Good news in Spain!

Oh dear - that will teach me to not to waste time on facebook when I should be checking what is happening on EOS first!   Thank you all for defending me - but also apologies to Tish too as I wasn' t intending to start another argument by using the word "trivial", especially not the day before your birthday!!!  I was acknowledging the fact that my post was perhaps a bit mundane.

Now - please don't start arguing about this comment! - the way I have seen this particular thread is to show the positive side of our lives in Spain.  Many of us have been on EOS for many years, however we know that there are new people joining all the time.  If I had just found this website and was thinking about moving to Spain, I would be looking at both the Bad News and Good News threads in an effort to get a balanced view.  I won't dwell on the Bad News, only to say that I've experienced some of it myself and have great sympathy for those of you who have had only negative experiences.  However what I hope we can do in this thread is to give a flavour of the positive side of actually living here, which obviously includes the good weather, the warmth and friendliness we experience every day living in a small Spanish town, our relaxed (sometimes boring!) lifestyle, the cheap prices inland, the fun of the fiestas (though as I said, our dog doesn't like all the noise even though she is Spanish!) etc. 

I think it is good on the Bad News threads to warn people that things can go wrong and hopefully it will help to prevent that happening to them.  The Good News thread on the other hand will give them a flavour of the good things that many of us enjoy here in Spain.  John and I have both retired, so our everyday life may not seem exciting, however I think the quality of our life is far better than it would have been if we were living on our pensions in the UK.  I will try and report only on the highlights and avoid mentioning that we will soon be going to meet a Spanish friend for coffee and will be sitting outside in the sunshine near the gardens in the town centre!

Anyway, feliz cumpleaños to Jan and Tish and anybody else who is having a birthday today or tomorrow.  Enjoy your day!

Sue

A n excellent post Sue and so eloquently put. Many thanks for putting the record straight over the use of the word "trivial" and also your birthday greetings.

 I'm going to have a great week-end celebrating with my family, especially my two gorgeous grandaughters( 31/2 & 1) who are so excited about Nana's "party" !!!!  The weather is glorious here too.  Hope you'll indulge me in my " Happy News from the UK " 

Tish.

Ah, now there's a point....re-title the thread "Happy News from Spain"

My husband is due to retire in 2 years time and we had hoped to spend  most of the following years enjoying our apartment in Spain...but it was never built.  Now the desire in me has gone. Maybe it will return and I too can share your enjoyment of all things Spanish.

Tish

Happy birthday, and hope you have a great day.

I feel much the same way regarding Spain.. If we ever get justice, who knows?

Well said Sue, nice post. Your pleasant stories are NOT boring. Having a nice time socially, especially when it's enhanced by the weather, cuisine and culture of Spain, is a lot Less boring than looking out of our windows on a rainy day in the UK, wondering what the hell to do with the weekend.

octivar2010

there's lot's of things you can do on a rainy day, you just have to use your imagination

I know there is, but there is a lot more you can do when the weather is good, as most sane people would agree

Goodstitch, I have to agree with you, there are lots of things you can do without letting weather whatever it may be hot, rainy, or cold be the deciding factor.

regards Kathy

Dakey chose to give us a football history lesson by quoting

Liverpool; 18 league titles; 8 FA cups; 4 European Cups, 1 Champions League.

Man Utd;  18 league titles; 12 FA cups; 1 European Cup; 2 Champions Leagues; 2 World Club Championships.

Note; I have not included the minor Carling Cup even though we have won it for the past 2 years or the Eufa Cup as we have never finished low enough to qualify for it, so minor trivial trophies dont count.

There are two kinds of statistics, the kind you look up and the kind you make up.

Man Utd have won the F.A. cup 11 times not 12. Liverpool 7 not 8

 

You chose not to include what you call ‘minor trivial trophies’. Seems at odds with Alex Ferguson’s quote “Winning one trophy is good, I tell you. No matter what trophy it might be, you've got to take it.”

 

You chose to leave out Liverpool’s 3 European Super Cup Wins but included Man Utd’s 2 World Club Championships.

 

You chose to leave out The League Cup, Liverpool 7 wins, Man Utd 4. The competition Alex Ferguson said quote “Winning one trophy is good, I tell you. No matter what trophy it might be, you've got to take it.”

 

You chose to leave out the predecessor of the EUFA Cup, The European Cup Winners Cup, Liverpool 3 wins, Man Utd 1…maybe another minor cup!

 
Like dreams, statistics are a form of wish fulfillment.



 

This message was last edited by EOS Team on 02/07/2010.

Tish & I have exchanged PMs & have made amends to one another & both of us would like that known on here.

 Dear All,

the good news from Spain is undeniable and is not boring, there is no "them and us" we all enjoy, nevertheless some posters in their efforts to push the thread and their post count do stretch it with trivialities, which then leads to insults and bad feeling for no good reason.

Otivar you are right to question our climate but although senility is approaching fast I still consider myself mostly sane, as I am sure Goodstich is.

However I am currently suffering here from the heat which is oppressive even though we are near the coast, many say that our heat is too humid and it is better abroad.

At the moment I would welcome a little rain which I often enjoy, sitting in my little "lock-up" with it pattering on the roof, but of course it is a different story if I am losing my footwear in the mud as I try to deal with animals needs, of one sort or another.

To all who are celebrating birthdays or whatever, please enjoy, it brightens the forum even if somewhat trivial as long as it is not being used to isolate others in this nonsense "them and us" mischief.

Regards

Norman

Thank you More for you kind pm! Ohh! you've beaten me to it!

Thanks Goodstich for you B'day greetings!

