Just a word or two about the weather today. Darrell has been suffering terribly during the Spanish winter, which really has only just started. Darrell hasn't experienced a winter at all for about two years, having lived in Australia for a prolonged period of time. The sudden drop in temperature, in the evening has knocked him for six. Let me put this into perspective. The evenings do feel cold in Gran Alacant, but it is nothing compared to the UK. We never experience 'below freezing' temperatures although the huge drop between day and night is noticeable. The two photographs above show the glorious Spanish sunshine, during the day; twenty degrees and above. At night, temperatures can fall as low as 4-6 degrees, a massive drop and a bit of a shock to the system, especially after the hot summer we have had.
At the moment, we have to wrap up warm as best we can. We do have aircon in the new house, but can't get it to work on the 'heat' setting; we will try again later! If we have no luck, we will have to buy a calor gas fire, the cheapest way to heat in Spain, with a bottle only costing about 16€, compared to over 30€ in the UK. The one thing I wont be using is electricity to heat the house; the most expensive way to keep the cold at bay. Electricity prices in Spain are sky high, a lot dearer than back home. Some properties have had central heating installed, at a very reasonable price. The last person I spoke to, had ten radiators fitted, at a cost of about 3000€, great value for money. These systems use natural gas, which is a cheaper alternative and a fantastic way to keep warm.
Temperatures are expected to fall further over the next few days, already in parts of the Alicante region, snow has fallen, mainly in mountainous areas. Gran Alacant is highly unlikely to experience any snow fall, but at this time of year, it is always best to plan ahead. A little trip to Leroy Merlin on Monday to get a new gas fire, before winter really takes hold!
Keep warm wherever you are!
