Life in Culebrón

I remember when we made the decision to move to Spain. It wasn't because there were people with guns in the street, not a sign of religious fanatics demanding that girls stayed covered and away from school. It wasn't even as though we were working in terrible conditions for a pittance. I, we, thought it would be good to move from one prosperous, well organised and safe country with lots of personal freedoms to another prosperous, well organised and safe country with lots of personal freedoms. I can hear the guffaws at that last sentence. I've read the Tweets and Facebook entries that suggest Spain is only one step short of being some Banana Republic, where nothing works as it should. I agree with some of the complaining. I'd like to be able to get my ID card without any effort too just like I'd hoped that my British passport wouldn't have a turn around time of four months. I might even prefer not to have to carry any ID. I understand the concerns about the wa...

In the UK, in my youth, Post Offices were like Government outposts. They were a place to cash your dole giro, sort out your passport, renew your driving licence, buy road tax or get a postal order. You could even post a letter there. I suspect that, nowadays, lots of young people hardly ever enter a Post Office. In Spain the Post Offices have never had the same import as they once did in the UK but, for me at least, they are still one of the places to send and receive cards, letters and packets.  At the start of each year the stamp prices go up in Spain. Quite a steep rise this year. The price to send a letter or card depends on the size and shape of the envelope as well as the weight. In fact I only really use the post for birthday and Christmas cards and as cards almost always come in non standard sizes (C5 and DL are considered standard) with jolly red or green envelopes I get charged the "non normalised" rate even though the weight is under the 20g limit. The cost of ...

We had a couple of pals who moved from Pinoso to the coast. One of the reasons they gave for their move was that the food in Pinoso was a bit boring. Its true that if you're after Mexican or Thai or French cuisine then Pinoso isn't the perfect spot. I suppose it's a matter of taste (sic) but I definitely like the local offer. And you'll know, if you've ever got past the most basic conversation with a local, that food is a safe, and always interesting, conversation in Spain. If Brits talk about weather then the Spanish talk about food. Every area of Spain has its specialities and every region is quite sure that they have the best food. The one thing that all Spaniards agree on is that Spain has the best food in the world.  There is something very purist about Spanish food. If you're British, and you eat meat, then your Shepherd's Pie is not quite the same as your mum's or your brother's. You add garlic or tomato or mushrooms and they don't. This d...

A little while ago I published a blog about the population of Pinoso. A lot of people showed some interest in that entry. As a result I asked the Pinoso Town Hall if they'd publish a breakdown of the figures as several people had asked about their home countries. The Town Hall published the figures. I'd like to think it's because I asked but it's probably sheer chance! Nationalities MEN WOMEN TOTAL EUROPE Austria 1 0 1 Belgium 35 34 69 Bulgaria 12 13 25 Czech Republic 0 2 2 Denmark 2 0 2 Finland 0 1 1 France 9 4 13 Germany 16 17 33 Iceland 2 1 3 Ireland 12 6 18 Italy 9 10 19 Latvi...

The other day someone commented on one of my photos with a, "Well Spain is a Catholic country isn't it?" I wondered. I mean "England is an Anglican country, isn't it?". I'm English but I'm not Anglican. In fact much to Maggie's amusement I have a piece of paper that says I'm a Wesleyan. Fortunately I won't have to re-sit the entrance exam. The last time I went to an Anglican Church service, a wedding, I found that the Lord's Prayer, the one drummed into me through countless compulsory school assemblies, was no longer current. I hope thy haven't changed Daffodils too or all those violent school beatings will have been for nought. I'm not really sure how Catholic Spain is. It's absolutely true that, outside a Spanish Parish church just before lunch on a Sunday there will be sizeable crowd but, if what my mum says is true, her Anglican church is a lively place too. Google has the figures of course. The (Spanish) Centre for So...