Appreciate What You Already Have

There are a lot of mornings when I wake up and just feel so glad to be alive, for no particular reason, perhaps it’s the fact that I have actually woken up and so can enjoy another day 😂 or perhaps it is just that now I feel so content with my life, I cannot explain the reason or why I seem to enjoy it so much, but it is a lovely feeling nonetheless. However, yes their can also be the odd one or two mornings when I awake and, for no particular reason, perhaps I am probably not the brightest little ray of sunshine, maybe I just didn’t sleep well for some reason, again who knows 🤷‍♂️ Shazza is much the same although, generally with her it is because she is cold, she feels it much more than me and once she is awake she finds it extremely difficult to get back to sleep and she is someone who definitely needs a full eight hours, whereas I can suffice with only five or six, fortunately though those occasions are very rare these days and so, on such days, I give myself a darn good talking to, “What on earth have you got to be unhappy about Eric, for goodness sake, get over yourself man”, I say to myself, and after contemplating it for a few moments it generally works 😉 On such mornings I make a point of ‘not’ even looking at any of the daily International media headlines, I am finding that they are all, without exception, just so depressive these days, it’s as if they are going out of their way to find all the bad stuff to report on, just to make you feel totally negative about anything and everything in life, so if and when your day starts badly, by the time that you have read those depressive headlines you could, if you were that way inclined, end up suicidal 😲

I slid silently from underneath the duvet, so as not to awaken Shazza from her slumber, the morning chill greeted me, it is not an icy cold like you get in Central and Northern Spain at this time of the year, or to be honest not even as chilly as it is just a little further inland from us, up in the mountains, which is only around a thirty-minute drive away, where they are currently awaking to frost and, further North, even snow 🥶 But it is stilly chilly enough here first thing in the morning’s to require putting on a warm dressing gown and slippers, so we are certainly looking forward to the mornings when it will be back to just slipping on a pair of shorts and a tee-shirt, but we are still probably around six weeks away from that.

The sun is still a little slow to rise with proper daylight not materialising until around 08:15am and then, even when it does, as our front rooms and balcony face South, it takes a couple of hours before the sun eventually pops it head around the corner and we can start to benefit from its warmth. I cheer myself with the knowledge that it will not be that long now and the sun will soon be up well before me in a morning, and it will have already made it’s way around to reach into our front windows, then there will be no more morning chills for seven or eight months and we will live, both day and night, with all our doors and windows open once again, to provide some respite from the heat. I smile when I think about how fickle us humans can be, if we are not having a moan about the morning chills, we are moaning about the heat, sometimes we are just never satisfied eh 🤭

By the time the kettle has boiled and I have made the boss her morning coffee and then delivered it, and her iPad, through to her in the bedroom, and then taken my usual place on the balcony, the sea views have once again revealed themself from behind their dark curtain and I can look out and check what the weather is actually doing, which is of course a lot more accurate than what I know the ‘Works of Fiction’ are going to reflect, as and when I eventually get around to looking at them. I will not see, or hear, Shazza for at least another thirty-minutes, sometimes even longer the lazy bugger 🤭 and certainly not until she has first checked the Spanish ‘Obituaries’ pages, only then, if her name hasn’t appeared in them, does she decide to grace me with her presence, although on mornings when she has not slept well the night before, and without first brushing her hair and she appears with her chaotic ‘bed head’, I could surely be excused for being taken aback and shocked at what could be taken for a ghostly apparition 🤭

Our life here is such that we do not have any sort of daily itineraries, unless of course we have pre-agreed to do something specific, perhaps the domestic cleaning, which we do all in one go during one day, just to get it over and done with, or perhaps we need to go and do the shopping or, occasionally, we may have decided the previous evening to drive somewhere, a day visit to another local village or town, just by way of a change but, generally speaking, we just decide each morning on what it is that we are going to do on that particular day, which is very much dependent on two things, firstly our own personal motivation levels and then of course the weather, however, we do try to get out for walks at least five times a week. Personally speaking, I don’t really think that it matters where you live, in colder periods it is much more difficult to motivate yourselves to go out, I mean why would you put yourself through that when you can stay warm indoors, although we cannot really use that as an excuse here, for whilst it may be slightly chilly first thing in the mornings, by lunchtime during these Winter days, the temperatures have usually risen to at least 15 degrees(c), although the warmest parts of the day are always mid-afternoon when, even at this time of the year, we can experience anything between 18-22 degrees(c), perhaps even a little warmer if there are no coastal winds blowing.

