Well this is it a new life awaits me.

Well a new life awaits me in Portugal, in a little Hamlet in a place called Vale Boa. As i type this i am in the shop i have now finished with. I was able to say goodbye to a really nice couple i have known over the years. It's sad that so many very nice people i was not able to say goodbye to but it would be another six months if i waited to say goodbye to them all.

I leave my son Anthony behind but i know that we are only a Skype call away. One thing i regret but i may get to do is say to my son that i love him. I have never told my children how much i love them and i am sure that many who read this are like me. Relation between my daughter and I have been strained for quite a few years now and it would be nice for things to change. My son Lee is away in Afghanistan and it's so sad that i go without seeing him and saying goodbye.

My two grandchildren Sean 4 and Chelsee 8 i will only see on holidays. Sean lives in Arbroath in Scotland and at 4years of age he hardly knows me or should i say is very shy towards me. . I would have liked to have taken my now Ex wife with me as was the plan all along but she wanted a divorce. Sadly she has become bitter and twisted and shows nothing but hatred to me and others. I have got on with my life shame she can't.

I posted a message on a Forum i am on about my leaving and i received lots of good will messages. To those i will say that i will report back with as much information about my drive through as i can. I will keep a log of mileage, fuel used fuel prices Tolls etc.

I have stayed at my Mums from when i returned to collect my car at the beginning of July. It's no different now than it was when i was a young man making my way in the world. I was welcomed back as if i had never been away. I will miss my Mum in the coming weeks but i have just got her a new phone one that has Skype on it so we can keep in touch, probably daily i hope. I am sure that i will have lots to tell her.

There has been much happened in the last few weeks that i need to put here on my Blog but that will have to wait for now.

The next time i come back to my Blog will be from Gois Internet Cafe. It will take a little while before i get internet access at the house so it's the Internet Cafe for a short while.

For now that's it.

Well it's now the last few days before my move.

Well it's now the last few days before my move. The last of the paper work over the shop sale is now complete. The only thing is now the stock in the shop has to be stock taken and when the figures are correct then the stock is transfered from my account to Bargain Booze. Then the stock is transfered back into the name of the new Licensee of the shop and i am clear to move.

The last week has been very stress full, first waiting for the solicitor to draw up the bill of sale for the business, then the new lease seems to be taking forever to be ready for signing.

Sunday night i am getting the ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre. Then drive down to somewhere past Poitiers for the first stop. the second stop should be down at Bilboa or past there. Then it's down to Gois to enjoy the rest of my life. 

I have offers of some part time work and some driving jobs so i think i will be kept busy.

I had hoped to be posting day by day now how i was getting on with my new life in my new home. I came back on the 3rd July to complete the final transfer of my business to my son Anthony. It would appear that all the paperwork was not complete and it had to happen at the change of a new promotion within the Franchise organization we are in. Well today 18th July one of the last documents has been signed. Tomorrow the last document will be signed and then all is complete.

I am at this time watching the Euro as i have to transfer money to Pay the balance of my house and money to live on.  I will come back to this later

First few days in Gois

Well it's been almost a week since i started the drive over to Gois with my Worldly belongings. As Gois is not a big place driving around in a big van and trailer was not really an option so i parked the van and trailer down by the river. My friends Richard and Patricia where away for the day so i booked into the local hotel. This was all well and good after leaving my bag in the hotel room i was free to roam around Gois on foot and enjoy a drink and a meal.

Gois at this time of year is such a beautiful place with flowers in bloom, trees full of fruit nothing like you will find home in the UK.

I met my mate Nigel and spent an afternoon with him while he acted as a translator for a couple needing work done on a house. Somehow i don't think i will master the language as good or as quick as Nigel has.

Back when i get more time.

Just a quick update

 I am present in Portugal, i have just driven over from the UK. I came over from Portsmouth to Santander and then drove through the night to Gois. I drove through the night because it was such a nice night to drive after getting of the ferry. I had intended to drive to Salamanca and then stop for the night. I arrived at about 6am taking the whole night for the drive and taking regular stops along the way.

It is a drive i would if i had to do again maybe if the weather was not so good i would have stopped. As for cost from Liverpool to Portsmouth i used app £65 of diesel. When i got of the ferry i put in 65€ and that would have been enough but knowing that across the border into Portugal from Spain the cost of fuel would be more so i put in Another 10€. This was enough when you consider that i was driving a long wheel base Transit van with a trailer behind. A picture of the trailer is on this blog. I am aware that i was driving overweight but looking at the van it was not sitting any lower than normal.