The view from the back

Just been sat watching a guy and his grandson fishing near the harbour in Garucha they didn't catch but seemed to be having a good attempt won't be long now before my tackle arrives , after all the worries a few weeks back ( permiso ) re fishing licences all was sorted with a little local knowledge , Andalusian licences are a admin nightmare for non NIE holders but Cataluna licences are available on line free to all , well not free of euro's but free of hassle and all the regions on the coast have agreed to respect each others issues for recreational use so easy , Permiso granted. 
Generally life is goooood , but the lovely wife is now tryin to kill me off, she went to the mercadona and came home with some lovely prawns all red an lushness in their shells ( the lovely wife has a prawn allergy so had squid ) with salad , in I dived grabbed a prawn pulled off the head and sucked as I've done loads of times before , expecting the taste of the sea  I got the taste of RAW prawn ! What the duck ? Well there so red I thought they where cooked already ! Thankfully a quick trip through the fry pan in some EV oil and all was well , as for me ? The prawns were so fresh and clean no prob , bet that would not be he case from tesco . Typical wife crime attempted poisoning LOL .  
Our bits and bobs arrive tomorrow pm , the rental is supposed to be furnished , it is so long as you only want to make buttys and carry your tooth brush with you as there is a massive shortage of places to put any thing down not even wall cupboards or a shelf in the kitchen . The beds and sofas were made for vertically challenged people when you sit on the sofa yer butt is just 8" off the floor and yer knees are in your chest the beds have mattresses so thin a 13 tog duvet would be thicker and again just inches off the floor a real strain on tired knees , so roll on thurs night in my own bed with my own mattress , paradise keeps getting a little better. But the arrival of 150 boxes in this heat is daunting as we un pack some and strategically store the rest around the house until we move again for hopefully the last time . 

I was looking for new challenges and they've started , firstly the most complicated washing machine ever and a book that's only in Spanish . It claims to have fuzzy logic but there seems very little logic . The lovely wife had no patience for it and I was sent to sit next to it and sort it , now I can ask directions order stuff and the like but this ? I don't think it would have helped even in English ! So I sat book in one hand dictionary in the other and eventually it washed probably a fluke but I claimed victory . 
A while back I asked advice about banks and got varied options some quite adamant with hard lessons . We had tried to set up an account with a well known bank chosen mainly due to their claim English spoken. Well they lost our application in the UK and then said it was found and at our branch waiting for us , so off we went expecting a challenge and got a marathon . With just one Clark working and a constant stream of business deposits he kept leaving us to serve them so consequently it took nr 2 hours as they had  lost the papers and dumped it on this really nice guy who appeared to be doing at least 3 jobs . But his English was good and he let me try my Spanish when I knew it ( not often ) and all was right in the end just have to go back for cards etc so off back in the pool and reflect on the achievement of opening a bank account , a true teenager again LOL . 

