Sanders Blog

  22nd November, 2015

The day started off as every one has over the past three weeks here. The sun rises. The sky is blue. The temperature settles at a delightful 25 -29C/77 – 84F throughout the day. We did our normal routine which included watching the  political interviews on the Marr Show and The Sunday Politics. A gym work out and swimming left us tired and we returned to our room to watch Spurs v West Ham on television. Unusually, sitting on the balcony, we felt a light breeze quickly strengthen in to a strong, gusty windy which began to rearrange the furniture on the balconies and verandahs. Huge, white clouds appeared behind the cliffs and a strange, double rainbow appeared in the distance suggesting rain may have been falling somewhere.

We really are becoming more fish than meat eaters. In the last few days, we’ve chosen griddled Hake, griddled Sole with acres of salad. Last night it was a huge plate of langoustines, octopus, clams and mussels – a delicious Fruits de Mer.

Tonight it was Calamari with Tartar Sauce….. and salad. I’m beginning to think that I’m losing my grip!

23rd November, 2015

It’s a weird feeling. I’m sitting in these sunny climes while designing my Christmas Newsletter on my laptop. There will be little time when we get back to England. I keep getting bombarded with emails entreating me to get ready for ‘Black Friday’ or telling me how few shopping days there are left until Christmas. They don’t realise that I couldn’t care less. Christmas is for children. I’m not!

Talking about children, I saw two today and nearly panicked. I suddenly realised that they were the first two children I had seen for three weeks. Our hotel is ‘adults only’ and the area is totally unsuitable for children. The loudest noise we hear is of adults discussing news items in hushed tones or which wine they would like with lunch or dinner. Now that is my sort of noise.

24th November, 2015

On a quiet, warm day of doing nothing in the warm quietude, I was shocked to read an article in Kathimerini:

Greece seems to have passed the stage of the crisis where it was in a prolonged period of decline and has now entered the stage of collapse. The next step after that is of a failed state, and then the game is completely lost………It is impossible to know whether the situation can be remedied now that it has been allowed to degenerate so extensively, particularly when the government in power is in battle with itself, appears incapable of governing and constantly comes up short when the occasion demands some seriousness, be it on the domestic or international front. The coalition government, though barely back in office, is already showing signs that it is on its last legs.

It takes real skill to destroy a once buoyant country but that is the one skill Greece seems to have.

25th November, 2015

A lovely, sunny day which I spent largely indoors following the Autumn Budget Statement presentation and analysis. What fun! We did have a good, long swim in the afternoon but that was about it. You will know that I give a considerable amount of time each day to reading the daily papers, reading a series of political Blogs and to reading a list of Greek (expat) Blogs. Today, the yawning gap between UK and Greek economies could not be wider or more defined.

In UK, the average, annual house price inflation is 10.5% this year, 14% in Surrey where we have just sold a property that virtually doubled in price over less than five years. In Greece, residential property prices have fallen over 40% in the past five years and continue to fall at an alarming rate. Since we sold our Sifnos property, prices have fallen by 20%. At the same time, I know Greeks who tried to shelter their capital from the taxman and a Banking Collapse by pushing it in to property. They will be beginning to regret that decision as they realise the market is not going to be resurrected in their lifetime.

State Pensions are guaranteed by the triple lock. It means that the state pension rises every year by the highest of price inflation, earnings growth or 2.5%. In Greece, the government agreed plans for more cutting pensions and increasing social security contributions. Kathimerini identifies the

alarming state of the country’s social security funds, and the state budget … In total budget spending in the year to end-October was 4.1 billion euros / £2.9 billion short of that foreseen in the first draft of the 2016 budget in early October.

In his Autumn Financial Statement, the British Chancellor announced that he had some £27 billion / 38 billion euros more to spend over the lifetime of the parliament than he had anticipated. The contrast could not be more stark.

26th November, 2015

I like wine. I know a bit about it having tasted quite a lot over the past 40 years. For a long time, I was absolutely addicted to Italian wine – Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, Chianti Classico, Barolo, etc. For no particular reason, I suddenly switched totally to French clarets and that has lasted for five or more years solidly. What I know nothing about is Spanish wine. I have hardly bought a bottle in my life. I did try a couple of Riojas in the past but that’s it. We have been walking to local supermercados near here and sampling different bottles – just in the service of my education. A blind tasting put these two at the top currently.

They are delightful ‘afternoon wines’ and each costs a frightening €2.69 / £1.89.

27th November, 2015

An interesting day. It started off warm and sunny at about 24C/75F but became progressively cloudy although just as warm. We have, correspondingly, had a quiet, home kind of day. We decided to eschew exercise, apart from a short walk, and decided to focus on carpet and settees for our new house. As soon as we get back to UK, we will order the carpet for the Lounge and all the upper floor. We’ve already ordered tiling for the Kitchen/Family Room and Laundry. We’ve ordered wooden flooring for the Hall, Study and downstairs Cloakroom and Storeroom.

We need two sofas plus a chair and a sofa-bed. Currently, we are leaning towards Next Home Furnishings for the sofas. Things like these take our fancy:

After Dinner this evening, we sat out and watched the full moon come up over the surrounding mountains.

It never ceases to amaze by its speed of movement going from a background glow to a discrete globe above the mountain in little less than 60 seconds. Just to add to the romance of the moment, I managed to sneak the last few minutes of Derby’s comfortable 0-2 win over Hull.

28th November, 2015

A lovely morning of strong, warm sun which clouded over in the late afternoon. I must stop drinking posting wine bottles on my Blog. It gives too accurate a picture. However, it’s all I’ve got to illustrate today. We did our gym and swimming and settled down with a bottle of wine to watch the Murray brothers beating Belgium.

Currently I am watching a lacklustre United drawing with Leicester in pouring, Midlands rain. At least we will have Dinner soon.

Came across an excellent photographic comment on Facebook of all places:

It may mean nothing but appears to say quite a lot.

15th November, 2015

An absolutely delightful day. Clear blue skies, hot sun – too hot if anything at 29C/84F – and the Sunday papers in delightful gardens around the hotel. The grounds run right up to the black cliff edge and the planting is sub-tropical and magical. It provides lovely, cooling shade when the sun is too intense.

My iPad photos are poor but I include just as memories.

These giant, puffball style cactus are magnificent and produce small, yellow flowers. Even this little chap came out to look.

16th November, 2015

Another day of strong, hot sun and clear blue skies. We are on the coast of an island but, unlike Sifnos, there has been no wind for two weeks. There is nothing to reduce the temperature. There are no flies. For relaxation, it is idyllic. We have spent the day exercising, swimming and reading. Normal day really.

Heard a government minister say on television today that ‘We may have been naïve. In retrospect, we should have taken the threat more seriously of ISIS insurgents infiltrating the human tide of migrants flooding into Europe – Trojan horses bringing terrorist intent with them.’ I was almost consumed by apoplexy – a good Greek word. We have been screaming this warning throughout Merkel’s ‘Come one, Come all’ entreaty. Two of the terrorists came through Greece to Europe. What a shock!

The result looks increasingly as if the European Project is imploding. Free movement of citizens is already crumbling as the Schengen Area is seen to encourage free movement of terrorism. France has suspended it for an extended period. Other countries are raising border fences. It is ironic, therefore, that Kathimerini reports tonight that:

One in three young people in Greece aged between 18 and 24 wants to leave the country due to its financial problems……just 41 percent of young Greeks – the lowest rate among the 21 European countries where the survey was conducted – believe they have a chance of improving their lives. The average rate in Europe is 67 percent.

