Friday 5 March 2010

Neighbourliness

Taking time out from work to sit on our admittedly chilly but sunbathed porch today, Mrs S and I were hailed from across the fence and received two invitations to a 'Happy Hour'. From total strangers no less. We've missed all this stuff because we've mainly been snuggled down next to a toasty log fire and not been getting out and about as much as we should. That and work has taken up most of our daylight hours. Yet our new neighbours have been uncompromisingly welcoming, and I hope to be returning all favours shortly as soon as Mrs S deems our new domicile ready for polite company.

The only downside at present is that like so many ex-pats we're economising because the nosediving pound is ablating our capital, and there's nothing we can do about it at the moment. Well we could, but the immigration rules say that until we get that last tick in the box we can't import the rest of our money. This has proved very frustrating and highly expensive. It just means we've got to work harder when we're allowed to.

Chores, chores, chores. Migrate to a new country, navigate complex immigration rules, restrictions on work prevent earning additional income to make up shortfalls. Well no one said it would be easy.

1 comment:

Angry Exile said...

Yes, it's a difficult time to be an ex-pat unless you took the whole lot out when you left. I didn't leave much behind but what's there is fast becoming worth bugger all in dollars (almost anybody's dollars). Still, spare a thought for the poor sods in Britain who've decided to give up on the place and go somewhere else. Except for the already wealthy the ones who can sell their houses are realising that the value of sterling means they can't afford anything much where they'd been thinking of going. Economically trapped on a sinking ship... I'd almost want to put a gun in my mouth, except of course I wouldn't be allowed one. What a fucking state for a country to get in!

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