Comments for The House

Comment on it’s been a long cold lonely winter by Annie

Annie — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 21:47:08 +0000

Dear Rachel,
If the sun comes all, all looks so much better. Right now, it’s pouring with rain in Andalucia and this sunny province is not good at rain. We flood, we feel miserable and all looks gloomy and sad. Fortunately, it passes and life becomes absolutely liveable again within a very short time.
We are well, thank you. Poised to move into our new house and already, I feel like your last post! The house is lovely and has lots of potential but we found out just today – as we began moving boxes and bits in, that our neighbours are the absolute pits and it’s knocked all my joy away.
The house is in a little village 7kms away from our adopted town and so school and work will continue as now, which is great. We’re giving up easy access to shops and other local conveniences for a farmhouse with 3000m2 of land and a ruined house in the garden that we can restore and develop. But the neighbours…..we can see already that this is going to be a problem and right now, in my safe rented house, surrounded by lovely folk….I’m having the most awful doubts. And I can’t say this anywhere else (though my husband and I are having muted discussions out of earshot of the kids…) Sigh; And I know you’ve been through a lot with your house so you’ll understand that I understand that you understand, etc.

But otherwise, all is good. And we’ll weather the weather and other bad spells til the sun shines. Axxx

Comment on sometimes i love my house, sometimes i hate my house by rachel

rachel — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 10:19:05 +0000

hello annie,
all i need is a good moan from time to time. the hardest thing for me is not having anyone nearby to talk to. but i do feel like spring is on the way and a corner has been turned. how is everything going with you? i really value your comments, although it often takes me for ever to find them amid the spam. is it starting to get hot where you are? what are your plans for the next few months? how are the kids?
well, take care and keep in touch
un abrazo y besos!
rachel

Comment on sometimes i love my house, sometimes i hate my house by Annie

Annie — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 10:02:27 +0000

Vaya, Rachel….worth a backward glance to see how far you’ve come. There are times that when however hard I try I only see what I haven’t done, what I don’t like and what is still to be done. I have decided it shows a desire for continuous improvement. Not everyone has the intelligence or sensitivity for this.

Shit – I don’t know what to say! Think I should live nearer and then we could have a really good moan together. It doesn’t change anything but I really do believe it helps!! Un abrazo muy fuerte. Axxx

Comment on i didn’t get where i am today without…. by Annie Taylor

Annie Taylor — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 23:35:42 +0000

Oh Rachel, whilst it has never been quite as bad as this, I really do understand what you mean! And I remember baiting a few teachers in my past too. It’s hard not to rise or snap or just lie on the floor and give in sometimes. I’m lucky in that I have very few really difficult groups but yesterday I sent a 12 year old out for saying ‘Fuck you’ to one of the girls; then had to try and control a group of 16 year olds, when two of them had clearly been smoking dope before they arrived…we were looking at jokes and humour this week, so the giggling fitted in. Next week, we might have to look at the harm illegal substances can cause.
I’ve done a year and a half at this academy now and today I had the first – ‘Yes, you told us that already’ comment from one of my class following one of my anecdotes, designed to engage them in interesting conversation. I was mortified – and then I thought, well it proves someone was listening!
It is a strange feeling though – my other foot hasn’t got used to the boot at all!
Axxx

Comment on getting the axe by Annie Taylor

Annie Taylor — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 21:51:34 +0000

Now Rachel…I’ve just read your response to my comment on your last post where you said you were conscious of taking care and being sensible – and then you post about axe-wielding!! Surely some contradiction here….? I”m glad that Leon is fine, though – it must have been very worrying for you all.
Thanks for asking about the floods. In places not far from here, it has been dreadful, but here we have been fine. Right now, it’s raining for the first time since April so I can’t complain (though it rained on us in Asturias over the summer!)
We don’t go back to the UK much but I’ll go with the children at Christmas for about a week as we did last year. I don’t miss it, though would like to see friends more often. My mum came here a few weeks ago for a little holiday (and brought me 200 Lady Grey tea bags – I’ll be OK for a while now.)
We share your financial concerns though as I’m semi-retired, I have fall back with a monthly pension that is paid to my English bank account – it’s not much but it definitely helps! Also, I have a contract from October to June for the English academy where I work around 12 hours a week. Having that really makes a difference but things are bad and the academy has much fewer students than usual and one teacher has had to go.
Our children do have dual nationality. At home they speak mainly English but increasingly will talk in Spanish if they feel like it. My middle son is the most ‘Spanish’ and seems to enjoy the language most. The eldest is the most ‘English’ and he thinks he will have to study at an English University if he’s to continue his studies – but he’s only 14 so there’s still time for him to gain in confidence. Your children were born in Spain, weren’t they? I think that makes a big difference.
I do hope things go well – may these guests be the first of many!
Axxx

