Where There’s A Will, There’s A Way

Since my last ramble we have found ourselves confined to barracks on more occasions than we have actually had opportunities to get out which, apart from being very unusual for us, is also not something you would generally experience in this part of Spain, even at this time of the year. However, as always you will not hear me complaining as the excessive amount of rainfall has at last been re-filling ‘all’ of the Embalces (Reservoirs) within both our Region and Province, with our own local Embalce, La Concepcion, now at 87% of its capacity, effectively ending the ‘Severe’ drought conditions in the majority of areas, although I do have to say, not all, well not as yet at least, but there is apparently another storm on its way 😲 So, due to the weather conditions, which have extended now into our third week, there has been very little for me to actually ramble on about which, as you may well imagine, for me personally, has been extremely frustrating, as it has felt as though I have had a compulsory ‘Gagging Order’ forcibly placed upon me, although as you will soon discover, ‘Where there’s a will, there’s a way’, as the saying goes 🤭

Now it hasn’t been completely all ‘Solitary Confinement’, there have been the odd couple of hour’s during some of those particularly wet days when we had put our trust in the ‘Forrest Gump Principle’ of weather forecasting, rather than the more usual ‘Works of Fiction’ methodology which, as you well know by now, is rarely to be believed. So although those escape to freedom occasions have been somewhat severely limited, there have been occasions when we made a brief dash for some fresh air and to exercise the leg muscles. Some of which proved to be a good decision although, perhaps upon a little bit of hindsight, many of them had proved not to be such wise choices and where it would have made a lot more sense, during such escapes, to have transported ourselves in ‘Kevin the Kayak’, as opposed to using the car, I can tell you now with complete confidence that the manufactures that advertise ‘All Weather Tyres’ should be investigated for misrepresentation as they offer no traction whatsoever on fast flowing river roads 😂

On one such jail break we managed to escape as far as our local town but, literally just as we arrived, well let’s just say that things turned a little soggy again and we had to make a rather hasty dash for cover to a Cafe/Bar in a Plaza, not one of our more usual haunts, this one was located in a Plaza that separates the lower level seafront promenade from the main upper area shopping streets, it was the shops that we were more interested in getting to on this particular day. It ended up being a rather cozy affair as the rather disheveled canopy outside the very small Cafe/Bar provided very little in the way of protection from the elements. We had been fortunate enough to get a table in the centre although, as the deluge intensified, encroaching under the now almost useless overhead canvas and from all sides, our fellow customers, all six of them, kept inching closer to us in the centre so that eventually it was more akin to a meeting of the local Alcoholic Anonymous group, which, looking at the majority of the selected choices of beverage, was probably not far from the truth but of course I was assured the large brandy’s, that accompanied the small coffee’s, were purely for medicinal purposes only 🤭 Before it got to the stage where we would have had them sat on our knees, the people, not the Coffee and Brandy, Shazza decided to leave me with our new found Spanish friends whilst she swam to the ‘Fruiterias’, answers on the back of a postage stamp if you can guess what ‘food group’ products she again needed to purchase, and if any of you offer the suggestion of a pack of bacon, Iberico ham or sausages, then you can all go and sit on the naughty step right now 😂 There was of course no guarantee that I would have been in the same place that she had left me, when, or if, she ever managed to safely return herself, as the only thing stopping the plastic seat from floating away was my weight on it, although on a positive note, had it have floated away with me on it, then it may then at least have resembled more of a riverboat cruise, me clinging on to my glass of Anti-Covid Vaccine in one hand whilst hanging on for dear life to the arm of the plastic seat with the other, with of course my new found Spanish friends in hot pursuit behind me heading down to the seafront, with the strong possibility being that the next Port of call could probably have been Italy, or then again, for any onlookers, it could have been a re-make of some of the final scenes from the blockbuster film, ‘Titanic’ 😂

