It has finally started to rain in Gran Alacant, after months of sweltering heat and not a drop of water in sight. Waking up this morning was a joy; it felt so cool. It has been a long time since we last saw water falling from the sky; so unlike in Britain, it's time to get outside in ones underwear and have a dance; photographs I will not be including in this entry.

I have lived in Spain for nineteen months now; experiencing the coldest winter this country has endured for fifty years plus, hailstones, flooding and damp like you wouldn't believe and now the hottest summer. Over this period, my body has finally adjusted to this new climate, so different to the weather back in the UK. Despite the intense sun, this summer has been far easier to withstand, than the last. If you were to ask me now, which country I  prefer to live in, based on weather alone, I would have to say Spain. Despite initially not being a fan of the hot sun, I have grown to love the long hot summer days; a smile on everyone's face and that feel good factor in the air. Rain is Okay, just in small doses, unlike the deluge we suffered in Britain. My ailments and arthritis have all but disappeared, as I now live a life more conducive to good health. Gran Alacant has its own micro climate, surrounded by mountains and salt lakes, making it one of the healthiest places to live in the World.

Wherever you are, whatever you are doing, enjoy your day, rain or shine; I know I will!

On May 9th 2016 I finally received my Spanish Residencia; the first piece in a jigsaw; a precursor to Darrell also becoming a Spanish resident. The process for Darrell is a little different to the one I followed; he wanted to complete the formalities last year, but like the story of our life together, nothing turned out the way it was supposed to. Darrell's Mother was diagnosed with cancer and he returned home to Australia to help care for her as she underwent treatment  for seven months. During this time, all our plans together were put on hold as we adapted to our new situation. Our new life was indeed cemented in Spain, but we were unable to move forwards until Darrell returned from Australia.

His return from Australia was just a first step in repairing the damage and getting back lost time. A further break was demanded, when Darrell had to return to the UK, to complete the paperwork needed to finalise legalities, allowing him to stay here with me in Spain. As a non EU citizen married to an EU national, Darrell has always had to suffer the indignity of proving who he is and the genuineness of our relationship. Spain was just doing what Britain did in the late 1990's, when Darrell applied to remain with me in the UK.

Yesterday after nearly nineteen months of living away from the UK, both Darrell and I finally placed that last piece in the jigsaw of life, allowing us both to remain together in Spain. With the help of the 'Foreigners Advisory Bureau,' who have been fantastic at coordinating timings and producing the necessary documentation, including translation services and most importantly filling in the application forms for 'Residencia,' Darrell was finally grated residencia!

In the end, the application process, which cost us 260€, mainly for consultation fees, was straight forward. there were a number of stages we had to go through in order to obtain his right to remain in Spain; these included showing I had a job and enough income to support myself and my husband, that we were both registered on the 'Padron' or electoral roll in Spain and Darrell wasn't going to be a drain on the state. As I am making contributions into the Spanish Social Security System and have a health care card, I had met the required criteria to cover Darrell, allowing him to stay with me as my partner.
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My 'Residencia' or 'Green Card.' doesn't have a photograph or finger prints on it and is a basic piece of paper. The gives me the same rights as a Spanish citizen, more or less and will do the same for Darrell when he receives his. As a permanent resident, life will of course be much easier; from buying a property, to the payment of taxes and use of municipal services; most of all Darrell can remain living in Spain, without having to leave every three months, as the visa on his passport states.

​Obtaining legal status in Spain has been a much easier process than I thought. Darrell has be afforded the same rights as me in a relatively short space of time. unlike when we began our relationship in 1995. We have been treated fairly and with respect. Our relationship status today, is very much improved from the dark days of the mid 1990s, where the UK didn't even recognise we existed, as a couple in law. Spain has accorded us equal rights extremely quickly and has been more than generous in accepting our marriage, in total contrast to the UK.

With Brexit looming ever closer, we have both done as much as we can now, to protect us and our home, should the worst happen; highly unlikely, but something we felt necessary, just in case. The agreement that exits between EU countries needs to be upheld when the UK withdraws. There are a lot of us living and working in Europe; lets hope we remain protected after 2019 and life carries on in much the same way as it does today!

It's time for a rant today, a rant about Spain, which I do from time to time, no matter how much I like living here. I haven't been able to blog for a few days because my internet has been down again, something that happens regularly. You can guarantee that there will be a loss of wifi signal at least twice a week, which isn't great when you rely on the internet for part of your income. It is important for me to get articles in on time, if not I lose money, so once again I have lost a wage because my internet supplier can not get its act together. We are in the 21st century; I pay for a service that I am not getting, which also includes super fast broadband; again something I am not supplied. When I went down to their offices in the GA Centre, there were queues of people, also probably complaining, stretching outside the door, with only one person at the desk! There are plenty of other internet suppliers in Gran Alacant and  I will be voting with my feet, choosing to take my custom else where, when we move in November.

​Rant one over, now time for rant number two. I have been without hot water at home for a week now, waiting for our agent to send an engineer round to fix the problem. It is extremely lucky we are in the middle of summer; water comes out the cold water tap lukewarm and you can just about get away with, not having a working boiler, for short periods. Maintenance jobs seem to take forever in Spain, especially in August, where it seems, no one wants to work. The standards of service you receive, are a lot lower than one would expect in the UK. I can't tell you how frustrated I get sometimes, having to spend most of my time waiting, for one workman or another to arrive, giving no firm time of arrival and not phoning before hand; it is totally infuriating and completely unnecessary. Spain has much to learn where customer service is concerned.

