# Leaving on a Jet Plane....



## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

...well on a ferry actually, from Bilbao, tomorrow Saturday 10th December 2011.

We are returning to the West Midlands, England and will from now on only visit Spain on holiday.

We have sold our house and although the sale has not yet completed, we know it is now time to go.

Our time in Spain was never meant to be permanent, and we have so many things we want to do in the UK that now is the right time to make this move.

Thank you all for the help and information I have received from this forum and I hope you don't mind if I still pop in from time to time.

Adios, hasta pronto. xx


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## uffington15 (May 4, 2009)

Good luck and I hope you achieve all you want


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

youngagepensioner said:


> ...well on a ferry actually, from Bilbao, tomorrow Saturday 10th December 2011.
> 
> We are returning to the West Midlands, England and will from now on only visit Spain on holiday.
> 
> ...


I didnt realise it was you 
Good luck
Mitz


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

youngagepensioner said:


> ...well on a ferry actually, from Bilbao, tomorrow Saturday 10th December 2011.
> 
> We are returning to the West Midlands, England and will from now on only visit Spain on holiday.
> 
> ...


Sounds like you're ready to go. Hope you enjoyed your life in Spain and that the same will be true of your future life in the UK.
And also hope the trip will be OK. The weather's been horrible in the north of Spain and in some parts of the UK!


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Stravinsky said:


> I didnt realise it was you
> Good luck
> Mitz


]I didnt realise it was you either!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

youngagepensioner said:


> ]I didnt realise it was you either!


I knew who you both are 

lots of luck back there - you do sound like you're ready & it's time - lease do pop in & let us know how you're doing as often as you like


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## elainecyprus (Nov 11, 2007)

Good Luck, hope all goes well and Merry Christmas!!!


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## gingham (Jun 23, 2011)

All the very best of luck and our best wishes.
G


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Thanks all for your good wishes - we're now back in dark and rainy Wolverhampton.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

youngagepensioner said:


> Thanks all for your good wishes - we're now back in dark and rainy Wolverhampton.


It's dark here too.....no rain though


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> It's dark here too.....no rain though


But it was getting dark in Wolverhampton at 3.30!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

youngagepensioner said:


> But it was getting dark in Wolverhampton at 3.30!




not enough daylight hours for me

when I took the girls back for a week in September last year - for the first time in 7 years - I told them that it would still be warm & sunny

I was remembering my school days when we wished we were still allowed to wear our summer uniforms -'Indian Summers'

it was 2 degrees at night, cold & wet during the day & in their words, 'just so grey'

they begged me to never make them live there!!!


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

I can't say I particularly like the 'grey blanket' type of days either. Today is bluer as far as I can see!

December is the darkest month and January the coldest and then after that it should start to improve (she says hopefully).

I will miss the blue skies and sunshine of Spain, but it is not enough when you can't do any of the things you want to do.

We'll hav a holiday if we want winter sun.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

xabiachica said:


> when I took the girls back for a week in September last year - for the first time in 7 years - I told them that it would still be warm & sunny


That's known as cruelty to children xabiachica. Shame on you!:tongue1:


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## queby (May 9, 2009)

Move to London, I'm sitting here in glorious sunshine, not a cloud in the sky, husband at golf...we've had really good weather so far! Sure there's worse to come though.


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Just to update this:

We have finally come to the end of the sale of our Spanish house and completion is next week 

We have a new career as professional House/Petsitters and in fact we are at our first assignment in the Shropshire countryside as I type.  We will get £64 for the day and a half and it is only nine miles away from home . Lovely old lab and a nice cat, no problems at all. 

Weather is beautiful sunshine and we are enjoying doing all the things we came back for.


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2012)

youngagepensioner said:


> Just to update this:
> 
> We have finally come to the end of the sale of our Spanish house and completion is next week
> 
> ...


I am so glad that you are happy. Tell me, is the Criterian Bar/Pub still there in the centre of Wolverhampton? When I was 19 (a *very* long time ago) I worked there evenings as a bartender - rough as a badgers whatsit but the tips at Christmas were phenomenal - much better than in the posh lounge.


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

4tunate said:


> I am so glad that you are happy. Tell me, is the Criterian Bar/Pub still there in the centre of Wolverhampton? When I was 19 (a *very* long time ago) I worked there evenings as a bartender - rough as a badgers whatsit but the tips at Christmas were phenomenal - much better than in the posh lounge.


Never heard of it, so I don't think it is!


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2012)

youngagepensioner said:


> Never heard of it, so I don't think it is!


Oh well, it was 50 years ago, thanks.


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Ah! Just googled it and can see it's location. The building is still there but it is not called the Criterion, can't remeber what it's called now, but it is a Wetherspoons!

Wolverhampton Postcards


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## Guest (Apr 22, 2012)

youngagepensioner said:


> Ah! Just googled it and can see it's location. The building is still there but it is not called the Criterion, can't remeber what it's called now, but it is a Wetherspoons!
> 
> Wolverhampton Postcards


Wetherspoons! - why am I not surprised. Outside, I think it was called Princes Square, was where the UK's first set of automated traffic lights were installed. I believe that still today the poles are painted in black and white bands as were the originals - happy days!


