Is the grass always greener?

What a lovely post, I am grateful for the historic city I live in, with its beautiful Cathedral dating back over a milennium.

I am glad that I live relatively close to three of my four children, and six of my grandchildren, who bring a huge amount of joy. Not to mention our two cats who rule the roost.

I love the changing seasons, especially the approaching spring.

So much of our country is stunning, the Cotswolds, the West Country, the Lake District being just a fraction.

There is nothing like the British sense of humour, sorely tested sometimes, but we are great at taking the mickey out of ourselves.

And then there are the Sunday roasts and fish and chips?

I think most places we go on holiday, particularly places like fabulous Venice and hundreds of places at home and abroad we think 'Oh how lovely to live here'. We are realistic enough to realise that it's not always as it seems.
We are in Birmingham, which is not everyone's idea of paradise! I love it with all its faults. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

I was an 'army brat' and also married into the forces so spent the first 40 years of my life a bit of a nomad. I always adored Yorkshire and would, one day, like to go back there to live. A dream that will never, probably, be fulfilled.

I don't think the grass does always seem greener to be honest.
When we moved to America it was not actually a desire to travel or because we thought it would be better but because a university there made my husband a graduate (funded) offer we didn't want him to have to turn down.

We really didn't want to go - and had mixed feelings in the weeks beford we actually left - but once we got over the move it was just so easy to live there compared to our life here in the UK.

I often feel that Australia must be similar by the way people who know it speak of it.
We were of course fortunate with a Blue Cross health care package too so that made life easier.

However, when it was time to come "home" we really didn't want to do that. We were settled in a "new life" and it seemed a sad to uproot again.

Maybe some have a feeling that they are missing something or that life is better elsewhere but really I think most people are content in their home so long as things are muddling along OK.

Nice replies, all so true. Although I have a moan about the heat (love the cold) and living expenses I am glad to be in a nice neighbourhood and only 45 minutes to an hour from children. And, like the Brits, the Aussie sense of humour is great too!

My DS emigrated to NZ 15 years ago. He loves it and will never live here again. But I think that's partly because he was young and adopted the way of life "the whole package" and has built his life there.
He comes here for visits and there's lots about Britain he likes, but he is fiercely loyal to his new home.

I have been to both Australia and NZ and I am sure I could be happy in either but not now. I am too old now.

I came to Australia as a young teenager from England with my family many moons ago .Took a while to settle in . Got married , had one child . I have always wondered what my life in England would have been like . I’ve been back only for a couple of very short holidays with hubby . I loved it. When we came to Australia I’m sure it was my dad’s decision it was for a better life . I really don’t think that’s the reality of it, all my relatives in England have the same quality life style as me out here. I do love the English countryside and I sometimes imagine myself retiring there, but that would probably be in my next life. Who knows, maybe I would have wanted to come back to Oz if I did go back ,but I’ll never know.

Gramaretto my son moved to NZ 27 years ago he and his family have become NZ citizens now I have been there a few times and it’s a beautiful country but I can see it’s faults and
I d never want to live there there’s a lot of things that wouldn’t suit me at all and having lived in other countries with the services when I was young I find it old fashionably colonial in attitude

I like where the stork dropped me down, warts and all and I recognise all those warts but it’s my home and I am fiercely protective of it

No- we loved it here from the moment we got here in the early 70s. The last place we lived in the UK was Kenilworth which was very pretty . I found the Australian people a lot more friendly and outgoing than the ones in the UK and they spoke their mind which I also like. I was brought up in London , 20 minutes from Trafalgar Square and I couldn't wait to leave. Sure I miss the history and some aspects, including old friends and relatives . I notice every single one of our friends and relatives have left London and most live either in a coastal town or a small village . I love the weather here but we are further south near the Yarra valley so it doesn't get as hot as other areas. We have lived in other parts of Australia,too but we like it here. I like NZ,too and have been there many times but for me, like Tasmania, it is a bit too countrified and small villagey. Thank goodness we are all different, hey?

I think when you emigrate to some place new, after careful consideration, you need to appreciate the differences and not hark back about how different it is from ‘home’. And keep in mind why you left your home country in the first place. Nowhere on earth is perfect, but continual comparisons with ‘home’ are not helpful. I’m forever grateful my parents made the brave decision to emigrate. NZ is a small country with a small population, we have space and beauty and what blessings those are. With a small population we can’t possibly have the diversity larger country’s do, wherever you live having ‘it all’ isn’t possible.

