Category: Information - Roaming Brit

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From a new life in spain, to an old life in britain, 'roaming brit' documents uncertain times!

On 31st January 2016, my partner and I left Southampton to start a new life as Expats in Gran Alacant, on the Costa Blanca. This blog will document our journey, as we navigate the Spanish system, travelling a path untried and untested. With Brexit looming, political turmoil in Europe and an unpredictable future, harsh decisions have to be made. Illness, family bonds and a Change of heart all make for challenging times in a life of a 'Roaming Brit!'

Tributes, Cards and Messages!

10/10/2019

A tribute and donation page has been opened for Mum by her undertakers. Please take a little time to click on the picture above and leave a message. You can also make a donation to Diabetes UK, a charity close to our family's heart. We all look forward to hearing from you.

Since Mothers death on 1 October 2019, we have received many cards, messages and emails from family and friends, wanting to express their sympathy at the death of Mum. Dad is finding these reflections particularly comforting at this time and we would like to thank you all for the contributions you have made.

My employers have also been understanding, approachable and reassuring, presenting me with flowers and cards from the team at Tesco. I have also received cards and gifts from colleagues, offering a shoulder to cry on and a friendly ear if needed. Personally I can't thank everyone enough for their kind words, it means a lot to me. Without all of you being there, my life would have been far harder. The fact that I do have so many people around me, is testimony to the nature of those I call friends.

If you would like to pay your respects and attend Mum's funeral, we would be delighted to see you. Both my Mother and Father came into contact with many people over their fifty two years together - School friends, work colleagues, friends and family and we would like to see as many of you attend, to celebrate my Mothers life as you can. In recent years, due to the nature of Mum's condition, they lost contact with many who were close. Reconnecting Mother, even in death with those who came into her life, would be a fitting tribute to a lady who died, well before she should!

Urgent Appeal For Help - Katie Stewardson, Floods in Spain!

15/9/2019

I am making an urgent appeal for my friend Katie Stewardson. I met Katie while living in Spain. Katie became a close friend and has even written for Roaming Brit. A few days ago Katie and her family, including her two week old son Sebastián were evacuated from their Southern Spanish home, after their property flooded along with thousands of others in the region. Katie is now trying to raise money for the local community who have lost everything, trying to ensure animals and livestock are re-homed and looked after, following the worst storms to hit Spain in a century. Katie has asked me to advertise this plea for help, so she and other victims can start to rebuild their lives!

Please click on the 'Go Fund Me' picture below, to take you to her appeal!

"Our farm was hit bad by the flooding of the 'south eastern Spanish gota fria.' Paddocks are flooded and sheds are destroyed, the kennels for the dogs are non existent and they have no shelter. We are not the only ones affected .

We are fundrasing to build new kennels for the dogs and new shelters for the goats at our finca. We are also fundraising for other fincas and shelters in the same mess as us.

Dog food to buy. Beds etc

Please help if you can, every little counts to remaking homes for the animals."

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24/3/2018

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Healthy Eating!

22/3/2018

I was up bright and early again this morning, walking around Gran Alacant. I popped into Lidl, to pick up some healthy provisions on the way home, but lets just say they didn't have any; not what I wanted anyway!

I was speaking to a couple of friends, whilst searching the isles, who kindly gave me advice on what to buy for my high triglycerides results. My Cholesterol was just above what it should be, but my triglycerides results were 296; they should be 149 maximum; quite concerning I have to say. I need to cut out fat. carbs and sugar, including white rice and pasta, two staples in my diet. Lidl sadly didn't have the more healthy brown variety, so it was a quick trip to Mercadona to stock up.

In the past I have eaten as cheaply as I can, today I am buying products, according to their nutritional value; the healthier the better. Currently, I have cut out a lot of unhealthy foods from my diet, including cheese, chocolate and processed food; I have at least, started to change my eating habits.

Naturally when I got home, I googled an appropriate diet, in order to bring down my cholesterol levels; interestingly I came across a good site, where I could measure, just how bad they are, using the charts below.

I was able to use this chart to calculate my risk of heart disease. The figures in the left hand column relate to HDL-Colesterol. In my case, I have a figure of 48; anything over 40 is good; really it should be over 60. The figures along the top relate to my Cholesterol figure. Here anything under 200 is good; mine was 215. Using the columns as a guide I could see that the two together put me in the 'average risk bracket.'

