When I move to Spain....
 

Right - here is how it is.....

After months of research on the net and on this site (thanks everyone for your input :thumbup: ) I have now come to the conclusion - that I will install solar panels, get a PO box for mail, live on oranges (growing everywhere you look) and hide from the authorities in case they make me fill in forms :unsure: I will only be able to speak to Brits because I can only pronounce Spanish with a Lancashire accent (place of my birth) and I will lose loads of weight as I will have to walk everywhere -too afraid to attempt to drive on the 'wrong side of the road'. Do you think I will survive :unsure:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Sounds like the birth of a Master plan :)

Lionda, take it easy and read things and ask questions, but don't stress yourself out. You'll have plenty of time to do that when you get here *giggle*. Remember that if you think of it as an adventure, you will have fun with the whole move and it will be a learning process as well :)

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

HI Lionda,I did read some of your last thread,really sorry you have had such bad luck,its nice to see that you have still got a sense of humour,you will survive, I really hope things get better for you,when you hit bottom theres only one place left to go and thats back up,by the way I think solar panels is a great idea,have you seen budd69 thread ,take care

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

I know others have been there, done it, got the t-shirt - but oh there is so much to absorb! Got to keep telling myself not to stress. :unsure:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Hmmmm will she survive ?? Hmmmm
Not if you rely on Solar panels , live on oranges , and dont fill forms in and then on top of that break your leg ! You most certainly will Not , And i tell you for why !!

Solar panels produce about enough heat to keep a hamster warm and 1 bulb lit .
eat to many oranges and you will go orange and suffer Vitamin C overload.
If you hide indoors to much you will become house bound and will lead to a fear of ever going out again !
If you lose to much weight you will be a bag of bones and bones get brittle , you will be walking along one day and your ankle bone will just break ! Then you would have to limp back with a dangling ankle blood leaking and fat tissues oozing and your shoe just dragging on the floor ! (not a pretty sight )

If you then managed to get back to your Villa , you would just fade away as a orange boney dot , freezing cold , with no post delivered . eventualy death would occur !

So Buck up and face the hardship , just my opinion :thumbup:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

I know what you mean since I got my lappy a couple of weeks ago and started to search a few sights you have no idea how much there is to do,its confusing :confused: but hey at least you have had a go,I cant wait to move ,dont get stressed ,learn by mistakes and move on,how long do you hyink it will be before you could move over again ? just keep smiling :D :D

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Oh Pete :lol: You know how to pick a woman up and make her laugh (and I mean that in the nicest possible way :D

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

You have looked into everything on this site, and have added much to the threads,it wont be easy, you will learn Spanish fast because you want to intergrate,but i think you will love it,it is for you,dont think english think Spanish,i know that is difficult just now but when you get there try and think that way,i really hope you make it, you are the type of European we need.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

They give us about 20% of out electricity at the mo, and we live in the south of England.
You have taken too much from that program the other night.
Wind turbines give us about 47% more on average.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

I think you are on the wrong thread,but there where negative comments about wind turbines,personaly I think it is the way forward ,but the electricity companies will disagree,they will have to pay YOU.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

20% saving to have the initial costs and have them strapped on your roof nah bad move i reckon ,, easier to just turn 2 of the 10 light bulbs off and spend the money on important issues like ; Wing Mirrors for me Bike , Or the latest DVD Boxed set of "Running around the Peak District vols 1 -12" and stuff ..

Just my opinion of course ..:)

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

It is indeed your opinion.

Just to let ya know however, we have a 3 bed house, lots of electrical appliances, and my last years elec bill was £92.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Yes well maybe it was but that just makes the picture even bleaker :lol: what did u pay for the solar set up ?

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

£600 2 years ago, the turbine cost a grand.
We rreceived about £800 in grants for the cost of it all, so a total of £800 spent. But aside from minimal running costs I technically have no more to spend.

The program the other nigh was very misleading with its drama about solar power.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Right so the panels produce 20 % of your electric !! ( qoute " we have a 3 bed house, lots of electrical appliances, and my last years elec bill was £92.")

So using your figures here ; before 20% disc your bill would of been approx £110.40p a saving of £ 18.40p

Cost of Solar Panels = £800



Pay Back time £800 / £18.40p = 43 years to achieve payback !!! at your present useages ..

Now add to this that i also reckon that the panels Will deteriate over time , and add on this that will need to be cleaned or power output will decrease !
So you have to pay someone to clamber on roof to do this ? Unless u have them garden mounted and , protected from your grandkids footballs and stuff ?

