8677 Who's coming

What a question to ask on a family run forum......GRIN

[quote=pilchard;81446]Hi all,
Just thought I'd ask if there's anyone planning to come soon? If you are I'm sure you'll be very excited and can't wait.
Sprat[/quote]
You mean coming over to your place?

I didn't know there was an open invitation to all to come around for drinks, meal, a night in your guest bedroom and so on, but now that you mention it, we've got nothing on tomorrow, so we'll see you around 7 am. Okay?

:bigergrin:

Al

I really don't know, or rather don't want to know, what you might be inferring.
Had just noticed that there was a rash of posts asking "who'se going", "who'se staying", "who'se leaving", "who'se here permanent" etc, etc. Thought I'd just ask who'se on their way. Bit of a faux pas I spose. Bad choice of expression. Don't shout too loud, the boss will hear.:eeeek:
sprat

[quote=AllanMason;81455]You mean coming over to your place?

I didn't know there was an open invitation to all to come around for drinks, meal, a night in your guest bedroom and so on, but now that you mention it, we've got nothing on tomorrow, so we'll see you around 7 am. Okay?

:bigergrin:

Al[/quote]

7am??? Ah a pyjama party!!! I'll be there too!!! lol

[quote=turtle;81461]7am??? Ah a pyjama party!!! I'll be there too!!! lol[/quote]

If you can stand the other worldly vision of Pilch in his blood red silk P.J's worn over a fetching leopard skin jock strap. I shall be wearing my pink baby doll's outfit..
And what about you Turtle?
Sprat

[quote=AllanMason;81455]You mean coming over to your place?

I didn't know there was an open invitation to all to come around for drinks, meal, a night in your guest bedroom and so on, but now that you mention it, we've got nothing on tomorrow, so we'll see you around 7 am. Okay?

:bigergrin:

Al[/quote]

And what will you be wearing Allan... delight us
S

Ah the usual problem Pilch!!! What to wear!!! It's just so difficult for me to come out of my shell!!! lol I'm sure though I can surprise you both on the day!!! lol Patience Girl!!!

[quote=pilchard;81462]If you can stand the other worldly vision of Pilch in his blood red silk P.J's worn over a fetching leopard skin jock strap. I shall be wearing my pink baby doll's outfit..
And what about you Turtle?
Sprat[/quote]

I’m sure that Pilch looks splendid in the altogether, alluring outfit described but even that would not lure me from my nice, warm bed at 7am. I didn’t even know there was another 7 o’clock in the day! So, sorry I won’t be coming, well not to a PJ party anyway.:laughs:

Sitting here in tartan wynciette (spelling?) jammies, bedsocks, hubby's dressing gown as the heating's only just gone on and it's pretty chilly not able to believe anyone wears skimpy nightwear in Italy in the winter! Do they?

And don't wish to sound boring but it's an interesting thread in the light of talk elsewhere about exchange rates and people leaving, etc. Are there people here actively looking to be buy property right now and would they be influenced by some of the comments they've read from posters and the fact that their money won't buy them quite so much house today as it would have done this time last year or 24 months ago?

Also: London-based friends said at Christmas that they thought the mad, also epidemic of "rush to the sun" that was evident across the UK in the early/mid 2000s was dying down. The TV channels are no longer so heavily loaded with expat home themed programmes and those magazines that used to cram the shelves (Italy Mag, aside, of course) are no longer quite numerous.

Following Violetta's thoughts, I believe that people are still under the shock caused by recent events in the financial world; however, I think that they will react positively within a short time.
By the way, I arrived in Biarritz on Sunday from London (via Ryanair, of course and not complaining at all... paid for priority boarding, got priority boarding, etc., etc.) and ... going back to the thread I must tell you that I was surprised by the prices in the UK. They did not seem as high as before and more in line with what we pay in other EU countries. Actually, meat was cheaper than in very many places on the Continent and even Harrod's did not give me a heart attack when checking at the Food Hall. Perhaps we could start another thread comparing prices......