One chap, in our small but intimate group, although conversing in Spanish, I could tell, from his accent, that he was from the Netherlands. So I got into a conversation with him, as living in the Netherlands myself, many year’s ago now, I was interested in knowing which part he originally hailed from. Anyway, after that initial and brief introductory conversation we continued our chat, as you do, it would have been rude not to, although at that point we reverted to the use of the more widely used International language, much to my relief 🤭 Our conversation varied from topic to topic, covering the whole spectrum from putting the world to rights, and the usual popular starting gambit, which you can perhaps guess what that was, given the ‘current’ meteorological situation here 😉 Then we moved on to all of the other usual stuff, the state of the world in general, politics, immigration, global conflicts etc. etc. and then the one we both unanimously agreed upon, the good and extremely economic lifestyle that we enjoy here in Spain, albeit the climate subject took less of a front seat position in that conversation on this occasion. However, it appeared that in comparison to both of our previous home countries, the majority of ‘Expats’ that you speak to over here, irrespective of Nationality, does not have a good word to say about their ‘home’ country and the reasons are all pretty similar, Politics, Economic, Crime, Personal Safety, Living Standards, Illegal Immigration……….🤷‍♂️ So I am coming to realise that actually, it isn’t just the UK where people are getting disillusioned, which when you come to think about it, is seriously quite worrying really as the feeling of discontent is pretty widespread it would appear. The other main topic we discussed was, the so called ‘Anti-Tourist’ rhetoric, that as you know by now, as I keep telling you, is constantly in the ‘British’ media, but I was surprised to discover that it is much the same in the Netherlands media too, in those that are pretty much the equivalent to our British ‘red top’ media publications. However, Spain is not exempt either as our discussions eventually brought the subject around to the ‘mixed messaging’ that is being sent out by the Spanish themselves, no wonder it can be very confusing for those who wish to visit here, and why many ‘may’ elect to holiday elsewhere or are even reluctant to now consider buying a holiday home here in Spain 🤷‍♂️

Now to put this into some sort of context for you, without making it too complicated, it is perhaps best if I just remind you of the way the Government system works here in Spain.

Government in Spain is divided into three levels, the State itself, then the Regions or ‘Autonomous Communities’, then the local Municipalities. These three levels of Spanish Governmental Bureaucracy are not hierarchical, meaning there is no supremacy or primacy of one over the other, but rather they are separately defined by their jurisdictional powers.

The ‘State’ Government comprises of a number of parties, a ‘Coalition’ which, generally speaking, all tend to disagree on most things, making it difficult to actually get anything done here, or at least, not very quickly. The country does have a Prime Minister, but Spain also has 17 ‘Autonomous’ Regions and 2 ‘Autonomous’ Cities, Ceuta and Melilla (Northern tip of Africa). So these Autonomous Regions do have their own political leader’s (Junta’s) who have Judicial powers to basically do their own thing in their own Region, which is sometimes (read that as ‘often’) contrary, or in direct conflict, with that of the ‘State’ 🫣 Then, within each Region there are Municipalities, or depending on their size, groups of small Municipalities, which have Mayor’s, who also have their own Judicial powers to do their own thing 🫣🤷‍♂️ Anyway, don’t worry too much about absorbing all of that, as I will provide some assistance with the exam questions at the end of the ramble 😂 But now, if you have a basic understanding of how it works, then can you explain it to me please 🤷‍♂️ But basically you will perhaps understand why a lot of things over here can be different in one area of Spain to what they are in another, and which brings me, finally, to the main point for all of that explanation which, believe it or not, goes back to the subject of ‘Anti-Tourism’ rhetoric.

Recently, the Prime Minister of Spain (Central Government) announced certain restrictions on people coming to Spain from outside of the EU, new laws on such things as Administrative requirements, tourist tax, to new restrictions on those wishing to purchase a property here. Basically sending out a message that says, ‘Spain is going to make it more complicated for you to come here’, but that is not a message that many Regional or Municipal leaders agree with, so some of them are sending out their own message. Enter stage left our own local Mayor………………..

Now let me say firstly that he does genuinely appear to be a really nice guy and someone who can be seen out and about quite regularly in both ‘Manilva’, where our actual town hall is located, and down here in ‘Sabinillas’, and without any pomp and glory or media reporters hanging on to his coat tails. Although he has much less ‘funds’ than his counterparts in places like Estepona, Marbella etc. there is some evidence of the improvements that he is attempting to make in the area, on a public level and he is a keen supporter of the large multi-cultural population that lives in his catchment area. Anyway, in a recent local media interview he made a number of statements about the area and I specifically selected this one……..

