# Expat whinge of the year award.



## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

This must have a chance of winning the first prize.
On another forum (yes, I do go on others) someone was whinging about the price of turnip here compared to the UK............ I kid you not.

You think you've heard it all & then someone comes along with something like this

What's next I wonder?


Doggy


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## Stravinsky (Aug 12, 2007)

If theres one thing that really p!sses me off its the "it wouldn't happen in the UK" sentence

My normal response is "well **** off back there then if you don't like it"


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Stravinsky said:


> If theres one thing that really p!sses me off its the "it wouldn't happen in the UK" sentence
> 
> My normal response is "well **** off back there then if you don't like it"


I often say that as a positive tho!! I love the things they do here that "wouldnt happen in the UK"!!! Cos theres so damn much that wouldnt happen in the UK cos its soooo mollycoddled and protected!!!

Jo xxx


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

I can't understand they way a lot of them keep on banging on about UK politics ............. as if they're still there
I'm not a political animal myself and would rather have my neh nehs cut off with a rusty hacksaw blade than talk politics but if that's your thing then surely it should the politics of the place where you live.......... or am I missing summat?

Maybe it's because they live here but don't regard it as "home" whereas this is definitely "home" for us and we plan to stay here until we kick the bucket or get so doddery that we have to get shipped off to a place where you press a button for somebody to come & wipe the dribble off yer chin


Doggy


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

owdoggy said:


> we have to get shipped off to a place where you press a button for somebody to come & wipe the dribble off yer chin


Like Albox?


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## Warren D (Aug 18, 2009)

owdoggy said:


> I can't understand they way a lot of them keep on banging on about UK politics ............. as if they're still there


We were in England for 3 days a couple of weeks ago (not that I actually wanted to be there). My step father asked us if we had satellite TV. I told him we did. He said something like "Well it's good to keep up with the news here" I told him I don't usually watch the news because I really don't care what's going on in the UK now. He still insisted that it was good to know what was happening and I had to tell him again that I really don't care.


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

owdoggy said:


> This must have a chance of winning the first prize.
> On another forum (yes, I do go on others) someone was whinging about the price of turnip here compared to the UK............ I kid you not.
> 
> You think you've heard it all & then someone comes along with something like this
> ...


 
On the scale of whinging, I would say that's a pretty good whinge!! :tongue1:


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## XTreme (May 17, 2008)

Pesky Wesky said:


> On the scale of whinging, I would say that's a pretty good whinge!! :tongue1:


Nobody can match Jo for whinging! She even whinges about her whinges!


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

owdoggy said:


> I can't understand they way a lot of them keep on banging on about UK politics ............. as if they're still there
> I'm not a political animal myself and would rather have my neh nehs cut off with a rusty hacksaw blade than talk politics but if that's your thing then surely it should the politics of the place where you live.......... or am I missing summat?
> 
> Maybe it's because they live here but don't regard it as "home" whereas this is definitely "home" for us and we plan to stay here until we kick the bucket or get so doddery that we have to get shipped off to a place where you press a button for somebody to come & wipe the dribble off yer chin
> ...


I whinge about UK politics cos OH still has his business over there and we still own a house over there - so sadly we cant escape it!!!

Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

XTreme said:


> Nobody can match Jo for whinging! She even whinges about her whinges!



I havent whinged for ages!! well not on here, I save it for the OH when he comes over!!!!!


Jo xxx


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## Expat Steve (Oct 23, 2009)

If there's one thing that pee's me off it's the _"price of turnips in (frankly, who cares)_!" if you don't like the price then grow them yourselves.....lol hahahaha - well, that's it - we are all doomed! Turnips have gone up! (Should I add, "I only came here because of the price of turnips, now whatever shall I do?  )


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## littleredrooster (Aug 3, 2008)

Expat Steve said:


> If there's one thing that pee's me off it's the _"price of turnips in (frankly, who cares)_!" if you don't like the price then grow them yourselves.....lol hahahaha - well, that's it - we are all doomed! Turnips have gone up! (Should I add, "I only came here because of the price of turnips, now whatever shall I do?  )


Could always try a Swede instead,...much more tasty,...much more fun.

Lets face it, theres nothing a lot of expats enjoy better than a good old whinge.
They feel so much better for getting it all off their chest.
Theres definitely no shortage of grumpy old men and grumpy old women in Spain....


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## owdoggy (Jul 23, 2008)

XTreme said:


> Like Albox?


Could be, since there's a few there already but I fancy Mojacar mesel.