I think Harrods would give me a heart attack Gala!!, but as to compairing prices with regard to food, I think this would be difficult, as for me the quality of fresh locally sourced food bought here, be it meat or fruit and vegetables, far outweighs anything I bought in England, so price whilst a part of the issue doesnt take into account, taste and the knowledge that it has in some cases only travelled from the next village. But please do start another thread if you feel it would be of interest.
A

[quote=Gala Placidia;81484]even Harrod's did not give me a heart attack when checking at the Food Hall. Perhaps we could start another thread comparing prices......[/quote]

[quote=Angie and Robert;81495]I think Harrods would give me a heart attack Gala!!, A[/quote]

Aaaa....Harrods. I'm all for the one-man-band corner shops!!!! :laughs:

#1

[QUOTE=Gala Placidia;and even Harrod's did not give me a heart attack when checking at the Food Hall. Perhaps we could start another thread comparing prices......[/QUOTE]

I agree with you entirely. I've really noticed a big increase in food shopping bills in the last few months here. And we spent a bomb at Christmas feeding our small household. This would be a good thread to start. Must say though that last time I was in Harrods (14 months ago), I wasn't so shocked at the food prices. But I was literally running from counter to counter (Christmas puddings, tea, Stilton, pickles) as I'd parked round the corner in an NCP car park where it was - are you ready for this? - £4 something for 15 minutes!!!! And there was me thinking Montalcino parcheggio next to the fortress was a rip off.... V

[quote=numerouno;81499]Aaaa....Harrods. I'm all for the one-man-band corner shops!!!! :laughs:

#1[/quote]

god I miss that corner shop myself.........gone are the days of " just leave it a door 4", and nipping up for lunch at the buffet .......eat as much as you like .....silly people, giving away lobster claws like that.Remembering that as a card holder you got the sales price before the mad crush started...watching the kids running around the toy dept, screaming......( not knowing of course that it was a replica gun that only fired blanks ) .....I have tried to explain to our local friends about the amounts of money spent there over the christmas and sales periods.............they look at me as if I'm tonto.......

Well yes the introduction of the euro in Italy a few years ago meant that prices there rocketed. I believe bus fares and parking doubled. Public transport is cheaper though there, 1€ for a bus or underground journey in Rome. £2 in London for a bus journey, £3/4 for a tube journey.

Petrol I understand is high but I don't buy it as a non driver so perhaps it's the same as the UK.

Clothing prices seem to be on par with here. Fresh fruit and vegetables seem cheaper chicken breast fillets,, half the price, cocoa/drinking chocolate, half the price, eggs two thirds in Italy but cheese and milk products the same as the UK perhaps even slightly

Electricity and gas seems the same. Water is metred in Italy by default. In the last year I have paid peanuts for it in Italy

Council Tax is notoriously high in the UK. In my Italian town very very low - 67€ In London for a one bedroomed flat in London, well I shudder to think, Considerably more. I wonder though if ICI in Rome or any of the Italian big cities is high.

[QUOTE=turtle;81506]

[B]Clothing prices seem to be on par with here.[/B]

QUOTE]

You have never been shopping with MFBLOH, aka the outlet queen.

Also my sister back in yUK has a 2 bedroom house in bexleyheath poll tax ..............[B][I]1400[/I][/B] per year as the say here ..........FFS thats a lot ..........grin

Ah but I have been to TKMaxx here Ricky!!! lol

wake up Ricky, its council tax these days, Poll tax is long gone (though the bills are still mainly outstanding, at least in Glasgow).

don't want to start a p!ssing contest (as I'm sure there will be other, even more extreme examples) but £1400? your sister should count her blessings:

council tax on a 2 bed flat (band E), on the periphery of Glasgow city centre (adjacent to The Barras/Glasgow Green, or "borderline bandit country" to those in the know) .... £2K p.a.

assorted junkies, drunkies, hoodies, hookers & hoodlums on your doorstep ... 'priceless'

Ahhh..Buts whats the exchange between the Scottish and English pound ......could make a difference.............

Going back to the original conversation we've been visiting Italy for the last 11 years and intend to buy a house and move out permanently. Just got to wait for my husband to be able to retire - in 6yrs. We're both looking forward to that day and in the meantime visit every year.
Re prices I don't think food prices are much different but petrol was still cheaper when we were in Italy last year. Also wine and beer much better value. We always return home with a bootful to fill our wine rack. The price of diesel here in the UK is outrageous at the moment but it might be temporary and of course it's usually a bit dearer in rural sunny mid-Wales!! The Welsh/English exchange rate may also make a difference!!

