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............

Worry Not Mother........

Well getting close now, Summer is officially over in the Northern Hemisphere best we go find it in the Southern one.......... Just 5 weeks to go and although things have been going on in the background, Home Insurance updated, Security Systems serviced, all those that need to be advised we are away, advised, arrangements re key holders, neighbours and people calling in to look after cats, pool and outside we find out Mummy is concerned for our safety, ahhhhhhh don't you just love your mummy!
Fear not mother all that can be done has been done and because you are reading this, it means that the same mechanisms will be in place to enable to you to contact, speak and see us when we are there just the same as when we are here!  Day one in Perth will be spent checking into Hotel, checking out Australian Red Wine, getting over the flight, Dinner and the purchasing of two sim cards so as we will have Australian phone numbers with Telstra, Australia's most expensive network provider but also with the best coverage, so even when out in the Dark North Western and North Australia we will have a good chance of being able to phone you and wish you a Happy New Year albeit, 10 hours before yours starts......  As for Camping in the van and being Hijacked, Held for Ransom, abused and taken advantage of by the dreaded 'Australian Beautiful Blonde, Busty Biker' gang, please do not pay the ransom to quickly......... All the Campsites have Electricity, Running Water, Bathroom/Shower facilities etc and with Electricity comes the internet, so you will have me popping (wow that was close, nearly had me pooping) out of your computer screen almost on a daily basis, so fear not, all precautions will be taken care of, who knows I may even wear some socks for the first time in years, as extra protection up there in Crocodile country.................Xx

Camper van Paid Off

Nothing is easy but we have managed to pay off the biggest expense of the Holiday, the Camper van, it took three (3) separate payments, when the Pound was high against the Oz dollar but it's done, now we can start to accumulate some spending money.  Thank you Post Office UK, you no doubt have made a few bob from our foreign currency transactions but nowhere near as much as Halifax were going to make from us. So tonight, it's feet up watching the meteor shower, a glass of red in hand and a feeling of ain't life grand, whoops, maybe should not have said that............