Sorry if this is the wrong forum, but this to wish Steve and Susan all the best on their move from under the acacias to Northern climes.

u hambe kakuhle

Very kind of you to say so my friend and always remember, that anytime you're in our neck of the woods, you'll be assured of a warm welcome, a hot braii, a cold beer (probably several actually) and a clean bed anytime you need it for as long as you need it...... the only two things I can't guarantee is empty shelf space in the library and Hooker not showing up at some stage!

Say it ain't so!

Were to, dare I ask?

WHY DO THAT?

Best of wishes on the move.....get it over with and get back on the forum asap.
Why move???? I am SURE the CRIME in S.A. is reason enough.....not to mention all the other hassels those mates put up with constantly!

I will be showing up at Steve and Susan's new house as soon as he a stock of cold beer and has gotten all moved in and settled. I always wanted to see Portugal now I have a place to stay

Huh? What? Moving AWAY from Africa???!!!

Rumor has it that Shak and Suz are taking up chicken farming!

Steve,

I'm very sorry to see you go, Steve. I was really looking forward to stopping in to see you some time there. But don't be surprised to see me on your doorstep some time in the future. I've always wanted to meet you, I enjoy traveling to Europe, my wife's native tongue is Portugese, and I've always wanted to see Spain and Portugal! I pray you guys have a smooth move, and please keep posting on AR!

Glen

Muito bom, Steve

Did it turn out to be Portugal after all?
Hard to imagine for we who are not there but I cannot understand why all the seemingly intelligent shooting friends I have around the states would ever want to move to California either.
Wish you the best in your new home.
Frank

We all wish him and his family all the best in their new home.

Sadly, I know a number of great people who have decided that Africa is no longer what it was, and have decided to find other countries to call home.

Again, I wish all of them the best in health, properity and happiness.

Steve, if your travels calls on you to pass through our part of the world, you are more than welcome to our home. We are used to hosting "people from Africa", and they seem to enjoy it, despite Walter being present.

My door is always open mate. Good luck on your move and don't forget to post a report.

Sorry to hear Steve! Now who should I target now for my friendly banter? Well, at least you will probably still psot here?

I don't think he's leaving us, just South Africa. Geez, I won't have anyone to check on my taxidermy at Life Form!

Thanks to all for those kind words and thanks especially to Saeed for the kind invitation. - We will make it over there one day!

We're leaving for a variety of reasons. Some related to visa issues and RSA Government's increasing reluctance to grant visas/residency to white immigrants, some to our getting increasingly pissed off with the ever burgeoning laws that are making life ever more difficult for the average Joe Bloggs and choking industry, piss poor bureaucratic effeciency and of course the ever worsening political scene with people like Julius Malema and his ilk...... to say nothing of the crime situation getting worse and the Government thinking the cure to that is to massage the figures rather than address the situation properly.

We'll miss Africa and we'll especially miss our friends here but will be back occasionally on business and the move is also a logical part of the ongoing retirement process. It'll also mean I can (hopefully) get to see a lot more of my new Grandaughter who live in the UK.

So in many ways, although we'll be sorry to leave Africa, we're also looking forward very much to our new life in Europe and moving from a country that ranks 118 in the Global Peace Index to one that ranks 17 will be a real pleasure...... As will being able to buy a restored 18th or 19th century cottage with a hectare or two, a trout stream, beautiful scenery and no damn neighbours for about half the price of my house here in Africa! It'll also allow Susan to finally get started on her plan to keep a few chooks and maybe other birds (please God no damn ostriches! ) about the place!

The other good news is that I've been able to get all the paperwork to export my much loved classic Jeep out of Africa and the import permit to take it into Portugal (hopefully) on a tax free basis!

I've also no doubt we'll see more than a few visiting friends and relatives come and go and that also will be nice for us.

All in all, although (as previously said) we'll miss our friends here, we both think we're making the right move at the right time......

