Not all Doom and Gloom

Despite many posts which seem to have taken over this site, it appears it is not all doom and gloom.  References to the Daily Mail, Watchdog (and other) stories regarding horror stories in Spain (and which seem to be given page after page of coverage), a very small paragraph in today's Telegraph says  that the majority of expats do, actually, "live the dream" and find happiness when moving abroad.  Mind you, blink or turn the page quickly and you would probably miss it.  

Britons who move abroad in search of a dream life really do find what they are looking for, according to a new study.  Although they miss anything from friends to fish and chips, it is more than made up by the new life they find in countries such as France, Spain and Australia.  France and Spain were rated as the best countries followed by the US.

So, it's official, then.  Enjoy your walk along the prom or the beach, enjoy your stop in the cafe for a coffee and brandy on the way back.  Enjoy that chat with the neighbours when you're sitting out in your garden and have no fears that you are a bit "unusual" by enjoying your new lifestyle.  It seems you are in the majority, after all.

To quote the one and only, legendary Meatloaf

"You took the words right out of my mouth" - Must have been when Mrs Technoape was kissing me! lol

Agreed!

There is much doom and gloom around, however we'd rather face it hear in Andalucia!

Wahey some sunshine on a rainy day

I couldn't think of any better place to retire than Spain (well, maybe Portugal!!).

I don't think there's too many people of working age "living the dream" in Spain though at the moment though.

Its hard graft but some of us are! Wish they had had computers when I was at school though, if I had ever learned to type I would be much more efficient!

I don't know anyone who is or would voluntarily return to the UK. Those who do are those forced to do so by circumstance. They are totally dependent upon the second lowest pension is Europe or they have not yet retired. I know one lady - and she was being serious, who said that if circumstances made returning to Britain unavoidable she would consider taking her her own life so she could die where she has never been happier. I have no desire to move on but if Spain, for any reason, wasn't an option then it would be Argentina or Chile, maybe Turkey but never the UK.

Just to give another perspective, one of my close friends (she is French) is devastated to leave the UK (her hubby has been relocated back to France).. She has been living here for the past five years and has absolutely loved her time here. She's probably visited more places in the UK than many Brits to be honest and during her lifetime has also travelled and lived in several places in the world. Her observations to us at her recent farewell leaving function were that she has found the UK to be a beautiful place to live, with a wide variety of landscape and interests. She found the local people (Northerners) incredibly friendly and welcoming, she loves the local countryside and her walking pursuits with us all. She has taken advantage and integrated into many local activities and organsations not to mention educational pursuits, gardening clubs, historical societies, charitable exploits, etc. So I just wonder if her conclusions stem from a different outlook. An outlook acquired from an opportunity to take advantage of what is on offer in the UK. To look at our culture and people with optimism and an open mind, and to make comparisons from her own wide experience of different peoples and countries. Her conclusion was that she felt priviliedged to have shared time with us all (many of our friends come from a wide variety of social backgrounds, so it's by no means just the privilidged few) and she is leaving with fond memories of a beautiful country with much to offer. Not my words, but hers.......

She is very philosophical and we often talked of the economic downturn, the sad demise of discipline in schools and its impact on the youth, the presures on the  health service, the drug culture etc, oh all manner of negative realities, but in the realm of things she still felt that we were lucky to live here by comparison to elsewhere.

So yes its not all doom and gloom on each side of the channel.

Each to their own.