Diary of a Nobody

I was browsing the Eye on Spain website earlier today (Sunday) - it was too hot to be outside - and I came across some interesting information.

Three top tens, and my posts feature prominently in all three listings.

    [Eye on Spain logo courtesy of SoundCloud]

The Top Ten most popular blogs

I assume this means the ones getting the most hits.

At number one is my old online "mate" Lenox Napier.

I've never met him but we are avid followers and "likers" of each other's posts.

I plan to visit him one day, but he lives in Mojacar (Almeria), a good five hour's drive from Ronda.

It's on my "bucket list"!

    Lenox Napier [Facebook]

The Top Ten most popular blogs

Spanish Shilling

Property News from Spain

Puntos de vista - a personal Spain blog

IAN & SPAIN

Max Abroad : The Best of Spain

Still Discovering Spain...

El blog de Maria

The Culture Vulture

The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain

Spain's Best

My blogs on this list are:

Puntos de vista - my nom de plume is Pablo de Ronda. This blog is where I express my point of view on a range of subjects.

The Culture Vulture - Writing about all things cultural: art, dance, flamenco, music, poetry, television, theatre and, of course, bullfighting.

The Spanish Fly - my travel blog. Mainly about Spain but occasionally elsewhere.

    Me [Secret Serrania]    

Most popular blog posts

The most read articles. On this list I appear at Number 1 and Number 2, then at number 5, number 8 and number 10.

The Prodigal Wife

PBMF 2025 - Saturday August 7, Ronda

The Fire Season: It's Never Been This Bad

The best places to retire in Spain in 2025

Rogues Gallery - Holiday Rental Companies

Beautiful villages to visit this summer

New Poll Reveals Majority in EU and UK Favour Rejoining, But with Incompatible Conditions

Ronda boring?

Spain's Most Refreshing Salad?

Ghosts of the Past

Rita [Photo: Paul Whitelock]    

Most commented posts

This is a list of posts which attract the most comments. I come in at 3, 6 and 9.

Rogues Gallery is where I name and shame individuals, organisations and companies who have done bad things.

Two of the posts here are about rogues: Holiday Rental Companies. Which is the worst? Booking.com. Ask any hotel, guest house or individual renter.

The other rogue is Vladimir Putin. Need I say more?

     Rogues: Booking.com .....                                  ..... and Putin, war criminal [The Guardian]

The Prodigal Wife - This is about my missus, Rita, who has left me "de Rodriguez" again!

New Poll Reveals Majority in EU and UK Favour Rejoining, But with Incompatible Conditions

The Airport Run

Rogues Gallery - Holiday Rental Companies

Jumilla

I Always Buy Them Second-Hand

The Prodigal Wife

The best places to retire in Spain in 2025

Bring Out More Flags

Rogues gallery – Hijo de  Putin

Sensory Pleasures, Rota, Spain, 1972

   [Courtesy of The Week]    

My "Eye on Spain" blogs:

Alles auf Deutsch - a blog in German. Bitte klicken Sie hier

A View from the Mountains - a blog about the news and current affairs. Please click here

My Covid-19 Diary - now discontinued, but the archive is still there. Please click here

Diary of a Nobody - my personal diary. Please click here

Spanish Matters - a blog in English and Spanish for those learning the language. Haz clic aqui

Eye on TRUMP - no longer "live". Please click here to access the archive

"Guiris" galore - a blog featuring foreign writers, poets, artists and others who have made an impact in Spain. Please click here

"Help, help me, Ronda"! - a blog about my "adopted home town" and the surrounding area. Please click here

How to ..... ? - a practical guide to dealing with Spanish bureaucracy and also simple DIY tasks. Please click here

Only Joe King - a light-hearted look at life in Spain. Please click here

Puntos de vista - my views and opinions about life in Spain. Please click here

Serranía Kitchen - recipes from Spain and around the world. Please click here

Sporty Sam - sports news. Please click here

The Crazy Guy - That's me! Some of the daft things I've done in my life. Please click here

The Culture Vulture - reviews of art, bullfighting, dance, flamenco, music, poetry, television, and theatre. Please click here

The Curmudgeon - the place for this "grumpy old man" to have a moan. Please click here

The "Guiri" Gourmet - my eating experiences in Spain, and occasionally France, Germany and the UK. Please click here

The History Man - a blog about the history of Spain. Please click here

The Merry Tippler - a blog about drinks. Please click here

The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain and sometimes further afield. Please click here

Links:

2025 - Our year of travel - Eye on Spain

A Year in the Life – 2020 - Secret Serrania de Ronda - my "bucket list"

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

www.help-me-ronda.com

www.secretseerrania.com

© Diary of a Nobody

Images:

Facebook, Paul Whitelock, SoundCloud, The Guardian, The Week, 

Tags:

bucket list, de Rodriguez, Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Facebook, Ghosts of the Past, Hijo de  Putin, Holiday Rental Companies, Lenox Napier, Pablo de Ronda, Paul Whitelock, PBMF 2025, Puntos de vista, Rita, Rogues Gallery, Ronda boring?, SoundCloud, The Culture Vulture, The Guardian, The Prodigal Wife, The Spanish Fly, The Week, www.help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com

I've decided to de-clutter my life. I've always been a bit of a hoarder, but now it's time to "get rid".

