Cost of living
As a DEC in the 2000s I can tell you that PBS gives min days off and no requests granted for days off. I was fully aware of this, so I am prepared for another year to get a better roster. My American colleges have told me that if I were in th USA I would be on standby for 2 years, so this is quite normal. One thing you will notice is that you don't get much for your money here. For instance tesco muesli is £6 here, but only £2.89 in the UK. A punnet of strawberries is £4 compared to £1 in the UK. Locally made bread is on a par. The only things that are cheap are water, fizzy pop, and petrol. Expect to pay at least double across the board for the cost of living. I can't see anyone with a family eating out at restaurants very often, even a kids dinner at a restaurant is £15+. Someone else mentioned that a beer in the marina is £6.50, I would say that is accurate.
The company seems very over staffed in the office, maybe that's why they are so restricted on getting jobs done effectively? I think the problem with the parking at the office has been resolved to a satisfactory point after several knee jerk policies and retractions.
All in all. Yes, the weather is great and it's a nice place to live.