.and a bottle of Jamieson's and a keg of Guinness My last night there I sat in a plaza drinking both wearing just a t shirt and jeans. The young ones around me were huddled in coats and scarves like it was the North Pole. It was 18C...64F ..the temp an office is supposed to be for work.
They have the strangest customs. Here they are celebrating the Resurrection at Easter. The little Chapel at the bottom of my field.
No problem with the Jemmy but the keg won't fit in the bug-out bag. A bag of Tayto cheese'n'onion will have to suffice for a taste of home. That area looks stunning. I can feel the tranquility of it. Summer weather in November is the stuff dreams are made of. I'll bet it's not pitch dark by 5 p.m. like here. If you had some apple trees you could probably make cider. Next summer try frying an egg on the stones. You're going to love it Padraig and may the Lord shower you with blessings there. I'll have to search out the old thread to see which house you bought.
The estate agent told me there is a beach at the river. I am so looking forward to finding it. I must check out on utube how to build a swimming pool.
Congratulations Padraig I’m wondering about the Adoration chapel. Is there someone there all the time. ??
They had a very big white board up on the wall filled in with various colours to show who should be there and at what time. Also people entering signed themselves in. So it was clear that they were very,very well organised. I saw about five women sitting near each others so I suspect that it is not just two people praying and signing in at the one time. So everything seems to totally covered. There was a very old portrait of a priest near the signing in book so I would guess he was the priest that started this a long, long time ago. I don;t think it was a Parish Church but a Church specially set up for Adoration. It was quite large. Sadly it was a modern Church built in latter half of the 20th century , it was like a gymnasium inside. But maybe I am cranky. Maybe everyone else likes Modern Church building. One thing I notice about Spain is that, like Italy, they have many, many modern saints that I have never heard of. It is really inspiring. There was a terrible amount of Catholic Martyrs murdered during the Spanish Civil war by the Communists. Sometimes in really horrible ways.
Some kind of screened porch might be more useful than a pool. Maybe put some fly screen around the area at the top of the steps. You could sit there on hot summer evenings without being bitten by mosquitoes.
I walked home from Mass yesterday with two very Holy old men in their late 80's. They were so excited and happy for me to be moving to Spain and regarded it as a great adventure. We met a young man on the way and they shared with him what I was about to do and he too became excited and happy. These men reminded me that I should be enjoying things a lot more and not be too much caught up in the nuts and bolts, fretting and worrying. My father used to say to us, 'What are you looking forward to today?' I always thought this was a good question. Also each day, right at the start to thank God for the Great Gift each day is. I do believe God wants us to enjoy life. To carry His Cross, off course. But to be happy as well. It's so lovely to have had a dream and now to have lived to watch it all unfold. A bit unreal like a fairy tale, but wonderful. To follow your star.
Good idea! So much to do at the minute. Yesterday I got the S1 for for free health care in Spain. I wrote to the State and Hospital Pension providers to start paying my pensions into my Spanish bank accounts. I was in touch with my Spanish lawyer to have the power company do works to upgrade my electrical supplies and moved money into my Spanish bank account to pay for it. In Spain it is illegal not to have Public liability insurance for your dog so I checked Spanish providers. Today I ordered buisiness cards for deliveries. I am sending away for a certificate to export my van. I am writing a letter to my clinic to deregister me. I am checking out Spanish van insurance. How to register my van in Spain with the State. Also checking out what else I need to do. Sometimes I get in a bit of a panic. I must remember to do things one step at a time. To stay peaceful and calm. To enjoy it all.
I was even thinking of buying an Irish mail box to take with me. So cute and will get the neighbours talking. A little bit dear though..but still. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/23462271...swf8MBy7mcgF1ccgHtXwpgtzOR2Ntr3BoCY44QAvD_BwE
You're really on top of things. You might want to check out what medical essentials people in Spain keep on hand for their pets. Try not to get too carried away splurging on non essentials until you're settled in. I'd also be reluctant to do anything to mark out my house as belonging to a foreigner.
The Galician flag is gorgeous. Blue and white with the Eucharist . I will certainly fly that. Just paid for dog liability insurance this morning online. Gave the wrong email address so it is floating about in the ether somewhere. But it was very cheap and included veterinary insurance (I think). It is illegal not to have dog liability insurance in Spain in case they eat someone. But they are very good about letting dogs into cafes and shops, bless them. Some nice lady from the insurance company phoned me and we could neither of us understand a single word. Have sent off urgent emails to them. I feel like I have climbed the Tower of Babel.
No flags, Padraig, or anything that draws attention, at least until you're well settled in and have a feel for the area and have a grasp of any local or regional tensions. Start practicing non-committal responses like "that's interesting", "how sad" and "really?" or their Spanish equivalents. Animal insurance is good but you won't be flavour of the month with the locals if the dog bites the postman's leg. I read recently that the Galatians were Celts. I think they were in Turkey in the direction of Ankara.
Not only does it have the Eucharist but blue and white are the colours of Our Lady..and a cross thrown in! Hard to top that.
