Let's be joyful!

 

As winter rapidly approaches, the days becoming shorter and the weather being gloomier, you may very well ask: what is there to be joyful about? Happiness and joy are, of course, very individual emotions. What makes me happy may not have the same effect on you. If you're a summer person and love to lie on the beach, you're probably dreading the arrival of winter. If, on the other hand, you like to curl up on the sofa in front of a roaring fire enjoying a good book, you may be in your element during the winter months.

2021 hasn't been the easiest of years for many of us, especially with the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. It's been particularly hard for me as I live alone in Spain and my children all live in London, however I'm grateful for the companionship of my small Spanish dog Lisa, who has saved my sanity - though also driving me mad at times! I'm also fortunate enough to have a computer with internet access, so I've enjoyed Zoom chats with my family as well as with several friends who live in the UK. The highlight of the year though was being able to visit my family in London during October to celebrate my son's 50th birthday and spend time with my granddaughter there, plus going to Lincoln the following weekend for my brother's 70th birthday. 

The Joy Club is one thing that definitely brings joy to my life! I joined at the beginning of this year and found it a life-saver when I was unable to go to the local gym or socialise with friends in person because of lockdown. It's aimed at people who are retired (or semi-retired) and based in the UK, however although I currently live in Spain I have a UK bank account and was able to join. I have enjoyed making new online friends through the activities that I take part in.

If you decide to join, you can get your first month's membership for free by clicking on this link and, by entering this code: JzBCC6wBx1, you can get an additional free month. More than enough time to fill your life with joy by trying out all the activities! In case you're concerned about the cost, you can then enjoy lots of online sessions for only £5 per month. My favourite classes are Creative Writing, Tai Chi, Zumba, Cardio with Jill and Solo Latin dancing with Tracie. You can also take advantage of special offers for members even if you don't want to pay for online classes.

Now that restrictions are easing in Jumilla, the town that I call home, I have the joy of being able to meet up again with both British and Spanish friends for coffee, tapas and the occasional menù del dìa in our local bars and restaurants. Music also brings me joy so I was delighted to see that our local theatre is planning concerts to celebrate Santa Cecilia, the patron saint of music.

Finally, I really enjoy writing and blogging, though I haven't written any posts for a while. I hope that writing this will inspire me to continue with my blog. It's definitely time for me to sort out my winter wardrobe so watch this space for my next capsule wardrobe post! 

To summarise, the key things that bring me joy are (in no particular order!): spending time with family and friends, even if it's only online; keeping myself fit and active through activities such as Zumba, Tai Chi, dancing and walking my dog Lisa; being able to sit outside in the sunshine with friends enjoying a coffee; writing; music and travel. I'd love to hear what brings you joy as well, so please feel free to comment below.

 

My face mask protects YOU!

This is not a political blog, however it is directed towards women of a certain age (though younger readers are always welcome!) and we're living in worrying times, where older women can be particularly vulnerable. Last month I visited my family in London, although most of my Covid-19 experiences have been here in Spain, where I retired over 12 years ago. I had to go into quarantine for 14 days when I arrived in the UK, however it was worth it to be able to see my family, and in particular my new granddaughter, for the first time this year. In both countries the majority of people were wearing face masks in shops and on public transport, plus they were socially distancing wherever possible and were being encouraged to wash their hands frequently and/or use hand sanitiser.

The question of whether we should wear face masks or not is a particularly emotive one. I decided from the start that I would wear one, partly because I didn't want to have to pay a 100 euros fine for not doing so (they've been strict here in Spain), but also because I would hate to be the person spreading the virus to other people who might be more vulnerable than me. Yes, that is the important point to remember: my face mask is protecting you as much as, if not more than, it protects me. 

It seems as if many younger people don't appreciate that fact, so they don't bother wearing a face mask as they feel confident the coronavirus won't affect them. What if they get the virus? Don't they realise that they might pass it on to their parents or grandparents, who might then die because of them? I think more should be done to make the younger generation aware of that fact, as all the youngsters I know are lovely, caring people who would not want to harm others, particularly older family members.

Another issue is how to wear your face mask! I think I have gone slightly overboard in the above photo in ensuring that my nose and mouth are covered, but it still amazes me how many people I see with noses uncovered or, even worse, with their masks under their chins leaving their mouth and nose totally exposed and able to spread germs. Don't even mention the smokers.....!

I am also very aware that there are people who are unable to wear a face mask for medical reasons. I have questioned people who aren't wearing one, but never in an aggressive manner in case they have a very good reason. As an example, when I was sitting on the tube in London I noticed a young woman sitting almost directly opposite me who wasn't wearing one. I also noticed that she was wearing a "Baby on Board" badge, so mentioned this when questioning her. Her response was that she had actually passed out when she'd been wearing a face mask for a while, which was a very scary experience, though she was lucky that people nearby looked after her, and so she had spoken to her doctor about it. She had been advised to carry a face mask with her but not to wear it in case the same thing happened again, especially as she was pregnant so she had her baby to think about as well. She also told me that a few people had been very nasty and confrontational towards her, which I find just as unacceptable (if not more so) as not wearing a face mask in the first place. So please don't be judgmental if you too decide to question other people.

