Oh dear, here we go again, just when you think you are doing well and getting ahead, another stumbling block, hurdle to cross and a battle to fight. We are used to getting knocked back, but even we can't find an answer to this problem. All day I have been searching for solutions, to what is quite possibly the most difficult dilemma we have faced yet and all because of a driving licence.

A few weeks ago, Darrell surrendered his British driving licence to Trafico, believing he could exchange it for a Spanish one. The process is a legal necessity if you have lived in Spain for a qualifying period of time. Under normal circumstances this is a straight forward process and shouldn't cause any problems. In mine and Darrell's case, nothing could be further from the truth.

Darrell is of course an Australian citizen; he exchanged his West Australian Licence many years ago in the UK, for its British equivalent. Britain has a reciprocal agreement with Australia to allow the transaction to take place. In Spain no such agreement exists; so although he has an EU licence, he is not legally allowed to exchange it for a Spanish one; this is because it was exchanged in the past, from a country not recognised by Spain. In his case he will have to take a Spanish driving and theory test....IN SPANISH!

During this interim period, it seems he wont be able to work in his current job, which, yes you guessed it, involves driving. This leaves us in a precarious position. If either of us lose our jobs right now, we will be left financially destitute and unable to keep a roof over our heads. We have no idea what we can do, we literally don't have any viable options in these circumstances.

Getting a Spanish license with all the expense involved, while not working is not practical, so it looks like we are on plan B....We've been here before. Darrell is going to have to return to Australia once again, try and find work, care for his Mother and save money, so we can both relocate there long term; I will have to stay in Spain. Neither of us can afford the $7000 for a visa to allow us to stay together in Australia, as well as the moving costs involved. Once again we are left in a situation, where we are both split up, living away from one another. Yes we have done this before, but this time it will be for good, until I am able to join him.

We have considered returning to the UK, but once again the expense involved is prohibitive, especially with no home to go to, income and financial support; we are literally in a no win situation and have no where to turn. The next few days will be crucial; Once we know the final outcome we can then make plans accordingly.

Both of us have done everything possible to follow the draconian rules here in Spain and have paid a price for doing so. Despite loving this country, there comes a point when enough is enough and you have to hold your hands up and say 'I've had it!' That's where we both are today. We are not rich or even comfortable; we are barely getting by, money is our biggest challenge. We have no help and no options for surviving under these circumstances. Once again our future lies in the hands of others. It is only a matter of time, before we are well and truly back to square one!

in my life, so this is a first for me. However I'm glad and happy that results are showing so soon. As summer returns to Gran Alacant, I'm sure I will become even more active; I may even start learning to swim, something I have never done in my life.

This will be my third summer living on the Costa Blanca; if I am honest, I haven't been great at adjusting to the Spanish way of life. I have continued to eat a British diet and taken little, if any exercise. Now I hope that will all change and I can finally begin to live a healthy lifestyle. The scenery is fantastic in this region, even in winter. There really is no excuse for sitting in doors. A little less writing and a little more walking, is definitely the way forward!

Whatever you are doing today, have a good one!

One of my favourite lessons in Miss Trill’s class at Fareham Park Junior School was sewing!  I do not recall if Miss Trill taught the lessons or another teacher came in to help with the activity.  I remember cutting out the green material for the rabbit and doing the embroidery for its face.  I remember sewing it up by hand.  I don’t remember what I stuffed it with, but I do remember the great feeling of satisfaction I felt when it was finished.  I also got to make a lion.  Looking back I’m surprised that I could sew;  it was as if I always could.

My mum keeps these two hand made toys on her bed.  She has had them for over forty-five years!  I don’t remember what the other children in my class made.  I think this may be due to being so engrossed in this project.
 
From this experience at school, I have developed a great love for making things with yarn and thread.  My friend’s mother taught me how to crochet; I remember her teaching me to do a crochet stitch.  One day my friend and I sat in the Wendy house that my Dad made at the bottom of my garden and we crocheted together.  I was so fascinated by it that I saved up my pocket money and bought a crochet book and some wool; I must have been about ten years old.  From this book, I taught myself how to do it.  I made a little cardigan out of crochet motifs for our neighbour who had a baby girl.  I made blankets - saving up more of my pocket money for wool.  At the bottom of Fareham Park Road, there was a little wool shop.  I remember the shop being very small and cramped, but I loved to go into it and look at the colours of the wool and imagined what I was going to do with it.  I have missed this shop so much; It was taken over by a grocer many years ago.  Now I can’t really tell which shop it was.  Last time I went home, things had changed so much at the bottom of Fareham Park Road.  The Post Office that stood on the corner is now someone’s house and the pub opposite has been demolished.   The other shops are all different businesses and the launderette is now a dry cleaners.  I spent many hours on Thursdays at the launderette doing the family’s washing.  Everything up Fareham Park Road to Coppice Way seems so built up now with new housing taking the place of bungalows and land.  It seems very cramped and claustrophobic.
 
My grandmother was a seamstress.  To help the family budget, she would make people’s clothes and do alterations.  She would also knit.  She would give me her left-over wool which would go into my blankets or I would make dolls clothes with them.  My grandchildren now play with those dolls clothes.  My grandmother lived into her 90’s. When she felt too tired to do any more knitting or crochet, she gave me her needles which I still have.  When she moved out of her house in Highfield, Southampton, she gave me her old Singer sewing machine.  It is a treadmill sewing machine in a cabinet.  This sewing machine has sat in my homes in Telford in Shropshire, England; California, Arizona, Minnesota and now in Utah.  One day it will be passed on to my daughter and her daughters.

In senior school, a friend’s mother came in after school and ran an embroidery club.  I remember that I had quite a conflict when this opportunity came, as I had also been approached by Mr. Mullins to learn how to sail after school.  Both after school activities were on the same night.  The pull to go and sew was greater than the pull to go yachting.  This was probably because I was worried that I would get seasick.  One time we went on board the Ark Royal when my Dad was returning home from a trip at sea.  We went out on a smaller boat, boarded the Ark Royal, and then sailed back into port.  Unfortunately I spent most of my time on deck.  We had been in the mess below, but I had become quite queasy and had to go up to get some fresh air.  It has always been a standard joke in my family that I can get seasick even when the engines are not running.  When traveling across the English Channel in future years, I usually fell asleep for the whole trip after taking some Dramamine! 
 
When I travelled to University on the train from Fareham to York, I taught myself to knit.  I got quite a lot done on that journey.  As a young mum, I took up cross stitch.  I had done this a little bit in embroidery class.  Now I go to any of these activities in my spare time especially when I need to relax or ponder. They are my therapy!  I think it is amazing how an activity in junior school had such an huge impact on my life.