Diary of a Nobody

I was in the bar of my local, the Ronda Valley Hotel, the other evening. There were seven customers and two staff.

The only Spanish-speakers were Fermin and Maria, both staff, and me!

Ronda Valley Hotel [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

Eavesdropping the conversations as non-Spanish-speaking customers placed their orders was fascinating, yet, despite the language barrier, everybody got what they wanted.

[Logo courtesy of The Council of Europe]    

Time was, I would have intervened and offered my services as a translator / interpreter, but I don't do that any longer.

Why not?

Several reasons:

• The hotel apparently doesn't like it

• The punters are often not grateful for the help

• Or, they are excruciatingly boring / "up themselves" / drunk!

[Photo: The Olive Press]    

So, I sat there, consumed my two "tercios" (33 cl) and left.

***

A couple of nights later, it was a different matter.

The new "workaway", Hannah, from Brazil, was talking in Portuguese with three Portuguese men, who turned out to be coach drivers from Lisbon. 

I had to go to the bar to order another drink, and ended up getting involved in the conversation.

I don't speak Portuguese, but with my knowledge of Spanish, I could get the gist.

Then, when they learned I was Brtitish, they switched to English, which they all spoke well. 

[Photo: Mobility Friends]    

Links:

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES - Help me, Ronda

Working for free? Why? Er… why not? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Working for free? Why? Er… why not? Part 2. - Eye on Spain

© Diary of a Nobody

Photos:

Council of Europe, Mobility Friends, Paul Whitelock, The Olive Press 

Tags:

A1 Translations, Council of Europe, Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Fermin, Maria, Mobility Friends, non-Spanish-speaking customers, Paul Whitelock, Ronda Valley Hotel, Secret Serrania, Spanish-speakers, The Olive Press, www.help-me-ronda.com

The missus and I had Saturday evening appointments for MRI scans (resonancias) at Hospital Quiron in Marbella.

We set off early afternoon because we needed to get a replacement water filter from Leroy Merlin for our Philips osmosis device which purifies our contaminated well-water and makes it safe for drinking.

[QuironSalud]    

Next .....

Having done that, as if one French-owned store wasn't enough, we popped into Al Campo, the French-owned supermarket in the La Cañada shopping precinct.

Then it was time to head for the hospital. We got there early, checked in and discovered that the patient before us had not turned up, so we got "seen to" earlier than scheduled.

The scans were of our heads to check whether we had symptoms of developing dementia. We'll find out in a week when the results come through.

[QuironSalud]    

Time for dinner

So, out of the hospital earlier than expected, our thoughts turned to dinner. We decided to head for one of our favourite chiringuitos in the area, "Kala Kalua", on the beach in San Pedro de Alcantara.

We got there at around 6.30 pm to find that they were in the process of closing! On Saturday night?

    Chiringuito Kala Kalua [Trip Advisor]

The very polite and apologetic waiter suggested their sister restaurant, "Nuevo Reino", as an alternative. "The menu is similar", he said, and, more importantly for us, it was open for dinner.

OK, we thought, we'll give it a try,

The terrace was fully booked, said the head waiter, unless we could finish by 9.00 pm, when one table was reserved from.

It was 7.00 pm, so we had two hours.

"I think we can manage that," I said.

Rita chose ensalada Cesar (Caesar salad) and I went for sopa de mariscos and fritura malagueña.

    Restaurante Reino Nuevo [CIT Marbella]

Rita's salad was enormous, yet she was disappointed. "It's better in Kala Kalua," but she was nevertheless full.

I enjoyed my seafood soup, well-priced too, at just 8 euros.

Unfortunately my fritura was hugely disappointing. There was little variety and few decent fish on the plate. At 25 euros that was definitely a rip-off!

"The fritura is also much better at 'Kala Kalua' !" I decided.

The drinks were normally priced for the coast, ie expensive, but what really "caught my eye", or "stuck in my throat", was not a fishbone, but the cover charge for a bread roll and a little slab of butter - a massive 1.75 euros per person!

The version of me of some years ago would have kicked up a stink, but I'm older now and I don't need the stress.

And anyway, the waiting staff were delightful. It wasn't their fault, so we tipped them generously. But we shall not be going to "Nuevo Reino" ever again!

Our bill [Paul Whitelock]    

Home time

I'd consumed two beers, so Rita took the wheel.

Everything was going fine. We were halfway home, until she hit a small rock lying in the road.

The tyre deflated instantly, but she couldn't stop, because it's a winding mountain road and there wasn't anywhere.

