Location Location Location

Property, location, don't worry, no one worries about that, its Spain!

So we have discussed the travelling the roads etc now we look at the real reason for the visit.. does the property in reality, match up to the prose produces by the Estate agents on the web sites.

So prior to arriving in Spain, we had emailed loads of estate agents, and in the end four different agents came back with ideas and thoughts based on what we had told them about our criteria.  At the outset we were perfectly up front with them with regards to our plans.  This was not a "buying" visit but a reality visit, what were the houses like in the areas we had chosen, what did - " needs a little work" mean,  whats a large garden in spain etc etc.  Our original criteria was

·        House with seperate letting potential

·        Decent size plot of land

·        Rural

·        Walking distance of village

or

2 houses  one to live in one to rent out either holiday or long term.

So off we went.  I am not going to go into all the individual properties we saw, but believe you me we saw a lot.  We were not dissapointed, the reality was in line with what we thought, although I am still of the belief that Estate Agents all have degrees in flowery prose.  Needs a little work usually meant, needs a complete overhaul, liveable meant,  you might live there but I would not.

Everyday we viewed various houses, made notes, looked at the possibilies, fell in love, then fell out of love - with the houses not each other, walked around the land, gasped at some of the most stunning views, laughed at the prospect of driving up and down some of  the hair raising camiros(sp) me with my eyes closed, talked in the evenings about what we had seen and eventually the visit was over.

The areas we visited were firstly around Estapa, I am afraid this did nothing for me, I do not know why, but there you have it, either a place grabs you or it does not.  Our next stop over was Nr Cordoba, this was a lovely area, the views etc were amazing. We also visited the lovely town of Alcala Real, where we woke up to snow, a beautiful scene, but a slippery drive down to the main road, where we visited a lovely house near Montifrio.  This was a house that you fell in love with, and we did, but we were not ready to move and were not going to be pushed into any on the spot decision. From here we moved onto the Alpurajjas.  This was without doubt my favourite area. Stunning views fabulous little villages and houses that fitted our original criteria.

A constant phrase we heard was as I have said in a previous post was don't worry.  When we asked questions about, legal issues, renting our properties etc, planning permissions nearly all said the same thing, don’t worry, we can sort that out, we have a solicitor who manages all the details, at one time someone even said the word investment. I assured each and every one that we would instruct our own solicitor, and we did worry about planning permissions etc. In fact as soon as someone says don’t worry, I worry!  .Sometimes I was made to feel like an illiterate itinerant!  There was some pressure to make decisions from some, but others were more understanding of the need to research and look around. I cannot count how many times we were told, if I had the money I would buy this or this house will not be here next week someone will snap it up.  Needless to say, they are all still there with new ones added.

Seven days later we arrived home tired and a little confused. There were houses that we saw that we really liked and others that we hated, some we just did not understand. Why do some people rip the original guts out of a house and turn it into a box.  Did we want a mountain  life, or lots of land or..............confusion reigned.

Despite the confusion we did learn a lot.  Heating the house is a must in the winter, water rights, living off/on grid, the benefits of solar power types of roads to and from houses, location of shops, did we want a village house or rural.  Now having been back for several weeks we have changes the criteria.  We are now looking for a house just for us, no rental at all, we are reducing the budget. No we do not want a lot of land, enough for veg, chooks etc.  We now only need a small house so as to manage reasonable heating costs in the winter. No we do not want a village, we do want rural. We want views and wildlife we do want dogs, no rental accommodation. We only want one house.  Location wise, we are still undecided.  The other thing we have learnt since we came home is that although the UK is only 2 hours away on a plane it is a long way away from emotional contact with family and friends. When we arrived home we had two phone calls. My mother was ill and awaiting results. My daughter was also undergoing tests.  The latter of which was ok the former we are still awaiting to hear about. This gave us a reality check of being away from our family. It has not made us change our minds, but has made us think about the costs of returning home and how we deal with these situations when and if they arrive again. . However, we are certain about one thing. Yes we want to move to Spain, yes we can afford it, it offers a lifestyle that we want. The search continues, our next stop is  Extremadura an area that I have always had a yearning for.