A quick summary is that the Jeep and all our household goods are at the Shippers and get sent to Europe in about a month from now, we leave on Tuesday and get to Portugal on Wednesday evening and drive to the central region on Thursday where we've rented a cottage with trout stream for 3 months whilst we house hunt, our cats (who should be travelling first class for the price we're paying) arrive in October and the Jeep and household goods arrive just before Christmas and the plan is to have bought somewhere by the time it all arrives!...... Inshallah!(If God wills it!)

quote:

Originally posted by ddrhook:
I will be showing up at Steve and Susan's new house as soon as he a stock of cold beer and has gotten all moved in and settled. I always wanted to see Portugal now I have a place to stay

I do believe that Steve is to purchase a reasonably sized dog box for certain guests. It will have a door in case of cold weather.

If we have a dog house, it'll probably be me that's in it as I often am!

Hooker might have to share the chicken house......... although, hmmmmmm. On second thoughts.......

I think a cat house would be more to my liking THANK YOU VERY MUCH

All the best in your new setting and a safe trip.

Best to you Steve...hope all works out as to your likings.

Steve

You get to trade that flat-dog rig for a fly-rod now-

Goodluck happy trails and watch out for Hookers-

SSR

quote:

Originally posted by Cross L:
Steve

You get to trade that flat-dog rig for a fly-rod now-

Goodluck happy trails and watch out for Hookers-

SSR

I'll still use the flatdog rods for shark and marlin etc as I understand the sea.big game fishing is pretty special out there...... but it'll also be nice to get back into some fly fishing as well..... I'll have to buy myself all the fly tying kit though as my last last lot got washed down the Limpopo in the floods of 2000 and I never got round to replacing it.

I doubt I'll have much success in keeping the Hookers at bay....... so guess I'll have to build a second doghouse to keep the chooks safe!

Hmmmmmm.....good luck in Portugal, but your move does give me the unsettling confirmation that RSA is sliding into the cannibal's pot.

keep it up I'll show up bag baggage and stay for months on end. and besides I gave up chooks when I was a mear teen and discovered better avenues of relief remember I'm from the south and family is legal hear

Best of luck with the move Steve. Now you need to take up metal detecting. Your new neck of the woods has tremendous history aside from the occasional cache of those little shiny round things. Cheers, David

Good luck with the move. You certainly picked a lovely country to settle in. Nice time to be property investing in southern Europe too. Just don't transfer all your assets to Portugal/Euro just yet until this Greece thing plays out....

Whereabouts in Portugal will you be? My in-laws are all just across the border so travel down that way quite a bit...

quote:

Originally posted by BigBoreCore:
Hmmmmmm.....good luck in Portugal, but your move does give me the unsettling confirmation that RSA is sliding into the cannibal's pot.

I truly hate to say it but you're not wrong. As beautiful as Africa is, it somehow seems doomed for every country on the continent to make the same mistakes and SA seems to be going slowly downhill day by day.

We've had a great time whilst living here and I've had some wonderful experiences over the last 30 odd years in Africa but I reckon now is the sensible time for us as outsiders (although I have to admit, I feel more African than European) to go whilst the going's good.

Damn but I'm gonna miss all my friends here though.

quote:

Originally posted by JabaliHunter:
Good luck with the move. You certainly picked a lovely country to settle in. Nice time to be property investing in southern Europe too. Just don't transfer all your assets to Portugal/Euro just yet until this Greece thing plays out....

Whereabouts in Portugal will you be? My in-laws are all just across the border so travel down that way quite a bit...

Yup, the property prices are simply astoundingly good.

We're relatively open to area but want central rather than the coastal areas because we both want a bit of solitude rather than have neighbours right on top of us. I also want a trout stream, river or water view.

From what we've seen and found on the net, the areas that look especially interesting are Coimbra, Penela & Tomar...... I also have an interest in the period of the Knights Templar so Tomar looks especially good to me...... Maybe David has a point about a metal detector!

I'm not sure what little shiny round things he's talking about though? I wasn't aware PT had precious stones?

quote:

Originally posted by shakari:


Damn but I'm gonna miss all my friends here though.