By the time we got to somewhere off the road and level, "Venta Madroño", the tyre was pretty wrecked.

The venta was closed and it was pitch black.

I investigated the situation to see whether I might attempt to change the wheel, but the long handled spanner (tyre iron) was missing from the car. Why?

Venta Madroño in daylight [Cadena SER]    

I rang the insurance company, Mapfre (breakdown is included in your car insurance policy in Spain). The nice lady in the call centre in Barcelona took the details and within a short time "Gruas de Ronda" rang me. The mechanic said he needed 30 minutes to get to us.

He arrived bang on 30 minutes after our call.

He did the necessary, and changed the wheel. I signed the paperwork and took over the driving (Rita had had enough and was not a little distressed).

    [Above photos by Paul Whitelock]
 

Conclusion

So, we got back home two hours later than envisaged, gone 11.00 pm, to find two starving pussycats waiting for their dinner.

Rita went straight to bed and I adjourned to my "local", Hotel Ronda Valley, for a well-deserved beer (or three!)

Hotel Ronda Valley [Paul Whitelock]    

© Diary of a Nobody

Photos:

CIT Marbella, Kala Kalua, Nuevo Reino, Paul Whitelock, QuironSalud, Trip Advisor

Tags:

Al Campo, Caesar salad, CIT Marbella, chiringuito, contaminated well-water, dementia, Diary of a Nobody, ensalada Cesar, French-owned supermarket, fritura malagueña, Gruas de Ronda, Hotel Ronda Valley, Kala Kalua, La Cañada, Leroy Merlin, MRI scan, Mapfre, Nuevo Reino, osmosis device, Paul Whitelock, Philips, QuironSalud, resonancia, safe for drinking, San Pedro de Alcantara, sopa de mariscos, Trip Advisor, tyre iron, Venta Madroño, water filter

As we get older, we tend to need less sleep.

That's a fact.

But, if we get too little "shut-eye", that can be prejudicial to our health.

    [Image courtesy of the BBC]

My sleep experience

Since I reached adulthood aged 18 I have never slept for long enough.

As students, we stayed up late into the night "chewing the fat" and putting the world to rights. And, if we were in luck, losing our virginity.

When I started work as a teacher, a job I did for 15 years, I never slept for long enough. I was running on adrenalin.

[Photo courtesy of Westend61]    

For the next 15 years I was a schools inspector/adviser, a stressful occupation at the best of times, and the pattern of insufficient sleep continued.

When we did Ofsted inspections, it got worse.

Around that time I had a nervous breakdown.

    [Ofsted]

After redundancy, divorce and early retirement - I was 55 - you'd have thought my REM sleep would improve. Dream on!

In a disastrous new relationship with a recently bereaved widow, my stress continued, until I left her and went through a spell of depression.

I was alone and a divorced man in my late 50s. I didn't socialise for a while, then I had a great summer in 2008, spent in Luxembourg with another widow, before meeting, by chance, later that year in Ronda (Malaga), the woman who became my second wife in 2010 when I was 60 years old.

Luxembourg Ville [Outdoor Active]    

Covid-19 was a challenge which nearly killed Rita and left me with long-Covid health issues.

Three years ago I was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. The tablets tend to make you a bit "loose".

I also retain water in my legs, the treatment for which is a diuretic which makes you "pee" a lot.

So, now my sleep is interrupted every 3/4 hours because I need to go to the "loo", to do a number 1 or a number 2.

[Photo courtesy of the BBC]    

These days I need a siesta in the afternoons. That's OK - a "power nap" for just 10/15 minutes usually "does the trick" and reinvigorates me.

Advice on a way forward

The Olive Press, the fortnightly free paper down here, has just published an article with advice for insomniacs in the form of a list of "do's" and "don'ts".

The journalist Adam Husicka writes that the first 60 minutes after waking up could hold the key to living longer.

Adam Husicka [The Olive Press]    

Quoting Dr William Li, a Harvard University-trained physician, he writes that one of the biggest mistakes is to reach for your mobile phone when you wake up.

This, says Dr Li, overwhelms the brain at a time when it is most vulnerable.

"It can lead to stress and poor concentration during the rest of the day".

    [Photo of Dr Li courtesy of El Español]

Also, we should avoid eating solid food for about an hour after waking.

Black coffee is OK.

"Light physical activity, eg stretching, boosts circulation, flexibility and oxygen flow to the brain", adds Dr Li.

Other recommendations include stepping outside for sunlight, doing breathing exercises, meditation or a cold shower, concludes Husicka.

