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

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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!'

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Getting Healthy!

22/8/2019

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Keeping fit and trying to lose weight, has always been an activity, I have had difficulty with. I have spent my whole life dieting in one way or another, so it is natural I have reached another crossroads in my life, where I need to do something to get healthy once again. To be honest, I did consider another strict calorie controlled diet, but soon realised it wouldn't work. Why wont it work? Well I have tried that approach many times before and I have always failed somewhere down the line, usually just a few days into it!

This time I wanted to do something different and really start to eat healthier, without restricting myself too much. As an all or nothing person, I have never chosen the middle ground; extremes are my forte. During the times when I did rigorously eat an uncompromising diet, it felt like a prison sentence and I soon got fed up with the austere nature of what I was doing. All I did was crave the things I liked and eat the things I didn't. This was a sure fire way to fail and it wasn't long before I got fed up with the whole palaver and just continued down a self destructive path of binge eating, even in secret.

So today I am cutting down, choosing healthier alternatives and most importantly reducing the size of the meals I eat. On top of this sensible eating plan, I have also decided to reduce the carbohydrates in my diet dramatically, but not altogether. If I stop eating carbs completely, I will crave them all the more and surely fail at the first hurdle. Buying food that is lower in carbohydrates is a good start for me; low carb bread as well as fresh fruit and vegetables and more salads should help me lose weight. Yesterday I also made some Cauliflower Rice, by blending the vegetable up into grain size pieces and quickly frying it in olive oil; served with Chili, it tasted delicious. It worked surprisingly well, despite my initial apprehension and didn't taste of cauliflower at all.

So it's back to healthy eating for me, not a bad thing when one considers the amount of walking I do a day and the cigarettes I no longer smoke. It is about time I took charge of my own destiny, and as I drift towards my fiftieth year, I am fully aware of what I need to do in order to live a longer, healthier life. My body no longer feels and acts like the twenty year old, who used to drink, smoke  and party hard; today it is in need of an MOT and an overhaul, accepting what it can and can't do. Realising ones age and changing ones lifestyle is an important part of maintaining the perfect balance between body and mind. My mind is as healthy as it has ever been, my body, well, just needs work...Could do better as they say. Hopefully this time, I will succeed where I have failed in the past!
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Supermarkets!

28/11/2018

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Ah, supermarket shopping, the bane of my life, it is the one part of the week I hate. Usually my Aunt Trisha undertakes the weekly trip to procure supplies, but today I was persuaded to go into town with her and my Cousin Rachel. Trisha and Rachel had to buy some Christmas cards and since I had a day off, I towed along. The weather wasn't great  and it was pretty miserable outside, but spending time with family is good, rain or shine.

As you would expect, my favourite supermarket is Tesco; I work there, how could I say anything different. In all seriousness, I actually enjoy walking around the isles in this Fratton store and find the whole encounter far more enjoyable than many other retail experiences. In the past I would rush into a superstore, grab what I needed and run out, equally as fast. To be honest, having an Aunt who does the shopping is a bonus. It allows me to avoid those gleaming, inviting shelves and keeps my money firmly in my pocket. Going back ten years, I spent far more than I needed to. If I look back to 2006, I could spend a hundred and fifty pounds a week on food shopping and probably a lot more if I am truthful, so I am glad I am not doing the same today. It is easily done here; the variety and amount of goods on offer is huge and I am easily led!

Spain really changed my shopping habits; the supermarkets there were terrible. The service was the worst in the World, one would queue for half an hour just to join another queue to pay for ones shopping and the staff were rude and unapproachable. Equally the choice on offer was horrendous and as a couple we would have to cook everything from scratch; there were no short cuts.

I did become very self sufficient when I lived in Gran Alacant; living frugally, I spent no more than 20€ a week on groceries. What I did buy, lasted me a long time and I was able to make more than one meal with only a small amount of food; my days of living like a King were well and truly over and I had to learn a whole new way of life. If anything Spain taught me how to survive in a very unforgiving climate, so returning to Britain has been a breath of fresh air and reintroduced me back to civilization. I am jesting of course, Spain is as civilized as the UK, it just does things very differently.

