Farewell Blighty

Back to earth with a bump...

2011-11-02T18:43:00.000Z

We had some worrying medical news yesterday, I'm uncomfortably numb while waiting for the results of Jacqui's tests, fingers crossed all will be ok.

The house is on the market now and we're only waiting for the ok from the local council on the building plot. All things being equal, we should have all our assets, house, plot and pub on the market in December.

Spent most of the past week going through 30 years worth of accumulated junk, 90% of it is going, some already has.

Starting to plan for Christmas now too, can be hectic in the pub game over the festive period, it pleases me no end that this should be our last Christmas in the pub, and indeed, the UK too.

Looking for a house in Wales?

2011-10-29T16:46:00.000+01:00

Full details Here

Not enough hours in the day..

2011-10-10T11:42:00.000+01:00

The house is finished, tomorrow it will have an EPC rating and be on the market! We have already started sprucing up the pub and should have it on the market by the end of November, provided we can keep working 18hr plus days

We have a growing sense of excitement that finally, we're going to achieve our dream. All our spare time is spent talking about, planning and researching our move, we feel like a couple of kids looking forward to Christmas!

More soon!

New pump...

2011-09-17T18:01:00.000+01:00

.....Fitted and heating system all working....hoooray!

Only the kitchen and exterior left to paint, house should be on the market next week, weather permitting.

One good thing that's come from getting the house sorted, I've re-discovered my adiction for DIY, I'm ready for whatever our new Portuguese house may throw at us!

Spent what little spare time I have loading films on to my WD MyBookWorld Nas, we'll have entertainment once we get to Portugal.

What a week!!

2011-09-09T23:01:00.000+01:00

Tarting the house up ready to place on the market can be stressful!

Used the reserve and collect function at B&Q to order the paint for the exterior, arrived at the store and everything was waiting for me on a trolly at the checkout, paid and shoved the 40ltrs of paint in the boot. Got to the houses and started to paint, all going well so far. Day one got one gable end and the front coated, was thinking that the Sandtex magnolia was some what lighter than before, but the place was looking good. Day two, was halfway through the second gable end and needed to open the last 10ltr tub.....a different colour....it was magnolia....it said so on the tub, checked the other tubs.....oatmeal....!@$4$$$$!!.

Day three, heating oil arrived so time to spark up the boiler for the first time in over a year. Whats that I hear....running water?....Games room is awash....water running down the walls and through the ceiling....a dammed burst pipe....great!

Day four, pipes repaired, re charged the heating system, fired up the boiler, radiators lovely and hot....then...a strange sound from the boiler....and the pump has died....happy bloody days!

And there are those who say I have a charmed life....

The Dreams Alive

2011-09-02T11:41:00.001+01:00

.....Only just mind. Its no fun being in the licensed trade in the UK at the moment, costs are up and takings are down.

Have spent the past two months getting our house ready for the market, plastering, and a lick of paint inside and out. We can't wait any longer, we've held back and held back hoping for the market to recover here, but it just is not going to happen, we're down £90k on the 07 valuation.

Just have the garden to sort before instructing the estate agents, we have a Japanese Knot-weed problem that's cost a small fortune to treat over the summer, it appears to have died back now, fingers crossed we get a quick sale.

We then have to sell the Pub, that could be more problematic, not many people are buying Pubs at the moment, so we've decided to put it on the market for the price we paid in 07 and hope for the best.

One way or another we WILL be living in Portugal in 2012. The value of our assets have fallen by around £200k in the past 3 years so we will have to scale back our plans. We have spent hours discussing the move and the both of us are in total agreement that no matter how much we have to scale back, the quality of life will still be better than we have now.

Plodding on

2010-02-08T15:25:00.000Z

2010 continued where 2009 left off but there is some light at the end of the tunnel. We had a helping hand from the bank and the RBS Six Nations Rugby has kicked off so things are finally looking brighter in the bar.

Need to find time to do a bit of DIY on the house before we place it on the market, house prices have recovered a little so we can at last hope for a sale with a reasonable return.