[Photo courtesy of Brass Monkey]    

And me?

I admit I reach for my mobile on waking, to check the time. Then I often notice I have some unread messages, so naturally I open them.

I prefer tea without milk to black coffee, so I guess that's alright.

I get outside as soon as it's light, so I get plenty of Vitamin D.

I immediately start doing things like cleaning the pool, watering the fruit trees, plants and vegetables, so I think that counts as exercise.

    [Photo courtesy of Bosch DIY]

My cold shower substitute is a dip in the pool. At this time of year - end of September -  the temperature has dropped to 20 degrees Celsius, which is just like having a cold shower!

Conclusion

I need to drink less beer, ignore my mobile phone on waking

and .....

well, the other things I'm doing rather well at, aren't I?

[Image courtesy of Unifikas]

© Diary of a Nobody

Links:

Magnificent, under-rated Málaga - Eye on Spain

MALAGA CITY - Help me, Ronda

Picasso for free - scroll down past the above article

HELP ME RONDA - Eye on Spain

OUR DAY OUT - Help me, Ronda

Pictures:

Bosch DIY, Brass Monkey, BBC, El Español, Ofsted, Outdoor Active, The Olive Press, Unifikas, Westend61

Thanks:

Adam Husicka, Diary of a Nobody, Dr William Li, Paul Whitelock, The Olive Press, www.eyeonspain.com, www.help-me-ronda.com

Tags:

Adam Husicka, Andalucia, Bosch DIY, Brass Monkey, BBC, El Español, Covid-19, depression, Diary of a Nobody, Dr William Li, early retirement, Harvard, Luxembourg, nervous breakdown, Ofsted, Outdoor Active, Paul Whitelock, REM sleep, redundancy, Ronda, single, The Olive Press, Unifikas, Westend61, www.eyeonspain.com, www.help-me-ronda.com

Why are people in general so two-faced and/or hypocritical?

It seems to be the same all over!

In France, Germany, the USA, Spain and in the UK, and no doubt elsewhere.

[Image courtesy of SunStar]    

France

Impeccably mannered, the French are polite to a "T".

"Messieurs, ..... dames!" they unfailingly cry at the butcher's, the baker's and ..... the candlestick-maker's.

Yet this greeting is nothing more than a formula, as they most likely hate their fellow shoppers, be they French or foreigners.

    [Image: The Context of Things]    

Germany

The Germans, like the French, are generally very polite in shops, etc. But do they all like each other really?

Waiters behave impeccably and are polite and professional. Are they genuine or is it because they think the amount of their "tip" depends on their behaviour?

Photo of a German waiter [Freepik]    

The USA

The USA is very racist. Whites generally regard themselves as superior to Native Americans (Red Indians), Hispano-Americans ("spics") and African Americans ("blacks").

[Amnesty International USA]    

If you're white, you have a chance of being accepted, although if you're Irish ("micks"), Polish ("Polacks") or Italian ("dagoes" or "Eyeties") you can be the butt of jokes and worse.

Religion is a factor also. If you're a WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant), that's OK, but if you're a Roman Catholic, a Mormon, Amish or Pentecostal, you'd better watch out! You will more than likely suffer from discrimination.

Spain

After the Reconquista, when the Christian Spanish, ousted the Moorish invaders after nearly 700 years of occupation (711 - 1492), Spain was a mixed population of Christians, Jews, Moors, moriscos, other Arabs and gypsies. Somehow they rubbed along together.

[Maps Spain]    

Modern-day Spain is an even more diverse population with the huge influx of foreigners from Northern and Eastern Europe, from the USA and Canada and from Spanish-speaking countries in Latin America.

Romanians have come en masse and Italians also. Both Romanian and Italian are quite close to Spanish (Romance languages descended from Latin) and are mutually understandable.

Curiously, there is a strong Russian presence on the costas. Those Russians who no longer wished to live in Vladimir Putin's disaster of a country, presumably, or, as some suggest, the Russian mafia.

Ukrainians keen to escape the war back home in Ukraine are also in Spain in significant numbers.

***

As a resident of some 17 years I do not detect a great deal of racism. Of course, we white Northerners are "guiris".

I think the Spanish are frustrated that most incomers have made very little effort to learn Spanish, live in "ghettoes", ie large gated communities on the coast, and spend their time eating, drinking and sun-bathing.

    [Image courtesy of Computer Hoy]

There is more tension between the castellano speakers, and catalan and euskera people in Catalonia, Valencia, Islas Baleares and Pais Vasco. Less so between asturianos, gallegos and speakers of Castilian Spanish.