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

4tunate said:


> Wetherspoons! - why am I not surprised. Outside, I think it was called Princes Square, was where the UK's first set of automated traffic lights were installed. I believe that still today the poles are painted in black and white bands as were the originals - happy days!


I've just looked again, it's not where I hought it was, so it's not Wetherspoons, I think it may be part of the Royal London Building and if it's the part I think then it is a youth cafe (for those too young to go in bars).

You are quite right about the traffic lights - first in the UK and still with black and white poles. I drove through them the other dy on my way to the railway station.


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

youngagepensioner said:


> Just to update this:
> 
> We have finally come to the end of the sale of our Spanish house and completion is next week
> 
> ...


Wow, I'd be interested to know if you get a lot of work.....
There are a number of sites where it's pretty much 'free' I've done a months house/cat sit in return for 'free accommodation' in Victoria B.C. I needed to be there so looked after an old cat, while the couple were away in Holland. It saved me the cost of a hotel and gave me and hubby a whole house to move around in rather than just a hotel room...
A lot of people do it as a cheap way to see the world.. 
I need to be back in Victoria at some point this year and am keeping an eye out.. There was even one recently for 3 months in Grand Canaria.. 
The site I've done this though is Housecarers.com .......... http://www.housecarers.com/ I just keep looking, if there is one that interests me I pay for the years subscription @ $50
Last year there was a Belgian guy living in Thailand needing a housesitter for 2 months, he had to travel back on Business, he had taken in a couple of stray dogs and wanted to be assured they were looked after.

I should add ~ not too many available for Europe, for some reason mostly France or Greece, although I have come across Italy and from time to time some great ones in Spain... There are always loads of 'free housesits' available in Canada, USA and Australia. 

We have a house approx 4,800 sq ft ~ in 2 weeks time we leave for 6 months and have a 'cat/housitter' moving in.. She gets 'free rent' in return for caring for our 3 cats.. It's the 4th time we have used her.
..
..


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Goldeneye said:


> Wow, I'd be interested to know if you get a lot of work.....
> There are a number of sites where it's pretty much 'free' I've done a months house/cat sit in return for 'free accommodation' in Victoria B.C. I needed to be there so looked after an old cat, while the couple were away in Holland. It saved me the cost of a hotel and gave me and hubby a whole house to move around in rather than just a hotel room...
> A lot of people do it as a cheap way to see the world..
> I need to be back in Victoria at some point this year and am keeping an eye out.. There was even one recently for 3 months in Grand Canaria..
> ...



Yes, there are some free sites, especially for long term sits. We did look at those, but preferred to become registered, especially as we want to supplement our income from it.

We are with an agency and have LOADS of work all through the summer.:clap2: We are fully insured, police checked, and have references. The sort of people who employ us want the security of knowing their house and animals are going to be looked after by people who are trustworthy and experienced. We too prefer the security of being fully insured (through the agency) in case we break their Ming vase.


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Our house sale completed yeaterday, after eight months of paperwork.:clap2:


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## Goldeneye (Nov 12, 2011)

youngagepensioner said:


> Our house sale completed yeaterday, after eight months of paperwork.:clap2:


Congratulations, good luck with the house sitting assignments.


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Thanks everyone!


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## youngagepensioner (May 18, 2009)

Just updating after 2 1/2 years to say we are still pet-sitting, we earn a couple of grand a year from it, although we do turn work down and could earn more if we wanted.

I also volunteer to run a Job Club in association with Christians Against Poverty, it has been running since May this year and several of our participants have found suitable work. I am a Job Coach , I received some professional training for this. For me it is very fulfilling and the sort of thing I missed doing during my time in Spain. My husband does musical gigs with his best friend of over 50 years and he gets great enjoyment from that too.

We have not been back to Spain since we left. Not sure why. We remember it with fondness, but I'm not sure I want to see my house lived in by someone else, nor visit the village and find certain people gone (either through death or moving). Perhaps best to leave things there with fond memories.

However we have some young friends in Oxford who still have their house in Bubion at the opposite end of Las Alpujarras to where we lived, we can go there any time, so maybe that would be a good visit- to the area but not our village. May go next Spring.

Meanwhile I have had two holidays in Norfolk and Bath with long-lost cousins (one from Norfolk, one from the USA) and their husbands, and we are planning another one in Pembrokeshire next September. 

I have also traced my birth mother, found I had a birth aunt too and am enjoying getting to know them. My aunt is in her 90s and my mother in her 80s so we are enjoying whatever time we have together. They live about thirty miles away and I try to see them once a month.

These are all things I've done since returning to the UK and whilst I enjoyed my time in Spain, there is only so much reading you can do. My time here is much more productive and fulfilling.

Wishing you all happiness and contentment.


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