It has been two years since moving to our cortijo here in Los Chopos and we thought that we would take time out to reflect on the good, the bad and downright mad!

 

‘Manana’ means tomorrow or more likely, ‘possibly tomorrow or possibly not’.

‘Let’s have a cafe con leche’ means let’s sit and ponder on things we need to do in the house, manana (see above!).

Not all bills are sent out, some you are just meant to know about and pay them and then, you have to work out where and how you can pay them. Not all banks can accept payment for particular bills and those that do, often will only accept payment in cash. Some bills can only be paid through a cash machine.

Where you live depends on the eyesight of the person preparing the bill. Carole has recently been moved from our home here in Los Chopos, to a flat in Alicante.

The thick walls of the house keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter – lies! The thick walls of the house keep you hot in the summer and freezing in the winter.

Decorating rooms actually means replastering.

Falling from the top a ladder onto a tiled floor is not recommended!

Spanish laws change on a daily basis hence four visits to Almeria with different paperwork each time when applying for our ‘residencia’.

Receiving our post (and the neighbours) means the postman popping letters through our car window when he sees us in town or flagging us down if we are on the road to give us all of the post for Los Chopos, so he doesn’t have to bother driving up there.

Courier service means, ‘I have no idea where you live so I’ll deliver here.’ Normally a shop or cafe. Sometimes, they will actually call and arrange a place where we can go and meet them.

How not to look like a tourist means wear jeans in 30c heat and walk in the shade at all times of the year.

Learning the Spanish language is fun but hard,  if the Spanish can say the same thing three different ways plus in masculine or feminine form, they will!

Take care with pronunciation especially when going to pay the bill … ‘pago’ means ‘I pay’ and not ‘pego’ which means ‘I fight you’!

No traffic, even on the motorways…bliss. But take care driving at roundabouts as nobody indicates and if they do, for sure they are not taking the exit you expect.

Free parking, even right on the beach!

Tasty fresh fruit and vegetables, straight from the fields to our weekly market.

Good news, we found the swimming pool lights – bad news the previous owner didn’t ensure they were earthed.

The weeds in the garden actually grow while you are watching.

Best businesses to run in Spain – a pharmacy (la farmacia) or lottery shop (tienda la loteria).

Spanish people are very helpful, thankfully plus we are lucky to have really good neighbours Becky, Ian, Catherine and Martin – much needed when living in the Campo.

We have made some great new friends who we hope will be friends for life!

Finally, ‘happy one year anniversary’ living in Spain to our dear Kim and Paul!