Two-faced?

One of the reasons I love living in Andalucia is the friendliness and openness of the andaluces. Where we live in the campo outside Ronda, most of our neighbours are local people. They are very friendly, generous and helpful. 

And I don't think they are two-faced. I don't think that they talk maliciously about us behind our backs. They gossip, of course, but who doesn't?

They think we "guiris" are well-to-do when many of us are not. Another of my reasons for living in Spain is that the cost-of-living is way below that of Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, the whole of Scandinavia, Switzerland and the UK. I would struggle financially if I lived in England, for example.

If they do have something against you, they won't tell you what the problem is.

Older Spaniards are not prepared to "upset the apple cart".

They lived suppressed lives under the dictator Franco, so it's not in their DNA to criticise and complain.

Franco died in November 1975 [Daily Mail]    

The United Kingdom

The country of my birth, yet I am disappointed with the place these days, after the chaos of 14 years of Conservative governments (Theresa May, Bojo the Clown, Liz Truss and Rishi Sunak were all terrible prime ministers); Brexit; the recession; the mis-management of the Covid-19 pandemic; the MPs expenses scandal; illegal migration; the near collapse of the National Health Service; the Post Office scandal and so on .....

[YouTube]    

Yet the British Isles are without doubt beautiful and varied.

From Land's End to John O'Groats. Cornwall, the Devonshire coasts, Somerset, the Cotswolds, the Kent and Sussex coasts, Wales, East Anglia, Yorkshire, Lancashire, the Lake District, Scotland, and the Islands.

St Michael's Mount, Cornwall [British Heritage Travel]    

So, why don't I like the UK any longer?

It is very expensive.

Big cities like London, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Glasgow are noisy and dirty. Edinburgh is the sole exception.

Edinburgh, Scotland [Globus Tours]    

Edinburgh is one of my favourite capital cities and I've been to around 34 capitals around the world.

Anything else?

The British people are pretty unfriendly, especially to strangers, and very "age-ist". At 75 I am invisible .....

© Pablo de Ronda

Pictures:

Amnesty International USA, British Heritage Travel, Computer Hoy, Daily Mail, Freepik, Globus Tours, Maps Spain, SunStar, The Context of Things, YouTube

Links:

Ben and Joan, Monty Jack and Big Ron - Help me, Ronda

Capital "Punishment"- Part One - Eye on Spain

REST of THE WORLD - Capitals of Mainland Europe - Help me, Ronda

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? - Secret Serrania

Tags:

African American, Amish, Amnesty International USA, Arabs,  asturiano, Belgium, Birmingham, "black", Bojo the Clown, Brexit, British Heritage Travel, Canada, castellano, Castilian Spanish, catalan,  Catalonia, Christians, Computer Hoy, Cornwall, cost-of-living, Cotswolds, "dago", Daily Mail, Devonshire coast, discrimination, East Anglia, Edinburgh, England, Europe, euskera, Eye on Spain, "Eyetie", France, Franco, Freepik, gallego, Germany, Glasgow, Globus Tours, gypsies, Help Me Ronda, Hispano-American, hypocritical, illegal migration, influx of foreigners, Irish, Islas Baleares, Italian, Jews, John O'Groats, Kent, Lancashire, Land's End, Lake District, Latin, Latin America, Leeds, Liverpool, Liz Truss, London, Manchester, Maps Spain, MPs expenses scandal, "mick", mis-management of the Covid-19 pandemic, modern-day Spain, Moorish invaders, Moors, moriscos, Mormon, National Health Service, Native American, Netherlands, Pais Vasco, Paul Whitelock, Pentecostal, "Polack", Polish, Post Office scandal, racist, recession, Reconquista, Red Indian, religion, Rishi Sunak, Romance languages, Roman Catholic, Romanian, Ronda, Russian, Russian mafia, Scandinavia, Scotland, Secret Serrania, Somerset, Spain, Spanish, Spanish-speaking countries, "spic", SunStar, Sussex, Switzerland, The Context of Things, Theresa May, The Spanish Fly, two-faced, Ukraine, Ukrainian, UK, USA, Valencia, Vladimir Putin, Wales, WASP, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant, white, Yorkshire, YouTube

"That Was the Week That Was", informally known as TWTWTW or TW3, was a satirical television comedy programme that aired on BBC Television in 1962 and 1963.

It was devised, produced, and directed by Ned Sherrin and Jack Duncan, and presented by David Frost.

