Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday, sorry!!

Monday 2-10-2006

Today has been very frustrating.
Firstly this morning we are given a document , in Spanish, that ,we are told says, that we already have building permission to go ahead and build on our site a property of one hundred and twenty square meters, so go ahead and build.
We then take this document down to Albox to Angel, our architect, to say OK go ahead and design our house now, and he says no, this document only says that this plot of land has a building of one hundred and twenty square meters on it and it does not give permission/licence to build a new house. Tomorrow we ask for a second opinion on Angels interpretation of this document, from a guy that originally gave us a topographical tour of the land.
However, it has not all been one step forward and two backwards, we did eventually have Carlos, the central heating engineer, up on site today to look at why our central heating and hot water system is in a dysfunctional state. He says that he will get in touch with the original manufacturers tomorrow to confirm his findings and opinion of the problem. We will however need a bigger and more expensive water pump to deliver upto 4 bar pressure of water to the system. The pump that we bought, in hindsight, is not nearly powerful enough for running hot water and central heating systems of this type.
Today has also been very hot with the scales at twenty nine degrees. Tonight, as I sit in my new computer room (it was the second bedroom but I‘ve amended it), it is windy outside but the wind it‘s self is very warm. Who could think that it is October, and that I would sit here in just my shorts (it’s OK ,the neighbours cannot see) and I‘m still very hot.
On many occasions now we have been told ‘welcome to Spain’ manana, when we relate our problems. I suppose we have to go with it. We will make it in the end, we are just impatient to get started.
Two more pictures of Santo Petar from yesterday.
Tuesday 3-10-2003

Not much improvement on yesterday, the topographer chappy has agreed with Angel that we do not have licence to build a new property. This is further complicated by the fact that our ruin is no longer in situe and that most of Albox Town Planning department have now either thrown themselves on their own swords, in true Samurai fashion, or have been sacked because of illegal building permissions being issued. This now leaves some new planners who are terrified of their own shadows. Our advisors at Lighthouse Property recognise the predicament and will escort us on each and every stage of gaining the licence that we need to continue with our plan.
This is Spain and this is what we have to go through. We did sit outside tonight with a drink and say that the hassle is worth while if the end result is finally achieved.
We have passed a little church every time we have driven from the motorway up to Taberno. Today we stopped and walked around the outside. It could very well have been used in the film set of ‘The Magnificent Seven’ (Yul Brynner etc) see what you think. The settlement/village is called La Perulera.
Wednesday 4-10-2006

We had a lovely surprise today. John & Christine Young (originally from Bradford but now residing in Driffield) came to see us. They were travelling to La Manga from Granada and did a special de-tour to Taberno (the longer ‘scenic route‘) where we met and then drove up to show them our caravan and plot. It was great of them to take the trouble and we appreciate their effort and time. We had a good long ‘chin wag’ and they showed us a video of their cortijo down in Benerraba, plus resident sheep. They also gave us some of their sweet chestnuts from their trees. Thank you.
They are our very first visitors since we moved up to Taberno. We do hope that more people will eventually come to see us if they have time.
BTW and for interest the temperatures on Monday and Tuesday were 29 and 30 degrees respectively. Today, Wednesday, when we have visitors, it is 16 degrees and windy (blooming freezing).
Today’s pictures are of Christine, Elayne and John sat out side the caravan enjoying a cup of tea/coffee.