It is feeling distinctly cold at the moment, winter has come to Portsmouth and I am starting to feel the chill. I haven't experienced a British winter since 2015 when I left to start my new life in Spain, so I am probably suffering more than most from the cold.
Of course when I moved to Gran Alacant I threw most of my winter clothes away, not needed in the hot Spanish sun. Moving back to the UK in May I disposed of the rest, in order to comply with the Flybe baggage allowance regulations, leaving me with just summer attire, certainly unsuitable for November in Britain.
In many respects I am beginning to remember just why I left the UK in the first place. As someone who suffers from mild Arthritis, I have started to experience the first twinges of pain, since my return, especially in my neck and hands, always a bad sign for me. On top of the the long winters here, Britain has been responsible for some particularly difficult periods of depression. The lack of natural light has proven to be a major factor in the ups and downs of my life at least. In Spain, the 320 days of sunshine, warm winters and hot summers did go a long way to helping me improve my state of mind and wellbeing; now I have to readjust once again to the cold, no mean feet after three years away. Walking to work in the dark, returning at night is not fun and recently I have been looking back with fondness at my time living in Gran Alacant.
Like most people in my position, having emigrated, now settled back home, it would be foolish to say everything was bad, living abroad. I did have some great times living on the Costa Blanca and met many wonderful people, but the truth is it was doomed to fail from day one. When one makes a decision to move to pastures new it should be for positive reasons, for us it was about running away from some very difficult times.
The winter in Spain was unbearable, a period I am glad to have left behind. The cold was equal to anything we have in the UK and although the days were warmer and more tolerable, the nights were bitter, especially inside. When I look back at my second winter in Gran Alacant I recall just how cold it was. We had no heating inside our poorly insulated home, so had to wrap up as best we could, using warm clothes and blankets. The houses were damp, with water frequently entering through windows and doors, especially when the weather was bad outside. The cost of heating even our small town house was cost prohibitive, especially during the winter months. Electricity prices were a third higher than they were in Britain and with houses on the Costa Blanca poorly constructed, the majority of the warmth generated through archaic heating methods, was lost through single glazed windows and ill fitting doors, cracks in concrete walls and large airy stair wells, only serviceable during the summer season.
Gran Alacant became a ghost town during the winter which only added to a sense of isolation and discontent. As we approach the festive season here in Portsmouth, I am suffering from the cold, as I did in the past, but the Christmas lights are up, the houses are warm and inviting, centrally heated, double glazed and comfortable, spacious and full to bursting with family life; I know where I would rather be!
Wherever you live in the World, there will always be pros and cons, but at this time of year I am so grateful for being home. My time as an Expat ran its course, because my country of birth offered more than Spain ever could. At my time of life I need to be around those I care about, away from the loneliness the the Costa's perpetuate during November to March. After the long hot summer, on my return home, I am finding it hard to finally readjust to British life, but surrounded by loved ones that task wont be as hard as it was living through winter in Spain, for that reason alone I am thankful!