    Some of the cast of TW3 [IMDb]

The programme is considered a significant element of the satire boom in the UK in the early 1960s, as it broke ground in comedy by lampooning political figures.

Cast members included political commentator Bernard Levin, and actors Lance Percival, who sang topical calypsos, Al Mancini, David Kernan, Kenneth Cope, Millicent Martin, Robert Lang, Roy Kinnear, and Willie Rushton.

Script-writers counted amongst their number Bill Oddie, Denis Norden, Dennis Potter, Eric Sykes, Frank Muir, Gerald Kaufman, Graham Chapman, John Betjeman, John Bird, John Cleese, Kenneth Tynan, Keith Waterhouse, Peter Cook, and Roald Dahl.

Kenneth Tynan - the first to use the "F" word on TV [BBC]

So, where is this going?

Apart from Eye on Spain, I post on other websites, such as https://costapressclub.com, https://rondatoday.com, www.help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com, and www.theolivepress.es 

This week I have been particularly active on Eye on Spain and have written about events in Spain, but also about important topics in the world at large.

I write under several pseudonyms, depending on the topic, and this week has provided "rich pickings".

    [SoundCloud]

Spanish Matters - Spanish Matters - a blog in English and Spanish for those learning the language

The History Man - "Help, help me, Ronda"!

Puntos de vista - Ronda mayoress "in the dock"

The Culture Vulture - The Culture Vulture

The Spanish Fly - The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain

[Freepik]    

© Diary of a Nobody

Links:

"Help, help me, Ronda"!

Ronda mayoress "in the dock"

Spanish Matters - a blog in English and Spanish for those learning the language

The Culture Vulture

The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain

Thanks to:

Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Paul Whitelock

Photos:

BBC, Freepik, IMDb, SoundCloud

Tags:

Bill Oddie, BBC, David Frost, Denis Norden, Dennis Potter, Diary of a Nobody, Eric Sykes, Eye on Spain, Frank Muir, Freepik, Gerald Kaufman, Graham Chapman, https://costapressclub.com, https://rondatoday.com, IMDb, John Betjeman, John Bird, John Cleese, Keith Waterhouse, Kenneth Tynan, Millicent Martin, Ned Sherrin, Paul Whitelock, Peter Cook, Roald Dahl, Sound Cloud, "That was the week that was", TW3, TW TW TW TW, www.help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com,  www.theolivepress.es,

After my second period "de Rodriguez" this year, today it was back to normal. The "Lovely Rita" came home this morning, after 10 days "babysitting" in Germany, in order that her daughter and son-in-law could celebrate reaching 50 years of age by going hiking in the mountains.

[Photo: PW]    

Early Start in Germany and Spain

Today Rita got up at 2.30 am to leave for the airport (Karlsruhe-Baden Baden) at 3.00 am.

Daughter Katrin took her by car - no public transport at that ungodly hour - so that Rita could catch the first flight of the day - to Malaga.

I was up early also, at 5.30 am, to tidy up the house, to "hoover" and to mop the floors.

I managed to squeeze in a breakfast, and two cups of tea, before I set off - later than planned - in the car, headed for Malaga Costa del Sol airport.

I was running late, but so was Rita's flight, fortunately for me. It landed 45 minutes late.

Phew! I got there in time.

[Sol Villas]    

Brekkie on the Beach

As we had planned, we headed for the eastern end of Torremolinos to find a "chiringuito" for breakfast. Our venue of choice, El Alamo, had disappeared!

We later learned that it had been sold, renovated and changed its name. It was shut in any case!

The next place we tried, was also closed. They don't do breakfast in low season!

It was quite clear that temporada alta was over. Little traffic, empty car parks and only a handful (residents?) on the beach.

La Playa - surf house - to the rescue

This place was open. I've been here at least three times before, when I've taken my kids and grandkids to the airport following holidays with us in Ronda.

It was Rita's first time. She lurved it (Phew!)

It was not cheap (the bill with tip came to 35€) but what we got for that was outstanding.

Our waiter, Alberto, was very obliging, and it was the best breakfast I have had in a long time.

    [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

    [Photos courtesy of La Playa Surf House]

After breakfast

I thought we might spend some time on the beach, but the weather was quite autumnal, and Rita was very tired, so we headed straight for home.

Chez Nous

Rita wanted a nap, so I finished the tidying up around the house that I'd not managed earlier. I also cleaned the pool.

Later I cleared out the rubbish, went to the tip and paid my dues at my local, Hotel Ronda Valley, where I had a couple of beers and wrote this!

    [Photo courtesy of HRV]

Going home now! Buenas noches.

