the plan was for me to be a SAHM but daily life without my mothers group and mummy friends isn't much fun for me or the girls :-( Hoping the job will be a chance for me to make some friends and for the girls to do the same at a childminders. We'll give it a go anyway. Hope you have a great last few weeks in Aus and it doesn't get too crazy. Oxford looks lovely - we would've looked at being over there rather than where we are in Herts but we're closer to hubby's sister here x 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imapla Posted June 24, 2017 Share Posted June 24, 2017 5 hours ago, simmo said: Do you think you may have a chemical imbalance? is it lady problems maybe.? and its as easy as it was before the brexit vote to get to the s of france. London direct to marsielle. Chemical inbalance - because I like hot weather ? and why do you assume I am female Yes Sir - obviously its just as easy to get there - what I meant was to move over and live there ....... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.