There are several phrases that I could use to finish this post: "Masks save lives.." Wear a mask. Save a life." "Stay alert. Control the virus. Save lives." However the words that really sum up the message I'm trying to send you all are: "Let's be kind and considerate towards each other. After all, life's too short."

Colours to help us

The symbol of hope

I'm still working on my Spring capsule wardrobe, not helped by the dismal un-Spring-like weather here in Spain at the moment! Trying to choose my accent colours has made me think about how colour can help us all when we need cheering up. Not just by wearing the colours that make us feel good, but also by surrounding ourselves with cheerful colours.

Sunshine in my home

Yellow makes me feel more confident, positive and optimistic. My daughter Kate painted two walls in the living room this lovely golden yellow shade, which is definitely helping me stay positive in this difficult world we are facing at the moment. I don't have much yellow in my wardrobe, apart from some yellow accessories, so maybe I need to add a couple of items?

Red is my favourite accent

Now red definitely features strongly in my wardrobe - not just as accessories. I have many red pieces of clothing including my red trench coat shown in the above photo. Red gives me energy and makes me feel confident. In the good old days when I was working full-time, my colleagues often commented when I was wearing red:"Watch out! Sue's in red today...!"

Orange is another favourite of mine

I wear orange a lot too, particularly in social situations. Obviously at the moment these are extremely limited, unless you count Skype, Zoom and Facetime! Orange makes me feel optimistic and creative, which are traits that help me on a daily basis.

What other colours could I choose to add to my wardrobe that would be helpful to me under lockdown? Green is very calming and helps bring balance and harmony into our lives so is very relevant at the moment. Blue is many people's favourite colour - in my case, I love turquoise. Lighter shades of blue are also associated with calm and serenity. Pink is a nurturing colour and expresses a caring and empathetic love. It will allow us to feel self-love and to forgive others. Purple is the colour for contemplation and is linked with spiritual awareness and reflection. Brown makes us feel supported and safe. It is a cosy and warm colour, especially in the home. I think that is a good enough excuse for enjoying a small piece of dark chocolate in the evenings! Be aware that all colours can have a positive as well as a negative effect on you. Colours that work well for me may have the opposite effect on you, so choose carefully.

Of course we need to choose the right shades of whatever colours we feel will help us. I look best in warm colours, but you may shine in cooler shades. I always find Kettlewell Colours a good resource for choosing your most flattering colours, whether you identify with a particular season or prefer tonal systems. For anyone who would like to delve deeper into mindful dressing and how different colours have the ability to help us, I would recommend reading The Essential Guide to Mindful Dressing by Jules Standish.

What are your favourite colours and does wearing them help you cope during this world crisis? Do you have any other tips to share with us?

To all of my readers, take care and stay safe.

My travel report - summary

Would I recommend going on a luxury train journey for a special celebration, assuming that your budget allows it? After our recent experiences, I would give a resounding yes. From the moment we arrived at the National Parador San Marcos in León in northern Spain at the start of our holiday until the moment coach driver Antonio drove us back to Santander Station on our last day, we were thoroughly spoilt. It was definitely five star service from beginning to end.

Meet the crew - as we were welcomed on board

To be honest, we weren't quite sure what to expect.  We had downloaded an outline of our journey, but we didn't know the details until we arrived. Ana, our lovely tour guide, gave us a handout with details of each day's programme and answered all our questions. She spoke good English as well as Spanish and French and was at our disposal from breakfast at 8.30 until after dinner at 21.00. Her enthusiasm was endless and she definitely helped to make the holiday a great experience for everyone.

We had expected that many of our fellow passengers would be American or British, but to our surprise the majority were Spanish, with two Argentinians, a Belgian (with a Spanish wife), an Australian doctor and the two of us.  It was an interesting mix.

We had been asked to complete a form prior to our holiday with any special requirements, so I took advantage of this to mention that I don't eat any meat (though I eat fish and shellfish) and that I don't like tomatoes. I was impressed by the fact that any time that the menu was unsuitable for me, including meals taken in restaurants on our journey, Ana came to discuss the options with me. I suspect that some of the other passengers were a bit envious of this attention!

One of the luxurious carriages

We had a full programme, with city tours of León, Bilbao and Santander, plus excursions on the coach to towns in between where we visited several museums and churches. Our train travelled through some stunning scenery so even when we were on the move we weren't bored.

The food was superb and - apart from breakfast, obviously! - it was accompanied by fine wines, coffee and liqueurs. Did I mention that I'm about to start a diet?

I can't fault the organisation. Once we handed over our cases in León to be taken to our suite on the train while we saw the city sights, everything was done for us. All we had to do was enjoy ourselves. If there were any problems, we weren't aware of them. The staff were professional but also very friendly and helpful towards us.

Most of the other passengers were continuing on the train to Santiago, so we were expecting to say our farewells after breakfast on our last day. However on our final evening Ana told us that we could join the others on their morning visit to the Museum of Altamira and the picturesque town of Santillana del Mar. Antonio would then drive us back to Santander in time to catch the train to Madrid. What a bonus!

We discovered these in our suite on our last night

Apart from our memories, we have some tangible mementoes of our fabulous holiday. This long lasting red rose, guide book, hand written note, leaflets and photo were on our bed when we returned from the Casino on our last evening - as well as a bottle of cava chilling in an ice bucket. A lovely thoughtful gesture that put the finishing touch on our wonderful holiday.