Mitzigem

I came to Australia as a young teenager from England with my family many moons ago .Took a while to settle in . Got married , had one child . I have always wondered what my life in England would have been like . I’ve been back only for a couple of very short holidays with hubby . I loved it. When we came to Australia I’m sure it was my dad’s decision it was for a better life . I really don’t think that’s the reality of it, all my relatives in England have the same quality life style as me out here. I do love the English countryside and I sometimes imagine myself retiring there, but that would probably be in my next life. Who knows, maybe I would have wanted to come back to Oz if I did go back ,but I’ll never know.

I hope my next life will be in the English countryside too, Mitzigem. For me, it’s the most beautiful place in the world.

nanna8, I find Britsh people just as friendly and outgoing as Australians. Our friends in Cornwall are, as are their friends. Everywhere we have been in the UK we have been welcomed and maybe we were just lucky but even when we stopped, hopelessly lost in York, people asked if they could help. Beautiful.
As for NZ yes it’s countrified but in many ways very progressive.
BlueBelle, I love what you wrote about wherever the stork dropped you down. So cute!

AussieGran59, have you lived here in NZ for any length of time?

denbylover

AussieGran59, have you lived here in NZ for any length of time?

I was born there and came to Australia when I was eighteen, why? Before covid we made regular trips back to visit family.

I was not knocking my country of birth but someone said it was countrified and I responded. I love NZ and as I already said, it’s very progressive in many ways.

found the Australian people a lot more friendly and outgoing than the ones in the UK and they spoke their mind this is the very bit I don’t like I do like people to speak their mind but in a kindly way I find the brash ‘ahh don’t let the sheelaghs round the barbee that’s a man’s job’ attitude hideous and I m not exaggerating I had that said to me
I also had a NZ man ‘tell me’ that my country was closed down at night as it wasn’t safe for anyone to go out because of the marauding immigrants I politely asked him when he was last in UK and he told me he’d never been but could read the papers my next remark was maybe a marginally less polite

I have two sisters in aus, sister one moved yet again, after fleeing a close fire and the intense heat. She is closer to sister two now but remained further out from the town and yet again this year, had a bush fire within seeing distance. They are making the best of it now and miss lots of the uk, particularly the historic areas and beautiful lush greenery and the people and their 4 siblings in the uk

We all made our choices, to stay or to go and acceptance is the way forward, to be happy within wherever our paths took us

We like NotSpaghetti went abroad in the 70’s to live as my DH’s company moved us. I had a very young baby and desperately wanted to stay in the UK. I was told it would just be for 2 years.
In fact it turned into 18 years and our DC were brought up in the Netherlands as Dutch children.
When it was time to come back I really didn’t want to and I am still a little homesick for my life over there although I love where I live now.

Btw my DSiL is Australian living over here and he is not brash and outspoken at all. He is just a lovely guy.

I think anywhere is what you make it and there is is good and back in everywhere and everything.

BlueBelle, I have never heard the brash sheilas near the barbie talk! Must be where you live. We don’t say giday or howyergoin either. The Australian men I know are definitely not coarse, brash or in any way offensive.

Me neither, never met anyone anything like that at all. I was thinking ( tongue in cheek) Queensland? To come to that Australians haven’t referred to females as Sheila’s since the 1960s - at least I have never heard it. We all like our typecasting, don’t we?

My DD, SiL emigrated to Australia 5 years ago and love it. Having been for a months visit recently, we can see why. Good infrastructure, lots for young families, good healthcare with clean modern hospitals, easy to see a GP. Lots of their friends are young British couples who’ve also made the move. There’s more I could add. It’s hard for us not seeing them, but we fully support and understand their decision.

My dad worked in New Zealand for a year. He loved it and wanted us to go and live there. My mum was adamant that she was not leaving so here we are. I was disappointed as I would have liked to go after hearing his descriptions of NZ.
I live in a lovely part of the UK so am happy where I am .

My advice to anyone considering a big move, is to rent and live there for a whole year, through all seasons, before making a decision. Not easy to do if a job is involved, and schools for children.

I would not want to live on the other side of the world, I have to say. Being a one day drive, one day train journey, or short flight away, is fine, no worse than living in Inverness or Corwall.

I agree that the grass can sometimes seem greener, especially when the daily news on tv/radio/newspapers etc, focus in so much on all that is grim (and, yes, certain things are pretty grim). However, this grimness will be apparent to some degree or another just about anywhere in the world. No country is utopia, they all have good features and bad ones.

There’s much to be unhappy about here in the UK, but also much to be happy and grateful for.

I think it’s hard to make an unbiased judgement about anywhere when you are looking at it from the outside in.
Also, visiting a place can only give you a brief snapshot of a small part of that place. It can look and feel wonderful, but living there permanently might not be quite so wonderful.