Casa Ja Luka - Moving To Puerto Marino!

By Friday night, everything was nearly packed at Casa Gay Caprice; in truth what you see stacked in the photograph, is only about a quarter of what we have; this is what I call travelling light. Despite offloading the majority of my collectables in the UK, I still have a few cherished items left, a constant source of angst for Darrell, every time we move. Still I'm not getting rid of any of it anytime soon, so he'll have to get used to it!

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It was a jolly cold night at the old house, (even the kittens were under the duvet;) one of the many reasons we have moved. I will not miss it. The damp conditions that I had to live in while Darrell was in Australia were horrendous; I contemplated leaving Spain on a number of different occasions. Luckily we both stayed and can now move on to pastures new, away from Heart Attack Hill, down to the urbanization of Puerto Marino. The villa is bigger, warmer and most importantly south facing!

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We were helped out by a number of friends on the day, showing the real community spirit of Gran Alacant. Paul and Michele as well as the two Andies, Belgum and Stewardson were there early in the morning to give us both a hand moving furniture and boxes, stuff I had bought over from the United Kingdom, nearly two years ago. For the first time in my life, I haven't actually purchased any 'non essential items' or 'tat' as Darrell would put it, since moving to Gran Alacant; although when I look around my new home, surrounded by boxes, you would never actually believe it; I still have an awful lot of stuff!

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It's been two days since we moved in to our new home 'Casa Ja Luka,' and we both feel far more settled than we have for a while, despite the move. The new villa is so spacious, both inside and out; the kitchen is three times as big, it has a utility room, three bathrooms and two bedrooms, one en-suite. The views from the house, are not as spectacular as  our old home, but are none the less amazing, encompassing a nature reserve, directly in front of the property. This will be ideal, for the new cats, should they want to go outside in the future.....

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......Talking of Mollie and Wildling, well they have settled in well, enjoy Casa Ja Luka as much as us. There is a lot of space to explore here and they are spending their time investigating every inch of it. At the moment, their favourite place is the sun room, right at the front of the house. They both enjoy laying in the sun all day and seem a lot happier here, rather than the much colder Casa Gay Caprice.

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So there we are, all moved in to our new home; it's the 28 November 2017 and I'm still unpacking, after a long few days of stress but can finally see through the boxes, that are gradually being cleared. Inevitably at this time, I am in reflective mood. A new start and move to pastures new, is something I am well used to, having moved thirty times in my life. Our first house in Spain was never meant to be our 'forever home,' it was a stop gap, while we discovered the area and decided where we would like to live. Nearly two years later, Gran Alacant remains our home, but we are away from the top of the urbanization, having moved  into a more practical option, close to all amenities; the G A Centre, supermarkets and bars, all within walking distance.

I am however grateful for moving to Calle Canarias in January 2016. I met some wonderful people, who have been instrumental in myself and Darrell adjusting to Expat life on the Costa Blanca. Without all of their support, we both would have probably left, returning to the UK, within a few short months. The Expat and Spanish community are a close knit bunch, especially in this relatively small urb near Alicante. Their victory as a team, is their ability to adapt and most importantly, help others, who may meed a lift up, after upping sticks and moving abroad.  Only yesterday, I received a message from someone I met on day one, moving to GA, June, asking me for any information on jobs that may be available at the Airport where Darrell works, for a 'newbie,' who had just moved to the local area. Gran Alacant is the success it is, because people care and go out of their way to assist others. This is a neighbourhood of like minded individuals, open and welcoming, who just want to see others do well and play their part!

This is a new step, on a continuing journey, one that has had its ups and downs, but one that I am traveling for the duration. Thank you to all those, who have been there, as we have navigated the pitfuls and successes of a new life on the continent; we look forward to productive times ahead!
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