It’s a wrap!

[Nijallo]

After nearly 30 years in Australia and now in my mid-50s, I was waiting for the right time to come home to England and I finally made it! I arrived at Heathrow on 2 March right in the middle of the ‘beast from the east’. My sister couldn’t get out of Somerset to pick me up but thankfully my daughter came from London and collected me and my two dogs and delivered us safely to Dorset. The dogs, by the way, were totally fine and took the journey completely in their stride. They were bemused by the snow though!

 

So it’s close to one month on and I’m so happy I gathered all the courage I didn’t know I had, survived the wobbly moments, and made the move. I’m staying with my very elderly parents which is not the easiest as Mum has dementia and Dad a good few age-related issues too. But to see how much they are enjoying having me home at last and, quite unexpectedly, how much joy the dogs bring them, I can practice all my skills in patience and make the most of this time with them.

 

In my first month I have managed to open a bank account (easier than I’d imagined - Lloyds Bank have been great), buy a car and have an offer accepted on a house near Wimborne. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly! Job hunting is next on the list. I’ve been driving around Dorset to become more familiar with the area as I grew up in Surrey. What a beautiful county this is!

 

I’m in the midst of moving the bulk of my money across now which is the only disappointment so far. With the exchange rate at around .54, I wish I had been able to do this last year when the pound was quite a bit weaker. On the upside, property prices are a lot lower than in Melbourne so it’s swings and roundabouts I guess.

 

So after the ramblings above, the point of my post is to thank this group for their support, advice and insights. Incredibly useful and much appreciated. Also to say to anyone who is wavering about the move home and the enormity of the process, it really isn’t that bad when you break it down to a task by task basis and the rewards are so worth it. Each of our experiences are very different but, from my own perspective, I am so very happy to be home and don’t have a moment of regret. The UK has certainly changed since the 1980s but intrinsically it is still the same beautiful country, people have been so friendly and helpful, and I feel that wonderful sense of belonging again that was missing for so many years.

 

Good luck to all who are on this journey of upheaval and new beginnings, whichever direction you are travelling. It is only those of us who have gone through this that truly understand what is really involved; practically, financially and emotionally.

[simmo]

If you think it's beautiful now, just wait until it's in full bloom. 

[Saurer Pfirsich]

What a wonderful post! That might be me in 10-15 years time! Good luck with the job search mate. 

[calNgary]

Greaat to here it is all going well and good luck with the job hunt. I would love to watch my dogs go in snow,lol, they wouldnt have a clue what it was..

Cal x

[Quoll]

Good to hear you've hit the ground running!  Nothing beats "belonging" imho after decades of being an alien!  Good luck with the job hunt

[Davo453]

I wish you every luck in the UK and I am sure it will work out for you. 

We have been back in the UK for 10 years now (having come for just 5) and this year we are going home we lived in Australia for over 20 years and still find that we miss it a lot. We identify far more with Australians and this winter after the misery of several has signed the deal for us.

We had considered working and then retiring in Spain but that is now going to be a whole lot harder now so home we go  

It's tough moving country when your younger and wherever you live you will probably end up missing it in the end but we honestly never missed the uk when we left it and only really came back for family. I am sure your reasons are far more solid so once again the very best of luck and wishing you a prosperous future.

[Redtop1]

Nijallo, good to hear you are back and settling well.  Also good to hear that you dogs were fine, mine were in shock when they first saw ‘the white stuff’ and after being out in it once decided they weren’t going out in it again,  So they thought.....  Good luck with the house purchase and getting a job.  To be honest I have not noticed the winter, have just been enjoying the glorious green countryside, old buildings and history and friendly, helpful people.  Time has just whizzed passed.  Best of luck.

[Nijallo]

I wish you every luck in the UK and I am sure it will work out for you. 
We have been back in the UK for 10 years now (having come for just 5) and this year we are going home we lived in Australia for over 20 years and still find that we miss it a lot. We identify far more with Australians and this winter after the misery of several has signed the deal for us.
We had considered working and then retiring in Spain but that is now going to be a whole lot harder now so home we go [emoji4] 
It's tough moving country when your younger and wherever you live you will probably end up missing it in the end but we honestly never missed the uk when we left it and only really came back for family. I am sure your reasons are far more solid so once again the very best of luck and wishing you a prosperous future.

Thanks for your good wishes Davo453. Each of our posts highlight just how personal these moves are and there is no right or wrong, it simply comes down to where the pull is strongest. All the best for your move back to Aus and the big blue skies!

[Nijallo]

Nijallo, good to hear you are back and settling well.  Also good to hear that you dogs were fine, mine were in shock when they first saw ‘the white stuff’ and after being out in it once decided they weren’t going out in it again,  So they thought.....  Good luck with the house purchase and getting a job.  To be honest I have not noticed the winter, have just been enjoying the glorious green countryside, old buildings and history and friendly, helpful people.  Time has just whizzed passed.  Best of luck.

Thank you Redtop1! My dogs were reluctant to venture into the snow too after they realised how cold it was on their paws! But they did love the warm showers I gave their feet after a walk [emoji4]. Now that spring is on the horizon, our walks are getting longer and the mud situation is slowly improving! I couldn’t agree more with your observations of being back home, I’m glad you’re happily settled too!

[Scousers1]

Its good to hear you are so happy with your move home. I am in the same situation being early 50’s wanting to leave Melb and go home. Very scarey to think sbout but starting to feel like it has to be 

[bustamove]

Hey Nijallo,

Glad to hear your move went well.

We have only 8 weeks to go before we leave Melbourne and I'm starting to get the wobbles. We have such good friends here. It will be hard to leave them.