Good post Norman!

Unfortunately, a lot of life is "trivial".  But this is what makes the world go round.  A walk along the promenade by the beach, going for coffe with friends, having an arch installed in your garden, growing (and tending) flowers (even pulling up the weeds).  All these are so much nicer when the sun is shining and can be described as "trivial" but make up the whole parcel of life.  We can't all be battling oil rig fires, diving down to 50 fathoms or jumping out of aeroplanes on a daily basis.  I've had enough excitement in my life with two wars, a "troubles", living in 10 different countries (exciting except when you have to pack up your home and belongings every few years) and even dealing with the great British public who know all their rights but none of their responsibilities. 

I am now in the time of my life when I want to sit back and relax and do the things I want to do rather than being told what to do all the time.  If lounging round a pool or under a gazebo reading the books I never quite found time for in the past, chatting to my neighbours and commenting on how quick the hibiscus seems to spread or the how the bouganvillea is taking over the trellis, then so be it.  Surely all this is good news, trivial though it may sound?  Good news is finding you haven't got to make a 20 mile trip to collect bags of building sand for 2 euros a bag when you have just found a supplier round the corner who does them at 69 cents a bag (yep, that was my bit of excitement last week).  It is finding out those lovely stone benches you see in the garden centres are actually quite comfortable after all.  It is discovering a little cafe that does tapas with loads of taste for a euro a dish or even discovering that weird little vegetable you found in the market is really quite tasty (if different).  It is discovering that the five sentences in Spanish you just spoke to a local shopkeeper were actually understood, even if they replied so quickly that you only managed to get half of what they were saying.  Above all, it is spending time with your loved ones rather than a quick peck on the cheek in the mornings and a grumpy head on all night because of something that happened while you were away for 9 hours of the day earning a living. 

So it is good news in Spain (for some of us).  Those of you who have had problems have, and will continue to have, every iota of sympathy from me and most of the posters on this site.  I hope it all works out for you as it appears to be doing so for me. 

(The only "cloud" on my horizon is being unable to sell my UK house and move permanently.  We are now going over every 6 weeks for a couple of weeks at a time and the car hire is getting a bit beyond my pension.  Of those who have viewed the house, we have had half a dozen "gawpers", a woman who loved it but her husband doesn't want to move from the village he grew up in about 3 miles away, another lady who loved it but the garden was too small for her 5 dogs (don't think the neighbours would have been happy with that) and a couple of "We like it but we still have lots of others to see".)

Ah, well, to paraphrase the old Jewish saying, "Next year in Valencia".

Edited to say:
Oops, nearly forgot.  Happiness is also getting a £1200 rebate from the taxman, though that should come under the good news in UK heading.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading that, Bob, even though I clicked the link in the email to read it & the page I had spent ten mins writing on just disappeared never to be seen again as this page took over.

When you're in Spain again eat at the El Raso restaurant ,El Raso urb. Bread, alioli, salad plus three very tasty courses plus a good sized glass of wine, water or any soft drink they have all for only 6.50€  We went many times. If you want a whole bottle of wine between you  .. rather than a glass each .. you just pay an extra 2.50€, a whole bottle is only 5€ normally. Menus change daily & there's 5 choices on the first two courses, the dessert just lists one but they do actually offer you five desserts.

Perhaps if we all imagined that we all lived on the same street of a small urbanisation we would be more careful how we addressed each other.

To keep it on thread its probably as well that we dont. Vive la difference.

An excellent post from Bobaol, apart from the mention of the dreaded taxman (I suppose the good news for me is that they reduced their tax demand from over £2,000 to over £300!)  Anyway, sorry for digressing!

I also liked Vilprano's post, which again points to good news for us.  If some of the people who post vitriolic comments on my community forum were actually my neighbours, I can only imagine how much bitchiness there would be going on in our urbanisation!  So it was actually good news when the developer went into voluntary administration and we decided to buy a smaller property and stay on in Jumilla.  We have great, friendly Spanish neighbours now and everybody seems to get on well with everybody else, especially when we have our annual fiesta.  I suspect the good wine we are drinking helps!

Talking of good wine, tonight we are splashing out a bit and spending 20€ on the Gran Cata, where we will be tasting the best 9 wines from Jumilla.  There will be plenty of tasty food too, including jamon carved by the Maestro Cortador Titulado (Spanish champion and World subchamption apparently!) plus live music.  Luckily the weather forecast is good as it is being held outside in one of the gardens in Jumilla.

Best wishes to all, and a good weekend wherever you are!

Sue

Don't forget your wrap Sue, remember you felt cool when you were out recently late at night. Above all, enjoy, I'm sure you will.

I started reading this thread and suddenly around 5 pages vanished. Weird.

My good news is that I managed to catch my escaped chicken this morning after spending 15 minutes running round the next field and jumping over melons.

She's not laying yet like 2 of the others, but she cute.

Also.. the weather is gorgeous and the pool has warmed up.

Oh and the kitten we adopted a couple of weeks ago seems to be getting on well with the 2 dogs. In particular, our rescue pup who is now built like an irish wolfhound.

The exchange rate has  gone up a bit which is great when your earnings are coming from the U.K.

We get a breeze here every afternoon which makes the front terrace feel nice and fresh.

All I need now is to sort out some healthcare in case I get ill and all will be well in the world.

Laury

I said - Having a nice time socially, especially when it's enhanced by the weather, cuisine and culture of Spain, is a lot Less boring than looking out of our windows on a rainy day in the UK, wondering what the hell to do with the weekend.

ps The TV weather girl this morning said today was going to be a "lovely day" - I think she meant sunny