Here we are a week later at Camping imperium at Villajoyosa. We plan to be here for up to three months, before heading back for the ferry home. But we don’t want to talk about that. The reason for doing it this way this year is, one to see if we save any money, but I don’t think we will, and just to see if we like it this way as lots of peaple do this. As our aim is to get away from the horrible winters in the uk, we are just living in Spain for the winter. But my itchy feet just want to see more and more. My feet don’t really itch, I don’t need cream or anything to make them stop itching. It’s just a saying, you know what I mean. I must admit it’s nice to be back here seeing the same peaple we saw last year when we were here for a month and hearing their tales of what they have been doing since being here. One couple have been here all year, another couple went home and sold everything and came back and are staying here for the moment.

We have used this week to recharge, walking down to the beach, the supermarket, the Chinese shop. The Chinese shop is not a takeaway but a shop where you can buy almost anything, and you never know what your going to find in there so we always go in there and come out with something we didn’t even know we needed. The supermarket we use has had a refurb from last year and looks very nice. One of the wines Nikki drinks is still 99cents and still tastes as good so I am informed. We did a shop there and it cost us €40. When we got back to base Nikki sat in the sun, sorry there’s that word again and did a like for like comparison with what it would have cost us in the Uk. It would have cost us about £25 pound more. So even though the exchange rate is not to good you still get more for your euro than your pound.

The site has a pool, out door not heated and always looks so inviting. Spanish outdoor pools are not heated because in the summer it’s so hot they just get warm anyway. I dipped my toe in one day and thought, that’s not too bad, I am going to go for a swim tomorrow. Tomorrow came we walked down to the pool, Me with my towel and swimming shorts, Nikki forgot hers for some reason. The reason being she has a brain that works. Got to the pool and it was looking so nice, shimmering in the sun, blue sky overhead, no German towels on the sun loungers. So yes of course I went in. Was it cold, yes it was but once I was in and swimming it was ok. Apparently cold water swimming is good for you. I know why, because when you get in you think how cold it is and say sod this let’s go down the bar. The picture below proves I did it, and yes I will do it again.

Another thing we have done this week is have some Spanish lessons. They came round asking if anybody was interested in learning some basic Spanish. When we’re away we always like to try and communicate as much as possible in the language of the country we’re in, even ifs it’s only a simple hello, thank you, goodbye. The lessons are free so thought, let’s go for it. It’s only for an hour once a week. Do we have time though, I think so. The lady doing the lessons, Yvonne speaks five different languages. She is Dutch but also speaks Spanish which is lucky as she is trying to teach us that, also she speaks French, German and of course very good English. It’s amazing how she can switch from one to another if speaking to a group. I was never very good at school and am not very good at learning things now as I get older, but the way she taught it was very basic and we had it all written down so I can practise. Nikki is much better than me. So when we get back to the uk and see any of you and start speaking and it doesn’t sound right to you, please remind us we are in England.

Another good thing this week, our friends Bill and June texted us to say they are stopping in on this site to see us for a week on their way further south. So nice to see them. We met them three years ago and have managed to see them every year at some point. When we went round to say hello, I could smell diesel and said to Bill, you have a leak and started to investigate. He has had a lot of trouble with his motorhome this year so was not too pleased about more problems. I got on the Internet that evening and found a garage just down the road with a English speaking owner who we went to see the next morning and is coming out to have a look today. Then he will get it booked in for when Bill leaves this site.

Just one more thing. I have to tell you about the tilty pole. The way we walk to the supermarket, the first bit is through a cut through, small road, orange groves in the fields and lemons etc. Last year we noticed this electricity pole leaning over and thought then a good wind and that would be gone. Not like in England where the minute the wooden poles get a bit of rot in them they are replaced. Good ol Heath and safety. Well there was the pole still there, a year later but leaning even further over now. I really don’t know how it is managing to stay there.