It feels like all i've said for the last 8 weeks is “i cannot wait for the end of August” and lo and behold, that moment has finally arrived! Those who have read my previous post will understand my reasons! Honestly, it was like a mass exodus from Santa Pola as soon as it hit the eve of 1st of September, and all of a sudden there was a beautiful row of empty parking spaces outside of our house… And the noise has diminished to less than half it's previous levels. This is the time when we can enjoy the beach and the pleasant temperatures without being whacked with sun umbrellas or lilos as you walk by, or have to listen at mama screaming at little Jose on the beach who is crying because, well, just ... read more

Last year we knew summer had arrived when the very first day in July we were exposed to temperatures of about 38-40 degrees. And that lasted EVERY DAY for 34 CONSECUTIVE DAYS. I was pleasantly surprised when the first day of July came and went and it was still a comfortable 25/26 degrees. I held my breath, but even a few days later it still remained the same. Heck, I was even still sleeping underneath the sheets on the bed! But then, queue the 6th July and it was like the little man upstairs who regulates the temperature woke up and suddenly realised he had forgot to crank up the thermostat. And here we are. Back to being eaten alive by mosquitos, being on constant cockroach watch, not being able to sleep at night and taking ... read more

Twas the month before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…. We’ve celebrated Christmas in many different countries now, and they’ve all been special in their own little way. Nothing quite competes to having a white Christmas surrounded by tons of snow in the French Alps, skiing down the slopes in our santa hats and then celebrating in style with lots of traditional food and drink. Australia was another epic party, celebrating this time on the beach (in our santa hats) whilst cooking a ‘barby’. A bit different in the scorching heat, but the beach was awash with a wave of red and white everywhere. China was probably the least ‘Christmassy’ we felt when being away over the festive period. It’s to be expected of course based on ... read more

Now we’re quite settled in Spain and after the intensity of working so much over the summer period, we feel we are in a good space to start thinking about adopting a wee doggy. It’s been hard to see the adverts in the local newspapers and online and not run out and get one straight away. We finally arrange to go and see a man about a dog on the Wednesday afternoon, as we are both off work and so it seems the best time to do it. We’ve already bought a lead and a collar so are definitely hoping we can take our newest member of the family home with us today J We have absolutely no idea what to expect when we arrive, or even an idea of what we are looking for. We ... read more

It’s now been a few weeks since we both started working in our new jobs and what a difference. It’s much more relaxed, and there’s little worries to deal with so we’re both happy. We feel the most settled we’ve been since we moved over in January and it feels like things are finally coming together ‘poco a poco’. We’ve kept in touch with and meet up regularly with our friends (the clique!) and have joined a gym and are doing classes regularly each week (now we can afford it). It just shows that it IS possible to be an English speaker working in a Spanish city (as long as you are prepared to search for it and make compromises). We’ve even been to the town hall to get our padron and are now recognised as ... read more