Mumsnet Talk

Hi all, I really need to process my thoughts. DH has a good, but very demanding, job. His company have said we need to move to the states. We initially agreed, this time last year, but since then his work load has increased and his line manager has changed to someone he does not get on with (no problem personally, just different working approaches - I have sympathy with both sides). He has decided he does not want to continue working in this role and thinks a move will just make things worse, as we won't be able to leave for 13 months. I hate the thought of him being unhappy.

We have 5mo so I do not work and my job is min wage so we couldn't afford me to go back even if we wanted it.

We have Canadian visas (applied for yonks ago, when they criteria was more lax) which will expire in3 years. If we want to go to Canada we would need to go now (must spend 2 years there in 3 - so it gives us holiday and emergency home visit leeway). DH has said he wants to jack in his job and just go to Canada. Where we want to live does not have any companies in his industry, but dh thinks he can start up a consultancy (he also does this here and is quite successful).

We have 70k in savings and Dh just thinks it's now or never and we should go. I a currently studying for a new career I should be qualified in in 2 years, but we also are planning to ttc later this year as I'm knocking on a bit!

I have never done anything exciting like this so am tempted but I'm also terrified. Can any mners help me to talk this thru?

When you say knocking on a bit what age are you?
It sounds exciting and petrifying in equal measure. It does sound like it will scupper your career plans though and a bit like he is running away. How viable is the consultancy? Does he have any contacts in Canada at all?

I'm 36. He earns 1k per day consultancy here. He will be able to come back for a week every couple of months, while networking like crazy in Canada. He has no direct contacts. I don't blame him, his work is horrendous and I am left alone with the baby ATM.

He wants to work on his phd, see ds more, have a more 'outdoorsy' life etc. Because he will be about more it will mean I can study more and qualify quicker. We could stay here but it would mean another job in London, with horrendous commuting.

My mum is devastated tho. When it was the states (dc)it felt nearer, but Vancouver is so far away.

it sounds like you are in a better position than most to follow this dream, if it is a dream more than a whim of your DH's

make a list of positives and negatives
- you already have visas
- you have finances
- you could rent out your home and go for 2-3 yrs, ttc while youre there - i wouldnt let ttc put me off moving somewhere, i have had babies abroad and it was a straightforward experience
- a happier DH would have a positive influence on your entire family and maybe ttc would become easier if he wasnt as stressed

negatives:
-possibly DH would be working more than ever for the first few mths so you would need to prepare for seeing him less frequently
-

If he earns 1k per day as a consultant then another option would be to jack in his job and just do that wouldn't it?

But it sounds like financially him coming back for a week every couple of months stacks up.

How would you deal with the isolation when he is gone and you are potentially pregnant and with your toddler somewhere you don't know anyone? (devil's advocate here)

Do you make friends easily?

vancouver only 9hrs away, not as far as Oz for example? Your DM will get over it - if there is anything I have learned is that once you have a DH and kids, they should take priority, not extended family expressing their views which in my experience are usually tailored to THEIR needs, rather than your best interests

I think give it a go but I would seriously consider moving to a part of Canada that has some connection to his industry - easier to network / build consultancy, less travel so you alone less etc.

Great points people. I am already on my own all the time, we live away from everyone we know. I have made friends at baby groups quite easily tho. Our parents live over 2 hours away so we only see them once a month. I can't drive (repeat failure).

There isn't enough work really to sustain he consultancy here, and DH hates London. He used to live in Van and since I knew him it has been his dream to return to live.

I have a friend who emigrated to Canada with his wife and small kids. They are finding it fantastic. They wanted to go to Vancouver and went out on a fact finding mission but discovered his wife couldn't get a job there so instead they went to Alberta, I think, so they would have a good wage coming in and some stability. I think you should go but also think he needs to go somewhere where he can get a job and then once you all are established think of moving to the part of Canada he wants.

One note of caution,if he's doing consultancy now on an ad hoc basis, do you know tht there would be enough work for a full time go at it? I say that because I'm a consultant in my sector, and work with many free lance colleagues, and we are all looking at a less than full order book right now as there just isn't the volume of work there was 3 or 4 years ago.

But personally,I'd move to Vancouver like a shot..... But with a plan formed first.

do it!!! an adventure!!

I think you should do it, absolutely, you sound like you make friends easily and are not too attached to parents etc depending on them

independence is a wonderful thing!

