Dónde Jamás yo coloca el sombrero, eso es su hogar!

Today is sunny and hot, (no surprise there) but this morning I'm nursing a baggy head induced by copious amounts of Cruz Campo and Mahou brand beer after helping my new found neighbours celebrate their country's remarkable win over the Herman Germans in the Euro cup final, Viva Espańa!!! The Fiesta ran on well into the small hours though Rose and myself quit early, finishing the night with a dip in the pool to cool off just before bed. We could still hear the car horns and fireworks at 6am emanating from the centre of town where most of the bars were still going strong. No arrests, no fights, no trouble, just joyous revelry and the odd jibe about the English football team, but who can blame them?

I settled into a slow routine of property checking, gardening and minor maintenance before knocking off for an early lunch at home and a lie in the sun. (See, I still choose to work even on a Monday, though if only for a few hours). Some people may call it a dream life, some may say it's the ultimate way to live, and some may even say I'm lucky. Well no, it's just different. I do the same routine things as I did back in England, though without the stress or strain of a boss or timetable, except now I try and live the way the continentals do, without fuss and without hassle.

Am I bragging? No, of course not, there is no secret to this life, and it's not just for the privileged. In fact, I live just as comfortably here on substantially less of what I earned or spent back in Blighty, most people can. The only difference is we face our challenges and problems in a different way and at a different pace, and hopefully live a healthier, longer and livelier life than the one we had before. We may live and die here, or we may move on, or move back or just move! Whatever we choose to do from today, it's a journey for us and it excites me. And as a friend back in England said to us recently, once you've done it, you can do it again!

We thought the move from Portland to Weymouth gave us convenience, well, now living in a rental two minutes from the town centre made life very easy and convenient for us. Joseph was now working at New look' as an accounts clerk out on the Dorchester Road. Rose worked at the Land Registry, not twenty minutes walk. Luke worked in Phones 4 U' in St Mary's street. And I worked in the Law Courts by Asda. All of us had minimum trips to and from work, but the best thing was if we were tired or feeling just plain lazy, we could grab a bite at any of the outlets in town and eat it at home or stay out and indulge a hostel until closing time and not worry about a taxi or bus.

However, the draw back was that convenience did nothing for the waistline of the ensuing boredom of little to do at the house. After running a home with gardens and all the maintenance that goes with it, it was now a case of if it breaks, it's not our problem! There was nothing to fix or repair, all we had to really do was keep it clean. I know, the boys tried their best to make a mess, but even they seemed to be out most of the time now enjoying their new town life freedom.

I was back into squash at the local club and still cycled a lot, and to be sure, the petrol bills dropped dramatically apart from the odd trip out or a visit to see Ma and Pa at Portesham. Most evening were spent with either one or both of us going out somewhere, (neither of us were big TV watchers and still aren't) either to the cinema or for a walk, which would invariably end with a drink or two. Dear me, life can be expensive as we found when you're twiddling your thumbs.

I believe at this stage that confusion reigned amongst a number of our acquaintances, colleagues and friends. No one knew for sure if we were going or not even with the sale of our home. To be fair, it was only our sons and Rose's parents that knew of our imminent departure but not the exact time.

We were less than idle though when it came to putting everything in place for the move. We wanted to leave debt and bill free and have everything sorted with the bank, pension office, investment and financial providers, in fact anyone that we dealt with on a regular basis, and you wouldn't believe how many agencies that was. Gas, electric, BT, internet provider, satellite TV, credit card companies, TV license, post, milkman, council tax, DVLA, road tax, big brotherthe list seemed endless, I mean it was bad enough trying to get through, explain, redirect, pay, claim or sort everything just to move 2 miles within the same town, we now had to erase or terminate a great number of our past accounts and records completely, something which appeared to be beyond the comprehension of more than one service provider!

But on we went, furnishing most with at least six months warning or notice of our intentions, though even this proved to be inadequate for one or two.

I never had trouble paying bills, and I never fell into any kind of debt or blacklist with any of my creditors, but tell them you're disposing of their services or cutting them off! Ooohhhh, stand by for fireworks!

More of that nearer F' day! (Fly).

Now was the time to look to our children's future. Luke was awaiting to take his entrance exam and interview for Cranwell RAF college, while Joseph had been accepted for entrance at the Royal Naval College Britannia' at Dartmouth for Naval officer training. Both were eager to start a career with the military, it had been a life long dream of Luke's to become aircrew in one of the most prestigious forces in the world. Joe had, as previously mentioned, chosen to embark on a Naval career.

