Darren Light - Roaming Brit Blog

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January 19, 2017

Spanish Winter!

Storms, floods & snow

It was a rough night last night at Casa Caprice. My house faces north, so I got the full onslaught of the storm, currently raging over this region.

I woke up this morning, to a flooded house, rather like it was a month ago, when the floods hit the Costa Blanca. This time however it feels much worse, especially with the snow and hail that came belting down this afternoon.

I don't mind telling you, I wasn't expecting this kind of weather, in southern Spain, but then nor were most of the residents living here. To them, equally, this is unusual and has rarely happened.

After an hours sleep, I was up bright an early, yet again. The banging and crashing from the high winds and thunder, last night, was deafening. With two scared cats, in and out of the bed, it was extremely difficult to get any shut eye this morning.

Some of the garden furniture had blown off the solarium in the early hours of this morning, so I was out, trying to sort the mess, left outside, in storm force conditions, at 9am. I managed to salvage most of the items!

This weather was something I had never experienced in my life!

Katie was at an interview today, so I popped up to her house earlier to let the dogs out. It's only about a two minute walk, but I was totally drenched by the end of it.

Back home, the hail and rain came down, harder than ever. Windows and doors started to leak in the house, so it was time to get the towels out and sandbank the front of the house.

When this years contract is up, I will definitely be moving from this house. It is far too exposed, freezing cold and constantly lets in water. It's not just me suffering, I know that, but this winter has been bloody hard, with extreme weather; it isn't something I have enjoyed or really want to experience too often.

I've just taken a look outside; I have had all the shutters down today, to try and prevent the rain from coming in. It also keeps it a little bit warmer, with no heating in the house; it looks like the bad weather has abated; at least for now.

Time to clean up the mess left behind; fingers crossed the worst has past!

I have been quite struck, how the Spanish have just got on with their lives, despite the huge amount of snow fall and terrible weather conditions. In Britain, a little bit of snow, will cause a huge amount of problems, with the infrastructure and public services. In Spain, life has gone on, much as it has before. The secret is, wherever you are, don't let the weather get you down, get on with your daily lives and stay positive. Nothing lasts forever and tomorrow is another day!
Published on

January 19, 2017

It's bloody snowing....IN SPAIN!

Siberian winter hits the Costa Blanca

It's a little bit cold here at the moment, as the Siberian winter hits the Costa Blanca. When I pulled up the shutters this morning, I was greeted with this glorious, but chilly view. The mountains that surround Gran Alacant, had a thick dusting of snow on their tops. So far, Gran Alacant hasn't endured any snow, although it is bitterly cold. Coming from Southampton, we rarely get any snow there, so for me it was nice to see the white stuff, even if I did have to come to Spain to experience it!

I have just got back from work, at school in Elche. We had a snow themed lesson today. All the children in my class had never seen snow in their lives. Sonia, my boss told me, that the last time Elche, the town where I work, had seen snow, was in 1982, so it was a big thing. Elche saw some snow, but nothing compared to the rest of the Costa Blanca region. After the floods, a few weeks ago, this region of Spain, including the Balearic Islands, is really suffering at the moment!

I can here thunder and stormy weather outside, so have just got in bed, put the electric blanket on and settled down for the evening. Of course it is colder, at times in the UK, but then, in Britain, we do have the luxury of carpets and central heating. No such things here, just a calor gas fire with an empty bottle. It has been a fascinating year for me living in Spain, and all it has thrown my way; I would not change it for the world. Keep warm y'all!
Published on

January 17, 2017

Shopping!

Cutting Costs

As snow begins to fall in Alicante and the weather gets colder, I've started to cut costs even further than I have already. Until the summer season starts, I have to economise as much as I possibly can!

Spain is a relatively cheap country to live in, when you compare it to the UK and Northern Europe, but when you have a small income, you have to do all you can, to make life work for you here. Luckily you can live as cheap or as expensive as you like in Gran Alacant!

I popped out to the G A Centre, early this morning, with Katie to get some food. For a change we went to Merdcadona, which I usually avoid like the plague, believing it to be too expensive. Actually with Katie's help and frugal shopping techniques, I spent a lot less than I thought; to be honest it worked out cheaper than Lidl.

I have started to buy the cheapest cat food I can find now; sorry pussy cats; but needs must! I managed to get this 7kg bag for 7,50€, not bad, considering what I used to have to pay. No more wet food as well, like me, the cats are on rations!

I managed to buy some cheap meat from the Spaniards favourite supermarket also, so cooked up a batch of chicken stew for the freezer. I think I have missed my vocation in life! I have always enjoyed cooking, to an extent. I remember as a child, I use to help my Mother cooking, mainly on a Sunday, and have always cooked for myself ever since. It does amaze me, just how many people can't cook in this day and age. At school, we were taught Home Economics, as a matter of course; from what I have been told, this particular subject rarely exists on the British school curriculum, today!

