spacecadet Posted February 26, 2021 Share Posted February 26, 2021 (edited) On 24/02/2021 at 23:00, Bryan said: Betty's story reminds me of the occasion when we to Spain for a holiday and my case failed to arrive. Trying to buy undies in a remote holiday resort proved to be challenging, it caused more than a degree of mirth amongst the friends we were travelling with. Since then we have always ensured that our clothes are distributed between the two cases, with emergency supplies in the hand luggage. Fortunately my stuff did reach our hotel after a couple of days. I haven't checked baggage in the EU for years- it costs extra. So it goes under the seat or in the overhead if I get lucky. Only the wine get checked Edited February 26, 2021 by spacecadet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted February 27, 2021 Author Share Posted February 27, 2021 My son is on the road to Kansas driving a U-Haul with all of his belongings, with my son-in-law, who flew to Alabama to help him, driving my son’s truck. His new job starts March 15th. I’ll soon have 2 of my 3 kids living in Kansas. The other less than 3 hours away. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cecile Marion Posted February 27, 2021 Share Posted February 27, 2021 Sounds like a wonderful situation to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Ventura Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 5 hours ago, Betty LaRue said: My son is on the road to Kansas driving a U-Haul with all of his belongings, with my son-in-law, who flew to Alabama to help him, driving my son’s truck. His new job starts March 15th. I’ll soon have 2 of my 3 kids living in Kansas. The other less than 3 hours away. I am sure that is a great feeling to have. Having my kids close is real comforting. I see them as much as I can. My daughter dropped by the other day, and surprised me with some take out from my fave Thai restaurant in Northern Virginia. She went there with her entire firehouse shift (after they got off their shift), she works one night a week as a volunteer firefighter/EMT at the firehouse just down the road. It will be wonderful to have at two of the three close to you! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Spent the afternoon at the allotment, did some useful things but then got into socially distanced conversation with a couple of other gardeners. One revealed that his uncle used to be the head gardener at Roundhay park in Leeds, and that his family was kept supplied with rose bushes as they cleared the beds each year. Our elder son lived near the park, so I know it well. Like many public gardens, they have cut back on the planting, it's now just grass and trees, but with a large lake, children's play facilities and a good café, still a lovely place to visit. Not being one to miss an opportunity, I've sold a few photos taken there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thyrsis Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 3 hours ago, Bryan said: Spent the afternoon at the allotment, did some useful things but then got into socially distanced conversation with a couple of other gardeners. One revealed that his uncle used to be the head gardener at Roundhay park in Leeds, and that his family was kept supplied with rose bushes as they cleared the beds each year. Our elder son lived near the park, so I know it well. Like many public gardens, they have cut back on the planting, it's now just grass and trees, but with a large lake, children's play facilities and a good café, still a lovely place to visit. Not being one to miss an opportunity, I've sold a few photos taken there. We used to go to Roundhay Park when I was little, my Aunty Alice lived close by!! We would go by train from Rochdale to Leeds. There were still trams in the city then. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 9 minutes ago, Thyrsis said: We used to go to Roundhay Park when I was little, my Aunty Alice lived close by!! We would go by train from Rochdale to Leeds. There were still trams in the city then. Leeds desperately needs to have the trams back, the traffic is a nightmare! Can't help but feel that they are falling further behind Manchester which has such a buzz to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thyrsis Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 21 minutes ago, Bryan said: Leeds desperately needs to have the trams back, the traffic is a nightmare! Can't help but feel that they are falling further behind Manchester which has such a buzz to it. Our son lives in Sheffield which is a great city...and has trams! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sb photos Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Had an interesting weekend, great weather for walking and photography. Walked around a local village Sunday and a canal walk on Saturday. Also booked 3 days away in Somerset for my birthday break. Hopefully the lockdown relaxation will remain on schedule. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Richards Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 (edited) On 25/02/2021 at 01:15, NYCat said: Oh, thank you, Michael but he is in a class way beyond me. Have you seen his Ted Talk? Paulette Just watched this and it's made my day. Thanks for posting this Paulette. 