​Rant number three is a familiar one; yesterday I spent an hour queuing in the international branch of Banco Sabadell, just to pay in some money. Once again the number of people waiting was ten deep. When I finally got to the counter, where there was only one customer service rep, I was told I couldn't pay anything in, as the system was down. In the UK, even if there was a systems failure, you could still pay cash into your account; the process was a little, slower but you were at least able to do so.  No notice was in place explaining the situation and the annoyance on everyone's face, not just mine was palpable. The banks in Spain really do need a shake up. One person dealing with every customer, front of house, while fifteen mill about, at the back is unacceptable. Sabadell really do need to look at their practices.

On to number four; paperwork. Today I have just got back from the Town Hall, after having to replace my 'Padron' paperwork again. The Padron is like the Electoral Roll in the UK. Here in Spain we have to replace the printed sheet of paper, showing our cohabitation, every three months, a ridiculous palaver but a necessary one; showing that myself and Darrell are living together; part of the process, proving we are still a legitimate couple after 23 years. This and similar procedures, will always be a part of our life it seems, more so now, especially with Brexit looming over the horizon. I have a large file of  paperwork that one needs on a daily basis, and it's huge. If you are thinking of moving to Spain, then for Gods sake research the documentation you will need, it will save a lot of time and money in the future.

The rules that govern driving a car in Spain; my fifth and final moan today, is a constant source of exasperation. Whilst the ITV system, rather like the UK's MOT is a much more efficient way, of having ones car checked each year, the rest of the formalities involved, is a nightmare. For novices, like myself and Darrell, It is easier to pay someone to do all the necessary administration, transferring ownership of a vehicle. There is no possibility of completing the official paperwork without help. Spain also has some rather funny rules and regulations, you must follow when driving a car; something that amuses me more than anything. You can not drive shirtless, can not wear flip flops and you can not put your hand out of a car window, whilst driving; the list is endless. When you have a beaten up old car like ours, the first thing you want to do is stick your arm out of the car window, whilst moving, in the severe heat of the day. All I can say is, it's a good job I can't drive. The Police are also very keen on issuing on the spot fines, for driving offences. If you don't follow the rules, including speeding and most importantly drink driving, you will be prosecuted and the penalties are huge; 500€ is not uncommon. If I had hair, I would be pulling it out!

RANT OVER! Apart from the above, I am having a wonderful day #stilllovingspain

Words are just words aren't they? Well yes they are, but as people, do we use them too lightly, without understanding their true meaning? The biggest example I can give, is social media, facebook in particular. Personally I am a big fan of this medium, connecting the world through the internet, but like most things that are popular, it does have its banal side, can be rather prosaic, vacuous and encourages bad use of grammar and a misunderstanding of words used. It is easy to type a message to others, rather than pick up the phone or speak face to face; we articulate with friends and colleagues in this way everyday. In all but name, facebook is a channel for oral communication, even when sentences are used instead of sounds. In these modern times, we really do use messaging, facetime, messenger and whatsapp, far more than we actually use our own voice, to communicate a message; it is important therefore, that we realise what we are composing.

Last night I was randomly scanning through facebook, as I do quite often. I saw the predictable platitudes, falsehoods and cringeworthy status updates, from the usual suspects; no surprise for me, about who they were. Anything I write on social media is true; I will not lie; this has got me in a lot of trouble in the past but I am not in the habit of talking nonsense to anyone. If I don't like someone I can quite easily remove them from my life; easier to do now, than it once was, especially with a block button on facebook and a wealth of knowledge and previous experience; we are after all, all of us,  the sum of our own experiences. As I scrolled through my facebook updates, I was surprised to recognise words, that had once been said to me, from someone no longer in my life. Even when one blocks a person, one does occasionally see the odd statement, here and there, from people you would rather not entertain.

I am under no illusions about people, I am well aware of who and what they are; when you suffer at the hands of a sociopath, reading others character becomes second nature. At the first sign of a repeat performance, I have been warned to remove the problem; warning signs light up across someones brow, larger than life, like you wouldn't believe; just as it does on facebook, as it did last night. The only word I would use, to describe my reaction, is disappointment; regret I ever bothered to get to know them, dismay at their banality and disenchantment with human nature as a result. For a moment I felt a little over sensitive about words written, a repeat of those said to me; empty without sincerity and clearly a phrase used many times towards those popular at a given point in time. Words are indeed easy to say; once written down, they are hard to dismiss. The phrases we write to each other, often tell us a lot about an individual, a story about our genuineness and authenticity, how real and original we are and the ingenuous nature of all of us. Yesterday I woke up and started to realise just who matters in life; my partner and I should stop acting so heartbroken and upset.

When one makes a conscious decision to dissolve a friendship, one doesn't do it lightly. Past indiscretions would see me hanging on to the most destructive alliances, preferring to keep people close, rather than lose them, no matter what the consequences. The locution of someone I once held in high regard, should really pay no part in my thought process, but like most of us, who have feelings, I do take things very personally at times.  Words are just words, but please be careful how you use them. When you use sensitive phrases, understand their importance to the person receiving them. Do not play with their emotions, there are enough false, fallacious, erroneous individuals in the World, without adding another one to the list!

Stay true!

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