Before we moved to Spain we were told we were mad, we were stupid and it wouldn't last. When we moved to Spain we were told by some people that we would be back in the UK within 2 years. When things got bad some people said "told you so" but we are still here. When we get older I have no doubt we will get comments suggesting we will crawl back to the UK. Guess what? Unless we have to, we will not come "crawling back". And if we had to, we would definitely not be crawling back.

I read an interesting article some while ago that suggested that those knocking people like us were in some way jealous.. makes you think.

[QUOTE=JLFS;9858329]Is it snobbery though, or just human nature?

QUOTE]

Snobbery.. Miserable snobbery..

It is strange talking about returning to the UK.

When I was a kid in the UK, loads of Spanish, Italian, Portugese worked there and most had dreams of returning home.

They usually went out in a blaze of glory, burned their bridges because they were going home as they had made enough to set themselves up for life with the money they had saved working in the UK.

The parting shot was usually how they felt so sorry for the ones that were staying in the cold rainy weather,whereas they would enjoy life in the sun.

If anyone suggested that they might regret returning to Spain etc, they always wheeled out the old chestnut about being jealous.

I will never understand when someone has a differnt opinion they are accused of being jealous, it just seems to be the standard reply.

When they got back home and realised that things were not so rosy in the counties they had left years before, they came back to the UK, usually citing the reason as the children could not adapt.

It is like Deja Vu, only in reverse.


I would say that most people of working age came back sooner or later, the older ones of course with British pensions fared better.

Just like now.

JLFS, if anyone has an opinion different to ours it's fine by me. What bugs me is that some people cannot accept that we are happy with our decision to move to Spain. We keep getting comments that we will eventually come back, maybe we may have to one day, but that is not in our plans.

Regarding jealousy, I don't know if people are jealous of what we have done, we have made our decisions and just wish they would just let us get on with it.

1, you were never a kid. lol. You were born middle aged.

2, There is a difference between having a 'difference of opinion' and being jealous. 'Nah, you'll be crawling back in two years' is usually said by people who are jealous that they have never done anything, or have tried and failed so they don't want anybody to succeed where they didn't. A difference of opinion is kind of like.. 'I like spain, it's great and sunny' (other person says) 'I hate spain, it's not nice and cold like England'

Opinions are like farts anyway. Everybody likes their own but thinks everybody elses stink.

Of course it is - just like those b***** awful round robin letters some people send at Christmas boasting about the husband's promotion at work, the children's exam results and their exotic holidays! You never hear about the stuff that goes wrong.

You're right. But you can say in the title who is and who isn't likely to be interested in the subject. For Campo lovers only should by rights put off the Campo haters...Unless, that is they're just going there out of badness. Actually Jacky you've just contributed one of the most useful links in it so far! .

I totally agree. I met many Brits in spain who, it appeared, seemed to have only gone there cos booze and fags were cheap and they thought they could live cheap on doing little. Their behaviour and attitude gave Brits a bad name.

Jo xxx

Moved to Spain in September 2011 due to my husband being diagnosed with Dementia, he is Spainish and even though he has worked in the UK for over 40 yrs his heart still belonged to Spain. So here we are and I have to say the people are more friendly and willing to help if you need any, families are closer and look out for each other, I believe the move to Spain was a good choice to make and look forward to the many years in front of us (hopefully)

Money lack of. nowhere to go back to. Wish we had rented when we came here and not bought. I would go back tomorrow if i could with or without hubby. Tho could not leave dogs. Miss the growing up of my Grandson, Photos of him include everyone except me and he seems to call every nanna this and granpa that!!!! Just got back from visit and am so depressed ineed to go back but am stuck. We've made loadsa friends but not the same :thumbsdown:

I'm sorry you feel that way but for all of us there is a trade off.
I imagine each and every one of us here miss something or someone back there....I refuse to call it back home as home for us is here in Spain!

I often wonder if people who feel as you do fully thought the move through, if they looked at the down side of moving to a new country or if they were just intoxicated with the idea of living a 'holiday' lifestyle.

Perhaps it's somwhat different for us though as we had the situation in reverse, when we lived in the UK our grandchildren were here in Spain so we only saw them on holidays.

My Grandson was not born when I left. My daughter was engaged to be married to someone else and we had all the excitement of perparing for that long distance then she called it off. after a couple of years she met her now partner and then Charlie came a long. As for not preparing we took five years to plan our move and went to loadsa places to decide where to settle.
I really now need to be near her having had years of unsettlement as a foster child

Can I put a rather more upbeat thought in your head? In a couple of years your grandson can come and spend school holidays with you and your daughter and her husband will want to visit you for fun and not just out of duty. Also they can take trips out to other areas getting a little time back for themselves while leaving Charlie happily playing with his Nan. Your grandson with then have an exotic Nanna living in a faraway place to dream about and all year. He'll remember your place as sunny and happy. A place he can run around the tables and cause mayhem in outdoor bars where instead of telling him off for enjoying himself, old ladies will coo and smile and pat him on the head. He'll get some sun on his skin and a sparkle in his eyes and another language from the kids he bumps into. This of course is just one way to look at it.
Sometimes paradise or purgatory is just a positive spin on the same place. Just a thought. If you do decide to go back to England don't make that your big mistake. Your Grandson won't always be small and perhaps you're imagining a perfect relationship with him in England which might in reality not be exactly as you imagine it. The grass may be greener over there but that's cos it rains...a lot!

Have being living in Gran Canaria coming 3 years now... and we love it ..I had to move because of back trouble and the sunshine gives me a better quality of life as i could have ended up in a wheelchair.. I laugh at the ones who say they would love to live here but its to warm.. These are the people who only go to Brighton for a holiday once a year and complain about everything..

Angie, I agree. Grandsons grow up

Our grandson was born in Spain. Daughter planned to take 5 years out of work, which she was allowed to do...unpaid of course. Her Husband travels all the time so can be based anywhere. After 2 years she was bored out of her mind so went back to work and was posted to Paris later the Hague. So I didn't really visit the UK for years. They spent all the holidays with us and I visited them a few times a year.

When they returned to UK Grandson was about 9 so once again found myself spending more time in the UK. He was not the reason we returned but now we are back and involved in everything I realise we missed a lot with family. He is 14 now and boards Mon-Thur. We pick him up from school Thurs, give him tea and take him home around 7pm. wouldn't miss it, also we watch the odd rugby, football, cricket match he is in Tuesday and Saturday. He hasn't got to the grown up stage yet but sure it won't be long. He is on school trips easter and october so we wouldn't see much of him in Spain.

He has very happy memories of Spain though and often talks about jumping in the pool late at night or taking the boat out at dawn. He even says he is going to buy back the villa when he is 21