Think of your DH, support him, and make a plan - rent out your home in UK as we did, (then you always have a backup if you need to return), research vancouver opportunitires career wise via internet now, then make the plan, get DH to do his CV, research housing, cost of living, schools, contacts

if he lived there already that is another positive, as it's not such an unknown location

i really think NOT doing it, would be more detrimental than doing it tbh

Beck - no realistically he would only get 2 or 3 days per month consultancy (like here). Toronto would be the place he would get work. He would look at doing weeks at a time over there too. We don't want to live in Toronto as it would be very similar to our lives ATM (commuter belt living, train journey into the city for dh, not near skiing).

He would also transfer to Canadian TA which gives a small income and contacts in his field.

He wouldn't want a full time job there as the holidays are so poor we could never have fun or visit home.

Oh go! I have lots if family in Alberta and love the quality of life there. Vancouver is amazing with lots of opportunities. Yes you'll miss people -but you'll meet lots of new ones, sounds like an ideal time for your family to take this adventure

Thanks guys. I think we should go. I am so excited now.

What about your career? What are you studying to do and could you transfer your qualifications over to Canada or would the move mean giving up entirely? And if you had to give up, how would you feel about that?

Go, and get a driving license there. You might find it easier to pass with an automatic transmission (most cars have them there). I'm in the reverse situation (American, driven my whole life but have no UK license yet).

If you're already living away from family, then I agree with the others. You've nothing to lose, especially if you can continue your qualification there.

Just do it!

Once you have DCs in school you'll always wish you did.

A 5 month old won't moan their missing their friends, their room, their toys.

GP's will only miss the annoying toddler stage when crawling tottering child is a nightmare in non childproof houses.

DH has been to Canada with work and loved it. I have family who went there 40 plus years ago and only come back for weddings.

I have a DF from Canada and she is just the friendliest person you could possibly meet.

Just go, but be prepared not to want to come back.

Go for it! I have friends who did similar and loved it. Have you got anywhere in UK you can come back to?

I would go - if I could afford to keep hold of my house here.

Karma - my career if anything, is more popular over there (counselling/psychotherapy). I usually work in unis or art galleries up to now which there are none where we currently live so I had to take a call centre job before ds was born. I think Van has more opportunities for me as well.

It's just the cost of living and burning thru every penny we have which worries me, and dh's skills stagnating and having to come home to a lesser paid job here which we can't really afford.

Well, he needs to do some serious research into demand for his skills there. Pretend you don't already have visas and have to convince them there is existing demand for him, in particular, to do what he does.

What happens to your qualification? Can you do distance learning, or transfer there? Throwing it away would be a bad idea.

If you're in a position to rent out your house, give it a go for a couple of years, spend all your savings, come back and get jobs here if it doesn't work, then why not?

We would always keep the house here as a rental, although if we ever do want to return it will be far too small, which it is already. If we'd have been staying we'd use our savings to move to a bigger place in a nicer area, like Canterbury.

I think that before you go, he needs to do a couple of trips over to try and get some contacts and get a feel for how much work there would be.

And he needs to be honest with himself about it, and not just have a knee-jerk 'argh my life here is crap, let's go somewhere else'.

If purely doing consultancy isn't enough to keep you afloat here, then how is it going to be enough over there?

Lottie - there is no demand for his skills in Van (Canadians are far too nice! If only they were more angry like Americans, where there is loads of demand.). There is more demand in Toronto but we aren't keen on Toronto to live - too similar to what we have now.

I am distance learning my qualification so it will be fine in that respect.

We already rented our house 2 years ago and it covered the mortgage but nothing else. We will take a 3 month mortgage hol.

I dont think treating it as a time to use up your savings is the way to go at all

keep the savings, allocate a set amount, would he consider relocating with a multinational, hence getting interview etc and should a job happen, they would help with relocation costs?

then he could do consultancy work in his free time? are his skills relevant to any multinationals? director work? etc

i think you are in a good position in your area, absolutely, research your options, freelance when baby is older? but initially, your not working while DH gets job sorted would mean less stress re care of the baby and helping DH settle in too - ie if you are manning the ship at home in canada it is a real support to him in a new location etc

We would allocate 30k and then come home if we need any more.

There would be no point going if he had a 'proper' job as 10 days hol is unsustainable for us.

There are no companies which do his work there and he has spoken to recruitment consultants who have never even heard of his job.