When we got to the checkout today, there were no bags for our shopping and we had to use flimsy plastic carriers to take our purchases home, one bag splitting as soon as we left the car park, spilling shopping everywhere. This annoyed me, as you would expect and I vowed never to shop in ASDA again. Of course I will, but it just underlines why I shop at a particular outlet in the first place. It's not just about how much things cost, it's about the service you get and the attention you receive when you actually pay your bill. As a checkout operator, I am well versed in how to address members of the public. I have always worked in a retail environment so always treat customers how I would like to be treated. It really doesn't take a lot of energy to be polite and I am absolutely passionate about giving the best service I can, as I believe others should also!

So from an experience at the checkouts today I have rambled on about shopping long enough. This is what I love about blogging.....Sometimes it's the strangest situation that triggers a memory or gives one the motivation to write about a particular subject. Working in the retail sector gives me an valuable insight into the workings of a busy, supermarket, so when things go wrong while I am out shopping, I become more critical than I normally would. Running out of carrier bags is not the end of the World, but it is rather infuriating for the customer; I am proud to say it has never happened where I work and I hope it never happens again where I shop!

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Saturday!

21/4/2018

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Shopping the GA Way!

20/2/2018

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Back to basics today and a few words about shopping. I have just got back from doing my weekly shop; which can often be challenging, living in Spain. Today I have been to five different shops, in order to get everything I need for the next week. I always go to Lidl for the basics, preferring to buy groceries everyday on my morning walk around Gran Alacant.

Today I had to take a trip up to the top of the hill, not far from where I used to live. I had to go to the pharmacy to try and get hold of those packets of Asprin I needed a week ago, in order to thin the blood and prevent a heart attack. To be honest, it's my own paranoia that wants me to buy them. I understand I have to eventually make an appointment at the Doctors, but the process is so laborious, having to arrange an interpreter, that I just don't have the time to mess around. Buying these at 1'30€ a packet, rather than the 5€ Darrell paid, should give me peace of mind at least. Thanks to Jackie, who lives locally in Gran Alacant, I was able to get the right medication and not pay over the odds for a change!

Next it was a stopover at the English Supermarket Quicksave to get a few herbs and spices for dinner this evening. To my surprise, I found the big 500 gram jars of Marmite, not something I have seen in Spain before and only 5'95€; an absolute bargain price. A big thank you to Quicksave for getting them in. For a Marmite addict like me, it's just like winning the lottery.

Lastly it was a quick stop at Unide, to pick up a local paper, some freeze dried corn, that I love and tomato juice for a Bloody Mary or two. It was interesting to see the headline 'Shopping Days Limited,' in the Costa Blanca News. The local Valencian Regional Government, recently voted to limit the number of Sundays and Red Days shops can open. Outlets in larger tourist zones had been allowed to open throughout the year; the new rules will mean having more limited opening times, closing on many of these lucrative shopping days.

This is of course in stark contrast to the British way of doing things, who tend to allow unrestricted shopping hours on public holidays and Sundays. I am not sure which system works best. On one hand workers are given far more time off in Spain, especially when one considers the number of bank holidays here, are more than double that of the UK and it also keeps Sunday as a day of rest, which is a good thing for families. Having said this, the Spanish economy is in a bit of a mess and could do with the economic boost seven day a week opening allows. A curtailment could quite possibly be a step backwards; make up your own mind on that one.

Bags unpacked, it's time for me to cook dinner, Peri Peri Chicken!
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Goulash!

16/1/2018

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It was a quick trip to Dialprix this morning,  to get ingredients for a goulash I was making. Chris popped along with me, mesmerised by the array of English products on Offer. I have to say, Dialprix is perfect for all those British essentials, hard to get elsewhere. He found a few things, he hasn't seen before as well; namely the 'Brocolli Flower,' in the photo above. So it`s been an old fashioned day of cooking for me, as Darrell slept after his night shift. I've got three days off, so can't think of anything better to do; that and writing, of course!
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Hanging is an understatement!

10/1/2018

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It's a quarter past six in the evening and I am finally able to sit down and do some blogging. For most of the day, I have literally been hanging, after popping out for a few drinks last night; a rare occurrence for me, since I am normally working every night. 