They may have left it too late as the barriers go up across the European Union.

17th November, 2015

A hot and sunny morning gave way to a hot and overcast afternoon and a warm and still evening. I was feeling tired today so Pauline allowed me to miss ‘training’ We sat in the sunshine discussing our new house and going through the rooms, choosing new furniture. We need virtually everything right down to new cooking pans in the kitchen. When we return to Surrey in December, we will go into overdrive searching out suppliers for our requirements.

We eat Dinner in one of two restaurants in the hotel. We prefer the buffet-style restaurant which features an immense variety of salad items, homemade dressings which we can combine with freshly griddled meats and fishes.

There is almost too much to choose from but its content exactly suits our current dietary style. It is a real exercise in self discipline because one could easily overeat before starting on the multitude of delicious sweets and cheeses with pickles. It is a fight we are managing to win although it is hard some nights.

After Dinner this evening, we (I) watched England beat France while Pauline ironed with the patio windows fully open to capture the merest movement of air. The lights were on inside; it was night black outside punctured only by twinkling lights from the mountains in the distance. It was reminiscent of Sifnos apart from one thing. We didn’t see a single insect – not a fly, mosquito; nothing. What kind of island is this?

18th November, 2015

A day of wall to wall sunshine – hot and hot. We went to the gym and left in buckets of sweat. Half an hour in a refreshing salt water pool certainly revived us while the ‘orange people’ floundered at the side. I read that freezing temperatures and snow are forecast for UK at the end of this week.

I had an email from our Honda salesman offering us cheap money to buy a new car. Tempted though I was, the money is not as cheap as borrowing from ourselves. We have decided to replace our car this time next year. Pauline heard from our builder’s secretary. Things are going well and we can expect an update on Friday.

19th November, 2015

When we woke at 6.00 am, the sky was full of clouds and they were still there when we went down to Breakfast and Pauline had her porridge & prunes while I had a bowl of yoghurt & fresh strawberries. By the time we left the restaurant and walked through the Lobby, the clouds had evaporated, the sky was blue and the sun was shining strongly.

It remained that way for the rest of the day with the temperature reaching 29C/84F. I was reading in my newspaper that snow is forecast for UK as the sweat was running down my face. I won’t bore you with the exercise regime which continues unabated.

Last weekend, a reunion of students from my college was held in Leeds. I would have quite liked to have attended although it would have been a bit of a drive for the privilege. I do feel I have a responsibility to attend and greet people I spent three years with over 40 years ago. I found a photograph on Facebook of men who were highly significant for me at that time.

What really amazes me is that, while Pauline and I haven’t changed since 1972, these chaps have really aged since I last saw them.

20th November, 2015

Struggling to cope with the heat this morning. Struggling to cope with Breakfast. Struggling to cope with the people who saunter into Breakfast each morning and head straight for the myriad bottles of champagne on ice and start their day with alcohol.

How do they do it. I can’t cope with a Buck’s Fizz on Christmas morning although I do force myself. This hotel seems to throw everything any guest has ever requested in to the mix in the hope of satisfying every whim. This makes eating there so exhausting. By the time we have checked out all the options, we need a lie down.

Did  I mention the heat? I would say that this is the hottest morning we have experienced in our two and a half weeks here. I’m going to have to take my clothes off.

21st November, 2015

You’ll be relieved to know, I kept my clothes on although I did have rather a disturbed night and I’ve been reflecting on events all morning. This past two or three weeks have been like inhabiting two, different but parallel worlds.

On one side, I have been getting up, going down to Breakfast, downloading and reading The Times and The Daily Telegraph, going out for a stroll in the sun, watching the Daily Politics, working out in the gym, swimming, doing correspondence, having Dinner, watching a bit of television topped off by Newsnight and going to bed. For me this is exactly what I want from existence with my lovely wife of 37 years. On the other side, we have followed the downing of the Russian plane out of Sharm el-Sheikh, the multiple atrocities wreaked on the people of Paris and the terrorist attack in Mali. It is hard to equate or integrate the two although I would be grateful if nobody actually tried to before I get off the plane at Gatwick.

There has also been the sideshow that is the Labour Party. My Masters research centred around the history of the Labour Party and the ideas that inspired its progenitors. The Labour Party has been dear to my heart for all my adult life but I despair now far more than I did under Michael Foot. He, at least, had the intellectual depth to merit his position even if he was destroyed by the right wing media. Jeremy Corbyn’s slow witted responses to basic questions have brought his party to a state of open rebellion. Nowhere was this better illustrated than his response to the shoot-to-kill policy. He was ridiculed in every corner as this wonderful cartoon from Matt in The Daily Telegraph this morning illustrated.

22nd November, 2015

A hot and eternally sunny day again. Can you believe it? According to the BBC, it may be our last day of full sunshine for a little while although it will stay warm. We are sub-tropical after all. Britain has snow. Our old home area of Kirklees has quite heavy snow. Apparently, even our newer home of Surrey has wet snow. Sometimes things work in one’s favour.

As we went down to one of the pools today, a laconic, Yorkshire voice drawled out, I bet it’s not like this in Delph! Delph is a picturesque village at the foot of the Pennines near Oldham. He was sauntering along in 29C of heat wearing a deerstalker hat, quilted hunting jacket and carrying two gin & tonics. Earlier in the morning, I had met a Cumbrian farmer who was desperately trying to buy a copy of The Daily Telegraph. We got into conversation and I mentioned my home village of Repton. He immediately told me his son went to the Public School there. I was just saying that I had once watched Sir Len Hutton’s son, Richard play cricket for Repton when the farmer said that his son played with Hutton in that team. I was still reeling from the coincidences when Google told me Richard Hutton’s age of 73 meant the farmer’s son would have been 15 years to young for the claimed experience.

8th November, 2015

A hot and rather humid day. My cold is a little better but we decided to rest from exercise until tomorrow. It felt like a holiday but we both got restless towards the end. We read our iPad newspapers, watched The Sunday Politics, went for a short walk in the sunshine and then returned to our room where I watched a couple of Premier League matches and Pauline read and sent emails. – A typically quiet Sunday. – Home from Home!

9th November, 2015

I am feeling almost completely better from my head cold. I know you will have been worrying so I will reassure you from the outset. Unfortunately, this evening Pauline is showing some signs of picking up the baton but we hope she will wake feeling better tomorrow.

The day has been a lovely one – again. Hot and sunny peaking at 28C/83F. After fruit juice and coffee for breakfast, we went for a long walk as far as we could get before the path ran out. We took this picture on Pauline’s phone.

It shows the black, volcanic rock dropping steeply to the sea, the totally uninviting and tiny black silt beach and the safe mooring where ‘tourists’ go on ‘trips to see dolphins’ and such stuff.

We were back in time to watch The Daily Politics and then off to the gym followed by the pool. We were active for a couple of hours. We are just completing the first of four weeks here and we have fallen into an enjoyable and relaxing modus vivendi. The weather is very much better than we had expected. Although most of the people here spend every minute of every day glued to a sun bed acquiring an orange leather skin which the think will inure them against the British winter and impress the neighbours, that is not our style. Our time in Greece taught us not to take the sun tan too seriously. We have certainly not come here for a tan but the warmth is very welcome and the location is providing us with exactly what we need at the moment. To underline that, we have booked another month here for Jan/Feb.