Pesky Wesky said:


> On the scale of whinging, I would say that's a pretty good whinge!! :tongue1:


Aye, you've got a point there...... ... there's me whinging about the whingers ................. does that make me a hypocrite or just a git? ............. I'll go for "git" ...... it's easier to spell




Doggy


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Well, I confess I used to post whinging about the awful quality of potatoes in the Czech Republic but they were truly awful - out of 5kg you were lucky to get 2kg edible, the rest were black and wormy (uh uh, here I go again...)
My favourite whingers are people who complain that Britain is so full of foreigners that they had to come and live abroad.


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## Warren D (Aug 18, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> My favourite whingers are people who complain that Britain is so full of foreigners that they had to come and live abroad.


There's a better class of foreigner abroad though.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Warren D said:


> There's a better class of foreigner abroad though.




Hmmmm!!! ???

Jo xxxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Warren D said:


> There's a better class of foreigner abroad though.


Especially those without dusky skins, which is what those kind of people really mean


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> Especially those without dusky skins, which is what those kind of people really mean


Lets not get racist - TBH, the better class of foreigner in Spain has nothing to do with skin colour and the immigrants in the UK arent necessarily any worse than some of the nasty little toerags who have lived there forever 
Jo xxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Back to the topic tho and I think that the British in general hold the world record for whinging and moaning - they should make it an oplympic sport, we'd win gold everytime! We really are head and shoulders above most other nationalities!

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jojo said:


> Lets not get racist - TBH, the better class of foreigner in Spain has nothing to do with skin colour and the immigrants in the UK arent necessarily any worse than some of the nasty little toerags who have lived there forever
> Jo xxx



Err....I think you misunderstood me, Jo...I was being sarcastic. I have encountered people here who have left the UK because they are basically racist - they don't like a certain kind of foreigner -you know what I mean. Not that many, thankfully.Those are the kind of people I despise.
And you are of course right - skin colour is not an indicator of character any more than money implies good manners. But not everyone sees it in that way, unforunately.
BTW, we came up to view the two Alheurins on Tuesday, didn't call on you as there were five of us plus Our Little Azor. We feel we need to take a longer, closer look - we just drove through, really - so we would appreciate your insider knowledge.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> Err....I think you misunderstood me, Jo...I was being sarcastic. I have encountered people here who have left the UK because they are basically racist - they don't like a certain kind of foreigner -you know what I mean. Not that many, thankfully.Those are the kind of people I despise.
> And you are of course right - skin colour is not an indicator of character any more than money implies good manners. But not everyone sees it in that way, unforunately.
> BTW, we came up to view the two Alheurins on Tuesday, didn't call on you as there were five of us plus Our Little Azor. We feel we need to take a longer, closer look - we just drove through, really - so we would appreciate your insider knowledge.



Well it would have been nice to have met you!! What did you think of the "Alhaurins" what do you want to know?? 

I can tell you that La Torre is the more Spanish of the two, with fewer Brits and possibly more upmarket ??????????, but is quite spread out, so you need a car! I've been into town this morning and its a trek from the bank to Mercadona and then to the Farmacia and to see my friends... my feet are killing me!!! 

El Grande, is more "spanish looking" lots of white washed buildings and everythings pretty much within walking distance. But is full of Brits - is that good or bad??? There's British fish and chip shops, British bars, a British newsagents.... and every third person you walk passed is British

Jo xxxx


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

I know you werent being serious about skin colour BTW!! What I found before I left the UK, there was an influx of Polish and they came over and work their butts off! Suddenly al the car parks in our area had polish car cleaners and they did an amazing job for very little money! You wouldnt see many of the "indiginous" Brits coming off the dole to do that!!!!! There! You see I'm not racist either, I simply dont approve of anyone of any colour who expects the tax payer to pay them for doing nothing long term. SS should be for emergencies and genuine crisis, not a way of life!

jo xxx


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## Hombre (Sep 10, 2009)

jojo said:


> Well it would have been nice to have met you!! What did you think of the "Alhaurins" what do you want to know??
> 
> I can tell you that La Torre is the more Spanish of the two, with fewer Brits and possibly more upmarket ??????????, but is quite spread out, so you need a car! I've been into town this morning and its a trek from the bank to Mercadona and then to the Farmacia and to see my friends... my feet are killing me!!!
> 
> ...


This is developing into an interesting thread. Are recent comments really "racism" in reverse? All of us in here whinge frequently about Brits, or are we really objecting to the presence of the things we dislike about the UK....including the people? Mrs H and I were at a pavement cafe this morning and our tranquil mood was interrupted by a bus trip of elderly British pensioners .."Saga" trip as we later discovered...we were acutely embarrassed by their attitude towards the waiters...as though they were morons from another planet...eg..miming a cup of tea..Are we all escaping a previous life and all it entails ? Or is this another "racism in reverse " ?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

Hombre said:


> This is developing into an interesting thread. Are recent comments really "racism" in reverse? All of us in here whinge frequently about Brits, or are we really objecting to the presence of the things we dislike about the UK....including the people? Mrs H and I were at a pavement cafe this morning and our tranquil mood was interrupted by a bus trip of elderly British pensioners .."Saga" trip as we later discovered...we were acutely embarrassed by their attitude towards the waiters...as though they were morons from another planet...eg..miming a cup of tea..Are we all escaping a previous life and all it entails ? Or is this another "racism in reverse " ?