Hang on a minute 🤔 Holiday destination (Tourists ?), Second Homes (Temporary Visitor’s purchasing properties ?) is that not in contradiction of the message that Central Government has been issuing to ‘pacify’ the complaints of all the local Spanish ‘Protestors’ 🤔 Of course, our Mayor, made no reference in that statement for it being only specifically directed to those ‘visitors’ coming from within EU countries and to not those from outside of the EU so, was that a deliberate omission to give him some ‘wiggle room’ if questioned about it, from either Central Government, or from the local business that rely so much on the income from ‘Tourism’ 🤷‍♂️ But, as always in ‘Politics’, it is often what they ‘Don’t Say’ as opposed to what they actually ‘Do Say’, that can be equally as important, or is that just me, with my typically cynical head on again, although I am certain that ‘The Truth Is Out There, Somewhere’, just don’t expect it to come from a Politician because we already know the answer to the question of, “How do you know when a Politician is lying ?” 🤔 And the answer of course is, “Their Lips Move” 😂

Shazza did finally return from her ‘Farmers Weekly Meeting’, in which it seems she was presented with a wide selection of nature’s fresh ‘Plant Based’ produce 🤭 She had timed it perfectly, just as the wet stuff took a pause in proceedings, allowing us sufficient time to get to our favourite Spanish Cafe/Bar where we enjoyed a very pleasant Tapas lunch, after which, we just about made it back to our submarine, moored in what had once been a car park, before the heavens opened once again. We got home, put on the kettle and made nice hot steaming mugs of brick-builder’s tea and sat and recounted what a decent few hours we had had, some much needed fresh air, a bit of exercise, re-stocked with a few provisions, made some new friends, had a very nice lunch and as a bonus, I also managed to get two doses of Anti-Covid Vaccines 🍷🍷, what more could you want out of life 🤷‍♂️

As for the next few days it was just a matter of ‘Rinse and Repeat’, we spent more time indoors than out, but did manage the odd hour or two getting a walk in. On one Sunday we only managed to drive to our usual car park before the noise on the roof told us that common sense dictated that it would be pointless getting out of the car, but as we rarely adopt the use of ‘Common-Sense’ we got out and ran to a Restaurant just around the corner, we knew it also had a small Cafe/Bar at the front of house so we enjoyed a coffee, hoping that the rain would stop and we may manage to get a walk. The rain didn’t let up, so we did what we had to do, we both ordered a glass of ‘Vermut’, the proper Spanish variety not the tourist one. Now we have often passed this Restaurant and always said we would try it out, but never have, we noted whilst we were glancing around that all the tables inside the actual Restaurant part had reserved signs on them, a sure sign that it was a very popular place to come and eat. The lady owner was very friendly and made us feel very welcome so we made the decision there and then to book a table for lunch on the following Sunday, well it would have been rude not to.

Somewhat surprisingly, although we did not get one full day without a period of the wet stuff, in one form or another, we managed to use the next three days to good effect, continuing to use the ‘Forrest Gump Principle’, and so our periods of confinement were not elongated. Although that changed after that third day but not for the better, but by then we were ready for a break from our daily exercise, lunches and Anti-Covid Vaccine routines, and so we were quite happy to just sit and watch the storm clouds as they passed overhead, depositing their watery cargo as they did so. Shazza pottered, as is her way when confined to barracks, unfortunately it also provides her with time to plan newer ‘Plant Based’ meals to keep us both healthy 🙄whilst I sit trying to recall what a hog roast and crispy pork crackling used to taste like, or a good old-fashioned Full English Fry Up, or mixed-grill platter 😋😋😋

Within the last few days, some of the local Embalces had actually reached their maximum capacity and had overflowed, causing the rivers they flowed into to burst their banks, flooding land and roads in the local communities that surrounded them, the relentless deluges of rainfall have seen some serious landslides, one which has blocked the main route from Ronda in the mountains, down to Marbella on the coast, and which will not be repaired or re-opened before August 😲 Our Embalse keeps getting water released, in a controlled manner, for safety reasons, so that the same thing does not happen, so I doubt that we will actually see it reach its full capacity any time soon and perhaps we should be grateful for that.

