Return to the UK

[Wee Stumpy]

We weighed up many considerations before making the decision to return to the UK after 10 years here. In that time we have only returned once for a week and me for a day or so for two funerals so I suppose we were concerned about the weather over there as various friends had returned saying that they had had nothing but rain every day and full of woes however since making the decision I have been checking the weather where we are re-locating to on almost a daily basis and find that actually most weeks there are far more dry days than wet, the sun does still shine albeit colder for most of the time ( not this week!)
Surprising how much you forget so easily!

[Jim]

I have over the years seen many members return to the UK Shelagh. but most have said it was for medical reasons or missing family, but never for the weather what ever the reason I do wish you a happy life in the UK but as I have said many many times wild horses would not get me back to the UK, my family are fortunately only a mile away, the weather for me is no problem we all know Cyprus summers are very long and hot, so as far as I am concerned I look forward to a few weeks of wet cool weather, that is OK by me.

I do wish you all the best on your return.

[emgee]

All the best Shelagh.

Alan

[juliesewell]

All the best for your move Shelagh....

This week has been a dry week mostly which has been good as we've got the builders in doing a rejig and total bathroom refit.

It's also been quite mild but today is showing a max of 8 Celsius - the lowest of the week.

The most difficult thing to come to terms with so far over the last 3 weeks are the dark mornings. I don't recall them being this dark. Today we have sunrise at 8:26am.

But you can buy a whole frozen turkey for £9 in Morrisons

[Lynsab]

As a returnee of long standing Shelagh I can vouch for the weather...

It's very different...

It allows four very beautiful seasons, which, if they perform true to form reflect a country and its landscape to its full extent...

Inside you're very cosy in the winter, in the summer, don't need icy aircon, spring and autumn weather are easy on the body and on the eye...

My advice is ignore those who talk about weather as it's the ONLY thing that matters, it isn't, at least not anymore...it's life and living that are far more important...most of us have family in the UK that eventually become uppermost in our minds as we age, and naturally we are drawn back to those loving roots..,

There's no shame or failure in a returning expat and in a very tiny corner of mid Wales I have three couples who have done so...one from Africa two from Spain and ourselves from Cyprus...it's a common phenomenon returning expats....

Our plan was a 10 year stay, that was cut short as we just decided the time was right when we left....as it happened I was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer by accident eight weeks after I returned...I very much needed our friends and family at that dreadful time, so in our case it was a good choice...

But nevertheless we were enriched hugely by our stay in Cyprus we had ups and downs, but mainly fabulous memories of a gorgeous island it's people its history and its warmth...I will hold dearly for ever...

We commited hugely to living there and bought land and built a home, and OH ran a business, so not playing at it...our home there is beautiful....but we never figured on the pull happening...it just did...within three years of returning along with my health problems I lost my Mum and my sister...and was ever grateful I was here ....

I'm not saying everything is rosy anywhere in the world, but for us we've had a good life enriched by Cyprus and of course that in turn makes life back here albeit very different equally as enriching...

We are if anything far more involved in the community we now live in, so quite busy, and the social aspects of life in the UK are very different...but our Cyprus cats and us are delighted with our past and present life and so will you be..

The weather is just one aspect of it....last night I was out Carol Singing for charity, with approx 30 people, I was so hot I took my coat OFF...but I'm acclimatised so I don't feel the cold...I now hate extreme heat and cannot cope with it...so will never visit our Cyprus home in the hot weather anymore unless I really have too, but that's peculiar to me, not everyone feels the heat....

Our home in Cyprus is up for sale, we're over next month to sort out some stuff, but once it's gone, hopefully in a couple of years we will have few regrets...

Good luck on your return it takes a while to settle back in, but you will...and being an expat actually helps IMO...I've never had any woes since our return, just one, that we couldn't sell the house in Cyprus straight off ...but we rented it for four years instead made good money from it...so no complaints..

And anyway the shopping is much much better...

[Pam & Chris]

Have you got room for me in your suitcase.......I envy you.good luck.Pam

[Jim]

Envy....OK..

[Wee Stumpy]

Thanks for all your good wishes and advice. Bit of a problem today as our little Timmy seems to have a problem with his trachea - apparently quite a common problem in little dogs especially with poor breeding.( our little darling is a Cypriot Heinz 57) We took him to the Vets today and he was just wagging his tail all the time but he is not right and will have an xray on Monday
Fingers crossed he will be able to fly as we could not contemplate leaving him behind.

[Mrs Polo]

Hi Shelagh hope all goes well for Timmy, we returned to the UK just short of 2 years ago after almost 11 years in Cyprus, and I must say we cannot grumble about the weather in the time we have been back here we are in North Nottinghamshire, in fact we have found it most pleasant to be able to enjoy the outdoors more comfortably (for our liking anyway). One thing I realised the other day was that whilst we have been living back in the UK the only Duvet that we have ever used on our bed has been the lightweight summer one. In Cyprus we had 3 the lightweight, mid weight and winter industrial weight! along with electric blanket!! Another plus Archie our Shih-tzu loves the UK walks. Wishing you well for your move.

