A description of life in the village of Pruna, nestled in the Andalusian mountains of Seville

This year we have already had a few lovely new people arrive, and now two Americans are buying. Pruna is becoming more and more cosmopolitan.

So we now have Americans, Germans, Dutch, Chilean, Russian, Belgian, Welsh, Scottish, and Irish happily mingling with the Andalusian natives.

The other day I sat over a coffee in the square with a couple of friends and we counted the number of full time ex pats in Pruna, and it came to 32, meaning that about one and a half percent of the full time residents are ex pats. There are about an equal number of part time residents. Pruna is not swamped by Brits. And there are all kinds of people living here in that group of thirty plus, from bingo, to gringo, to 'gone native', there will be someone to talk to who you will really get along with.

And the spanish villagers really do make you welcome, and if you make the effort to learn the kids names, and to bring a couple of small goodies from home back with you to give a gifts you will be treated like a long lost cousin.

I made a decision early on not to become part of the ex pat community, I sit alone in cafes, or with my husband, I smilingly decline the invites to sit at the large tables of brits, this has been interpreted as outright rudeness by the sort of person I would not want to sit with anyway, so a win-win situation. Make friends slowly with your fellow contrymen is the best advice i can give you with regards to any foreign home, your friends will define the life you want to lead, so choose wisely,