Well we've made it ! I'm writing this by the pool listening to the secada Beatles and its been one hell of a week with lots of highs and lows.  05:30 Monday up and pack beds , wash linen and pack my lovely wife's dept, last of the stuff in the skip and off it went less what the skip rats took , sorry recycled. Then the circus came to town star attraction Topsy aka the stuff for the car ( VW touran ) now I had planned for this with a car pile in my office keeping a strict eye on the size of the pile but Topsy has been on the buns and had been hiding stuff so my ever so patient daughter and I started to fill every pocket and cubby that the Germans could cram in , then the bigger stuff after a few go's it was all in and on the road just in time for the movers to arrive. For a change it was our turn to sit and watch :-) them load the 150 items on the manifest a few signatures and they were gone , pass the papers lets have a look I cried , their list was hand written and detailed lightly , our excel spread sheet of described items , numbered and valued became plastic box different number , cardboard box different number , Arr after a tot up our 150 items had slimmed to 148 but nothing in the house ? a call to HQ - I bet they put some items together ! But Which ? I suppose we'll find out next week. Then my dad arrived to collect his bits and shed some tears on the newly hoovered floors (blagged  a Hoover  sold ours ) and they where gone right time to go , no my bro and girl friend arrived no tears just wanted to know which air port was close ! Right time to go , no Topsy need a snack as the lovely wife arrived with more bags and just as I was discussing the merits of putting a square plug in a round hole I was struck by something , the blagged Hoover nozzle , teach me for borrowing it ! So the problem was discussed clearly just in case the neighbours could offer any help ! So we unpacked and binned stuff and our daughter got a few more gifts for her compact flat then had another go , then the lovely wife arrived with dessert for Topsy with even more stuff I thought she was taking the mick but no it's all essential items if your moving to the Sudan or somewhere less well served . So after 2 hrs its 3pm and we're off so more tears , the lovely wife didn't stop until Leicester Forrest services. An easy run to Portsmouth for the ferry arriving 2 hrs early so from rush to sitting. Now due to all the delays with team manaña we could only get a ferry to Caen with reclining seats so after a nice meal it was time for no sleep as the lounges where busy and lots of comings and goings , so we tried to nap in the un comfy chairs dotted around after all its only 6 hrs to France , now those canny ship builders managed design a chair that's low in the back and fix it to the floor just far enough from the wall so you can't rest your head a good plan if your selling cabins but not so when they've all gone. So 06:30 and where refreshed with lots of good coffee and ashore showered with gifts by the province of Normandie , well a bag of flyers and a broken biscuit. So we went all three of us , the lovely wife me and English tim chirping in with useful advice. On we went regular stops and dips in the pack up the occasional nap in the really good service areas . Then the thunder and lightening for hours and rain so heavy we had to stop again so another nap , more butties then on again , Ooo the speeds changed down to 120 kph must be Spain ! So on we go , stop , drink , feed  n go at 00:30 Wednesday near madrid , enough was enough and we crawled in to Mirasierra hotel , after a shower we agreed to be off before 08:00. So at 09:40 we arose , as we were the only guests and not asked for breakfast it was back to the butty box and we go, an easy run through to meet our agent and on to the villa at 17:30 , so happy and knackard we had to almost push the agent out of the door as he could talk for England ( or is that now Spain ? ) so we could get stripped and fall in the pool. After 60 hrs and only 8 hrs in bed WE'RE HERE ! 

Was it worth it ?  Yes I really think it was, this is no holiday this time we're staying .

Many thanks to all the EOS  members who have offered sage advice or just support in a shared goal it really helped at times. This is as I have said before not the end , just the beginning so big lad will be back. 

For the nerds the 1.9d VW Touran did 53.4 mpg over 1434 miles fully loaded doing the speed limit when ever poss, not too shabby for a 53 plate with 102k on it. Time for a trade in soon. 

 Well after all the fuss I got a phone call from the briefs junior who in a very timid little voice said " we've just exchanged contracts and the sale is legally binding and transfer will take place at 2 pm on Monday " I replied " ok thanks for calling " and that was that , the rubber stamp on the last 28 yrs . How do I feel ? , ? , ? I'm looking at the curser and ? . This journey started in fear - Redundancy - that soon turned to excitement as it became clear that the package was good and We could manage to wrap up our affairs sell up and bring on our plan to move to the bedar area of Almeria, then came the task of doing a few jobs around the house as the lovely wife says we have to be the best and dress the house and decorate to neutralise you know ? So we removed my large pond added decking and Astra turf fitted new internal doors and decorated half the house took some spanish lessons all the while my dad was seriously ill and he lovely wife was nominated driver for his partner who can't drive , 12 weeks in hospital and a year of home visits and he's just back to normal. All this and the house on the market and clearing stuff , eBay became a business , couriers became friends , week after week buff polish dress up dress down views in viewers out even the Russians came for a look and we thought that was hassle but actually selling Sh1t ,  selling's worse ! The uncertainty , the cost then the rush to be ready and now as we're just about there the emptiness of our home , the bare bones of it . The garden has blossomed as planned , dahlias and Lilly's have all come good the pansy s that suffered so much have only just said goodbye and died rather fitting really. So how do we feel ? Tied , sorry how do I feel  ? "empty " " reflective " . Our journey has reached the point like on TV , home or away ? Where the friends and relatives pop in to say how much they will miss you and say how lucky or brave , brave ? I hope I don't need to be brave been brave enough since sept 2011 when the news broke. 