[Fisherman Phil]

I went to UK for a week, three years ago. It rained very day and I was quite cold and this was in July.
Wild horses wouldn't pull me back to the UK, but I wish Shelagh and Merv all the best.

[Pickles]

What's the hang up everyone has with the British weather?! There are a million reasons people want to return there and it's their own PERSONAL business. Shelagh has been honest but I think her reasons should be respected not criticised and I wish her and her hubby plus Timmy & the lovely Poppy all the very best!

[Jim]

Vicky who is not respecting her decision to leave please?, do remember though what this site is called, members have always come and gone, a fact of life on all Cyprus forums, CL is about life here not the UK it always has been.

We all of course wish Shelagh and her hubby, and pets of course a very happy future (once again) back in the UK, those who live on the Island just like you to enjoy life here.

Many members who have returned to the UK have contacted me to say just how they miss Cyprus life, this is something I will never have to do fortunately.

[Fisherman Phil]

Get off your high horse, Pickles.
Most people I know have moved to Cyprus for the good weather.
In no way have I critised Shelagh moving back to UK, in fact I wished them both well.
I thought this forum was for an exchange of views? With your kind of response, I don't think I'll bother again.

[Wee Stumpy]

Don't worry Phil - I know you wished us well!!
I'll let you know if I think we made the right decision next year!!

[rita sherry]

Shelagh

I dont know when you actually plan to leave Cyprus but I wish you, your husband and little Timmy all the very best for the future. As I said before I do hope you will keep in touch with us from time to time to let us all know how you are getting on - I for one will miss your posts as you have always been so helpful to me and I know others seeking advice. Hope Timmy passes muster at the vets and enjoys his new home.

Wishing you all the very best and a safe journey whenever that is.

Rita

[juliesewell]

Shelagh,

Once you're back in UK, you will find there's a little bit of Cyprus in most places that you visit as time goes by....

We have the Cyprus Takeaway just 20 minutes up the road from us and yesterday, we took a day trip out by coach to Bury Market (bought some Bury black puddings there) and stopped into a fish and chip shop for our lunch on what was The Rock (as we knew it) in the town centre.

Quite by accident as we were leaving and paid the bill, we got chatting to the owner to find out he was a Cypriot called Tasos who originates from Larnaca from the outskirts of Lefkara village. He's had his shop in Bury for just over 14yrs.

Hope all goes well for your Timmy tomorrow.... please keep us posted.

As you know, we lost our old dog Indie 6 months after we returned to UK. We really didn't know how long we would have with him, or indeed if he would survive the journey as our vet in Cyprus told us he had a heart murmur about 18 months previously. Our vet here in UK told us it was a very insignificant problem and took him off the medication he had been prescribed in Cyprus. However, the time we had with him here was wonderful - both of our dogs discovered a wonderful new outdoor life of freedom that they could never have in Cyprus.

So many places welcome dogs here so I hope you get to spend your time with Timmy, as we've done with ours.

Everyone stops in the street to give our Ruby the Rottie a love and a stroke as we pass by, even the kids which is such a huge change from our doggy experiences in Cyprus. She does attract a lot of attention though, she's a very big girl....

Keeping fingers crossed it's good news for you. Love xxx

[Admin]

A true story for Christmas.

When we lived in the UK our future Cypriot Son in Law visited us in our Warwickshire home for a few weeks at Christmas in 1999, we all decided to drive to the nearest Fish & Chip shop some six miles away in the next village, we did not know then it was Cypriot owned, the staff looked at him oddly because he had some Cypriot type clothes on not normal for Brits to wear, a member of the staff came out to help as it was very busy chip shop, the young man who came to help was the owners son, he stopped in his tracks as both Kiki (Son in law) and the son of the shop were in the same army brigade on Cyprus, it was an amazing coincidence, free fish and chips all round, you never know who you may bump into.


Jim....


'Jules very sorry to hear about Indie I'm sure you gave him/her a great life, I do agree what you say about the way animals are treated on Cyprus, for sure a worry for anyone thinking of moving out here.

[juliesewell]

Thanks Jim...
We lost him just 2 days after my Dad passed away so it was a very difficult time. Indie had a number of problems, the main being very bad arthritis in his back legs plus an ulcerative cancer on his shoulder and deaf to boot.... But he was still chasing cats and pigeons on his walks. He got steadily slower, sleeping more around September time but started to go off his food in October.
It was a tough decision to make but it would have been very selfish of us to let him continue knowing he was no longer entirely happy with life when his pain meds weren't doing the job for him.
The vet said we were right to take the decision when we did but it doesn't make it any easier.
He was a great character though and had a great life from the day we got him as a rescue puppy from Warrington Dogs Home. Almost a Scouser!

