I write this blog in word first and copy it across, so every time I open the document up it is at the first entry and today, I have re-read that first entry. I can’t believe it’s 15 months since we started to talk about the idea of retiring early and moving to Spain. We’ve certainly achieved a lot and learnt so much and yet, it seems to have passed so quickly. This weekend saw us in the final stages, it was our farewell party on Saturday and we had about 50 of our friends and family together, some of them we will see again before we go, but some we won't. As I looked around the room there were close family, dear friends, work colleagues old and new, and friends we have made through our golf. Some were recent friendships, others go back many years and it was wonderful to see them all together for one last party.
One of my dearest friends, who lives over 2 hours drive away, stayed for the weekend and when we last saw each other in February we thought that would be the last time before we moved, so to have another weekend together to go shopping, to have a drink and to have a late night chat about anything and everything has been a real bonus, but she has left to go home this morning and that really will be the last time I see her this year.
No-one should under estimate how important family and friends are and moving abroad means that, for some, this will probably be the last time I see them. Keeping in touch by phone and e-mail is going to be so important.
Over the next 2 weeks there are going to be a lot of ‘last times’ and there are many that I am going to find incredibly difficult and emotional but it’s not something that can be avoided, so better make sure there are lots of tissues to hand.
Monday 28 April 2008
Thursday 24 April 2008
Can we play golf (2) ?
Back home and onto the internet to sort out the golf, only to find that the sales office web address is nothing to do with the golf.
So onto Google and …….4 hours later, purely by chance I find what I am looking for. Santa Cristina? …… nothing like it! Via a website for Aymerich Golf Management, which has several member courses I found what I was looking for - El Mundo del Aguilon, Pulpi, Almeria.
After checking, double checking and then checking again just to make sure, I knew I had finally found what I’d been looking for. It had opened on March 1st, a week after we had been there. On checking for membership details, it seemed you joined the group of clubs and for different membership schemes could play them all so many times a year. It didn’t seem as if you could just join one course, back in March the website was all mainly in Spanish so I wasn’t too sure I was understanding it correctly, so the easiest thing was to e-mail them to ask about membership.
The following day I received an e-mail back and yes, they were happy to consider offering us one of the 25 year family memberships which were transferable as and when we no longer wished to play there. We filled in the application form and faxed it back - and waited.
After a number of e-mails (their English was pretty good) from Aymerich, we heard we had been accepted for membership and paid over our fees for the membership.
It may seem very odd to join a course we’ve never played but getting the golf sorted out so we could play when we wanted as often as we wanted was a major requirement of our move, so we were happy to go ahead .
So onto Google and …….4 hours later, purely by chance I find what I am looking for. Santa Cristina? …… nothing like it! Via a website for Aymerich Golf Management, which has several member courses I found what I was looking for - El Mundo del Aguilon, Pulpi, Almeria.
After checking, double checking and then checking again just to make sure, I knew I had finally found what I’d been looking for. It had opened on March 1st, a week after we had been there. On checking for membership details, it seemed you joined the group of clubs and for different membership schemes could play them all so many times a year. It didn’t seem as if you could just join one course, back in March the website was all mainly in Spanish so I wasn’t too sure I was understanding it correctly, so the easiest thing was to e-mail them to ask about membership.
The following day I received an e-mail back and yes, they were happy to consider offering us one of the 25 year family memberships which were transferable as and when we no longer wished to play there. We filled in the application form and faxed it back - and waited.
After a number of e-mails (their English was pretty good) from Aymerich, we heard we had been accepted for membership and paid over our fees for the membership.
It may seem very odd to join a course we’ve never played but getting the golf sorted out so we could play when we wanted as often as we wanted was a major requirement of our move, so we were happy to go ahead .
Now, we cannot wait to get over there to play our first round of golf on our new course, just as soon as our clubs arrive!
Details at:
http://www.aymerichgolfclub.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=71&Itemid=63
Tuesday 22 April 2008
Can we play golf?