I have to confess that it is very easy to get into a lazy routine here in our little corner of Southern Spain, so we do have to engage in motivational discussions, which are actually quite a regular feature these days as we both realise that we are guilty of becoming a little too lethargic for our own good, but to be honest there are times when we can be guilty of even lacking the motivation to have motivational discussions 😂 There are lots of little picturesque villages and towns in our area that, as yet, we have still not explored, and many of them are within just a short drive away, the furthest being no more than a couple of hour’s drive and any of these would make for an easy afternoon or full day trip, so we have agreed, well in principle at least, that whilst we do still currently have the benefit of there being very few tourists around, we should really get out and try to see somewhere different, at least once a week, if only to give me something a little more interesting to write about in these rambles 🙄 We do still, quite often, discuss conducting more ‘wider’ travels, both here, within the Spanish mainland, and the outlying Spanish Islands, as the Canaries and Balearic’s are only a very short flight away, probably no more than an hour from Malaga Airport. There are lots of other locations throughout Europe too although, at this time of year, they are generally much cooler, with the exception of places like Tenerife, Lanzarote and Gran Canaria which are around 5-6 degrees(c) warmer. Then there are perhaps some wider afield, and more exotic locations, the truth being that we just need to re-discover our excitement and motivation for travel again which, between the Covid pandemic, and us moving here on a permanent basis, we seem to have lost a bit of enthusiasm for 🤷‍♂️ We often read about the outbreaks of Covid, Flu and all the other dozens of bacterial infections currently circulating around the globe, which of course then require people to go and have even more vaccinations 🙄 Don’t get me wrong, for they do also get reported on here in Spain, but just not as regularly as elsewhere, so whether that is Spain not widely publicising such outbreaks here on home soil, or whether it is the International media scaremongering, who really knows anymore, for it is getting difficult these days to know the difference between what is factual and what is fake news 🤷‍♂️ Not to forget the ‘Elephant in the room’ of course, which is the substantial amount of global Emigration and Immigration there is these days, Legal or otherwise, via Land, Sea and Air, bacterial infections can spread over great distances very very quickly and it isn’t just human transmission either, it can occur naturally with bird migrations, contaminated food etc. Oh my goodness, I realise that I am now sounding just like all those depressive news and social media platforms when actually I am perhaps just looking for an excuse as to why we are not actually doing very much these days, by way of our travel adventures 😲 So okay, on a much more positive note, the world may end tomorrow, or maybe the next day, or the day after that but, until it does we may as well just enjoy the time that we still have 😉

