Pension stuff, how's it all looking ? HAve you prepared ?

[Wreckless Rat]

Yup - as I said it needed reform, massively, but it should have been done with new starts, not dicking with peoples pensions years in.

I’m the last person you need to convince public sector pensions were and still are way to high compared to what everyone else has to do to get a pension.

To use the forward analogy - if I buy a forward contract for beans - I can’t change my mind half way through because I can buy cheaper beans because the price has dropped - im contracted at that rate.

If you were daft enough to sign a 40yr contract for beans then you'd have change clauses in to cover changes that you may need to make during that time period. Change in law, change in economic circumstances, change in markets, variations, etc.
That's what's happening.

I know that’s what happening, but it shouldn’t be allowed. Blah blah blah can’t afford it.. it’s amazing what the government can afford. Public sector pay now often outstrips private sector, the pensions still do, it needs reform, but as I said, it should be done more at entry rather than exit.

It’s like buying a mortgage and the mortgage company deciding half way through that it can’t afford your fixed tracker mortgage anymore and interest rates are too low, so it years up the deal and writes a new one, doubling your payments.

[Potter]

It’s like buying a mortgage and the mortgage company deciding half way through that it can’t afford your fixed tracker mortgage anymore and interest rates are too low, so it years up the deal and writes a new one, doubling your payments.

If mortgage companies were giving out fixed rate mortgages that became unsustainable then they'd go bust.
Or get bailed out by the tax payer.

Good analogy.

[weeksy]

I spent some time chatting with Mrs Weeksy on this last night. I think we're at a bit of an impasse.

But, that said, i think there's a compromise likely which will be end of Oct - March spent renting in warmer climates each year, then living the rest of the time in the UK. It's a fair compromise to me and one that sounds pretty much ideal. You never know, it may even persuade her to do the full-jump to it.
The one thing i wouldn't do though is the ex-pat thing. Irrespective of whether we were in Spain/Canaries or France, i don't get that side of it at all. I'd be far more inclined to do the local thing instead.

There will be a 2nd caveat for me personally within it, that i'd like to do the cycling 'business' over there, officially or unofficially, so would be buying a van, taking 3-4 ebikes (i do see these as the future for many) and picking up some customers to help fund our time out there.

[Noggin]

The one thing i wouldn't do though is the ex-pat thing. Irrespective of whether we were in Spain/Canaries or France, i don't get that side of it at all. I'd be far more inclined to do the local thing instead.

I struggle with this side of living abroad. Why do the Brits all stick together so much?

Ok, in the winter I have always gravitated to the seasonaire bars but that's for the music as much as anything

I'm finally getting a grip on the language and once I'm out on a bike in the summers, I will make more French friends and hopefully move away from the Brits a bit!! LOL

Really struggle with people that live here every winter for 25 years and can't speak any french

[Supermofo]

I struggle with this side of living abroad. Why do the Brits all stick together so much?

Without being horrible it's not much different for Ex-pats who come to the UK in large numbers. Be that Asian, Polish etc. In general people stick to what they know when they can.

[weeksy]

I struggle with this side of living abroad. Why do the Brits all stick together so much?

Without being horrible it's not much different for Ex-pats who come to the UK in large numbers. Be that Asian, Polish etc. In general people stick to what they know when they can.

True true, fair call. It's not that i won't speak to Brits, that would be silly. It's not that i wouldn't go to Brit bars to watch MotoGP or football... but if you go somewhere you've got to immerse yourself in the culture, the language etc.

[cheb]

That^. And to my shame I've never learned to speak Gaelic, I've tried many times but languages aren't my strong point.

[Yorick]

The ex-pat thing ain't too bad here. Most of my pals are English. But most have bikes as as a coincidence.

I have a few Canarian pals and the majority of the riders on a Sunday are locals.

But I don't ignore folk just coz folk in the UK have a poor view of ex-pats.

I'm happy and that's what counts.

Every time I walk through town I get waves off all colours and creeds.