Darrell dropped us off at Zest in Sierra Mar, on the way to work. He is currently working nights; apparently he enjoys the night shift more than the day. Personally, I couldn't think of anything worse. I have worked nights in the past myself and never enjoyed them. In fact my sleeping pattern is still out of sync now, just because of the job I had at the time!
I haven't been to my old local, Zest in a very long time; I just haven't had the time. Steve was behind the bar, a lovely guy, who comes from the same part of England as me. Gran Alacant has a lot of residents from Northern Britain, so it is great having a chat with someone whose southern credentials shine through. It was a quiet night at Sierra Mar Square; so we decided to have just a quick pint and move on to La Piedra, on Av Escandinavia; one of my favourite bars in Gran Alacant!
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Even La Piedra was tranquil yesterday. The evening was colder than usual, as the warm winter nights have given way, to a more chilly hue; not as cold as it was in November, but certainly noticeably colder than it has been for a while. 

Like Zest, I haven't been to La Piedra in a while either. Since moving to the bottom of the hill, near the GA Centre, venturing up, especially in the depths of winter can be a bit of a chore, so I do tend to avoid the difficult decent to the strip, at least for now.

​I was lucky enough to find Stella on draft, my favourite lager. I haven't had a pint of this since leaving the UK, two years ago.
Funny enough, it actually didn't taste the same as I remember and was rather disappointing. I think to be honest, I have lost my taste for the stuff, oddly preferring Spanish Mahou these days.

Natalee was on shift, finishing at 10.30pm, so we stayed chatting with her and Eduardo late into the night. I actually had a thoroughly great time; relaxed and chilled; finally dropped off home at 2am.
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I was rather drunk when I got home, which isn't surprising after a night on stella. Had I stopped there, I would have been perfectly fine this morning.

Sat in the lounge, chatting with Chris and Paul, I decided to open the Christmas bottle of whisky; bad mistake!

Finally I staggered upstairs to bed at 3.30am, where I spent the next two hours listening to cheesy pop songs, something I only tend to do, when I am in this state. I woke up at 10am, laptop still on my stomach, earphones on, Cher blaring away; which explains why I drempt about her, wearing a tight black leather mini skirt, walking down the red carpet with me at 'The Golden Globes;' go figure!

I felt rough alright, rougher than usual, not wanting to get out of bed. Darrell had just finished his night shift; bad tempered as usual; I thought it best to go down stairs instead!
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After a morning of feeling sorry for myself, I finally left the house this afternoon; showing Chris around the Gran Alacant Centre, as well as getting some shopping. Chris certainly knows how to eat me out of house and home.

Initially I went to Mercadona; I wasn't in there too long; the prices were far too expensive for my liking. 3'49€ for 3kg of potatoes, was daylight robbery, when Lidl had the same ones for 1'69€. It really does pay to shop around in Spain; never pay over the odds for anything!

I've just cooked dinner; Hungarian Goulash, Darrell is just off to work and I am going to have an evening in front of the TV. Whatever you are doing, have a lovely night!

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Food!

4/1/2018

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I managed to get hold of those doughnuts I wanted; I put a status on facebook, asking if anyone knew where to get them from. As it turns out Lidl sells them, just like I was told and they were yummy. That's the first jam doughnut I have had since moving to Spain. I also bought a very strange looking tomato, that I know nothing about, except it was bloody expensive!

Darrell has just cooked homemade burgers for dinner, then we are going to watch a new series on Netflix; 'The Whispers.'

Tomorrow we have our first guest of the year arriving from Southampton. I've managed to get a lot of housework done today, just a bit to finish tomorrow, before he arrives; have a great evening everyone!
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....Despite it being the beginning of January, it really has been a lovely day today; 25-26 degrees. It's on days like this, I'm glad I moved to Spain....

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Luke Martin-Jones Awards - Supermercado Of The Year!

4/1/2018

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The second Luke Martin-Jones award, is for 'Supermercado (Supermarket) Of The Year.' In the UK, I had my favourite supermarket, the one I used to shop in every week. Like most people, I am a creature of habit, preferring one shop over another, for no particular reason, other than I use it week after week and have become comfortable frequenting its isles. In Spain I shop as I do, for very different reasons. Of course, I have to like the supermarket, where I am spending my hard earned cash, but my overriding concern is about cost. How much I spend on groceries each week is far more important now, than it ever was in the UK; bargain basement shopping is a must; most of the time!