I understand. I say talk with DH later and write a plan & timescale. You both sound v organised and focused, so I think whatever you decide, it will be of value and reward, while initially being 'scary' perhaps you are just the type of people to make such an adventure 'work'! I wish you all the luck in the world!

Can I also say don't discount Toronto so quickly. It's been a while since I lived there although I have family and friends still living there. Very common to head off to the lakes at the weekend. Maybe the compromise is better work prospects balanced with more outdoorsy than the UK but not as much as Vancouver?

We said we'd start off in Van and after 6 months if things were not off the ground then we'd look at Toronto or even somewhere else. Dh's French is appalling so that restricts some jobs.

We were relocated with my husbands company to Toronto a couple of years ago. At the time our kids were 5 months and 2 years. I will be honest it was very hard. This was not our first international move but it was the most challenging. We were very isolated. My husband had to work away a lot and I was very lonely and unhappy. I had not realised the huge cultural differences there were. Foolishly I thought it would be easier to make friends because we have a common language. Maybe this was just Toronto. This was just my experience but I wanted to just add it to the mix. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thank you. I appreciate it

Are you still there?

No, we are in Finland now, up to our necks in snow but much happier.

That sounds fun glad you are happier.

Just spoke to dh (I'm at my parents for a few days while he works away) and he is very happy. I am excited but a bit nauseous too.

maybe it was the age of the children Espoo, that didnt make it so easy? I was in a beautiful country on other side of world with 2 under 2 and it was a times a struggle that I never imagined - DH working long hrs etc etc

now kids are older, we are not there anymore, but sometimes I wonder had we stayed there it may have become easier once kids were older? Not sure though, as a length of time in one place can often be sufficient in the expat life thing

You need to take a serious look at the Vancouver housing market. It may well be the case that you'd still be looking at a long commute anyway? Housing in Van can be really expensive, particularly in the popular areas.

Could he work in Calgary or Edmonton?

We have seen rental for about $1500 in Downtown Van. Apts. we would only want a pad for the 1st year. We have budgeted £3k per month for a year.

What is it you are studying for? Have you checked out the rules in BC for that career? I say that as a UK qualified Solicitor, who would essentially have to start again to practice here.

Counselling/psychotherapy - yes my quals seem to translate.

Toronto is only an hour from skiing !

Thanks I'll check it out. But dh still doesn't want to commute and we prefer Van if possible.

I think themain thing is to go for positive reasons, with good research, not to 'run away' for negative ones.

There is so much outdoorsy stuff to do near Toronto, e.g. look at Algonquin Park as a weekend destination. Yes it's a big city and doesn't have the sea but you can sail on the lake and it's not far from skiing. It is that bit closer and cheaper to fly to from here and your DH could cut the expensive internal flights necessary to work there from Van.

DH thinks if you are going to go for the 'dream' you may as well go fully, then compromise later. Toronto is defo our plan b. I think Calgary could work too. I really like Calgary. A bit cold of that side tho!

Also, though I'm sure you'll have done this, look at the 'living overseas' board here. I've noticed coments about the Canadian business culture being quite different from here, with very tight networks for example.

Hello! Just to let you know, 3 k a month will not be enough. 1500/month doesn't include utilities, plus groceries or 2 adults is about 4-500/month, and that still leaves phone, transport, tv, internet and such.
Also in Canada, we have to pay privately for things eye care and dentists.
I am not trying to be a downer, I am a friendly welcoming Canuck, but almost everyone I know coming over from the UK says it is so much more expensive than they had budgeted for.

I once went to Canada in Edmonton & Calgary for a month (stayed with bf's parents) and loved it, but I wonder how you'd get on if you didn't drive? Maybe it was just where we were, but it was a looong drive to town and absolutely everyone there seemed to drive - there wasn't much in the way of public transport.

Everyone we met over there was lovely, and I lived with a couple from Toronto for a year while I was a student and they were great too (although there must be mean Canadians around too). The countryside was stunning and shopping was lots of fun. I'd love to go back there, but I'd suggest you have some long holidays out there to get a feel for it and different areas before you move permanently.

Soldatauction - do you mean £3k or $3kcanadian? If we have £3k and the rental is $1500 would $2500 not be enough for bills?

It sounds exciting! Vancouver is beautiful. If DH has ruled out working full time because of the poor vacation/lack of jobs in his field, will he able to earn enough to support the family until you can start work too?