I noticed you had an offer accepted on a house after only a month. That's amazing. Congrats.

I'd love to buy straight away but didn't think we could until we were back in the country 6 months.

OH doesn't have a job yet and isn't looking until we get there. Going to take a month or so off to get settled and spend time with the kids. 
Did you already have a job? Was it easy enough to get mortgage?

 

[Guest]

Lovely uplifting post! ? all the very best with settling in at “home” and with your parents. 

[Nijallo]

Its good to hear you are so happy with your move home. I am in the same situation being early 50’s wanting to leave Melb and go home. Very scarey to think sbout but starting to feel like it has to be 

I found it was really scary making the decision once and for all (after years of thinking about it) and setting the ball rolling but once I got into it and was committed by having the house on the market etc, I actually felt more relaxed about it all. When you focus on whatever task is next and in front of you, rather than the big picture, it’s much more manageable I found. That’s not to say I didn’t have wobbly days but at the back of my mind I knew I had to get through all the upheaval to get to where I wanted and needed to be.

I wish you all the luck in the world when you embark on your own journey.

[Nijallo]

Hey Nijallo,
Glad to hear your move went well.
We have only 8 weeks to go before we leave Melbourne and I'm starting to get the wobbles. We have such good friends here. It will be hard to leave them.

I noticed you had an offer accepted on a house after only a month. That's amazing. Congrats.
I'd love to buy straight away but didn't think we could until we were back in the country 6 months.
OH doesn't have a job yet and isn't looking until we get there. Going to take a month or so off to get settled and spend time with the kids. 
Did you already have a job? Was it easy enough to get mortgage?

 

Thanks bustamove, it’s definitely a rollercoaster time in those weeks leading up to the move! I found it really hard saying goodbye to old and dear friends but I am in frequent contact with them and FaceTime, text and email makes it so much easier. At least two of them are visiting at various times later this year - at least with Aussie friends you know they’ll always be keen to travel!

With the house I’m buying, I am incredibly fortunate in that I don’t need a mortgage due to a great house sale in Melbourne and I have bought a modest home here so I don’t have debt. However I set up my accounts with Lloyds Bank when I arrived and I’ve been impressed with how helpful they’ve been especially in considering my personal circumstances, rather than a ‘one size fits all’ approach. I’m hoping to complete my house purchase in the next couple of weeks which fingers crossed will happen before my container arrives - it will be a close run thing!

A lot of people suggested I rent first and take my time but for me it felt important to buy and put down my roots and settle as soon as I could. And with my two dogs that I brought with me, it would have been hard to find a rental property I imagine. I’ve been staying with my parents since I arrived which is not the easiest but a godsend nonetheless.

I started a full time job this week (I’m a PA) so I had about 6 weeks to get settled before I started job hunting in earnest. I must say it’s been a really hard week. The job is at a lower level than I’m used to and is under resourced and incredibly busy. But it’s great to have that first foot on the door here and an ‘employed’ status which really helps with setting everything up. I will give it a few months and then perhaps look for something more suitable. It’s hard to work a 40+ hour week and also fit in the house buying arrangements, walking the dogs and helping my elderly parents! I’m not sure how I’ll manage moving in when my container arrives but hopefully things will settle a bit.

Very best of luck with your move. I think wobbles are fine, it would be sad not to have some regrets about leaving a life well lived in Australia. At those times, I tried to think about what I was coming to rather than what I was leaving behind. Definitely not an easy time though.

[Home and Happy]

On ‎28‎/‎03‎/‎2018 at 09:25, Nijallo said:

 

After nearly 30 years in Australia and now in my mid-50s, I was waiting for the right time to come home to England and I finally made it! I arrived at Heathrow on 2 March right in the middle of the ‘beast from the east’. My sister couldn’t get out of Somerset to pick me up but thankfully my daughter came from London and collected me and my two dogs and delivered us safely to Dorset. The dogs, by the way, were totally fine and took the journey completely in their stride. They were bemused by the snow though!

 

So it’s close to one month on and I’m so happy I gathered all the courage I didn’t know I had, survived the wobbly moments, and made the move. I’m staying with my very elderly parents which is not the easiest as Mum has dementia and Dad a good few age-related issues too. But to see how much they are enjoying having me home at last and, quite unexpectedly, how much joy the dogs bring them, I can practice all my skills in patience and make the most of this time with them.

 

In my first month I have managed to open a bank account (easier than I’d imagined - Lloyds Bank have been great), buy a car and have an offer accepted on a house near Wimborne. Fingers crossed all goes smoothly! Job hunting is next on the list. I’ve been driving around Dorset to become more familiar with the area as I grew up in Surrey. What a beautiful county this is!

 

I’m in the midst of moving the bulk of my money across now which is the only disappointment so far. With the exchange rate at around .54, I wish I had been able to do this last year when the pound was quite a bit weaker. On the upside, property prices are a lot lower than in Melbourne so it’s swings and roundabouts I guess.

 

So after the ramblings above, the point of my post is to thank this group for their support, advice and insights. Incredibly useful and much appreciated. Also to say to anyone who is wavering about the move home and the enormity of the process, it really isn’t that bad when you break it down to a task by task basis and the rewards are so worth it. Each of our experiences are very different but, from my own perspective, I am so very happy to be home and don’t have a moment of regret. The UK has certainly changed since the 1980s but intrinsically it is still the same beautiful country, people have been so friendly and helpful, and I feel that wonderful sense of belonging again that was missing for so many years.

 

Good luck to all who are on this journey of upheaval and new beginnings, whichever direction you are travelling. It is only those of us who have gone through this that truly understand what is really involved; practically, financially and emotionally.

A wonderful story and Welcome home- This is really the best place to be in the whole world.