10th November, 2015

We were up early although Pauline had a difficult night as her cold developed. She phoned her sister a couple of days ago and she was in bed with a heavy head cold as well. It looks like we brought the bug with us. Fortunately, if I am anything to go by, it doesn’t last long. When she is feeling better, she will benefit from a morning in the hotel’s Spa and Beauty Treatment area. I don’t think I would.

We lazed around after breakfast and read the papers, watched (you’ve guessed it) The Daily Politics and then went off to the gym. It is such a hot day again – 28C/83F – that a session on the treadmill here feels a totally different experience to one in Woking. I sweat as I exercise but, in this heat, I look as if I’ve just come out of the pool. Actually, we follow this exercise with 45 mins in the pool. We don’t cling to the pool edge discussing house prices or the latest beauty treatment. We swim solidly and hard throughout our time in the pool. I stop when my arms are aching and we then go back to our room for a shower. (I do sound holier than thou!)

Talking about the heat, I thought that the Canary Islands experienced an even 20C/68F – 24C/75F all year round and that now it should be averaging the middle of that range. A man we met in the lift observed how hot it was and said that these temperatures were very unusual for November. He had been coming here for twenty years or more and had not known it like this before.

11th November, 2015

A hot and utterly sinful day. Hot because we registered 28C/83F again but, with very high humidity, it felt much hotter. Sinful because we didn’t go in the gym or pool and we had a Pudding with Dinner. We did do a two hour walk most of which was solidly up steep hills to Puerto de Santiago which left me wetter than if I’d fallen into the swimming pool fully clothed. That is the only mitigating circumstance I can put forward.

The highlight of the trip was walking round a Lidl to see what Canarians expect to buy which shows you how sad we are. Actually, it put Greek supermarkets to shame for spread of stock and value for money.

12th November, 2015

Hot, Hot, Hot! Today was 29C/84F but not so humid. We did a really hard workout in the gym and followed that with an even harder swim in the salt water pool. Felt good after it.

Our room is huge, spacious, clean-lined, light and with a large balcony which is accessed by full-length, sliding glass doors.

I was struck, however, by the fact that, as soon as we move in, it is covered in electronic devices and trailing charger leads. We are here for a month so I needed my laptop. We both brought iPads. Pauline brought one of her Kindles and, of course, we both brought smartphones. That’s a lot of leads to be plugged in. To accommodate that, I pack a cube, multi-socket which means most things can be charged overnight on one plug socket.

How life has changed since we started travelling and had to queue up for the chance to use one of two international phone lines in the old OTE on Sifnos or for a ferry to deliver a copy of The Times to the Boomerang News Agency.

13th November, 2015

Friday the 13th! I wonder who that’ll be unlucky for. Here it is warm but hazy. Later on, we are going on a long, coastal walk. Hope I don’t fall over the edge. The tickertape header at the Pharmacy announces the temperature is 28C/83F. The app on my iPad tells me that temperature will be achieved every day until at least Wednesday next week. The locals are shaking their heads in disbelief.

Actually, we did a couple of hours walking along the coastline and back. Took this photo on my phone:

I just couldn’t bring myself to swim from what looks like a ‘coal dust’ beach even though I know it is nothing of the sort. We have these three pools at our hotel and the first of which is salt water. There is no comparison.

Joked about Friday 13th this morning. Who could predict the outrages in the centre of Paris this evening? Shocking doesn’t do it justice.

14th November, 2015

As the news of the carnage in Paris becomes a little clearer, it feels inappropriate to sit in the sun relaxing but what would it profit to do otherwise?  What is certainly no surprise is the revelation that one of the attackers in Paris was registered as ‘refugee’ on the island of Leros on October 3rd 2015. The Greek Blog, Keep Talking Greece, speculates that: he had most likely arrived to Greece coming from Turkey.

We have had a quiet day reading the newspapers only punctuated by a spell in the gym and the pool. ~Met an interesting man in the gym who introduced himself as a mattress manufacturer from Belgium. He was skinny as a rake but ate three meals a day and said he needed pizzas between meals to keep going. Makes you sick! I never liked Belgians.

1st November, 2015

Happy November to all our readers, Let’s hope it is just as enjoyable as October. We pleasure seekers will be spending it in a quiet little spot on Tenerife, arriving back in the first week of December. Wonder if they have white rabbits in the Canary Islands?

Sun, swimming, exercise and walking will, hopefully, dominate the month away. The hotel we’ve booked is a 4* Adults-only establishment with a gym, Hydro, three heated pools, British TV and free Wi-Fi. The location is Los Gigantes which is in the west of the island, overlooking La Gomera.

We haven’t been there before. Our only experience of the island group was thirty years ago on Fuerteventura. It will be an interesting, new experience.

2nd November, 2015

We are driving to Gatwick this morning – one of the first of the Autumn shrouded in thick fog or so the BBC reports. Many flights are cancelled from airports around the country including Gatwick. Fortunately, we don’t fly until tomorrow morning. We are staying at the Holiday Inn at Gatwick Airport so that we don’t have an early morning hour’s drive tomorrow.

It should be more relaxing.

Arrived at 1.00 pm and checked in. Because I am an IHG Gold Member, we were upgraded to an Executive Suite. We dropped off our bags and drove to the Long Stay car park. After parking, we took the shuttle to the airport and then another to the hotel. In the evening, we had a really wonderful meal in the restaurant – Garlic Mushrooms with Stilton Sauce followed by Fish Pie.

3rd November, 2015

We were up at 5.00 am and left our hotel by 6.00 am. We got on the airport bus outside our front door and were dropping our bags off by 6.30 am. We went up to the Aspire Lounge for orange juice, porridge with honey (Pauline), coffee and bacon sandwiches before going down to gate in time for an 8.10 departure. It didn’t happen. We were delayed by one hour because of ‘fog yesterday’. We were relaxed about it. What have we got to rush for? Lovely flight! Four hours drifted away in no time. Bags were off quickly and, in no time at all, we were registering in Hotel Los Gigantes. (We keep wanting to call it Big Beans in Tomato Sauce al la Grecque.

Our room is large and comfortable and overlooks the harbour. It even has British television channels and my iPad gives me Radio 4 so I can want for no more.

Our meal this evening was delightful with more choice than we could cope with. Four weeks here in the sun will be fun.

4th November, 2015

Lovely day. The temperature was a delightful 25C/77F with clear skies and strong sun. After breakfast, we did a walk of the local area to familiarise ourselves with things nearby. We came back for coffee and to watch PMQ’s on BBC2. We went on to spend a couple of hours in the gym and the salt water pool before going back to our room for a cup of tea.

Dinner is eaten out on the terrace looking out to sea and directly at La Gomera which appears quite close. As soon as the sun goes down – at about 7.00 pm – the lights of that small island burn sharply in the darkness.

Our meal this evening was a salad of wonderful anchovies and green beans followed by griddled Hake and Hake cooked in a white wine sauce with mussels and prawns. We made the mistake of being seduced by all the wonderful sweets on display. They were great but we regretted it immediately afterwards. We won’t do that again.

5th November, 2015

Early start to a gorgeous day which reached 26C/79F. We sat in the sun on our balcony for an hour after breakfast reading our iPad newspapers and then spent a couple of hours walking round the Marina/Harbour in fierce sunshine.

After beating a retreat to the shade of our room for coffee and The Daily Politics, we went down to the gym for an hour’s exercise and followed that with another hour swimming across the saltwater pool. The majority of this adults-only hotel’s clientele are on the older side. They are happy to sit around the pools but not to get in them. We spent the best part of an hour in the pool unhindered by any other swimmers. We have now been in the gym two days running without seeing another user.

