Life Continues In Sunny Spain

Hello Everyone

I know it has been quite a long time since I have written anything but life just plods along doing the daily routine things that we all have to do no matter where in the world we live...cleaning out kitchen cupboards included ( this has nothing to do with the fact that Mum and Dad are coming over in 4 weeks time ( honestly ).

I guess the biggest bit of news we have is that Graham and I now have got our Spanish Residency, this seemed quite a daunting process but as it happened it turned out to be very straightforward with the help of Antonio the translator and legal rep who came with us. To do this we had to go to the Police station in Cartegenaand then produce all the relevant papers, have our finger prints taken, supply photographs and hey presto we are now legal Spanish Citizens.We have also sorted out our Medical Cover and are now treated the same as if we were Spanish thanks to the form S1 which was obtained via the Uk, based on tax you have paid whilst working in the Uk entitles you to upto 2 years free medical cover after which we will either have to get a job or start paying for private healthcare...the only incident whilst trying to to sort this out with the Spanish Social Security was when they asked Graham if he was a "pensionista" hehehehe.  We have one more challenge left ahead of us and that is to change our UK driving licences over which we are going to do in January....

It hardly seems possible that Graham and I have been living here for 6 months come next Wednesday, time has just flown by, and I have to say...still no regrets and no desire to return to the UK.

We have taken up Spanish lessons and go once a week, although it seems difficult to remember things as easily when you get older but I am sure things are sinking in slowly, Antonio who teaches us is excellent and very reasonable rates as well as the class is only the 2 of us and he only charges us 5 euros each for an hour.

We are going out each week with our friends Mike and Gareth on discovery trips trying to find new places which is fun, even when we end up at a dead end in a field....the day we discovered the hidden lake which is shown in the photograph above, it was a lovely day out and Graham saved my life even though i thought he was trying to throw me over the mountain side....I leant on a stone pillar, Graham pulled me back by the scruff of my neck as my hand was 1" away from a snake's mouth that had reared its head up because I had disturbed it sunbathing...what is it with me and snakes !!!

Another one of our trips out was to Agulias and to the city of Murcia which Graham was delighted about as it had "Normal" shops including Primark...who ever thought Graham would get excited over going into Primark !!!! We even splashed out and had a Burger & Chips...the first "Fast Food" we have had in 6 months.

Christmas for Graham and I ......One Turkey, 2 Crackers and loads of cheap wine.....just discovered a local bottle of Port...2 Litres for 4.50 euro..it would be rude not to partake

We have friends coming Boxing day and are going out New Years Eve to friends. The one thing I have to say I am REALLY NOT missing is all the Christmas hype that starts at the begining of September in the Uk.

We would both like to send everyone our very best wishes for Christmas and the New Year and hope that it is a Healthy and Happy time for all, May all your dreams come true in 2012 as ours did for us in 2011.

Speak Next Year

Lots Of Love To Everyone

Barry , Graham, Travis , Basil & Ralph

xxxxxxx

The Girls Visit

Hi Eveyone

Well the time arrived for my sister and her three friends to come out for their five day visit...I warned all neighbours that "the girls" were coming , leaving children and husbands at home and that it may be a little noisier than usual...intact alot more noisier than usual.
They arrived on the 13/10/11 the day after my birthday at 3.55, the flight arrived early but it took about an hour to get the car hire sorted as there was quite a big queue. Tina came in the car with me and the other 3 girls followed ( Lynda, Clare, & Sue )
A lovely first evening was spent eating outside and chatting, they all seemed very impressed with the house.
Friday morning we drove up the the monastery and the village of Aledo, calling in Totana to the pottery shop on the way home which gave the girls a chance to do a bit of shopping and bless them they brought us some beautiful bowls...my olives look beautifully presented now....
Friday evening at 6pm the White Daimler arrived to take us to Benidorm to the benidorm palace...the chauffeur complete with cap and champagne in hand...how impressed were we !!! All the neighbours came out to take photographs, we felt like royalty..I urge anyone who has never been to The Benidorm Palace to go..we had a five course meal which was excellent, wine and cava included and one of the best shows I have seen in years...it was the most special night. I saw more womens breasts in 5 minutes than I have seen in 47 years...I hasten to add they were the showgirls not my sister and friends !!! Got home around 3.30 in the morning. It was a fantastic night..loved it
Saturday we were up fairly early and went down to puerto mazarron for a stroll and tapas lunch, ended up eating far to much, back for a rest and sunbathing before Gareth & Mike joined us for an al fresco evening meal...another lovely evening.
Sunday up sharp and off to the local Market.....how can women look at so many and get so excited about handbags !!!!! After the Market a tapas lunch at El Saladillo , then home for rest....saying rest the girls manage to chatter the whole time...I felt like I was on the set of Loose Women !!!
Supper that evening was one of the funniest evenings I have had for years, the wine flowed and it just got funnier and funnier...the neighbours did say that it sounded alot of fun when we saw them the next day.
Monday morning up early and off to Totana for breakfast and a wander round, garden centre and pottery factory. The girls were so kind to Graham and I and bought us some beautiful plants for the garden.
1pm and it was time for the girls to head back to the airport....I bloody hate saying goodbye...it was very emotional ...I've got to get used to this..
By god the house felt quiet afterwards...really missed them, we had just had the most fantastic 5 days
Xxxx