When I worked for Dunbar's, I also learned much about, not wasting food, from the chef there. As a result I can penny pinch for Spain; I am always up for a challenge, so surviving during difficult times, is just another challenge I am up for.

Just watching 'Come Dine With Me' on the television, one of my favourite shows. I can here the Siberian winter, outside. The wind is whistling around the shutters and there is a lot of crashing going on. It's on days like this, you really notice you are living in a different country. Everything I do now, is geared up to surviving during the winter months. In Britain life is very different; I miss how easy it is, but thank my lucky stars I am here, doing things, I would never have done back home. There is a big sense of achievement living in Spain and I for one, aim to achieve all I can!
Published on

January 17, 2017

Poverty!

You don't know the meaning of the word!

Tonight I wanted to talk briefly about poverty. This morning, I was watching a show on British television. It was about an unemployed young man, in his thirties, complaining that he was not given enough money by the state, to live on. In the past I may well have agreed with him, but today, as I write this article, I do not. In fact it has been making me angry all day, which is why I am having to say something now, to get it off my chest!

There is a something for nothing culture in Britain; people expect others to provide for them and that really depresses me. Britain has a huge welfare bill, growing year on year, because we hand out benefits to people, who quite simply do not deserve them or have been in the country for such a short amount of time, that in my eyes, it is unacceptable to even think about giving these people, any access to state funds!

When I lived in Britain, I used to moan all the time, about how much income I did or didn't have; it is a British pastime after all. When I look back now, myself and Darrell were extremely well off and really had to reason to complain. When one compares ones life now, at this point in time, with our life a few years ago, there really is no comparison, at least in a financial sense.

Life in Spain is hard, harder than I have ever experienced before. The laws in this modern European democracy are outdated and need urgent reform. As an employer in Spain, you remain at the mercy of left wing, socialist style regulation, that prevent organisations taking on new employees. The minimum wage is 3€, unemployment is high and there is little or no chance of obtaining decent employment opportunities, especially as an English Expat. Not great, when you consider the amount of money, the community of which I am a part, bring into this region!

I am always busy; I teach one day a week, write and am looking forward to a new future. At this moment, despite all I do, I am as poor as a church mouse, have no access to income at all, accept what I receive from the school, which is limited, When Jamie left in the way he did, I was left in a real predicament, with no money. So life for me today, is the hardest it has ever been, in my whole life. The last time I survived with no dough was when I was at University in 1992. Back then a friend used to bring me 'Red Cross' type parcels and I managed to survive, as I will now.

This is not a post, where I am trying to gain sympathy, far from it, this is about teaching people about real poverty, which Spain has much of. After the crash of 2008, many Brits left for home, broke and penniless. There is no access to benefits for me here, no safety net, no welfare state or access to free health care. There are no crisis loans, tax credits, family tax credits or dole money, there is absolutely nothing; yet everyday I here stories of poor destitute Britons, unable to survive on their unemployment benefit, housing benefit and the many other freebies my old home country hands out, without a thought.

If you don't work over here you will starve, if you can't work or find a job, especially as an Expat, you are left to fend for yourself. People often ask me, if I have any regrets, moving to Spain, especially with my situation so precarious at the moment. My views change almost on a daily basis, depending on my mood at the time, but one thing that never changes, is I have absolutely no regrets at all.

Despite being penniless, my time here is more productive than it ever has been. As a person I am stronger and able to survive the harshest of situations. I have to live, rather like my grandparents used to live in the 1950s and try and make the most of what I have. I do not waste anything, I never throw away food, as I did in the UK and have learned to live on nothing, zilch, peanuts. I have never had to do that. Even when I was a poor student in Southampton, or working in Woolworth's in the 1980s, I still had more money than now.

I hope my situation changes very soon; of course one can never guarantee anything in this world, but their is a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Unlike others, we can not run home whenever we choose, there is nothing left for us there. Our future, at least for the moment is here, in Spain; somehow we have to make it work. The biggest bonus for me, today and the best thing, to come out of my situation, is that I finally like who I am, learning the value of life, not spending out of control, able to rely on myself and no one else. Money isn't everything; I need very little of it, to survive; it makes ones life easier, but taught me very little, in the same way, living on the edge has done. Experiencing real hardship is a humbling experience, especially at my age, when I should be settling down at the pinnacle of a career that was ripped away from me. Restarting from scratch is something I never wanted to do, but actually I have learned more during this last year than I have in the last ten; for that I am grateful.
Published on

January 16, 2017

Zest!

Widescreen!

After sorting out the bar, I popped into Zest. The widescreen television, removed in the 'Bingogate, Bingo Terrorism' episode had been returned, or rather collected from the local Guardia. Spent an hour, having a nice relaxing chat on what was a warm day, sat outside, in the winter sun!
Published on

January 16, 2017

Bar!

Clean UP!

Spent the morning at the bar in Masa Square yesterday, tidying up and removing some old signage, before the designers come in and do their thing. The place looks bigger and bigger every time I go in there. We are still working to open in about March or April; sooner if the work is complete!