I do have to say that the local council work tirelessly to clean up the beaches, although right now it must feel like a fools-errand as after each storm, combined with the strong winds and high tidal events, they look just as bad again 🤷‍♂️ However, the tourists that will flock here in their masses, starting in only a few weeks time, will of course expect the usual pristine sandy beaches when they arrive for their holiday breaks, so the repetitive clean ups go on, on a daily basis, those workers must wake up each day feeling like it’s another ‘Groundhog Day’ 🙄

On our walks along the sea front we see uprooted tree trunks that have been washed down the storm drains and rivers into the sea, then carried back up onto the beaches on the incoming tides. In the past we have witnessed the locals come out with their wheel-barrows and chainsaws, cutting these trees into more manageable loads to cart off and dry, ready for next Winter’s fuel supply for their wood burning stoves. It reminded me of similar events along the Canals and Rivers in the UK, where the Canal & Rivers Trust, who are the Agency responsible for maintaining the majority of the UK waterways, would chop down overhanging, or storm damaged, trees and then leave the wood piles on the sides of the towpaths, and near locks, for the boaters, who would refer to these free supplies of fuel as ‘Boater’s Gold’.

I realise of course that such events, even wildfires during the Summer months and even prolonged droughts, are not confined to just here in Spain as they, and lots of other ‘natural disasters’ happen, and continue to happen, all over the world and each are equally as devastating for the victims and their families. However, until we started to come to Spain on a more regular basis, and now actually living here, these global incidents were only ever something that we read about in the newspapers, or watched on the news on our tv screens, in the safety and comfort of our home and they were always happening to someone else and not us. But now, whilst fortunately we have not, as yet, become a direct victim to any of these disasters, they are happening on a much more ‘frequent basis’ and quite literally right on our doorstep, so they somehow feel much more real than they once did. Even planning a day trip, or longer, requires checking the weather status, wildfire risk areas, flood warnings and road and bridge closures first, before even venturing out, not something we ever really did in any great detail before, not even during our nomadic motor-homing travels. The world appears to be changing at such a fast pace, the climatic changes seem so vastly variable and appear much more destructive than they ever were, or is that just me and yet another sign of my ageing status, was I more care-free and not so risk averse when I was younger 🤷‍♂️ I guess in one respect I am hoping that it is just me getting older and more cautious, for if it isn’t, then what the future wrath of nature’s vengeance has in store for us all, is probably a much more frightening prospect 😲🫣

The gale force wind rattled the outer window shutters in the bedroom, the force of the rain hitting them was almost deafening and the deep prolonged rumbles of thunder made me feel glad to be secure and tucked up warm under the duvet. Any dreams, or desires, to be on my ‘Bering 65’ Luxury Motor Yacht had certainly diminished very quickly, it was bad enough on terra firma in a Motorhome in these conditions, so who in their right mind would want be rolling around on waves as big as a two-storey building, or bigger, which then suddenly changed my thoughts to our impending ferry journey across the notoriously rough ‘Bay of Biscay’ in around three weeks time 😲 Hopefully, all the storms would have blown themselves out by then 🙏 Shazza hadn’t stirred when I crept into the bedroom at around 1am, she had retired to bed well before the worst of the storm had hit, whilst I sat and watched the bright forked flashes of lightning light up the skyline and watched the palm trees thrashing wildly to and fro, but I was up again at 3am, which is unlike me, once asleep I don’t usually awake again until around 7am. Perhaps it was something in my sub-conscious mind for I felt the need to go and check whether the combined forces of the wind and rain had encroached into our balcony once again. It had only ever done it the once, just a few weeks ago, and to be honest, it wasn’t as if I could have done anything about it anyway if it had, it would have run down the floor to a drain so there was no fear of the water level rising and seeping into the living room, but something had woken me up and made me go and check it anyway 🤷‍♂️ As it was, no water had leaked in through the French Window style doors on this occasion, although the wind whistled through the deteriorating rubber seals, a replacement job which was way down on my list of DIY tasks, a list which only ever gets longer, never shorter, but perhaps I will get around to doing some of them maybe tomorrow, or the next day, or more likely when I get around to phoning the man that will do them right and at the first time of asking 🤭

Anyway, I guess I should stop my rambling now for the content of these recent one’s must be beginning to feel, for you my readers, a bit like having your own ‘Groundhog Day’ 😂 But hey, don’t blame me, I can only work with the material I am provided with, perhaps the weather, like my list of DIY tasks, will improve tomorrow, or maybe the next day. There is a weather man that I could phone, but considering that he has had a faulty crystal ball for some time now, and which still remains faulty, I think his DIY skills are probably about as proficient as my own, so phoning him for any assistance is perhaps a non-starter too 🤔

So, until the next time my friends, wherever you may be in the world, here’s hoping that you are experiencing better weather conditions than we are here in our little corner of Southern Spain at this moment in time 👍

Hasta Luego mi Amigos, La Vida Es Buena