Maybe its me but dont think that its a good investment at all ? Unless you have 80 years of life ahead of you which i doubt ?

Just my opinion :)



ps unless u mean to include the wind generator

Then the figures equate as 14 years payback time . unless my guess works wrong ...
what sums do you make it ??

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Your figures are a touch flawed since you have not taken into account the reduction in power usage from low energy bulbs, no "hologehalogensmore and a general awareness of our usage since switching.
We produce ON AVERAGE 67% of our own electricity.

But more relevant is the fact that we USE 67% less fossil fuel than the "average" 3 bed house, and as someone that has had a close tie to the oil industry I can tell you that its not global warming that we should worry about but the VERY low state of these resources!

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Yes i ommitted the wind generator ,, and didnt know about the bulbs and stuff but i have looked at the solar panel idea and the wind generator concept and to me they all seem to be a long term thing !! And being honest to me to pay upfront and then wait years to get benefits doesnt appeal ..:) But each to there own ideas , i assume you recycle as well :)

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

I do.

As I have already stated on another thread and in some detail, I am a keen green, but it doesnt rule my life, I dont get obsessed about it, I dont have guilt trips, I own a 4x4 (because I have to may I add) and I live my life as normally as most.

Its just that I PREFER to try and leave nothing but a footprint, take nothing but memories, that way the next generation has something to look forward to.

We are the first generations to think only of ourselves and not give a damn about those that follow, so how can we really feel good about that?

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

What age are you,truthfully, your remark we are the only generation.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Well i dunno about the footprint !! When i go ,i am Going to have the Biggest gravestone money can buy !! And it will say "Here lays BigPete he told them he wasnt well but they didnt listen" As i think you should leave your Mark .

In your case they will say "heck what happened to that guy who had that ugly turbine and them solar panels on his roof ? "and the other guy would say "Oh what that one whos house never had any lights on ?"" yea thats the one !!"" oh he died !" Wow did he , what happened then ?" Well apparently he was taking a load of empty bottles down his stairs to recycle them , and he only had very dim lighting on his stairs so he could save his 10p a day ", that he didnt see that bundle of plastic he was about to salvage for recycling on the top step !! And he tripped and broke his neck !! Wow what a shame so wheres he being buried then ? Well rumour said he didnt want to leave any footprints , so hes been put in a old bit of cardboard he had been saving up , and the relatives are cremating him , selling the house and buying a couple of them Juicy V8 4x4 motors and buying a new House and a couple of Speedboats ! "

Just joking by the way :lol:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

I'm 35, but I actually referred to "generations"

Before people jump down my neck I know I am generalising but you only have to look at the Victorians and see the massive projects undertaken in the name of the populous, the establishment of Public parks, the massive plantings of trees for the future, the establishments of green spaces etc, etc, etc.

and all this took place in a time of massive economic boom and unprecedented greed.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Hats off to you mate ..... There are those that do absolutely nothing as they don't feel they will make any difference, but if all of us feel that way and do nothing then what will the future generations, our kids, be in for? I'll be looking for any alternative green power I can find once I've got all the building work sorted.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

:rofl:

I wish had the energy to devote to being green but in truth right or wrong I really dont care for it. I think that so long as uncle Sam and mother Russia and the likes dont care my piddly little carbon footprint in comparison is pretty insignificant.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

:) about sums up my thoughts as well. Going to crack the driving next week on my flying visit for a couple of days at least. I did live in Belgium for 4 years but that was ages ago. Should be okay :blink:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Piece of cake after a few minutes, just watch the junctions, remember to stay so that you are in the middle of the road not near the kerb.
Oh yeah, watch out for the tourists driving on the wrong side of the road, lol

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Remember to look LEFT, right, LEFT............instead of the other way round!!

It's taken me ages to crack that - as both a driver and a pedestrian (good job O/H does most of the driving, eh!?) :eek:

Just something to be careful of as a pedestrian........beware that Spanish drivers (here at least) aren't too bothered about stopping at zebra crossings!!
I always make sure the cars have actually stopped, before I venture off the kerb!