Did anyone spot the chocolates? They've all been eaten now. Did I mention that I'm about to start a diet?

Showing kindness towards foreigners

If you are interested in reading about football, you probably read about the racist incident that took place during the match between Barcelona and Villarreal. Someone in the crowd threw a banana at Dani Alves, the Brazilian player in Barcelona's team, who calmly picked it up and took a bite out of it before continuing play. Alves subsequently made the comment that there is racism towards foreigners in Spain. I don't want to disagree with Alves as obviously he is talking about his personal experiences, and I agree with him that racism should be tackled, however I would like to highlight some positive examples where Spanish people have shown extreme kindness towards foreigners.

Photo courtesy of Sky/Guardian website

From our personal experience of living in Spain as two Brits, we have found our neighbours very kind and friendly towards us, showing great patience as we struggle to master their language!  Our friend Jacqueline told us about an incident not long after she moved here, where she was conned by two of her fellow countrymen into lending them money and inviting them into her home for meals after they allegedly lost their credit cards. When her Spanish friends and neighbours found out what had happened, they brought her food and gave her money to cover her losses.

The most recent incident was one that I read about in the regional paper that happened over Easter.  A Romanian man called Julius had moved to the Murcia area about twelve years ago to work and since then he has been living in a caravan. His caravan burnt down (they're still investigating the cause) leaving him homeless.  Two young women had seen Julius in tears and felt sorry for him, so they started raising money in the village where they lived. Thanks to their efforts and people's generosity, they managed to buy Julius a new caravan only three days' later. Times are very hard in Spain, and many people are struggling because they have lost their jobs, however in spite of this they are still capable of showing great kindness towards foreigners.

Over here - fiesta de cumpleaños

John and I have been living in Spain for almost six years and, in spite of our limited language skills, we are proud to say that we have made many Spanish friends in our local town of Jumilla.

John celebrated his 70th birthday party on 1 March with friends and family in London, however he decided to have another party in a local bodega (winery) back home in Spain the following weekend. As well as prolonging his birthday celebrations, John wanted to say thank you to all our Spanish friends for welcoming two foreigners, who hardly spoke a word of Spanish, into their community.

Our neighbours are very patient when we try to speak to them in Spanish, which is of course essential when you live in a mainly Spanish-speaking town. They have seen our ability to speak their language improve slowly over the years that we have been living here though, being over 65 (in my case) and over 70 now (in John's), we often forget or mispronounce words.  If only we had been taught Spanish when we were at school.....!

Me with Andrés Junior

One thing that I love about Spanish people is how generous they are with their compliments: everyone greeted me with "guapa" when they arrived, which as you can imagine was very much appreciated! They were very generous with their presents too, though I have to say that my favourite one was the picture that our friend Angel had painted.

I'm happy to report that everyone seemed to be having a great time, partly because of the delicious food and drinks provided by Pascual, from one of our favourite bar/restaurants Bar Paraiso, as well as from Bodega Viña Campanero, where the party was held. Partly because our good friend Johnny Sax entertained us with his great music, which had everyone up and dancing. Oh yeah!! But mainly because Spanish people know how to enjoy themselves, which is one of the joys of living here  in Spain. I'm already looking forward to the next fiesta.

Spanish friends at the party

A review of 2013

Inspired by other bloggers, who have already posted their photos from 2013, here are a few of my favourites. For some strange reason, my blog has decided to post these in reverse order.....!

December - John leading Lisa and I over the finish line

November - sharing a joke with birthday girl Jacqueline

October - sunset over Jumilla

September - with Fiona in Madrid

August - in Alicante at the start of my birthday trip

July - music in our local bodega

June - at my niece's wedding near Durham

May - Lisa on the "catwalk"

For some reason I don't seem to have any photos from April -  it was obviously a quiet month!

A cold March day in Villajoyosa

February - on holiday in Albir

January - waiting for our lunch!

Most of these photos were taken in or near the Spanish town of Jumilla where we live. We went away at the end of February and beginning of March for my husband John's birthday, staying in Albir and Villajoyosa on the northern Costa Blanca. In April, obviously, we didn't go anywhere! My niece Catherine married in June so we went to her wedding at Whitworth Hall just outside Durham, followed by a short trip to Scotland. For my birthday trip in August and September we spent one night in Alicante then took the train to Ávila for three nights and another three nights in Madrid, where John's niece Fiona joined us.

Do you like to look back over your year too? It's good to remember happy times spent with friends and family. One important absence is any photos of my children, even though I visited them in March and October, plus I saw my daughters at their cousin's wedding. Unfortunately I don't have a photo of them all together in 2013 - we must have been having too good a time! I'll definitely rectify this in 2014.....

Seasonal greetings

Merry Christmas,

Feliz Navidad &

Happy Holidays!

The highlight of Christmas day, for me, was being able to see and speak to my three children in London using Skype. Whatever our beliefs, this is the season where we think of and miss our families when we're not with them. Although I am in Spain and they are in the UK, modern technology helps to bring us closer. I am though looking forward to seeing them in person in just over 3 weeks' time!

