It has been a little over four years since Darrell was granted his Spanish residency in December 2017, and my God, a lot has happened since. In 2017, we were very much looking forward to our new life in Gran Alacant, enjoying living on the continent and the Spanish way of life. Today in 2022, we are firmly but in many respects reluctantly committed to settling in Britain; not what we planned, but at least we are together.

Today, Darrell received his UK settlement status for a second time, after what has been the most turbulent five years in our life. Darrell was originally given 'Indefinite Leave to Remain' in 2001, but after changes to immigration law, the introduction of a new biometrics card and dramatic changes to our circumstances, he was forced to reapply for the same status yet again. Living outside Australia for nearly two years, caring for Mum, only complicated our situation further. When one adds Brexit and a Worldwide pandemic into the mix, you can see, just how precarious our situation was.

Since his return to the UK in September, we have both been living under a cloud, not knowing if he would be allowed to live here permanently or not. However, after consulting a solicitor at great expense, we were able to establish a legal basis for settlement, and he was finally given back his right of abode. It has been a long, difficult journey getting here; despite our current situation, we are both determined to make the most of our life together and forge a future at least in part based in the UK.

Being around family has been amazing over the last four years, especially whilst living through a pandemic, it has given us both a reason to stay in this part of the World. We have grown close to our cousins and family in a way we haven't before and for that reason, I couldn't be happier. There is nevertheless a profound sense of disappointment that we couldn't continue our journey in Spain, and I will forever wonder what could have been. Despite the sadness we feel, we are both well aware of just how much the World has changed over the last two years in particular, and believe our life in Spain would have been cut short in any eventuality.

Today we both have the luxury of planning for yet another new future, whether on the south coast, or further afield in Lancashire, an area we know well. Neither of us know where life will take us from now, but we are determined to make the most of the opportunities we have and hope the next five years will be a little easier than the last!

It's been a while since I have written a personal blog entry; I have been so busy working over recent weeks, that I just haven't had the time to put pen to paper. It is hard for me, not being able to express myself when I want to, but I do have pressing priorities at the moment, which has meant having to put my life on hold for a short period. We have managed to meet up with an old mate, Elaine, who we haven't seen for six years, and that has lifted my spirits somewhat. I look forward to seeing more friends over the coming months, people who have played a pivotal role in our relationship together!

Darrell has been back in the UK for a little over a month now, although it does feel a lot longer. We have had to deal with so much in such a short space of time, that I sometimes just can't keep up. Our rapidly changing circumstances can be difficult to quantify, causing anxiety on a daily basis. Darrell chose to help his Mother during her battle with cancer, back home in Australia, and now he is being penalised for his endeavours. The reason we are where we are today, experiencing such highs and lows, is because he made an empathetic decision to be with my Mother in law at a particularly traumatic time.

Life has always been hard for us, right from day one, and the truth is, we've not made it easy for ourselves. Living in Spain, travelling the World and in recent times living apart, has caused us no end of issues. Both of us are once again in a position where we have to rebuild and restart our life, back home in the country where we met. Ideally we would have liked to rekindle our links with Spain at some point. It was a country where we both felt happy and accepted. Realistically, however, it isn't going to happen.

Events have conspired to curtail our life on the continent; Brexit and the pandemic have cut short any opportunity to settle in Europe. The hardest part is accepting our dream is finally over. Both of us always dreamt of a new life abroad and in a small way, we did achieve that ambition, but today the long-term complications of such a venture is just too much to overcome. With so many expats now leaving Spain and other European nations to return home, because of their own personal circumstances, after such a terrible two years, we just have to accept the inevitable. Both Darrell and I are not going to be relocating to Spain or anywhere else, anytime soon, if ever!

Despite working a lot of hours, supporting Darrell, my mind has most certainly been elsewhere. I continue to save for our future when I can, but I also have to be pragmatic, unable to put as much money aside as I once could. I have to look after Darrell while he waits for his immigration status to be updated and with the cost of living rising at a dramatic rate, it isn't an easy task. There is only so much money to go around, and I have to be as frugal as I can in order to get us through these next few months.

Before Darrell returned from Australia, my life was relatively comfortable, today I have to bolster him and I, without reliance on benefits of any sort. Our relationship prohibits Darrell from claiming benefits, with expectations resting firmly on my shoulders. This is a particular hard pill to swallow, especially when one considers the contribution and commitment made by Darrell, to this country, over twenty years. He has never claimed a penny in benefits, so why isn't he allowed to ask for help now? It does seem our life will be forever scrutinised and assessed by people who have no concept of the struggles we have endured and  that is a cross we will have to bear.