After finding my cholesterol risk from the cholesterol chart above (total cholesterol and HDL levels), I factored in triglycerides by finding my triglycerides number from the triglycerides chart on the left, then moving to the right of the cholesterol chart by the number of corresponding columns shown on the triglycerides chart:

So for example, if as in my case your total cholesterol is 215 and your HDL is 48, the cholesterol chart above will intersect at “Average”. However if like me your triglycerides is 296, this corresponds to moving 1 column to the right of the cholesterol chart, which still results in a risk level of “Average” when triglycerides is factored in, but only just!

This is still far too high; I am bordering on a high risk of heart disease, so need to change my lifestyle dramatically. It is about time I tried to live a more healthy lifestyle; well I can at least try. More tests in a few months, lets hope I've made some progress!

Fareham Park School - Appeal For Help!

23/2/2018

I am currently writing a book about my school days, living in Fareham. In 1976 I started at Fareham Park Infants School in Tewkesbury Avenue, Hill Park. I was a pupil for two years assigned to Mrs Brooks class. I then moved up to Fareham Park Junior School, just a hop skip and a jump away from my first institution.

Sadly my two old schools are no longer there, well not in the same guise, so getting information on the period 1976 - 1982 is proving a bit of a challenge. I have been in contact with the new academies, who have promised to do help dig out old records and photographs from the time.

As part of this book, I would like to ask pupils and teachers who were in attendance at Fareham Park Infants and Juniors during the six years I was there, for their help. I am looking for anyone who has old photographs and doesn't mind donating them, for the inclusion in this new publication. Of course I don't mean physically handing the photo's over, but scanning them into a PC and sending me a digital copy. Also I would like to ask ex pupils and friends, if they have any stories and recollections they would like to share. I want to include personal memories from you, the readers, throughout the book and will of course be delighted to include a reference to you, or not, depending on your wishes.

As a writer I think it is important to document every aspect of my attainment; I write about many different subjects but find real life the most rewarding. With your help I feel sure this book will get the recognition it deserves.

If you want to take part in this 'school project,' please send your digital copies and comments to:

lukemartin.jones@gmail.com

You can also fill in your details, leaving a comment in the box below and I will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to read this blog entry today, I know how busy you all are. In my blog 'Spanish Views,' there is a section entitled 'Short Stories From My Youth.' I am currently showcasing various aspects of my life, growing in in the 1970s and 80s; my own personal account of the time. Please take a look; it may give you some ideas for your own anecdotes, jog your memory or just take you back to an altogether innocent time. Whatever you do, please keep reading 'Spanish Views,' you make the blog the success it is today!

The Mayflower!

16/2/2018

We found the old Sky box the other day. The one we used to use for television, when we lived in sunny Southampton. We have an extremely large satellite dish on our roof; about four times as big as the usual ones back in the UK; I like to call it, an Expat Dish! I plugged it into the socket on the wall and hey presto, I started receiving SKY TV. Not only that, but the settings, tuned to the Meridian region, on the south coast of England were still in place. It was good to see the news from back home, also the advertisements aimed solely at those living in Hampshire. The Mayflower Theatre popped up, promoting its latest production of Miss Saigon, not a show I have seen myself, but it brought back many memories of happy times spent at this fantastic Playhouse.

Originally the Mayflower was called The Empire Theatre and was opened in 1928. At the time it was the largest theatre on the south coast of England. With the onset of moving pictures and dwindling admissions, The Empire became a cinema of sorts, popular among local residents from 1933; by 1942, The Empire was mainly used for viewing the latest films of the day. Between 1950 and 1986, The Empire became the Gaumont, still used mainly as a cinema, although very much in decline, as television became the popular pastime of the day. The Gaumont also hosted many of the musical greats of the era, but was still failing to make money. Several applications were made to turn it into a bingo hall and a ten pin bowling alley, all were refused. In 1983 Southampton City Council bought the building, refurbishing it at a cost of three million pounds, turning it into a charitable trust. This was also the same year it became a grade II listed building. After major renovation work between 1986-87, the new Mayflower opened on 24 February 1987. Initial audience figures were disappointing, although with the introduction of major pantomimes, audience turnout climbed steeply, making it the popular venue it is today!