Next time………who we met, what we did and where we ate.  

The Journey, the Roads and Driving around Spain.

Well the day arrived and off we went to Gatwick airport for our flight to Malaga. All went well, found Monarch airways efficient and had no issues with the flight.  Although I have to say, nothing to do with the airline as such, but what are all, those flipping suitcases, on the plane about and why, we had paid to put a case in the hold, 50 odd people did not, and then at the check in they are made an offer to do so at no cost, seems a bit unfair, and why does someone have to recline their seat back on a 2 hour journey.

Arrived in Malaga on a drizzly grey morning……picked up hire car, the care we had been allocated was damaged. A couple of large dents on both sides, I was concerned and highlighted this to the staff, it was then we heard for the first time the immortal words  “don’t Worry”,  my husband was not particularly happy with this but we were caught between a rock and a hard place, as they said, they had no other car… which I know was a lie, but not fluent enough in Spanish to argue.  It was not the last time we heard these words and already I was worried. Anyway upshot was, they had documented on all the paperwork, and we took some pictures.

 So off we went to our first destination, towards Puento Genil. Except 100 yards out of the car hire compound we ended up in a shopping centre car park, a few deep breaths and a brief argument over whose fault it was.

We eventually got on the main road towards our destination dark foreboding mountains came into view, dark clouds gathered over head.  This was not the “sunny” welcome that most would expect. We knew in advance that the weather is not all sun, sea and sangria all year round.  Many do not, lots of people said to us before we went = “oh how lovely… at least you will get some sunshine………Well, they should have been there when we arrived. Sun shine was in short supply. As I said we knew the weather could get cold and we felt this first hand during our visit, More of which later.

We found the journey to our first stop over a breeze, and both commented on how empty the roads were. We had been given excellent directions from our first contacts which helped, along with the Sat-Nav. Generally we had no issues with driving in Spain. Maybe I should clarify that statement, I did not drive, and this is something that I am going to have to eventually be able to do. We travelled around all sorts of roads when we were there including some scary winding roads with what looked like sheer drops. Some dodgy tracks, however as we progressed through the week, I felt more confident as a passenger! On our next trip, I will definitely have to drive and am determined to do so.  I wish I could practice here in the UK. As I have already stated we were stunned at how empty the roads were, including the motorways we encountered some traffic the day we went to Cordoba and the on the journey from Alcala Real to the Alpujarras I was very nervous about the roads etc. around the mountains in Alpujarras, and although I did have brief moments of OMG, generally the roads were great. We came across a few rock slips, and some ice – but on our return to the UK we had more pot holes between Gatwick and home then in Spain.  Yes some of the Caminiro’s were bumpy, but we expected that. 

Generally we had no major issues driving… he had no major issues driving!  But when we were travelling around the little villages in the mountain regions it became apparent as to why the cars all have knocks and bumps. Those little villages have such tiny narrow streets with so nice bends, just sharp turns.  I almost hyperventilated at some points.

Tomorrow Houses and Estate agents!!!!!!!!!!  Don’t worry its Spain comes into its own

Nothing is ready today, but everything is ready tomorrow..........

So here we are a week away from our trip to Spain to discover locations for our new life.  One of the key recommendations from everyone we speak to us LEARN THE LANGUAGE.  Now for me, this is a must.  As I have stated before I can speak reasonable French, above school level below work level is how I would describe it.  When ever we have travelled abroad I have always tried to learn a few basic words, Thank-you, please, hello, goodbye etc, these few words have held us in good esteem in Turkey, Egypt, Mauritius and a few other places, and I have always felt that it is nothing  more than good manners to try and converse with someone in their own language.

Language is not a genetic gift, it is a social gift.  Learning a new language is becoming a member of the club -the community of speakers of that language.”