I would like to thank all of my readers for their support and comments over the last 12 months. We bloggers write our posts and put them on the internet not knowing whether anyone will read them - it's great knowing that some of you not only read my words but take the trouble to leave your comments. Thank you so much!

Wishing you all health, happiness and peace in 2014. 

Sue xx

Wrinkles or laughter lines?

I have to thank Staness of The Menopause Makeover for providing me with inspiration for today's post. Although she's more than ten years younger than me - far too young to be worrying about wrinkles in my view! - she lives in L.A., where there's huge pressure to look young.  Staness describes how she visited her dermatologist for an irritating skin condition and at the end of the appointment she was told " I can make you look 10 to 15 years younger with some Botox and fillers." Staness' response was "I love my wrinkles, dammit!" Good for her. I applaud her attitude and her vow that she's going to commit her life to more important things than wrinkles. 

Even if I won the Euromillions jackpot I wouldn't waste my money on botox and fillers, though I do admit to recently buying some L'Oreal day and night creams with the tantalising name of "Revitalift". I am hoping that this means it will revitalise my skin at the same time as giving me a face lift. To be honest it wasn't the name that really attracted me - nor the claim that it would target the 10 signs of ageing - it was the price (a lot less than my favourite Clarins' creams) plus a special discount if you bought two products. Sold to the pensioner on a tight budget!

Showing my laughter lines at the age of 65

I remember many years ago asking my aunt what was the secret of her youthful looking skin and being told that all she used was cheap Nivea cream. Thinking about this, I have just realised that I was in my early twenties so my aunt would only have been in her mid forties, though at the time I had considered her positively ancient. I suspect that good genetics had a role to play here, but it was reassuring to be told that cheaper products could be as good as top of the range expensive ones.

I love this quote from Inès de la Fressange in "Parisian Chic": "I pay no attention to wrinkles. I just stand back from the mirror!" Exactly. One of the advantages of getting older is that, with failing eyesight, you can't see your wrinkles without your glasses. I keep my glasses next to the PC and not next to the bedroom mirror for that very reason.

One of the pluses of being a blogger is that you get to choose your most flattering photos, however if someone else posts pictures of you on-line you can get a nasty surprise. It's even worse when a much younger friend tags you (wrinkles and double chin fully revealed) on facebook. The worst photos of me recently have been when my face has been turned sideways, revealing a saggy jaw-line as well as those tell-tale laughter lines. Excuse me while I check the ten signs of ageing that my new skin creams promise to target.  Good news! Take a look at numbers two and three below: this should sort out my saggy jaw-line.

Minimizes fine lines + wrinkles

Firms sagging skins

Tightens facial contours

Restores elasticity

Hydrates dryness

Smoothes skin surface

Softens rough texture

Brightens dullness

Strengthens skin's density

Fades discolorations

If my facial contours miraculously become tighter and my sagging skin does become firmer, I will post before and after photos on my blog, so watch this space!

Do you wear your wrinkles with pride? Or have you too discovered a new miracle cream?

A quiet night in?

Last night was going to be a quiet night in at home, especially with two possible late nights on Friday and Saturday. We live in Spain however we haven’t adopted the habit of taking a siesta yet, preferring to have early nights beforehand.

We don’t expect to be too late on Friday as we are going to a 14th birthday party, although it doesn't start until 21.00. Did I mention that we live in Spain?! Children here seem to stay up as late as adults do. I noticed on my recently acquired programme for the August fiestas that there is a musical aimed at young children on 11 August that doesn't start until 23.00!

Saturday night though is the latest concert in the Música entre Vinos summer events, where concerts are held in various bodegas, followed by lots of wine and local dishes. The evening will begin at 20.00 with a tour of the bodega, however the concert in unlikely to start until after 21.00 and I can almost guarantee that we won’t get home until the early hours of Sunday morning.

So last night we bathed early and sat in our pyjamas to watch a bit of TV before the planned early night. We looked like a couple of pensioners - oh, that’s what we are! -  which made it even more embarrassing when the doorbell rang. We looked at each other in surprise: we weren't expecting anyone. I opened the door warily to see a group of our Spanish neighbours standing outside. They explained that they could smell gas, and they know we have a gas water heater.  John checked in the kitchen then outside at the back and said he couldn't smell anything. It was obvious that our neighbours were nervous, even when we told them that the heater had been serviced last month. Our friend Isabel was saying that it was "peligroso" (dangerous), so we agreed to turn the gas completely off in order to reassure them all.

We were just thinking it was time to switch off the TV, when we heard sirens outside. Peering over the balcony, we could see two fire engines with lights flashing, plus a local police car. We weren't surprised when our doorbell rang not long afterwards. This time there were four firemen, a policewoman and even more neighbours outside!  The firemen came into our apartment and then went outside to check the water heater. Eventually they came back in, told us everything there was ok (as we had expected) and left us in peace.

Well, it was almost in peace, as we could still hear lots of noise outside the front of the building as various neighbours returned home, while the firemen pulled up covers loudly, presumably looking for gas pipes and associated leaks. At the same time people were emerging from other parts of the building curious to find out what was going on and to add their voices to the racket.

After all this I think we eventually went to sleep at about 01.30, which was a lot later than planned.  I am now wondering what the chances are of a good night’s sleep tonight!