It was definitely worth the cost of bringing both of our dogs back. We couldn't have put him to sleep in Cyprus. I hate the way they do it there and it was haunting me during our last few months there. Here, it's just as it was when I worked in the veterinary clinic, with an injection into the vein on the foreleg. We've always stayed with our furry family right up to their very end....

We still have Ruby and she's leading the life of Riley with her daily walks to the jetty and making new friends whilst investigating new smells as she goes.

[Firefly]

Jules

Sorry if this is off topic, but what did you mean by the way pets are put to sleep in Cyprus ? During our ten years in Cyprus, I have sadly had to have two of my cats put to sleep by the same vet in Polis. He was so kind and understanding, asking me if I was sure, and giving both cats an injection in the leg, and I held them both whilst they died.

Shelagh

All good wishes to you and husband for your return to the UK, I hope all goes well for Timmy. I'm glad we returned to the UK, although it wasn't without some regrets. Mainly missed all my friends and the sun, but we have been very lucky having moved back to our favourite area, and finding that old friends are welcoming us back.

Jackie

[LouiseCastricum]

Jules, don't know what you mean with the 'how they do it in Cyprus'. Unfortunately in the almost 23 years we are here, we had to have 4 dogs put to sleep and one cat. All dogs got an injection in the leg and very peacefully died. For one dog our vet even came to the house. The cat was tranquilized first and then got the injection.

[Firefly]

Louise

Yes my cats were tranquilized first too.

Jackie

[Wee Stumpy]

Well just got back from the Vets and I'm afraid it is not good news - too much for me to take in so am going back tomorrow morning to sort it all out. What I do know is that he has a serious bronchial problem and poor little lad also appears to have an enlarged heart. The Vet wants me to give permission to send some culture off to see how best to treat him but it appears that it will be an ongoing condition. Poor little boy - he is only two!
He says he should be OK to fly. I think this initial cost is going to be €150 and then I just don't know - don't really care as he is worth every penny.
Poppy was so worried about him when he was not here and has been really caring of him since he returned home!

Jules I was sorry to hear that your dog died - I'm sure you both miss him!

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes!

[Firefly]

Oh Shelagh, so sorry to hear it's not good news. I do hope that treatment is successful for Timmy.

All best wishes

Jackie

[juliesewell]

Jules, don't know what you mean with the 'how they do it in Cyprus'. Unfortunately in the almost 23 years we are here, we had to have 4 dogs put to sleep and one cat. All dogs got an injection in the leg and very peacefully died. For one dog our vet even came to the house. The cat was tranquilized first and then got the injection.

Yes, they sedate them first - but a good many of the vets then inject the animal through the heart and not put the final sedative in through the leg vein.

We saw it with our cat - not very nice at all. Even though he was sedated, he put up quite a struggle and screamed when he was injected through the heart.

I also checked the procedure out with a friend of ours who does dog rescue in Cyprus and was informed this is the way many of the local vets operate their practice but if the need arose, she would ask if the vet at the time would go through the leg rather than via the heart... and this was one who does house visits. It really wasn't a risk we wanted to take.

Our previous cat was put to sleep by "Dr John" from Avdimou quite a number of years ago and he did that by injecting into the leg, which is what we're used to seeing here in UK.

I have helped to put many dogs and cats to sleep here in UK during my time working at a veterinary clinic. None of the animals required to be sedated. They went quite happily and peacefully with just a small injection into the main front leg vein - exactly as our Indie did. Again, we asked about this when we phoned that morning to make the appointment and again when we arrived at the clinic. The veterinary nurse was appalled when she heard what we had seen in Cyprus.

[juliesewell]

Well just got back from the Vets and I'm afraid it is not good news - too much for me to take in so am going back tomorrow morning to sort it all out. What I do know is that he has a serious bronchial problem and poor little lad also appears to have an enlarged heart. The Vet wants me to give permission to send some culture off to see how best to treat him but it appears that it will be an ongoing condition. Poor little boy - he is only two!
He says he should be OK to fly. I think this initial cost is going to be €150 and then I just don't know - don't really care as he is worth every penny.
Poppy was so worried about him when he was not here and has been really caring of him since he returned home!

Jules I was sorry to hear that your dog died - I'm sure you both miss him!

Thanks everyone for your kind wishes!

Shelagh, so sorry to hear your news....
If the vet feels he will still be okay to fly then you have to go with that and then seek out a good veterinary clinic when you get to UK. Go by recommendation rather than the one which may be closest to you.
Sad he is such a young doggy - so because of that, he has to be given the opportunity to see how he goes. Such a shame

[Wee Stumpy]

Well the samples taken are being sent today and we expect the results in 10 days. In the meantime he is on a course of anti-biotics and goes back for a check up on Tuesday

[juliesewell]

Fingers crossed for a good outcome Shelagh.
Keep us posted with news on your Timmy...