On one of our routine daily walks we had made our way into town, the sun was warm but there was a strong Easterly blowing in off the sea, which took the edge off that warmth, so we opted to walk to what has become our current new favourite Spanish Cafe/Bar, the one in the Plaza that is sheltered from the worst of the wind and where we can still sit outside and enjoy the sunshine on our faces. As per usual we were being nosey, or as we prefer to refer to it, doing some useful revision on our Spanish ‘Listening & Understanding’ exercises and immersing ourselves within the local culture 🤭 Sat on a table next to us were an elderly couple, we assumed man and wife, they looked quite bronzed so we had initially mistaken them for being local Spanish, they spoke in hushed voices so we could not hear their conversation, now this should actually have been our first clue that they weren’t Spanish, as the Spanish are not generally known for talking quietly 😂 Anyway, the man got up to go inside and, as he did so he, he looked back towards his companion and said, “I don’t think they serve food here” in perfect English, then of course, me being of a helpful disposition, and it would have been rude of me not to, I interjected and confirmed that they did, and that there was an extensive menu, which the staff would give to him if he asked at the bar, or waited for them to bring it out to them. Anyway, that was the only formal introduction required to spend the next hour or so engaged in general conversation with them. We discovered that although they were both British, they were permanent residents of ‘Mallorca’ and had lived and worked on the Island for the last twenty-three years, they needed to come here to the mainland for an ‘official’ appointment in Estepona and so had decided to turn it into a weeks holiday. We naturally asked if they had witnessed any problems with the Anti-Tourist issues on the Island, these being widely publicised in the British Media, they laughed and confirmed that this was the British Media just spreading malicious headlines, confirming of course what we already knew, and that much like Spain in general, whilst there are issues with the lack of affordable public housing and there were some street protests, these were directed towards the Spanish Government, but no real animosity or aggression towards actual Tourists, of any Nationality. Of course, the Spanish Islands, probably more so than the mainland, gain the largest amount of their annual income from Tourism, so any threat to that huge income source will have a severe impact, so this was the most direct way to get the Government to both listen to the ‘people’ and act on their concerns. During our discussions about what it was like living on the Island they said that it is small and so they do try to visit the mainland or other Spanish Islands when they can, but they also still ran their own local business, so time off was limited. We mentioned that we were considering visiting the Islands too, and we were taken completely off guard, and somewhat surprised, when they both said, “Why would you want to go anywhere else when you already have everything here ?” They suggested that holiday makers from Northern Europe primarily only come to Spain, and the Spanish Islands, for the sunshine, which is basically guaranteed in both Summer and Winter, however, in their opinion, and seeing this particular part of the Costa del Sol, and our immediate area, for the first time, the beaches, mountains and nearby National Parks, they felt jealous as it had everything that you could want. Now initially their comments did come as a bit of a shock to us, but then afterwards, when Shazza and I talked about their comments, we realised that we ourselves had actually come to this same conclusion ourselves, numerous times, but now, from total strangers, who live in another part of Spain, we were being told things that we actually already knew. But even so, Shazza and I also agreed that sometimes, even when somewhere appears to be perfect in most respects, sometimes you still need to go and see different places to experience them for yourselves, with your own eyes and then, perhaps those travels and those experiences will serve as a reminder to just ‘Appreciate What You Already Have’ 🤔

As you are probably very well aware by now, I like to contemplate things and generally, there is always a catalyst for those ‘contemplations’, whether it be something that I have seen, or perhaps read or, a conversation, like the one we had recently had at the Cafe/Bar with those two stranger’s, but whatever the subject may be, sometimes it hides away in the recesses of my brain just patiently waiting, then sometime later, days or even weeks, the subject matter resurfaces, requiring me to spend some time giving it a little more meaningful consideration. So although the stranger’s conversation was the catalyst, it made me think a little deeper and several thoughts started whirring around in my mind, with questions that I was now seeking to possibly discover answers to. In our former lives, when we decided to give up our careers and start travelling, had we been searching for something, but didn’t really know what that something was 🤷‍♂️ Had we, inadvertently, actually stumbled into this new lifestyle here in Spain and with doing so, were we now allowing ourselves to become too comfortable in our current little bubble of existence ? In the long term, would this lifestyle be enough for us, or would we fall prey to the ‘Itchy Feet Syndrome’ yet again and go in search of the next dream 🤷‍♂️

No matter how much time I spent contemplating those questions, I never actually came up with a consolidated answer to any of those questions. In the beginning I truly believe that it was just a lust for adventure, to escape what had become mundane lives, or as others refer to it, ‘The Rat Race’, living to work rather than working to live. The Motor-homing lifestyle was a way to experience new places and cultures whilst we still could, that was well before Brexshit had even become a thing, but in the end, even that initial dream was never really fulfilled, although we did see lots of new places and had several great, and perhaps some not so great, adventures during our Motorhome travels, however we didn’t do or see anywhere near as much as we had initially intended, for a multitude of reasons. When we both finally agreed to end our Motorhome adventures, we were in total agreement that we did not want to return to live permanently in the UK, to the restrictions and limitations of living on an Island, and of course the weather, so, having purchased, what was only ever intended to be an occasional ‘Bolt Hole’ property, here in Spain, it then appeared to offer us the perfect solution.

