What have we done?

I'm like a UK bus, nothing for ages then 2 come along!  

Just adding this post as I've had some questions which I am more than happy to answer at any time.  In terms of the financial cost to us living here from Blighty, I can break it down as such: deposit on apartment: 650 euros, monthly rent 650 euros, electricity not sure yet as the 2 monthly bill has only just gone to landlady who will tell us how much we pay her, telephone line put in and internet access: 120 euros as there was a good deal going with Telefonica in English ( I would recommened anyone getting their phone line connected etc to go through that site as it does what it say's on the tin - its in English) however once you've gong through them everything you get back is Spanish and without Babelfish we would have had no idea what anything meant!  Very shouty between hubby and I at that point because we both felt as though we were drowning in our own ignorance.  We've got through it though and can almost laugh about it.  The ongoing cost of the internet is quite expensive at about 40 euros per month but I would think it's cheaper than mobile internet.  However I shall be using that when I go on holiday to Tenerife in October and still have to work the business whilst away.  I will let you know if it is cheaper than Telefonica landline or not after I come back.  

I find that the food is expensive here in most of the different supermarkets but the fruit and veg markets are very reasonably priced.

We have been living on our savings which I know we are fortunate to be able to do and which I know I will want to replenish as soon as possible so we tend to work 16 hour days 7 days a week at the moment.  

Finally as someone asked me what our dogs are we have two 11-year old dogs, one called Lucy who is a cross-poodle with a Jack Russel and is mostly black except where her grey is coming through (no Grecian 2000 for her!) and we have a male Jack Russel who's brown and white and his brown is getting as white as his white.  

As I said earlier in this post if anyone wants to comment or ask a question feel free to do so. I would be happy let you know the ins and outs we have gone through to get our NIE and social security numbers, get the dogs passports, flights etc.  

Talk to you soon. 

Hi there - its been about 6 weeks since my last post and that's mainly down to working on building our business, which is called First Stop Secretarial and has a web site, www.firstopsecretarial.com and one of our skills is managing client's blogs - I think I need to hire one to do mine!

Anyway the dogs have acclimatised now and so have I and we are all looking forward to a little cooler weather come September and beyond.  My hubby and I are trying at the moment to get onto internet banking with Santander but as we don't have enough Spanish and Babelfish can't cope with the amount of translation need it looks as though a trip to the bank is required to see if they can set it up for us.  This is just another hurdle for someone abroad who doesn't know enough of the lingo.  It's second nature in your own language to do things but a completly different kettle of fish otherwise.

We will be looking for another rental after Christmas 2008 but in answer to a question I got about how to find a long term rental here whilst you live in the UK, I would recommend downloading Sur In English and also going through such sites as Sol Villas.  There are so many reputable companies on the web that you'll have no difficulty in finding something.  The only thing is you may have to sign up for it sight unseen so make sure it is a reputable company or you will not only lose your deposit but also your property and your faith in human beings.  There is always someone out there looking to rip off people instead of being honest and working honestly for a crust.

We are living at a place called Puebla Aida at Mijas Golf and it has been designed as a white Andalucian village.  It is very pretty and it has an owner's website if anyone is interested in having a look.  One of the best things is that it has 4 pools and we like to go just before breakfast as it kickstarts us for the long, long day ahead.  At least when we do look out the window or take the dogs for their walk we do not need a coat, wellies (our and the dogs!) and a brolly unlike in dear old Blighty.  Take care and Sue and Dave Dyson will talk to you soon.

It's been a couple of months or so since I wrote my last blog and that's because we (my hubby and I) have been sooooo busy marketing etc our business.  It seems to be paying off as we now have a couple of paying clients from the USA but we need lots more if we want to buy our villa outright for cash within 3 years - yes! that's our business plan.

The rest of the time that has not been spent on promoting the business and actually working for clients has been spent getting used to the area of Mijas Golf and Puebla Aida where we are renting a delightful one bed apartment.  The best thing about this place is that I can clean it in half an hour - the worst is that there is nowhere to escape to if things are a bit fraught!

We have now got our NIE number and Social Security numbers but still need to register with a GP/doctor and we both badly need a haircut.  We will get round to that next week I think.

Some of our family came and stayed with us for a couple of days which was lovely if a little crowded but the place now feels bigger than ever. Our human brains are so easily conned.

The weather is a little on the hot side but I am enjoying it - I am having hot flushes which aren't as bad here as they were in the UK as the outside temp here is much higher so when "I'm having a flush" I'm actually only a degree or two hotter than the weather.  If I was in the UK I would be about 20 degress hotter than the weather.

Our two old dogs are enjoying it I think although one of them, Douggie, is panting a lot more than the other one, Lucy but it will get a little cooler after 6 weeks or so and he should be fine.

Catch up with you soon!