I think we are on about our fourth heatwave since May.  It’s kind of hard to tell around here sometimes.  It’s always hot here in Andalucia but these past few months do seem to have been a lot fiercer for a lot longer.

There isn’t a lot you can do about it in terms of doing outdoor stuff; you basically have to finish anything outside by two o’clock at the latest and then maybe resume at around nine.  Indoors you can have air conditioning which is expensive and dries you out or lots of fans everywhere.  What you can’t do, which is what we foolishly did when we first arrived, is have all the windows and doors open because that’s what we did when we were in Sri Lanka.

You live and learn.

Anyway, school finally finished.  Madre Mia, it seemed to drag on and on and on for weeks for no discernible purpose.  Sonalee’s Morocco trip was a huge success.  We ended up with another Moroccan rug and I got two more spiffing football tops out of it.  We did manage another girls’ football match in Cordoba, which we won in a 3-2 thriller.  Being brutally honest, it’s the only part of the job that I actually enjoy.  We’re aiming for more games next year. 

Being back for three weeks has seen a small but significant improvement for the walls, ceilings and floors of various parts of the house.  Still much more to do though.  Oddly satisfying in many ways when you clear up the mess and put furniture and pictures back against a newly cemented, plastered (badly) and painted wall. 

My lovely wife brought me special gifts from her visit to the UK to see her mother; namely Marks and Spencer’s crumpets and two six packs of Hula Hoops.  It’s the little things you miss.  They did not last long.  The jars of piccalilli remain unopened since I want something to look forward to upon our return to the world of work. 

The cat is absolutely loving being here.  We kind of forget how big this house is sometimes but he loves moving from room to room, being cute, lounging around near the fans and then, in the cooler nights, going out the back to the numerous gardens to find things to attack.  Needless to say, Luna is also unbelievably happy to be back in the campo.  There are tons and tons of rabbits to chase at the moment.  And the poo of various animals to roll in.

The World Cup has finished, of course.  The best team won.  And we are very happy that it is our adoptive country that did so.  We had a slightly pissed evening down at the plaza with the “big screen” (someone’s telly) and with a happy crowd in the main.  Those who were not so happy were some of the old ladies who were disappointed there wasn’t the normal Sunday Night Bingo.  The organisers did actually try during the extended half-time but the mic wasn’t working properly. 

And so, with the end of the World Cup, the both of us can now look forward with mounting excitement towards the new English football season and watching 46 Portsmouth FC league games.  I’m telling you, the thrill of it is palpable in this household.  Might see if I can get a Pompey shirt for the cat…

On a more poignant note, being back here for an extended period of time does remind us that we have now been houseowners here for 8 years.  8 years since we moved from Sri Lanka and arrived in the middle of the night after a truly god-awful nightmare journey lasting more than 36 hours. 

I can remember so many details; waiting for hours for the dogs and cats to be cleared at the airport; the Russian guy at the queue for hire cars angrily refusing an upgrade because they didn’t have the car he wanted; Sonalee unable to drive because she was so exhausted; driving through Jaen completely lost at one in the morning because my navigator fell asleep; seeing giant apparitions of my best friend Kev in the middle of the road because I started hallucinating from tiredness; pulling into the road that leads to our village with relief; just about being able to unlock the front door and – this the second best bit – seeing two cold beers in the fridge that our friend Denise had left for us.

The best bit, of course, was the arrival of the dogs and cats about half an hour later, delivered by a bemused driver who couldn’t believe he was being tipped for just doing his job.  I was still in Sri Lanka mode, what can I say?

And then, about two or three weeks later, Luna got bundled up by Sonalee and brought into our house (to the annoyance of Bindi) and changed our lives forever.

Oh, and England went out of the World Cup in the semi-final in a game they really should have won.  Some things never change.

Lots of things are different now, naturally.  We’ve lost beloved pets, moved to different schools in different countries but we’ve always come back here to this working village where we are lucky to have friends and neighbours who are lovely. 

Here’s to another 8 years of joy and sorrow and laughter and tears in our adoptive country that we are still learning how to navigate. 

Hasta Luego, inshallah

Ciao

Ayubowan

Paul

PS: Found these guys recently.  Really like them.  And I love this song, I always turn it up on the car stereo.