Friends Visit

Hi everyone, i say everyone but might only be me and graham reading this...hi graham....

We have just had a fantastic week with our friends Steve and Vince who came over for a week and went home on Saturday 24th.

They arrived on the 17th and I drove to San Javier airport to pick them up, the journey went well except going round the usual roundabout twice...it is always the same one that catches me out...i will learn.
We had a great week sightseeing and going to the beach, the weather was lovely apart from the Friday night when it rained, fortunately we had just finished eating our supper outside in time.

The highlights of the week for me and I think everyone else were the visit to Aledo ( and the Monestry ) and the views from the Statue Of Christ breathtaking.

On the Sunday we went to a local bar in El Saladillo to watch the Spanish horses dancing and me being the soft git that I am ended up with a tear in my eye when they danced to a Spanish version of My Way..a great lunchtine out and its free apart from buying the drinks of course, Vince had the largest Vodka I have ever seen poured.

The beach at Bolneuvo was a hit with the guys and the water was still plenty warm enough to enjoy swimming in, we met a lovely American lady who called Vince a "Floater" because of the way he was floating on his back in the water, sadly the word "FLOATER" does not translate so well in the UK....

We have brought some lovely outside oil candles to burn around the dining area which also help keep the mosquitos at bay, but these were bought after Vince had been bitten a few times...told him he should have worn long trousers, a parka coat and balaclava....so its his own fault really !!!!!
The garden is really starting to take shape and I love the fact that you can grow exotic plants outside rather then your standard Geraniums or Marrigolds...The Guys bought us a beautiful Bird Of Paradise which is fantastic.
We discovered a really quaint little bar called La Jardin which is very quirky and the gardens are planted very heavily and all the walls just covered in "bits" ...plates, bottles, parrots and even a sewing machine hanging..all sounds very bizzare but it is fantastic.
Steve and Vince stayed in the room at the top of the house which I think they liked as it gave them their own sun terrace and they went home with fantastic tans...did'nt like to ask if it was all over..
Very sad saying good-bye to them at the airport and it has taken me a couple of days to get back into a routine as the house seemed so quiet..the week spent with them made us feel like we were on holiday as well.
My sister and 3 freinds are coming out in 2 weeks time so that is something to look forward to and we have booked to go to the Benidorm Palace on the Friday night by limousine....can't wait..hope we bump into Madge !!!
We were woken up early Sunday morning by an earthquake which made me jump out of bed as the house shook and the windows rattled, Ralph was not impressed, did'nt know what was happening, it was all over very quickly but then we had a second one an hour later..they were a 3.1 and 2.6 about 5 miles away from us, fortunately no damage was done.

So life is now all back to normal and we are both still loving it, the dogs seem to like it even more now that we are having cooler evening ( still not had a window shut though ) still in the 20's at night and high 20's in the daytime...tough life !!!

love to all
xxx

Mum & Dads Visit

Hi Everyone

Mum and Dad have been out for 8 days and went home last Thursday so this blog is dedicated to their trip and all the things we done whilst they were here.

