From locating the cargo area at the airport, to directing taxis to my apartment, and trying to buy pyjamas, the biggest hurdle since we landed has been my lack of Spanish.  Hand signals, pointing, sad eyes, and the terrible Brit-abroad tactic of speaking louder and trying to make English words sound foreign really aren’t a strategic solution; I should probably learn some basic Spanish.

The apartment was precisely where I’d hoped it would be,  (Streetview had me 90% confident) and with splendid sea views, and after locating a few immediate essentials – extra bed linen and towels, a new shower curtain, litter tray, terrace furniture, champagne flutes, shot glasses and coasters – I am quite content.  I expect to fall foul of recycling rules and the such like for a little while yet; I still need to find myself a friendly neighbour to help me out in return for a glass of wine or two.

I really appreciate being in the same time zone as most of my friends; whilst it’s a huge comfort to have the cats with me, and they are very friendly, their banter is limited.  I’ve travelled and lived alone before but, as many a Londonite, I have deliberately cultivated an unapproachable aura which I plan to keep up when out and about or dining alone.  Am I lonely?  Not yet, hurrah for social media, and the promise of visits!

I’ve been trying to be strong willed enough to do my coursework and resist the pull to lie on the terrace and bask from sun up to sun down.  So far I’m not doing too badly – I’ve completed my VHF theory and my PPR is in hand; I have a week sailing commencing tomorrow, which is precisely when I am going to realise how much I have ahead of me.  It has been three and a bit years since I last sailed, and that was a leisurely week with my dad, dallying around marinas we know, with a professional to hand should something complicated arise.  I have read my skippers handbook cover to cover and practiced my knots with a skinny belt, I just hope I don’t embarrass myself too much.

Rabbit, hole, tree…..