One of the main considerations in our move to Spain was the ability to play golf in better weather than we currently do. Having just experienced a season of golf through an immensely wet summer and a cold winter, we are both looking forward to being able to play all year round in dry, warm conditions. OK, there will be the odd rainy day when we won’t play but they will be well compensated for with all the good days. So, we needed to find a course where we could play.
We had played a few courses on our weekend breaks to Spain and were aware that the course fees were more expensive than back home. But these are all the well promoted golf courses for tourists, the Polaris World courses for example, surely there were ordinary golf courses where the ordinary Spanish people play and where they pay ordinary prices. Certainly the idea of paying €60-80 for a game of golf (multiplied by 2) meant we would be looking for work if we wanted to play more than a couple of times a month.
So, I set about looking at our options. We were told that another couple from our golf club had moved to Spain in retirement with the intention of playing golf, and had stopped playing because it was too expensive. When we had stayed near La Manga on a previous trip to Spain we had made friends with a group of men who played as a Society, and looking at various forums, this seemed to be the way it worked in Spain unless you bought a property on a golf course, which we had considered but decided against.
The other issue was that the new golf course being built at S. J. de los Terreros doesn’t look as if it is going to be ready for another 12 months, so although it’s right on the doorstep, we needed something in the meantime. Neither Neil nor I were keen to play as a society so there was some major research required.
On previous visits, as we had driven into San Juan from the hills we had passed some home made signs that said ‘Golf’ and we had been told on a couple of occasions that there was a new 9 hole course being built in the hills. So, when we were over in February we decided to seek this out and have a look.
What we found was a little gem, it now had proper signs, it was complete, a full 18 holes and looked spectacular. As we drove along the new roads we could inspect several fairways, greens and the hazards that were there to give it difficulty. The new club house was complete and we could see the furniture inside was still wrapped, it wasn’t open yet, but it wouldn’t be long before it was.
There was some property building going on for the new villas and apartments and we had passed the sales office on the way in so we decided to go back and see if we could get any information about the course. Of course, it was Sunday and late afternoon, the office was closed so we made a note of the website address Santa Cristina and decided we would have a look on the internet when we got home.
If only things were that simple!
We had played a few courses on our weekend breaks to Spain and were aware that the course fees were more expensive than back home. But these are all the well promoted golf courses for tourists, the Polaris World courses for example, surely there were ordinary golf courses where the ordinary Spanish people play and where they pay ordinary prices. Certainly the idea of paying €60-80 for a game of golf (multiplied by 2) meant we would be looking for work if we wanted to play more than a couple of times a month.
So, I set about looking at our options. We were told that another couple from our golf club had moved to Spain in retirement with the intention of playing golf, and had stopped playing because it was too expensive. When we had stayed near La Manga on a previous trip to Spain we had made friends with a group of men who played as a Society, and looking at various forums, this seemed to be the way it worked in Spain unless you bought a property on a golf course, which we had considered but decided against.
The other issue was that the new golf course being built at S. J. de los Terreros doesn’t look as if it is going to be ready for another 12 months, so although it’s right on the doorstep, we needed something in the meantime. Neither Neil nor I were keen to play as a society so there was some major research required.
On previous visits, as we had driven into San Juan from the hills we had passed some home made signs that said ‘Golf’ and we had been told on a couple of occasions that there was a new 9 hole course being built in the hills. So, when we were over in February we decided to seek this out and have a look.
What we found was a little gem, it now had proper signs, it was complete, a full 18 holes and looked spectacular. As we drove along the new roads we could inspect several fairways, greens and the hazards that were there to give it difficulty. The new club house was complete and we could see the furniture inside was still wrapped, it wasn’t open yet, but it wouldn’t be long before it was.
There was some property building going on for the new villas and apartments and we had passed the sales office on the way in so we decided to go back and see if we could get any information about the course. Of course, it was Sunday and late afternoon, the office was closed so we made a note of the website address Santa Cristina and decided we would have a look on the internet when we got home.
If only things were that simple!