‒Frank Smith

However learning a few basic words in a foreign language is not the same as learning a language, and it was not until I was studying Spanish that it occurred to me that I had actually forgotten the basics of grammar how to speak and write my own language, so how could I possibly learn a foreign language. I looked back at my school days and we did not have English Grammar and English Lit we had a joined  up class covering both.   So off to the book shop where I purchased a book on  English Grammar and reacquainted myself with the joys of verbs, adjectives, pronouns and conjugation. I am so glad I did it Spanish verbs so much easier.

So onto the language.  I did, a while ago, studying  with an O.U. course in Spanish - which although working through I find a bit like working through treacle, if I was honest I would say I have wasted my money and learnt  nothing.  That aside brings us to today venture in to learning Spanish.

I am going to be the "key" learner ( so my husband tells me!!!!!)  I did well leaning French with Micheal Thomas so I have the Total Spanish CD.  I am doing very well with this as is my husband. He started a few weeks ago, a nervous learner, embarrassed  trying to pronounce the words, but you know, I am very proud of him, and he can now string the words together and is going to be able to make himself understood which is the main thing and if nothing else it is giving him the confidence to move forward with learning.
For me  Total Spanish is OK but I do find him very irritating more so than I did when learning French - and the guy on the CD I could happily beat with a lump of 2 x 4 wood!!!!!!!!!.  Also I am concerned that I will not learn enough about the conjugating of verbs, which as I type this is making me smile, at what stage in life did I think conjugating a verb would be a goo idea and I never thought I would once again be in  Smiths looking for pad, pens and a pencil case!

 I am fortunate that I have a friend at work who is Spanish and she is helping me a great deal and  although I get it wrong when i talk to her, it is great to have a native speaker to correct me.

So I am marching through the CD's but feel that I need to study more in depth.  Thank goodness for the kindle..  To be honest my feet were always firmly in the  if i want to read I'll read a proper book thank you........However I decided to dip my toe into modern technology and purchased one before Christmas. Since then I would not be without it. So I am no longer a Luddite in the world of book reading!.  Anyway I digress.   There are some great books written in Spanish on the web some are  really cheap and others are actually free.  These are two that I downloaded for free

Learn Spanish - Word Power 101 & 
Spanish Tales for Beginners (Spanish Edition)

I use these to read Spanish I understand very little but its great when something clicks!.

My  other two recent purchases, which I bought in Hard copy  are

Spanish  - Verbs and Practise by Collins
Spanish Verbs Tenses = Dorothy Richmond

So this is a quick update.  We travel to Andalusia next Saturday flying Monarch...luckily the Iberia strike is not affecting us.
I will take loads of pictures of EVERYTHING and let you know how the Spanish holds up

Bye

Using Forums

Over the course of a couple weeks I decided to join some of the forums that are associated with Spain to try and seek valuable information and an incite on what its like living in Spain.

Overall I find the forums a fantastic source of information, there are usually FAQ on all aspects of moving to Spain,  covering issues such as residency, taxation, pensions etc.  However I soon learnt that some people in the virtual world can be, just as they can be in the real world, snippy, rude and aggressive  I suspect that some of them would not be so opinionated  if they had to speak to you face to face. 
I try not to consider people I meet on the Internet any differently to people I meet elsewhere  Having said that, not everything is meat the way it comes across. Irony does not always travel across the Internet well. Irony can also be linked to sarcasm, and can easily be lost in translation when one lacks the context of timing, tone and expression. 
People will respond to you in a way that they would never do if they were talking face to face. It is important to remember this, It can be very easy to be put off by some on the forums, the make remarks that can make you feel stupid.

However using a forum is a great way to meet individuals, study the points of others, and to expand your knowledge. Use them to gather information. Take everything with a pinch of salt and remember, how others see things is only based  on their life experiences, they can not see life through your eyes and remember
There are 5,000 great people for every jerk on the Internet,but that still is a lot of jerks.  Proceed with caution and eyes wide open.  ~Don Rittner

Lets examine all the different kinds of people lurking around the forums.