[Taipan]

For me being part of, or more like neighbouring, an ex-pat community would be the make or break side to it. I'd certainly not want to be isolated by my lack of language skills, but i'd need to be part of a native Spanish speaking community to learn it. Equally i'd want to be able to pop into town and chat with other Brits. And yes, there probably are some things I'd want from home, tea bags, HP sauce etc. My local Tesco has a massive world food dept for foreigners who want their stuff from home. Nothing particularly wrong with that!

[Noggin]

I struggle with this side of living abroad. Why do the Brits all stick together so much?

Without being horrible it's not much different for Ex-pats who come to the UK in large numbers. Be that Asian, Polish etc. In general people stick to what they know when they can.

True. But I don't totally understand that either - I do get the 'comfort' thing of sticking with people/culture you know/is easy, but not to the detriment of integration!

I struggle with this side of living abroad. Why do the Brits all stick together so much?

Without being horrible it's not much different for Ex-pats who come to the UK in large numbers. Be that Asian, Polish etc. In general people stick to what they know when they can.

True true, fair call. It's not that i won't speak to Brits, that would be silly. It's not that i wouldn't go to Brit bars to watch MotoGP or football... but if you go somewhere you've got to immerse yourself in the culture, the language etc.

What he said. I do, of course, have a lot of English friends in the area. The one thing that stopped me building a network of French friends was language and one of the big issues to learn up here is all the French either want to speak English to practice, don't have the patience in a normal winter to deal with a Brit bastardising their language or hate seasonaires so you have to wait a few years for them to realise you are staying!! (I was asked by some of the French I know here why I wasn't going back to the UK in the first lock down - they couldn't get their head around the fact that I live here now!!)

The ex-pat thing ain't too bad here. Most of my pals are English. But most have bikes as as a coincidence.

I have a few Canarian pals and the majority of the riders on a Sunday are locals.

But I don't ignore folk just coz folk in the UK have a poor view of ex-pats.

I'm happy and that's what counts.

Every time I walk through town I get waves off all colours and creeds.

I'm lucky that most of the French I meet now appreciate the effort I make to speak French but even before, I used to get hellos from all the people I know, French and English. But then I do walk around smiling at people and saying hi to those I recognise!! LOL

[Wreckless Rat]

I think there is a reason many stay in ex-pat 'communities', as Noggs says, its as much the locals as the ex-pats. We are just the same in the UK, most don't make an effort to integrate with the Poles etc, and vice versa, common language, culture, foods etc gravitate people together. I must admit though, I really hate the Brit ex-pat communities. Bars full of miserable pink Brits, eating fry ups with some bastardised attempt at English style bacon etc., especially when there are often far better local foods available.

One of life's pleasures imho when travelling or living in another land, is the different food. Unless is somewhere like Colombia.... where they eat crap food, morning, noon and night. However, if I was living in France /Spain etc, they have an awesome culinary repertoire to feast on.

[Yorick]

Most days I have a full English in a UK bar and don't give a flying fuck if somebody in the UK doesn't like that.

[Wreckless Rat]

That's good, cos I don't give a toss what you think of what I think. Personally, I wouldn't bother, but that's me, not you. If you are happy, that's all that counts in your life, not mine.

fwiw - I think you have retirement right. You are happy and enjoying it, best of luck to you. I don't think it would be for me, but that's the beauty of the free world, we can all choose lives that suit us.

[cheb]

One other reason expats stick together, at least from moving and watching up here for 30 years, is that most people already have their network in place. If you don't bring something useful or interesting then why do they need you. Especially if you arrive with a dumb and know it already attitude. Those who stay blend in after a while, those who don't blend in tend to leave after a few years. Turn up with a bit of humility and don't bang on about your mainland ways and you'll likely do fine.

An example up here is the weather, the locals don't tie down garden sheds, caravans, oil tanks for fun. If you don't then there's a good possibility it'll blow away and be damaged, it's not all Mairi Hedderwick.

Added. Frankly, I don't care how you behave as long as it doesn't affect me and mine. Just don't ask for sympathy when you, as a competent adult, have fucked up predictably badly. For some reason the Dutch have long been a significant group of ex-pats up here, I don't know why.