Both vocations would and should give them stability and discipline in their lives, (something I strongly believe to be sadly missing from a lot of people and the root cause of a whole heap of trouble today. Ooh, controversial Al!) and allow them to realise a better and more productive life for themselves.

Joe's entrance into Dartmouth was planned for sometime in May and if successful, he would pass out sometime at the end of July and be inducted into the Maritime marine college in Southampton for his residential three year training course. So it was Luke we really needed to get sorted as we were unsure of his date.

We started to view a number of bed-sits, flats, rooms and lodgings, house-shares, all with a mind to the best, cheapest and brightest option for his budget and convenience. He was going to sell his car as a luxury he couldn't afford so walking distance was a first preference. Like our search for a house, we soon realised you don't get much for your money. It was indeed fortunate then that three months into our own rental contract time we did indeed find a place both convenient and cheap for Luke. It happened to turn out to be the strangest coincidence that the room in question was in a house situated in Newberry Road up at Chapelhay. It was roomy and spacious, came fully furnished and was one of six rooms let by a really friendly landlord called Nick, whom I knew as an acquaintance from thirty odd years previous as I, as a young sailor, had lived in my very first lodgings in this very same road when first I had arrived in Weymouth!

Well, Luke liked it, we liked it though Nick admitted he did not usually take in tenants under the age of twenty five, but after meeting with us and chatting about old times, made an exception and gave Luke a six months rolling lease. Job done. Luke was now going to go off into the world and live his own life. The good thing for us was, though we would never admit it to him, it gave us the chance to keep an eye on him while he settled into his new found life and freedom. We helped him move what belongings he had into is new pad though the place came with a microwave, TV, fridge freezer and bed, so we had to store some stuff temporarily while looking for some permanent storage.

It was around this time that we decided that a date could provisionally set for f' day based on Luke now having some long term accommodation and Joseph passing his entrance training.

Our six month contract would terminate on the 31st July, which meant unless we decided to stay longer for whatever reason, we could leave first week in August.

It was never my intention to go mid summer, especially after my words of wisdom in my tips column advising of the hot summer and shock to the system. But there would be nothing really to keep us here and every month meant another rent payment which would be a waste.

So we decided that to be able to wrap up any loose ends and settle any outstanding debts or bills, we would leave the rental as planned at the end of July and live in a hotel for a week with the intention of flying on or around the 8th August, the day before our 27th wedding anniversary, which if all went to plan, we would celebrate in one of our favourite restaurants in Spain.

Useful tip
Most airlines, if you cancel your trip after full payment on booking, refuse to refund your fare and if you're making a preliminary booking but cancel at any time before departure, you'll lose all your money. We booked and paid for our flights which cost, from Bournemouth, nearly £140 one way. If you shop around on the internet travel insurance sites, you can pick up a policy which, for a small premium, means you can get all your money back should you cancel. (For us it was £7 each, well worth it). This is especially useful if, like us, you tend to book months in advance to get the best deals in cheap flights. It's not very cheap though if you decide not to go and you lose the cash.

Useful hint
THIS IS IMPORTANT! Don't let anyone tell you that you don't need your passport to travel within the EU! Too many people are caught out with this arriving at airports with a driving license or even a utility bill expecting it to be accepted as a form of identification. In these time of terrorism, illegal immigration, fraud etc, proper ID is essential when travelling anywhere, not just abroad. But be warned, it's passport only for foreign travel, even to Eire. You will not be allowed to check in without it. And in Spain especially, your credit or debit card will almost certainly be rejected or refused without a valid Photo ID, either Driving license or passport.

If you lose your passport here, report it immediately to the police and then get in touch with the British consulate in Malaga, (Number is in a number of English printed newspapers) where you can a apply and usually receive a once only' flight visa to get you home.

Spanish Facts
Spaniards first arrived in Mexico in 1519, (which was lucky as they already spoke the language!).

The Spanish inquisition persecuted the Jews and Moslems for years, using torture and horrible methods of death in a vain attempt to convert these people to Catholicism or punish them for their different beliefs.

Ever wondered why so many towns in the US like Amarillo, El Paso and San Diego sound Spanish? It's because they were all once part of Mexico.

The famous Carthaginian General, Hannibal, used Spain as a base before launching his attack against the Romans. (My mother in law was there, she was head Bull Elephant, second platoon the jumbo greys!).

Useful phrase
Yo sólo hablo un españa pequeño puede habla más despacio por favor y repite.
Pronounced: yoh sohlow abloh oon eyspneeya paykayneeo pooweyday ablah mahs dayspathioh poor faboor ee reypeetey
Meaning: I only speak a little Spanish, can you talk slower please and repeat.

Next week
Joe's left home, time to get the admin sorted and Spot sorted!