The waiting game continues for us, as it has done for years; more fighting and battling to remain together after more misguided choices. Even at fifty years old, I am still living as a second class citizen in my own country and both of us are still having to jump through hoops to survive. The best we can hope for, is a return to normality within the next few weeks, the worst, is a refusal from the Home Office and the implementation of plan B, which we haven't even contemplated yet. For now, we will continue to tighten our belts, stay focused and determined and hope for a swift, expeditious end to yet another challenging time, in both our lives!

My three weeks of annual leave has come to an end, and I am finally back to work. Thanks to my employers, I have been able to enjoy an extended period with my husband, Darrell, after his arrival in the UK. We have done a lot of walking, talking and discussing the future, which isn't necessarily what we expected. Neither of us thought we would be back to 2001, battling to secure our life here in Britain, but the reality is, this country has changed much over the last few years. Darrell and I have to learn to adapt to the changing circumstances and accept we will never achieve our ambition to live in Europe.

Trying to get to grips with the state of the immigration system has been a challenge. Darrell has all the same rights as I do, but because they were granted twenty years ago, he is finding it hard proving his status. There are many ways you can ascertain your rights to live and work in the UK; it very much depends on how you originally received your immigration documents.

Darrell received a vignette in his passport, stating he has Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK; essentially giving him access to employment and benefits. Using his letter from the Home Office in 2001, he has never had a problem obtaining employment and in truth, he shouldn't now. Employers seem to be unaware of the process involved for someone like Darrell, and we are constantly being told to provide a 'share code,' which an employer can use to determine residency status. Share codes are digital passports, the descendants of the vignette Darrell has. In order for him to prove his right to work, he has to follow an entirely different procedure, which is clearly highlighted on the '.Gov' website. Sadly, this is little understood by employers, and we seem to be fighting a losing battle.

Both of us have been pulling our hair out, trying to draw attention to the resources available to prospective employers, searching for information from someone like Darrell. We both seem to be going around in circles, and it is frustrating to say the least. A simple calculation on a government website would clear up the ambiguity of our situation, yet the digital nature of proving one's right to work in 2021, especially after the pandemic, has become our Achilles heel.

Darrell has applied for jobs and spoken to employment agencies in Britain and just to highlight the difficulties we have been experiencing, each one has different criteria for determining whether he has the right to work. Some are prepared to take his Home Office letter, others not, some want a sharing code, others not; On top of this, having lived in Europe, his Spanish licence is also causing problems. Most employers want a British licence, but interestingly, many of the larger organisations are perfectly fine with a Spanish one. Our movement, all over the World, appears to have created obstacles; the British government want us to stay in one place and never to leave again. That isn't us, our life is based around travelling, it's the way we met and part of the fabric of our relationship together.

Trying to get a car and insurance is also proving problematic. Darrell hasn't driven for several years now, not since he and I lived in Spain, so getting reasonably priced insurance has become yet another stumbling block. We aren't sure if his 'no claims,' bonus can be transferred  from Linea Directa, his Spanish insurance company, to a similar business in the UK. If not, the cost of insuring even a small car will run into hundreds, possibly thousands of pounds. This is yet another hurdle we need to cross, as we rebuild our life back home.

Of course, we aren't the only people going through hard times at the moment. After Brexit, the number of expats returning has increased, and they too are having to start again, in a country that has changed dramatically since they last lived here. Compounded by the pandemic and people being unable to get home because of the virus, returning British residents have some serious concerns they need to address; we are all going through the same upheaval, and it won't end anytime soon.

It looks like Darrell and I will experience some awkwardness in how we live our life for the foreseeable future, until the Home Office give him his biometric resident card, and he can finally prove his right to work. Until then, I will be working long hours in two jobs to support us both. I'm not afraid of hard work, so life will carry on very much in the same vein, as it always has. Things may well seem daunting at present, but we are assured our predicament will get better and resolve in the near future. We are lucky to be together still, after twenty-six years, and that is our most important achievement. The world may well have changed dramatically since 2016, but it is also an opportunity for us, to start again, as we have done, so many times before. Our success or failure will depend on how well we whether the incoming storm; we are both fighters, and our determination can only help us focus on the challenges ahead.