Wednesday 31st August
Mum and Dad arrived at 3.30 pm, Graham and I were so excited it was making our tummy's churn, waiting at the Arrivals gate was really emotional because people coming through were coming out to visit relatives and there were alot of tears flowing...it was nearly enough to start me off even before they got through. We saw Mum first waiting by the luggage carousel and I thought she may run straight through and leave Dad waiting for the suitcase..but she remind in control. We could not believe they were here, never thought we would be seeing them so soon..yahoo

We arrived at the house and the Dogs were really excited to see Granny and Grandpa, they said the house was so much nicer than they even imagined and even better than the photographs we had sent through.
That evening we had a meal outside in the garden and a view glasses of wine and plenty of time to catch up on the news from Eastbourne etc.
The following day we went to la Hoyaz where there is the most beautiful bar set up on a hill overlooking the whole bay and across to Mazarron, the views are spectacular and you feel like you could be anywhere in the world it is so tranquil.
Oh I forgot to say after living here now for over 2 months and just wall to wall sunshine we had a storm last night, could not believe it first night of parents visit and we end up with thunder and lightening...typical eh !
Friday Graham went to do his days work at the charity shop so I took Mum and Dad up to see the Monastry in Elado....not sure whether to write this or not....but it was lassoing it down with rain, it was like a red river running down the mountain side as we are trying to drive up it...all a bit worrying..could not believe it...we carried on and when we got to the top the weather did ease a bit and we went inside the beautiful chapel there and then in the Hotel for coffee, due to the weather we could not walk round the gardens but it was a lovely day all the same.
Saturday the weather was all back to normal and we went off to the beach, persuaded Mum to don her swimming costume and we all went swimming, fantastic.
In the evening we went to a local Market to get some bread and fruit and veg etc.

Sunday and it was round to our friends Mike and Gareth for morning coffee which turned into Gin o Clock...parents think they are two wonderful guys and I think Mum wants to adopt Gareth.

Monday it was another day at the beach and a fantastic Tapas lunch in the port of Mazarron.

Tuesday we went to Totana for morning coffee and "Tostada Con Tomat " which they loved and then in the evening Gareth and Mike came round for a few drinks !!! They left at 1.15 and cannot remember much about the night.....

Wednesday it was a relaxing morning at the beach and lunch at La Pena which is a restaurant which Graham and I first went to when we were out here house hunting.

Thursday...local Market at Camposol and then it was time to pack the cases....saying that most things have been left here as they have booked to come back again in January....we must have got it right I guess

Saying goodbye at the Airport was horrible and was far worse than saying goodbye when we left to move out here...really strange..
We had the best week ever and I miss having Dad on the dog walking with us, mind you I am sure he will be glad he missed the snake that Travis and I came across on Sunday night...how come people have lived here for years and never seen a snake and I have been here 2 months and seen 2 already ?

Mum and Dad bought us a Lemon and Orange tree which we have planted up in lovely terracotta pots and they are sitting either front of the main steps leading up to the house they are called Peter ( the lemon tree ) and Gill ( the orange tree ), Peter could do with growing a bit quicker as Gill may fruit first !!!!
It all seems very quiet here now and life is returning to it's old routine...Graham has caught up with Hollyoaks and Emmerdale is being viewed once again.

We also now have Spanish television so are trying to make sense of what is being said !!!

Still loving our lives and look forward to our next visitors who arrive on Saturday ( Steve and Vince )

I shall waffle again soon

Lots of Love

Xxx

Life Just Gets Better

Hello everyone from sunny Spain

Here goes with the latest update on our life in Spain so far.

Graham has started doing one day a week as a volunteer for a local cancer charity MABS, he is working in one of their shops in Totana, he is mainly on the door as security but I think he is doing more colour co-ordinating on the clothes rails !!!! My big concern is putting Graham in a shop.....I am sure his lunch money is going to get spent on some "bargain" ....

Mum and Dad arrive on Wednesday which I am so excited about and we have been busy doing the last minute bits and pieces to the house and getting the downstairs guest room ready...towels match, bedding washed and ironed...yes we have eventually bought an ironing board after 2 months of not ironing anything....but in our defense we have only been wearing shorts as it has been so incredibly hot..it hit 49 degrees last Friday at 4.30 in the afternoon. Mum says she is only coming to give us a hug, but I know she will still be checking the oven is all clean and the fridge in order etc.....we have got some trips lined up to take them out and about and get to see a bit of the local area etc.

We have made friends with 2 great guys Mike and Gareth, they came round for a Tapas evening Saturday night, I used them as Guinea Pigs to test food ready for when mum and dad come, they said they enjoyed it all, Gareth got carried away and wanted to score each dish out of 10....felt like I was on "come dine with me ". They very kindly took us to a lovely local Market the other Sunday morning and then came back here for coffee.....which turned into a gin & tonic at 12 o clock...and carried on until 530 that afternoon...ouch my head the next day.
Gareth and Mike also very kindly invited us round for a full Sunday roast...it was delicious, roast pork, potatoes and all the trimmings followed by rhubarb crumble...how very British we felt..especially with our material napkins..makes my kitchen roll ones look a bit poor.