© Diary of a Nobody

Links:

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Golden Wedding anniversary - Eye on Spain

My week “de Rodríguez” is over - Eye on Spain

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? - Secret Serrania

Photos:

Hotel Ronda Valley, La Playa Surf House, Paul Whitelock, Sol Villas,

Tags:

"babysitting", Brekkie on the Beach, chiringuito, "de Rodriguez", Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Germany, guiri, golden wedding anniversary, hiking in the mountains, Hotel Ronda Valley, Karlsruhe-Baden Baden, Katrin, La Playa Surf House, "Lovely Rita", Malaga airport, Paul Whitelock, Rita, Ronda, Secret Serrania, Sol Villas, Talheim,  Torremolinos, Wikipedia

I was browsing the Eye on Spain website earlier today (Sunday) - it was too hot to be outside - and I came across some interesting information.

Three top tens, and my posts feature prominently in all three listings.

    [Eye on Spain logo courtesy of SoundCloud]

The Top Ten most popular blogs

I assume this means the ones getting the most hits.

At number one is my old online "mate" Lenox Napier.

I've never met him but we are avid followers and "likers" of each other's posts.

I plan to visit him one day, but he lives in Mojacar (Almeria), a good five hour's drive from Ronda.

It's on my "bucket list"!

    Lenox Napier [Facebook]

The Top Ten most popular blogs

Spanish Shilling

Property News from Spain

Puntos de vista - a personal Spain blog

IAN & SPAIN

Max Abroad : The Best of Spain

Still Discovering Spain...

El blog de Maria

The Culture Vulture

The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain

Spain's Best

My blogs on this list are:

Puntos de vista - my nom de plume is Pablo de Ronda. This blog is where I express my point of view on a range of subjects.

The Culture Vulture - Writing about all things cultural: art, dance, flamenco, music, poetry, television, theatre and, of course, bullfighting.

The Spanish Fly - my travel blog. Mainly about Spain but occasionally elsewhere.

    Me [Secret Serrania]    

Most popular blog posts

The most read articles. On this list I appear at Number 1 and Number 2, then at number 5, number 8 and number 10.

The Prodigal Wife

PBMF 2025 - Saturday August 7, Ronda

The Fire Season: It's Never Been This Bad

The best places to retire in Spain in 2025

Rogues Gallery - Holiday Rental Companies

Beautiful villages to visit this summer

New Poll Reveals Majority in EU and UK Favour Rejoining, But with Incompatible Conditions

Ronda boring?

Spain's Most Refreshing Salad?

Ghosts of the Past

Rita [Photo: Paul Whitelock]    

Most commented posts

This is a list of posts which attract the most comments. I come in at 3, 6 and 9.

Rogues Gallery is where I name and shame individuals, organisations and companies who have done bad things.

Two of the posts here are about rogues: Holiday Rental Companies. Which is the worst? Booking.com. Ask any hotel, guest house or individual renter.

The other rogue is Vladimir Putin. Need I say more?

     Rogues: Booking.com .....                                  ..... and Putin, war criminal [The Guardian]

The Prodigal Wife - This is about my missus, Rita, who has left me "de Rodriguez" again!

New Poll Reveals Majority in EU and UK Favour Rejoining, But with Incompatible Conditions

The Airport Run

Rogues Gallery - Holiday Rental Companies

Jumilla

I Always Buy Them Second-Hand

The Prodigal Wife

The best places to retire in Spain in 2025

Bring Out More Flags

Rogues gallery – Hijo de  Putin

Sensory Pleasures, Rota, Spain, 1972

   [Courtesy of The Week]    

My "Eye on Spain" blogs:

Alles auf Deutsch - a blog in German. Bitte klicken Sie hier

A View from the Mountains - a blog about the news and current affairs. Please click here

My Covid-19 Diary - now discontinued, but the archive is still there. Please click here

Diary of a Nobody - my personal diary. Please click here

Spanish Matters - a blog in English and Spanish for those learning the language. Haz clic aqui

Eye on TRUMP - no longer "live". Please click here to access the archive

"Guiris" galore - a blog featuring foreign writers, poets, artists and others who have made an impact in Spain. Please click here

"Help, help me, Ronda"! - a blog about my "adopted home town" and the surrounding area. Please click here

How to ..... ? - a practical guide to dealing with Spanish bureaucracy and also simple DIY tasks. Please click here

