Here comes spring again .....
Here comes spring again …….
Yes, we are in February already. January with its unpredictable weather is behind us and February, OK, with its unpredictable weather is well and truly upon us. Well, that’s just the way it is now. Unpredictable is the watchword! But it has to be said, that we have had quite a few very comfortable days lately with temperatures hovering in the low twenties. No, that is not a typing error (makes a change – Ed) at all, at all. (OK, we get it – Ed) We have taken Wolfie for a couple of walks on the grand stretch of beach to the north end of Gandia and enjoyed watching him play in the shallows. (Meh! – Ed)
What was also on the beach was, and still is, the large multiple piles of bamboo and timber debris washed up after the floods. Great for beach combing, I might add. The local council operatives in their trucks and dozers are still clearing and collecting from the miles of sandy beach here. No-one complains, because if it were not for the foresight of the aforementioned council, who, some three years ago, cleared out the main torrent that runs through Gandia and coated it with a black, smooth membrane which enabled the sudden and humungous wall of water that hit the town from the mountains, to flow unimpeded until it funnelled out into the sea, meaning that the potentially dangerous debris bypassed the town completely. I have to say that seeing the great piles of tree trunks and similar, some weighing two or more tons, you realise the terrible damage and destruction that other less fortunate areas suffered. Once again, we are reminded that actually, this ain’t too bad an area to live in!
We noticed just the other day that there are gangs out working on the local roads. Why? Well, we have had some rain recently and we've had the odd frost too! That means that road surfaces begin to suffer with cracks that left untreated will gradually turn into POTHOLES! Within a few days, they have finished the job with all the cracks sealed up. Cheaper than leaving it to get worse. Less wear and tear on vehicles. No moaning from road users. How very common-sense and refreshing, AND you can see where your road tax is going! It won’t be long before they start tidying up all the islands and refreshing the road markings, repainting the curbs and suchlike. They are already trimming trees, bushes and verges. Something the British government seems incapable of understanding. But I guess it’s more important to spend the money on subsidised booze in the Parliamentary canteen. Poor dears!
My beautiful other half, otherwise known as ‘Boofuls,’ has already started tarting up the terraces and tending her plants and shrubs, many of which she has grown from ‘cuttings’ that fell into her pocket when out and about over the past couple of years. She is champing at the bit to start painting outside again, but right now the weather is,,,,, yep…… unpredictable, so it’s really too early to wield a paint brush or roller!
We recently had to change the boiler in the under build that supplies all the hot water to the villa. Not an expensive proposition really as they are readily available from our local superstore and not expensive (that’s why they wear out so quickly – Ed), but from when the new unit was installed, less than a bucket of hot water was available after the power being on all night! Visions of having to rip it out and take it back, led to the knowledge that you first had to call out the company and get them to condemn it first before a refund would be accepted, which led to much coloured atmosphere (mainly blue – Ed).
At this point it was found that there was a small panel hidden in the base of the unit. Unscrewing the panel revealed …….. yep, a thermostat adjuster which was factory set at minimum. Turn the now clearly obvious bright blue knob clockwise and …..bingo! Two hours in twenty-four and you have enough piping hot water for four folks to shower and still enough to wash up the crockery! Amazing! Was it mentioned on any paperwork? What paperwork? Maybe there was a quick set up card? Nope! Were the 220V terminals inside the panel live? Hell yeah! Was there a warning that sticking a finger inside the panel would result in an electric shock? NO! Yes, I know that you should turn any appliance off before tampering but if you turn it off, you can’t use a tester to see if the current is actually reaching the coil can you! And in answer to your unspoken question, “did I get a shock then?” No, I didn’t. I’m jus’ sayin.’
But the above is just another example of the fact that a lot of the time here in Espana, you are still expected to use common sense. A ledge with a big drop on the other side will probably have a sign nowadays, saying “DANGER, BIG DROP.” But they do expect you to then assume that you shouldn’t get too close to the edge. There will almost certainly be no fences, railings, walls or further reminders that you’ve been warned, you numbnuts! If you fall off, what did you expect? There’s a sign saying Danger, Big Drop!
Having said that, the Spanish still see car indicators as an optional extra and will use the inside lane of a roundabout ….. and then pull straight across your bonnet because they actually want to turn right! Similarly, when you are already on a roundabout, many drivers will pull on to the roundabout right in front of you regardless of it being against the law, let alone downright stupid and dangerous. And we notice that a few places on the good ol’ UK have started building roundabouts with zebra crossings right on the exits and cycle paths (with priority) encircling the roundabout. They have them here. They are a nightmare because the poor driver wanting to leave the roundabout not only has to have eyes in the back of his head to make sure that no-one is pulling up alongside him but also has to check through his side window that there isn’t a cyclist within ten metres of the road, because they will ride straight out in front of you. At the same time, you need to be aware that if someone is waiting to, or about to, cross on the crossing, you need to stop without blocking the cycle crossing and without being smacked up the backside by the driver behind. Yes this design was carefully constructed to bring traffic to a rapid stand still as often as possible and keep A and E in business when one of God’s chosen (a Lycra clad cyclist) collides with the side of your car because you stopped to let a pedestrian use the crossing and he couldn’t stop from the thirty mph he was doing on the cycle path because he has right of way. Yes, I know it’s a new twenty mph area, but that’s only for cars, not cyclists.
Anyway, back on earth, Boofuls has moved the failing geraniums to the other side of the villa, where they are bursting into bloom and obviously approve of their new position. Her cactus garden is throwing up flowers and expending with gusto. It also boasts a couple of new additions. Wilbur, a small gnome type creature constructed of stone, with a bright green felted hat and his home, a rather fanciful stone cottage with bright window shutters and steps leading up to the front door. Are we whimsical souls? Oh yes!
Until next time dear reader and best wishes to the cat.
