Its been a couple of weeks now and the feeling that this is all a bit of a holiday, (which we were both trying not to feel in order to be more serious) is starting to wear off. It costs quite a bit to drive/emmigrate to a new place and the savings we both had are rapidly dwindling as next month's rent day approaches. As the reality of not being able to pay the rent started to kick in, so did the realisation that... that pool... those beaches... that party... this sunshine... it aint going anywhere soon, we live here now.
Anyway, in the last couple of weeks we've both managed to get jobs, started moving on the local paper and had one of my old mates from the control room come over to stay! We've also sussed how to get on the roof terrace.
At the moment its a bit dodgy getting up there on the ladder and the wobbly roof tiles, but its worth every second! You can see the Med, half of Gran Alicant, Alicante, the mountains, the airport, even Benidorm on a clear day.
Its exciting being up there anyway because you get that same 'wow' factor as when you're in a tree house when you're a kid. Especially as you can sit and watch the planes come and go. We went up the day Paul came over and watched his plane land with binoculars...
Paul.
Paul was our first house guest (of many hopefully) and I was quite surprised to be eating the same stuff as he was. I always thought he only ate really weird organic veggie stuff, but we actually all shared the same pasta and a bottle of wine. Scott's a veggie, and eating loads of meals together, Ive been 'adding' meat, rather than planning the meal around it. I don't even feel weak or look pastey for doing it either! The flavours come from spices and from some habanero Tabasco Scott's got. I'm certainly not planning on becoming a vegermatarian any time soon (to do so would be to deny the evolutionary truth that I am myself an animal at the top of the food chain) but it appears you can go for short periods without eating meat!
After a few days I do keep getting incredible cravings for a bloody fillet steak though.
That afternoon, we went out for a drink at one of the bars, as Scott had an interview for a job in one. He got it, which was good, as it allowed us to use our self imposed drinking rule we created to stop us blowing all our savings. 'No drinking unless we earn it.' Its quite an effective motivator... Scott earn't it, so the three of us got quite wasted that night. We ended up back at our apartment where we shared a pizza covered in a generous topping of chilli powder, kicked off with some fiery habanero tabasco. Paul piled it on. So as not to be out done as hosts, so did we, and the three of us sat there crying onto our pizza as we added more and more and more and.... We won in the end though. Scott and I both drank it straight from the bottle, ha ha.
Assuming the exquisit pain of feeling each of my insides from my lips to my stomach throbbing and cold burning is classed as 'winning.'
This is how the sunset looks from my bedroom.
We've been meeting every three or four days with the other people we're going to be starting the newspaper with. At the moment its all good! Theres loads of interest from business' in Gran Alicant and nearby Santa Pola as the other 'local' papers cover a huge area of Spain and advertising in them is so expensive. We may even be able to cover the costs of the first edition with the advertising in it... 1st July - fingers crossed!
Dave, the guy who first told us about the paper said he may possibly have some driving work for me as he runs a car hire firm and needs to get cars from A to B. I said to him I needed some spare cash until we get online and can start making websites. (ie when telefonica install a telephone line in our house... they're slowly rolling along the street with a barrel of cable now!) He said OK. Then half an hour later, called up and offered me a full time job in his new office he's having built (its run from his house at the mo) coordinating with other rent-a-car companies and over his new fleet of Clio's which are arriving soon! He said he'd call and possibly run me through a couple of things the next day!
At 1030, after having my morning swim in the pool (which no one goes to at the mo 'cos its still a little bit cold), Dave called and said I'll be round in 5 minutes... 9 hrs of explaining the business and shuffling cars around from A to B to the Airport later, and the last guy we had to deliver too wasn't in, so he said "Take the 'A' class home and we'll deliver it tomorrow." First day at work and I have a Merc to play with!!! And a company mobile too...
We had a fantastic electric storm the other night, click the picture to see.
Paul had gone home (sorry for leaving you so much mate - I didn't really plan to get a job then!!) and after Scott's and my first full week at work we spent Saturday night up on the roof terrace. Ive worked out I can put the 'B' speakers from my amp up there which is good. We also tried flying a stunt kite but there wasn't enough wind.
Its still not totally safe getting up there but we are working on a way to make it so. We have to make it 'pissed-proof' and 'mum-proof'. Ie, you've gotta be able to get up and down it drunk. And Mum Proof, ie, totally safe and easy to use. We have some ideas...
Anyway, Its my birthday next Saturday (29th May) so Im having a BBQ up here with the Herlocks (Scott's family), the Neighbours and a few others. Im quite sad no one from England is coming over, but as Nic said to me the other day 'Well you have moved to Spain.' Which is fair enough. I guess I'll just have to get used to it over here...
