Mr Blue Sky

Its a bit of a cliche that we Brits will always talk about the weather and you have to admit it is a good conversation opener. Given the UK summer,  and I use the term loosely, we get a bit nervous about telling you all how hot it is here and of course rain free! As UK residents we lived in the middle, the far end and the top of the country. We did undoubtedly have a lot more"weather" than we do here if you get my drift. Changeable is  the word for it I think. We saw the 76 drought in Cornwall, when we could walk on the dried out floor of the local reservoir and see the remains farmhouses and village. The winter that followed saw us snowed in. And who can forget the 87 gales and how badly wrong the met office got the forecast. So it seems there a lot to talk about when it comes to UK weather. What about Spain then? Is it always Mr. Blue Sky? Well its true we do get a lot of good weather here but the forecast is just as important and in some cases more so. The Weather in Spain brings its own problems as well as advantages. As with all hot countries we have to be aware of very high temperatures because of issues like fire risk and UV  levels. Aside from safety having an accurate forecast is very important with regards using and saving water. Although we use mostly grey water on our garden at the house we utilise the ancient irrigation system at our plot in Huerta. This means we contact the "water man" who will come along and flood the terraces for us. Its not only that we pay for the water we have, it also that it is an extremely precious resource. With  accurate up to date information on Spanish weather we will not water only to find it rains the next day. It also means that, for me at least, I can read the forecast and look forward to a nice overcast day! Well you don't want Mr. Blue Sky everyday do you?

Improving my Spanish

I have found a new way of trying to improve my Spanish language skills, every day on http://www.transparent.com/wotd/today/spanish.html. there is a new word which is incorporated into a sentence, you can hear the word and the sentence as it should be spoken. i practice the new word and sentence each day and then write it down in a book and frequently revise. Its surprising what a difference it has made to expand my vocabulary, and every so often a word/sentence comes up that i know and understand already. With the sentence being spoken with the correct pronounciation this is extremely helpfull as well.

End of an Era

A couple of weeks ago we noticed a sign on the garden ornament shop opposite Dia and InterMarche which read "Jubilacion". Not a word we hade come across but it sounded like some sort of celebration was taking place. Back at home we checked our trusty Spanish/ english dictionary and found the work actually meant retirement. Well I guess for the man concerned it is a jolly good reason for a celebration!
We always feel a little sad though when such a local landmark of a business closes as it appears this one will shortly be doing.
The shop is really a treasure trove of thing outdoors and much used by Brits when the want to decorate the outside of there apartments and houses. So hurry hurry if there is something you want along those lines. Bargains to had too with up to 50% off.
We are hoping the family will remain in this lovely unspoilt old building and the shop area will become there patio area as it must have been many years ago.

Personality of the month Joaquin

We are please to tell you that our lovely daughter Bec is engaged to be married to a wondeful young man, Joaquin is Spanish and has lived all his life in Rojales. He is quiet, caring and you only have to see him with Bec to know how much they love and care for each other. Time to start planning the wedding now would be great if the economic crisis was not an issue. As it is Joaquin is like so many others at present, struggling to find work. He is an excellent tiler, painter and general handyman plus a careful driver. Becs loves the fact that Joaquin is like her dad and can just about fix anything. We are all looking for work for him so feel free to put some his way. Joaquin is very patient with my poor Spanish and helps us a lot in learning the language. All his family live in the Rojales area, as with most Spanish families they are very close and do everything they can to help each other. Great big congratulations to the happy couple,

Results of the poll

If you cannot have English TV

Leave Spain = 4 people, Might be thinking about getting air tickets.
Watch Spanish TV instead = 8 voters, will soon be able to understand if not speak Spanish fairly well in the near future.
Watch DVD´s instead = 3 voters, theres a car boot sale this weekend at La Marina you may get good second hand DVD´s there.
Not bothered about it = 8 people who voted have obviously got better things to do --nudge, nudge, wink, wink.
Get drunk instead = 4 voters are going to spend the subcription fees onthe Vino -nice choice.

The Vaughan Town Experience

Barco de Alvila town square
Great to back, more especially now the pool is ready, I have just spent a fantastic 6 days in a 4 star hotel near the town of Barco de Alvila in the province of Avila very near the border of Salamanca and Extremadura.
Having travel up to Madrid from Alicante by train, and what an excellent service that is; I stayed at a little hostel over night in the city. On Sunday morning it was time to be taken care of by the Vaughan Town organisation.
Set up by American Richard Vaughan the purpose of Vaughan Town is to help Spanish business people and professionals improve their English.

For the whole 6 days no Spanish is spoken, The Anglo speaking volunteers, work one to one and in groups talking, talking, and talking. For someone like me not a problem. Volunteers get to stay in a 4 star hotel, with swimming pool and gym, in one of the most picturesque parts of Spain. You have a private room with spa bath and of course great views. The best part for me however was the opportunity to talk in depth with Spanish people to hear about there jobs and there families and their thoughts on life in general.
The Anglo speakers came from all corners of the globe, where multitalented, everything from singer song writers to fire eaters, ensuring that with their many nationalities that the Spanish got to hear lots of accents. Entertainment in the evenings was of the home grown variety provided by Spanish and Anglo alike. Many times we laughed till we cried, good honest fun, if only international relations were always this easy.
All of the Anglos gave there time for free, everyone worked very hard, the last night party was well deserved. I recommend the experience to everyone; I will be doing it again.----- Mary

El Gordo approaches

Its not long now before the biggest Spanish lottery of the year is drawn, This is El Gordo where 3,245 million Euros worth of tickets are sold, There are a total of 185series of 85000 tickets usually split into 10 decimos and sold separately. Participants stand an 85% chance of loosing there money, 10% will recoup there outlay and only 5% will be better off. I've just seen an old chap pass €200 over the counter at the loteria office, he probably saves up for his tickets all year.