Check very carefully with whoever regulates psychotherapists/counsellors in BC to be sure that you will be able to transfer your skills. In many areas people end up having to retrain. You can't assume that because there is demand you will be able to work. You might also like to ask the same question on british expats, where you'll probably get a much more negative answer, but it will give you a range of opinions to consider while you are deciding.

Another vote for going before DCs are in school. I reckon you'd always regret it if you didn't give it a go.

Look at the long term not the short term. If I had the opportunity I would move but that is just me. Where would your dc's have a better life here or Canada? W

We did a foreign assignment to Toronto and could not believe how expensive it was. Groceries especially were shocking - a daft example but one I remember well - cheese is about 3 times the price of the UK!

Also about 15 years behind in terms of range and variety of food if that is of any importance to you.

People are super friendly, especially if you have children.

There is more of an outdoorsey feel/lifestyle but just remember it is frickin' freezing in the winter and week after week of snow really took it's toll on me.

It rains in Vancouver quite a lot. British Columbia has a rainforest!

Go!My dsd lives in Vancouver-moved from Calgary two years ago.It is a beautiful place-she is a clinical psychologist.

She qualified in the UK and I think did an internship in Calgary for a year.We dont speak atm so I cant ask her to help.

I know the food and a lot of expenses are more than here. Does anyone know what utilities are for a one bed apt? Would $2500 cover them? If rent was covered by 1500.

Hello! I was talking 3k Canadian.
Hydro on a 1 bdr would be about 75/month, water 50/month, tv/internet/land line bundle 100/month, cell 35/month per person, 500/month groceries, bus pass 130/month per person, or a vehicle (mid sized 2nd hand sedan) 500/month, tenants insurance 35/month, so about 2600-2850/month.
That doesn't include anything for entertaining, dentist vision care, savings or debt payments.
Canada is a wonderful place, but expensive, and Vancouver is ranked the second most expensive city in the world to live in.

Thanks, that seems doable if we have £3k. Which must be about $4k?

That would be 4680.00 Canadian, so certainly doable!

I hope you guys do come, Canada is pretty darn great, if I do say so myself!
There is so much to do, if you are into outdoor activities.

I'd add more to that food budget, we spend at least 1k to 1250 a month on food with 2adults a 5yo and 2yo. I cannot believe how expensive Canada is. Happily from Vancouver there is apparently a Costco over the border which is so much cheaper that you can use. My friends always stock up on dairy products when they go into the states for the weekend. $6 for a block of butter here.

I sign up on everyones email lists as the 40% sales off clothes for example bring clothing down to a realistic price.

I am jealous. I would move to Canada in a shot if I could - I loved it when I spent time there as a student!

Go. Go and be happy and have a wonderful time. You won't get a chance once your visas run out, so GO!

Wow HerRoyalNotness - where do you shop? We live in the back of beyond with only one extortionately priced supermarket within 80km of us (so zero competion for prices) and I've finally got round to looking at our spending for the last 12 months. I was totally to see that on one occasion we actually did spend $1k/month on food and groceries, for a family of 4 that includes a 9 year old and a 13 year old boy who eats more than my 6' tall DH, and also all the pet food for our 2 dogs and 4 cats. But I then consoled myself that it was December's grocery store spend, so Xmas was what made it more than usual (by about 25%) and I still think that our more normal $800/month is higher than it would be if we lived nearer a city.

MrsKoala - My opinion, fwiw, is go! It worked out really well for us when we did similar. As long as you keep a decent safety net and cut your losses if it's obvious that it's all going completely pear shaped and well before you end up in a precarious position, then I can't see any reason not to try it out

The only thing I would be cautious of...is the scenario where one of you ends up wanting to stay permanently and the other wants to come back to UK...have you discussed if this is temporary, or temp to permanent?

Hi, I moved to Vancouver five years ago with my young family. I would second the advice to do some research on the British Expats forum. Their wiki covers every area of moving to and living in Canada.
It is good that you are coming out with savings - you will definitely need it out here! If you choose to buy a house in the future, the average price for a family home is now a million dollars (although you can buy cheaper in the outskirts, such as Richmond or Surrey). We came out with a plan for me to work full-time and for DH to work part-time and be more of a SAHD. Within a month we realized that that wasn't going to be possible, so we both work full-time now. Childcare can be pricey too, but if you both work, you can get good tax breaks for that. You won't need to learn to drive initially, as the public transport is v good.
As has already been stated, the business culture is v different here in BC. It is all about networking. In order to get a break, your DH may have to take a job...just so that he has a Canadian firm on his resume. That will then open a lot of doors for him.
PM me if you have any other questions. My youngest is 8 weeks old; Van is a lovely place for a growing family! Good luck with the next few weeks!