Well if "racism" is disliking another race then I dont know what you'd call it!???? ... "Ageism" cos they were elderly? "Arrogantism" cos they appeared to feel they were better than the waiters????? "touristism" cos they were tourists....??? Unfortunately, humans tend to generalise and its that, that causes the reference to all these "isms"!!! Half the time its "awareness" rather than an "ism"!!!!!!

Jo xxx


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jojo said:


> Well it would have been nice to have met you!! What did you think of the "Alhaurins" what do you want to know??
> 
> I can tell you that La Torre is the more Spanish of the two, with fewer Brits and possibly more upmarket ??????????, but is quite spread out, so you need a car! I've been into town this morning and its a trek from the bank to Mercadona and then to the Farmacia and to see my friends... my feet are killing me!!!
> 
> ...


I prefer to feel that I'm in Spain so wouldn't like a heavily-Brit-populated area but would like a few around, if that makes sense! Alheurin el Grande: well, we drove our Discovery through some VERY narrow twisting streets so I was watching walls rather than scenery but I got the impression that it was, as you said, more 'Spanish looking'. La Torre: I don't think we got to the town centre. We were hungry and thirsty so stopped at a bar and then I realised how close the airport is. Do you get much aircraft noise? 
A big concern would be places where we could take Our Little Azor and let him run off the lead. He needs a lot of exercise (so do I).
When it's cooled down a bit we'll come over again and meet up. Your agent friend sent some details of suitable villas/houses at half the price we're paying now.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Hombre said:


> This is developing into an interesting thread. Are recent comments really "racism" in reverse? All of us in here whinge frequently about Brits, or are we really objecting to the presence of the things we dislike about the UK....including the people? Mrs H and I were at a pavement cafe this morning and our tranquil mood was interrupted by a bus trip of elderly British pensioners .."Saga" trip as we later discovered...we were acutely embarrassed by their attitude towards the waiters...as though they were morons from another planet...eg..miming a cup of tea..Are we all escaping a previous life and all it entails ? Or is this another "racism in reverse " ?


No, it's not reverse racism. What you are objecting to is bad manners and I share your dislike. The behaviour of some Brits abroad makes me feel so ashamed.
The kind of people who leave the UK because of 'the foreigners' object to them regardless of how they behave. This is bad manners too, as well as stupidity.
The behaviour of those OAPs is a kind of mild racism of the 'all foreigners are dim, speak English to them slowly and loudly' type.
Your reactions show that you are well-mannered and those people were not - they offended against your concept of how decent people should behave. I would have felt exactly the same.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jojo said:


> I know you werent being serious about skin colour BTW!! What I found before I left the UK, there was an influx of Polish and they came over and work their butts off! Suddenly al the car parks in our area had polish car cleaners and they did an amazing job for very little money! You wouldnt see many of the "indiginous" Brits coming off the dole to do that!!!!! There! You see I'm not racist either, I simply dont approve of anyone of any colour who expects the tax payer to pay them for doing nothing long term. SS should be for emergencies and genuine crisis, not a way of life!
> 
> jo xxx


I wonder why Poles have cornered the car park auto-wash market It seems the same all over the UK. I spent some time in Poland and found that unlike Czechs Poles are extremely energetic and entrepreneurial.
WEll, off to take my guests back to Aeropuerto de Malaga. I've done the airport run so manmy times in the last few months I could do it in my sleep. It must be worse for you...


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> I prefer to feel that I'm in Spain so wouldn't like a heavily-Brit-populated area but would like a few around, if that makes sense! Alheurin el Grande: well, we drove our Discovery through some VERY narrow twisting streets so I was watching walls rather than scenery but I got the impression that it was, as you said, more 'Spanish looking'. La Torre: I don't think we got to the town centre. We were hungry and thirsty so stopped at a bar and then I realised how close the airport is. Do you get much aircraft noise?
> A big concern would be places where we could take Our Little Azor and let him run off the lead. He needs a lot of exercise (so do I).
> When it's cooled down a bit we'll come over again and meet up. Your agent friend sent some details of suitable villas/houses at half the price we're paying now.


Well it sounds like you've seen the top road of La Torre and I presume some of the urbanizations, but obviously there are lots of places on the outskirts and in the surrounding villages. We live in a village which is actually between the two Alhaurins called "La Alqueria" and we're surrounded by dog walking type fields!! and our last village in "El Romeral" had plenty of dog walking places too!!

