Christmas in the UK

Coming towards the end of my Christmas in the UK, have I enjoyed it?  yes lovely to be with my daughter and meet her new boyfriend, sorry not to have been able to visit my son and grandson though. Not enjoyed the weather so much a little cold and wet.
I had forgotten about the large supermarkets such as Sainsbury and Tesco and the amount of food choice available in them, People throwing items into their trolleys as if supermarkets were closing until December 2013.
The the sales starting on Boxing Day and the people grabbing everything then if they don't want it just drop it on the floor.
They say folk have no money I find that hard to believe.
Comparing prices I think the UK is cheaper than Spain shops are in competition with one another so offer vouchers etc then there are the customer loyalty cards virtually unheard of in Spain. I suppose because there is no competition so few shops remain.
I am glad to be going back home well stocked up with essentials craft supplies for the coming year.

How does a week go so quickly?

My daughter arrived for a weeks visit and now she is gone. How quickly a week goes when you are with someone you love.

Memories from her visit is my suntanned skin, normally I don't sun bathe, but this week we have been on the beach at least four times. She went in the sea the first day then the next day we saw the jelly fish lurking, so that was the end of sea swimming.

Also this week I had another visitor for a few days, our priest's dog, she is a young Spanish water dog and follows me everywhere and I mean everywhere. Now she has gone back home, so life around here is pretty quiet for me and my dog and two cats, but not for long in 10 days my 7 year old grandson descends on me. I haven't seen him since Feb 2011 so expect I shall see a big difference in him.

Tomorrow I will have to think my programme out, do I want to start making some cards  before the family comes or wait until they have returned home.This week I received some beautiful 'favourite flowers' stamps from Joanna Sheen and some SWALK stamps also can I wait until the end of June. Watch this space.

Does anyone know what this little bird is? He comes every evening and chirps nonstop always sitting on top of the garden swing.

Web pages and blog sites

Oh it is so annoying when you go on a website or blog page and it contains old information. Why do firms who have web pages not keep them updated?

Summer is here?

OK is summer really here or are we being led into a false sense of well being? Yesterday the temperature rose to 30C in the sun. Possibly away with the winter clothes and out with the summer tops etc. Whatever I still went for some summer retail therapy in Murcia yesterday. Fancy a trip to the UK for some retail therapy though, one thing I miss about living here is the lack of shops.

Men in Green

On my trip out this morning I saw nothing but men in green, the guarda that is. Didn't know so many of them exisited in this part of Spain, obviously on the look out for someone or something. Bollards on both sides of the road and directing cars in to ask questions. Oh the excitement!

Another Easter over

Well I have been at home this Easter, Last year I was returning from Tanzania to Spain via my daughters in Kent. What  beautiful weather it was over the Easter period,very different from this year, in the UK that is.
There have not been  many tourists here this Easter and I expect the bars, restaurants and shops will be disappointed,but none will probably admit it, the only thriving businesses are the supermarkets. Well can you blame people for eating in their holiday accommodations when you look at what the restaurants have on offer and the price. OK you have to prepare, cook and clean up but then it is better value for the money. Even cups of coffee and local bus fares are rising in price a few cents here and there. You can also enjoy a glass of vino or two or  three and not have to worry if the local guardia are hiding on the many roundabouts on the playa.
So what have we been doing this Easter - not a lot. Church Good Friday and Easter Day how I love the Easter Day service, it means more to me than any other service in the churches calendar, but must admit it was spoilt for me this year by someones careless remarks. I must learn to rise above all that is said. I took a walk along the paseo Sunday evening not much has changed even though I live only a few metres from the sea I very rarely partake of a stroll, the usual empty bars, restaurants not much to look at really.

My new storage room for my craft materials is now finished, complete with shelving and I am really enjoying going through all my boxes before placing them on the shelves discovering things I didn't know I had. All my card making and cross stitch items are now complete only have to do knitting and sewing. Wish I had had a bigger room and more shelves.

Well I will be able to complete my craft projects quicker now I can lay my hands on the equipment.
Happy crafting

What are we short of?

A lady asked me what Mojacar is short of, I said everything. I am now revising that answer and saying a good transport system to get you to the surrounding town, airports, hospitals etc. We only have a local bus that runs along the sea front and occasionally into the next town, one needs a car if living here. We don't pay to park anywhere and I mean anywhere, yellow lines, double parking, peoples driveways and no one takes any notice of the parking lines this morning for instance a 4x4 was parked horizontal across 3 parking bays. Oh the joys of living here.
If we need specialist equipment we have to venture either into Almeria or up north to Murcia, that incurs delivery costs if too big to go in the car.
So what do we really need here, some honest workmen (wonder if Dominic Littlewood has thought to do a programme here in Spain - Cowboy job persons (notice I say persons not men). Ex Pats tend to put letters after their names claiming to belong to all sorts of institutions that you can never find on the internet. My philosophy if you want something doing ask a Spanard but be careful there are some rogue Spaniards.
So along with a few good and decent shops-computer, health and beauty, clothes for the average person not skinny lizzies, handicraft  and a shoe shop that sells shoes that one can walk in on Mojacars pavements and roads I think I could be well satisfied, but then again what we haven't got at present saves me money.

Paying out once again

Our province is checking up on the square metres of your homes. Last week a man called to inform us, I asked for his identity and he produced a police warrant, I said 'Oh' then he began to unzip his jackets revealing, yes a uniform, saying 'muy frio'. (Here was I thinking a  strippergram).
Today I took my escritura and offical plans to the office. Of course they didn't agree with them saying I have 2 sq metres more than stated on my escritura.
I expect my rates will now rise to include this extra and the annual increase.
What I want to know is why are the honest people who live here funding the other people who have holiday homes here and most don't contribute to rates etc. because they have properties that have no certificate of habitation. There must be hundred of property owners here that don't contribute to the local coffers.
I pay everything I have to and still don't have a tarmac road or street lights to my house.
Well at least I have a soft pillow to sleep on.

Tourism or Residents

I think the place where I live should forget tourism and go all out for the residents that live here. In the past we have had so many restaurants and bars now the majority of them are closed, some may open in the summer, most I fear will not. What we could do with are some decents shops - clothes, household, electrics, etc.something that cater for the average resident not the tatty tourist shops. At the present time we have to make a round trip of 200kms to the south into the city or even further to the north to a large shopping centre. It would also be good if we had a transport system instead of just the local bus that travels between the beach road and the village. If you haven't a car you might never leave the village or the beach road until your journey in  a hearse.

Moaners

Why do people knock the place where we live? They are saying tourism isn't promoted, perhaps some don't want tourism. How many 'residents' moan about the state of our village but are not on the padron or pay their rates, how many still drive around in UK plated illegal cars, no tax, no itv and therefore no insurance.
I love the place where I live and feel I belong here but then I am fully legal!

New Year new beginnings

All my Christmas materials now put away until August time, when I shall start to prepare for the making of Christmas cards. Think it helps me to stay cool making Christmas cards in 30C+.
Now to start on everyday cards - birthday cards etc. so I always have a stock to hand.
Must also look into materials for making items for Spring fair, gosh time passes so quickly.