Vive la France!

Well it is Bastille Day so it seems appropriate to write about France and in particular about French fashion. There are several excellent blogs about French style  - links to a couple of my favourites are in the right hand column.   Just before my trip to Paris last year to celebrate my 65th birthday, I bought the book "Parisian Chic", which I have featured in an earlier post, on the recommendation of another blogger. Written by Inès de la Fressange - model, fashion muse and fashion designer - this book is as charming as Inès herself.

What is it about Frenchwomen that makes the rest of the world want to emulate them? Why is it that the words Parisian and Chic seem to go together so well? Maybe we can get a few clues from "Parisian Chic".

As we get older our style should evolve. What suited us at 30 or even 40 probably won't look as good once we are 50 or 60. It may be a simple matter of wearing skirts an inch longer or choosing less bright colours. Inès suggests that the following are faux pas at 50+: ethnic prints; mini-skirts and micro-shorts; neon colours; fur (she says that the "wrinkled trophy wife" look can be very ageing. I say that there's no need to wear dead animals at any age!).

However she does encourage us to follow fashion, so long as we use the latest fashions in a subtle way. If leopard-skin is in fashion please avoid wearing a leopard-skin jumpsuit if you are over 60, however a bag or ballerinas in leopard-skin will keep you looking up-to-date. If wide-legged trousers are the latest look, and if they are right for your shape, go ahead and buy a pair. Ripped jeans or studded thigh boots on the other hand are best left to the youngsters.

The other good tip for anyone over 50 is to mix your chic, more expensive buys with cheaper labels. Apparently fashionable Parisians don't wear an excess of luxury labels and shun anything too ostentatious, which is good news for us over 60 pensioners on a budget!

When in doubt, say nowt

I've never been slow in giving my opinion, even when it's not been asked for. I suspect that most of my fellow bloggers are the same, and that's why we like to express ourselves on-line: it's my blog and I can say what I want to! However as we grow older - and hopefully start acting in a more mature way - we learn that there are times and places where it's best to be circumspect before saying what we think.

I believe that if an honest opinion has been asked for, then an honest opinion should be given. Having said that, sensitivity should be a factor too. I remember years ago my neighbour showing me her new baby boy. I felt that a comment was called for and desperately tried to think of something positive to say, as I could not lie and tell her that her baby was lovely when he wasn't. I settled on "He's the image of Al!"  She smiled at me sympathetically, recognising my dilemma, and replied "I know, he's ugly isn't he? I'm just hoping that he will improve with age!"

I don't have this dilemma in Spain, as all babies and young children are "guapo" or "guapa", depending on their sex. There is no question of them not being beautiful: it's the only word that you may use to describe Spanish babies. For a particularly beautiful baby you can of course add a few superlatives, and they are always appreciated.

There are, as I said earlier, times and places when you shouldn't say anything. I was horrified when I was told about the following recent incident. A woman - let's call her Linda - was in the house of a friend whose 70 year old wife had just died that morning.

"I never liked Janice and she never liked me!" Linda announced in front of Janice's grieving husband and daughter. I don't believe in being hypocritical, and I can understand her not wanting to say anything about being sad to lose a great friend if that wasn't the case, but - and a big BUT - was that an appropriate comment to make in the circumstances? Couldn't she have found something less harsh to say, if she felt the need to say anything at all? A sympathetic hug would have been fine. Knowing all the people involved, I was appalled and saddened by this incident. The following day Linda attended the funeral of the woman she didn't like, which to me was definitely a bit hypocritical.

Do you agree? Should honesty be applauded or should Linda have bitten her tongue and said nothing?  By the way, all names have been changed to protect the guilty party.

Siesta time

Although we've been living in Spain for over five years now, I've never taken a siesta.  Unless you count dozing off on the bus back to Jumilla, after having had a good lunch in Murcia with several glasses of wine?

Since moving here we have adopted several local customs. We go out for desayuno (breakfast) with a Spanish friend several times a week, having a cup of coffee and some toast at 11.30. This is actually my second breakfast, as I start the day with a very English cup of tea and bowl of breakfast cereal. I like to have the best of both worlds!

Lunch is usually taken between 2 and 2.30, whether we have gone out for a menú del día or we are eating at home. Whereas the Spanish tradition is to then have a siesta after lunch, we usually take our dog out for a walk during the cooler months. However, when it's very hot outside in summer, we are sensible and stay indoors during the heat of the afternoon, but we still don't take a siesta. John usually watches sport on TV or reads a book, while I may read a book, browse my favourite blogs or write my own blog. We also enjoy going to our nearby supermarket during summer afternoons and making the most of its air conditioning and also the comparative peace.

Dinner at home may be any time between nine and ten, depending on whose turn it is to cook and what we've been doing that day. When we go out for tapas or a meal with Spanish friends, we usually arrange to meet them at 9.30 pm, but they rarely turn up before 10.00. I'm not sure whether they take a siesta, but they always seem to be a lot livelier in the evening than we are, so I suspect that they do.