I am still going along with the walking group each Thursday morning which I am loving, the scenery is spectacular, and also the breakfast at the end of the walk is pretty good to. I discovered a lovely coffee to have with my breakfast last week, it's called a Belmonti ( spelling is probably wrong ) it us a shot of carnation milk, espresso on top and finished with a nip of Brandy...beautiful.

I know I have said this before but I cannot believe how lucky we are to be living here , life just seems to be getting better and better.
The neighbours are just wonderful, we got invited over for drinks the other night and got home at 130.. A wonderful evening spent outside on their terrace with all the other neighbours there as well. People here are so incredibly friendly, I guess IRS all because we have more time to be social with each other.
We are loving our lives.

All my plants I have purchased over the last few weeks are coming on leaps and bounds, and the garden is really taking shape. We had 5 trees removed last week and it has really opened up the front of the house and looks much better. We have also had the back wall re- rendered as it had not been done because it was where the shed had been located before we moved it...so still keeping nice and busy.

I shall stop waffling on now and report back later to let you know how the Folks enjoyed their week with us .

Love to all

Barry & Graham

Good afternoon everyone, we hope you are all keeping well and that life is treating you kind.

I realise I have not written on here for some time and I apologise, to some it may even be a blessing !!!!! But I am back.....so in the words of Miranda's mum "bear with " ( my favourite comedy programme of all time )

What has been happening with us......the house is virtually finished to our ( Grahams standards ) , just the last bit of painting to do on the outside..just tarting up the bannisters etc and the last few things to get before we have any visitors, bedding, towels and odd things like that.

We have started going out and about a bit more, we have now been to Alahama and to a Market at Polaris World ( not a place I would choose to live, all the houses looked like boxes ), we have driven round a few country lanes and through villages I cannot remember the names of and had a few coffees out.
We did discover some fantastic pottery factories along one of these country lanes and cannot believe how cheap the terracotta pots were, it felt rude not to buy some so our seating area outside is gradually being taken over with the plants in their lovely ( cheap ) pots.
The thing I am finding strangest about living in Spain is just how friendly everyone is and how they have the time to chat or help in anyway they can...a few examples....
The car had to go to Lorca to get a new ITV ( the equivalent of an MOT ) and the man from the garage where we bought the car gave up his afternoon off to take me and show me the way and the procedure with which it is done...I offered him 30 euros but he wouldn't take it and said his philosophy is that one day he may need help and guidance....I was so grateful he was there as over here for the ITV you stay in the car whilst it all happens...you join a queue and that get told to put lights on, test breaks, indicators etc etc...all very confusing above the noise of the engines and the language barrier.
Another example I was walking Basil ( the Scottish terrier ) last night and some people were sat outside the front of their house, I said good evening and ended up having wine with them...never met them before in my life...seems to be a good thing walking basil at night as also a few days ago I left at 1030 for his night time wee and ended up coming home at 1230 after a bottle of Rose wine with neighbours.....
But dog walking does have it's downside as well as the morning the day before yesterday we were walking along the road and then to my horror I saw Travis ( the poodle ) had dis front foot in the middle of a snake that was curled up...I think you probably heard me yell in the UK as I just yanked him as fast and hard as I could, thank god the snake didn't bite him which was my biggest fear, it just wound it's say off along the road. It was about 18" long and has made me very aware of where mine and the dogs feet are treading now.

I have also joined a local walking group and go off with upto 20 other people every Thursday morning at a ridiculous time in the morning , we meet at 0650....but saying that by the time we have done our walk it is sweltering, I joined as a way of getting to meet other people as well as he exercise.

We had some friends round for drinks the week before last and I have to say I think that was really the turning point in my head when I thought how lucky we are to be living here, sitting outside at 1130 at night in the warm and so many stresses of living taken away from us.
If someone asked me at this present time would I return to the UK the answer would be no although I miss family and friends the quality of our lives here is fantastic, I feel very honoured and lucky to be living this dream.

Mum and Dad are coming out for 8 days at the end of August which we are both really looking forward to..hence the exploring of the surrounding areas to find some nice places to take them.



The dogs are doing fantastically and really settling in well and getting into a good routine, Ralph is definitely a morning dog when it is at it's coolest...the daytime temperatures over the last couple of days have gone into the 40's, I got so hot yesterday the Graham just poured a watering can from the outside tap to cool me down but all that happened was I just steamed....