6th November, 2015

A lovely, lovely day that was hot and sunny throughout. It reached 27C/81F and we really felt it as we climbed out and up from the sea shore and through the black, volcanic hills to get a better view of the surrounding area.

Actually, I’ve just developed a heavy head cold – my first since I retired nearly seven years ago. I am determined to fight it and not let it alter anything I have planned. As a result, we walked around the area for a couple of hours this morning and then returned to the hotel to watch The Daily Politics.

The heat, the walking and the cold left me feeing fairly washed out but we came here intending to exercise and exercise is what we did. We did half an hour on the treadmill and then 45 mins in the salt water pool. We felt great and returned to our room for a cup of tea. Because we don’t eat during the day, we went down to Dinner at 6.30 am and were both hungry. We ate about four different salads until we felt like bursting and then we had roast duck with more salad. The cooking in the Hotel Restaurant is (too) wonderful.

7th November, 2015

A day when my heavy head cold has really dominated. Like so many men, I am not often ill but, when I am, I go all the way. I wasn’t hungry this morning and only went down to Breakfast to accompany Pauline. I had some figs, dates and cold yoghurt which soothed my fiercely sore throat. After Breakfast, we went to the nearby Pharmacy and bought a nasal spray which eased my breathing and some paracetamol. I tried to ignore it all and went down to the gym. I’m ashamed to say, I stopped after fifteen minutes because I just wasn’t enjoying it. We went down to the saltwater pool. It is one of three pools here.

People do swim in the sea but this is so much more user-friendly. We swam 300 metres and I felt exhausted. As soon as we got back to our room, I fell asleep and didn’t wake for nearly four hours. Currently, it is 7.00 pm and Pauline is watching Strictly Come Dancing while I update my Blog. We’ll go down to Dinner at 9.00 pm although I’m still not hungry.

25th October, 2015

We try to do five sessions at the Health Club each week lasting between 90 mins. and 2 hours. During the week I do 25 kilometres – Jane BG would probably call it 25K because she’s youthful and ‘cool’ but I can’t bring myself to do it. I heard a mother call her daughters the other day, Come on Guys! and I thought I’d moved to a different country. It makes me feel antediluvian but I just can’t bring myself to do it. While completing 25 kilometres, I climb 1000 metres and burn 3100 calories. That is nearly two days allowance over the week. Aside from the statistics, it gives me a wonderful sense of self confidence which is really affirming as I grow older.

We did a two hour stint today. En route, we called at the taxi office to cancel our recently booked trip to Gatwick Airport. We will now drive ourselves to the Long Stay Car Park and leave the car for a month for little more than the return taxi fare. At the Health Club, we booked in at 11.00 am which is considered ‘Peak Time’ but nobody seems to care. We pay a considerably reduced rate as ‘off peak’ members but it doesn’t seem to matter. We go for 11.00 am on Sunday because Sunday Politics starts then and helps me through the exercise.

26th October, 2015

Tomorrow is our last chance to meet with the builders before our month away. We are driving down first thing in the morning. Today, we are reviewing all the options that we will have to address in our meeting.

• Outside landscaping
• Kitchen Units and Equipment
• Fitted Bedroom furniture
• Hall, Study, Cloakroom, Storeroom – wood flooring
• Kitchen, Dining, Family Room, Utility Room – large tile flooring
• Bathrooms – tiling colours and extent
• Automation of Garage Doors

Because we will be away, we will have to make irrevocable decisions tomorrow while on site.

27th October, 2015

Lovely day yesterday. Drove down to Sussex in warm, Autumnal sunshine on empty, tree lined roads. The South Downs which fringe our new village looked delightful.

We know already that we are going to enjoy exploring this area both coastal and inland.

The journey to Angmering took an hour. We arrived at the house by 10.30 am to meet the builder’s sales rep.. The roof is on and they expect the windows and doors to be fitted in the next couple of weeks while we are in Tenerife. They are making such good progress and with a mild winter forecast by the Met.Office today, work may well be finished a month early. If we like the hotel in Tenerife, we will try to book a second month in Jan./Feb. in the lead up to moving in. We just have to use the time in December to research and order furniture before Christmas to be delivered a couple of months later.

We were there for a full-on three hour session. We chose the kitchen units and flooring. Pauline chose this style kitchen although it will be accompanied by large, stone floor tiles and will have an innovative wrap around opaque glass wall covering between upper and lower cabinets.

We chose all the things I listed yesterday plus lots of things I hadn’t mentioned like additional sockets, tv/multimedia panels, etc. Three hours later and at least £25,000 lighter, we staggered out feeling rather drained as we used to do after the first day back at work after the Summer Holidays. Even so, we are very lucky and felt it.

Our instinct was to go out to eat after all that but we fought it and, not having done a gym session today, went back and ate cold chicken with Greek Salad. Afterwards, we were pleased with our choices.

28th October, 2015

Very mild and sunny day today. The temperature reached 18C/65F. We did a wonderfully exhausting two hour session at the Health Club today and then made crab and prawn salad for our meal. Tomorrow, we have to address the weeks ahead by selecting clothes for the month in Tenerife. Pauline will have her hair cut and I will do our accounts based on yesterday’s expenditure.

29th October, 2015

A damp but mild day. We drove over to P&C’s to organise things for our forthcoming trip. It’s not easy packing suitcases whilst living out of suitcases but we’ll cope! We decided to give the Health Club a miss today and our bodies heaved a sigh of gratitude. We took advantage of ‘free’ time to go shopping. We wanted to look at a new, tumble dryer. The last one we bought cost £100.00. The new one will cost £800.00. It is a concept I’m not familiar with and don’t yet understand – a condenser/heat pump tumble dryer.

While we were in Curry’s, we looked for televisions. We will have television points fitted in Lounge, Kitchen/Family Room, Study and each of four bedrooms. Seven televisions seems excessive but, if we are going to do it, we might as well do it properly. Televisions are amazingly cheap now.

This PANASONIC VIERA TX-55CX400B Smart 3D Ultra HD 4k 55″ LED TV is just £749.00, which is half the price we paid for a much inferior model seven or eight years ago.

We went on to look at beds. We sold our wonderful, 2000 pocket sprung bed and we have to replace it with an equal or better. Of the four bedrooms, three will have beds and the fourth, Pauline’s ironing room, will have a sofa-bed. The plan is that we will buy one bed and trial it. If it’s good, we’ll buy two more. If it’s not, it will move to bedroom 3 and we will trial another and so on until we are satisfied.

I cooked today to give Pauline a rest – chicken thighs with garlic and oregano accompanied by roasted green peppers, shallots and celery. I hit lucky and it was delicious. Afterwards, I took Pauline for a late afternoon hairdresser’s appointment in preparation for our month abroad. By the time we get back, Roof, windows and doors should be done and the team will be on ‘first-fix’ electrics. The weather can do what it likes.

30th October, 2015

A damp morning. The family we are staying with are all going to a tennis tournament. We are going to do our exercise in the Health Club. Before that, we are addressing peripheral issues involved in the house build. The problem with buying off-plan or build-your-own, as we have done twice before, is that practical living is not easy to envisage. Really, what one needs is to spend a few weeks in the actual house and then tweak the set up. Because of that, Pauline & I have been trying to imagine usage based on the floor plan. Today we have decided to make a few tweaks before we go away and it is too late. We have decided that we need some extra electrical sockets – three more doubles in the lounge and two more doubles in the study. If we don’t do it now, they will be gouging out plaster to insert them more expensively later. Pauline also wants the radiator in the utility room replacing by a heated towel rail. This has all been marked up on the floor plans and will be sent over to the builders.

