Starting out a new life in Spain

So what is it about the local school that they have to tar everyone with the same brush. My son came home today for the 3rd time in 5 school days to tell us he had been Castegated as a result of his friends behavior in the Comedor. Now when we first were told this we had no idea what they were talking about...

The Comedor is where the children eat their lunch during school. This is a great concept as you pay to have your children stay in school from 13:00 - 14:30, during which time they have a 4 course lunch and time to play and socialise with their friends. This means they socialise with their friends (spanish...English..dutch etc) and start to learn even more Castellano. However when some or all of them talk too much then the children are made to sit out their lunch against a wall in the yard instead of playing. The rule seems to be that if some are naughty all get punished

This of course seems a little harsh to me...but you have to sit back and let this all go over your head...I am working on the basis that this will of course build further character. Of course if could just make those who are well behaved just think...to hell with it, I'm being punished anyway I might as well do something to deserve it :-)

Only time will tell...here's to tomorrow and another day of Castegation

Well...it finally happened...we sold our house (back in Ireland) and the new owners moved in this weekend. Its a strange feeling that when you move within the same country that you don't seem to get. Its a feeling of "No Going Back". Well of course we could but why would we? We sat on the beach yesterday as the kids played away and wondered what we would have been doing if we had been in Ireland...possible looking through the windows thinking what we could do as the rain came down? As they played and ran amok it was a fantastic sight watching them as they chased each other around the beach. We decided then that its not about standard of living but lifestyle, being able to do things that you would not do in Northern Europe, enjoying the outside life

Anyway, back to the cord..its very odd indeed as I sit here this AM working away from home, that the ties of the last 10 years have been cut, all the friends..our history...the house we adored and painstakingly rebuilt and restored from a 600sq ft hovel into the dream what we then wanted. Dreams do change, and here I find myself, with my dear wife now with her sights on creating a new dream home here in Spain (more on that in posts to come) its a strange feeling of Deja Vu...but this time I will not be living in a mobile home (caravan) whilst they build it :-)

One of the things that I was never able to fathom, was how the people who live in Spain (I think its unwise to just say Spanish now as there are so many nationalities living in Spain now) never seem to be that bothered about a Tan...at least that what I was thinking when I was sprawled out like a turkey basting for Xmas lunch on my two week vacation.

Well after seeing the sun rise daily (apart from the dip into rain a few days back) you become so accustomed to it being there that a little snooze for 30 minutes during the day is the most I need now.  The ubiquitous tan is no longer the holy grail searched for 2 weeks..though of course on a weekend I slip into bad habits as we slope off the to beach for a family day out, thinking that if I was back in Ireland I'd be wrapped up in warm weather gear rather than being in beach shorts.

All in all I have a feeling that this was a great move and watching the kids run up and down the beach, with us as a family enjoying every moment, why would you ever want to be anywhere else?