Darrell and I have attended many presentations at this grand old theatre, including Taboo, The Goodbye Girl, Evita and my favourite Psychic Sally. All of the performances were exceptional. I always enjoyed dressing up in my finery, watching the latest performance, in the best seats we could get. We have of course seen many West End productions too and both enjoy going to the cinema; something we haven't done since moving to Spain; rather disappointing for me. This isn't surprising; living on the Costa Blanca, it isn't usual to enjoy British theatre. Nevertheless it shouldn't stop us attending Spanish shows or indeed Italian opera when we can!

Alicante does have its own theatre, The Teatro Principal, which hosts cultural events, concerts, dance and opera. The 160 year old neo classical building is well worth a visit and does on occasion show English speaking productions. There are also many other venues up and down the Coast, as well as local amateur dramatic society productions, popular among the Expat community. As a keen theatre goer myself, I need to spend more time enjoying these shows and will make a point of doing so in the future.

Many of the facilities Darrell and I took for granted, living in Southampton are no longer on our doorstep. Living in Gran Alacant, we have access to fantastic beaches and scenery, but there are not the English speaking activities we used to love; from the cinema, theatre to concerts and bookshops. Today both of us rely heavily on the internet to keep up to date with the latest movies or books and it is a continual source of angst, that we can't just walk down the high street and purchase a novel or buy a ticket for the afternoon matinee. This is a fact of life living here and you do eventually accept the differences. I can at least look back on past experiences with fondness and could of course fly back, stay in Southampton for a few days, attending a play if I so wish. The difficulties of Expat life are not insurmountable, you can overcome most disadvantages. I do miss the UK everyday, but I am more than happy to be living in Spain; the benefits of our life here, outweigh the negative aspects of living back home!

Top Tips For A Perfect Christmas Dinner!

20/12/2017

For today's entry I wanted to find out, what makes the perfect Christmas Dinner. I asked a cross section of friends and family for their top tips, when preparing and cooking for their big day and am lucky enough to include the replies I received. Many thanks to all of you who took the time to message me, I'm sure readers of 'Spanish Views' will find you advice invaluable when cooking on the 25th December.

As for me I wanted to tell you how I do my roast potatoes:

After peeling, I parboil my potatoes for between ten and twelve minutes. Mean while I heat a combination of goose or duck fat and lard in a roasting tin until smoking hot. Once the potatoes have boiled, I drain the water, replace the lid of the pan and vigorously shake them, fluffing up the sides. Next I add some plain flour to the spuds, shaking once more; finally adding to the hot fat. I season with salt, pepper, a little balsamic vinegar and a few sprigs of rosemary, cooking until golden brown. Half way through cooking, in true Jamie Oliver style, I give each potato a bash with a spoon, increasing the surface area to be roasted...My top tips for the perfect roasties!

work all the times out of cooking everything then work it backwards from serving time to give you a start time and a list like 1) meat in 10am 2) spuds on 11am etc

Stephen C Hick - Southampton

I have a few, here goes, first and foremost 1. No stress! It's just one day!! It's a little more than a Sunday roast! 2. Get prepared and write that list. 3. Prepare veg the day before, assemble into pans, so it can just be moved and cooked on the day, 4. Get your gravy perfect, there's no right or wrong way, people's tastes vary, but I always include my meat juices, skimmed from all of the fat from the roasting tray. 5. Use extra special fats like goose fat, beef dripping or duck fat for roast potatoes and parsnips. 6. Add pancetta or bacon bits and onion to Brussels sprouts and chestnuts and sausage meat to stuffing to add that extra bit special. 7. Enjoy! with large glass in hand

Ruth Jones - Gran Alacant

Timing is all. Whatever people are serving up, please don't get stressed, it's only a Sunday Roast with a bit extra. Don't give them too many vegetables, they always leave them. Make sure whatever meat/vegetarian dish you are cooking, please do not overcook ( take it out off the oven and let it rest)

It's not that difficult, just enjoy. Oops forgot do not overcook the roast potatoes and make sure you cook your parsnips in honey and they are of a golden colour, then off course there are the bp, if you can be bothered el dente with little criss x at the top. Best of all enjoy. Happy Christmas.