😃 Edited March 1, 2021 by Dave Richards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCat Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 I have watched it many times. It is such an amazing story of an unlikely connection with another being. And he can take me places I will never go. I also spoke with him a bit about his experience with the spirit bear. Once the bear had accepted him as no threat he was able to spend time very close by. Paulette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizBrown Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 The Russian Sputnik vaccine arrived in Nicaragua, sufficient to vaccinate half the population which means everyone over 18, and one of my friends said that vaccinations began today, starting with the geriatric, heart patients, people on dialysis, and some others with preexisting conditions. My ex-landlord told me that vaccines would start in March when we went down to Managua to turn in the residency renewal paperwork. On the renewal of residencies -- at least three other people in various parts of Nicaragua are still waiting, too, so dunno, but Migracion may be realizing that requiring us to show up in Managua every six months is going to get old. Heard from an expat friend that first phone calls will begin this month. Cost is $500 for five years or, if they keep to the every six months schedule, $50 every six months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 34 minutes ago, PAL Media said: If you plan on staying so long, will you apply for citizenship? you would then have dual nationality, or doesn't it work like that over there. One does not need citizenship. It's permanent residency (PR) that's needed. Either way, it's not straight forward. At least not in Australia if you're over 52. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizBrown Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 3 hours ago, PAL Media said: If you plan on staying so long, will you apply for citizenship? you would then have dual nationality, or doesn't it work like that over there. Technically we're supposed to renounce other citizenships when we become Nicaraguan citizens. So far, the US hasn't accepted this unless we do an official renunciation at the Embassy and sign off and pay projected taxes. For now, the Nicaraguans have been ignoring that those who got Nicaraguan citizenship haven't renounced our other citizenship(s), but in the past, they didn't check to see if we were living where we said we were living, either. Then they did. The official Nicaraguan publication of new citizens says that we have renounced, but as one friend who does have both passports said, he didn't sign anything and has voted in Nicaraguan elections but not US ones. People married to Nicaraguans don't have to renounce their citizenships in other countries. I have permanent residency as a pensioner, but have to renew my cedula (residency card) every five years or every six months, depending. I plan to stay here until I can't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MizBrown Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 3 hours ago, gvallee said: One does not need citizenship. It's permanent residency (PR) that's needed. Either way, it's not straight forward. At least not in Australia if you're over 52. It's fairly straightforward in Nicaragua if you are over 45 and won't be working and have at least $1K US a month coming in from a government pension, or at least $1500 coming in from private investments, or plan to invest $30K or more in a business in Nicaragua (somewhat less straight-forward. The only people I've heard of getting permission to work for a Nicaraguan concern are people teaching English. Nicaraguan citizenship is useful in that anyone who has it doesn't have to make the trip to Managua to renew and can work legally, but you have to have had residency before applying. And hope that neither government decides to get cranky over the other citizenship. Most US renunciations appear to be over paying taxes on incomes over $90K regardless of country of residency if one is a US citizen, so to renounce, you have to pay estimated future taxes and have at least the legal equivalent of "permanent leave to remain" in the other country, preferably citizenship. Nicaraguan citizenship is a one off payment of $500 US. I've heard that anyone over 65 or 70 doesn't have to demonstrate proficiency in Spanish. Anyone younger does and also has to pass a test in Spanish on Nicaraguan history. I think the government likes collecting $500 US every five years or $50 every six months for residency renewals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Betty LaRue Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) My son made it to Kansas last Saturday. He found a house to rent temporarily yesterday. He’s staying with me most of the time until he gets the house rental keys in a week. All is good. After a February that set records for cold, the weather now is warm, sunny and beautiful. A person could get whiplash from the sudden weather changes around here. Next up....tornado season, with May being the most dangerous month, typically. But nothing seems typical these days. Edited March 4, 2021 by Betty LaRue Typo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gvallee Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 4 hours ago, MizBrown said: It's fairly straightforward in Nicaragua if you are over 45 and won't be working and have at least $1K US a month coming in from a government pension, or at least $1500 coming in from private investments, or plan to invest $30K or more in a business in Nicaragua (somewhat less straight-forward. The only people I've heard of getting permission to work for a Nicaraguan concern are people teaching English. Nicaraguan citizenship is useful in that anyone who has it doesn't have to make the trip to Managua to renew and can work legally, but you have to have had residency before applying. And hope that neither government decides to get cranky over the other citizenship. Most US renunciations appear to be over paying taxes on incomes over $90K regardless of country of residency if one is a US citizen, so to renounce, you have to pay estimated future taxes and have at least the legal equivalent of "permanent leave to remain" in the other country, preferably citizenship. Nicaraguan citizenship is a one off payment of $500 US. I've heard that anyone over 65 or 70 doesn't have to demonstrate proficiency in Spanish. Anyone younger does and also has to pass a test in Spanish on Nicaraguan history. I think the government likes collecting $500 US every five years or $50 every six months for residency renewals. Ah Ok, you're better off than us MizBrown, we are battling to get PR. For over 52, the only way to get it is via a very expensive retirement/investment visa (A$13,000 per person) renewable every 4 years. You need 2 renewals at least to be allowed to apply to PR whose fee has just gone up and is around A$ 80,000 for 2 persons. Thing is, they have discontinued the retirement visa we're on 2 years ago. Our case has been raised to Home Affairs in Canberra via our MP. Next renewal in a year and a bit... I believe citizenship would be next to impossible to get and it would not give us much, so we're not chasing it. I refuse to contemplate having to leave Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 (edited) 20 hours ago, gvallee said: Ah Ok, you're better off than us MizBrown, we are battling to get PR. For over 52, the only way to get it is via a very expensive retirement/investment visa (A$13,000 per person) renewable every 4 years. You need 2 renewals at least to be allowed to apply to PR whose fee has just gone up and is around A$ 80,000 for 2 persons. Thing is, they have discontinued the retirement visa we're on 2 years ago. Our case has been raised to Home Affairs in Canberra via our MP. Next renewal in a year and a bit... I believe citizenship would be next to impossible to get and it would not give us much, so we're not chasing it. I refuse to contemplate having to leave Oz. It's starting to sound familiar to someone who has just had his EU nationality, not to put too fine a point on it, stolen. In its place is nothing. We now need various documents and there's a 90-day limit on stays in the EU. It's cold outside. Edited March 5, 2021 by spacecadet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 14 hours ago, spacecadet said: It's starting to sound familiar to someone who has just had his EU nationality, not to put too fine a point on it, stolen. In its place is nothing. We now need various documents and there's a 90-day limit on stays in the EU. It's cold outside. Just watched a building makeover programme where a UK couple restored a French chateau as an up market B&B. Dread to think what their situation is now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphperspective Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 Got all my Onion Sets in this morning, came back from my morning trundle to find my local friendly Jackdaws had pulled them all out!! They are now back in and netted.🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 19 minutes ago, aphperspective said: Got all my Onion Sets in this morning, came back from my morning trundle to find my local friendly Jackdaws had pulled them all out!! They are now back in and netted.🙂 Have mine ready but the ground is still too cold and wet here for planting. I may start some of them off in pots. Coincidentally, I went for a short spin on the bike this morning and saw someone potting up sets in their back garden. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spacecadet Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 (edited) Got the Oxford. Very efficient setup at a pharmacist a mile away. And a doctor who appreciated my T-shirt with the unverified health claim. It's now my vaccination clothing of choice. I feel a bit tired now but that may be down to waking up early. Anyway if there are any side-effects I intend to blame the wine. Edited March 6, 2021 by spacecadet 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aphperspective Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 We may be a bit warmer over here in West Cork Bryan, but wetter! Hopefully tomorrow the Tomato seeds will get a start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NYCat Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 A year ago in March I was cat-sitting for a woman who had traveled to Europe. She had to come back early because of the pandemic. All of my bookings stopped at that point. This weekend I am working for her again. She is not in Europe, of course, but I now have a few people who are traveling in the US and my business is fine. Paulette 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted March 14, 2021 Share Posted March 14, 2021 Bought tickets for a folk concert scheduled for October. Almost sold out, couldn't get two seats together. Fingers crossed it goes ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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