Hope this has brought you all up to date a little

Send you all our love

Barry & Graham
Plus the Boys
Xxx

The Longest Weekend Of My Life

The most important thing to say firstly is "The Dogs Have Arrived"

They were picked up from Tina's (my sister) in Crowborough on Friday evening around 9 o'clock to start their journey to join us, we used a company from Eastbourne called Pet Chauffers, Graham had found them whilst searching on the internet, they were being driven here via the tunnel and left on the 430 train from Ashford.The next 48 hours were the longest of my life, although Tina had said what lovely chaps they were i could not help but worry and just wanted the time to pass quickly. We got a call from them Saturday evening to say they were running late due to the weather coming down through France ( bloody French typical !! ), there was alot of rain and high winds so they were having to take it easy. Did I sleep Saturday night NO is the answer.......up early Sunday when I thought I would relax a little knowing that they were arriving...not a chance I was even more stressed than Saturday. They called us Sunday morning to say they hoped to arrive around 10pm.....they called at 10pm to say they had one more dog to deliver and that unfortunately ours were the last drop off...12.30 they arrived. I met Keith and his helper on the main road into Camposol as it is a bit of a maze to find our house...wehn I pulled up they were stood by the side of the people carrier which they use with the back door open and there were Our Boys looking very relaxed laying in their pens, not a care in the world. I am very pleased to report when they realised it was me they got really excited, apart from Basil who was more interested in "weeing" up every twig, tree, bush or plant he could find...So into my car they jump and 5 minutes later we are home, with Graham waiting at the gate..again great excitment...
I never thought we would get a wink of sleep that night but they were so good and settled down and not a peep out of them all night. We got up early this morning and went for a walk with them, Graham said he could see how happy i looked, it really feels like home now, I cannot believe how much a part of our lives they are and 4 weeks withot them has seemed like a lifetime. A normal routine can now begin, as I sit here writing this they are all stretched out on the tile floor sleeping, i think the journey has really taken it out of them. I feel we definately made the right decision to have them driven here rather than flown and I would have no hesittation in reccomending Pet Chauffers.
I think we are in for a very quiet week this week as I dont want to go to far, rather be with the dogs and help them adjust.
Apart from all the dog news other things going on in our lives.....
Gareth and Mike came round for drinks last Friday afternoon, they moved out here about 20 months ago and are from Wales, although we had never met before Hilary our estate agent put us in touch as she thought we would get along and we must of because they have invited us round to theirs for drinks this coming Friday, so hopefully we are going to start to build up a circle of friends now.
Been busy baking this week with my new halogen oven...cannot believe move to a hot country and start baking...so far out the oven has appeared a minced beef and onion pie, chocolate brownie cake, cheese and potato pie, plus various meals chicken, chips (home made of course ) etc, I think I have waffled on so much to mum about it that she has been out and purchased one as well...apparantly it is the best Quiche she has ever made....I urge all readers of this nonsense to buy one...a fantastic gadget, easy to clean , cheap to run and cooks beautiful roast chicken !!!!!!
Graham is still apinting things and sewing, I have a feeling Basil will end up looking like a West Highland Terrier if he stands still long enough....
I hope you are all keeping well and would like to say missing you all, but missing England   "NO"...41 degrees yesterday......I need say no more
Until next time
lots of love
xxxx

barry

Getting Settled

We are getting settled, especially since our dozen boxes arrived from the UK yesterday plus our pictures and the most treasured item "The Jukebox"..all in one piece.
Graham has still been busy with the paint brush and it is all taking shape now, i have to say that i think the best transformation is the conservatory which was a brownish colour and very boring...not any longer it is now gleaming white with beautiful drapes at the windows, newly painted furniture and the most amazing light which is made out of a wire frame and then covered in led lights, its very effective.
Tony the electrician came round in the week to fit this for us and also to fit ceiling fans in each of the rooms, and i have to say they look really good they are just plain white and look alot better than the wooden ones that were up there before.
Still havent managed to sort out the timing on the jacuzzi yet but tony is coming back this week to sort that out for us, at then it will filter for a set period of time each day.
We finally got the Freesat box sorted out and can now watch alot more programmes from the Uk and also get a good selection of radio channels.
Today Sunday we went down to Puerto De Mazarron to the local market which was so busy and they sell just about anything you can think of. Graham got the bedspread and the curtains that he was after to finish our bedroom off and is still busy on the sewing machine as we speak doing alterations etc.
we also got our fruit and veg for the week (including the peaches that look like someone has sat on them, but they are so sweet and juicy), plus a trip to the butchers for the meat. I have to say it is a nice way to shop rather than just pushing a trolley around Tesco, although a little warm !!! the temperature still hasnt altered since we arrived but we did have about 1 minute of rain yesterday but sadly the humidty then went sky high and it was a very sticky day.
It feels like home now that we have our pictures on the wall and a selection of my Scottie Dog ornaments around, I just wished we had packed and bought out more bits and pieces with us rather than sell it all, but hindsight is a wonderful thing, and when you sperak to the neighbours around here they all done exactly the same...sold eveything and then ended up having to buy it all again when they were here !!!! at least we are not the only ones.
One week today and if all goes to plan the dogs will be here, i am starting to panic, worrying about them on the journey and wishing i could explain to them what is going to happen..Graham keeps telling me they will be fine...i am sure they will....hope so
Meeting more of the neighbours as time goes on and i have to say they all seem so kind and friendly especially John and Jenny next door, never seems to mind when we ask "can we borrow your drill please " again something else we should have bought out with us...tools
I shall sign off now and carry on listening to Dolly Parton.....oh the joy of having the jukebox here
Love to you all
Barry

