Norman,

I do try not to  break my rules about not replying to you but sometimes I get carried away.  Which part of south east Belgium do you actually live when not trying to set up restaurants in Guardamar?  

The Gulf (not golf) stream does actually go around the south east of England.  As it does around the whole of the UK.  I am now convinced of your alter ego.  Thank you for clarifying matters.

Hello All..

Very well said  bobaol  and  ojosazul88 !

EXACTLY WHAT I WAS GOING TO WRITE ! 

  bobaol...   I also have a place not far from where you are ,(Rojales) and I absolutly love my house, it was built in 2005 and the builders (justo quesada )did everything  they said on the plans, and more !  Im one of the blutops (near the berlin wall ) I consider myself very lucky , that my house was 100% complete inc the pavements and street lights and the snagging list was no more that 20min for the building company ..compared with the sad stories i hear on this site .

Few points im going to highlight...  If you want to enjoy and exel in spain ...learn spanish !!!  The foreigners in Uk that dont speak English , are generally predudiced by the english ,   and Im sure the Spanish feel the same !

The other point Ive heard  is .....the brits that slagged down the UK and moved to Spain are the very people who are now slagging down Spain .. not sure where they're gonna be happy !

Those of you that know the area of Rojales , I went to the procession of  the moors and the christians (1st july 2012) where the whole town were also enjoying the cup final..there was NO violance, No drunken behaviour, not even a can of beer littering  the streets and the multitude of people there from young kids to grandparents had a great time ..I have never seen such a well organised event...and as soon as the procession was finished (midnight) the whole town was cleaned within 2 hours ...

Cant wait till I retire and have a slower pace of life in Rojales, the weather the people and the lifestyle is what I need and want .

Oh Dear,

there he goes again, the master of the universe is now going to redirect the gulf stream around my ankles and I will soon be able to cultivate my palm trees - impressive stuff - can you give us a date for the change you propose - our local branch of the NFU needs to prepare I fear.

sorry for the golf entirely unintentional

I can't help wondering what sort of collar size is needed to support such an ego - but please don't break any rules to enlighten me - it really isn't that important - enjoy your second attempt at the dream.

Regards

Norman

Sorry - forgot to mention

we have some long-serving expat returnees who insist the weather there has deteriorated over the years, I only mention it because of the consistency and the fact that friends there also remark on it.

Regards

Norman

Norman

With reference to your comment about Spain bashing being a silly invention, I would suggest you go to Uk media websites such as the Guardian or the Daily Mail and in the search box type "Spanish Economy or Spain" and count the % of negative articles, and then read all the negative comments.

Also check out MurciaToday the online paper, as there is a British journalist who is advertising specifically for Brits with "My Spanish dream turned to a nightmare" type of stories.

Whether the Spain bashing I am reading is just a general trend or something more sinister intended to cause problems with the Spanish and European economies is, I agree up for debate but the negative tone of articles and comments about Spain is a fact not an invention.

Oh and by the way people with means and sense who choose to live in Spain rather than the UK or France usually make the best use of air conditioning and Spanish architecture and live to a Spanish time schedule which helps one cope with the couple of months in the summer that are very hot.

I repeat again I love Spain, and would not choose to return to the UK.   The weather here is an important factor but not THE  most important factor, we wanted the experience of living in a different culture and chose Spain for it's culture, the language (easier than Latvian or Finnish which were also on our list) the amazing scenary, the diversity of the autonomous regions, the friendliness and good humour of the people etc. etc. We are looking forward to living in and visiting lots of different parts of Spain and experiencing the weather and seasons too.

It is great to see so may like minded posts on here but disappointing  that some  (Norman) still keep trying to bring down the level of debate.

good to see England is basking in the good old british summer weather,whats that you say flash floods and heavy rain once again.Just had a wonderful lunch and glass of Sangria on the terrace.Oh forgot SO HOT HERE,afternoon siesta just like the spanish,then out for a local quiz tonight sitting outside a local bar till 11.00 with good friends and a couple of drinks.

Remind me again why I would want to be in England.

What extraordinary logic - if not silly what then?????

anything negative is "bringing down the level of debate" or "bashing"

anything positive is "loving" - wierd really

still I believe it is the first time I have been criticised on here for complaining about the UK weather

I have a small roofing job to do but every time I set up - it rains and I have to put the covers back on - so I can waste more time here

as a holiday town Herne Bay has always attracted affluent foreigners from warmer climes who come here in summer to escape conditions at home - they visit Canterbury and shop in London but choose to stay here rather than hide under trees or in air-conditioned boxes - it is a sort of tradition almost.

pos or neg - just tell it like it is without spin and let the reader decide

as for conspiracy theories - hope you get better soon

Regards

Norman

Je je je Norman I find incoherance is so boring...... and feel a meaningful response in the light of your last post is a waste of my siesta,  so as having the last word seems so important to you, there you go you have it :):):)

 Don't engage with Normansands!!!!!  I did once a long time ago and got so fed up I stopped logging on.   He - or she -  is a WUM

Go and enjoy your siesta.  Unfortuantely the site attracts a lot of wums but I did enjoy reading the outing of DBS (I think DBS - could have the initials wrong).  His sanctimonious postings really irritated.  