If you were driving along the top road, then you probably wouldnt have seen the town centre, which is down past the "Torre" and is lovely.

Aircraft noise, well I wont say you cant hear it at all ever, but if the wind is in the wrong direction you can sometimes hear a rumble in the distance, but its not intrusive, you have to listen for it as opposed to getting deafened by it and they dont fly overhead (much to my sons horror - he loves planes!!), so no its not noticeable. I certainly wouldnt know we're close to it. But for me doing an airport run to pick up and drop of OH a couple of times a week, its no bad thing!

My friend (Hayley, the agent actually), lives in a village close to La Torre, over the other side from me and from her house she can see the airport in the distance and right across to Málaga Bay - stunning views and you can see it all, but you cant hear it, its too far away!

You really must come over this way again and I'll give you a guided tour, then you can see for yourselves whether its suitable. Afterall, we're all different! Have a look on google earth to give you an idea???

Jo xxxx


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

owdoggy said:


> This must have a chance of winning the first prize.
> On another forum (yes, I do go on others) someone was whinging about the price of turnip here compared to the UK............ I kid you not.
> 
> You think you've heard it all & then someone comes along with something like this
> ...


OK, I'll give you a whinge, we reurned from our favoured part of Spain a few weeks ago. We had a wonderfully relaxed time, really cementing the thing that we already knew, we want to be there and not here.

We landed at East Midlands and then took 2 hours to drive 45 miles, when we got home we found that our drive gates had been nicked, the guy who had noticed it first had just had his TV ariel nicked.

On a lighter note, when I reported the theft to my insurance company the lady asked me if anyone had seen the thief stealing the gates. I told her that someone had but they didn't say anything incase they 'took a fence', I've always wanted to use that one, she didn't get it, bless her.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

crookesey said:


> OK, I'll give you a whinge, we reurned from our favoured part of Spain a few weeks ago. We had a wonderfully relaxed time, really cementing the thing that we already knew, we want to be there and not here.
> 
> We landed at East Midlands and then took 2 hours to drive 45 miles, when we got home we found that our drive gates had been nicked, the guy who had noticed it first had just had his TV ariel nicked.
> 
> On a lighter note, when I reported the theft to my insurance company the lady asked me if anyone had seen the thief stealing the gates. I told her that someone had but they didn't say anything incase they 'took a fence', I've always wanted to use that one, she didn't get it, bless her.



Havent seen you for a while Crookesey, thought you'd given up on us 

I guess its better that they had the gates rather than actually getting into your house tho??? England isnt getting any better is it!!

Jo xxx


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

jojo said:


> Havent seen you for a while Crookesey, thought you'd given up on us
> 
> I guess its better that they had the gates rather than actually getting into your house tho??? England isnt getting any better is it!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Been a bit busy attempting my exit strategy at work, whilst still retaining an income as a consultant, I'm getting there, albeit bloody slowly.

The once 399,000 euros aapartments that had dropped to 263,000 last year, are now down to 225,000 euros, still think that I will hang on for a while though.


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

crookesey said:


> Been a bit busy attempting my exit strategy at work, whilst still retaining an income as a consultant, I'm getting there, albeit bloody slowly.
> 
> The once 399,000 euros aapartments that had dropped to 263,000 last year, are now down to 225,000 euros, still think that I will hang on for a while though.



You need the exchange rate to "play ball" too !!! If Merv can stop himself from paying the bankers next week I think it may look good for christmas???

Jo xxxx


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## crookesey (May 22, 2008)

jojo said:


> You need the exchange rate to "play ball" too !!! If Merv can stop himself from paying the bankers next week I think it may look good for christmas???
> 
> Jo xxxx


The interesting thing though Jo, is that I could have taken over the owners 190,000 euros mortgage for 590 euros a month, for 4 years. This is on the basis of pay up, re-mortgage, sell on or walk away in 4 years time, must have been circa 3.0% on an interest only basis.

A window of opportunity is certainly appearing, as you say, I now need some help from Merv.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jojo said:


> Well it sounds like you've seen the top road of La Torre and I presume some of the urbanizations, but obviously there are lots of places on the outskirts and in the surrounding villages. We live in a village which is actually between the two Alhaurins called "La Alqueria" and we're surrounded by dog walking type fields!! and our last village in "El Romeral" had plenty of dog walking places too!!
> 
> If you were driving along the top road, then you probably wouldnt have seen the town centre, which is down past the "Torre" and is lovely.
> 
> ...


