Our new home in the Orba Valley, Alicante

Another week has rolled by and the great news is that finally Ian was rung on Friday about attending for his Covid jab which he had today.  It was the Astra Zeneca and we had to go to a sports centre in a nearby village.  There was a civilised queue outside and I waited in the car.  He was inside, checked off the list and given his jab in no time.  He then had to wait for 15 minutes and that was that!  Thus far he has had no problems whatsoever, not even a tender arm 👍  Now I just have to hope that I get a call some time soon as some people my age here have had both theirs..... 

So, what are the differences between living here on the mainland and in Puerto Pollensa, Mallorca (in no particular order)?

• It's cheaper to live on the mainland.  Our utility bills are quite a bit cheaper as is food and drink.  Fuel is cheaper too.  So essentially you get more bang for your buck here, although I appreciate big cities might be a different story.  
• There are more organised free time activities to take part in here such as sports, arts, music etc.  Obviously many things have been affected by Covid, but here there are lots of choirs, theatre companies, art classes, sports clubs.... the list is endless.  So it's easier to choose something to suit you in terms of exactly what you're after and at a time that suits as there are more to choose from within a 20 minute drive or less.
• Whilst nearby Denia and Javea are popular tourist areas, here in the valley there are very few apart from people who come out to stay in their own holiday homes.  So there is definitely a lot less of a 'living in a goldfish bowl' feeling!
•  We have to drive for 15-20 minutes to reach the sea here.  In Puerto Pollensa it took about 2 minutes to walk and be on the beach 🏖  But we knew this was something we would have to compromise on.....
• It's fantastic having a big shopping centre with all the choice that gives, no more than 15 minutes drive towards the coast rather than a much longer drive from the north of Mallorca towards Palma and I do love a spot of retail therapy 😳
• I can confirm that Spain is indeed one of the most mountainous countries in Europe - we've only explored a very small area near here but the mountains are simply never-ending.  So that's the same in both locations.
• In Mallorca we lived in a town with a population of nearly 8,000, and over 17,000 in the overall municipality.  Here we live in a municipality of just over 2,000.   This means that the number of restaurants and bars within walking distance is a lot less, but nevertheless we have more than enough great places to choose from.  Although there is an amazing and large constructed plaza in the town for fiestas and concerts etc, the actual plaza is somewhat more bijou than the one we left behind in Mallorca with one cafe and one restaurant/bar. But we love it 😍

We've done lots of work in the garden this week and cleared so many car loads of vegetation that the lady who runs the council's green waste recycling centre now knows Ian pretty well!  He even broke a fork during his efforts which takes quite some doing 💪 😂

A lovely part of this past week was choosing a gorgeous olive tree at the local garden centre which was bought with birthday money from Ian's children so it's very special to him.  We found a great place for it and luckily the garden centre delivery guys helped get it in place as it was rather more of a challenge than planting out your average shrub 😂

Yesterday I finished my first oil painting.  I have loved every minute of it and learned so much. I think the last 15 months have allowed many of us to reassess what's important to us and of course this led to our move here.  But it's also about the smaller things.  And I haven't done any art since I did 'O' level more years ago than I care to admit to 😳  There is something about oil paint that has always drawn me, and so when I discovered a wonderful local art teacher I just went for it.  I'll be doing some more learning under her guidance throughout June and have started to think about subject matter beyond that.  Who knows what the future holds, but I know I'm going to enjoy it!  

One thing that seems apparent from the media (social and otherwise) is how grateful for the small things we now are.  Things we took for granted before we now seem thrilled by.  I've lost count of the number of happy faces I've seen on social media having a meal or drink 'out out' 😃; or meeting friends; or having BBQs and so on.  I really hope that this childlike (in the best possible sense of the word) joy continues long after the recent past has become a distant one.

In the meantime, stay safe and hasta la próxima semana!