xx

A Day At The Beach

Well since our last post I have recovered from the adventure/drama of driving to Murcia...not sure how long the mental scars will last though..perhaps counciling/therapy will help !!!!

Graham has discovered the paint brush and is busy painting anything and everything, I dare not sit still for to long as fear of being daubed with his paint brush..
We have gone very neutral in the living room with all walls painted white and Graham informs me that the "wow" factor will come from our (his) chosen accesories...sure i have spelt that wrong...sorry.
The new white curtains are all hung, the fireplace has been blacked and pieces of furniture keep disapearing upstairs to be attacked by Grahams brush !!!! I am sure they will all return to the lounge looking beautiful..
We have purchased a new television..one that we can see rather than the 17" one that was here, and if Amazon do their job our Freesat Humax box should arrive on Tuesday, at least we will then have a programme guide so that we can see whats on....have to say though we did watch Miranda on BBC last night, it was one of the funniest episodes I have seen, she is genious, what timing and wit.

Had a lovely day away from the house yesterday as we went down to Puerto De Mazarron and spent the morning on the beach, the water was lovely and warm, quite busy there as the Spanish have broken up for holidays for the next 5 weeks. When we came off the beach we went to the restaurant "La Pena" for some lunch...I know it sounds very British but we had fish & chips...beautiful...the 2 guys that own the restaurant have been really helpful with tips and advice (thanks Chris & Steve ) and they make us feel really welcome. It was good to have a break from thinking about the house, this was our first "Day Off" as to speak

Saturday 2/7/11....took a trip to the shops and left Graham at home still with his paintbrush in hand, i returned with the food and a real bonus 5 ceiling fans, I have emailed the electrician so hopefully they will be fitted next week and all because I am to mean to put the air conditioning on....but I have relented and spent the afternoon filling up the jacuzzi...hope the electric bill does'nt go through the roof or it will be emptied pretty quickly.....
It is still really hot out here in the mid 30's every day, and with hot nights as well..
Met a lady this morning when I was getting in the car she was walking a lovely dog so we got chatting and I was telling her how much i was missing our dogs, she found her dog dumped as a puppy in the waste bins on the main road through Camposol..how could anybody do that !!! he is a beautiful dog but apparantly costing her a fortune as he is epileptic, he has also mangaed to swallow a piece of plastic and had to have an operation to remove that, and been bitten by something whilst running over the wasteland and ended up on a drip and antibiotics, so not sure as I will be letting ours run around there.
I think that keeps you all updated

Our Day Out

hi everyone hope you are all keeping well and thanks for still bothering to read my nonsense.

i shall start with our trip to the garden centre yesterday, just a short ride in the car down a litle country lane to a beautiful garden centre, i was wandering around quite happy through the plants until Graham pointed out the frogs under the plants !!! me and frogs do not get along, so from a distance i choose a couple of plants, which graham had to retrive from the aisles for me...and according to John next dooe the plants we have purchased out "diplodinas " !!! they look very much like an Hibiscus to me.
We then drove round to A Sector on Camposol to the DIY store and got some paint to start decorating and also some white screening which we have put across the front gates so as when the dogs arrive they will not be sticking their noses through the gate and hopefully not seeing through will help them not to bark...planted the plants in pots..and then had a sleep in the afternoon...it was really hot yesterday and it was the first day that both Graham and I overdone the sun alittle even though we had factor 30 on.

