Another week gone….

Posted by: brindleboy123 on: July 18, 2010

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Evening everyone….”it ain’t half hot mum”!  We registered 42 degrees at one point this week.  To be honest, for the past 2 days I have hardly left the flat, chosen instead to stay inside with the air conditioning on. I know it sounds  daft but am finding the heat draining this year even more than usual….must be my age I guess!

There are people everywhere around here…nearly all the flats in the neighbourhood seem to be occupied now.  Its funny because in some cases where you see garage doors closed up in the winter, they are now opened up and behind the doors are actually garages turned into little flats or even shops!  The bins are full to overflowing every night (thankfully they are emptied every night around midnight) and there is the smell of summer in the air!

We had a bit of police action a couple of blocks away this week.  Someone had pushed to huge wheelie bin full of melons into the garages under the block.  Next I knew, there was a gathering of Spanish and police everywhere!  It was like a scene from Hawaii 5 0! There is never a lack of police in this place for sure….I can honestly say that not a day goes by that you don’t see police patrolling.  We have police on bikes, motorbikes, cars and foot! Admittedly quite often it is that they are in the local cafe’s or bars but we really are spoilt here.  I think it could also be the case that where we are is mostly Spanish and I do think personally that they tend to patrol in these areas rather in the ones where there is a high proportion of ex-pats.

On friday this week we had the celebration for Saint Carmen….I believe she is the patron of the fishermen. There are celebrations in the town with a boat “bringing her in” to the town and up to the church. The evening ends with a massive firework display (one of many that we get here all through the year).  We have several neighbours called Carmen so there were plenty of parties going on.  Many people in Spain are named after various saints and they have a “saints day” which they celebrate along with their birthday.  They are given gifts on their saints day and party on! Don’t think there is a Saint Bell or even a Michele (real name).  Tony gets to celebrate on San Antonio day…..bit of a cheat really as his name is Tony and not even Antony!

Took the dogs to have their hair cut on Friday (not the wee wee kid, she needs all the help she can get on the looks side so think she is best left with her golden locks). The two grumpy old men were even more grumpier when they realised where they were going. Bob was particularly unhappy as I think he realised that he would also get his anal gland “done”…poor chap! You should see them now!  Bob looks like Dobby from Harry Potter and Chunky, well! His personality really does change when he has his hair cut. He seems to think he is some sort of thug now and is ready to take on the world! He’s strutting around again like a pup! Dopey thing can’t understand who Bobby is when he has his hair cut and is forever licking him all over…we have to keep shouting at him “its Bobby”! He just gives us “the look” and walks away!

Our neighbours arrived yesterday.  They are the only family here that wont speak to us. At the moment it is only the daughter and her friends.  They tend to only come for a couple of weekends and the month of August each year…thankfully! We put a new gat up on the bit of space we share with them outside the front door.  This way, I am able to put the dogs out there in the winter so they can have a look around.  The main reason for doing it though is because in the summer the children here run around the place day and night playing hide and seek (or whatever that is in Spanish!) and they hide by our door and just love to annoy the dogs!  Anyway, the neighbours don’t seem to like the gate and it was opened right up when I got up with the bit that goes into the floor pulled up!  I guess when we have the annual meeting in August there will be ructions about the gate!  You know, sometimes I just feel like saying to them, “there are some people who are coping with such difficult things and situations in life and if all you have is a gate to worry about, you are very lucky”!  Arghhhhh  I think that since I have had to say goodbye to my family over the past couple of years it has certainly enabled me to put things into perspective. One of my pet hates nowadays is certainly pettiness.

Well my friends, time to go now…..fighting off yet another migraine today and I think I have caught it before it has got too bad…so not going to push my luck by staying on the computer too long.!

Night night, sleep tight and catch you all again real soon!

Love, Bell x