Portugal June 2009 seem like a million years away, we were so happy during that one month and the thought of a permanent move there keeps us going. We plan to visit Pat & Rick again this year and do a bit more house scouting, can't wait!

The snow and ice has finally melted and more people are out and about, though there are fears it will be returning before long, god I hope not, an empty bar is such a depressing place.

Actually managed to get out on the bike for a spin over the weekend, the sun was out but was well wrapped up so did not feel the chill too much, felt alive for the first time in weeks!

Disaster!!!

2009-12-21T18:33:00.002Z

Well the recession really got a grip of the Pub game in the last half of this year, everything is down, including our spirits.

We're now putting in treble the hours we were at the start of the year, in an effort to stave off absolute financial collapse we have had to let all but the bar manager go, strange how these things creep up on you, August was fine then October took a nose dive, November and December have been grim months.

Anyway, we still intend to put our home on the market in the new year, probably in the spring and if there are no further hurdles, buy a place near FDV.

I love this country, but I hate where our Government is taking us and the cold, wet weather leaves a lot to be desired, especially when you've had as many broken bones as I've had!

I can't remember the last time I rode my bike, its either raining or I'm working.

Had our first snow of the winter this week, all cleared now but there are those who still hope for a white Christmas, I'm not one of them.

My Jacqui's been a rock, she works silly hours and never complains, she can still see light at the end of the tunnel and thinks its a price worth paying, think I'd have turned to bank robbery by now if it was not for her.

Looking forward to having all my family at home on the 25th and to the end of what has become an "Annus horribilis"...as Liz would say.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year To You All

Its been a long time

2009-08-05T14:49:00.004+01:00

We've been back for over a month now and have been busier than ever with the pub, the recession has really bitten so we've been working harder than ever to keep things on an even keel.

Spain & Portugal were absolutely fab, so fab that we plan to return next month to view a property that ticks all the right boxes for us!

Met and stayed with Pat & Rik for a few days, fantastic people and if all works out we'll almost be neighbours! Can really recommend their place if you're looking for peace and tranquillity.

The roads were good as long as we stayed on the main routes, the drivers were not as bad as we expected in fact riding in Portugal & Spain was a very positive experience for us. We stayed well away from the tourist areas and found the locals to be warm and welcoming where ever we went.

Right, back to work, customers want food.

Here's a couple of photos, hope to post more soon.

Ready, Set.........

2009-05-27T16:47:00.002+01:00

Thought we would post one more entry before we head off on our motorbike odyssey around Portugal.

We have everything we need and we're set to leave on Sunday, can not wait!!

Just the annual birthday torment to go through now, both our girls and me celebrate our birthdays within 5 days of each other, well it seemed a good idea 20 odd years ago lol.

Well be stopping by to visit Pat & Rik of Living The Dream Portugal, we're looking forward to meeting the people behind the blog.

We'll post updates if and when we get to an internet cafe but that's all for now....

TTFN

It's been a while

2009-05-07T07:43:00.003+01:00

I've been busy over the past few weeks and not had time to update our Blog, so here goes:

Jacqui's new Passport has arrived, mine is still being processed or its lost in the system? Have faith Jay!

We are now the proud owners of a Coleman Coastline Tent and have all the necessaries required for camping (I hope!).

We have started to firm-up our itinerary, our 1st stop will be around Leon in Spain then down to Bragancia in the North of Portugal for a few nights, from here on in it's a bit vague but that's all part of the adventure.

I've booked the VN900 in for a service in two weeks, NHS medical cards have arrived, I'm insured for Europe but still need to sort European Breakdown cover with the AA and travel insurance - more costs, bah!

Swine flu and Passports permitting, next week I'll be booking our tickets, we hope to be on the ferry that leaves Plymouth at 4pm June 7th, one more choice to make, £250 one way with a cabin or £160 in a reclining seat Mmmmmm.

June is getting closer

2009-04-18T20:09:00.003+01:00

Our planned trip is getting closer and we're getting more excited!