And as for today when we got up I asked Graham which he would prefer to either start decorating or take a trip to Ikea in Murcia....he thought about it for maybe 2 seconds and opted for Ikea, I have to admit I was dreading the drive as it is about 50 minutes away via motorways...off we set in the little Matiz ( Dolores i have called her ) and it all went really well until the last 10 minutes when we took the wrong turning off the motoway and ended up in the city centre on a roundabout with what seemed like 20 lanes of traffic coming from all ways....tense is not the word....we managed to get out the city without hitting anyone or anything and got back on the motorway and turned off at the next junction...the correct one...
Ikea in Murcia is the same as any Ikea in England..Graham looked very content walking around with his yellow Ikea bag..until he realised this was not going to be big enough so he upgraded to a trolley...which was full to the top by the time we left...we did manage a coffee and pizza in Ikea although i would have preffered the meatballs.....
I am really proud of myself for making this journey as to me it was a really daunting experience driving in a new country in a new car without the faintest idea of which direction to go...we got there and we got home...what alot we have achieved in our first week...or at least to me i think we have..
Tomorrow it is time to get on with the painting...no more day trips till it is done....
Today is one of the first days where i got a bit wobbly about missing home...I think it was the stress of the driving etc...but I felt i coild really do with sitting in Mum and Dads conservatory having a coffee with them and having a natter, although we speak on the phone each day it is not the same, saying that I know we have made the right decision and that I would get times when it got a bit emotional...shake myself up and get a grip !!!!!
chat again soon

A New Addition

we have a car !!!!
well whats happened since i last wrote my on-line diary....on friday "Dave the Taxi" was due to pick us up at 9.40 to take us to the solicitors....9.55 he arrives..spanish time i guess..got to the solicitors rushed in appologising to Sally who said it's not a problem..spanish time. we got all the necessary papers needed and headed off with Dave to the town hall to get our Padron ( which basically means we are registered as "in the country" and have the right to vote etc ), we were expecting this to be a long drawn out complicated process...10 mins later it was all done and dusted and graham and i left clutching the inportant piece of paper which to us meant we could now but a car. the lady who dealt with us in the town hall was absolutely charming and managed to say to us in english that she wanted us to be speaking fluent spanish when she next saw us.....pigs might fly the rate we are going

The rest of friday was spent with me hunting the internet for a car..success a car rental company located on sector A of camposol had got a Matiz ... i know its an old mans car but it is perfect for me and graham to pooder around in, i gave them a call and arranged to view it saturday morning and bless them they arranged to come and collect us rather than us walking..

1045 they collected us from the house and by mid-day we were driving off in our new addition (red), it felt really weird changing gear with the wrong hand and driving on the other side of the road...but i am sure we will get used to it.

It was Camposol's fiesta weekend so we went and had a nosey round and watched the lovely firework display from our roof terrace last night

other bits of news include...our oven works even though it had a sticker on it saying "not connected do not use" that was after we had arranged for an electrician to come out tomorrow...we have moved the garden shed to round the back of the house...went to a DIY store...garden centre...oh and we bought a fan to try and help with the really hot nights...done quite a bit of gardening and managed to create a lovely arc out of two very tall pine trees and cleared the rockery and made a purchase of 5 very pretty plants...
i think you are all up to speed now

barry xxx

We have arrived

Here we are.....
I shall start by taking you back to Monday the day before we left, we had a beautiful "tapas" meal with mum and dad as a way of getting in the mood..I have to admit my tummy had been churning for a few days with nerves so I did not expect to sleep at all well on Monday night, but surprise surprise I sleep better than Graham who was awake from 3 in the morning...we got up around 730 and had a last cup of English tea and then dad took us to the station, I wanted a quick "see you later" rather than a good-bye..we were all very controlled and not a tear was shed by anyone..were,nt we brave
We checked in at the airport no problems, I was a bit concerned about the weight of the cases but all was fine
Flight was on time and when we arrived at Murcia airpo Dave was there holding our names up on a board ready to drive us down to camposol which tok around an hour as he went the wrong way on a new road. House keys collected from Mercers estate agents we then drove the 5 mins from there to our new home..
I don't think you could say the previous owner was house proud as it was all a bit dusty, kitchen utensils a bit greasy, and she had obviously just walked out the door as she has left just about everything you can think of..from bed linen, towels, stereo system, knifes & forks, tins of baked beans and even some "Tampons" in the bedside drawer...handy if we get a nosebleed I guess....bles her though she did leave us a bottle of carver in the fridge...
The first night here was very strange neither of us could settle we just kept wandering around looking in cupboards, drawers etc
After a nights sleep (well a couple of hours) we got up and walked to the local commercial centre which is about 30 mins but in this heat feels like an hour..very successful time here though as we managed to get our po box sorted and also arrange for the Internet and telephone to be connected ( hence I am able to write this today )
We then went down to the harbour and had a wander along seafront and stopped at La Penna for a cold glass of coke, and then onto Mercadona for our first try at a weekly shop....we think it was a success at least we have some healthy food in our cupboards..no truffles, chocolate bars etc....with this heat and food the weight should drop off us
When we got back home it was on with a major clean...we are nearly there just the last couple of rooms to do..lots of washing done and drying it on the roof terrace on my continental clothes airer..exciting
Today has been much of the same except the excitement of having e Internet and telephone connected.....I did try a bit of gardening but after 1/2 hour in the heat that was enough ...
Oh I forgot to mention last night the water went off...thought we had been disconnected but found out this is not unusual..but bless the neighbours 2 lots came round with bottles of water for us..they all seem very kind...
I shall keep you posted

