Ever Felt Silly

If you have ever felt silly then you will know what I mean.

After suffering for days in the excessive heat with no air con in our lounge or bedroom we phoned the air con company again.  “Hello Mick how are you?”, they said.  “Hot!” said Mick.  “Sorry we will come out today” they said.

Sure enough this time they turned up.  I think we gave the engineer a laugh.  Two minutes is all it took.  He showed us where we ‘reset’ the air con unit.  “Like a computer” he said in Spanish pointing at my computer.

So for about a week we have been sweltering in the heat and all we had to do was flick a switch off in the fuse box; leave it a few minutes and then flick it back on!

Oh well he probably went away thinking ‘crazy English’.  What he has to remember is we come from a colder climate where air con is only used in offices and big buildings and rarely at home…. we won’t forget how to do that in a hurry 🙂

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Padron and other stuff

We are now registered on the Padron.

The lovely Tamara came up from Magaluf to help us and thank goodness she did. We started off at the official Town Hall in Alcudia and were told that they didn’t deal with it and were directed elsewhere. After trying what looked like another official building we were directed on to another building that looked nothing like an official place 😉

Then of course the forms that they had filled in for us were no good and we were handed the new style forms! Anyway Tamara controlled the situation and soon we were fully fledged residents of Alcudia!

Leaving Tamara outside she was off to find the Health Centre in the Port of Alcudia to get us registered there as now we have the official document showing we are residents we can now be allocated a doctor.

When that all gets done we will eventually have all our ‘official’ documents given to us. That is our residencia cards, health cards, certificate of registration on the Padron and anything else I have forgotten!

Oh the easy part was my OH driving licence medical. Go to the authorised medical centre, see the doctor, take the tests, pay the 57 Euros and you’re done. Also as an added extra my OH ‘saved’ the nurse from a cockroach! Now all we have to do is wait for the licence to arrive in the post.

So it has only taken 8 months so far 😉

Medicals, Padron and all that stuff

It has taken nearly 8 months so far and we are still not completely there.

Left on the ‘to do’ list is registering on the Padron (which originally we were told that we would have assistance) and a medical.

The company that has been aiding us with the change over into complete residential status has lacked a bit now that the summer season is here and it is the busiest time for them.

We were told originally that one of them would come up to Alcudia from Magaluf and come along to register us on the Padron. No mention of that recently!

Also we were told that they would help us to find a doctor. Again, no assistance there.

Oh and the medical? Well Mick’s driving licence expires in 2017 and trafico want him to undergo a medical before they give him a Spanish driving licence. I said we don’t have a doctor yet and was told that any medical centre accepted by trafico would do it – for a fee of course. Recommended medical centres they suggested were in Palma or Palma Nova!

That doesn’t help very much as it is about 50 minutes from here. There has to be something closer.

Also on the to do list:

1. Find a dentist
2. Find a vet

So on we go with do it yourself because helping wee bit lacking during busy times…

Visiting the UK

A lot has happened since my last post and it is now time to update since we are in the UK at the moment.

Without going into detail we have returned on a visit to the UK on family matters. We had intended to visit toward the end of the year but circumstances brought our plans suddenly forward.

However with the help of our family we have accommodation to stay in and a car to drive.

Prior to leaving Mallorca I had been through a month of intense and stressful work. Coupled to that I had a new dog that decided he was the boss and an Internet connection that had been off at times up to 5 hours! I was in no mood for any more hiccups. During the month I had done my fair share of moaning and threatening to move back to UK!

The flights were booked and parking at Palma airport was both very reasonable and simple to do. Flying for the first time for about 7 years was certainly an eye opener (we had previously driven down each year).

The flight itself was quick but the palaver at airports (mainly Gatwick) was annoying and literally a pain for my husband with his bad back!

So here we are, back in the UK.

Within a very short space of time (literally minutes – actually at the airport) I could see with fresh eyes and remember all the reasons I had originally dreamed of living in Mallorca.

We are only here for 7 days and we return home on Monday. ‘Home’ now that is a word I had not used before because I was still not settled. But now I realise that I have changed over the past 7 months. Without realising it I had been settling into the Spanish way of life.

Sure I miss my family but this has proved that we are not too far away and it is possible to return at short notice. It is lovely to see everyone in the flesh and to have a hug but we all have our own lives to lead.

Within a short space of time I started finding myself comparing my life in Mallorca with the life I would lead here. Mallorca came out on top.

I still have a long way to go to integrate fully, to learn the language better, to make new friends and to learn to be ‘tranquilo’ but I will get there and hopefully as time moves on then family and friends will also be able to come and visit us and see why we love the island.

So, although it was a sad reason to return, it has hopefully settled me down a little and I can appreciate just what I have.

To my little dog, Freddy, I say hang on in there, I will be home soon – and I’m the pack leader 🙂