The move is (if successful) forever, if moderately successful, for 3 years and if a disaster for 6 months!

If I want to come home we will.

Thanks for the networking advice. I'll relay to DH.

Do you think we would need a car?

I have a cousin who lives in Vancouver having married a Canadian. They have a lovely but expensive life. At least twice a year they go over the border for a weekend to shop in the US for food, clothes, toys, you get the picture.

If you are spending most of your time in the city, it is cheaper to just rent a vehicle on weekends, and do your big shops and travelling then. If you end up living or working outside of the city, then you will need to buy one.
An average mid sized second hand 4 door is about 10,000, insurance to 2 drivers roughly 110.00/month, fuel is around 1.30/l right now, parking will run you about 60.00/month , plus maintenance (oil changes, snow tires, etc) 100/month.
You can rent a car for about 25/day, so it is often the better bet.

I second the opinion of looking on British Expats on their wiki, and search some of the forums too.

Yes you will need a car, unless you are living close to the sky train or other public transport.

Honestly I think you would need at least $5k a month.

Good luck!

We are planning to live centrally so won't bother with a car.

I think £3k is close to $5k, so we have budgeted for around that.

DH is putting his notice in - gulp!

Thanks for all the advice

Not sure how the Canadian system works, but with most health insurance, there is a lag between taking the policy and being able to claim for maternity benefits, so check that out or you could get a big hospital bill if you're planning to TTC very soon.

I used to live in Vancouver a long time ago now and in terms of shopping I'd suggest getting your produce from the small markets, most areas have them or in China town. It's miles cheaper, well used to be anyway. I second Costco and while groceries are expensive eating out can be quite reasonable. My dad was amazed when in the UK at Christmas at how cheap things like mince pies were as would about 3-4x the price in Canada.

Thanks, great tips people, keep them coming ;)

Is Costco an American shop? Or an out of town thing?

There's a Costco downtown on Expo Boulevard (near BC Place).

There are Costco stores in the UK. It's a warehouse store that sells things in bigger quantities but the price is usually lower. We're from the US and I used to go to my local Costco (about 15 mins away) about once a week. We are now about 30 mins from the Costco in Reading, and we go once or twice a month. I believe here in the UK, for some reason, membership is restricted to certain professions. In the US, anyone can purchase a membership which runs about $50 annually. We go to Costco to purchase things like fruit, vegetables, meat, furniture, batteries. As you can see there is quite a variety! I love Costco, reminds me of home!

Cheers. We'll only have a tiny flat so doubt will be able to stock up on bulk buys.

Oh, does anyone know if our electrics will work? DH and I have had an ongoing dispute about this, with regards to USA and Canada. He says take everything and just put plug adapters on, but I thought it was I different voltage there.

Also anyone have any ideas on a shipping containers cost? I have contacted a few companies but they want to know full details for a quote. We haven't decided what we want to take yet so can't give definites, I just want a general 'one container of x size will cost y' type approx cost.

Our shipping for one container, including packing came to around 4000-5000 pounds, i think it was a while ago and it could have been more, we used britannia.

Again you will need to purchase health insurance for the first 3 months and then, you may wish to pay for some kind of extended medical policy, there is no coverage for dental, prescription medication and limited optical here. For example my son has mild asthma, and a spacer alone (not the inhaler) cost around $80.

If you want to get an idea of food costs, take a look on some of the supermarkets with internet shopping and do a quick comparison of the items you usually buy against the price of theirs.

Your electrics will not work, you will need to replace them. You can purchase step down transformers to allow their use, but i'm not sure what the home insurance people would say.

hi Mrs koala. I sold all my electrics per move to Canada as a friend of mine told me that if you use adapters and there is a fire the insurers will see it as a loophole. the only thing I brought with me was my hair dryer (does not get enough power through the adapter to work properly) and my GHD straighteners ( oddly these do work with an adapter, they still get hot enough which is just as well as they are a few hundred dollars here) . YOU NEED To learn to drive. Canada is a massive landspace and I would feel very isolated without driving. costs we weren't expecting: health insurance cover - when I had to leave the country, I found it hard to find travel insurance to cover me as I hadn't yet qualified for the health services in this country, car insurance was also very expensive as I have no drivers record in this country. if you are planning on working, see if you can get your little one on waiting lists for daycare now as there is a bit of a wait.
In Ontario, there is a 90 day wait period before you qualify for any healthcare so you should double check the situ in BC.
When renting a flat or condo as it's called here, check that the monthly condo fees are included as these can run into hundreds of dollars per month - should be paid by the owner though.
We do have more family time in Canada as opposed to London.

