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leachio
31st October 2007, 08:44 AM
Hi All!!

I have found myself with 5mins peace, no kids, no dan, no telephone and thought some of you out there may have wondered how we were all doin since we came home.

Athough it feels like an eternity for us it has only been 2wks and I have to say it's like putting ur old comfy slippers on it just feels great :yes

As you may recall we made the move home in 1 wk from start to finish, we flew back with Emirates and despite my despair at the thought of stopping at Brisbane, Singapore, Dubai and finally Manchester the flight home was prob better than the flight out. It somehow felt a lot more manageable being in 8hr chunks and the kids coped really well! For those who remember Cilla's surprise surprise show on TV our reunion with Dan's parents through the arrival doors at Manchester was reminiscent of Cilla! Tears and hugs everywhere, it made every min of the 27hr flight worth while, bless her she kept squeezing my hand on the way home with a tear in her eye. To see the kids play with nanna and grandad once we got home was priceless to be honest, even Dan commented more than once that he was happy to be home. Dan's parents had already sorted out our accomodation and they have moved in with an uncle and given us their whole furnished house :raebanana

After a couple of days we bought a new car and went up to Scotland to see my family and my beloved daughter, I was also elated to stand beside my best friend of 30yrs and be her bridesmaid. More tears and plenty of friendships reunited! Once we came home again we began the search for re-employment, we both managed interviews with our previous employers and I have been re-hired already, Dan's interview is later this week. In the meantime I had the 'pleasure' of sitting through a 1hr interview at the job centre to see if we are eligable for any benefits untill we start work, oh yes said the man £90 a wk! For 4 of us:confused: Good lordy I can spend that in Tesco in half an hr! So we shall see if the government or our old jobs come 1st!

Since we came home it has only rained 1 day, we know all the neighbours, Ive literally gone wild in the aisles of Tesco, everyone seems really pleased to see us, Jack is settled back into his old pre-school, TV is soooo much better, I haven't seen a cockroach yet and Bisto gravy tastes fantastic :laugh I can honestly say in the nicest possible way that I have not even for 1 second thought about our old life and regretted anything. I know I am home now and man am I glad, NZ was an expensive holiday! Not even Sam B's new snaps make me wish.................. I made some lifelong friends and for that I will always be thankfull and maybe we were meant to travel the world and back again to realise what we had all along.

Hope everyone out there is doing well and I look in most days to see whats goin on!!
Take care xx

thezorbster
31st October 2007, 08:59 AM
What a lovely post. You are where you are meant to be and yes, it may have been an expensive holiday but surely one that was worth the cost as you now know what you want from your life and what makes you happiest. A journey of self-discovery I suppose but you'll never have that 'what if' question when you're old and grey.

So glad you're obviously so happy! :nice1

holland
31st October 2007, 09:01 AM
HI,

Been wondering how you have all been getting on, I'm glad you are happy, and congrats on getting your job back

J and G x

Carey
31st October 2007, 09:30 AM
Good to hear it was the right decision for you.

peebles16
31st October 2007, 10:20 AM
Great to hear you so happy and content Amanda and thanks for the update.
All the best :)
Karenx

Sam B
31st October 2007, 10:25 AM
Lovely to hear you sounding happy and in the right place. I do miss Tesco...

Kim39
31st October 2007, 11:29 AM
Glad to read all is well back home lass, and things are moving on for you guys. Fingers crossed that you do manage to get the jobs concerned and not look for the handouts from the gov't. Just let Dan know that the friendly result doesn't count and i'll see him on the pitch down here soon enough. "Pitch down here i hear you say" don't fret its only the fantasy footie calling:laugh


Kim

jackie m
31st October 2007, 11:48 AM
Awe Bless you Amanda

Back home is certainly where you belong:) So glad everything has worked out for you all. Make sure you keep us updated.
Jackie x

shakyle2906
31st October 2007, 05:59 PM
So glad to hear you have settled down well!

When i read your post about meeting the family again, it made me feel quite weepy!! It must have been wonderful........

Good luck for the future!!

Sharon

willsken
31st October 2007, 07:06 PM
I'm so glad you are happy, it must be lovely to be back with family. :yes Good luck to Dan getting his job and may the work start before you have to rely on the governments generosity. (Not!):no

pinkpiggy
31st October 2007, 09:03 PM
Great to hear you've got your job back. I guess Dan will be cooking the oven chips then? :p

David with a dream
31st October 2007, 09:05 PM
Hi Amanda, you sure are right about the weather it's 9AM and yet another blue sky is settling in for the day:raebanana , having said that I'm stuck in a office:wah .
Glad you are 'home' and happy you sound just like Lesley when she returned she also went loopy at Morrisons, must be a woman thing:laugh . And gravy, well (said in a real northern accent)'northern lads just luv gravy':D .........Remember to drop in on your way to the coast..Best wishes......David

Helsandfamily
31st October 2007, 09:25 PM
:clap Good for You - pleased that you are where you want to be

Enjoy Tescos!!!