The villages sound ideal. We're a bit past bars, clubs and riotous goings on in general so our 'musts' would be a Mercadona or similar, a good vet, medical facilities for humans, a reasonable range of shops, a couple of good restaurants (not trendy or expensive, just good), a Spanish ambience and tranquillity - night life is not a requirement. I drink at home... All that and as I said places where OLA can run free.
Yes, we didn't really see La Torre but we saw some not very nice developments on the outskirts. Our house in Cerny Vul was, by the time we left, right under the flight path of Prague airport which was a ten minute drive away and air traffic got really bad in our last year. (Although you could actually see the incoming flight pass over the house and get to the airport to pick up guests without hanging about).
I'll look on Google Earth as you suggest but I do think we need your services as a guide, especially to the villages as being between the two Alhaurins sounds good. There will be only two of us next time, we'll leave OLA at home guarding. 
But we won't be going anywhere while it's still 30C+ by the pool - we were swimming yesterday - well, I wasn't, but our friends and OH did. 
Surely this isn't normal for October, even here?


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## jojo (Sep 20, 2007)

mrypg9 said:


> The villages sound ideal. We're a bit past bars, clubs and riotous goings on in general so our 'musts' would be a Mercadona or similar, a good vet, medical facilities for humans, a reasonable range of shops, a couple of good restaurants (not trendy or expensive, just good), a Spanish ambience and tranquillity - night life is not a requirement. I drink at home... All that and as I said places where OLA can run free.
> Yes, we didn't really see La Torre but we saw some not very nice developments on the outskirts. Our house in Cerny Vul was, by the time we left, right under the flight path of Prague airport which was a ten minute drive away and air traffic got really bad in our last year. (Although you could actually see the incoming flight pass over the house and get to the airport to pick up guests without hanging about).
> I'll look on Google Earth as you suggest but I do think we need your services as a guide, especially to the villages as being between the two Alhaurins sounds good. There will be only two of us next time, we'll leave OLA at home guarding.
> But we won't be going anywhere while it's still 30C+ by the pool - we were swimming yesterday - well, I wasn't, but our friends and OH did.
> Surely this isn't normal for October, even here?



It certainly hasnt been anything like last October, it seemed to rain nearly everday then! Its beautiful isnt it. Cool in the evenings and just right during the day! 

I look forward to meeting you, so whenever you're ready, let me know!!

Jo xxx


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## Calas felices (Nov 29, 2007)

*Whingeing!*

I alternate between Spain and England and have done so for about 8 years. I could never live permanently in Spain - I'm not ready yet to hang up my spurs and wait for God to call me yet! What do I like about Spain - not the weather surprisingly except the spring and autumn. I hate the summer when it's unbearably hot and I hate the winters when it rains particularly when the Gota Fria is around. I like the relaxed way of life but only for so long. I love the variety of fish that is available to buy. 

What don't I like about Spain and this is not a whinge - they are observations. I hate the dust, I hate the fact that everything is untidy and unfinished and at times dirty. I hate the fact that dog poo is allowed to be everywhere. I find Spanish television similar to the UK about 30 years ago (very amateurish), I yearn for decent theatres, cinemas, shows etc, I yearn for decent wine (and yes I know there are some Riojas that are half decent but mostly the wine is poor quality), I detest the level of bureacracy, I yearn for some mollycoddling so that when I buy something I have confidence it will work or I can take it back, I would welcome some Health & Safety of any kind and having been involved with the Court system on two occasions now, would love to know if anyone ever has the patience to see a case through to the end and then to be compensated if that is the outcome. Most seem to give up or die before anything is settled finally. I would love to see basic law enforced and not just the Gaurdia fining motorists when it gets towards the end of the month and they're running out of money. I resent the fact that people of a basic education level get themselves into jobs where they can set the rules so that you can take everything required for some pice of paper or another and then get asked 'Have you got......? and this wasn't required before. I dislike intensely the Spanish carelessness with animals - it's not I think they are cruel I just think they don't think. I am deeply suspicious of the farming methods used to raise meat. Finally if for no other reason I would never live in Spain as the level of corruption is just too much - I'm afraid Spanish MPs make our MPs look like Saints. 

Will this do for a starter??


