Category: Memories Of Spain

Lockdown Life - Holiday at Home!

28/5/2020

It was absolutely glorious in Portsmouth today; the weather was perfect for a stroll down to the historic dock yard, which is sadly closed at the moment, due to Coronavirus. Nevertheless, you could still see HMS Warrior and take in the sea air, just the tonic for making you feel alive. It felt good to be out and about once again, as I walked around the streets of Portsmouth and Southsea; the coast really does suit my sensibility. I have always lived close to or near to the sea and find myself drawn to coastal regions, wherever I am in the World.

I still have friends living in and around Gran Alacant and Alicante in Spain and it has been good to keep in touch with many of them, during these testing times. Of course Spain has started to move out of lockdown and it has been amazing to see happy faces and laughter once again throughout the Costa Blanca on facebook.

People eating in restaurants and drinking in the bars, I used to frequent when I lived in Gran Alacant, is hopefully a vision of the future for us in the UK. After what Spain suffered during this first wave of the pandemic, normality is greatly needed and appreciated. It wasn't that long ago, that I was sending messages of condolences to my friends in Spain, expressing my horror at what was unfolding. Today I am the one receiving emails and telephone calls asking me to stay safe and take care, as Britain's death toll soars ever higher, day after day!

The death toll in the rest of Europe is falling dramatically; in the UK, we still have over four hundred deaths a day, which emphasises our Governments failure to get to grips with this terrible virus. We have more deaths per million than every other country in the World and with our abject failure as a nation to get COVID under control, I seriously fear for the future. On my walk today, the Country seemed to be back to normal and when non-essential shops open again on 1 June, it is likely we will see a huge spike in fatalities once again and that is frightening.

Speaking to Darrell on the phone earlier, he expressed concern about Western Australia reporting four new cases of COVID-19 and how they were not out of the danger zone yet. My reaction was, a wish we were dealing with similarly low numbers and told him not to worry too much. The scale of the problem in Australia is so small compared to here, I am thankful he is safe in his home state. Looking back now, I wish I had travelled to Australia when I had the chance, then at least we would be living our life together, rather than apart, which is the hardest part of this pandemic.

I am still considering plans to go to Australia in the future when we are allowed to travel, but that is dependent on a number of factors. I can not afford to fly to Perth and have to self-isolate for two weeks, as well as doing the same on my return to the UK, that will be a whole month before I even spend time with Darrell. These restrictions will need to be lifted before I even think about making the journey, but the reality is, our death toll will need to fall significantly, before any changes are implemented and I can't see that happening presently.

On Saturday I was due to fly to Japan to meet Darrell during a two-week stay. This holiday has now been cancelled and after a lot of wrangling with the airlines and travel operators involved, we are now just awaiting a full refund. This isn't the ideal situation for Darrell or me, we were both looking forward to seeing one another this Saturday, but like many millions of other people, we just have to live with this scenario. To be honest I am not even sure I want to get on a plane at the moment, but I know Darrell and I have time constraints and my husband has to return sooner rather than later, in order to comply with the terms of his visa, that allows him to remain with me here in the UK.

As yet we have no plans to rebook any holiday to Asia, until this situation is over, probably when there is a vaccine in place. Both of us are hoping the timing of events are now favourable, and we can finally pick up where we left off in November, when Darrell left the UK for Australia. Until that time, we will just have to continue living as we do now and hope it isn't too many months before everything returns to normal.

In a couple of days I have two weeks off and like the rest of the population I will be spending it in my home city of Portsmouth. I have discovered much about this city, that I never knew before and it is good for the soul finding out more about the place you live in. When I moved to Spain, I also spent time exploring this beautiful urbanisation. I researched its history and also looked closely at the demographic of the population. By the time I left I knew more about my adopted home, than most people who lived there.

Despite my fondness for Portsmouth, I am missing travelling, something I really enjoy and was a huge part of my life up until recently. It will be awhile before things change for the better and it is likely the travel industry will be decimated and the cost of flying could well be prohibited for most. For me however, my life will continue to involve a lot of toing and froing, because of the nature of my relationship. For that reason I am making the most of my time here in the UK and continue to enjoy experiences, I wouldn't otherwise of had. I want to be able to look back at this time and say I achieved something and began the process of connecting, with the place where I was born!

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Steve Dale - The Planet Stupiter!

18/5/2020

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Steve Dale, author of 'The Planet Mirth Adventures One' has just had his second children's book, 'The Planet Stupiter' published. Steve's latest creation, is a charming story, detailing a dream, where Granny Beetroot, then a child, is transported to another world, meeting a girl from Earth called Princess. After telling her three Grandchildren of her adventures, they too travel to 'The Planet Stupiter,' meeting strange looking creatures, Queen Bella and the Gnomes who live there. Discovering the peculiar and wondrous World is in danger of disappearing, Niamh, Mia and Miriam hatch a plan to save the planet before hope is lost!

