That's rubbish!

I don't like the summer here (along with many Brits that feel the same) and I watch so little UK TV that I wouldn't miss it if it were gone.

Then you have clearly misunderstood the original question as has the poster that you are agreeing with.

I've given the culture and integration a good go over many years in Spain, but then reverted back to an expat area and lifestyle, telling myself it was for commercial reasons which may not have been the whole truth, and is no longer the truth now.

Recently, over the last year or so, I've been getting a bit fidgety for some reason, or reasons. My wife, who is less fidgety than me, has caught me out looking at English property websites, something I've never done before.

I find myself in a weird situation, I'm happy enough living in Spain but seem to be waiting for a sign or a shove to change my life.

It could come from Hacienda. Or a referendum.

April, May, June, mid to late September and October for me. Although the last time we stayed a month in April I took a sweater, just in case, and hardly ever took it off. We certainly didn't wake up to the sun every morning! October can be quite changeable, last time we had rain like I've never seen before for several days, then three perfect weeks. We had a couple of weeks end of this May/June and weather was good, but locals told us it had only just changed, it had been pretty miserable up until then. Not sure why some try to convince us it's wall to wall sunshine every day!

If people who didn't know Spain read the list they would be under the impression that everyone gets up to pleasant sunshine and the faint sound of flamenco music or a guitar strumming. They swim in the sea in January and then pop in the local bar for intelligent conversations. Evenings are spent at cultural fiestas

Thats us in the Canaries your talking about.

For me it's the weather.
Originally it was a combination of things - leave the rat race, better children's education, improved lifestyle, children's exposure to new culture, cheaper housing
Years later the glasses have been removed.
The rat race still goes on, school (or at least primary) education in Spain is not as good as we expected, housing is still ridiculously priced.

Now, if I were to be really honest, it would always come down to the weather. Lose the weather and we would probably move back to the UK.

Originally we were following my husbands dream with the proviso that if I hated it we would return to the UK. I settled here completely, love our chosen area, the people are wonderful and the weather is pleasant more often than it is unpleasant. For me the biggest factor that made me settle into what I call an ordinary but content life is how friendly and inclusive the people in my town are.

Rosemary

Thats the reason i came to live in Gran Canaria.. the all year sunshine..if i got in UK Ireland i would still be there..

Still waiting to hear what health cover Heikeund Alan have in Spain, bearing in mind they are in their fifties, and have health problems, and can't afford private medical insurance! Sounds as if they would be much better off in UK!

I think it's the "jump on an easyjet back home" type of insurance

Still, their choice

Well it's not 365 days of sunshine here but it's a hell of a lot more than the UK get!

Some of us do hear the sound of flamenco and guitars, it's what you get when you live in a small hamlet in the campo close to a famous flamenco singer.

Why on earth would anyone want to swim in the med (I know what ends up going in there).

And despite what you think the Spanish are not all thickheads...not even out here in the campo, they are just as intelligent as you are...maybe even more so as they are very well educated in the universities these days.

And yes we do sometimes go to cultural evenings, it's so much better than sipping G&T's down on the coast!

Well then maybe you should try being more concise!

My question was concise. I asked what Spain had to offer that the UK didn't apart from a milder climate.

In the list are things like 'wildlife' etc. The UK has wildlife.
Also. it comments on Art,Culture,Drama. The UK has plenty.

Oh and let's not forget 'family values' There are thousands of people in the UK with very strong family values.

Well news flash
reason we here because in 4 years he only needed to see a doc once
in the uk is more like every other week.
No we have not use the stupid plastic card instead paid in cash
and yes if we need to return we will all it takes is putting caravan on the back of our car !!
By the way there a few thousend every year spend between 4 and 10 month on campsites right down the coast from peniscola to cadis !!
We have payed our taxes infact still do stupid us, on his pension.
As we have parents still alive we probly will need to return one day to become carers for them.
Great how "why you love spain" becomes pick on us. so nice to see expats being friendly bunch