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Calas felices said:


> I alternate between Spain and England and have done so for about 8 years. I could never live permanently in Spain - I'm not ready yet to hang up my spurs and wait for God to call me yet! What do I like about Spain - not the weather surprisingly except the spring and autumn. I hate the summer when it's unbearably hot and I hate the winters when it rains particularly when the Gota Fria is around. I like the relaxed way of life but only for so long. I love the variety of fish that is available to buy.
> 
> What don't I like about Spain and this is not a whinge - they are observations. I hate the dust, I hate the fact that everything is untidy and unfinished and at times dirty. I hate the fact that dog poo is allowed to be everywhere. I find Spanish television similar to the UK about 30 years ago (very amateurish), I yearn for decent theatres, cinemas, shows etc, I yearn for decent wine (and yes I know there are some Riojas that are half decent but mostly the wine is poor quality), I detest the level of bureacracy, I yearn for some mollycoddling so that when I buy something I have confidence it will work or I can take it back, I would welcome some Health & Safety of any kind and having been involved with the Court system on two occasions now, would love to know if anyone ever has the patience to see a case through to the end and then to be compensated if that is the outcome. Most seem to give up or die before anything is settled finally. I would love to see basic law enforced and not just the Gaurdia fining motorists when it gets towards the end of the month and they're running out of money. I resent the fact that people of a basic education level get themselves into jobs where they can set the rules so that you can take everything required for some pice of paper or another and then get asked 'Have you got......? and this wasn't required before. I dislike intensely the Spanish carelessness with animals - it's not I think they are cruel I just think they don't think. I am deeply suspicious of the farming methods used to raise meat. Finally if for no other reason I would never live in Spain as the level of corruption is just too much - I'm afraid Spanish MPs make our MPs look like Saints.
> 
> Will this do for a starter??


Yep, quite enough thankyou!! 
I agree with you on many things, dog poo for example, but I'm sorry I think other things are observations made precisely by somebody who doesn't live here, who visits. It seems like you're looking at Spain from the outside and perhaps you're not talking about Spain, but just a region, an area...??
Where are you buying your wine from for one thing? You can get good wine and you can get Don Simon in a carton from Día supermarket. Some people think that because you're in Spain the wine must be fantastic. Well no, not all wine is fantastic, like not all cheese is good in England. You may have to pay a little more but you can get great wine here. Try Priorat, navarra, Bierzo, Penedés, Ribeiro...
As for politics, I totally agree there's and awful lot of corruption here in Spain. But I'm surprised that anyone could think that the UK's any different:confused2:


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## Warren D (Aug 18, 2009)

Calas felices said:


> I alternate between Spain and England and have done so for about 8 years. I could never live permanently in Spain - I'm not ready yet to hang up my spurs and wait for God to call me yet! What do I like about Spain - not the weather surprisingly except the spring and autumn. I hate the summer when it's unbearably hot and I hate the winters when it rains particularly when the Gota Fria is around. I like the relaxed way of life but only for so long. I love the variety of fish that is available to buy.
> 
> What don't I like about Spain and this is not a whinge - they are observations. I hate the dust, I hate the fact that everything is untidy and unfinished and at times dirty. I hate the fact that dog poo is allowed to be everywhere. I find Spanish television similar to the UK about 30 years ago (very amateurish), I yearn for decent theatres, cinemas, shows etc, I yearn for decent wine (and yes I know there are some Riojas that are half decent but mostly the wine is poor quality), I detest the level of bureacracy, I yearn for some mollycoddling so that when I buy something I have confidence it will work or I can take it back, I would welcome some Health & Safety of any kind and having been involved with the Court system on two occasions now, would love to know if anyone ever has the patience to see a case through to the end and then to be compensated if that is the outcome. Most seem to give up or die before anything is settled finally. I would love to see basic law enforced and not just the Gaurdia fining motorists when it gets towards the end of the month and they're running out of money. I resent the fact that people of a basic education level get themselves into jobs where they can set the rules so that you can take everything required for some pice of paper or another and then get asked 'Have you got......? and this wasn't required before. I dislike intensely the Spanish carelessness with animals - it's not I think they are cruel I just think they don't think. I am deeply suspicious of the farming methods used to raise meat. Finally if for no other reason I would never live in Spain as the level of corruption is just too much - I'm afraid Spanish MPs make our MPs look like Saints.
> 
> Will this do for a starter??


Must you remind me of all those annoying things about this country? :lol: I'm prepared to put up with Spain the way it is because I definitely feel happier living here so there must be something right (for me) about the place


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## dgjamison (Jul 6, 2009)

jojo said:


> I know you werent being serious about skin colour BTW!! What I found before I left the UK, there was an influx of Polish and they came over and work their butts off! Suddenly al the car parks in our area had polish car cleaners and they did an amazing job for very little money! You wouldnt see many of the "indiginous" Brits coming off the dole to do that!!!!! There! You see I'm not racist either, I simply dont approve of anyone of any colour who expects the tax payer to pay them for doing nothing long term. SS should be for emergencies and genuine crisis, not a way of life!
> 
> jo xxx


I agree with you totally, it was the same in N. Ireland, we have a lot of Polish, our car gleamed like never before for £3.00 They were there in all weathers, polite, and very hard working. In our Golf club they laid a new patio area, and the workmanship was excellant, and they finished on time. We offered them a drink one day and they politely refused, had a quick smoke and went back to work, no hour lunch breaks. I suppose they are used to working like this in their own country, makes me wonder how long it will be before they get like the rest of the uk


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## Tallulah (Feb 16, 2009)

Calas felices said:


> .....Will this do for a starter??