[Taipan]

Most days I have a full English in a UK bar and don't give a flying fuck if somebody in the UK doesn't like that.

If out for breakfast, I'd probably choose the same as not keen on continental breakfasts or those sickly churros and hot chocolate. That said, years ago, we used to stay on a predominantly Spanish campsite and noticed a lot of Spanish families used to have boiled eggs, frankfurters, tomatoes and these cheap non iced cupcakes for brekkie. Dunno if that was a Catalan thing or something?

[Noggin]

Part of the reason I don't 'fit' with the other expats up here is that I'm not the same. All the expats in resort are families with kids. When we all get together for a good amount of time the conversation is about kids (and all things connected) so I have nothing to offer and can't join in

I have a lot more in common with the seasonaires (despite the usually huge age gap!!)

But I do prefer to meet with French locals when possible as I've chosen to live here so integration is 100% part of that for me


That's not to say I don't crave a decent cheddar sometimes or a nice bacon butty

[Potter]

People who aren't expats always seem to know more than expats about what we do and what we're like
If you go to certain sports bars in Spain you're going to find stereotypical Londoners, if you go to one in Cyprus you might find stereotypical Russian gangsters.
We're not all like that though.

I like a cooked breakfast, so we'll normally go down to the yacht club at least one morning of a weekend and have a fry-up, but I don't watch football, so you won't find me anywhere near a sports bar with a pint and fag in hand cheering on Chelsea. In fact by 7pm I'm in my slippers and yawning.

My mates are a bit of a mix, mostly Brits or Indians, but that's because we're similar in many ways, so we end up at the same places.

I do whatever I do, regardless of where I live, and I find likeminded souls that enjoy the same things as I do to be friends with, I don't give a monkeys where they're from originally.

[Yambo]

I don't really fit in with most of the ex-pats here - I believe I'm 'standoffish' to a fair few of them. Some of them do not like my sense of humour. Meh.

But I try and get on with everyone and will at least pass the time of day with them. To the locals I'm often referred to as 'the Englishman who speaks Turkish' which is very much a compliment as most of the Brits can't get past "Good morning, please and thank you" and many struggle with "Thank you." They, the locals are always very interested in how much my pension pays monthly (I get 3 but they don't need to know that) and it's considerably better than a Turkish pension but not as good as some of the other Brits' will be. I tell them I can't give an accurate figure because the exchange rate changes too much. I think they just want to know to justify getting me to do jobs for them "for a beer". None have ever asked me for money but a few have asked me in the past if I was OK for it.

I think it's good to be comfortable money wise in retirement and it's certainly cheaper to live here than other places we'd considered earlier but top of the list for reasons to come here was the people - not the ex-pats, there weren't too many back in 2006. Turks are very friendly, helpful and hospitable. Try to speak their language, understand the cultural differences (and don't judge) and don't try to make them British and you'll get on great. I think it's a great place to retire to (but don't come to this village, there's already too many old giffer Brits here!

[Noggin]

I do whatever I do, regardless of where I live, and I find likeminded souls that enjoy the same things as I do to be friends with, I don't give a monkeys where they're from originally.

This bit intrigues me (in my life!!).

I meet various people over a winter and as we get towards spring we start talking about plans for the summer. What I've found over the years is that the people I get on best with for a winter and just seem to be friends easily, well, they are nearly always bikers!!! We don't find that out until spring because we talk about snow and snowsports to start with. Summer stuff comes up in Feb/March and that's when I find out that my friends are usually bikers!!

It's kind of cool that like minded people do tend to find each other. Even when we don't know we are like minded!! LOL

[Potter]

It's kind of cool that like minded people do tend to find each other. Even when we don't know we are like minded!! LOL

We're all the same animals, I've lived and worked all over the world and most people are pretty similar give or take a few cultural things.

People that work in or visit certain resorts are bound to like similar things, all the people I know that ski are also at least moderately interested in things with engines. I'm not into skiing but it's a hobby with a buzz, and people that are into buzzy things often like other buzzy things, so I bet I'd probably have enough in common with them to be friends.