 Yesterday was an odd day, apart from being too hot to be packing and moving stuff we were awaiting a call to say our new best friends had been to see their brief and signed to transfer funds . So wrap and pack - bin it , donate it not much left now and a skip is due today for the big dump. 

 Today's the day our new best friends are due to exchange and transfer funds to their brief , at last. I Had to cause a real fuss on Monday with our brief and called our estate agent and threatened to remove the house from the market if they didn't get every one on the same page fast. 6 working days ago we offered a indemnity policy to cover for a lost freehold approval letter , our brief said O. This is very common not an issue , however we've been having some nice weather here in the uk and as it rarely happens here both briefs took the back end of the week off leaving junior's in charge . Well in charge is a very posh term for taking messages with no care or understanding for the urgency of the situation. Thus when the organ grinder's returned from a very long weekend ( inc Monday ) they probably wished they gave the monkeys the ability to do a bit more than take messages. So a string of messages and one threat and here we are every one on the same page at last . 

 They do say the darkest time is just before the dawn and this morning was a fine dawn followed by an even better morning as today is now special , we're  at  T minus 17 days , yes we have a date Monday 22 July is our move date , the shippers are booked , the ferry is booked the stuff is packed , well almost just the stuff were using that's left. 

 Packing packing packing, started with the DVD cabinet, that's now 50% blu rays , sorted and boxed 168 films jeez we really need to get out more either that or open a cinema. I presume they have cinemas ? Never noticed one , any way been in doors for last 49 yrs in damp Britain , need to see the sun in retirement you know like a pit pony . The lovely wife keeps talking about satellite TV from the uk , beamed from the sky . I say yes it's possible , i Do watch discovery and nat geo , history channel so it's tempting but so is the draw to the out doors , the village squares and the heart of a community the bar, not for the alcohol but to drink in the atmosphere , to meet new friends . It's our intention to live in Spain not on Spain or in little England . Being youngish for retirement gives you a unique view on things it would be easy to do nothing and drink too much like a life on holiday but how long would you last ? No they way forward is a small place with enough room for veg and close to the coast to go fishing - room to grow somewhere to go and somewhere to relax then down the road o swap stories in the village , utopia ? I hope so. The secret I believe is to learn better Spanish the language opens doors. 

 Still here , took the frustration out on the tables and cabinet in the breakfast room today, there made of wood with iron legs and will flat pack after undoing loads of little nuts but job done and all wrapped , followed by the coat stand , this turned in to a bit of a puzzle trying to get it back in the box it arrived in , they are clever those Chinese . Had to pay the balance on the fees for the rental today after a chat with the agent , saw a thread re agents the other day , must say ours has been very helpful so far let's hope he can be he same on the exit ! So here we are 9pm it's 16c and raining and I'm paying rent on a villa with a pool where it's currently 22c and clear as I'm writing this I have just had an email from our new best friends on team manaña , apologising for the hiccups and all should be well from now on ( let's hope so ) they've told their landlord they'll be out before the 27 July ! ( lets hope it's a LONG time before then) and do we think well be ready , READY , A SEY READY were more ready then a missile on def con 4 ! To be more ready wed have to be sat in street wi boxes . Well at least they have a dead line date something to focus them on . They want to come and measure up well that'll be easy as we've sold most of our stuff and packed the rest while we've been waiting for them , they'll have lots of space to wander in apart from the rear bedroom that's our dummy van as is just over 19m3 so all out worldly goods are going in there as a guide to a van load ! Shame they can't just winch it in in a oner !