Spanish Eyes, English Words

As someone who writes about life in Spain, I've made several media appearances, both on television and on radio. After my last appearance on BBC1's The One Show, I vowed I would never agree to be interviewed again. I spent two hours with the film crew, and while I obviously didn't expect to spend a lot of time on screen - after all, this wasn't The Sandra in Spain Show - I did expect more than the 30 seconds or so that finished up in the programme. This was at the time when it was reported that almost 25% of the Brits living in the Alicante province had returned to the UK. I was chosen to appear because I always give a positive view of life as an expat in Spain, 'for balance,' they said. They lied, because the resulting programme was very anti-Spain.

So, when I saw that a new programme was airing this week - Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun - I was prepared for more spin doctoring to show Spain and the expats who make their lives there in a far from complimentary light. Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised, because although the programme did nothing to enhance the reputation of Benidorm - mainly because it was concerned with the areas where the Brits congregate, such as caravan parks and the Brit bars. Hopefully we'll see more of this lovely town in future episodes. And Benidorm is a lovely town.

My first visit to Benidorm was back in 1968, soon after the mayor had famously returned from his motorbike ride to Madrid to gain permission from Franco for holiday makers to wear bikinis on the beach without running the risk of being arrested. I loved it then, and vowed I'd return one day. It took exactly 40 years to keep that promise - and by the time we moved to Spain in 2008, with Benidorm just over an hour away, I'd gone off the idea, having read and seen what goes on there.

I was imagining drunks falling over in the street and fish and chips and full English everywhere, with not a tapa or paella in sight. Strangely enough, what convinced me I needed to return was the comedy series Benidorm. Like all good comedies, it takes a grain of truth and exaggerates it for comic effect. Surely the streets couldn't be gridlocked with Madge Mobiles - or mobility scooters as they were known in the DBB (Days before Benidorm)? As it happens, I've never seen so many in one place, or so many people who obviously didn't need them riding them around town.

My first visit convinced me that Benidorm is a place I still love, and we've been back a number of times since. The Old Town and the beach are stunning, and the prices at the bars and restaurants are brilliant if you find the little places tucked away in the back streets rather than go for the seafront tourists traps. I get annoyed when people run Benidorm down, because most of the people who do so have never even been there - like me, they formed their opinions based on what they'd seen on tv and read in the press and online.

What I really liked about Bargain-Loving Brits in the Sun was that the researchers had actually picked normal people who wanted to make a life for themselves in the sun and pay their way, rather than staying in Britain and picking up benefits. There was Eddie, a singer from Liverpool who had arrived with just enough money to keep himself for a month, and Avon lady Val  from Coventry, who is servicing two mortgages thanks to being the third highest earning rep in Spain. Dean came over from Essex with £400 in his pocket, and is now making a success of running Camping Benidorm. His Sunday roasts, at €5.95 including a drink, are sold out every week..

But the star of the show was definitely Wayne, who came to Spain 23 years ago and worked as an entertainer for the equivalent of £8 a session. Now he owns and runs Levi's Showboat Cabaret Bar, with a turnover of around €60,000 a week. However, the 16 hour working days are getting too much, so he's sold it to Mick and Karen. He'll be helping with the transition, and still performing his famous drag act at the venue.

There's not much sign of integration in the first episode, but they all seem to be keen to make Benidorm their permanent home. Val has been here for 13 years, while new arrival Eddie has bought a caravan for €500, but will have to pay €225 a month rent. That spurred him on to tramp the streets of Benidorm looking for gigs. Yes, maybe it was irresponsible turning up with just enough money for a month, but at least the lad has something about him, and his persistence was paying off by the end of the first episode.

Dean was doing pretty well at Benidorm Camping too. There are 10 camp sites in the area, so there's a fair bit of competition, but Dean is prepared to put the work in to build up the business. All the expats worked hard, and didn't whinge about their lives, or complain about Spain or the Spanish. All in all, it was a good start, with a positive image of Spain and the featured expats. I'm looking forward to future episodes, and I really hope they continue as they started.

Photo credit: Maggs224.com

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Around this time last year, I posted my musings about following the Spanish custom of wearing red knickers for luck on New Year's Eve (Nochevieja), after a pretty horrible year in 2013. It was so well received I decided to do a follow up for 2015, and look back over the year. I'm calling it the Red Knickers Report, because I rather like the sound of it. If you want to catch up on the original post before proceeding with this one, it's here.