This evening, we are joining a large party for dinner at a local Mediterranean-style restaurant. It is simple but pleasant. My only problem is choosing dishes that fit in to my diet. I usually face the dilemma of eating only parts of meals or suspending my personal regime for the occasion. I suspect that I will do the latter tonight.

31st October, 2015

As October comes to an end, everything I read and hear confirms how right we were to sell up and leave Greece. The Greek government are broke and still caught between Scylla and Charybdis. One the one hand, they have their electorate and, on the other, they have their creditors. They tell one group one thing and the other another thing. Unfortunately, they will not get the money unless they do as they are told. Like all Greeks, they are used to getting away with saying one thing and then doing what they want. We learnt that from Stavros. With the Germans, it just won’t wash.

It is no wonder that the Greek housing market continues to suffer. In fact, it has been in free-fall for the past couple of years. As Kathimerini says,

Greece is once again in last position in an international survey on the growth of property prices, posting a 5.9 percent annual decrease in the third quarter of the year, according to the House-Price Index compiled by The Economist. The Greek property market has had the worst performance among the 26 countries monitored in the survey, with Singapore just above Greece with a 3.7 percent yearly decline in the July-September period. Just five out of all the countries monitored have posted a price decline.

To make matters worse, the article calculates that current earnings suggest there is another reduction of 17% built in to the property market. If you’ve invested in property in Greece recently, you’re going to need to live a long time before you see a positive value.

18th October, 2015

This is the anniversary of the death of Jane Barnes five years ago today.

She is sorely missed.

Up at 6.00 am and out by 7.30 am on a bright and mild morning. We set off for Oldham in Lancashire. This is something of a packed and flying visit. Our first visit is to the crematorium. Five years ago today we said goodbye to Pauline’s Mum, a lovely, kind and determined lady who lived to the admirable age of 96. On this day each year since then, under the damp and autumnal trees, we visit the crematorium record room to read the listing of her death and to mark it in a moment’s thought.

From Oldham we drove to Meltham – a lovely, Yorkshire village that we lived in in the late 1970s.

On from there we drove to Helme – a nearby and even smaller, Yorkshire village we lived in during the 1980s and 1990s.

From there we drove to Brighouse where we had booked a suite in the Holiday Inn. We arrived in time to watch the rugby and to confirm arrangements for Monday and Tuesday.

19th October, 2016

Up early and, after breakfast (How many breakfasts can we survive?), drove down to Honda.

The car was having a 3 hour service. Paul, the Service Manager, who we’ve known for almost 30 years, drove us into Huddersfield town. There began the longest ‘shopping’ trip I’ve done for many years. We walked the length and breadth of the town in delightful, autumnal sun. I had taken a coat but the day was far too warm for that. It was definitely a shirtsleeves morning.

We have loved the town of Huddersfield for forty years. It has a solid, post-industrial majesty which seemed to symbolise all that was admirable in the North of England. Returning after five years and looking with ‘cold eyes’, it is now an impoverished place of very poor people. So many town centre shops are empty or taken over by charities, Pound shops of different hue, quick cash shops. Down at heel and probably out of work people shuffle along the pavements and stare through the windows. When looking for a new house, we had considered returning to Huddersfield. We are so glad we resisted that ‘sentimental’ urge.

After 3 hours, I could take it no more. We phoned Paul who came to pick us up. Our car was ready and, after a chat with Chris and Tracy who we’ve also known for thirty years, we returned to our hotel to freshen up before setting off for Oldham. As we did, our sat.nav. warned us of an accident causing six mile tail backs on the M62. It offered us a diversion over the moors which we took although we drove from strong sun into thick fog as we crossed the moorland. We were meeting our old friend, Little Viv – so called because she’s five foot nothing and named Viv.. We had arranged to have a late lunch at The Old Bell Inn in Delph on the edge of the moors.

The meal was delightful and Viv looked healthier than she has for five years. We parted pledging to meet again soon.

20th October, 2015

Up early and off to Shaw after breakfast to see my old friend, Brian. We spend an hour and a half talking over old times and then drive back to Huddersfield in the early afternoon to prepare for our next meeting. Showered and changed, we drive over to Marsden to meet an old colleague of Pauline’s and her husband. After about an hour or so, we set off for a newish restaurant in the village of Meltham where we lived forty years ago. Actually, the restaurant call Quirky’s, is sited in an old, stone building where we once took furniture to be re-upholstered by a restorer. How times have changed!

After a delightful two hours of talk and wonderful food, we parted and drove back to our hotel. We were both exhausted. We have met and talked to more people in the past couple of days than we would normally interact with in six months of retirement. When you get out of the habit of social relations, re-entering the world is very tiring.

21st October, 2015

Slept really well after a gruelling couple of days and we woke at 6.00 am to a lovely, mild morning with plenty of weak sunshine. After breakfast, we packed and set off for Repton to say ‘Hello’ to Mum & Dad before leaving for Surrey. Mum & Dad’s grave looked fine and Grandad & Nana’s grave even had a flowering geranium placed on it. Who would have done that? I wonder.

We left Repton shortly after 1.00 pm and we’re back in West Byfleet by just after 3.00 pm. The weather was lovely and the colours of Autumn were all around us as we drove. The temperature was around  17C/63F. The last 30 miles saw a fine rain falling as the sun disappeared below the horizon and the temperature fell.

22nd October, 2015

Happy Birthday to the twins – Little Mike & Liz. Unbelievably, they are 58 years old today. What is the world coming to?

A mild autumnal day. At the moment, we are not able to garage our car. It is parked in a visitor’s spot at the back of P&C’s house but under a glorious tree decked out with fiery red and orange leaves. The only problem is they fall every night – on our car. Before we can drive the next day, we have a major clean up to do. At 11.00 am we were doing exactly that. We had a wonderful couple of hours at the Health Club which incorporated hard work on the jogging machine with swimming, Jacuzzi and sauna. Felt so good after that. Must do it again tomorrow.

For our meal, we griddled boneless chicken thighs outside with mushrooms and shallots which we ate with Greek Salad. It was delightful to get back in the diet and exercise routine.

23rd October, 2015

Up early because I have my annual health check at 9.20 this morning. Also, we are staying with Mandy & Kieron for a week from this evening so we have to pack things up before we go. When we return, it is to fly to Tenerife for a month. There is no rest for the wicked, as Sarah will tell you.

Went to the Medical Centre for my annual diabetic review. Usually, I have blood pressure, weight and lower limb check. Not this time. I had already had a blood and urine sample analysed. I was informed today that not only was I no longer classed as diabetic but I even fail to reach the ‘pre-diabetic’ classification. I was given the choice of whether to have an annual check up or not. I chose to continue because I like the pressure of someone else monitoring my progress but it is certainly good news and rather life affirming.

24th October, 2015

Went out at 10.30 am to do a bit of shopping and book a taxi to take us to Gatwick airport in a few days. The return trip to Gatwick from here is £90.00. We are travelling in social hours and thought the price was worth paying. Parking at the airport for a month would be very costly. The problem is where to park our car safely and leave it unattended for a month.

Almost as soon as we got back and unpacked, Pauline had second thoughts and checked the Gatwick site. Unbelievably, a month’s parking in the Airport Long Stay is only £120.00. We booked it on the spot. We will have to cancel the taxi tomorrow. We will stay in the Gatwick Holiday Inn the night before we fly so we don’t have to get up too early.