I have just got back from doing the weekly shop; for a change we went to Carrefour in Santa Pola. To be honest, I was in there for about twenty minutes and had only put two items in my trolley; I just wasn't happy spending money in there, Everything was overpriced and just not what I was looking for. Let me try and give you an example; I wanted to buy a 'Gâteau des Rois,' basically a cake ring for 'Día de Reyes' or Kings' Day. In Carrefour they were 12'99€, a lot of money for a cake. In Lidl they were selling them, for the bargain price of 4'99€; that's a huge difference, for the same product.

Whenever I go into Lidl, I can always guarantee, their prices are lower than anywhere else, no matter what I am buying.  For everyday staples; bread, milk, cheese and eggs, you simply can't beat the value. When I look back at  my life in the UK and the vast amount of money I used to spend on shopping each week; usually about 150 pounds, I shudder at the quantity I used to throw away. I would eat maybe three quarters of what I bought, discarding the rest. Unlike Britain, Spanish supermarkets don't compete against each other in the same way; there are very few '3 for two' or 'buy one get one free' offers on items, consequently, we are not persuaded to part with money, we can't afford. These types of promotions,  offer false economy and were always responsible for the products I threw away. In Spain items are much cheaper to buy than the UK in any case, so I tend to just shop for necessities each week, avoiding the pre-packaged, ready prepared, processed meals, that always have a price premium. The reality is, I avoid convenience, in favour of traditional home cooked food!

I am of course familiar with Lidl, living in the UK; oddly enough I never used to shop there, when I was based in Southampton. Today I use one of the continents favourite supermarkets, because they offer a product range I am familiar with, at a price I can afford, without the frippery and useless items, other establishments push to their customers. With low prices, I only spend about 60€ a week; actually today I spent 46€; the money I have left over, I can save or use to have a meal out. Now I live five minutes walk away, I can shop everyday if I wish, cutting down the waste even further; not that there is much anyway!

So there you have it, my choice for 'supermercado of the year' is Lidl. Remember this is only my personal preference, you may think differently; please do let me know your views, as I know you will!

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​Supermercado Of The Year
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Stool!

21/12/2017

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Bought Mollie and Wildling a new stool today, for the bargain price of 19'99€, at Aldi in Alicante. These two love anything furry, so fell in love with it straight away. As it happens, I quite like it myself, although haven't had a look in so far!
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Residencia!

21/12/2017

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Foreign Office, Alicante

It was a 9am start and a quick trip into Alicante this morning. Darrell's Residencia card had finally come through at the Foreign Office. It has taken a long time to get to this point, mainly because of the slow Spanish Governmental system, that deals with official paperwork, documents and applications. Darrell's legal status is now the same as mine and there are no longer any conditions on his length of stay in Spain. We are both lucky enough to have completed this process, before the date, Britain leaves the European Union, hopeful that we will have no further hoops to jump through, when Brexit finally kicks in; something we will not know for sure until March 19th 2019.... 

Alicante/Urbanova Beach

....We decided to have a quick stopover at the beach on the way home. Despite the early morning cloud, you could see Alicante clearly to the left and Urbanova to the right. It was lovely taking in the views, breathing in the warm Spanish air and enjoying ten minutes of quiet tranquility, away from Gran Alacant....
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Banco Sabadell, Gran Alacant

....Next it was a rather brief stay at Banco Sabadell. Usually we are waiting at least an hour to get served, in a country that enjoys queuing more than the UK; today it was straight to the counter, to show the cashier Darrell's new Residencia card, which allows them to remove, all those nasty non resident charges, applied to foreign national accounts in Spain....
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 ​marmite watch:
 consum, Gran Alacant

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....Finally we stopped at Consum in the GA Centre, to get last minute supplies for Christmas and a couple of jars of Marmite. I am still very price conscious living in Spain; having paid 3'45€ for a small jar of Marmite two days ago, I wanted to get in some more, just in case the whole of Spain is shut for a week at Christmas, as is usually the case during a public holiday. Consum is usually the cheapest supermarket to buy the black stuff and as it happens, it was; 2'99€ is a bargain price for Spain, so I grabbed a few while I was there. After a quick trip to the market, to pick up the veg for Christmas dinner, it was a glass of Rioja to celebrate the end of a very rocky road and an hour long siesta to compensate for the early start!
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    48-year-old Author and professional blogger. Expat formerly living in Gran Alacant on the Costa Blanca! Currently, residing in my home town of Portsmouth on the south coast of England!

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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!
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