HA ha ha, Norman, there you go again,

Such a very funny man, never making any serious comments,  So funny that anyone seems to think you actually mean anything you say,  , 

hahahahaha, keep it up.

BE HONEST...Would you stay in Spain if it wasn t for the weather?

Expected a good response-quite overwhelmed really! Firstly-I do not hate Spain-I am just realistic. I admit I am soured by the experienceof this urbanisation under its developer, although I appreciate the community spirit and charitable work. I speak Spanish reasonably well, have integrated as much as anyone, have met some lovely people, pay my taxes-including income tax(which is more than some do, although more are rushing to do it, now that fiscal status will be revealed on medical cards!) I enjoy fiestas , sightseeing, eating out. I  hate appalling driving by all nationalities, seen in the UK as well but normal for Spain, loathe smoking,  lack of consistency by experts  illegal behaviour of fellow ex-pats, to name but a few.  Iam not the sad person depicted.  In addition,I  appreciate the medical care given. I certainly don't see UK with rose colured glasses-both countries have their warts. I am far from alone in my opinions and I stand by what I have written. Unless you are wealthy in your old age, Spain is not for growing old in, Sun or not!

Some may find this article (and others by the same journalist) interesting...written by Chris Marshall, a regular contributor to The Telegraph.  Can I just add, I'm not pointing a finger at anyone by including this piece.  I just think it might help anyone thinking of living in Spain in the near future to spend considerable time in planning the move. It certainly made me think...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/9232140/Dont-blame-Spain-for-the-end-of-your-expat-dream.html

This message was last edited by maddiemack on 06/08/2012.

Why do people believe all the daily and sunday liars

Because they need something to believe in and someone to blame.

Dear All,

thanks, interesting article, thought provoking even.

Many chased the dream and got caught in the bubble without planning for the crash, exchange rate etc.

those I have met that have been forced back, cite loss of income from their various ex-pat assistance jobs, plus non-payment from Spaniards in trouble. There is no decision to make if the alternative is to starve.

but there is a touch of the sanctimonious showing through, somewhat similar to the "happies" on here.

it rather seems that no one would do anything if they spent all their time planning for the crashes that are possible.

I rather think that there is a large dose of hindsight showing.

Regards

Norman

ps the sun showed itself just long enough to enthuse me today and then get me soaked to the skin with little work done, still it has been an unusually bad year so far, perhaps we are due for an "Indian Summer"

 That is an interesting article and I have to say I agree with it by and large.   I have met too many expats who simply did not have enough money to move to Spain and did not seem to understand that the exchange rate would fluctuate.  Why I don't know.  I am only moderately interested in currencies and I know that the dollar is sometimes nearly 2 for 1 pound and other times only 1.5 for one, so no doctorate thinking needed to see that you need to take into account fluctuations in the exchange rate.   THEN we have the early retirees i.e not really retirees at all as they are too young, many of them seeming to continue to depend on incapacity benefit, which is of course now drying up.  Goodness knows what they were hoping to get out of life in Spain, though cheap booze springs to mind.  THEN we have the property flippers - those who wanted to make a fast buck by selling on a property.  Well - property speculation is and always will be a gamble.  They have to live with that - though of course many aren't, choosing instead to   run away making things worse for their communities.  

And you know what?  I think Spain is better off without a lot of these expats - who never frequent a Spanish business and only shop in English supermarkets.

I for one will be even more inclined to stay, when they have all gone. 

Right on, Norman....

haydngj......Just because someone reads something doesn't mean they believe it to be absolutely true.  We obtain such a lot of our information from what is written.  Hey Ho....we all read what's written on this site, don't we?  Much of what is written here is very informative...in more ways than one.

from one early retiree why do you presume most of us are living on incapacity benefit.My husband and I worked all our working life in England ,we both paid full stamp for 39-40 years plus,we never claimed any benifits in England and we certainly dont claim any think here.We moved to Spain on the understanding we had enough savings and private pension to not have to work,we pay taxes and we own nothing to any one,we bought a small property which we could afford outright,we didnt get a mortgage to buy a big property with a pool etc to impress friends.Lets stop knocking those who have succeded and are happy in Spain.yes I feel sorry for those whose live has not turned out the way they hoped it would,but that is circumstances and it is unfair to blame Spain for there problems.lets not forget the Spanish people are suffering probably more than us,its seems if people are not happy here they have to blame everyone else for the choices they made.Life can be unfair but we all have to deal with it in our own way.