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    Hanging is an understatement!

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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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    Rab's World!

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    ​"I refuse to grow up, but I will make an effort to behave in public. well maybe lol!"
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  • Published on

    Rab's World!

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    ​"I saw a midget walking out of curry's he looked he was struggling, so I said "hey mate do you need help with that plasma;" he said "piss off fatty it's a kindle!"
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    Donald Trump - 'Fire & Fury!'

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    Just a brief blog today;  I am trying to sort out a faulty boiler. The main fuse in the house kept tripping last night. I managed to isolate the source of the complication and even discovered where the problem is; well according to youtube! 

    The brain is a funny thing really; all these tripping fuses, electrical issues and sparks of light, must have been playing on my mind all night and I dreamt about Donald Trump being electrocuted; a sign of things to come maybe! In my dream, President Trump was a gonna, in real life; I am preying he hasn't got long left in the Presidency also; I can only hope anyway. Like everything in life, we will never know the answer until it actually happens. If I could truly see into the future, I would predict shock and horror; best left well alone; let this game play out to its conclusion. Mr Trump is here to stay for now; I hope he doesn’t cause to many difficulties for generations to come; we all have a lot to lose!

    Unless you have been on Mars recently, you would have heard about the new book 'Fire and Fury,' written by Michael Wolff; a no holes barred look, at life behind the the walls of the White House and the Trump Presidency. I haven't had time to read the book myself, l but have read a few of the more damning references, about a man who is essentially sociopathic in nature, childlike in demeanour and a danger to World peace. The book describes a crazy, disconnected, unfocused Whitehouse, as members of the Presidents staff, try and limit the amount of damage, this egotistical, pathological liar can cause.

    Mr Trump clearly does have mental health issues; sociopathy, or Anti Social Personality Disorder, to give it its correct name, is a recognised neurological condition; I should know, I've been at the end of a sociopaths wrath, in the past myself. Mr Trump has no concept of empathy; more dangerously he lacks the capability to make rational decisions. Seen on twitter everyday, he tries to justify himself; issuing a tirade of abuse, lying and generally rambling, often incoherently, always without dignity and often grammatically incorrect. Sometimes, when I read this man’s tweets I shudder, at what he gets away with. No other leader of the modern World acts in such a derogatory, disparaging way; yet no one does anything to stop him!

    I still don't understand for the life of me, how this man ever got elected. I spoke to an American gentleman the other day, currently visiting Spain, who was very open and forthright about Mr Trump. From the outset, it was clear he had very little time for his President. He felt rather embarrassed about Donald and understood just how the World felt about him. I have spoken to many people before about this relatively new President of the USA, his failings and issues of mental health. Everyone had a view and most wanted their voice to be heard. Interestingly no one I have spoken to admitted to voting for Mr Trump, Whether they are lying, ashamed or unwilling to discuss their political views is unclear but the reality was, they just didn't want to admit any allegiance towards this man. 

    I wanted to find out why Mr Trump won; what did Americans like about this man? Just what did he have, that made him Presidential, tough, strong and a vote winner? I was expecting a list of the reasons why he is sitting in the Oval Office, determining the lives of all of us, not only Americans. No such luck; the only phrase that kept cropping up, was a repeat of the same one, I have heard many times before; ‘he says it how it is!’ That seems to be the consensus, with regards to Mr Trumps Presidential credentials.


    I thought about the response for a minute, almost believing that Donald had this admirable attribute, but quickly realised he didn’t, luckily for me. I don’t want to be seen supporting this man in any shape or form; he is completely at odds with everything I believe. Mr Trump tells people what they want to hear, even if that includes lies and untruths, The man has no conscience, consequently lying at any given opportunity. In one recent half hour interview, the President was seen to be lying on ten separate occasions and had no reservations about doing so. I find this disregard for the truth as detestable and a travesty for America; the man in the highest office of the land, can blatantly lie to others and get away with it, unchecked. The American people clearly do not like honesty, when talking about issues that effect them, they like the lies, they thrive on them. According to the man I was talking to, Americans don’t see him as a liar, they believe everything he says; if he is questioned, it becomes a media campaign against him, a personal attack and a Liberal conspiracy. Quite simply Americans are blind to the truth.

    I’ve got to get back to the electrics here at Casa Ja Luka, but wanted to end today’s entry with an appeal, especially to  Americans. Donald Trump needs to be stopped; he is causing damage, not only to your Presidential Office of the United States but also the reputation of your country. As a British Expat, living in Spain, looking in towards your nation, I have lost any respect I had for you, as a country and a beacon of hope. Your President is a laughing stock; a one trick pony, a difficult child who throws a tantrum at the drop of a hat and a man who could cause catastrophic damage to the World. Should such an individual have their finger on the nuclear button? Should he really be believed? Or should all of us rise up against the most dangerous man in the World? I know what camp I am in, do you? Stand up and be counted, make your voice heard! Your opinions matter!
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  • Published on

    Yet More Legal Issues - Driving Dilemma!

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    Just when we thought we'd reached the end, of the legal wrangling here in Spain, something else crops up and bites us on the bum; just part of the course, when you are Darrell and I. The next hurdle we have to overcome is driving related; as a resident of Spain, Darrell has to obtain a Spanish driving license by law. Darrell, lucky enough, has a British driving license, which under normal circumstances can be directly exchanged for a Spanish one, due Britain's membership, for now at least, of the EU.

    Nothing is ever simple in our World. Darrell may well have a British Licence, but he is an Australian citizen, who decided against obtaining his British passport. This complicates the issue dramatically. From the information I have read on the internet, Australians are not allowed to directly exchange their driving licenses; assuming, the Australian in Question, has an Australian licence, which he does not. Because Darrell and I have been in a relationship for 23 years, living in the UK, he obtained a UK licence years ago.

    As an Australian, with Spanish residency, Darrell would normally have to apply for a Spanish driving license, taking a Spanish theory and practical test; this would have to be done, within six months of him becoming resident here. As a holder of a UK licence, he should not have to take any test, but simply surrender his UK licence, rather like he did with his Australian one, to the British Authorities in the early 2000s.

    Can you see our confusion? Can Darrell, just relinquish his English licence? Or as an Australian citizen, will have had to go back to driving school?...I just don't know! Once again, we are in a grey area and there are no clear answers, so it looks like we will have to take another trip to a solicitor, to get a definitive answer. The internet is ambiguous, as I thought it would be; no one seems to be in the same position as us, typically, once again!

    The clock is once again ticking and we need to get some answers. There is another bank holiday today, so a further delay before we can get the information we need. Judging on previous experience, we are unlikely to get a conclusive resolution anytime soon, since officials often seem as confused as we are.

    If any readers of 'Spanish Views,'  has any information on this situation, we would both be grateful for their help. We can't be the first people in the country to have this particular issue, the answer has to be out there somewhere!

    Muchas Gracias
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  • Published on

    Rab's World!

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    ​"The best relationships are with people, who enter your life on accident, but stay on purpose!"
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