I met Steve, while living in Gran Alacant in Spain. I was working in a bar in Plaza Mayor, he and his lovely family were regulars, and we got to know each other well. The stories Steve told, were the tales I loved as a child and his amazing imagination was an inspiration for me, as I concentrated on my blog at every given opportunity. His words of wisdom and advice during a particularly difficult time in my life, were always accepted with thanks and I have always done my best to support Steve in his endeavours, as he has for me, commenting on my blog whenever he can.

Steve's first book transported me to my childhood and at 49 years old, I enjoyed every word. I often read children's books, for the imaginative stories they tell. Anything that takes me back to better times, especially today is welcome. As I focus on the future, I am always inclined to focus with fondness at my youth and the stories I was told and read, encapsulating a brief moment in time. These books have remained a part of my life and occasionally I will remember a saying or passage in a chapter that has as much meaning today as it did then. Steve's books are memories of the future, for children of today. In a World so ravaged by COVID-19, 'The Planet Stupiter' offers the chance to escape and enjoy the innocence that all of us crave. Children of any age, right up to forty-nine years old and beyond, will enjoy these wonderful books of magic, wonderment and an imagination running wild!

Please click on the Amazon icon above, where you can purchase Steve's new book 'The Planet Stupiter.' Do leave a comment and of course a review of Steve's latest work. You can of course email me at Roaming Brit, if you have any questions or comments you would like me to pass on.

Happy reading!

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Gran Alacant - The Square!

6/4/2020

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Gran Alacant had numerous personalities living and working there, people who became good and close friends. There was of course a large British Expat contingent, but there were many other nationalities represented, from Norwegians, Dutch and even Russians. GA was a diverse enclave, far more multicultural than its British equivalent and despite the many differences, there was very little trouble and everyone lived together in relative peace and harmony. Whenever I think about the years that I lived there, I am always amazed by the camaraderie and common sense of purpose everyone had, living in a place that we all called home, enjoying a life style that we could only dream of in our respective places of birth. This was a time to explore and get to know the locals and establish oneself as part of this welcoming neighbourhood that was very much the life blood of this urbanization near Alicante!

Community life was centred around the squares in Gran Alacant. My nearest, just a short walk from my Casa was Sierra Mar, hidden behind a gated community, tucked away from prying eyes. Whenever I had the time, I would pop up the square and have a few drinks, chatting with the locals and staff alike; I found myself in a setting akin to home, comfortable, harmonious and full of good cheer. Like everyone else, we had our favourite bar and being the creatures of habit we are, we would spend our time settled, relaxed and chilled in our favourite setting.

Zest was our Oasis and a place where we always felt welcome. The staff always went above and beyond and in a relatively short space of time became friends to unwind with, a shoulder to cry on and a catalyst for advice when things weren’t going so well. Despite living on my own in Spain, while Darrell cared for his Mother in Australia, the customers and staff at Zest were always there to lend a helping hand. This was a location that I returned to time and time again and somewhere I miss very much today.

Saturday afternoons became a bit of a pilgrimage, as I made my way to Sierra Mar for drinks with neighbours Katie and Andy. These two became very close over my time living in GA and with both of our husbands away for a good chunk of the year, Katie and I established a great and important friendship. Katie was always on hand to take me shopping, the cats to the vets or to sit and have a glass or two of wine in the blistering Spanish sun. The square was also the perfect place to meet others and I gained many wonderful friends, while sat having a drink, many of whom still remain close today. The close-knit community wasn’t something I was used to, but it was a breath of fresh air coming from a large city in Britain. The locals and tourists did seem genuinely interested in me and were always there to offer guidance if they could. The reason we got on so well in Spain, was because of the encouragement we were given by others, when all else failed. Advice from people in the square was invaluable to us as we began to navigate our way around GA.

The square was a focal point for celebration as well as a hub for local life. Ladies Day celebrating June's Birthday, Christmas Carols around a central Christmas tree, Bingo on a Tuesday afternoon, charity events, raising money for worthy causes, including Elche Orphanage and Sunday lunch with friends at Zest. I spent more time in The Square than I did at home; this was an outdoor lifestyle that we can only dream of here in the UK and it is a time I always look back on with fondness.