[quote=deborahandricky;81513]Ahhh..Buts whats the exchange between the Scottish and English pound ......could make a difference.............[/quote]

Well, in most places I visit dahn sawff, the exchange rate is ten Scottish pounds = 0 English pounds ... cos nobody will touch my jock 'funny money' with a barge pole! Yet another good argument for the Euro ...

I think that when anyone decides to move to Italy, or to any other country, it is because of a number of personal reasons and not only because of economic reasons... well, at least it should not be the main reason for making that move, unless you are forced by circumstances beyond your control. Also, we have to take into account that circumstances may change over a period of time, so it is not safe to move simply because life seems to be cheaper in another country. We should do it with our hearts and minds and not with our pockets... or at least money should not be the main factor.

We plan on moving to Italy full-time when my husband retires in about 8 years. We lived near Pisa until he graduated from the U. of Pisa in 1983 and can't wait to move back. We currently live in the northeast in the USA. We have been looking to purchase a house for the past few years but the sinking dollar has put our plans on hold for awhile. Hopefully, once we have a new president things will improve! Each time we visit, it gets harder to leave.

[quote=Gala Placidia;81536]I think that when anyone decides to move to Italy, or to any other country, it is because of a number of personal reasons and not only because of economic reasons... well, at least it should not be the main reason for making that move, unless you are forced by circumstances beyond your control. Also, we have to take into account that circumstances may change over a period of time, so it is not safe to move simply because life seems to be cheaper in another country. We should do it with our hearts and minds and not with our pockets... or at least money should not be the main factor.[/quote]

I agree with you entirely. Also, people find it so tempting when they realise they can buy a much bigger house here, possibly with land, and still have cash to spare from the sale of their UK house. But they've really got to think hard and ask themselves, can we live here all year round in the long term? Do we have enough money for emergencies, not just day to day expenses? (Friends of ours have just been told they need a new septic tank, for instance. That's going to eat in to their savings big time.) You may need to work. Where? How? Especially in the back of beyond. What happens if you do need to sell up at some point in the future, where would you go? Back to the UK would be difficult if you're off the property ladder. Apologies for sounding bit of a wet blanket but to everyone thinking about it, there are so many, many things to consider before taking such a big step. V

[quote=Violetta;81553] What happens if you do need to sell up at some point in the future, where would you go? Back to the UK would be difficult if you're off the property ladder. Apologies for sounding bit of a wet blanket but to everyone thinking about it, there are so many, many things to consider before taking such a big step. V[/quote]

Depends on your view of the property ladder. Also depends on what you do with your money. It's not too hard to imagine a world with lower home prices five years out then today. Or just flat. That ignores any other costs in owning the home and any income you could have generated off the cash.

Better a wet blanket before then lots of tears after.

You both raise very important points, Violetta and Nick. I would simply add that many people move to another country because they feel unhappy in their own; however, they do not tend to analyse WHY they are unhappy in the first place and try to solve those issues. Moving to another country with your own baggage of problems and frustrations is only going to mean a bad start. And moving is already quite a traumatic experience. Aretina mentioned in another thread about solving any problems relating to their couple before moving or making sure that the couple was solid enough to endure those changes.
The idea "everything will be right when I/we move to...." is a dangerous one. Also, the future of other people involved in the move, i.e. children, has to be considered.
Just plain common sense.... pity it is not very common.....

[quote=Gala Placidia;81557]...I would simply add that many people move to another country because they feel unhappy in their own; however, they do not tend to analyse WHY they are unhappy in the first place and try to solve those issues.
...The idea "everything will be right when I/we move to...." is a dangerous one.[/quote]
It has long seemed to me that deciding to live elsewhere and seeing it as moving [I]away[/I] from all one's problems is far more likely to end in disappointment than seeing the move as primarily being about moving [I]toward[/I] something more positive. I appreciate that's a subtle distinction.

The fact is that Britain is not hell on earth. There are many things about the UK, living in Britain and the British that I really liked. Conversely, there are things about Italy and the Italians that I don't much care for and there are a few things that [B]thoroughly[/B] annoy me.

But I didn't come here thinking that moving from Scotland to Italy was escaping hell and entering paradise, so bumping up against those things doesn't leave me feeling disillusioned and thinking about when I should start packing my bags.