Hels

katandbob
31st October 2007, 09:35 PM
glad your happy, and I bet seeing your daughter was a priceless memory (having bad daughter withdrawals at the mo)

Take care, and good luck on your first day at work

Kat

jo b
31st October 2007, 11:18 PM
Oh Amanda,

I could have written that about the airport. Your post made me a tad tearful as I know how family feel when you arrive home. Your bit about seeing grandparents with the grandkids struck a chord with me.

Wishing you all the very best and if you are ever over the North West or us at your end I'll give you a shout so we could grab a coffee. In fact we could make a new meet up ex expats:-)

All the very best to you and your family for the future.

Jo and family

xx

leachio
31st October 2007, 11:44 PM
Ex expats Jo I like it!!! Yes Kat seeing siobhan was magical for a few mins anyway till she put her stroppy head on again :laugh Paula I wish he was making them, or anythin for that matter I reckon this not workin stuff is goin to his head!!!!

Piper
1st November 2007, 11:10 AM
Wow, you sound thrilled - what a feeling! :nice1

Can I just ask one thing that probably seems pretty irrelevant?

What is it about Tescos?

Am I missing something here? (I'm not a huge supermarket fan but I thought the supermarket where my sister lives in NZ was ok, if just a bit basic.)

Moorf
1st November 2007, 04:08 PM
Wow, you sound thrilled - what a feeling! :nice1

Can I just ask one thing that probably seems pretty irrelevant?

What is it about Tescos?

Am I missing something here? (I'm not a huge supermarket fan but I thought the supermarket where my sister lives in NZ was ok, if just a bit basic.)

LOL, glad you asked... if I ever get to LOVE a supermarket I think I'll shoot myself :D

Lupin
1st November 2007, 04:44 PM
What is it about Tescos?

Am I missing something here? (I'm not a huge supermarket fan but I thought the supermarket where my sister lives in NZ was ok, if just a bit basic.)

I can understand that it's more fun to shop in Tescos than paknsave but to love it so much that you actually *miss* it (rather than just grumble you wish it was Tescos when packing all your own shopping into a busted box in the fume-filled basement carpark), I don't get at all :uhoh

Really pleased for you and yours Leachio :cheers

StevieD
1st November 2007, 05:07 PM
Have pm'd you Amanda!

Sam B
1st November 2007, 05:44 PM
Feel a bit shallow for my British supermarket love now. Blush.

Jo Jo
1st November 2007, 07:33 PM
I'm so glad you are happy again, and that things are working out so well for you.

Jo Jo
1st November 2007, 07:34 PM
Feel a bit shallow for my British supermarket love now. Blush.

Ha ha - and so you should. They are all evil, apart from Waitrose. :D

leachio
1st November 2007, 07:44 PM
I do not harbour any secret passions for any supermarket what pleases me is that I can now go shopping for everythin in 1 store, e.g. tesco, asda and I can afford to buy what we need/want without worrying that its gonna cost my whole fortnights wages! I like the fact that I am familiar with the brands and tastes and the cost compared to salary is acceptable to me.

I AM NOT re-hashing the 'cost of groceries' debate before anyone feels the need to :D

Sam B
1st November 2007, 08:04 PM
Mmmmmmm, WAITROSE - now you're talking!! Mmmmmm

colindp
2nd November 2007, 02:33 AM
Amanda,

So pleased to hear that all is well with your return to the UK, good luck for the future.....:clap

Piper
2nd November 2007, 12:20 PM
Thanks Amanda, I was just curious. ;)

(I had visions of you running madly through the aisles, whooping with delight and scooping every yummy thing you'd missed into a creaking trolley!) :D

But then that's how lots of people in the UK seem to treat their weekly shopping anyway - minus the running & whooping of course!

Maybe that's why the nation is heading for the obesity crisis they keep going on about?
It's all Tescos fault!!! :uhoh

The single life just doesn't lend to a knowledge of weekly shopping prices I guess. :o

bmi
2nd November 2007, 12:28 PM
I do not harbour any secret passions for any supermarket what pleases me is that I can now go shopping for everythin in 1 store, e.g. tesco, asda and I can afford to buy what we need/want without worrying that its gonna cost my whole fortnights wages! I like the fact that I am familiar with the brands and tastes and the cost compared to salary is acceptable to me.

I AM NOT re-hashing the 'cost of groceries' debate before anyone feels the need to :D

In fact thank you for bringing up the subject. I've read in many threads that the relative (compared to salary) cost of basic things is higher in NZ than in UK. Is that true for every groceries or that is just the case for UK products/brands imported in NZ? Here in China local products are cheap but every imported goods costs twice the same in Europe.

Lupin
2nd November 2007, 12:51 PM
It's a bit odd her bmi. Some imports are cheaper than NZ made, whilst some NZ made products are cheaper than imports.

Nearly ten months in and I really think groceries here *are* dearer than the UK, but it's not as simple as everything being dearer and crapper.

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