what's the best thing about living in the UK ?

[hez011]

I have made the momentous decision to return to UK after 20+ years overseas,bringing my twin ds with me who have only once visited UK.Some helpful friends/family have been quick to pour cold water on the idea so please can I have some personal good reasons for life in UK ? Thanks

Erm....

Um....

Ur...

i like it here, because my life is here. and if i moved somewhere else, i would have tostart from scratch again. and i am tired of doing that, having had parents who moved around a lot, qyite sick of it acutally.

thee weather is predictable. its always horrible.
you can walk, and make excercise a part of your dail y routine wihtou t any difficilty.

proper cheddar cheese. big one for me.

multicultural to an extent.

Not sure why you want to move back or where you have been living but I want to move back because it's where my family is, I know the language, I'm sick of missing the jist of the jokes and no one understanding my slightly British humour, I know the system and the schooling for my dc and know what to expect and I know the dc would be a thousand times happier than where we are now!

Do any of those reasons help to convince you?!

it certainly isn't the weather!!

We are thinking of moving back too, although after a bit less time than your 20 years! For us it's about being closer to friends and family, and although we all speak the language here we want to get rid of that little level of stress and adrenaline that goes with you every day when you're dealing with unfamiliar culture, beaurocracy, customs, language (concentration) etc. Like admylin we know the "system" in the UK, specifically at the moment when times are harder, in UK we have contacts, qualifications that directly pertain to something, and the knowledge of how to be financially lighter on our feet. Impossible here - it's not that kind of place and it's quite remote, so financial backup plans are hard to make.

Because our village is quite remote there just aren't the people to meet here, and although we have found some lovely friends ds is short of little people to play with (his school is in the next town so quite far away). At home all our friends have little ones the same age as ds and all live within a 10 mile radius more or less, so that will be another plus.

Most of this isn't probably relevant to you as 20 is a long time and you're probably more settled, however for us the knowledge of Britain and being near much missed friends is the biggy.

You have to go with your gut feeling - can you make a good home and living in Britain? Does your heart pull you there? Good luck with whatever you decide!

I actually rather like our weather. Particularly spring when all the trees are that amazing vivid green. And crisp, cold, clear autumnal days too.

I like the fact that the weather is a pretty basic conversational gambit.

Is hard to come up with things that I love about the UK without sounding cliched. I do think that the NHS (just the fact that it exists) is pretty amazing. The state welfare system. Neither of these things are ideal in operation, but the pure fact that there is a safety net and an ethos that the state will look after those that need help is wonderful to me.

I like the fact that we are quite a multicultural nation. I love the countryside, and also love the big cities. Like being a relatively small island.

Good television (again, like the BBC) in general. Excellent programmes and films.

BUt all these are very sweeping generalisations, but I think you'd get that if you were australian or american and had to describe what you like about your nation.

We're also planning on moving to the UK next year after most of a lifetime abroad. Like you, some friends and family have suggested that it might not work out for us for various reasons.

I'm looking forward to things that have already been mentioned, like real cheddar cheese (thanks for making my mouth water, stitch!), as well as real bacon and sausages (now my tummy's rumbling!), being around English-speakers and British humour(!), enjoying the UK weather (and talking about it!), the TV etc. It's also a good hub for travelling abroad and for expat friends to visit, so I don't think we would miss out on that side of moving too much either. Most of our family is here now and some friends have already moved here too. I'm also looking forward to having a house and garden again (although that isn't obviously unique to living in the UK!).

At the end of the day, we've decided to give it a go. If it doesn't work out, we know we can always move again.

Good thread, hez011, thanks!

Charity shops.

Lots of baby changing facilities (at least in comparison with elsewhere)

The Welsh countryside

The fact that people are relatively tolerant and also give you privacy

The NHS

Where I live (largish city) people are very friendly in shops, and always say thank you to the bus driver

Very few insects that bite or are poisonous

Crumpets, muffins, nice cheddar cheese, great selection of biscuits and CADBURY'S chocolate

Good clothes shopping

The right to roam - public footpaths across the countryside

...I could think of lots more. I grew up in another country and moved here when I was 18 and I think this makes me appreciate the nice things about living here.

Good television definitely....

Still, despite its bleakspots, the best health service around...ditto the school system......

And more vaguely...something I always say I want my child to have that she probably won't have if I have to stay here (aaaargh) choice. I still firmly believe that in the UK anyone can be anything.

Things for children to do...libraries, playgroups, just stuff......

And if you're currently in a euro-zone (as I am) you'll find it bloody cheap.

Can I hide in your suitcase?

The countryside
The beaches
The Stately homes
Despite what we read a pretty safe place to live.

our dairy products are the best
so is our meat
as is our television
and our countryside and country pubs
and the free healthcare

bribe them

Yes, the libraries...the country pubs...a respect of personal space (and the ability of most people to queue patiently without a lot of hassle and pushing)...!

I'm happy to be bribed by all of these things!

This thread is making me feel very happy, thank you!

We live overseas and are very happy here, but I thought I'd write all the things I miss about the UK and love doing when we go back twice a year:

eating indian and thai food

having lunch in a pub garden in the summer

shopping (being able to browse in large shops like WHS without just asking for a pad of paper over the counter and getting what you're given)

gap for kids and monsoon

English books, mountains of them, that you can pick up and flick through in huge bookshops with cafes

cricket and rugby (well that is DH's actually, not mine. he does regret that our DS will never know the finer points of cricket. apparently if you don't learn it at school, you never really understand it)

not feeling like a second class citizen every time you speak (because no matter how fluent you are, you will always be 'foreign').

knowing the system (whatever system it is - education, health, how to queue in a bank)

HTH

I also grew up in another country ,have been in the UK for 26 yrs now and some of the reasons I love it are;

the beautiful countryside that is very accessible ,unlike other places where you travel for hrs to see it

british day to day friendliness
sense of humour
temperate weather
good schools
fantastic shopping
easy access to continent
the fact that it's still quite a small country and everyone talks about trivial things like come dancing or the weather
excellent supermarkets with mammoth choice
culture and architecture and sense of history
the nhs
good tv and radio

and pubs

the nhs

Everything. I second what Pooka says.

Seasons. The fact that we are having a proper Winter this year. Spring is around the corner, the nights are drawing out.

Wonderful food. And yes proper Cheese.

Cultural diversity
Good supermarkets with wide and varied choices
Decent fruit all year round (yeah I know it's imported but I am fed up with getting ds to like grapes all over again only to have them go out of season until next year...when we have to start again!)
Charity shops
Good eco awareness and recycling
Education system
Art. Galleries. Music. Lots of.

oh thanks everyone - knew I could count on you . Admylin - you are spot on. Dustbuster -thanks. I am tired of feeling like a foreigner all the time and want better opportunities for my ds' .I am really looking forward to doing normal things like going to the library, shopping,having trivial conversations with people at bus stops - silly I know but I want to feel I belong.
And I really looking forward to listening to Womans hour

Message withdrawn

You can do that already online!

Loooooooong summer evenings.

Distinct lack of poisonous beasties.

The NHS, while far from perfect, is generally pretty blimmin amazing in an emergency.

You'll be able to enter the MN competitions.

Coronation Street

Have to disagree about the television though. It may have been the best in the past, but it's bollocks now.