So far, so good. We are definitely adjusting to life in a foreign country. However I have been looking at the programme of events for the forthcoming Feria y Fiestas de Agosto, between 9 and 18 August. Ten days of celebrations, with folk music, processions, a festival of bands, Moors and Christians re-enactments, flamenco music and dancing, jazz and lots more: August is definitely going to be party time. There is just one slight problem - most of these events don't start until 10 pm or even later, and that is assuming that they actually start on time.  Have we got the stamina to cope with so many late nights?

This may be a good opportunity to start copying what our Spanish neighbours do and have a siesta - what do you think?

Do you remember what's-her-name?

I am sure that most women of a certain age will have given a nod of recognition at the title of this post. As we get older, and our short-term memory deteriorates, we do start forgetting names and losing things for the simple reason that we can't remember where we put them. In our house we have a small bowl on the table near the front door, which is where we always deposit our keys when we come in - apart from 50% of the time when we forget to do so.

Walking home today after meeting a few friends for coffee, we bumped into a friend of a friend and had a brief chat with him. As we continued on our way home, I asked my husband John what the man's name was.

"I was going to ask you the same thing!" was his helpful reply.

We carried on walking, with me trying hard to think who it was, when I suddenly remembered that his first name was the same name as a local musician - if only I could remember what he was called! Then the name popped into my head and I proudly announced "Andrés!"

As we were getting close to home I had a bright idea for the subject of today's post . The only problem was that by the time I got home and sat down at the computer the bright idea had gone. Hopefully I will have remembered it in time for tomorrow's post.

Although he is over three years older than me, my husband is generally far more aware of what's going on than I am. He will spot one of our neighbours when we're out shopping, for example, when I've just walked straight past her. I'm not sure whether this is really an age thing, as I have always been a bit scatter-brained and at times I have been totally unaware of my surroundings. I put this down to my creativity: my head is constantly full of ideas for writing articles or blog posts, as well as scenes for a crime novel that I am planning to write one day. I do warn friends that if I walk straight past them without saying anything, it's not that I'm deliberately ignoring them, it's just that my mind's on other things.

I remember when I was a child being told to tie a knot in a handkerchief as a reminder of anything important, but I don't think it would work quite as well with the paper tissues that most people seem to carry nowadays. For many of us, we already know that we've forgotten something, so a knotted hankie wouldn't help to solve the problem of what it is that we can't remember.

Being forgetful isn't restricted to over 60s though. A friend of ours who is just over 40 had a "senior" moment a few days ago and we had to remind her what was happening this week. I would go into the incident in a lot more detail if only I was able to remember the actual details.

Having got this far with my post, I suddenly remembered that I had written something on a similar subject last year. Oh dear! Have I repeated myself? I've had a quick look and it's not exactly the same, so hopefully regular readers won't mind:  http://over60andoverhere.blogspot.co.uk/2012/07/use-it-or-lose-it-part-1.html

How's your memory? Have you got any tricks to make up for your bad memory? If so, can you remember what they are?

Reader, I embarrassed myself - twice!

Living in another country can be challenging, even if you don't have the additional problem of learning another language. We have been living in Spain for five years and, although our Spanish is gradually improving, we are far from fluent.  Having said that I do know my numbers, as it's one of the first things you need to learn in a foreign country.  Or so I thought.

Last night we went to the latest concert in the Música entre Vinos series of summer events.  It was held in one of our favourite bodegas, Viña Campanero, so John and I were both looking forward to it. We were pleased when our friend Sheila said she had tickets and was bringing one of her visitors along, so we knew there would be at least four Brits amongst all our Spanish neighbours.

World Music at Bodega Viña Campanero

Only a few days earlier, I had said that it was a long while since I had won anything in a raffle.  Last night they announced that there would be a prize draw, the prize being dinner for two in a favourite restaurant of ours, San Agustín. I was listening carefully as the numbers were called out, looking at our tickets, and I was convinced that I heard "405". Yes!

I showed my "winning" ticket to my friends and the Spanish woman sitting in front of us for confirmation, and nobody disagreed with me, so off I trotted to the stage, excitedly waving my ticket at the organisers. We all kissed each other Spanish style and posed for the cameras as they announced that I was the winner.

It was at this point that my embarrassment started, as another woman came up to the organisers, and she was clutching the winning ticket! I definitely know the Spanish words for the numbers 4, 0 and 5, but obviously I must have misheard. The organisers quickly said that there would be two prizes of dinners for two, which the audience approved of and loudly applauded the decision, but I managed to have a quiet word with Pedro from Restaurante San Agustín afterwards and said that it was my mistake. He kindly suggested that we could go to his restaurant for some tapas anyway. Lovely man, Pedro!

This morning we were on our way to buy the Sunday papers when we heard lots of loud bangs, and a band playing music. Of course, it was the pasacalles for San Fermín, where the statue of the saint is carried around the San Fermín barrio accompanied by music and noisy fireworks. I had my camera in my bag, so I followed the noise while John continued to the paper shop.

I soon tracked the procession down. It looked as if they were having a rest, as the statue was on the ground, while a press photographer was taking photos of the group. Unfortunately for me I was recognised by someone who was keen to get me to join the group. I tried to say "no" as I felt like an intruder, and all I wanted to do was take a couple of photos . My acquaintance, who was acting as if he was my best friend, wasn't having any of it, as he took my camera and then ordered the group to pose for another photo with me in it. Somebody muttered "extranjera" (foreigner) to add to my embarrassment, however help was at hand. "Hola Sue", a voice called out and I spotted Toñi, who is a friend of mine, standing at the back.  She came over to embrace me and announced in a loud voice that I was a "Jumillana" - in other words I'm a local, so I was entitled to be there. Lovely woman, Toñi.  Gracias amiga!