Jennifer Derbyshire - Gran Alacant

Invite someone who is on their own at Christmas I always did when I lived in London and it was great !!! Oh and garlic and honey parsnips!

Mary Mayhew - Gran Alacant

To make the perfect roast potatoes make sure you put them onto a hot baking tray. Use some of the turkey fat to baste them. Hope you have a great Xmas x

Paul Wyeth - Southampton

Roast gammon, Roast beef, Roast duck, Stuffing meatballs, Pigs in blankets, Goose fat potatoes, Usual veg - Brussel sprouts with chestnuts and panchetta Topped with gravy made from the beef fat!

Nathan Stephens - Southampton

I'd say candles. They make it the best Christmas atmosphere xx

Gemma Wooldridge - Bournemouth

Rich hot gravy.

Michele Stokes - Gran Alacant

Plenty of good company and loads of booze and loads of food. Plenty of roasties and trimmings with Xmas pud to follow with brandy butter and fresh cream yummy lol xx

Myra Reardan - Southampton

Don't use Turkey lol it's horrible..... Goose fat on roast potatoes is a must. Better still separate the breast from the legs and cook at different times, the legs take a little longer hence why 9 times out of ten for normal house cooks, they over cook it...

Giles Gauntlett - Southampton

Real home made stuffing, Not out of packet, I've always made my own.

Fran - Gran Alacant

I always do Honey Roast Parsnips, sprouts served with bacon bits and chestnuts, pigs in blankets. Parboiled potatoes and fluff them up and roast in goose fat. For turkey, I always put knobs of butter under the breast skin, this keeps the turkey moist. Making me hungry now. Have a lovely Christmas. x x x

Jackie Fleet - Gran Alacant

Good company. Whatever gravy you have in the trays from your bird/meat/veg, use it to flavour your sauce. A packet of powder with boiled water doesn't do it for me. And in case of extra guests I always had lots of sausages wrapped in streaky bacon. I am more of a traditional steak pie new year's party type girl. From past experience I always had a selection of starters, for those who came early, those on time and, well, the late arrivals, helping me control putting bums on seats for the main course. Not "top tip" material, but when you invite 5 and 23 turn up, it actually happened, the provision of several starters, one tray at a time, gave me time to prepare more veg and cook the extras sausage/bacon rolls. Only year the turkey was gnawed to the bone. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Rita - Gran Alacant

My tip is to do as much prep as you can on Christmas Eve, don't open the oven door until you're 100% sure the Yorkshire puddings are cooked and just enjoy every minute if you're lucky enough to be with a lovely family xxx

Carol Reeds - Fareham

Decent cava! Before during and after! Tradition wise, late morning beer out before Christmas dinner.

Emma - Puerto Marino

Cook roast potatoes in goose fat.

Johnny Cage - Wickham

Place ice within a tall glass, add 2 frozen slices of lime, coat with a very large amount of tanqueray gin, top up with fever tree tonic... no solids required ...merry Christmas ..!

Pete Hudson - Cambridge

If covering the meat with foil (for example when slow cooking the turkey like I do) put baking paper between it and the foil to disperse the heat and stop it getting browned too early. This helps get an even colour when you brown it on a high heat at the end and prevents the parts that would have been in contact with the foil getting dry!

Ash Mehmud - Liverpool

Guest Post: FAMA - Online Entry Analysis!

12/11/2017

A Look at the Benefits of Social Media Background Checks

Employers today are eager to conduct a background check on all potential employees. However, a traditional background check only shows legal disputes a person has been in over the past seven years. Additionally, many civil rights organizations are fighting against what the government can and cannot make public as it concerns a person's criminal record. In many states, criminal records do not display charges that do not deal with violence, and these same states do not require people to admit they have a record on a job application if their offense was nonviolent. In the end, an employer will be taking a chance on every potential employee.

The best way around this is to conduct a social background check. A social background check involves going through all social media accounts of every potential employee. The employer can do this him/herself, or they can hire a third-party to conduct this background check.

Employers have been finding out more about people through social background checks than traditional background checks. This is mainly because of pictures and videos that are posted every day. People post drinking at clubs, hanging out with criminals, and many other similar situations. This gives the employer a better understanding of who they are hiring. This also allows the employer to ask more questions on a second or third interview about the daily life of the potential employee.

