In the 1970's the "English disease" was a desire to shoot ourselves in the foot by going on strike at the drop of a hat and making sure we exported jobs to the rest of the world. Today the modern equivalent is an absolute need to get things done as quickly as possible, ostensibly to have more time to relax but in reality because we are addicted to a high paced, high stress lifestyle. Denise and I have gone cold turkey since moving to Spain but it has been hard to learn to relax.
When we last updated Andy and the team on our progress we were expecting to move into our new house on October 31. As the day dawned we had missing windows and no boiler or electricity! Not surprisingly that moving date passed us by and our frustration levels mounted as progress on the house slowed to a snail's pace. Meetings with the builder took place regularly and slowly some of the finishing items were completed. We went gooey eyed when our new windows finally arrived but we still had to learn that timing and deadlines mean something completely different in Spain than in the UK. Finally at the beginning of December the house was ready for us to move into and despite one or two disasters we are now busy making it into a real home.
While we were waiting for the house to be finished we continued to talk to Andy and Marie about aspects of our retirement lifestyle. We have followed Andy's recommendations and he has been incredibly patient in explaining over and over again the benefits of those recommendations.We have already booked in our next review for the end of February on Skype so that obtaining an internet connection at the house is our big priority for the New Year.
We came back to the UK for Christmas to see the family and we were both struck by how rushed and harried people looked. The weather certainly didn't help - cold, damp and miserable, but we missed the smiles and the calls of Hola! that we have become used to. The sky seemed smaller somehow and the light pollution meant that very few stars were visible. Preparing for Christmas almost seemed like a chore for many people we spoke to, something to be managed rather that something to be enjoyed.
The priority for 2010 is to get the house closer to what we want. In April we plan to fill the pool for the first time and hopefully the summer wil see family and friends arriving from the UK. Of course all this depends on Andy and the team making sure our portfolio continues to provide the income for us to spend - no pressure there then. (Note from Andy - We can take it!)
Property under construction!
The view from our home