Monday 21 April 2008
We (finally) have a map
Well, after failing to find a detailed map of Andalucia when we were last there, I ordered one from WH Smith when we got back in February. After receiving a couple of e-mails advising me they were still trying to fill the order, things went very quiet – for about 6 weeks and then out of the blue, I had an e-mail saying they were dispatching my order and we are now proud owners of a map, which will help us to explore the local area easier once we have moved out there.
So thank you WH Smith, I had almost accepted that I was asking for the impossible, but not quite.
So thank you WH Smith, I had almost accepted that I was asking for the impossible, but not quite.
Friday 18 April 2008
Checking out our Old Age Pension:
Although we are effectively going to Spain as very early retirees, there are a number of years before we can start to receive our State Pension and now is the time to make sure we have paid enough NI contributions so that we get our full basic pension. New rules mean you qualify for the full basic state pension once you have 30 qualifying years of payment.
I was fairly sure this last tax year was my 30th year, as I have worked right from leaving college without a break, but I telephoned the Pension Service helpline on 0845 300 168 to make sure. I was therefore totally surprised to find out I actually have 33 qualifying years – from 1974, but hang on, I didn’t start working until 1977, never had a Saturday job whilst at school, so how can that be? Well, it turns out that because I stayed on to do ‘A’ levels at school and then did a full year at college I get credited for those 3 years, so all I have to do is keep the Revenue office up to date with my address and I will start to get my state pension when I reach the great age of 65.
Of course, not paying NI contributions from now on will mean any entitlement to other benefits will be affected but as I’ve never claimed any, I can’t see that as a problem.
Just need to get Neil’s qualifying years confirmed and that’s another item off the check list, of course they won’t tell me, he has to ring them personally.
I was fairly sure this last tax year was my 30th year, as I have worked right from leaving college without a break, but I telephoned the Pension Service helpline on 0845 300 168 to make sure. I was therefore totally surprised to find out I actually have 33 qualifying years – from 1974, but hang on, I didn’t start working until 1977, never had a Saturday job whilst at school, so how can that be? Well, it turns out that because I stayed on to do ‘A’ levels at school and then did a full year at college I get credited for those 3 years, so all I have to do is keep the Revenue office up to date with my address and I will start to get my state pension when I reach the great age of 65.
Of course, not paying NI contributions from now on will mean any entitlement to other benefits will be affected but as I’ve never claimed any, I can’t see that as a problem.
Just need to get Neil’s qualifying years confirmed and that’s another item off the check list, of course they won’t tell me, he has to ring them personally.
Thursday 17 April 2008
Travel arrangements.
If you draw a straight line from Sheffield to San Juan de los Terreros through France & Spain, taking the scenic route, you can travel from Le Havre down through Limoges and Toulouse and across the mountains to Barcelona and then right down the east coast of Spain. That was our original thought, however, with the car being stolen and our trip being made in an old Peugeot, we had re-thought our journey and were now missing out the French part of the trip.
So, back to Google-maps to see what route to take from Santander. Again, drawing a straight line takes us right through Madrid, and I didn’t fancy that route for 2 reasons, firstly to do the trip in one journey would take 10 hours driving time, plus stops for me & the dogs and would mean we would be arriving quite late and secondly, I thought Madrid may add time to the journey, whilst we tried to find our way around it.
So, to make it more leisurely, we decided to do the Spanish leg of the trip over 2 days and to go across the country to Teruel, stopping overnight, and then travelling down to San Juan the following day making a 2 day journey which would be more relaxed and give us an opportunity to see more of Spain. This would give us driving time of 5-6 hours each week and with stops, it made the days much better for me and the dogs, plus Neil would get a chance to enjoy the journey, which should be more relaxing than tackling Madrid.
So, back on to Google to find hotels in Plymouth and Teruel which would allow the dogs. It’s quite easy to find them, just key in ‘pet friendly hotels’ and the place name and up pop a list of hotels or websites that only deal with pet friendly hotels. Having checked some out it was easy to book the Plymouth one, just 10 minutes from the ferry.