Spot the embarrassed Brit!

Photo taken, I hastily retrieved my camera and went in search of my husband, to tell him about my second embarrassing moment of the weekend. Since then I've kept a low profile - two embarrassing experiences in one weekend is more than enough.

Our new life in Spain

Jumilla Castle

A couple of readers have shown an interest in the fact that although we are Brits we live in Spain, so I thought I would give a summary of our story and answer the following questions. What was behind our decision to move to Spain?  How did we end up living in the Spanish town of Jumilla?

Like many others nearing retirement our dream was, once we retired, to live somewhere with a better climate than the UK . We were living and working in London at the time, and I faced a daily commute to work. It was a fairly stressful lifestyle, so we hoped to find somewhere where we could relax and be almost free from stress. We also wanted to live somewhere that was cheaper than London so that our pensions would go further!

We considered several destinations before deciding on Spain and then went on many viewing trips to different areas within Spain before making our final choice. The most important considerations for us were to live in or near a working Spanish town rather than an expat urbanisation; to have reliable public transport, as we don't drive; to have a variety of shops, bars and restaurants within the town - so that we didn't miss all the facilities that London has to offer too much. We decided that we would prefer to live inland, partly because property there is cheaper than on the coast, partly because we didn't fancy putting up with masses of tourists during the summer months, but mainly because we wanted to experience the "real" Spain.

As soon as we visited Jumilla on a viewing trip we knew that this was somewhere where we could live quite happily. The main shopping centre is fairly small, however there are four large supermarkets plus traditional fruit and veg shops, butchers, bakers and fish-mongers.  I'm sure there must be a candle-stick maker tucked away on one of the back streets too!  I love the freshness and flavour of these local products and also, of course, the prices. The Tuesday market is excellent and always attracts the few other Brits who live in this area, most of them either in the depths of the countryside or in one of the nearby villages.

Jumilla is very much an agricultural community, with lots of fresh fruit grown locally as well as olives (we can buy extra virgin olive oil direct from the producer, about 600 metres from our house), almonds and above all grapes. The main "industry" in Jumilla is wine, with several bodegas located in the town, three of which are within easy walking distance of our new home. As wine drinkers, this is an extra benefit of living here!

There are many herds of goats in the countryside too, as another local industry is cheese-making. Central Quesera Montesinos has won many international awards for its fine cheeses. If you enjoy cheese and wine parties, I can assure you that Jumilla is a good place to live!

I'm not sure how many bars and restaurants there are in Jumilla, but when you consider that 26 of them are taking part in the Ruta del Tapa next month (2€ for a tapa and glass of wine), and we can think of many more that aren't participating, it is obvious that we have more than enough to choose from.  We go out for a coffee most days and pay a maximum of 2€ for the two of us. If we fancy a three-course lunch with wine and coffee included, we know many good bars and restaurants where it will only cost us between 8 and 12€ per head. Did I mention that living here is cheaper than in London?

Teatro Vico

Talking about prices, we have enjoyed a variety of concerts, dance displays and other theatrical activities in our local theatre, where the most we have paid for seats in the stalls has been 12€. We usually pay 5€ to watch any local dancers, choirs or bands. Throughout the year there are many free concerts held outside in gardens or squares, plus any procession through the streets of Jumilla is almost guaranteed to include at least one marching band.

Although Jumilla may not be a well-known tourist destination, there is plenty of interest for people who enjoy history. Historical sites include: La Hoya de la Sima, 11km outside town, where you can see fossils footprints, including those of the sabre-toothed tiger, camel and three-toed horse; El Casón, the 5th century funerary monument, which is one of the best-preserved in the world; the 15th century Santiago Church, which is a National Monument, and of course our recently restored Castle, which dominates the skyline as you approach Jumilla.

Finally, here is a link to a video showing some views of Jumilla, with a sound-track provided by our good friend Johnny Pugh, who just happens to live near Jumilla: enjoy!

FABruary Style Challenge - Scarves

Today's Style Challenge is Scarves, for which I was very grateful.  Partly because it is winter here in Spain so I wear a scarf most days and partly because I have a bit of a sore throat today, so it was lovely to have a good excuse to wrap up warmly.  Today you're in for a treat as I have two photos for you to enjoy!

The first one is my outfit without the extra layers, showing my lightweight scarf.

A couple of style points to make here.  Because I wanted to protect my delicate throat I wrapped the scarf around my neck a couple of times, but as I'm petite it might have been more flattering if I had worn it longer, drawing the eye downwards, which would have had the additional bonus of making me look slimmer.  Scarves are a flattering accessory for over 60s by the way, as they hide our ageing necks! However I love necklaces and have a collection of pretty necklaces that I enjoy wearing, so this usually overrides my vanity.

The second photo shows me wrapped up in one of my favourite scarves, which was a 65th birthday present from my daughters.  It is lightweight, but incredibly warm too.

