I traded the sunny beaches of Australia for a 10,000 mile move to rainy Scotland
A WOMAN moved from “sunny” Australia to “rainy” Scotland “on impulse” – to escape the insects.
Gabby Secomb Flegg, 32, was in the UK for a friend’s wedding and decided to take a five-day trip to the Scottish Highlands during her visit.
3
3
3
She immediately felt ‘at At home” and decided to take the plunge and make the switch – going back at the end of the year for a longer trip to “test the environment”.
She meet and two months later fell in love with her partner Billy, a 36-year-old artist, through Tinder and wanted to move permanently to Edinburgh, Scotland, but when the pandemic hit, that fell through.
Gabby was finally able to move in October 2020 and has been very happy with it ever since.
She said both countries have their pros and cons, but she prefers not to have to deal with big spiders and very hot weather.
I think summer in Scotland is milder, I just feel at home in a cooler climate.
Gabby Secomb Flegg
Gabby, a photographer from Sydney, Australia, said: “I felt at home in Scotland.
“It felt like my soul home. I am less surrounded by insects. In Australia they are part of everyday life.
“There are huntsman spiders coming out of the auto air conditioning. You are afraid to get into the car.
“The mosquitoes are only found here in the summer, but they are very fierce.
“Edinburgh is a pleasant city. The rain to take It.”
Gabby had never really felt at home in Australia.
She said: “It’s a beautiful country. I never felt like it was 100 percent where I wanted to be for the rest of my life.”
After the measures were relaxed, she was finally able to move permanently.
Although strangers were baffled by Gabby’s choice to swap the warm Australian climate for “rainy” Scotland, she couldn’t be happier.
She said: “I like Australia until summer comes. It’s too hot – people don’t want to to leave the house.
I felt at home in Scotland. It felt like my soul home.
Gabby Secomb Flegg
“There’s no respite from it. I think the summer in Scotland is milder. I just feel at home in a cooler climate.
“What people feel in the sun is what I feel in rainy and foggy weather.”
Gabby also loves experiencing all the seasons in the UK.
She said, “I like living seasonally. In the summer, the days are long, and in the winter, you prepare yourself to do nothing at all.”
Gabby still misses her family, the fresh produce and the scenery in Australia.
She said the cost of living in both countries is about the same.
She said: “The produce in Australia is incredible. I miss the fruit and vegetables.”
Gabby says Edinburgh has also been a great place to grow her photography business – Scotland Magic – where she takes portraits of people to celebrate their ‘protagonist moment’.
She founded a community for women who want to step out of their comfort zone: Main Character Club.
She said, “It’s a really great place for creative people.”