Here are some costs from thiftys, i hope these help ...
Dempsters 100% Whole Wheat Bread 675GR $4.19

2% Milk Jug 4LT $5.79

Good Start Formula Infant 900GR $23.99

Kraft, Cracker Barrel Cheese Medium 700GR $13.48

Pampers Baby Dry Mega Pack Baby Diapers Size 3 $19.99 Pack of 60

Cereal Cheerios 400GR $4.99

Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs 150GR $6.99

costco is good for meat, Walmart is good for baby things

Old navy is good for kids clothes - they always have sales and discount days.

check the plugs of your electrical items - if they are dual voltage they will say something like (110-240v) some will be, some not. You might want to bring a dual voltage UK DVD player to play your old DVDs - we did as we knew our new player we bought here would not play them!

Trying to recall but pretty sure you have to get 3 months of bridging health insurance before Healthcare kicks in. We could only drive on our uk licences for 3 months before we HAD to take the Canadian test. Learn in North Van they don't make you parallel park (or they didn't in 2006).

I think you'll need a car. You will want to get out and explore.

Wow, it really is eye watering isn't it!

I doubt we'd be able to afford me to drive, and tbh I am frightened of driving over 50mph.

in Vancouver you never will drive over 50mph! Lots of traffic (in fact in the city the limit is 50 kph)

do it MrsK - vancouver is lovely

When looking at food and clothing prices, don't forget to add tax. I am not sure if the HST fiasco has been rectified yet or not, but you need to add 12% to add purchases. I am from just outside of Vancouver and it s a fabulous place, but very expensive. I think $5 000 a month might be a bit low. Daycare in downtown Vancouver can easily be $1400 per month.

And forgive me if i have the wrong poster, but weren't you posting a while ago about your husband spending a lot of your savings on eating out and buying shares in a company when you thought you had cash in the bank? If so, I hope you got this sorted out. Apologies, if i am wrong, (maybe i am, i think that poster was moving to the US, not Canada) but you do not want to move and have money problems while overseas.

Good luck.

Honestly costco is your friend, you can get three loaves of bread for the same price you would pay in the supermarket. Nappies and wipes are a lot cheaper too.

I don't understand, though. Is he planning to work in Vancouver too? It sounded as though he'd be working in Toronto but living in Vancouver.

Costco is great for things like ski pants and coats for the kids, half the price they charge at Sears!

Has he really handed in his notice before you've been and looked at places you might live and properly costed out healthcare?

That's a bit, um, rash?

Alligator I was also wondering if the £30 per day coffee and snack habit had been knocked on the head!

We would not go and look at places and then come back. We would just go. We aren't doing a protracted plan, it would cost too much and we have been there plenty of times and he used to live there already, so we know what areas we like etc.

His company want him to move to the US, he doesn't want to work for them anymore, we were planning to go to DC, but recently his work has been unhappy. So I can't really expect him to work somewhere he is miserable.

So the alternative is to quit and use our Canadian visas, we would have to go pretty soon tho as there is not long left.

He is planning to do consultancy across Canada, US and UK (he already does UK and Europe things). But Vancouver would be our home.

Yes, he has drastically stopped spending, and is sticking to the £50 a week. He does understand this now.

I love Canada, if only we could get visas & DH would agree to emigrate.

If you like their stuff, don't forget about Next. Free shipping to Canada and no import tax. There are some things you can't buy though, like underwear for some reason.

That's od about next isn't it? Useful to know,cheers.

Alibaba - sorry I was incoherent yesterday, I meant to say, his work are pressing for a date this week that we will be in DC. he has to let them know by fri. This means he has to quit really if we aren't going. If we had a choice we'd leave it 2 more months while we sorted stuff. Dh will offer 2 months notice but they may just say no go in 2 weeks - which is his contracted notice period.

Ok- no-one else is going to ask, so I'm going to.........OP.........is your DH an arms dealer? (i think the proper word is weapons procurement or something.

I have spent 2 days piecing together your snippets and this is what I have come up with

Ha! We prefer the term war-monger.

God created all men but Sam Colt made them all equal!

Er, no. Sorry.