We’ve booked our seats and will check in on-line so all we have to do is drop off our cases.

11th October, 2015

The day has broken under a soft, blue sky with hazy sun. The temperature is only 12C/54F but it doesn’t feel cold. I’m still in short sleeved shirts and the duvet is still too warm.

After orange juice and tea with the political knockabout of the Andrew Marr programme, we began to pack for France. Next we will be having the car cleaned and doing our oil and tyre check. We’re leaving for the Tunnel at 8.00 am tomorrow.

The Sunday papers aren’t grabbing me today. Most articles are re-runs of last week’s stories. The most pressing headlines are the strength of the ‘Out’ campaign to persuade the British people to vote to leave Europe and the effect the migrant crisis is having on that argument and the massive – £2 Billion – overspend by the NHS in the first six months of the financial year which may well lead to serious rationing of treatments, drugs and operations. Of course, these two stories are effectively combined in the argument that immigration and Health Tourism are prime causes of stress on NHS services.

12th October, 2015

The morning was still dark when we got up at 6.00 am and light was only in its early stages of the sky as we left at 7.00 am. We left early in anticipation of heavy, rush hour traffic on the M25 but it didn’t materialise. We arrived early, were offered an earlier crossing which we accepted but were immediately told that there was a ‘two hour delay because of migrant activity on the French arrival platform. Coffee and iPad newspapers saw us through an hour and then we were called to drive on to the train.

The day by now was blue sky, strong sun and Autumn warmth. Adding an hour to our watches, we were driving off in Coquelles at 12.30 pm. By 1.00 pm, we were in our hotel Suite with a cup of coffee. In the afternoon, we drove down to Auchan hypermarket to buy some bottles of wine and delicatessen snacks for our meal. We have found that to be the best way to control the proportion and content of our meal. If you’ve ever tried eating out in France, you will know how difficult it is to control a diet. This way, we can.

13th October, 2015

A bright and sunny day but undercut by a sharp edged breeze that brings thoughts of winter into autumn. After breakfast, we drove out along the coast road through Sangatte, Wissant and Wimereaux, stopping just short of Boulogne sur Mer. The strong sun lit the sweeping agricultural lands edging the sea shore and the wind driven waves, highlighting and defining the contours with colours and shadows.

Driving back in the early afternoon, we visited Cite Europe where we bought things for our meal – crevettes, prawns, celeriac remoulade, tomatoes and cucumber. We also researched kitchen products for our new home in Sussex. As we were driving back, Pauline took a call from the hotel to say someone had handed in my necklace. Before you express amazement, I’m not accustomed to wearing jewellery but this is a medical ‘aid’. I take warfarin which is an anticoagulant – a treatment for my condition of Atrial Fibrillation – which means any serious cut could lead to my bleeding to death. I had a necklace message made so, in case of a serious car accident, emergency services would know how to treat me. It had obviously fallen out inthe hotel car park and was handed in. It is inscribed with Pauline’s mobile number which was how they contacted us.

14th October, 2015

Quite a cold morning. Actually, the temperature was nominally 11C/52F but felt much more raw in a sharp edged breeze. After breakfast and the newspapers, we drove down to the beach at Sangatte and walked along the coastal fringe towards Calais.

It certainly blew any sense of comfort out of us as we walked towards what looked like rain clouds over the port. What looked like rain clouds suddenly started to deliver over our heads and we ran faster back down the coastal path than I’ve run for a few years. It did me good. Must do more of it. We drove back for coffee and  watched PMQs on BBC2 which we can still get here. Later we drove out to Cite Europe and Pauline did a bit of ‘clothes shopping’. We also filled up with petrol at £0.98/€1.33 a litre. This is considerably better than UK but rather a long way to come to fill up!

15th October, 2015

A cold day that never got above 9C/48F and felt really raw in the morning. We drove out towards Calais market but immediately found the motorway blocked by queues of parked lorries in a ‘stack’ and slip roads on to the motorway blocked by police. Twitter feed reported ‘migrant trouble’ and delays in the tunnel. Fortunately, our sat.nav. allows us to program it to avoid motorways and we meandered through the suburbs and back streets to the town. As you can see from the Town Hall shot, it was distinctly cold and grey.

Later, we went to the wine store to stock up with Phyllis’ favourite Sauvignon Blanc and then on to Auchan for shell fish for this evening’s snack. The evening closed with long, low rays of sun across the hotel lawns out on to which small, brown rabbits emerged from from the shrubbery to enjoy a rich grass Dinner before hunkering down for a chilly night.

Today would have been my Dad’s 100th birthday.

He only missed it by 51 years. What a loss of life and experiences to him and to Mum who spent many lonely years without him. Dad had quite a Victorian upbringing and outlook on life. I wonder if he would ever have embraced the digital age.

16th October, 2015

Tired this morning as we got up for breakfast. We return to Surrey today and, as yet, there is no migrant trouble at the tunnel. Spoke too soon. We checked out of our hotel after breakfast and bought some fish for our meal  tonight from Auchan en route to the tunnel where we were told that there had been a migrant problem early this morning although things were getting back to normal. To be honest, we saw less evidence of illegal migrants around the area than we have for a number of years. What was obvious was the amount of new, security fencing going up.

Even so, we managed to get on to an earlier train than we’d booked and we settled down to coffee and our iPad newspapers to wait for departure.

Back in Surrey by mid-afternoon, we spent the afternoon planning our next trip. We leave on Sunday for a flying visit to Yorkshire. Often, we indulge ourselves with an extended stay but we just don’t have the time this Autumn. It is timed to coincide with the anniversary of Pauline’s Mum’s death. We always mark that by visiting the crematorium and reading her entry in the book. We will also visit my Mum’s grave in Repton. Neither of us believe in god or life-after-death but we use these anniversaries to focus our thoughts, however fleetingly, on their lives and contributions to ours.

17th October, 2015

We are hurtling down the month of October and, yesterday, I received a reminder that I am also hurtling down the years from a ‘Friend in the North’ and a photo of 1973/4. I hardly recognised this hairy monster myself.

The sweet age of 23! Where did those achingly gauche days go? Maybe we will rediscover them one day soon.

4th October, 2015

Everything moves on. Here, the Autumn marches in front of us and the evening temperatures emphasise the change.

We are moving on in the coming week. This morning, our buyers’ Daughter & Son-in-Law came round for a familiarisation session. I had already prepared a ‘Welcome’ folder and it explained everything they wanted to know. They seemed very happy. The buyer arrives from Australia next weekend – long after we have moved out. We can now relax for the last few days here. Everything is in store. Everybody in the legal process is tied in. All we wait for is the prescribed timeline to run its course – like the seasons – and we will become itinerant for about six months.

We are going to get back to our gym work prior to trips to France, Yorkshire and a month – maybe two – in Tenerife. We want to emerge from the winter fitter and leaner and ready for the completion of our new house. February/March will be spent researching flooring and furniture suppliers and we hope to move in in mid-March/early April. Life could be worse!

5th October, 2015

Happy Birthday to my darling wife.

I can no longer sing to her When you’re 64 because she is. As you can tell from the photo, she doesn’t look her age. We are going to celebrate by a trip to the Health Club for an hour and then out for lunch. We are looking forward to Guinea Fowl Kiev at the Maybury Inn.

6th October, 2015

A grey, showery but humid day. We went to the Storage Pod to leave belongings and then on to Phyllis & Colin to deliver racks of clothes. We will move in with them tomorrow afternoon. We are incredibly lucky to have their kindness. We have been saying our goodbyes to all the people we have known around here. Our neighbours and friends who have supported us and shared their concerns. Now, it all falls away and we move on – leaving all cares and responsibilities behind us.

