Shall I stay or shall I go?

Here we are in soggy Tunbridge Wells, in a house we hate, but still we can't quite make the decision to leave. This is the story of why we are in this position, and hopefully how eventually we'll change life for the better. Maybe it will ring a few bells with some of you!

I think I’m going to quit!
Saturday, November 9, 2024 @ 10:57 AM

I've been resident in Spain now for two years, one more year to go until I need to renew my TIE.

I'm pretty sure that we won't renew however.

Spain is a lovely place to live, it's great to wake up to blue skies, money goes a lot further, we have our own pool, - but, I'm not made for retirement.
I need to wake up in the morning with a list of things I've got to do running through my mind.

I wake up here, figure out what day of the week it is and only have a visit to the post office, or need to buy some more milk.

I've really tried, I've volunteered, I've joined clubs, I've been to coffee mornings, and I've tried relaxing, but it's just not me.
I'm bored and I'm too young at 68 to retire.

It's not the money, if I were a billionaire, I'd still be wanting to work. It's my hobby, my social life and my income all rolled into one and there's no other pastime that comes close to engaging me.

I don't need to be a captain of industry, just a little business, to keep my mind whirling, but unfortunately on a NLV, it's not allowed and I don't want to have to work to pay automno, IVA, accountants etc.

So, having been back in drizzly old Britain for 3 weeks, doing my thing, I've slipped back into my routine, like putting on a comfy jumper, and it feels right.

It's going to be another huge upheaval, loads of expense and paperwork, but I'm sure it's right for me.
Hopefully, we'll be able to keep our little Spanish bolthole and spend a maximum of 180 days here, but that depends on finances. My Husband says not, but we'll see.

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5 Comments

Loscatalinos said:
Saturday, November 16, 2024 @ 7:11 AM

If you feel the need to keep busy moving back to Britain doesn't guarantee you'll settle down. The tranquility you seek is right where you are standing at any given moment. I'm 68 and never been happier living outside a tiny village in Alicante province. I will soon start to learn how to ride horses. But first I will learn how to feed, clean, brush and walk with them before I start to ride one. That's what I told the trainer. You want to find how to keep your mind busy try taking care of a horse. Also, trying siting next to an old olive tree in the shade. You'll wonder how many sunrises and sunsets that tree has seen and you'll start to wonder why you have been trying to keep so busy instead of just breathing in life one day at a time.

DiW said:
Saturday, November 16, 2024 @ 9:06 AM

Hi I would love to live in Spain and enjoy the warmth and the beaches all year round. I have visited many times and worked there once for six months before Brexit.
I’m 80 and just relocated to Poland with my two dogs to be near my family.
Good luck with your choice, I wish I could do something constructive here but without a car, the local buses only go round the villages. It takes a taxi journey then a half hour tram ride to get to the city!

AOK said:
Saturday, November 16, 2024 @ 11:06 AM

Have you considered Open University courses, which you would be able to access from your computer. They have a wide range. They have, for example, a four year Spanish course. Also, if your income is less than a certain figure it will not cost you anything - in 2020 you had to earn less than £26,000.

There is also the nomadic visa (can’t quite remember the name) - up your IT skills through the Open University, then change your visa type.

Hope this will give you a few further thoughts.

MarilynVA said:
Saturday, November 16, 2024 @ 1:50 PM

I feel so sad for people who go through all the upheaval of moving then don’t settle. It’s not easy. I took early retirement at 55 and moved here 16 years ago. I can honestly say I’ve never been bored or had any regrets about retiring to Spain. The more I go back to the UK the more I’m glad of our decision. Obviously I know we’re all different and we have to do what’s right for us, and hopefully your decision to go back will be what’s right for you. I hope you settle when you’re back there and you’re happy again. That’s what really matters. Good luck.

rob_j1 said:
Monday, November 18, 2024 @ 1:21 AM

I genuinely don't understand this.

If the thought process had been something along the lines of "I miss my family", then I could *maybe* understand it. Because even then, you could get them to come to you half the time, and you could go there the other half. It only costs a small amount to travel, what with Easyjet and Ryanair these days, so the cost to travel is often less than what it used to cost me just to get to the airport and park when I lived in south London.

Being "bored" at the age of 68? Seriously?? With a computer, you can access almost any resource in the world, almost any books, almost any movies, TV series, engage in communal games like poker, bridge, gin, you can use it to see people in video calls, and you can arrange local meetups with things like Facebook, so that people can actually meet in person.

There has never been a more connected time in human history than today, with the technology improving the way it has. It can literally shrink the worlds distance through videoconferencing.

I'm frankly gobsmacked at this kind of attitude.

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Happy to be quiet, I like to sit in the sun and read a good book. I don't drink, I don't smoke and I don't like parties, but I do like to have a chat with friends.