The Mods AKA the Moderators
The Mods are people who go around the forums. They sometimes just post something random or post some information regarding the speciality in my case Spain.  Mods reply to popular threads, or some threads that seek an answer to a question. They point Newbies in the right direction. 
However, sometimes a mod might post something that many people dislike or disagree with, but still the Mods are well respected individuals that lurk around the forums.

The Complainer
This individual simply runs to the forums to complain about something, or anything. They claim that Spain is a backward country, nothing is good, everyone is unhappy. If someone comes along and says that they disagree, the complainer says they are deluded.  The favourite expression from a complainer is "rose tinted glasses" If you are happy in Spain you are wearing rose tinted glasses, if you want to move to Spain  its for the sun, if you disagree you are an idiot.  This person usually  has nothing to back up his claims. He has nothing to show that he is correct. But usually has suffered a bad experience in Spain which has clouded their judgement. They should not be dismissed as their points are valid as they see them, but there remarks are not to be taken personally. Somewhere in the bitterness there is usually a grain of truth.

The Publicist
This person pretty much makes everyone aware of something. We do not see this person that often but every once in a while, you will come across a post made by this person. They have had a great deal from Build a villa.com or read a great book called how to move to Spain and make a million.  The mods will usually jump in at this stage and delete the threads. 

The wise owl
This individual is the one posts something sensible and balanced about the move to Spain. Most of the others agree, apart from the complainer of course, he could not possibly agree  They may post something about an issue,  or comment on another thread  Why is this person wise, Because this person was able to bring about this idea in a very intelligent manner that no one else has thought about without patronising everyone and is able to back up there posts with evidence.

The Funny Guy
The funny guy. The person who posts something funny. Just a simple joke or something to make fun of someone that every laughs. We all just go ha ha and laugh.

The Troll
The Troll. Yup. The Troll.  There posts usually start OK and then as the answers to the questions arrive they change the original parameters, delighting in winding everyone up, especially the complainer and leave the thread to rumble sometimes for weeks before popping back at stoking the flames again.

The ex-pat who has gone home

They lived in Spain but for whatever reason they have now returned home. From the comfort of a UK residence they will tell you how awful everything is in Spain, how we are all going to hell in a hand cart. Even if they left 20 years ago, there is nothing that they don't know about what is happening now. They never acknowledge that things may have changed and funnily enough they very rarely give you a reason for leaving, there posts are usually full of sarcasm and they tend to have a lot of   against other members

The Grammar Nazi
Pretty, self Explanatory  This Man Think That it is they're job too go around and correct peoples four mistakes in its righting and threads. spelling mistakes or just plane oldie Grammar mitakes.   (See what I did there?)

Having said all of the above, some of which was a bit tongue in cheek, the forums are a great way to glean information. My process is to read ask questions and follow links, double check information given, File it away and accept it for what is is, someones opinion.
It is easy to get disheartened with negative responses but think logically. If you went on a forum for parenting you would get a variety of  responses  everyone on the forum has done it, had children, some will have had lots, some will be trying some will only want one. They will all recommend varies feeding methods BUT whatever the negatives it would not stop you making a decision based on what you want to do. That's the key, use the information given but make your own decision based on your own needs.

There are several links  to forums on this page.  Just remember a forum is a guide it is not going to tell you if you are or not making the right decision only you can do that

Planning

Well after a several hours of looking at Maps, airline schedules and with some assistance from the Mog our cat we eventually established a route for a week in February.  