24 Hours To Go

Since I last posted the news is "The House Is Ours"
We had an email from the solicitors last Friday that the meeting all went well and the monies were paid over and keys exchanged at 10.15 on the 17/6/2011, it all hit home how real this is.
We decided that rather than prolong all the good-byes we would book a flight out as soon as possible, so flight time 12.45 21/6/2011.....
Spent the weekend saying good-bye to folks the toughest one being last night "Sunday" when we had a family meal out, Tina, Graham, Daniel and jack came down ( my sister, brother-in-law and nephews ) along with my parents went to Pablos Italian restaurant, it was lovely just I got a bit choked up saying goodbye at the end of the evening...after having spent a week living with Tina and the boys it made it even tougher..I think I have got the funniest nephews possible..only Jack would feel comfortable walking round a restaurant with a pair of pants over his trousers !!! Ask and I will explain...
Had our last trip into Eastbourne town centre today to say farewell to work colleagues etc ( yes I got choked up again ) and then walked back along the seafront taking in our last views as we went, this is all very weird..I have got such a mix of emotions..excitement,fear..my head is all over the place, the sooner we are on the plane the better.
We are due to land at Murcia at 16.15 and a chap called Dave is going to meet us and drive us to Camposol
I am trying to sort out the Internet connection for the house so it may be a few days before I write anything on here, so please don't give up on me....
Here Goes....A New Life....Adios

Wednesday 15/6/11

Ok, so I know we are not in Spain yet but just thought I would write a little update.

We have now spoken to the solicitor who has informed us that the meeting of all parties is due to take place on Friday at 10-15 so if all goes to plan we should definitely have the keys.
I have Been looking at flights today and it is looking like Tuesday will be D-Day.
Still feeling all very positive and no real wobbles so far....wait till Monday night / Tuesday morning at the Airport.....
Spending lots of lovely quality time with the dogs they are having a great time running over the fields. We are really going to miss them when we go as they will not be joining us until 17th July, at least it will give us time to get the house ready for them to arrive and when they are there we can give them all the attention and help them settle in.
Graham has been busy on Amazon downloading tons of books onto his Kindle Book Reader, I guess he is thinking he is going to be spending his days laid on a sun lounger reading....Wrong, painting, decorating etc....
The plan is to go back down to Eastbourne on Friday and get all the last bits and pieces sorted out and to say goodbye to people...could be tears !!!

Spanish Countdown 13/06/2011

Our house is due to complete on the 17th June and so Graham and I are in limbo at the moment, we came back from Spain last Thursday and are wandering around either staying at Mum and Dads or with Tina, Graham and the Boys.
Great excitement hit the French household last night when Tina received a telephone call to say"Watch channel 4", it was A Place In The Sun and can you believe it featured Puerto De Mazarron and also showed a villa for sale on Camposol..we keep thinking all this means "it's a sign" whether it it is or not who knows but whilst we were viewing the houses in Spain the second to last one that we viewed had an earthenware bottle in the garden and the design on it was of a lizard which is identical to the tattoo that I have on my leg, this is the house that we have purchased !!!
It is a very weird feeling knowing that a new life is just around the corner but not knowing quite when it is going to start, hopefully we should hear something tomorrow or Wednesday as to the house being ours and when the keys will be available....
I got the help from my nephew Jack to start this "blog" , just thinking it might be a nice idea for anyone who may wish to know how things are going, this is really just the introduction, the real thing should start next week provided we can get the Internet up and running in the house....
Practice over and first blog written, just gotta hope someone may read it now, if not I shall make Graham read it to the boys ( dogs )