2015 didn't have quite so many new things happening, but the projects started in 2014 continued to prosper. The blog is doing well, as is the website, and my writing earnings were my best ever. In fact, a couple of months ago I had to seriously curtail my writing, because I was working 14 - 16 hours a day, and while the extra cash is always handy, there was a real danger that I would get fed up of writing - something I could never have imagined back in 2014.

My first book hasn't made much more progress, but I have been working on e-books for an American publisher, which have been well received. Luckily these are ghostwritten, because I wouldn't want my friends and family knowing exactly how much I know about witchcraft, tantric sex and sex toys! Yes, that's what the Americans lap up apparently - I must try and get over there during 2015. Wonder if I could call it a research trip? Anyway, the book with my name on it will be finished this year.

My online presence as a writer has consolidated in 2015, and I've had quite a few pieces published in newspapers and magazines too. I'm pleased about that, because lots of people still don't really consider you as a writer until your byline is actually in print, and it's great when somebody stops you in the market to tell you how much they enjoyed reading your column in the local expat magazine. Maybe 2016 will be the year I have to dodge the paparazzi!

I met lots of writer friends during the year, too, and every one of them was a pleasure to be with. I've even had two writers move close to me - Russ Pearce has relocated to Guardamar with his wife Trish after 10 years of working around the world, and the lovely Jane Walters has moved a couple of hundred yards up the road from me. She's still settling in with her dog Buddy, but it will be Look Out Algorfa when we get out on the town. Check out their blogs by clicking on their names - these are two very different but seriously talented writers.

I also met the inimitable Dave Bull, and was interviewed on his Breakfast Show several times during the year. When he wasn't taking the mickey out of me for being short - he's 6' 3" and his son Mitch is 6'7" - he was persuading me to write for his magazine and help with the publicity for his Kayak Challenge to raise funds for cancer research. We met some more really lovely people as a result of that.

Another charity project I was involved in through Writers On Spain was Tails of the Alpujarras, an anthology of animal stories to raise money for the Valle Verde Animal Rescue Centre. The story of how Paddy made it from the canal side at La Marina to our home at La Finca is featured in the book, together with some great stories from many of my friends. It makes for a moving, and often very funny read, so why not treat yourself and/or your favourite animal lover to a copy?

On the Algorfa front, I've met lots of new people - and written about most of them. And I attended my first Patronal Festival. I should have been in England at the time, as we usually are in July, but strained inter costal muscles resulting from a nasty fall meant I couldn't make the drive until the end of July. Having been to one fiesta,I'll be going again - a whole week of fun and friendliness, most of it free. What's not to love? I'm now working on a new, Algorfa-based website, which will hopefully launch before we head to Portugal in March.

Ah Portugal - let's hope we finally make it,after 4 tries in the past 3 years. We were Portugal bound when my daughter had her stroke in 2013, so we booked up again for 2014, then realised we'd have to do it with a very young Paddy. So it was put off again. When we realised how much he loved the motor home, we tried to re book but couldn't get a cabin on the ferry. Then the Motorcaravanners' Club announced it was running a holiday rally to Portugal in 2016, but when we tried to book, all the pitches had been sold. Luckily, the site realised it was on to a Good Thing, and released more pitches. However, after having the plans scuppered 4 times already, I'll believe it when we're finally parked up for the month!

2015 was the year we made a conscious effort to use the motor home, rather than leaving it sat on the road twiddling its thumbs in the sun. Or at least, it would have been, if it had thumbs to twiddle! So, we went to the Western Motor Home Show at Malvern while we were in the UK, then attended our first rally with the Spanish branch of the Motorcaravanners' Club in Pilar de la Horradada. They were a great bunch of people, and we had a lovely time, so there's going to be a lot more of that in 2016.

Paddy continues to be a joy, and the hooligan in him is finally being tamed to manageable proportions. He's an intelligent boy, and he soon gets the hang of what you want him to do - although when he gets excited all his training leaves the building, and he bounds around as if he were on elastic. He had his first ferry trip this year, and although I agonised over him being in a kennel for almost 24 hours, he took it all in his stride. He's a confident boy these days, because he knows he is loved, and that he has a forever home with us.

So, that's the Red Knickers Report for 2015 - all in all a pretty good year I think. Here's to an even better 2016, and I hope your New Year is everything you want it to be. Thanks for your support through 2015 - without it, I'd be talking to myself!

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