The best thing about a social check is that only 3% of people know this type of background check exists. People posts freely on a daily basis without expecting anyone to spy on their social media accounts. Employers do not have to worry about being sued for invasion of privacy because the law gives employers the right to conduct this type of background check.

In a recent survey, it was discovered that at least five thousand employers have benefited off of this type of background check. These same employers have employees today who are reliable, have no secrets that will haunt the company, and have intentions of staying with the company for a long time.

In a similar survey, it was discovered that many employees were able to catch thieves in the act because they posted their offenses on a social media site. These employers stated that they could not believe employees would publicly post how proud they were to steal from their job. However, these employees are out of a job today, and some of them now have a criminal record.

A great place to start a social background check would be at FAMA. This is an online organization that specializes in social media background checks. Employers who hire FAMA are given a personal investigator. The employer and the investigator work closely together, and all the information they share with each other is kept totally confidential.

FAMA specialists use the best spy software on the planet. Additionally, FAMA will leave no digital footprint that would link back to the employer. FAMA has been in business for only a few years. However, they have helped millions of employers find the best employees.

The employer application on the FAMA website is easy to fill out, there are no application fees, and an investigator will be assigned to the employer within 5 business days. FAMA also has a great rating with the BBB.

Many thanks to FAMA for their guest post today; like them, if you would like to contribute to the continued success of Spanish Views, drop us a line. Please email me, Luke Martin-Jones, using the advertisement above, entitled 'Guest Bloggers Wanted,' and I will get back to you within 24 hours, to discuss your ideas. Thanks again to FAMA for today's entry!

Forever Enduring Cycles - CHANGE OF ADDRESS!

25/10/2017

'Forever Enduring Cycles' my second blog, started in December 2015 has a new web address. Until recently you could access this site at www.foreverenduringcycles.com. I have decided to remove the dot com status. Forever Enduring Cycles will remain published as a site, under the URL http://foreverenduringcycles.weebly.com/ It has been necessary to make this name change, in order for me to concentrate writing my newest blog, Spanish Views. Initially I considered removing Forever Enduring Cycles altogether, but due to its continued popularity, decided to keep it operational!

If you have bookmarked Forever Enduring Cycles, you will need to change the URL by clicking on any of the links above, which will take you to the new web address, saving it as your new bookmark.

I will continue to update Forever Enduring Cycles as and when necessary and hope you continue to enjoy reading my words from a very different time in my life. Forever Enduring Cycles was written at a time of illness and relapse; the writing is very different to that of today, grammatically poor at times; raw language, written from the heart at a cross roads in my life.

Please continue to read Forever Enduring Cycles and my first blog Bipolarcoaster documenting a traumatic period in my life and of course my latest blog Spanish Views, following my new life in Spain.

Thank you for your continued support!

Bipolarcoaster - CHANGE OF ADDRESS!

23/10/2017

'Bipolarcoaster' my first blog, started in April 2015 has a change of web address. Until recently you could access this site at www.bipolarcoaster.com or www.bipolarcoaster.org. I have decided to remove the dot com and dot org status. Bipolarcoaster will remain published as a site, under the URL http://darrenvranjes.weebly.com/ It has been necessary to make this name change, in order for me to concentrate writing my newest blog, Spanish Views. Initially I considered removing Bipolarcoaster altogether, but due to its continued popularity, decided to keep it operational!

If you have bookmarked Bipolarcoaster, you will need to change the URL by clicking on any of the links above, which will take you to the new web address, saving it as your new bookmark.

I will continue to update Bipolarcoaster as and when necessary and hope you continue to enjoy reading my words from a very different time in my life. Bipolarcoaster was written at a time of illness and relapse; the writing is very different to that of today, grammatically poor at times; raw language, written from the heart at a cross roads in my life.

Please continue to read Bipolarcoaster, my second blog Forever Enduring Cycles, documenting recovery from illness and my latest blog Spanish Views, following my new life in Spain.

Thank you for your continued support!

Author

51-year-old Author and professional blogger. Expat formerly living in Gran Alacant on the Costa Blanca! Currently, residing in my adopted home of Perth, Western Australia.

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A place to call home

Finally, a place we can call home. A community of like minded individuals, who used to call Britain home. Now Spain is our choice, an altogether gentler, happier, sunnier and safer experience!

Luke Feb 16

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