Wrong way round.
Pablo de Ronda retired at 55, divorced at 56, emigrated to Spain at 58, got married again at 60, bought a house in the UK at 61, sold a flat in Ronda (Málaga) at 68, became a property developer and went back to school at 70!
Is he a very late developer or what? And why has he been so busy in the last 18 months?
Am I a late developer? Not really, life just happened that way. Nervous breakdown, marriage break-up and redundancy all in the same year, 2004, is a pretty hefty triple whammy in anyone’s book. So a lot of adjustments had to be made.
Why am I so busy? Because the Covid-19 pandemic made me take stock of my life (and death). Surrounded by the latter, random passings from the deadly Coronvirus, a family death in a plane crash in Australia, the near death of my wife at the hands of “el bicho”, as the Spanish somewhat dismissively refer to Covid-19, and my own long-Covid issues, I decided I needed to make the most of whatever time I’ve got left.
So, at the moment, yes, I am very busy. I continue to write for EyeOnSpain and other websites. I am still helping to bring my wife back to full strength, whilst coping with my own health issues. I’ve been doing up a house since last August and I’ve just landed myself a job at the age of 71.
Crazy guy
The young folk of Montejaque, the pueblo blanco where I live, near Ronda, don’t get it. Why is a retired guy working all the hours God sends, including Sundays? Is he crazy or what? All they’re looking forward to is the day they retire ….. and they’re only in their 20s! They’ll have a long wait, I’m afraid.
I say to them, that if they ever get to retire (the retirement age keeps going up – so some of them will surely die before they reach it!) they’ll need to be active too, in order to avoid the crushing boredom of retirement with nothing to do. They think I’m crazy, sure, but I’m older and wiser – they’ll learn!
Prioritising
So, I thought I’d cut back on the writing, but that hasn’t happened. I find it therapeutic.
My lovely wife (despite being called Rita, she is lovely) is getting better by the day, and I’m learning to live with my breathing issues. Covid got to my lungs and it won’t let go, so I just take longer to walk anywhere. We’d planned to do the Caminito del Rey this year, but maybe I’ll have to pass on that.
Casa Real is coming along nicely. If it hadn’t been for the two months working time lost because of the two local Covid-19 lockdowns, it would be ready and on the holiday rental market by now. As it is, I hope to pick up a few late summer and autumn bookings.
Conclusion
So, yes, I have kind of got my life the wrong way round.
Am I a late developer? Maybe.
Am I Busy? Yes, I am.
Am I crazy? Definitely!