Re: Overcome with sadness
 

Reminds me.......our mail was redirected no problem and we got VERY good value for our money......had to laugh at one thing tho........came back to find the postman had tried to deliver a package but we were not home so he left the usual calling card. I queued for nearly 30 minutes at the post office wondering what on earth it could be. When I got to the front of the queue the lady wouldn't give me the package as I hadn't taken any ID, just the card. I asked if I could 'look' at the item as I wasn't expecting anything, then if it was for me I would return with said ID.......and it was.....wait for it.......a free sample of Surf washing liquid, all the way from Blighty! I told her she could put it in the 'basura' but she laughed and gave me it anyway!!!! And yes, all the usual crap followed me across the Med!

Sparkle

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Oh Sparkle :D you made me laugh there......my daughter just shouted to me 10 mins ago to go on-line and order her a free sample of Pantene (she's seen it advertised on tv) so I did. Filled in all the requested fields and then clicked on submit. The next page thanked me for applying and stated that the samples will be set out starting in September!!! We won't be here!!!! lol Wonder if it will be re-directed to Spain ha ha :cool:

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Very probably, shouldn't complain about Royal Mail though, like the ad says 'it does just what it says on the tin'!!!!! We had leaflets advertising one day sales that were well and truly 'out of date' before they arrived never mind being able to grab a cheap flight out to take part!!!! But, everything arrived which is what ya pays ya money for!

Sparkle

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ER, How much money ? ?:eek:

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Hi

Just reading through some of the new threads since we got back from our xmas trip to Spain, and came accross this one. It seems to me that the emotions you are feeling are normal and sensible, it shows that you are planning ahead and getting the jitters and that you are not going into things blindly. I am sure once you are in Spain you will find the first 6 months go in a flash, sorting out things and finding your feet. Our view now (we have had the jitters too) is we are going and not coming back, but if in a 2 or 3 years time we do, we will have tried it and had the experience. I have talked to expats who have returned from Oz and Newzealand and they all take up where they left of, so going to Spain is no different to any other decision in life a 2-3 year holiday or whoopie we love it, weve made a life here and we are staying, does'nt matter either way just give it a go and enjoy. Lots of people like there life planned and neat, your husbands got his own business like me so no effort = no pay. People in salaried jobs go into meltdown if they have redundancies 6 months down the line, whilst most self employed work week to week. When we take holidays we fly and then find a hotel, same again, people say "god i could'nt do that" they need a package holiday. So there are people who walk the walk and others who just talk it, so look forward to your adventure and remember nothing ventured nothing gained.


Paul

Re: Overcome with sadness
 

Good Advice Paul...K sent :)

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great advice paul.
I feel so much better just looking forward to getting there now xx

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I have bad days too. Whilst the life in Chiclana can be good it is the problems we and god knows how many others have over the supply of a simple thing like an electric meter. Also no matter how many ex pat web pages you look at or how many people you talk to no one seems to really know what makes things tick. Driving licences are another example, despite what I read a couple of days ago I went to Cadiz to collect my spanish licence but could only get it on surrender of my UK one. The office told me that it was recognised in UK as it was a Euro licence, yes so is the UK one. In short life here is confusing and unpredictable, I like many other ex pats here will return to UK when I have a meter and can therefore sell up. Yes there is a lot to miss but a lot to forget. In short if in doubt don't take on Costa Luz

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Good advice there yes, but those last four words say it all for me and have taken a toll on my family. It works out for some, but not for others and many people have lost a lot both financially and emotionally. People who have not yet made the move have not experienced it from the other side and all the upset it brings when you have to come back.

Sparkle

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Do you not like it there? xxx

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You haven't got long to wait now Miss N :) lucky you! We are flying out on Thursday for 2 weeks and hopefully will have more of an idea when we will be moving by the time we return home :rolleyes: Hope you get on-line soon and can tell us all how the journey went and how you are settling in. I probably won't be able to speak to you again now as we are having an early night tomorrow (early flight Thursday 6.45am) so I won't be on here tomorrow night and got lots to do during the day tomorrow.

Good Luck and safe journey. Hope it is all you want it to be - and more :) xx

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Hi again. The sunshine and cost of living is all very attactive and yes it can be relaxing but living in what perports to be a civilised country where a very large proportion of dwellers of all nationalities receive illegal/free power, is for me a constant worry. Bearing in mind this is 2007. I am only to aware of local police that have arrested UK persons and charged them with this offence, yet for most all they want is a meter and to pay a bill. Estate agents fail to inform clients that getting legal electricity is difficult even in areas that are passed for buildingand that it can take years to resolve. Telephones are also like gold dust to come by. The only people that seem blissfully happy and are unaware of problems are those living in purpose built complexes and good luck to them. However if the suburbs of Chiclana appeal then buyer beware as the pitfalls are numerous. In short Miss N, we had a dream to live here but that dream has been eroded. Our early retirement for the moment has been blighted and I know from friends here that we are not the only ones that feel this way and whilst we have and continue to have happy moments I still believe the UK has much to offer. I believe that a lot of people here bury heads in the sand and try to make themselves believe that Spain is the only place to live. Not true I am afraid. I assure you I speak without bitterness but with truth and realism.

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Hooley a very sad post and I sympathise with you. However do you not think that once you get your elex problem sorted out things will seem different??
My neighbours moved over last October and were disconnected in November. They are juggling with a generator until they get their project off the ground for a new supply. Everyone talks about meters but the crux is the supply. The fault lies quite squarely with the builders and the estate agents who collude with them. When Chiclana was a small town with acres of small holdings, the illegal builds could be absorbed. With the scale of development this can no longer happen. Places like Pago are at saturation point. But you probably already know all this. Talking to our estate agent just before Christmas, she still claimed that sharing a meter was not illegal. Well it most definitely is and always has been, and this from the mouths of our Spanish neighbours, but was a practice that was condoned in the past. Hold on Hooley....as my neighbour says, in a year when everything is sorted they will forget about these pioneering months and just get on with enjoying life.

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Good luck hooleyxxx

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Thanks Miss N. Poollounger thanks for yours, I am sure you are right and we certainly will not give up too easily. We will have to wait for legal conection even if we wanted to go now as we will have to maximise our return on the house to get back to UK and no meter means no viable house sell. Your point re capacity of supply lines is spot on. You onlt have to look around the country sid eto see lack of pylons and even those out there are only carrying light (pun not intended) current. The same goes for telephones. In short no provision has been made for future expansion and it will be some time before things get moving. As for urbanisation this is a long term goal because of the vast physical nature of upgrading and laying in utilities. So we bat on.:)