Adios Javea

   

    The stress of the week, dissipates......

Go on, GO! Leave me on my own, don't expect me to say Goodbye!

Almost there.......

Fridge is empty, Freezer empty, Terrace's empty, now living indoors with outside furniture having spent the day debugging tables, chairs and sunbeds, memo to self, if so many spiders can live under a chair seat here, they can also do it in Australia, where they bite....... what's worse is the beer fridge has been turned off, so dinner tonight at Champagnes, a couple of Guinness's and home for the last half of a bottle of red, whilst writing Xmas cards for family.  Tomorrow is lock down day followed by a reserved afternoon drink with friends before the adventure begins, not sure if I want it to be uneventful or .......................
We will see what it will be..... As for flights, good job vino tinto is gratis, the film choice is dire.......

One Week to go.................

At last the gardening is finished, the cementing finished, the silicon finished, irrigation system finished, outside furniture removals finished, pool finished, me finished.......
Having seen family and friends during the same time as above being finished, with only two hangovers, I sit down to relax and think, as one does, 'Travel Insurance' lets print it off so as to be sure........ Whoops, its only for periods up to 50 days away, lets get it amended........
£339 later we are covered.  It's at moments like this that you realise, you are getting old, no not because every muscle in your body aches but because the blo*dy Insurance companies, think your a liability because of your age......... and we all know, the kin small print, of which I have 24 PDF pages of, listing exclusion after exclusion will have some clause in it stopping us making a claim if necessary, for some obscure reason.........
Still the first two nights on the road accommodation booked at Jurien Bay, where I am hoping for the first of many chilled, red sunsets, some of which may well be due to the sun.........

Living in Spain can be a pain............

I love living in Spain not only because the weather allows you to live/be outside so much but because it's just so much brighter with those dull gloomy wet days being a very rare occurrence, but it also means when you go away, even in the winter all those plants in pots still need watering........
So what happens today, its one of those rare wet gloomy days, so therefore unable to do any gardening or DIY outside so decide to create a pot plant irrigation system.
Easy enough except Palms, Ficus and Olive Trees in 24in pots are a lot heavier wet than their normal dry selves.  As for the rubber tree and Oleanders they are staying where they are, will just purchase some irrigation pipe connectors to extend the system...............
And now with pipes criss crossing and running all over the terraces I sit here with an aching neckand shoulders watching it start to brighten up, thinking will I be fit enough to do the garden tomorrow............Damn those wet gloomy days.......

And Today's Spanish Conundrum is.......

We are now in possession of Our 'Spanish' International Driving Licences as required by Australia for those who possess a Driving Licence in any language other than English, no worries they only cost 87€ and took 6 weeks to obtain but who cares, a necessary expense and on top of all the other expenses, just have to stay in one more night........
So when do they expire I inquire, when your normal Driving Licence expires, so an examination of said licence reveals they are valid until 2021.
No problem, we think until we look closer on the back and discover that should we want to drive a vehicle in excess of 3500kg, the licence expires on 11th January 2016.......... One (1) month before we are due to return home..........  Gulp!
So off to the Driving Licence renewal office based in a Medical Clinic, would you believe and ask can we extend the C1 section of the licence.  Yes replies the receptionist who appeared would have been better suited sitting in a Beauticians Salon....... When can we do it we ask? Now! she states, Great lets do it we happily reply as we hand over the licence.
Momento! is suddenly heard from the mouth of the same female and in Spanish she states it can only be extended within 3 months of the expiry date, okay, so that would mean next week.  That's okay we work out in our heads as we do not go for another 3 weeks and then we ask the all telling question so before the 31st October we will have our new licence, NO! replies our Beauticians/Doctors/Driving Licence receptionist, it will take a month for your New Licence to come through.................GULP 2 but that's two weeks after we will have been in Australia....... We give you a provisional Licence that the Guardia will accept, states our wanting to help receptionist. Yes fine in Spain, I say, but my feelings are that the Western Australian Police will not and our Campervan, according to the Internet is 3550kgs,
So we leave feeling disappointed and suspecting our van to be 50kgs over weight, we wonder who will we meet in Western Australia, PC Jobsworth or PC Take it easy buddy and Have a Good day.............. Only time will tell............