Right folks - I think that's a wrap!

Day 8 - FABruary Style Challenge

Today's challenge was to wear a Statement Ring.  I couldn't decide which ring to wear, so in the end I compromised.  I have two hands, don't I?  So I decided to wear a ring on each hand.  I attempted to create a look that didn't suggest that I was adding a couple of rings just because I am doing this challenge.  I was wearing a red and white scarf, so one ring was red and the other one was white. If I keep this up, I may become as stylish as the other bloggers that I follow!

Today's outfit consisted of a blue striped top, navy jeans, red shoes, a red and white scarf plus one red ring and one white ring.  Casual, I admit, as my plans for the day were to meet a friend for coffee, do a bit of shopping and walk Lisa our dog.  No need to dress up too much then and, the most important factor when choosing what to wear today, it was bitterly cold again and this top is lovely and warm!

These are the two rings that I decided to wear today.  I don't have long, graceful fingers so, although my rings are bright, they aren't huge statement rings.

Day 7 - FABruary Style Challenge

Today's challenge from Imogen is called "Red Lips".  If only I had thought about it in time - and if only I had a spare £245.00! - I could have sent for this Lulu Guinness clutch.  Don't you love it?

Alas, it was not to be.  I did vaguely think of doing something artistic, like painting red lips on an old white t-shirt, but I'm not really that artistic and it was my turn to make breakfast while John walked our dog Lisa, so I had to get a move on this morning.  Sadly the best I could come up with was me wearing red lipstick.  

First of all, a word of caution for fellow over 60s - bright red lips isn't the best look for women of a certain age.  Think "Ageing Femme Fatale" and you will get my drift. We don't want to look as if we're auditioning for a remake of "Whatever happened to Baby Jane?" do we?

The secret is to choose a red that flatters your colouring. If in doubt, it's worth looking at Imogen's post for guidance. Remember that if you don't look good wearing bright colours in general, bright red lipstick is highly unlikely to suit you. I have two red lipsticks: the first one is lighter and brighter and the second one is deeper and more opaque.  Which one do you prefer?

My 2 red lipsticks - which one to choose?

Lipstick 1

Lipstick 2

                                                 

The Big Black Fashion Conspiracy

I've been looking on-line for clothes recently, expecting to have far too many to choose from, but if you eliminate everything black, it's amazing how limited your choices become.  I know black is popular, but it's a difficult colour to wear for most of us who are over 60.  Fashion stores, please take note!

I would like some new trousers, which need to be in a petite size as I am vertically challenged, and I have been looking at other possible purchases.  I don't want any more black trousers, but for some bizarre reason most of the petite trousers are black.  Why?  People barely notice us shorties at the best of times, but if we wear black we will be almost invisible!  Navy would make a nice change, or maybe grey or dark brown.  I quite fancy something more colourful too, which will definitely make me more visible, but where can I find more colourful clothes?

Take Marks and Spencer as an example.  The good news is that I can get M & S clothes delivered here in Spain. The bad news is that most of them are black.  They have eight pairs of petite trousers: one pair is charcoal, another pair is navy (which also come in black), there is a "black mix" pair of jeggings and the remaining five pairs are only available in black.  Three of their seven skirts are black.  Out of eleven coats and jackets, eight are in a particular colour: guess what that colour is?! The little black dress is alive and well at M & S, though five other colours are available: a total of fourteen dresses, six of which are black.  I looked at eleven tops (five of them were black) and finally I found eight jumpers and cardigans, where black shared the lead with blue, both of them having three items.


I decided to start my search at Debenhams.com by including only petite clothing in UK size 12. Result!  I was very excited to see that I had a grand total of 231 items of clothing to select from. However, when I looked at the numbers for each colour, I could see that 87 of those items were in black, 63 were blue (the majority of these were dark blue and navy, which on my screen looked suspiciously like black), 18 were cream, 11 were brown, 10 were ivory and the other colours were in single figures.

Debenhams' petite trousers in black and "looks like black"

At first glance Wallis looked very promising, with twelve colours plus  black, however when I checked each colour individually black was the only shade that had more than one page of items to choose from.  Principles Petite by Ben de Lisi has a choice of seven colours, plus black.  It's a small collection of stylish clothes, most of which (surprise! surprise!) are black (14 items) followed by blue (8), cream (4) and only one or two items are available in the other colours.

John Lewis deliver to Spain, so I checked them out.  I was in shock when I went down the list of colours, as although black was in the lead with 51 items  followed by blue with 47, when I clicked on "multi" I saw the amazing figure of 68.  More than black!  However further investigation revealed that most of the multi-coloured items had some black in them, which in my view made them more black than multi-coloured..

I'm not going to give up though.  The fashion industry may still be trying to persuade us that black is best, but I've just seen Pantone's colour forecast for 2013.  It looks as if Emerald is the colour to go for Spring 2013, with other options being African Violet, Monaco Blue, Nectarine, Poppy Red, Lemon Zest, Tender Shoots, Dusk Blue and Grayed Jade.  Dare I say that these all sound like lovely bright colours? With no mention of black!  I'm hoping that this means that the fashion industry will become a lot more colourful and I can start replacing the black items in my wardrobe - but I'm not holding my breath!

Pantone colours for Spring 2013