Ah don't worry my buddy, we'll still be here! Oops, hope I fit into the friends category...Anyway, so long as you don't pack in AR - whenever you're feeling homesick, just find me online and we can enter into a gentlemanly debate like the good old days, then you'll know you made the right decision!

God speed Steve, enjoy the fishing.

Dave

Of course you fit into that catagory my friend and you'll also be very welcome in my home if you ever get out to our neck of the woods as well.

No need to bring a fishing rod...... I've got PLENTY!

quote:

Originally posted by BigBoreCore:
Hmmmmmm.....good luck in Portugal, but your move does give me the unsettling confirmation that RSA is sliding into the cannibal's pot.

Not the cannibals pot so much as the African Socialist Bullshit. What is more and more apparent, is that racism is on the increase. You have to see and hear what Malema [president of the African National Congress Youth League] spouts. He has referred to the white population as criminals and they must be treated as such. The rot in all levels of government is so apparent, departments like health and education totally failing. Where I live, the roads are deterioating, garbage is not collected on a regular basis, law enforcement on the roads is not evident. The new city council has been in existance for nearly four months and has yet to convene a meeting. The ANC government is at this time bringing out a new law to stifle any exposure of government wrong doing. Recently the local newspaper ran an expose[?] on the virtual collapse of state mortuaries in the Eastern Cape. Broken down fridges, no protective clothing, rotten corpses, filth and blood. The list goes on and on.

Steve-
It's true we've never met. I feel I almost know you from some of our interaction here on the forum. At the very least Shakari Connection has turned me on to some terrific books.
I hope you'll keep the website going!
Best of luck on the move, it's a big step.
I hate to see good people leave Africa because of the corrupt rascist governments.

I think maybe what LDK is talking about when he says "little shiny round things" - is buried or hidden treasure, such as gold doubloons, some of which were minted in Spain and the Portuguese colonies, and some of which were lost in shipwrecks off the Portugal coast, and some of which might also be buried on the property you end up buying? Say, now wouldn't THAT be something!

Steve,
If you don't mind my asking, as a Britt and having lived in Africa, why Portugual? I have never been to Europe, so do not know the draw.

Steve,

E-mail sent.

Hope the move goes as easily as it can. And that things are very, very good in the new place!

Going to work out what hunting opportunities might be available there?

Sure hope you choose to stay with us here.

Lifted the last glass of 1986 BruichLaddioddich Blacker Still cast strength single malt to you this evening. Cheers and thank you!

Marty

Yes, the Connection will continue and also grow in size. We'll be adding new book and further info sections once we're organised.

Molepolole

Ah gotcha..... We'll be in the central zone so probably more chance of finding the holy gail!

SBT,

We sure as hell don't want to go back to the cesspool the UK has become and as UK passport holders, we more or less have the right to live anywhere in the EU. Portugal has similar climate and terrain to our part of Africa, cost of living there isn't too bad, population levels in the central zone are fairly low and property is cheap and very often stunningly beautiful.

We did consider places such as Oz & the US but the truth is I'm sick to death of asking bureaucrats for things and I just want to walk in somewhere and settle rather than kiss arse and meet set criterias. Portugal gives us everything we need and is close enough to the UK for us to get to family as required.

We also looked at other EU countries such as France & Spain but Portugal came out on top and France second but the Portuguese climate and prices won out.

Mike,

There's more than enough hunting there for me nowadays. Good wingshooting, esp ducks and waterfowl plus pigs and deer and of course, terrific fishing. I'll still also guide an occasional safari with old friends from time to time.

Steve, good luck on your move.

Keep us posted on Portugal and how much you like it. Sounds intresting.

Hey Steve, you can change your signature line. As far as I can tell, apart from your toothbrush, underpants and socks, you are packed and damn near gone.

I wish you all the very best with your move,Steve.I have always enjoyed reading your posts here.



Best-
Locksley,R.