I know I said this last year but time really must fly by when you’re having fun because I cannot believe it’s been 2 years since we said so long to Sydney and came back ‘home’ to the UK.
The first year back in the UK was very, very busy as we were finding our feet in our new town, setting up house in our rental, starting a business, buying our own place and of course, catching up with all our friends and family.
Our second year back has been a lot more relaxed. We are more settled and feel that we have really been able to put down roots.
What We Miss
We still miss our friends, we still miss the dogs, we still miss Asian food, we still miss our GP although I’m pleased to report that we have adjusted to bathrooms without plugs.
Our friends
We have been really lucky that we’ve had a number of Australian hooman visitors this past year – catching up in real life is the absolute best. That said, I’m very grateful for modern technology which keeps us connected and definitely makes the ‘missing’ more manageable. I furvently miss the dogs though. Ha, see what I did there?
Asian food
I’ve actually taken to cooking some of our favourite Asian dishes at home – thanks to Nagi at Recipe Tin Eats and visits to our local sushi joint Sushi and Salad have kept our cravings at bay.
Our GP
Although we miss our GP alot, we haven’t found fault with the NHS. Getting a GP appointment takes time and perseverance but any referrals tests, scans and consultant appointments have been in a timely manner and all for free. Also as I’m on thyroid medication, I get a medical exemption and don’t pay for any prescriptions. Can you believe?!
What do you love?
The proximity to friends and family
I think sometimes expats can find it difficult to fit back in with their friends and family when they return from abroad but this hasn’t been the case for us. I think this is because a) our friends are awesome and b) we put a lot of effort into keeping in touch and maintaining our relationships even when we were far away.
I think that, coupled with the fact that our friends and family are dotted all over the place (and none of them near) means that when we get to see them, we get to spend quality time together even if it’s only once or twice a year. And best of all, we can have a chat on the phone on the same time zone!
Every time we see our friends and family, David and I always say to each other “now this is what we came back for!” The novelty of being able to catch up with friends and family just never gets old!
New Friends
Making new friends as a grown up can be hard but when you find a tribe with your vibe, they make it feel easy. To quote one of my old favourite TV programes, “neighbours should be there for one another, that’s when good neighbours become good friends.” That’s certainly been true of our neighbours.
We’ve also made some fab friends via the blog – expats who have moved back to our town or who have family members living and working overseas. Strange but true!
Ye olde English Pubs
We are still loving the pub scene and have made the most of the beer gardens in summer and the cosy feels in the winter. We are lucky to have some really fabulous pubs in Stamford and so many of them are dog friendly too.
The history
We really took England’s rich history for granted when we lived here before but now we are very much here for it.
The countryside
I’m still so in love with the English countryside and am still constantly amazed that despite being such a (relatively) small but densely populated country there’s so much green space once you get out of the cities. Although we both lived and worked in London pre-Sydney, we are thanking our past selves for choosing to live in a small market town and love the slower pace of life and sense of community that it offers.
The seasons
I’m not actually sure how I feel about the weather – if I’m honest, it hasn’t been great – but I do really love experiencing four seasons. After months of super long days, I’m really looking forward to dark evenings and cosy nights by the fire. That said, we’re both taking Vitamin D tablets just to be sure!
The proximity to Europe
We really caught the travel bug and ran with it this past year with trips to Budapest, Vilnius, Madrid and Porto and a few days in Cologne later on in the year. The novelty of being just a couple of hours from Europe has not worn off. We haven’t decided where we will go next year but we’re hoping it will be somewhere we can take Teddy!
Exploring the UK
We’ve both seen way more of Australia than we have of the UK so we’ve really enjoyed exploring our own backyard and discovering some of what the UK has to offer. Our little getaway to Rye was definitely a highlight. However, we haven’t even scratched the surface where UK travel is concerned so I feel that many more adventures await.
What We Don’t Love
I don’t want to sound like a wingeing pom but I am not a fan of the big cities. Now that I’m a country mouse, I find them busy, crowded and congested. I still enjoy visiting them but I enjoy leaving them even more. I also appreciate that our small town is really like a big bubble where people generally look out for each other, take pride in their surroundings and crime rates are low.
Regrets?
When we tell people in the UK that we moved back from Sydney – they are incredulous and clearly think we are a bit bonkers.
However, we have no regrets except that maybe I wish my mum was here to see it. For us it was the right move at the right time. That’s not to say we haven’t had the occasional wobble or moment of self doubt wondering if we did the right thing but we really do love our life here in the UK.
If you’ve got any questions that I haven’t answered about what it’s like to be back, hit me up in the comments!