Comment on home by rachel

rachel — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 08:50:31 +0000

hi annie,
sorry for not replying sooner. i’ve only just seen your message. there is so much spam on this blog that i can’t see any real comments. oh well.
leon is fine- he’s had every test under the sun ( i do think the medical care here is excellent) and it seems it was a stress induced one off. owen took a bit longer to get over it, the poor thing ,but he’s ok now. you know there are ups and downs about living abroad and at the moment i’m having a bit of a down about it all. we’re both self employed too, so we have no security at all. but we’ve taken the incident as a warning about stress and we are trying to change a bit.
how is everything there? have you been affected by the floods? do you go back to the uk often? do your kids feel spanish or english?
i wish we were closer too, it would be lovely to meet you.
thanks again for the message,
rachel xxx

Comment on home by Annie Taylor

Annie Taylor — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:01:29 +0000

Oh my goodness, this is so scary – for you, for your husband and for your son. I am so sorry and hope that everything will be OK again soon healthwise. It will take a bit longer for the confidence to really return and I do understand how you feel. I also feel a long way away from ‘home’ sometime but at least my husband is Spanish, but we are a long way away even from his family should any emergency occur.
My thoughts are with you. I wish we were nearer!
Axxx

Comment on If you fall I will catch you… by Annie Taylor

Annie Taylor — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 12:08:36 +0000

Hi Rachel, interesting post of Spanish life and observations thereof. Sounds like people go to great lengths with their floats – and I do hope they did float!

We live in a very fiesta-orientated town but I have never witnessed scenes of drunkeness here during the numerous local events. I don’t know why it should be different but it sounds like it is. There are things that wouldn’t be allowed in the the health and safety-conscious UK and certainly when Etnosur is on – a big, hippy-type festival that happens once a year and draws crowds from all over – then drunkeness and dope-smoking is in full evidence. Lots of locals dislike Etnosur because of this but still turn out to enjoy the music and other things on offer.

I would share your concerns but glad to hear your son’s student is such a good model for the youth of the place! And your last points are so very true – there is no violence, no undercurrent of aggression and always a hand held out to help where help is needed.

Good stuff,
Axxx

Comment on …while the sun shines by Annie Taylor

Annie Taylor — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 11:39:38 +0000

Oh I do so agree about time pre and post children – how excellently you put it!
And whilst I hadn’t read the following sentence (about the children’s camp) I was deep in envy that you had 8 days – 8 whole, long days – to fill as you wished. Then I rapidly withdrew that and changed the emotion to admiration – I’m sure you’ll have a whale of a time with your children’s camp and them too.
Haymaking was done here a good two months ago – it seemed really early to me but it was definitely ready for reaping, so hot we’ve had the year so far. I have yet to see a female tractor driver though the women here spend hours and hours in the fields and work extremely hard. But it’s the tractor drivers that get noticed.

Have a great few weeks – you’ll be so glad to see your children when they return!
Axxx

Comment on it’s a small step followed by another small step and before you know it, you’re miles away. by Annie Taylor

Annie Taylor — Thu, 10 May 2012 07:07:55 +0000

Worth waiting with bated breath for the lovely ending!
I do so agree with your observation about lots of small steps taking you miles, though just at the moment, I’m exhausted from walking so far and still not being quite sure it’s in the right direction….I think I perhaps need to be clearer about my ultimate goal.
I do know it’s the journey that counts and that sometimes the going is good and sometimes less so. So glad it sounds like you’re travelling a little more easily – your house looks wonderful and I can see how much hard work you have put it.
Axxx