If I lay here you can measure the distances

Yep thats great put an x just there

There were a few disagreements along the way re the Car Hire, should we get a 4 x 4 but think of the fuel costs, what about a little tiny car…the idea of Blane spinning around those mountain tracks in something the size of a baked bean fill me with terror.  I came up with a People Mover, he disagreed “there’s two of us” eventually a very boring Ford Focus was the decision. A brief look at Blane and we took the top up insurance!    Additional driver, not sure, oh had better… If we get a clear long road you can drive he very generously told me!  Driving on the other side of the road is the one thing that scares me, I have never done it. I recall a trip to the USA with a friend from work 

The following is an extract from a blog trip report I wrote following the trip

So ensconced in the driving seat, Amanda goes over the instructions for driving, it’s very simple she said…..Keep yourself in the middle of the road, and do not use your left foot. #Shucks sounds simple. At this point my lawyer would like to make another brief statement

“My client has never driven on the WRONG side of the road before and has never driven an automatic, as a Nurse she spends all day saving lives and it was never her intention to endanger lives while on holiday, she has been ill and would like to use that as mitigating circumstances…. Thank-you”

SO here we go, drive out of parking space, this is so easy…what all the fuss is about.

“You’re not out of the car park yet Tanya”

“I know, just getting used to the gears”

“There are no gears”

“I know that’s what I’m getting used to”

And we out of the car park and heading down international drive…..ooohhh I’m a cruising down I-Drive. Just as I was getting the hang of the thing a set of traffic lights and for some reason, I do not know why…LEFT foot goes on brake. As Amanda scraped herself off of the windshield she asked me to keep my left foot off of the pedals. So I put a shoe on the left foot and spent the whole journey saying

“Don’t use the foot with the shoe, don’t use the foot with the shoe”

Not doing too bad now, then I spots another set of traffic lights, not wanting to cause anymore injury to Amanda, I gently place my right foot on the brake and pull up at the lights.

“Why have you stopped here?’

OH DUH lights Amanda, lights”

“Yes but you had to stop back their”

So what’s all that about then, why have the lights telling you to stop on a white line the other side of the road…how stupid…? I mean you see lights and you stop…why stop before the lights…. I’m confusing you aren’t I.   Anyway from there on in slowed to a pitiful stop before any traffic lights.  At one point I was in wrong lane, so I changed, and I looked the wrong way and a car had to swerve to narrowly avoid us….god. It was only ONE little mistake…everybody was all right, Amanda’s nervous tick disappeared within a few days.

Arrive at the destination, park car and hand keys back to their rightful owner.

Then back into the car, Amanda driving again, and it’s no longer my job to Navigate, do the handbrake or drive, it’s my job to sit in the car and look Purdy. I think she’s being a bit harsh, but I’ll let it go for now.

So as you can see, automatics and the wrong side of the road are definitely not my thing!!

It took us over 4 hours to work all this out, a quick break for Sunday roast and then we were done.  So then it was only the accommodation to book. I already had places in mind, so that would be simples!.

Our first night is near Puento Genil …

The origin of Puente Genil begins with the construction of a bridge on the river Genii, a work designed by Hernan Ruiz, and paid for by don Gonzalo Yanez Dovinal, Lord of Aguilar.
This new population centre grew up for clear strategic and commercial reasons, not to mention defensive reasons and control of an important passage from the south of La Campina to the Muslim lands, maintaining a close eye on this area close to the border.
In the last third of the sixteenth century Puente passed into the possession of Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, with Alfonso de Aguilar who said, according to his testament -1498 - will be repopulated despite being desolate, and also being known as "la puente de Don Gonzalo".
In 1583 they completed el puente del Piedra (stone bridge) with two arches which, the next year, suffered major damage due to river flooding which destroyed most of the Barrio Bajo (Lower Town). The continuing flood damage was so bad that in 1874 a major reform was needed at the hands of the French engineer Lemonier.

We have several properties to see in this area.  The next 2 nights we will be staying with Alan and Lorna at the Olive Mill, just north of Cordoba. www.cordobarestrelaxation.co.uk

Again hoping to see a few houses but this stop is mainly to see what Alan and Lorna have created. I discovered this couple after reading a book Alan wrote. Basically   Alan and Lorna moved to Spain in 2008 to start Alpaca breeding….. yes,   Alpaca breeding. If you  are thinking to you self   what’s and Alpaca then I suggest you pop along to  amazon  and get the book  seriously Mum whats and Alpaca........................then you will know  They have an inspirational story about moving to Spain.  We are looking forward to meeting them and their Alpaca’s