Have a good trip, have fun, chill out and go back to Blighty thinking about all the positives your new life is going to bring you :)

And......you'll still be able to watch Liverpool on Sopcast! :D

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Its strange you know, I have a UK registered car and a Spanish registered car and I have found regularly that when I'm in the UK car, people step off onto pedestrian crossings with seemingly no worries as I approach. However when I drive the Spanish car they stop and regard me with some care before deciding to step off ........ they've obviously learned that a UK driver will stop, where as a Spaniard ... who knows!!! :)

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

I can believe it, Mitzyboy!

You really do take your life in your hands on a Spanish zebra crossing.
I reckon maybe Spanish drivers think the local Ayuntamiento must have had a bit of spare EU money, so decided to paint pretty black and white patterns on the road! :lol:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

On holiday we were told by the holiday rep that the 'zebra crossings' are actually give ways and not zebra crossings as in the UK. We have stopped at these 'zebra crossings' when holiday makers start to cross but then the car behind overtakes and it is a scary moment. We no longer stop at them unless someone is actually starting to cross the road.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Lionda,
You forgot to mention that you'd do all this whilst walking round in your dressing gown and slippers (warily keeping an eye out for keithwalters and his camera)
Learning how to take your life in your hands when you cross at a zebra crossing
Having debates at the bank about mysterious charges that are unheard of in the UK
And taking in all the mistreated animals in your area! :lol:

Seriously, don't you worry - it will all be OK in the end, and it will definitely all be worth it :)
As someone else mentioned, you've got a great sense of humour - and that will always get you through.
So what if you speak Spanish with a Lancashire accent! We tease our Glaswegian friend that she can't possibly be giving English lessons to Spanish people..........because she can't even speak English properly herself!! :D
The only important thing when it comes to speaking Spanish, is that you TRY.
That, and that fact you sound like an all round good egg, will help you to make friends and settle into your new life in the sun.
Hopefully soon, you'll be able to look back on this frustrating time, and put it firmly in the past.
When you have a stressful time once you're in Spain, just open another bottle of 49 cent wine, listen to the birds singing and look at the colour of the sky! ;)

You'll get there, don't worry.
All the best,
Sam.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Thanks Sam - I shall cook the panga according to your recipe and wash it down with what's left in the bottle and drink a toast to my lovely friends on this board who are helping me deal with the stress. I won't be wearing pj's (prefer a sexy nightie or birthday suit ;) but will wear a dressing gown if out on the terrace :D



Cheers! :thumbup: :beer:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Thanks for sharing that ..... :D :D

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

:lol:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

49c wine please tell me you are joking :D Where we hope to move they have a wine making distillary? in the town and when we passed in the car he pointed it out and there were queues of people with big plastic tubs like you see the people with at the water stand pipes in Africa. I asked what they were queueing for and was told "Wine" 5 litres for 5 euros, I thought he was taking the piss :beer:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Good innit ;) :beer: If you haven't got a large plastic bottle it's worth buying 5 litres of water and pouring the water out to fill it with wine :p

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

I tried this route in my quest for the cheapest possible wine I could find and it gave the the biggest possible hangover I could ever have imagined. I stick at around 2 euros a bottle now :)

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

We bought a bottle of Emperado demi sec 1.20 a bottle. It was really nice and much better than some of the dearer bottles we have bought back home.

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

Yeah the emperado is a good wine, one of mrsjdr`s favs ;-)

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

[49c wine please tell me you are joking]

No, gospel! :D

It's called Castillo de Velasco, and it's 49 cents for 75cl (11% proof which is plenty strong enough for someone like me who never drank wine in the UK - but at that price it's rude not to, eh!?)
We buy it in "Dia" (cheap supermarket)
It's perfect for making "tinto de verano" (nice refreshing summer wine drink) but it's perfectly drinkable as it is.
Comes as a rosé too, which is also very palatable.

There you go, something else to look forward to when you get here! :)

PS Watch out for Pitarra wine (don't know if it's available in all regions??)
Very tasty, but guaranteed to send me to sleep after one glass!!
However, that's also cheap, so I'm working on improving my tolerance levels to it! :lol:

Re: When I move to Spain....
 

:rofl: :rofl:

You know you'll survive .....you got those sexy socks :p remember. They sound like very lucky socks.

Mate if I can survive, anyone can!

It's so daunting reading all about it,so much to think about and worry about but when you live it.....you just get on with things...can't really do anything else but.

Oh sorry gotta sign off my daughters killing her brother.....blige at 2 yrs old shes already a force to be reckoned with :eek: !!!

Nite nite .....think of sun sand and ummmmmmm the shade

xxxxx