All those shirts that I'll never get into again; the trousers which are too tight round the middle.

    [Image courtesy of Time For You Cleaning]

In addition to reducing the size of my "wardrobe", a lot of the pictures and artefacts I accumulated over many years have to go.

My pet collections will remain, however. Elephants, sea-horses, geckoes, scorpions and cats, some of them living beings. Countless geckoes, thankfully few scorpions and our two rescue cats, Paulinchen and Fritzi.

Houses

I own two houses in Spain. My domicilio, in Ronda, where I live with my German "missus", and also a rental property in the nearby mountain village of Montejaque.

I've decided to give up renting and sell my rental house.

The bureaucracy is a nightmare and it's just got worse.

So, I'm selling up. I can use the money for other projects, like really attacking my "bucket list".

    Casa Real, Montejaque [Karl Smallman]

Cars and bicycles

We have two Peugeots, my 2008 hatchback and Rita's charming little black 207 cabriolet.

We don't really need two cars, in my opinion, but Rita says we do ..... so, that's the end of that!

After all she's the boss!

I had two bikes, but I've just sold one to a friend, keeping the e-bike for the time being.

    Peugeot 207 cabriolet [Peugeot]

My bugbears

There are a handful of things I would love to de-clutter, but can't.

Bad debtors and Spanish bureaucracy in general; Hacienda (Tax Authorities), Spanish banks and Guardia Civil Trafico in particular.

    guardia civil trafico roadblock [gct]

A number of people owe me money, mostly British fellow-countrymen, Irish "deadbeats" and a German Frau. Am I a soft touch? I guess I'm too trusting. No Spaniard owes me a "penique", by the way!

So, come on Neil G., Julian M., Rob, Gertraud F., Algatocin "cock teaser", Amanda Mc., and Trish Z, PAY ME WHAT YOU OWE ME!

Oh! There is one Spanish company that has ripped me off. They're called AQUALEI, a water treatment company based in Elche near Alicante. 

    [Image: Toons Mag]

Last Word

I think my decision to de-clutter my life as much as possible is a good one. At 75 years of age I ought to be slowing down!

Unfortunately, living in Spain means we all have to put up with Hacienda, banks and the traffic cops, not just we "guiris", but the Spanish too.

However, they're accustomed to it, so they just shrug their shoulders and get on with enjoying other aspects of their lives.

    [Image courtesy of The Corner]

Links:

CASA REAL, MONTEJAQUE - Large modernised traditional village house in beautiful pueblo blanco - PRICE REDUCTION 120.000€ - Help me, Ronda

Help me, Ronda - HELP ME RONDA - On the header bar click on more, FAQ, Tax and Finance, where there are three relevant articles

POLICE - Help me, Ronda

Rogues Gallery – the name and shame blog - Eye on Spain

The Spanish Police are beginning to get on my nerves! - Help me, Ronda

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? - www.secretserrania.com

© Diary of a Nobody

Acknowledgements:

Guardia Civil Trafico, Karl Smallman, Peugeot, The Corner, Time For You Cleaning, 

Tags:

cop, Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Guardia Civil Trafico, guiri, Hacienda, Paul Whitelock, police, Rita, Secret Serrania, Spanish banks, Spanish bureaucracy, traffic cop, www.help-me-ronda.com 

I've needed a haircut for a while. I've been looking a bit scruffy and my "comb-over" is not impressive. But I never seem to find the time to drive to Ronda, where I live, to sit and wait to get my hair chopped.

Today, however, I found myself in Utrera (Sevilla), a delightful town, with time to kill.

The barber's shop was open, it was 5.15 pm, and had no customers.

So, I was all set.

    My barber's in Utrera [Booksy]

"How did you like it, sir?"

My "Barber of Seville" was Emerson from Bolivia, who has been in Spain for a year.

His boss - I didn't catch his name - is from Columbia and has been in Spain for eight years. 

Then, all of a sudden, the barberia was inundated, with four Nicaraguans. They told me they left the country of their birth, which is in Central America, because of the political regime there.

Latin America [World Atlas]    

They were interesting people, and they were fascinated by me, an Anglo-Welshman living in Ronda (Malaga) and speaking fluent castellano. We had a great "chinwag".

