Well, that was an interesting year.
And a good one, for the most part.
I didn’t manage to finish the book that I have been working on for years but I did write more of it.
I didn’t finish the other book that I started in the summer but I am very much nearly there.
I did reacquaint myself with my blog, which was pleasing and I started to get more confidence with the camera to start photo essays.
My mum had a stroke, which was a bit shit. But you should see her now. For someone who reached her 80th birthday AFTER having a stroke she is doing brilliantly well, to the point where she was able to spend Christmas with us here in the village. And she had a great time. We had a great time. The dogs loved it because, like all grandmothers, she spoilt them rotten.
The night that my mum was admitted to hospital was a horrible one for her and our family. It is one of those times when living abroad feels especially difficult. It is one of the few negatives about being an emigrant, that simple separation of miles and seas. And I will always be grateful to an old friend who visited my mum in hospital that night just so that she might see a friendly face and know that others were thinking of her.
Being honest, the first six months of the year when Sonalee and I were living apart during the week were a bit shit. These months were interspersed with wonderful things like doing the Berlin Half Marathon with my brother-in-law who is just a show-off and who made me look like the old man that I see in the mirror some mornings.
We had the food festival in Wales, superbly organised by my sister and where I saw one of my friends that I miss so very much. Sonalee did what she loves; cooking, showing off and telling people what to do.
And last year was the year that I started to follow my football team live on the telly twice a week. It has meant so much more stress each Saturday and Wednesday but that’s the price you pay for supporting an unfashionable team. Dora hates it as I scream and shout at the tv with SO MANY swear words even for me. Sonalee just ignores me during these times. I do not blame her.
And speaking of football, I started the football team for girls in our village, which I loved. My Spanish is still so crap but somehow the girls got what I wanted them to do and they did it really well
Anyway, I had months of our kitchen being remodelled and the dust that got everywhere. Dear Lord, the dust. The bloody dust. That was a bit crap but the end result has been so worth it. And I finished my year teaching English in Priego with some lovely kids and nice colleagues. I think I would be happy to do that again one day.
Being old farts, we saw old fart bands of course. These guys in Portugal were incredible and this song was particularly mesmeric.
Speaking of Portugal and France (well, okay I didn’t mention the latter but…) we had some great pet-sitters to look after the dogs and cats when we were away. Of all of the things we have been involved with, this pet-sitting site has allowed us to meet some really interesting people and the guys from Portugal were definitely that. One of the best things we have ever done and if you have pets, we would highly recommend signing up.
Sonalee finally got to go to Sri Lanka to scratch that itch that you feel when you haven’t been home for a long time. And that was after a month in northern Portugal where Luna became famous amongst the local rural populace for escaping the garden to make a nuisance of herself in the gardens of others.
And then we both went to Cordoba to live. Well, the outskirts of it anyway. And the sudden appearance of a teaching post at Sonalee’s school. Right place, right time and all that.
And it’s a nice school. It’s a nice job. I feel grateful to have been offered it especially on a Tuesday night when I’m playing football against and with the students and colleagues.
And so now we await the events of another year, as we all do. I’m sure you all wonder what this year will bring but I think we can all agree that whatever happens there will always be a very mediocre blog to read which has some nice photos of dogs in it. And that is pretty much all we want, isn’t it?
Wishing you all a healthy and peaceful and prosperous 2025
Hasta Luego, inshallah
Ciao
Ayubowan
Paul
PS So we saw this Dire Straits tribute band in Cordoba a few weeks ago. They were very good even if some of the pronunciation of the words by the Italian lead singer wasn’t quite the same as the original. These are the originals to help you compare.
PPS I have to include this video because this is the winning last minute goal that sealed my team’s promotion and I went absolutely chuffing mental when it went in.