Plus we get to visit the city of Cordoba, which I am really looking forward too

Following on from there we are travelling to Alcala La Real where we will be staying at this lovely looking  Bed and breakfast 

The next stage will be in the Alpajurras , but I am still looking for somewhere to stay,

This is an area that has always had a pull for me, I have no idea why but it just does

But then when you look at these pictures how
 can you not fall in love with the area

I can dream can't I

You never know I might have a horse of my own LOL

 Once everything was done it came to me it took 4 hours to decide on a trip that could change our lives, how amazing is that.      On the other hand, if it took 4 hours to schedule a trip, think of all the stuff we have to do in the next 8-9 months!

As I sit here thinking about the flights, car hire and accommodation we have booked for out

voyage of discovery, I am always amazed at how simple booking travel arrangements over the internet can be, may be its an age thing, I am still have no idea how it all works, I am not afraid of technology but have no understanding of how it works… how can I be instant messaging someone in Spain when they are halfway up a mountain and I am sitting in rural Sussex!  That the got me thinking.  What about those who forged a path before us….way before a google search brought you up a myriad of ex pat forums, information about NIE, residencies, healthcare, what each area was like, where it rained, where it snows?

Forums that’s another whole other post, which I am writing next

But imagine, leaving your homeland, friends and family and arriving in a destination that you nothing about, pre internet, you do not speak the language etc.  How exhilarating must that be, I am not sure I would use the word brave, as I feel that is a world over used in today’s culture, some may say foolhardy, but I would disagree.  In today’s society we seem to want to know the ins’ and out’s of everything, what the eventual outcome will be, how we get there, its like individual lives have become a corporate company, a business case to be investigated and adjusted, planning for failure, planning for success, it seems to me that we have lost the ability to just let Life happen. Having said all that, I love researching on the forums and reading
. I have already mentioned the book “Bloody hell what’s and Alpaca”. 

The other recent books I have read are by Victoria Tweed. The first 2 books are based on Victoria and Her husband Jo’s move too Spain, where they live in the Alpajurras Mountains. The 3^rd is based on their year, teaching in Bahrain.   Alan’s or Victoria’s books are not about the practical side of moving, Tax, buying houses etc., however they are insightful look into the cultural differences  between the two counties, and a lot of these will make you laugh.  See Amazon for details.

 I have refrained from reading any “practical” books as the economic situation in Spain is ever changing at the moment, new rules and regulations seem to appear and then disappear week. Basically we just try and keep up with the news.

Well thats it for todays ramble.  I do have something to say about forums but thats for another day.

The Journey to  of Spain started many many years ago. When our children now aged 28 & 30 respectively were young.

We often used to think about moving to another country, but many issues held us back the most obvious being was what we would do for a living> With 2 young children, it was a scary thought to try and start again in a foreign country. We would spend months researching various countries in particular France and Spain, but then as the months went the interest would tail off and we would resort to normal living in the UK.
Life took over, the children did well at school, it seemed wrong to move them, my husband - a Self Employed wall and floor tiler who had his own business and we were managing.   We had set backs, as everyone does, the recession in the 90's hit us hard, we lost our house, but we continued onward and upwards and eventually ended up back on our feet again.

 Life carried on and we had up's and down's, The ups have included some fabulous holidays,  and when I sit here and reflect on what we have done in our lives to date its not too bad. We have managed to drag kicking and screaming two daughters into independent and beautiful women, who make us very proud with their work and life ethics. Like most parents we worry about our 2 girls, but we have discussed the move with them. There response it YEP go for it... cheap holidays!!!!!!!

I wish they could come with us but they have there own lives. Although I would have given anything to keep them little, so they would have to come,  as parents we understand the fact that they have outgrown us far quicker than we outgrew them. 