Recalling my first tentative months living in Gran Alacant, I am reminded of just how important Sierra Mar was to my sense of well-being. I had arrived in Spain, shattered and broken after a year of torment living in the UK and this small square began my process of recovery and acceptance, giving me back my faith in humanity at what could have been a deeply damaging period. Within a short space of time, I felt accepted and a sense of belonging that I couldn’t have felt anywhere else. Spain changed my outlook forever and gave me back the life I lost. I long for the day when I can once again drink cocktails in the sun and enjoy the company of those who played such an important role in my life; reliving the good times, remembering the milestones and recalling events that made me the person I am today!

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Gran Alacant - Making The Right Choices!

23/2/2020

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It has been nearly two years since I left Spain to return to the UK, after what I can only describe as a manic time living and working in Gran Alacant. As I look back at that period I am reminded of the difficult journey that Darrell and I travelled, trying to forge a new life in a country both of us loved but knew little about. In this new section of Roaming Brit, I want to relive my experiences in Spain and try to understand just what went wrong. It is true to say our move in 2015 was brought about by adverse circumstances, and we started off our new life in a rather negative way. On the surface this could well have signalled the beginning of the end of our adventure before it even started, but of course our move was significant for many other reasons, not just the turmoil that was the catalyst for our decision to move.

We left Britain behind with some apprehension, neither Darrell nor I knew if our move would work and really had to take a chance, leaping into the unknown and trying to salvage what was left of the life we once had. After a terrible time working for Oxfam and the bullying we endured for many years, we both decided a fresh start was necessary to begin the process of rebuilding and repairing our sense of self-worth. After much research we decided Spain would offer us the best chance of a new life away from the memories of the past. By the time we left the UK, we were both exhausted, ill and shadows of our former self. As I stepped onto the plane with Jamie, a friend who had decided to move with us and Darrell had left Southampton with a single van load of stuff, we were both really unprepared for what happened next. Spain was nothing like we had imagined, it was the beginning of the most difficult time in our life.

After a brief stay in Alicante, we took a taxi to our new home in Gran Alacant, a destination we chose through luck. We saw a house we liked online and immediately contacted the agent a few weeks before our departure. We knew nothing about this small urbanization in the Valencia region, except it was close to Alicante, Benidorm and Torrevieja in the South. It was the ideal choice for our relocation, being close to work and links to Britain. This seemed like the perfect raison d'être on paper and as we drove up to the new house, I was positive about our decision.

The weather was cold, very cold and the house even colder inside. This was the beginning of February and all of us were unprepared for the freezing temperatures that greeted us. When one thinks of Spain, one never imagines for a minute the British like conditions, howling wind and icy cold nights, but Spain in the middle of winter was as bad as Britain, if not worse. The houses were cold, without central heating or carpet and the single glazed windows let in the cold and damp air. Our location at the top of Heart Attack Hill overlooking a ravine was indeed idyllic, but it also left us exposed and vulnerable at a time when the weather outside was decidedly unwelcoming. The first few weeks took some getting used to and all of us suffered to differing degrees.

It was important for me to get out and about as soon as I arrived and not dwell on the past. The predominantly British Expat community would be our home, and we needed to find our place within it, meet the locals and discover just what life was like in Gran Alacant. It didn't take too long to find our way around and introduce ourselves to residents. Daily activities were centred around one of three squares, Plaza Mayor, Sierra Mar and the Centro Commercial, as well as a strip of bars and restaurants at Carabassi at the bottom of the hill we overlooked; everywhere was within walking distance. With beautiful white sandy beaches, just a short walk away, the lifestyle this enclave offered was inviting and popular among the many tourists and second homeowners who lived there! The streets were safe and clean, the locals would say hello, pass the time of day and were generally more approachable. At first this was a little disconcerting, but as time moved on, I became used to this friendly community vibe and grew to love its charm.

The characters that lived and worked in GA, as Gran Alacant is affectionately known were varied and full of surprises. Within a short space of time I had made friends with some incredible people, who went out of their way to help me fit in and adapt to Expat life. Sitting in Dick Turpin, looking out across the square, winter sun high in the sky, warming my cold hands from the night before, I was suddenly at ease, safe and feeling at home. This was the first amicable bar we had stumbled across and I can't fault it in any way. In reality, this was how I pictured life living in the sun and I wanted to make this adventure work. An instantaneous feeling of determination overwhelmed me and I made a pact with myself to do everything possible to remain focused, at a time when I could have so easily let go. After such a horrendous time in the UK before we left, this is when the weight of the World lifted from my shoulders and it was all thanks to those locals who made our first few weeks so memorable, happy and inviting. Gran Alacant was my home, as it still remains today, firmly in my heart, rooted in the memories of an altogether better time!

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

Lockdown Life - Holiday at Home!

Steve Dale - The Planet Stupiter!

Gran Alacant - The Square!

Gran Alacant - Making The Right Choices!

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