After the full-time whistle blew and spectators began to dissect the final moments of yet another re-match while on their way home, I can honestly say that I am a convert to this yearly sport. This annual get together of colour, spectacle, heart-pounding drums, and raucous music has just come to an end in Guardamar […]

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Scuba diving on the Costa Cálida is inexpensive, fun and accessible for all. Whether you’re a qualified diver or an enthusiastic snorkeller, the area has some really great dive sites; everything from wrecks to rocks and reefs. You can also dive all year round here, although the water can be a little bit chilly from December to March!

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‘Oh dear. This passport’s had its chips.’ The nice Gatwick airport official who’s examining my dog-eared and disintegrating passport is clicking her teeth. ‘Use it a lot?’ … ‘All the time.’ My voice cracks with desperation. ‘The magnetic strip’s torn. Get it renewed as soon as you’re back in Mallorca.’ I’ve been shunted into my […]

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I read in a recent survey that of all of the marvellous technology such as DVDs, MP3s, computers, etc., the one that the Spanish find most useful is the good old mobile phone. They have been around in some form or another for over 20 years. But now, as they are so cheap and easy […]

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A full symphony orchestra in full flight is a thoroughly rousing experience. When that is combined with a programme that offers contrasting style and form, the result is usually a treat. When the whole is also delivered with the enthusiasm of a youth orchestra, then joy also enters the equation.

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Getting on for two decades ago, I stepped off a plane in the fantastically-atmospheric, fantastically-wet city of Santiago de Compostela. I’d come to take up an English teaching post at a language academy. I knew nothing about Spain, even less about Galicia. Having returned to the UK, after several years spent working and living in […]

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I finally took time out of my busy schedule recently to visit the salt lake in Torrevieja - just a short stroll from my studio, and visible from the top of the house. Down by the waters edge a crowd of mud people gathered like extras from a Star Wars movie. Everyone was caked in […]

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My beautiful teenage daughters have arrived. Victoria is 18 years old and Lucy is 15. Lucy has brought a girlfriend, Kerry with her and the fun has started.  On the trip back from Alicante airport, Lucy said, ‘Mum, remember you said that I could have a kitten to replace Button (Button, cat, died of old […]

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We all know how frustrating it can be trying to penetrate a new society -particularly when you are challenged by the language. The obvious answer, here, is to take up Spanish lessons! The trouble is that, whilst it’s easy to find a teacher or a class to join with other Britons to learn grammar and […]

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As a family we tend not to take summer holidays now, instead we try to save the euros for the ski trip to the Alps in January.  We have a swimming pool in the back garden and a beach five minutes away and a huge warm orange globe that mysteriously rises most days during the […]

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