Ordered these Iron Horse Touring Panniers today and the Map of Spain and Portugal I order last week has arrived. Spent an hour or so browsing around ABC Camping in Swansea, looks like the inflatable mattress Jacqui wanted may have to be left out, feels far too heavy for the bike.

Our Passport application will finally get sent off next week, fortunately we have no absolute start date for our trip so we'll not be stressing waiting for them to arrive, as long as they arrive before mid June.

Attempting to spend at least 2 hours a day in the saddle at the moment, mainly to get Jacqui used to time in the saddle, I intend to get a Gel Pad to help her with numb bum syndrome on the longer journeys.

Pain Free and planning

2009-04-07T18:03:00.003+01:00

It's been a while but I'm now virtually pain free, hard to believe I cracked a rib coughing!

Anyways, Portugal. We've spent most of the past few weeks sourcing the kit we need for the Bike trip in June, tent, luggage, rear rack etc.

We now searching for small rural camp sites that are not too touristy and welcome bikers, any suggestions welcomed!

Jacqui is as excited as me about a camping holiday, which is a surprise as I expected her to have reservations regarding her home comforts, and boy, does she like her comforts! This is a major plus.

We've chosen the only real fixed part of the trip, Ferry Plymouth - Santander {Holiday} Ferry Santander - Plymouth. We plan to upload as many camp sites as we can find on to our Sat Nav and just go where the road leads us, this vary un-me but what the heck.

Pain

2009-03-24T17:16:00.003Z

I'm in pain, coughed yesterday and something went pop! Now every sneeze and cough is agony, I think I've ripped a muscle somewhere. Must make another effort to quit smoking.

Jacqui has been back to the house tidying up the garden, there's more work to be done than I first thought, the downstairs bathroom needs re-tiling, the lounge and exterior walls need a coat of paint.

The weather here has turned chilly and the pub has been quiet for the past couple of weeks.....its one of those times when there seems nothing positive to write about.

Ho Hum

Rise of the Euro

2009-03-21T11:41:00.011Z

After reading this article I worry that our dream is getting further away. Back at the beginning of November 2008 a Portuguese property valued at €100000 would have cost us around £81000, that has now risen to £94000.

The fall in UK property values has made things even more worrying, we've seen a 15% drop in property prices in the area of Wales we live.

However we are not despondent, we are tightening our belts and trying to cut our budgets, we're looking at properties that need modernising and re-looking at our bottom line in the Pub. We will buy a home in Portugal!

We also get a little comfort from the old City adage of " What goes up can go down".

Well the sun is out again so if I want to spend the afternoon watching the 6 Nations Rugby Union, now is the time to fire-up the VN900 and take to the road.

Come on Wales and Tally Ho!

The sun is out

2009-03-19T11:47:00.003Z

And we had a decision to make, go out for a spin on the bike or go down to our house and get it ready to put on the market.

We already slipped off for the day Monday, a relaxing trip to the coast, so can't afford to do the same today if we're going to realise our dream of moving to Portugal, so its off to the house for a day of property titillation.

Plans are ongoing for our trip to Portugal this June, we just have to sort out some luggage for the bike, accommodation and last but not least, our passports!

Us

2009-03-12T15:24:00.005Z

We are Jay and Jacqui both in our 40s although for one of us, 50 is but a few weeks away!!!

We own a Pub and our own home, we have two grown up children, one sort of lives at home while the other has just "temporarily" moved back home.

We have created this blog to follow our plans to leave dear old Blighty, we've had enough of; (in no particular order) the lousy weather, high taxes and Government installed hurdles that prevent an ordinary family improve their lot in life. The final straw has been seeing the Government give OUR hard earned cash to undeserving bankers.

So what next?

Online research has identified Portugal as our possible next home, to this end we plan to spend four weeks looking around central Portugal in June.

What is it we want?

A simpler life, more or less self sufficient, peace and quiet and weather that allows us to ride our motorbike!When do we want it?

2010 or sooner if we manage to sell our house. The pub, which has a very efficient manager will, we hope, continue to provide us with a small income.

The next step.

We need to get a valuation on our home, renew our passports, find some holiday accommodation and start planning for our dream!