We are in a fortunate position. We have agreed a price for our new property although we don’t need to pay for it for six months. Our capital will make more than £7000.00 in the time it sits in our account. That makes us happy and will go towards the furnishing of our new home. Next week we will be in France on a shopping trip and then a week in Yorkshire. Soon afterwards, we fly off for a month in Tenerife. Home for December and then off for another month abroad before we settle down to planning the furnishing of our new home in West Sussex.

This evening we have recorded readings for Water – Affinity Water, Electricity – Scottish Power and heating generated by our Development’s plant. In six months’ time, we will be looking for new suppliers to service our new property but, until then, we can sit back and relax.

7th October, 2015

A second grey, showery but humid day. I went to bed at midnight last night but was awake, listening to Radio 4 News at 5.00 am and thinking through the jobs we have to do. Everything hinges on a phone call from our solicitor to say that the buyers’ solicitor has transferred the money and it is on its way to our bank account. Then we leave in our own time because the buyer will not be around for a few days.

Pauline is defrosting the fridge/freezer. I’ve emptied and cleaned the coffee maker. The bed has been stripped and the linen bagged up. The bathrooms are empty, the bedrooms are empty, the study is empty and we are gradually withdrawing to the Kitchen and Lounge.I am the gopher as Pauline barks out the orders. Our neighbour, Rosina, knocked lightly on the door at 7.30 am, on her way to work. It was nice of her to call and say goodbye. Our other neighbour – General Vicky – has driven back from Nottinghamshire to say goodbye.

Unlike many other houses we have bought and sold, the leaving process is not really an emotional one here just a logistical one. The sooner now we’re gone the better.

11.30 am and the solicitor has confirmed the ‘Completion’. The money has been transferred. I’ve checked our bank accounts and it has arrived. We’ve been to see General Vicky to say goodbye. The estate agent has phoned to congratulate us and to thank us for our custom. The phone lines have been unplugged, the broadband router is about to be disconnected. We are going out for lunch and onward. Farewell world. Welcome new horizons!

Well those horizons weren’t far off. We got as far as the nearest gastro-pub filled with ladies who like to lunch. Kalamari starters followed by sea bass fillets on a bed of roasted vegetables. A lovely and expensive bottle of Pinot Grigio was ordered but failed to arrive in time for the starter course. I hailed a passing waitress who apologised and brought our £25.00 bottle of white wine. It was a bottle that I buy for £4.00 abroad.

It was delicious with the fish. Pauline ate a sickly chocolate pudding and I had a cheese board selection. When the bill arrived, the wine had not been added and, do you know, I didn’t remind them. I hate being grossly overcharged on the wine. Mind you, I don’t mind being grossly undercharged.

8th October, 2015

A new morning has dawned chilly but beautifully bright with clear, blue skies and strong sun. It is strange waking in a different bed, a different room. We both slept well but we were shattered after the adrenalin packed day we completed yesterday. Today, we will deal with the aftermath. I’ve got to move money to investment accounts to make the most of this six month hiatus. We have to sort out all the ‘stuff’ we have brought with us so we don’t clog up our relations’ house.

We will spend a couple of hours at the Health Club today and most days until we leave for Sussex. We’ve got three trips coming up before Christmas and we’ve chosen our hotels carefully so that they’ve got gyms and pools. While our lives are disrupted, we must keep some things constant.

9th October, 2015

Another glorious start to the day. Let’s face it, they usually are when you’re retired. The sun is up. The sky is blue and we’ve got so much left to do ….. This morning, I have spent an hour charging up, updating and working out Colin’s new, Garmin sat. nav. I don’t know why I abbreviate the words but anything more seems less appropriate.

After a hard couple of hours in the gym and the pool, we drove back to our temporary home and griddled large kalamari with peppers and onions outside in the garden which was bathed in sunshine and a temperature of 20C/68F.

We’ve spent the afternoon going through furniture brochures for our new house.

10th October, 2015

As the sun streamed in, we spent the morning making future plans and enjoying these brief moments of not having the responsibilities of property ownership. A trip to Asda for beef steaks. The sell a wonderful quality Aberdeen Angus Filet steak which we griddle medium rare.

It melts in the mouth with gorgeous flavour. It goes so well with Greek salad. We spent an hour and a half at the Health Club in the gym and the pool and then back for griddled Sea Bass filets, mushrooms and onions with salad.

We cooked outside again. The middle of October is delightful here. Now, we are off for a week in France. We hope the season will continue.

27th September, 2015

Blue sky and strong sun all day although the temperature is beginning to drop this evening. Pauline is enthralled by the night sky, stars, planets and the moon. Harvest moon tonight appeals to me because of the poetry and romance associated with it. For Pauline, it is a scientific occurrence that is fascinating.

It is reported that:

The Moon will turn a rusty hue in the early hours of Monday and may seem larger in the sky. The event is caused by a total lunar eclipse coinciding with another astronomical event called a ‘supermoon’.

We are also told that Surrey will be cloudless at 3.00 am when the eclipse is likely to be viewable. I have a feeling that I may be tired all day tomorrow.

28th September, 2015

Tired this morning. I was in bed at midnight last night and then woken to get up and view the night sky at 3.30 am. It was worth it though and we didn’t even have to leave the bedroom to be able to watch the moon turn red.

We woke again to another beautiful day of blue sky and strong but obviously lower sunshine. The day reached 20C/68F. We continued to tick the jobs off for our move in ten days time. Pauline also produced questions we want to ask about our new house build when we drive down there tomorrow morning.

29th September, 2015

The gorgeous weather continues. We are about to enter our final week here and we are driving down to Sussex this morning to see the progress on our house. The temperature is  20C/68F once again with strong sunshine.  The journey is really enjoyable and the South Downs look wonderful in the sunshine. We arrive in about an hour and discuss the minutiae of kitchen fittings – units, flooring, taps, etc.. We discuss fitted wardrobes, Hall flooring until I can take no more and we fix a follow up meeting before we leave for our month in Tenerife.

We drove down to the village which was bathed in sunshine. There are a couple of pubs – although we never use pubs at all – a Post Office, a Co-Op, a Butchers, Bakers and Odds & Ends shop. There are a couple of restaurants and a church. It is a stereotypical English village with a cross on a triangular green in the centre. All is as it should be. The locals seemed very friendly. Some even spoke to us.

30th September, 2015

Already the end of September. We are in our last week in Woking as citizens. It doesn’t feel as momentous as some house moves we’ve made. After all, we’ve only lived here for two of the four years we’ve owned it. It will be about twenty weeks until our new house is ready to move in to but we will be abroad for about half of that time. In our tradition, I ordered a framed picture of the property to put up in the next Study. It arrived today, only cost me £50.00 and took five days from ordering.

The sun has shone all day again and the temperature reached 23C/73F. We sat outside for an hour or so and Pauline griddled sweet-fleshed sea bass in the garden. We ate it with salad. What a wonderful meal!

1st October, 2015

Happy October!

It’s a glorious morning here in Surrey but I suspect it is across Britain. My old stomping ground of Ripon in North Yorkshire is featured in a lovely photo on the front of The Times this morning.

This is Studley royal park. When Jeremy Corbyn comes to power, it will be renamed Studley Park.

2nd October, 2015

Needed some financial advice. Phoned our private banking manager. Asked a couple of salient questions. Met with a blustering response. Found I knew more about the situation than the banking manager. A bit disconcerting.

