Wednesday:
Well its ok, I haven't disappeared off the radar permanently, I promise!

When did I arrive here in South Wales? A week ago, unbelievable isn't it, a week already, and my feet haven't touched the ground yet! Work wise I mean... our belongings arrived the following day, but not until 5pm, I, being me started to unpack immediately even though it was 6pm by the time they had gone!

Then I worked moving boxes about all day Saturday, seems the ones I wanted downstairs were upstairs, and visa versa!  Pippa arrived about 5pm Saturday evening, she was so pleased to see me running up the road to meet her, then she went berserk to see Franco, she hadn't seen him since middle of October of course!  She seems to have settled in very well already, I covered our sofas with throws from home, and as alot of our things were already everywhere she could 'smell' us all over the house!  I must admit it was very strange to see the couple from Alhaurín dropping Pippa off here in Briton Ferry...

I am still sorting through boxes, I say me, because it has to be me, or we will never find anything, ever again, bless him!  We don't actually have anywhere to put any ornaments yet, so I have just opened the three thousand two hundred boxes of ornaments... just kidding, [!!!!!]... The almost as many boxes of books I have opened and stacked the books on the landing!  Where we will put a corner of book cases when we can, but they're alright there for now.

A big thing is the recycling!!! We have got away light with that in Spain, especially where we lived, we didnt recycle anything at all, no one in our street did, all went out every evening to be mysteriously magicked away over night!  We have an assortment of bags ready for the morning, plastics, cardboard, garden waste, and then the wheely bin, don't have enough glassware or tins 2pu box out, nor the paper/magazines etc bag, there are 9 bags out though non the less!

I have spent so much time gardening, made up for all the lost years of that in one week!  We don't have a garden yet, its a mixture of waste land and forest!!!

The worse bit is the roses, I did actually like roses, but these are everywhere! Not exaggerating here these things are growing the length and breadth of the garden, the root might be at the top, and everywhere it touches it takes root again! All through the grass, through the hedges and other trees, the brickwork and the paving! the stems are an inch in diameter, these are old old roses, and the thorns??? my hands are cut to ribbons, I have broken off thorns in all the fingers of my right hand and wrist, gardening gloves? yes of course I wore them, but they really didn't help against those thorns...

We have a palm tree too, the palm leaves are everywhere, looks like they have never been picked up! two feet long blades of leaves, sharp and prickly!

Along with old childrens plastic toys there is a pair of trainers, they are adults though and the first one gave me a start, thought there could be a foot inside or even a whole body under the earth!!!!
Beer cans, cigerette packets and general rubbish!!!

There have been more than a few holes we have had to plug in the house too!  Just random holes, drilled into the outside walls and left?? Franco has used that expandable foam on those, as well as the interior gaps and holes!  Open brickwork? He has sealed all around all the window frames and window panels, the bathroom is cold, but we think, hope, the silver fronted polystyrene we bought to put behind the radiator... hope the silver backing stuff we bought today will help with that, the bathroom has three exterior walls, had to change a tap which has a bad drip problem on the exterior wall of the bathroom too, its made the wall a bit damp, so hopefully with the new tap and silver padding the room will heat up and dry up soon!

I actually, getting back to the garden, haven' seen where the garden ends!  Might sound a bit strange, but its such a forest up there, what with roses and trees and, well abandonded junk, I havent made it through yet!  We havent let Pippa up the garden on her own yet either, the gaps around the garden will never keep her in, we know this as next doors dog pays visits to our garden for a reason, a reason which is really annoying me and must be fixed asap!  Words have been had with the lady of the dog, politely and just in passing type of way... she was unaware of this problem!  Not now, not going to put up with that, oh and the huge tub of anti dog powder put neither her dog off coming into our garden or Pippa looking through the massive gap we have to fix!

We are getting the internet on March 1st... a large part of my heart is still in Spain, always and forever... and without the internet my brain too!!!! Cant wait, we have the phone number already, no phone, just the number, and between 8am and 1pm on above day we will be connected!! [my first thought was to get the number to my Mom....]

I have had a sore throat for a couple of days, not sure if its all the unpacking, dust and bits and pieces that come off off and out of the boxes, also a couple of mouth ulcers, either too much sugar or stress? I think the later...

Pippa is loving all the walks, we have two routes already for our walks, one takes us up behind our houses towards an old manor house, we can see our back garden from up there, its steep and well above the houses... the other walk takes us up even higher than that, and we can see the sea easily from there, and lots of it!  We can see the big tall offices of DVLA Swansea, the M4 and mountain range after mountain range, beautiful scenery, Franco is going to take us to the Brecons soon, and hopefully that waterfall I saw the other week.

Yesterday Pip and I were just on our way down the steps to the path and a friend and neighbour was coming up to the house, she said she was on her way to the supermarket and did I want to join her?  I ran back in, Franco said "that was quick!" I said that we were going nowhere but I was!  And off me and mate went, a couple of supermarkets swifty followed!  What a mess I looked too!  Been out in the garden and looked like it! at least I had changed my shoes and taken off my wellies!

I am totally lost on the roads here! Totally, I am sure its from arriving here and Franco taking me 'everywhere' in about 3 hours!  all the shops all the towns, all the supermarkets!!! I was tired, emotional, and totally confused with the road system!! I shall never be able to drive here on my own, or know which way to go, ever!!! Franco has a sat nav, but can't find it! whoever needed a sat nav to find a sat nav? We do!!!

Tomorrow someone is coming to help with the garden,  He is going to knock back all the small trees, the weeds, the jungle of roses and the mess of junk, I think there is a pool table up there! There is also a couple of patios already, will be lovely in the summer sitting up there in the sunshine, we might be able to see the sea from there....  there are alot of grey bricks right by the back door so we will paint it white and lightenp the whole area, the gate has seen better days by the steps up to the garden also.  I opened it a little heavy handidly the other day, having secatures, sacks, and pan brush with me also!  and the only hinge still hanging on.... gave up and fell away from the wood altogether, so I got some new screws and put three in to hold it in place, with no lower hinge though still its not easy to open!  Pippa runs up like a whippet of course while I am trying to hold on to her, its all a bit high up there and I worry she might fall off!! Looking forward to getting it more secured up there!



Well I hope this has come out ok for you to read as having trouble this end!
TTFN
Marian