Goodness!! Where on earth are you in Spain when you're on these visits of yours? 

I live in an area where there isn't dog poo everywhere - and in the more populated areas, there are little doggy bins where bags are available to clean up after the little poochies. Maybe it's a question of education then - but that was in the UK too. I can understand it in some built up areas, especially with some of the pensioners letting out their little pooches from their apartments, but "dog poo everywhere" is a bit of an exaggeration, surely? Do they not clean the streets where you visit? We see our cleaners out several times a week - and constantly in town/city centres, particularly during the busy summer seasons. 

Dust everywhere? Well, I suppose if you're visiting a building site - that's understandable - a lot of the urbanisations down South I understand have not been completed for some time now. Tis the way unfortunately at the moment.

Bureaucracy, funcionarios and the legal system - don't get me started on that. I bought a new property in the UK and had it not been for corporate connections and the legal muscle that their insurance provided, I "Mrs & Mr Average" would have been stuffed, like it or lump it. Believe me, there was no question of taking a case to conclusion and getting compensation. It was a clear case of in your face "we're a big corporate, you're nobody, bring it on". Luckily for us, we did with Capita Legal that the company the OH worked for had all their management insured with. Incredibly, their stance changed VERY fast, but it was clear to see from the initial nicely and friendly approach we started off with as we were 100% correct and they had initially admitted they'd made a mistake, they had no intention of rectifying it without some serious ass kicking. No normal citizen has the power and finance to do this ass kicking and so, in the UK, the big fish screw the little fish as much as anywhere else. 

As for due process, regarding buying products etc, consumer law in Spain is as advanced in the UK, but unlike the UK, you need to know where you're going as there are no numerous high street offices holding your hand at every turn. And then I guess you have the language to contend with, if you're not up to scratch that can be a hindrance.

As for Faustino I, being mediocre wine :confused2: whatever your taste buds tell you - but if I had the budget, I promise you I wouldn't have to go anywhere other than Spain for extremely good wines. As it is, my modest budget buys me the likes of Albarino, Ribeira Sacra, Ribeiro, Rioja and well, too many to list. Suffice to say, that it is in another planet compared to the some of the offerings in the UK for a similar price or generally far more expensive. Yes, I have tried the, shall we say, pop culture tv ad wines and I can say for definite that the French do not in fact adore Le Piat D'Or, but in fact think it's absolute pants. :spit: Having said all this, I am partial to the odd drop of a good sancerre, pouilly fume, chablis and some other very nice French white wines - but this takes nothing away from the quality of the excellent Spanish offerings. 

Meat : I don't think I've seen any evidence to suggest that there is anything questionable about the raising of meat and production of meat products here - in fact one is spoilt for choice - as well as the local supermarkets, you have your butchers and also organic farming or even smallholdings selling produce. Never a complaint from here. If they sell to the public, then there are strict controls via vetinary procedures to ensure the animal complies with regulations on its diet, wellbeing, etc. and also slaughtering methods. As for mass produced practices, lets not have a peeing up the wall competition as to which production lines are cruder - Spain's or any other developped country's. 

TV in Spain - well I don't know if you don't have TDT yet, but to be honest, apart from things like the BBC news obviously, and I happen to find news on Telecinco and Antena 3 excellent - the rest of the programming on the 25 plus channels is not too disimilar to that of the UK - and in fact many carry English language stream so it is just like watching a series in the UK. As for theatres, cinemas - well, there's plenty of those - but like the UK, it depends where you are and what tickles your fancy. I don't imagine that the British costas are big on major opera and theatre productions - clearly the UK has Spain beat on pantomime, I imagine, as I'm not aware of the same thing here. :confused2: But I can tell you, that our kids get dozens of invites to the local theatre to see comic productions, puppetry shows, magic shows and cultural extravaganzas and there's plenty for the grown ups going on as well in the city for something more culturally adequate.

Guardia Civil : what you refer to hasn't existed for many years. It is up to you if you do not take your ticket and follow up on where the money has gone. I promise you, them pocketing it is only possible if the foreign car driver pays up and can't wait to get away. Even then, I'm pretty sure they would issue a ticket. The days of "end of month" which imply not just foreign drivers, but anybody, do not exist because on the spot fines for Spanish registered cars do not exist. You have a time in which to pay. If you pay quickly, you may have read in the press recently, you can get up to 50% discount.  Let's not discuss the issue of revenue generation by police forces - unless you are familiar with the M3 Surrey to London stretch famous for its revenue generation by the traffic police. 