Now, coming close to the end of our second full year of permanent living here in Spain, we have no regrets about any of the decisions that we have taken, they all provided us with opportunities to see, and do, other things. Perhaps we are still wearing those rose-coloured glasses, but for now at least, we cannot imagine living, or wanting to live, anywhere else, for whilst we do know that in reality it isn’t complete perfection, but for us, for what we currently want and need, it feels pretty damn close, but I am also a realist, and given our history of indecision and wanderlust over the last twelve years, will this lifestyle remain being enough, I guess only time will answer that one 🤷‍♂️

I know that I put a lot of what has happened in our lives to date down to, either the ‘Dark Forces’ or ‘Fate’, but it seemed quite a coincidence when, and completely out of the blue, whilst drafting this particular ramble over several days, and simultaneously seeking some sort of answer to all my questions, I came across the following quote…………………

Irrespective of my comments earlier about the News media, sometimes there are articles that just bring a smile to my face. You know by now about my belief in the health benefits of my strict ‘Anti-Covid Vaccine’ health regime 🍷🍷, although to be honest, it may not be quite as strict as I may sometimes lead you to believe 🙄 but, and not for the first time I have to say, I have medical evidence to totally justify this health regime 🤭

Remaining on the theme of the media bringing a smile to my face, but also the question of whether ‘Fate’ is once again trying to have an influence in our lives, although I am also beginning to wonder whether this ‘fate’ business is beginning to stretch things just a little too far now 😲 You by now know my love of Castles, there is just something about them that intrigues me, whenever I am walking around them I often wonder what it must have been like to live in them, in more peaceful times of course, not when people are trying to ram down your doors and waving swords in your face no I couldn’t be doing with that, although when you see Shazza in the kitchen waving around a carving knife, I wouldn’t give much for the invaders chances either. So, combining this love of castles and of living here in Spain, I think that fate is leading me to ‘my’ perfect residence, although I may have to start a ‘Go Fund Me’ site, so all contributions greatly appreciated 🤭

It is habitable and was recently used as a Guardia Civil HQ, it has already had extensive renovations conducted to initially convert it into a museum, but that plan failed to materialise, so it is back on the market so, you know what they say, ‘Once a Knight always a Knight, although twice a night is a little too much at my age’ 😂 Yes I know, this is one of those impossible dreams, ‘A Castle In The Air’ as the saying goes, but I did waste a hour or so thinking about it, enough turrets to place plenty of Solar Panels to create energy and save on the electricity bills, it probably has a well somewhere to provide water, Shazza would never go cold again in the winter months with all those massive open fireplaces, no problems with parking a Motorhome, plenty of space to build an internal and external swimming pool, lots of spare rooms for family and friend’s when they came to visit, what’s not to like ? Okay it could take Shazza a few hour’s to get dinner from the kitchen to the dining room 🙄 Mmmmmm and just think of all the cleaning involved 🙄 How many windows would there be to clean 🙄 Okay ! Come on now, do you really think that I was really seriously considering it 🤔

Finally, we now have a new neighbour, a permanent one rather than the occasional holiday rental’s. The apartment has been on the market for at least two year’s, the owner rarely used it, although his family used to come in the summer for a couple of weeks and then it was rented out to ‘friends’, so not technically, or legally, a rental property 🤔 We think it was initially advertised at too high a price, when these apartments were initially built they cost upwards of €2.5m, they depreciated enormously in the financial crash but many of the original owner’s who have wanted to sell them on since have had to take a massive loss. The price was reduced several times although we do not know what the final price paid by our new neighbour actually was ? Anyway, she introduced herself, she is from Romania but speaks perfect English, she is probably in her mid 50’s, she did not mention whether she has a partner though, she has been here sorting the apartment out all by herself so only time will tell, but she appears very nice and it is good to now have a permanent resident next door, rather than different people coming and going at all times of the day and night.

Although we have not been going anywhere beyond our immediate local area, we have been to Estepona, where we enjoyed a long walk from the Marina and along the promenade, a wander around the town, an Anti-Covid Vaccine (or perhaps two 🤭) finished off with a terrific lunch at a fish restaurant directly opposite the fish market on the harbour, which is near the Marina but away from the tourist places. Obviously several walks along our own seafront promenade with the usual ‘refreshment’ stops and the occasional lunches. The weather is pretty good at the moment with clear blue sky, calm blue/green sea, very warm with afternoon temperatures reaching 22 degrees(c), there has been the odd day over the last couple of weeks where we have had some of the wet stuff, nothing to really write home about but it is keeping our Embalce at 69%, so all in all, things are pretty much perfect down in our little corner of Spain and so we still feel quite content with our life here.

Hopefully in the next ramble I will be able to write about, and include some photographs of, somewhere that we have visited a little further afield from our own municipality, but until then………………….

Hasta Luego mi Amigos, La Vida es Buena