They all told me they had opted to come to Utrera because the cost-of-living is lower than in Sevilla City. They do not intend to return home.

© Diary of a Nobody (Paul Whitelock)

Pictures:

Facebook, Paul Whitelock, World Atlas

Tags:

American Barber, Anglo-Welshman, barber, barberia, "Barber of Seville", Bolivia, castellano, Columbia, comb-over, Central America, Diary of a Nobody, haircut, Malaga, Nicaragua, Paul Whitelock, Ronda, Sevilla, Utrera, 

September

September is the ninth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days.

September (from the Latin septem, "seven") was originally the seventh month in the oldest known Roman calendar, the calendar of Romulus, c. 750 BC.

    [Image courtesy of iQuote]

March (Latin Martius) was the first month of the year until perhaps as late as 451 BC. 

After the calendar reform that added January and February to the beginning of the year, September became the ninth month but retained its name. It had 29 days until the Julian reform, which added a day.

Back to school

September marks the beginning of the school year in many countries of the northern hemisphere, when children, and teachers, go back to school after their summer break.

For several decades of my life September meant "back to school". From the age of five to 18, September was the month when school started a new academic year.

At university it was a month later, October.

    [Image courtesy of Freepik]

For 15 years of my career, as a teacher, it also meant "back to school".

For another 15 years, as a schools inspector / advisor, September also dominated my life.

So, without realising it at the time, September was actually quite stressful. 

September 2005 onwards

After some 50-plus years, September became a month to savour and enjoy. This came as a surprise bonus in 2005, the year I stopped working, which was also my first "annus horribilis", a phrase coined by Queen Elizabeth II to describe her 1992. 

[The Phoenix File]    

I experienced a nervous breakdown; my wife divorced me and I was made redundant - a "triple whammy" indeed!.

However, "every cloud has a silver lining" and 2005 became a turning point for me. Within three years of leaving employment I had found a new lady to love, a new country to live in and new things to do.

In 2008 I moved to southern Spain to live with my new lady, a German called Rita, already resident, and started "work" as a journalist and translator. By 2010 Rita and I had "jumped the broom" and in 2011 we bought our dream home (where we still live 14 years later).

Wedding in 2010 [Photo by HMR]    

Endword

Since I retired, aged 55, and moved to Spain, I've grown to love September. Temperatures drop from the highs of August, the tourists start to disappear and life takes on a more gentle pace.

Spaniards come back to work, having taken holiday in August, and you can start to sort your affairs out and deal with "el papeleo" again, eg tax, IBI, and all the other bureaucratic issues Spain throws at you.

    [Image courtesy of Freepik]

September is arguably the best month in Spain. Not so hot as in high summer, fewer tourists, and a time to relax and travel.

I love September - now.

Links:

Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part I

Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part II

The Houses That Jack Built

Wrong way round

©  Paul Whitelock

Photos and images:

Freepik, HMR, iQuote, Paul Whitelock, The Phoenix File

Tags:

"annus horribilis", divorce, Elizabeth II, Freepik, HMR, iQuote, nervous breakdown, Paul Whitelock, redundancy, Rita, The Phoenix File, triple whammy

Rita needed a break from me, so she took off to her house in Montejaque to relax, "recover" and contemplate.

That was on Saturday.

Tuesday

Rita called to say she was coming home. Her quiet time alone had done her good and she felt like a new woman.

Oh! And it was unbearably hot in her house - no aircon and no pool!

Changes

I swear to God, Rita is indeed a changed woman. Much more relaxed. We spent time together in the pool (the first thing she did on arrival was get her kit off and jump in the pool - naked of course. Well, she is German and the "krauts" have a penchant for nudity (it's called FKK - Freikorperliche Kultur).

As for me, an uptight Englishman, I've been a regular nudist, ever since I discovered how nice it was on a Greek Island (Serifos) in 1975.

I've "done it" since in France (Corsica), Germany, Austria, Norway (sauna), Scotland (sauna), Portugal and Spain. And in our house and garden in Ronda, which is private and not overlooked.

Tuesday night

I offered to prepare a welcome-home dinner, and - surprise, surprise - Rita agreed! Normally she doesn't allow me to cook!

We had fillet steak with all the trimmings! A sure-fire success. And lots of delicious wine.

And...?

I think we should "bottle" Rita's tranquil break at her house in Montejaque and market it as a "cure"!

We could make a fortune!

© Diary of a nobody

Links:

Body beautiful: I get to the bottom of the joys of nudism - The Times

La Web del Nudismo – Naturismo en España

Steak au poivre – Secret Serranía style

Thanks:

Karl Smallman, Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Austria, Corsica, fillet steak, France, FKK, Germany, Greek Island, Serifos, "krauts", naked, Norway, nudist, nudity, Paul Whitelock, Portugal, Rita, sauna, Scotland, Spain