MPs and Corruption : Yes, there has certainly been a lot in the news about this recently - but as for it being worse than the UK? I think it's just that it's becoming more transparent now in reporting and with judges appointed to clear out the big guns in corruption. When was the last time you heard of big guns being routed out by a power in the UK equivalent to a supreme court judge? When the big corporates were ripping their employees off and spending their pension funds, leaving them without a pension for their retirement, where were the squeaky clean brigade in the UK then? Name me one group of long term company workers in Spain who now live their retirement with little or no pension due to the shenanigans of corporate corrupts. I know the pension protection scheme has now kicked in (or has for some time) but I don't believe it has everyone caught up in the nightmare and it doesn't do away with the fact that corruption was rife at the highest level. Bear in mind the corporate people in question, one particular media mogul comes to mind, had very powerful friends in politics. Also bear in mind that the English 5%, those to who money is a commodity, is a reality and not a myth. This is where true corruption lies and where experts at keeping people happy whilst they get rich reside. Not in some minor ******* mayor who is now being found out for stealing a couple of hundred thousand euros with dodgy dealings. Plus, major bonus, they are being found out and prosecuted.:clap2:

As for efficiency of funcionarios and all that bureaucracy, there are extremely cheap services in Spain called asesorias and gestorias. It always amazes me that due to lack of knowledge of their existence and function, recent arrivals spend forever in queues and chasing paperwork - rather than giving these people, in some cases, as little as 50 euros and letting them get on with it. I often wonder how the average Spaniard gets on in the UK when they're sold moody goods that no longer work. Do they go straight to the Dept of Fair Trade? Do they contact CAB immediately? No, cos they don't know what the bloody hell they are. Same here I guess.

Sorry that you're not having the best of experiences on your visits here - but bear in mind, it is a huge country and perhaps if widened your horizons a little bit it would enhance your experience. Or am I going to start having to hand out my happy pills?!

Tally.x


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Tallulah said:


> Goodness!! Where on earth are you in Spain when you're on these visits of yours?
> 
> 
> Sorry that you're not having the best of experiences on your visits here - but bear in mind, it is a huge country and perhaps if widened your horizons a little bit it would enhance your experience. Or am I going to start having to hand out my happy pills?!
> ...


 
:clap2:Welcome back Tally!!:clap2:


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## peterg22 (Jan 13, 2011)

Stravinsky said:


> If theres one thing that really p!sses me off its the "it wouldn't happen in the UK" sentence
> 
> My normal response is "well **** off back there then if you don't like it"


Yeah! Do that and then I can take their place


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

jojo said:


> I whinge about UK politics cos OH still has his business over there and we still own a house over there - so sadly we cant escape it!!!
> 
> Jo xxx


Quite. The money we receive depends on exchange rates which is connected with UK politics.
I'm interested in European politics generally and always have been. I didn't leave my brain behind in the UK (I think) so I enjoy a good discussion on this site.
For Brit immigrant whingeing you cannot beat a site whereon a small group of old moaners bang on about how they've been cheated by unscrupulous agents, developers, lawyers...all Spanish of course.
If anyone dares post an innocent comment like 'Isn't it a lovely day?' they'll be told in no uncertain terms that no it isn't, it can't possibly be because.....it can't be a lovely day in Spain as it's full of rogues, swindlers, tarts, gangsters etc. etc.
And the funny thing is that most of these old whingers live in the UK!!
Thankfully....


I must confess that I used to post moans about the poor quality of potatoes on a Czech site...frequently.


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## gus-lopez (Jan 4, 2010)

mrypg9 said:


> Quite. The money we receive depends on exchange rates which is connected with UK politics.
> I'm interested in European politics generally and always have been. I didn't leave my brain behind in the UK (I think) so I enjoy a good discussion on this site.
> For Brit immigrant whingeing you cannot beat a site whereon a small group of old moaners bang on about how they've been cheated by unscrupulous agents, developers, lawyers...all Spanish of course.
> If anyone dares post an innocent comment like 'Isn't it a lovely day?' they'll be told in no uncertain terms that no it isn't, it can't possibly be because.....it can't be a lovely day in Spain as it's full of rogues, swindlers, tarts, gangsters etc. etc.
> ...


Now let me guess the name of the site . :confused2: You know this is a thread that's been dug up from 2009 ?


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

gus-lopez said:


> Now let me guess the name of the site . :confused2: You know this is a thread that's been dug up from 2009 ?



Those old codgers have probably been whingeing since 1009.....
I like to pop in and out once in a while, toss in a few provocative remarks then leave them to seethe.
Childish, I know........
There was a moment of real human drama on that site when one of the ur-whingers sent an offensive pm to someone who had posted a mild rebuff of one of his posts and she published it.....
Tissues all round...


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