February 2014

The flag of St George is a give away. An Englishman abroad goes home, for a week.

Did I miss England. Well I miss Spitfire beer on draught and when I see it in Weatherspoons at Stansted Airport my eyes light up.  But being in Spain, I do not miss the cars, the traffic, the prices, the cost.

There are too many people in England, too many cars, even in small towns like Dereham and Tunbridge Wells. It is a small Island overloaded.  The cost of transport is horrendous. I wanted to hire a car not buy it I said to a not very enterprising Enterprise Car Hire employee. Train Norwich to London £48 off peak. Underground Train Liverpool St to London Bridge via Monument, 3 stops £4.70. My son spends £4,000 pa  to get to work. Eating out, £4.60 for a bowl of soup, I would rather go without, keep the soup. Airports want silly money for internet access and why do I have to walk upstairs then downstairs to get from A to B  with suitcases????? The Cheapest and quickest is a flight itself, the rest takes ages and  hanging around.

The weather was mild, one day rain. The flood bringing storms had passed. How I need some rain in Spain. It is difficult to maintain flowering plants  without rain. I did buy some solar lights in the Pound Shop. Anything electrical is Spain, is expensive and shoddy, though it is all "Made in China"!! Chocolate is not the same in Spain either, nor medicine,

But England in February is bare and bleak. No flowers, only a hint of spring, snow drops. Spain is evergreen and ever flowering.

So on the plus side I saw family, but no time for friends. I had steak and chips, another missing ingredient of Spanish life..

But there is no place like home, I am a home person, do not like it away. I have done a lot of travelling business and pleasure in my life, seen a lot the world has to offer.
Maybe I am past all that now, a lot of effort and a lot of money.