Getting into the swing of things

Sitting in my outside yard (it's a courtyard to Lynn) I'm reflecting on a hectic couple of months. To be honest we've not really had  much time to relax here yet. It's hard to believe really. Jesus Pobre is such a laid back village; you could easily sit back and watch the world go by, especially in our house.

We rented a three floor town house in a modern complex (built around 13 years ago) from Paco the ex-tobacconist, as opposed to Paco the Pharmacist - you have to get it right! It has three bedrooms, three bathrooms and two terraces on the top floor, you get the sun in the morning and afternoon. It's just a case of swapping terraces. We also have the use of a communal pool, about 50 yards from our front door.

There is a long living room/dining room a galley kitchen and our courtyard but the most redeeming feature is the view out of the front window - we have a living landscape painting - the Montgo national park. Looking out at any time of day you have a different vista as sun, cloud and temperature ensure it's ever changing. It's a landmark from near and far; Javea or Denia, the twisting mountain roads and the valleys leading into the region - it's ever present, every day.

The ever present Montgo

Our first task at the end of May was to clear the 30 odd boxes of our stuff and buy three beds, we had guests and family on the way. To be fair, our daughter and son-in-law had traipsed to IKEA in Valencia and collected two children's beds, we made a trip to OK Sofas in Denia for a look at another.

I think we were in the showroom half an hour and had bought a sofa bed and a corner unit which could also be used as a bed - what a result. The plus points were: they were both in the Sale, the downer: the corner unit would take a month to make. Get the deckchairs out!

Our mission was to have everything almost sorted before the Euro's. That meant finding a suitable wi-fi system and TV package. We went for Europa's 3G wireless router and set top box. Internet okay, TV a bloody nightmare. It's still an ongoing saga!

Granddaughter and Grampa - ready for the pool

Our friends were first to visit, just in time for England v Wales, the only highlight of a rubbish tournament. They were swiftly replaced by my youngest daughter and granddaughter plus daughters partner. It's seemed as if we'd not had a break since arriving. It did however ensure we had everything in place - less the sofa.

After dropping them off at the airport we only had a few days before hosting two girls who were attending Summer School at Lady Elizabeth in Benissa, that was for two weeks. Being gluttons for punishment we helped the school out by taking on a 14 year old boy, just for a week this time. So, nothing like throwing yourselves into the deep end!

All of the above has taken place over a 63 day period, add to it numerous shopping excursions, further trips to IKEA, the Spanish version of B&Q (Aki) and me trying my hand at telesales (I was rubbish), what will we do with ourselves when our summer school lad goes home?

It will be August, probably time for a few trips to the beach, the port, maybe explore Javea old town a bit more, go to Denia and gaze enviously at the super yachts moored in the Marina. Whatever we do I can assure you it will all be conducted at a sedate pace but unlike our adventures from Feb until May - there won't be a backpack in sight.

Check out the selection of pictures from our first two months on the right-hand side bar under the Pages section - Photo Album