Only Joe King - a light-hearted look at life in Spain. Please click here

Puntos de vista - my views and opinions about life in Spain. Please click here

Serranía Kitchen - recipes from Spain and around the world. Please click here

Sporty Sam - sports news. Please click here

The Crazy Guy - That's me! Some of the daft things I've done in my life. Please click here

The Culture Vulture - reviews of art, bullfighting, dance, flamenco, music, poetry, television, and theatre. Please click here

The Curmudgeon - the place for this "grumpy old man" to have a moan. Please click here

The "Guiri" Gourmet - my eating experiences in Spain, and occasionally France, Germany and the UK. Please click here

The History Man - a blog about the history of Spain. Please click here

The Merry Tippler - a blog about drinks. Please click here

The Spanish Fly - Travels in Spain and sometimes further afield. Please click here

Links:

2025 - Our year of travel - Eye on Spain

A Year in the Life – 2020 - Secret Serrania de Ronda - my "bucket list"

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

www.help-me-ronda.com

www.secretseerrania.com

© Diary of a Nobody

Images:

Facebook, Paul Whitelock, SoundCloud, The Guardian, The Week, 

Tags:

bucket list, de Rodriguez, Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Facebook, Ghosts of the Past, Hijo de  Putin, Holiday Rental Companies, Lenox Napier, Pablo de Ronda, Paul Whitelock, PBMF 2025, Puntos de vista, Rita, Rogues Gallery, Ronda boring?, SoundCloud, The Culture Vulture, The Guardian, The Prodigal Wife, The Spanish Fly, The Week, www.help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com

I've decided to de-clutter my life. I've always been a bit of a hoarder, but now it's time to "get rid".

All those shirts that I'll never get into again; the trousers which are too tight round the middle.

    [Image courtesy of Time For You Cleaning]

In addition to reducing the size of my "wardrobe", a lot of the pictures and artefacts I accumulated over many years have to go.

My pet collections will remain, however. Elephants, sea-horses, geckoes, scorpions and cats, some of them living beings. Countless geckoes, thankfully few scorpions and our two rescue cats, Paulinchen and Fritzi.

Houses

I own two houses in Spain. My domicilio, in Ronda, where I live with my German "missus", and also a rental property in the nearby mountain village of Montejaque.

I've decided to give up renting and sell my rental house.

The bureaucracy is a nightmare and it's just got worse.

So, I'm selling up. I can use the money for other projects, like really attacking my "bucket list".

    Casa Real, Montejaque [Karl Smallman]

Cars and bicycles

We have two Peugeots, my 2008 hatchback and Rita's charming little black 207 cabriolet.

We don't really need two cars, in my opinion, but Rita says we do ..... so, that's the end of that!

After all she's the boss!

I had two bikes, but I've just sold one to a friend, keeping the e-bike for the time being.

    Peugeot 207 cabriolet [Peugeot]

My bugbears

There are a handful of things I would love to de-clutter, but can't.

Bad debtors and Spanish bureaucracy in general; Hacienda (Tax Authorities), Spanish banks and Guardia Civil Trafico in particular.

    guardia civil trafico roadblock [gct]

A number of people owe me money, mostly British fellow-countrymen, Irish "deadbeats" and a German Frau. Am I a soft touch? I guess I'm too trusting. No Spaniard owes me a "penique", by the way!

So, come on Neil G., Julian M., Rob, Gertraud F., Algatocin "cock teaser", Amanda Mc., and Trish Z, PAY ME WHAT YOU OWE ME!

Oh! There is one Spanish company that has ripped me off. They're called AQUALEI, a water treatment company based in Elche near Alicante. 

    [Image: Toons Mag]

Last Word

I think my decision to de-clutter my life as much as possible is a good one. At 75 years of age I ought to be slowing down!

Unfortunately, living in Spain means we all have to put up with Hacienda, banks and the traffic cops, not just we "guiris", but the Spanish too.

However, they're accustomed to it, so they just shrug their shoulders and get on with enjoying other aspects of their lives.

    [Image courtesy of The Corner]

Links:

CASA REAL, MONTEJAQUE - Large modernised traditional village house in beautiful pueblo blanco - PRICE REDUCTION 120.000€ - Help me, Ronda

Help me, Ronda - HELP ME RONDA - On the header bar click on more, FAQ, Tax and Finance, where there are three relevant articles

POLICE - Help me, Ronda

Rogues Gallery – the name and shame blog - Eye on Spain

The Spanish Police are beginning to get on my nerves! - Help me, Ronda

What is a guiri? It's what the Spanish call us foreigners - but is it good or bad? - www.secretserrania.com

© Diary of a Nobody

Acknowledgements:

Guardia Civil Trafico, Karl Smallman, Peugeot, The Corner, Time For You Cleaning, 

Tags:

cop, Diary of a Nobody, Eye on Spain, Guardia Civil Trafico, guiri, Hacienda, Paul Whitelock, police, Rita, Secret Serrania, Spanish banks, Spanish bureaucracy, traffic cop, www.help-me-ronda.com 

I've needed a haircut for a while. I've been looking a bit scruffy and my "comb-over" is not impressive. But I never seem to find the time to drive to Ronda, where I live, to sit and wait to get my hair chopped.