Living in Italy hasn't made me a better person or cured all my character flaws, but it feels like an excellent place for me to be right now. I feel very fortunate to be here and to have the life I do. But then I often thought exactly the same thing when I lived in Scotland!

Al

We spent many hours and much time looking at houses for sale on the Internet. This gave us an idea to start with of things available and prices. Of course in reality they really don’t give you much apart from a chance to dream…We looked over a 5 year period and visited over a ten year period, mainly walking and climbing holidays in the Dolomites and visiting the family in Marche. We always talked of moving to Italy, mainly because we had a background here, family and language skills and prices not too high. We visited Italy to buy and were taken out by many agents (at this point thought we would only live here part of the year). Income always raises its ugly head. We needed to earn in order to live here, same old, same old. Due to unforeseen circumstances, a wrongly diagnosed illness, this making us more aware of how short life is, and yes we were willing to “rough it” and decided we could leave our expensive lifestyle behind. We decided to become more serious about our future. 300 or more viewings all over Italy, travelling in a caravan for eighteen months, staying in areas for at least two months at a time, going on Italian forums, etc. We bought La Tore. I can’t stress the amount of knowledge you need to find out before taking the plunge and how many people we met who just came over on a long weekend with agents booked up before coming and buying in that time…Would you do this in the U.K? An Old Italian aunt of ours has a saying “ Buying a house is not like buying a pair of socks”(sounds better in Italian). So. Buying in Italy should be seen as a serious exercise. Leave the dreaming of long hot days, wine and food, rolling hills swathed in olives and vines behind. This comes later, much later.
Sprat

[quote=Gala Placidia;81536]I think that when anyone decides to move to Italy, or to any other country, it is because of a number of personal reasons and not only because of economic reasons... well, at least it should not be the main reason for making that move, unless you are forced by circumstances beyond your control. Also, we have to take into account that circumstances may change over a period of time, so it is not safe to move simply because life seems to be cheaper in another country. We should do it with our hearts and minds and not with our pockets... or at least money should not be the main factor.[/quote]I totally agree with you! I am always worried when I hear that someone has moved to Italy because they think they will (a) make money from their property; (b) Be able to afford a big, BIG house; (c) The weather will be sooooo much better, dahling; (d) they have fantasies of being Italian or, worst of all, (e) the wine is so cheap! Another factor that often draws people back to "Blighty" is that they find they miss their friends and family far more than they realised they would - even though they may hate them with a total disregard to decency.

Hi Violetta

We get a steady stream of guests coming to stay with us who are looking for their piece of la dolce vita - whether that stream reduces to a trickle we'll have to wait and see. Despite the hard facts and other anecdotal evidence, we have also seen a dramatic rise in the number of Estate Agents opening up around the area - many of which are catering for idigenous city types looking for their country pad.

For me, the folk who choose Italy to live or have a second home seem to be more broad minded and in search of new experiences than those simply looking to swap the UK for the "UK with sunshine" which exists on certain of the Spanish costas. As things are now, if people want to make an investment killing, then maybe they should be looking elsewhere in the "new" Europe. We bought in Italy based purely on emotion, and I think there are still quite a few people around like that.

Chris
[url=http://www.olivopiegato.com]Tuscany Bed and Breakfast - L'Olivo Piegato, The Crooked Olive[/url]

PS - try placing a scattering of cats over the duvet at night - that stops temperatures plumeting (stops you sleeping as well!)

[quote=Violetta;81478]Sitting here in tartan wynciette (spelling?) jammies, bedsocks, hubby's dressing gown as the heating's only just gone on and it's pretty chilly not able to believe anyone wears skimpy nightwear in Italy in the winter! Do they?

And don't wish to sound boring but it's an interesting thread in the light of talk elsewhere about exchange rates and people leaving, etc. Are there people here actively looking to be buy property right now and would they be influenced by some of the comments they've read from posters and the fact that their money won't buy them quite so much house today as it would have done this time last year or 24 months ago?

Also: London-based friends said at Christmas that they thought the mad, also epidemic of "rush to the sun" that was evident across the UK in the early/mid 2000s was dying down. The TV channels are no longer so heavily loaded with expat home themed programmes and those magazines that used to cram the shelves (Italy Mag, aside, of course) are no longer quite numerous.[/quote]