So if life in the UK is not too bad why  the decision to move now. Well I have always had high admiration for those who take the plunge especially those with young children, forging a new life in a strange place, trying to maintain stability for the family. I often think back to programs we used to watch on the T.V, in particular get a new life, no going back and of course the imitable Lee and Cheryl looking for a snail farm in Spain!!.
The original series can be found on U-Tube ,( If you know where they are now let me know!)

Lee & Cheryl 



Needless to say, neither my husband or I have any desire to run a snail farm, but the time has come to make a move in life.

So the reasons for moving are as follows

I work in the public sector (NHS)  and as such am in the fortunate position to be able to take early retirement with my pension. Although don't be fooled by the press and the headlines, trust me the average "gold plated" pension is about £5000pa not £69K pa -  I wish.

This decision has also come about because I do not trust either this government or any other government to mess with it again. My husband Blane has worked in the building industry all his adult life, he is now at a point where the knee's and back are not going to be able to continue in full time work. Mortgage has not got long to go so we sat and thought about our options.

 Option 1

Buy a small terrace house here in the UK. carry on working part time and carry on as now 

OR

 Option 2

Do something different but what..

Well, said my husband why not rekindle that desire to  move to France or Spain, the same issues arise. what will we do, how will we live, where will we live and so on and so forth, but when it is just the two of you and you  have a guaranteed income, albeit basic its an easier decision.   Blane looked at the financial side, pension forecast etc etc  we then had some arguments, my first choice was France, Blane preferred Spain. Eventually we agreed on Spain.  It is a joint decision and one that we are both happy with;  At the time of writing this blog the world is in recession, and Spain is in a bad way, but the flip side to this is with the economy in Spain as it is, we can get more bricks for out money.  We will gain from someone else,s misfortune and that's not a nice feeling but not, to be perfectly honest, enough to stop us.  We have been on the receiving end of recession before and am totally aware of what it is like. 

Having told our daughters who are fully supportive, we have told parents. Mine live in Lincolnshire near my brother and family, Blanes' mum and brother live in London.  All have wished us well and we have had no negativity.  Although I am sure that my Mum & Dad think we are stark raving.  To be honest,  we do not have a wide circle of friends here in the UK.  However the ones that we do have, have been very supportive and completely with us, understanding out need for a new adventure, and yes this is an adventure a risky adventure, in the next 12  months we have to sell our house, decide what to do with our belongings, to store or not to store, arrange finances, maybe rent in the UK for a few months depending on how long it takes to sell the house. Sort out pet passports, oh yes the cats are coming!. Re-home our 4 chickens and charlie big bananas our cockerel.

I can say one thing for we are ready for an adventure, we would rather try and fail than fail to try.

I  have found 2 quotes which I think sums it up.

If you are not willing to risk the unusual, you will have to settle for the ordinary - Jim Rohn

It is better by noble boldness to run the risk of being the subject to hald the evils we anticipate than to remain in cowardly listlessness for dear of what might happen - Herodotus

I know that some think we are stupid,   these are usually people who do not understand why we are going, some think that the only reason for moving to a foreign country is for the sun and a better life, of course long hot summers are appealing, however anyone doing there research will tell you that, hot is Spain is HOT and when its cold its COLD and no the rain in Spain does not fall mainly on the plain.  But these folks have it wrong, we are not going for a better life, we are going for a different life, and who knows they may be proven right in the end, but I do know one thing, when we woke up on January 1st this year we both felt exhilarated  by the year ahead.

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if you wait to do everything until you're sure it's right, you'll probably never do much of anything

Win Borden

Our attitude towards life determines life's attitude towards us

John N. Mitchell

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This blog will not be a retrospective look at life after moving to Spain it is about how we got to this point .. OK some some retrospection  but also a chance for me to record how the process happens as it happens, the issues that arise and how we deal with them and then finally we can look back and see where and how we end up compared to where we started. I will provide links and support to anyone who needs it along the way. An on line diary I suppose.

I hope you will join in on our journey    

There are two mistakes once can make along the road to truth.. not going all the way and not not starting. Buddha

The next blog will contain references to using forums to find information and good reads about spain