Page 26 w England my England.


In one of the many turns of events that happen during a lifetime, our move to Spain oh so many years ago, on a scale of one to ten seems to be a definite 8…We… myself and 'er indoors love the life we lead and have always tried to think outside the box and embrace the Spanish way of life. Our two young boys came with us all those years ago and grew into young men in the Spanish sun. Grandchildren came along and enriched our lives via our role as Grandparents. As with everything things do change and


The Top


A View From


Welcome to my monthly column “A view from the top”. Hopefully you will find my rambling readable (maybe even enjoyable). You may agree or you may disagree with my views, I care not. These are my views long held and forged over a life time of work, travel and experience. Now that’s over let’s have a look at what is really winding me up.


QF Focus Magazine


ambition, coupled with just being smart, meant that our oldest son was snapped up by a large multinational company and offered a placement on their graduate training scheme. Off he went to pastures new to begin his climb up the corporate ladder. All is good with that apart from the fact that eight months into his training, the rest of his family moved over to England (Manchester) to be reunited as a family. We miss them all, especially the Grandkids, and as such 'er indoors has had a couple of trips over to visit and check out the lie of the land. My turn to visit has recently come and gone and now I am back here at my desk reflecting on both my visit and asking myself the question "Could I live in England?" After a little thought I suspect that the answer to my-self imposed question would be in the negative. The place …England …seems to have gone down the collective toilet at a rate of knots. How on earth can anyone afford to live there …everything seems to cost the proverbial arm and a leg. All the basics of life… beer and more beer cost pounds a pint…a drop of gin is exactly that - a drop, and a cup of rubbish coffee, from a coffee shop that does not pay tax, is prohibitive. The house my son and his family rent is costing the better part of eleven hundred pounds a month and the council… poll tax coupled with the energy costs make life a struggle for people who work extremely hard. Next I turn to the cost of travel… After Manchester I flew to Southampton to visit a great mate of mine who lives on Hayling Island our old family stamping ground. My request for a one way ticket from Southampton airport to Havant (gateway to Hayling) was met with the demand for £14 …not for the first time was I heard to splutter “how much”…do you


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