I selected a hotel in Teruel and but couldn’t see what the parking arrangements were so I e-mailed them, using babelfish online translation to convert my question into Spanish. This meant the answer came in Spanish and I was back to babelfish to see what they had said. Eventually, I had answers to all our questions and confirmed the booking.
So that’s the trip planned, the routes printed out and the hotels booked.
A quick look at the check list shows that tomorrows jobs are all important but boring, insurances, bank accounts, notifying utilities etc, infact all jobs that anyone moving house would have to do.
So, back to Google-maps to see what route to take from Santander. Again, drawing a straight line takes us right through Madrid, and I didn’t fancy that route for 2 reasons, firstly to do the trip in one journey would take 10 hours driving time, plus stops for me & the dogs and would mean we would be arriving quite late and secondly, I thought Madrid may add time to the journey, whilst we tried to find our way around it.
So, to make it more leisurely, we decided to do the Spanish leg of the trip over 2 days and to go across the country to Teruel, stopping overnight, and then travelling down to San Juan the following day making a 2 day journey which would be more relaxed and give us an opportunity to see more of Spain. This would give us driving time of 5-6 hours each week and with stops, it made the days much better for me and the dogs, plus Neil would get a chance to enjoy the journey, which should be more relaxing than tackling Madrid.
So, back on to Google to find hotels in Plymouth and Teruel which would allow the dogs. It’s quite easy to find them, just key in ‘pet friendly hotels’ and the place name and up pop a list of hotels or websites that only deal with pet friendly hotels. Having checked some out it was easy to book the Plymouth one, just 10 minutes from the ferry.
I selected a hotel in Teruel and but couldn’t see what the parking arrangements were so I e-mailed them, using babelfish online translation to convert my question into Spanish. This meant the answer came in Spanish and I was back to babelfish to see what they had said. Eventually, I had answers to all our questions and confirmed the booking.
So that’s the trip planned, the routes printed out and the hotels booked.
A quick look at the check list shows that tomorrows jobs are all important but boring, insurances, bank accounts, notifying utilities etc, infact all jobs that anyone moving house would have to do.
Thursday 10 April 2008
Less than 5 weeks to go…….
Oh wow, where does time go? So much has happened in the last 2 weeks, a quick recap is:
Rental agreement on the Villa sorted
Golf club membership sorted
Brandy failed blood test and had a 2nd rabies injection
Cupboards in the house getting emptied and items sold on E-bay, or sorted for car boot.
House up for rent – and as soon as we put the ‘To Let’ board up, we have 2 viewings for buyers, so fingers crossed we may yet get a sale.
On our last trip we saw a villa that we were offered, on a long term rental until our house is ready. It’s a lovely 2 bed villa with a pool and a massive roof terrace (Neil's been trying it out already). It means we can experience villa living for the summer before we (hopefully) move into our new house towards the end of the year. We now have the rental agreement through which means we have an address. Strange, but having an address we can give to family and friends feels a really big step forward. It’s in San Juan de los Terreros so that we can begin building our new life over there straight away, but it is further away from the beach so we’ll either have much longer walks with the dogs or need to take the car down. Tarleton have been a big help in arranging the rental and we cannot wait to get out there.
Rental agreement on the Villa sorted
Golf club membership sorted
Brandy failed blood test and had a 2nd rabies injection
Cupboards in the house getting emptied and items sold on E-bay, or sorted for car boot.
House up for rent – and as soon as we put the ‘To Let’ board up, we have 2 viewings for buyers, so fingers crossed we may yet get a sale.
On our last trip we saw a villa that we were offered, on a long term rental until our house is ready. It’s a lovely 2 bed villa with a pool and a massive roof terrace (Neil's been trying it out already). It means we can experience villa living for the summer before we (hopefully) move into our new house towards the end of the year. We now have the rental agreement through which means we have an address. Strange, but having an address we can give to family and friends feels a really big step forward. It’s in San Juan de los Terreros so that we can begin building our new life over there straight away, but it is further away from the beach so we’ll either have much longer walks with the dogs or need to take the car down. Tarleton have been a big help in arranging the rental and we cannot wait to get out there.
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