Hahah well our initial thought was to move from England to Scotland so I guess it would have been a similar move to what you’ve done! I’ve never moved any further than either side of the river Tyne. So this should definitely be a bit of an adventure!! 
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Congratulations on the fabulous news. It all sounds great and I hope you’ll be very happy. You could always join Etsy if you haven’t already done so and sell to a much bigger audience.
My hubby applied for a job in the Cayman Islands a couple of years ago but unfortunately didn’t get it, so we went there for a holiday instead. It would have been a great life if he’d have got the job. They are so laid back there.
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Aaah yeah that sounds great!! It is a shame but I’m a by of a believer of ‘things happen for a reason’ though that may be just a way to make myself feel better if things don’t go to plan! Haha but at least you got a holiday out of it- we said we’d do the same if he didn’t get it.
Thank you though! I am already on Etsy- but as I won’t be able to take a lot of my equipment (not straight away anyway) so I might have to give it a break for a few months until I find my feet and get myself sorted with a job. And then I’ll need to look into the rules of selling online there- so will see how brave I’m feeling! Haha it is a possibility though- will wait until we’re there to start revising that side of things! Too much to look into at the moment! Haha
Congratulations @curiousseagull! Canada is a wonderful country. I went to Nova Scotia in 2007 for a one month holiday and stayed for 5 years! I moved back to the UK in 2013 with my Canadian other half and we’re loving life back here, but I had a great time in Canada. The country is beautiful and the people are wonderful. Enjoy and good luck!
Thank you!! We’re very excited!
How come you moved back here?
It was the best option for both of our careers (my partner as an academic and me as a creative business owner). Life in Canada was great but we both wanted a change and ultimately we both wanted a British life (life on the East Coast of Canada wasn’t cheap so we’re financially much better off in the UK). Missing family was a huge part of it too – air fares were pricey so I only got home to the UK for 5 weeks during 5 years I was there, which for me just wasn’t enough.
Ah I see. That’s fair enough. On the plus side for us we have no draw to the uk in terms of family. And In terms of career my husband is an academic too but there’s nothing in the uk in the field he is in. So economically it’s just not worth us staying.
Interesting how some places seem better for one person but not for another.
Hopefully we will love it!! We’re going to be in Calgary, so cost of living is about the same as where we live in the UK if not a little better for some things- and of course my husbands salary will be significantly more than it would be here. So just getting ourselves excited for a little bit before all the seriousness of it all kicks in! Haha
Wow! Exciting times
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Yep Canada is a special place but opportunities in the UK called us back. Although with my other half a Canadian I did go through the long immigration process and became a Canadian citizen, so we can go back if we fancy another change – always good to keep your options open!
I have friends who’ve lived in Calgary and enjoy it so I’m sure you’ll have a great time. And if you get a chance definitely visit Nova Scotia, it’s beautiful. Are you travelling light? I only ask because one of the most expensive parts of moving back to the UK was moving our belongings – when I moved to Canada I shipped some belongings and it was fairly pricey but after five years of life and accumulated belongings (and after selling pretty much everything we owned) it was still a small fortune. And as soon as you arrive in Canada definitely get a provincial health card so you receive subsidised healthcare. And invest in good health insurance with a great dental policy – for some reason dental treatment isn’t nearly as subsidised as it is on the NHS so can cost a fortune, although treatment is generally great.
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That is exciting. I did this 16 years ago when I moved from Canada to the UK! Like you, neither my husband at the time or myself had spent much time here. I was able to get residency here because my grandmother was English. We wanted to be closer to Europe and hoped to move to France in the future as we were both bilingual. We planned to retire there. We even went so far as to buy a few gîtes to do up with the view of renting them out in the future.
Life sometimes gets in the way, though and we divorced a couple of years later. Tony went back to Canada but I had lucked into a fantastic job and didn’t want to leave. Plus, I had become very comfortable here. 16 years later and I re-married and have been living in the Peak district for the past 13 years.
I met my current husband playing cards on the internet. We eventually met up and next thing I knew, I had sold my London home and was on my way to Sheffield.
I lived in Calgary for a while back in 1980 - it was still a Cowboy town, lots of Stetsons and Cowboy boots and it rained men - mostly oil sands men who on the whole were gorgeous. It was a great time to be a single woman. They didn’t like Torontonians back then. It has changed, though. Last time I was there I saw it had become a sophisticated, cultured city. I am sure you will be very happy there.
The advice of registering for health care immediately is spot on. Even if I go back to Canada I would have to wait three months before I could get the free NHS style medical service.
I wish you all the best. I am sure you will thrive. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to message me!
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@ManiacalMosaics @SarahandMaude
That all sounds great guys- and yeah I do plan on seeing as much of the country as possible. My husband and I both love to travel anyway so it’s right up our street.
Fortunately through my husbands employer we’ll both have health insurance straight away and it’s a really good policy so there’s no issues there.
And we do plan on travelling light! We’re not going to be taking a lot with us at all when we first head over. We will then want some things sent over but have people here who will help organise that for us. I’ve been told not to use a relocation shipping company but to basically just use a regular delivery company- apparently that massively reduces the cost. And we’ll not be sending furniture over- just boxed things. Artwork and some books and antiques primarily.