Last time we sold a property, we had to split the proceeds between four, separate banks. Each bank guarantee of deposit covers £85,000 per person or £170,000 for our joint accounts. Because it is a Europe-wide guarantee, it is expressed in Euros (€100,000) and then converted to Pounds Sterling. With the declining strength of the Pound, this guarantee will reduce in January to £75,000 per person or £150,000 for a joint account. The one caveat to this is that the FSCS will provide a £1 million protection limit for temporary high balances held with your bank. Proceeds resulting from the life events such as Real Estate transactions (property purchase, sale proceeds, equity release) are categorised as temporary high balances.

One would have thought that a personal banking manager, providing a service we pay highly for and supposedly an expert in exactly this sort of transaction, would have this information at her finger tips. When I read the details out to her directly from the Financial Compensation Services Scheme website, she expressed surprise and pledged to instruct the rest of her colleagues at the bank. Good luck with that! If she applies, she could pass her GCSE Oral with that speech.

3rd October, 2015

The end is nigh. We leave our apartment in five days but the Study has to be dismantled TODAY! I’ve been putting it off. I can do it no longer. Normal Service is going to be disrupted.

The broadband router will remain active until minutes before we leave so I can use Wi-Fi on my laptop and iPad but it’s not the same.

The trees around us are turning to glorious, autumnal colours. The lawns were striped by the gardener yesterday. Why does it always look so nice when one is leaving? But leave we must. The next stage of our journey is beckoning.

RIP Denis Healey – a boyhood hero of mine -who has died at the age of 98. The world of politics will miss your strength.

20th September, 2015

Gorgeous day. We were up early and emptying our garage to take everything to the storage for the next few months. We drove through warm sunshine loaded up with boxes. We now only have immediate necessities for the next couple of weeks and clothes which still have to be packed.

We came home and griddled fillet steak and vegetables – shallots, courgettes and mushrooms – outside in the delightful day. Fresh, British strawberries, raspberries and blackberries with a dollop of yoghurt have been our pudding every day for months. They are wonderful and I am addicted.

In Greece, the writing is already on the wall. New Democracy have conceded defeat to Syriza who look to be achieving around 35% of the vote – just short of a parliamentary majority.

The lunatic Golden Dawn have gained around 7.0%. This may well be their nadir and one from which they will subsequently fade over the next few years.

The re-election of Syriza means the bailout terms will be adhered to and anything else the EEC demands. The Single Property Tax (ENFIA) which has been levied over the past two or three years is based on the surface area and not the actual value of the property. This has led to tax rates which have outraged the property owning classes. The annual tax rates come close to 2 percent of the real value of a property, while the real tax rate on the income that a property can fetch often exceeds 50 percent. We were so lucky to get out before they impacted upon us and, in a weird way, grateful to Stavros for completely bungling our building finances which delayed the legalisation of our power supply which delayed the signing off of our property build which delayed the levy of the tax. All those Greeks who own small, old properties – often inherited and unused for years – are paying the price for the indulgence.

21st September, 2015

A damp autumnal day today full of mists and mellow fruitfulness. We’ve now packed and moved almost everything bar our clothes to storage. All services – Burglar Alarm, Electricity, Water, TV/Broadband/Phone have been alerted. Our Buyer’s Welcome Pack has been finished so we can enjoy our last couple of weeks here. We intend to make a trip down to Sussex in the next few days to see how far the build has moved on since the end of August.

Heavy rain, strong winds and low temperatures have hit many areas across Greece on today but something more serious is about to hit middle class self-employed Greeks and that is taxation. Syriza are keen to replace cuts in pensions for the poor with taxation on those who can afford to pay – middle class self-employed Greeks who have avoided paying for years.

Kathimerini reports:

The Greek property market remains a global laggard as the continuing decline in prices means the country still ranks among the worst performers in the world in this respect. According to the latest survey by the ‘Global Property Guide’, on the second quarter of 2015, the local property market had the third worst performance among 40 countries as property prices dropped by 5.92 percent on an annual basis.

Higher property taxes accompanying plummeting property values is a recipe for extreme pain and stasis in the market.

22nd September, 2015

Warm but sporadically heavy rain this morning although we are told the afternoon will dry up. Hope so because we are taking our filing cabinets to the store if the weather’s alright. This morning I’ve been producing a timeline of what is happening to us between now and the middle of December just so I can keep a handle on things.

I’ve also been preparing a picture of our Duplex for framing. We have a tradition of framing and mounting a collection of photographs of the properties we’ve bought and sold over our married lives and I will put them up in the Study of our new house. I will even include the advertising sign that was mounted on the gate of our Greek property for the best part of a year before we sold. It will look good in the new house.

There is a sharp cartoon in Kathimerini today:

and you do have to wonder how much he is benefiting the majority of Greek people.

23rd September, 2015

The Autumn Equinox – equal night and day. I must admit, I make no concessions to it – up at 7.00 am and to bed at midnight is my unerring routine. Today, we all but completed packing and removal of all our goods and chattels with the exception of the clothes we will need in the next few weeks. We still have space in our storage pod so we can get in quite easily to retrieve things if we need them.

Today, I took the lovely, Lavender plants – Stoechas Pedunculata –  that have flowered all summer in pots outside our front door and planted them out in the beds as our own contribution to the communal gardens.

We leave, putting the keys through the letterbox as we go, two weeks today.

24th September, 2015

Interesting day. Lovely, sunny, warm weather. We griddled filet steak and vegetables outside in the garden for our meal. We completed the purchase of our new property by transferring 10% of the purchase price with the other 90% to follow in around 4 – 5 months. It turned out to be a very old fashioned affair in which we could only transfer a maximum of £20,000.00 on-line so we actually had to drive to a bank branch to send the deposit. Haven’t been in a bank for a very long time.

We are going down to see building development on Tuesday. Apparently, the roof is on and windows and doors will soon make it watertight. This will mean that the winter weather won’t hold development up. It is timed for completion by March. We are hoping for earlier.

25th September, 2015

Lovely day full of sun and blue sky. We did a quick trip to the surgery for my blood test – pre-annual review – and free ‘flu jab. Off to Tesco for our weekly shop because we have a fistful of money-off coupons to lure us back plus very cheap petrol. We filled the car for £1.05/€1.42 per litre today. We are having to think very carefully about our shopping needs with only 12 days left here. Today, we griddled squid (calamari) in the garden and ate it with Greek salad.

26th September, 2015

It has been a lovely, long day of sun and blue sky. I must admit to rather an inactive day at my computer to keep up with correspondence and in front of the television to watch two Premiere League matches and the England – Wales rugby match from Twickenham. I did do the cooking and that was outside again – griddled chicken with griddled vegetables.

Pauline continued to pack boxes. My one contribution was to remove the wine racks from the walls – they provide 140 bottle storage and will be useful at the new house although, I’m going to have a wine cooler fitted in the new kitchen.

They store so many bottles, it takes me all week to get through it. We are going to France soon so I will have to moderate my buying until we’re settled again.

Can you believe the report this weekend in Greek Reporter amongst others:

The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) reports that the phenomenon of illegal accommodation sites is constantly growing in the country, causing great problems for the authorities, due to tax evasion.

Tax evasion? They will have to get a grip on legal accommodation sites first. They are much bigger evaders of tax than the little people trying to make ends meet. I’ve already written to the Greek Finance Authority with my concerns on tax evasion in the tourist industry and, particularly, double or false accounting which has become a way of life.