Today, however, I found myself in Utrera (Sevilla), a delightful town, with time to kill.

The barber's shop was open, it was 5.15 pm, and had no customers.

So, I was all set.

    My barber's in Utrera [Booksy]

"How did you like it, sir?"

My "Barber of Seville" was Emerson from Bolivia, who has been in Spain for a year.

His boss - I didn't catch his name - is from Columbia and has been in Spain for eight years. 

Then, all of a sudden, the barberia was inundated, with four Nicaraguans. They told me they left the country of their birth, which is in Central America, because of the political regime there.

Latin America [World Atlas]    

They were interesting people, and they were fascinated by me, an Anglo-Welshman living in Ronda (Malaga) and speaking fluent castellano. We had a great "chinwag".

They all told me they had opted to come to Utrera because the cost-of-living is lower than in Sevilla City. They do not intend to return home.

© Diary of a Nobody (Paul Whitelock)

Pictures:

Facebook, Paul Whitelock, World Atlas

Tags:

American Barber, Anglo-Welshman, barber, barberia, "Barber of Seville", Bolivia, castellano, Columbia, comb-over, Central America, Diary of a Nobody, haircut, Malaga, Nicaragua, Paul Whitelock, Ronda, Sevilla, Utrera, 

September

September is the ninth month of the year in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. Its length is 30 days.

September (from the Latin septem, "seven") was originally the seventh month in the oldest known Roman calendar, the calendar of Romulus, c. 750 BC.

    [Image courtesy of iQuote]

March (Latin Martius) was the first month of the year until perhaps as late as 451 BC. 

After the calendar reform that added January and February to the beginning of the year, September became the ninth month but retained its name. It had 29 days until the Julian reform, which added a day.

Back to school

September marks the beginning of the school year in many countries of the northern hemisphere, when children, and teachers, go back to school after their summer break.

For several decades of my life September meant "back to school". From the age of five to 18, September was the month when school started a new academic year.

At university it was a month later, October.

    [Image courtesy of Freepik]

For 15 years of my career, as a teacher, it also meant "back to school".

For another 15 years, as a schools inspector / advisor, September also dominated my life.

So, without realising it at the time, September was actually quite stressful. 

September 2005 onwards

After some 50-plus years, September became a month to savour and enjoy. This came as a surprise bonus in 2005, the year I stopped working, which was also my first "annus horribilis", a phrase coined by Queen Elizabeth II to describe her 1992. 

[The Phoenix File]    

I experienced a nervous breakdown; my wife divorced me and I was made redundant - a "triple whammy" indeed!.

However, "every cloud has a silver lining" and 2005 became a turning point for me. Within three years of leaving employment I had found a new lady to love, a new country to live in and new things to do.

In 2008 I moved to southern Spain to live with my new lady, a German called Rita, already resident, and started "work" as a journalist and translator. By 2010 Rita and I had "jumped the broom" and in 2011 we bought our dream home (where we still live 14 years later).

Wedding in 2010 [Photo by HMR]    

Endword

Since I retired, aged 55, and moved to Spain, I've grown to love September. Temperatures drop from the highs of August, the tourists start to disappear and life takes on a more gentle pace.

Spaniards come back to work, having taken holiday in August, and you can start to sort your affairs out and deal with "el papeleo" again, eg tax, IBI, and all the other bureaucratic issues Spain throws at you.

    [Image courtesy of Freepik]

September is arguably the best month in Spain. Not so hot as in high summer, fewer tourists, and a time to relax and travel.

I love September - now.

Links:

Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part I

Metamorphosis: Annus Horribilis to Annus Mirabilis – Part II

The Houses That Jack Built

Wrong way round

©  Paul Whitelock

Photos and images:

Freepik, HMR, iQuote, Paul Whitelock, The Phoenix File

Tags:

"annus horribilis", divorce, Elizabeth II, Freepik, HMR, iQuote, nervous breakdown, Paul Whitelock, redundancy, Rita, The Phoenix File, triple whammy