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61

General Discussion Area / Re: Private BattlesI

« on: 25 January 2024, 19:33:55 »

You are right. This year we are going into overdrive on making memories.

We have our affairs in order but there are one or two things we need to do.

Been a few developments. Our dog’s health deteriorated quite rapidly over the last weekend. So much for weeks or months. We decided during Sunday night that we needed to have him put down. He couldnt even walk to go and have a pee or lift his leg. Never seen that on a male dog. Monday morning rang the local vet- already out treating sheep. So lifted him in the car and off to local town . All three vets not working Monday morning…….. So rang our vet in Granada. Hour away for an appointment . Vet had difficulty finding a leg vein! But eventually he was gone. Totally horrible experience. For ten years he has been an integral part of our every day life - going everywhere with us..One plus is we now have a much bigger pool of rented accommodation available and places we can go to are much more.  Anyway we are coming to terms with his demise.

The 82 year old expat in hospital is a a different bag. He is on daily dialisys to try and kick start his kidneys. Not eating but drinking copious alcohol each day has improved his look. However the hospital warn he is likely to get pneumonia.

We have been trying to get his deceased wifes will but it is like running through treacle Getting his is slightly more impossible. Half a dozen of us are having a conflab tomorrow to agree a way forward. Eg get a paid solicitor involved. He might solve the impasse by getting a notary to visit the hospital…… Wills, inheritence is slightly differen5 here. For example tax and dues are paid within six months and she died five weeks ago.

YZ250. What a truly horrible situation. My brothers youngest sons wife died at start of Covid from a treatable  illness, leaving husband with two children. Sister in law has run herself into the ground trying to help ever since. .I sincerely hope life improves for you from now on.

This has all confirmed we need to put our house up for sale this Spring. Time for a new chapter and make loads more memories. Onwards and upwards.

62

General Discussion Area / Re: Dyson V6 head question

« on: 24 January 2024, 18:52:13 »

Is it an active head, ie with a motor at the back to turn the roller?  I believe most Dyson cordless only use active heads, other than the crevice type tools, but I dont have anything as old as a V6

If it is an active head, check the electrical connections where it joins the extension pipe - you can assume the extn pipe and main unit is OK if other heads work, but I know you can get crap into the electrical connections causing the head motor not to run.

Yes it is.  Great suggestion. Will have a look tomorrow.

63

General Discussion Area / Dyson V6 head question

« on: 24 January 2024, 10:04:58 »

We have two heads. Carpet cleaner works great on what few carpets we have.

The other general purpose head doesnt rotate so useless on smooth surfaces like floor tiles.

I have had it to pieces times and cleaned it. Bothe bearings run smoothly on the large roller.

There is however resistance when you turn the cross spigot on the end of the assembly that goes inside the blue and red roller. Is that by design or the culprit?

64

General Discussion Area / Private BattlesI

« on: 21 January 2024, 20:51:48 »

I first used this expression back in October.

Little did I know then how our lives would unravel since. It started with a load of grief over my Dads daily care, ending in a complaint which still hasn’t been resolved.

Then some casual Brit friends we had a coffee with contacted us with a plea for help. Her health meant she couldnt get to the doctor could she have a lift. She was in and out of hospital ending with  a double pneumonia diagnosis. Plus Covid caught in the hospital from the next bed ( two bed rooms) . Scan showed advanced metastasised lung cancer. Inoperable. She died just before xmas. Her husband at 82 ,, 12 years older) has very poor health and crucially did nothing around the house so knew no passwords, utility providers or where their wills were etc.When I say poor health he nearly lost his leg 15 months ago and has been having a dressing changed 3 times a week since. Cant cook. Cant speak Spanish. Friday gone he is back in hospital. Had two sessions on Dialysis
There is a very small group of us and other expats trying to help him with unravelling a mountain of admin  translating, plus visiting, feeding his pets etc etc. no relatives.no money other than house equity and now his state pension. All told his situation is pretty poor.

I managed to write our 4x4 off just by forgetting to put the handbrake on whilst I got out to show how our dogs cancer had been cured.  Lost quite a bit of money through carelessness.

In fact we have made quite a few duff decisions purely from being tired, rushed. We are fortunate that we can just take them on the chin and move on.

Perhaps the most crushing thing by far is more problems with our dog who is 11 and a half. He was abandonded age about 1 with a small heart problem and we rescued him from the countryside in a really bad state. A few years later he suffered a simple intrusion in his ear drum by a barbed grass seed . Our vet at the time claimed to have removed it all but hadnt. To cut a long story short he had to have a hole drilled into his skull ( bulla) to drain the mank and was left deaf , blind on that side of his head and face dead that side. He bounced back and was a great companion. We went away ( he travels everywhere with us due to separation anxiety) for New Year which was a disaster as he developed a problem which meant he couldnt stand up on New Years eve. New Years day we drove to our vet for emergency consultation and diagnosis. Back five days later as he was throwing up. They decided allergic to anti inflammatory. Still not happy with diagnosis , went back and they decided dog has advanced liver cancer that has spread to his lungs. That will explain the cough he has had for the last two years which failed to respond to various different treatment. We have a bag full of tablets and a weeks or possibly months timescale. Come back for THE injection when you judge his quality of life is … well you get the idea. Might be a lot quicker than that. Hasnt ate today, was sick and he is getter cuter at rejecting tablets. We are gutted even though it is only a dog.

Mrs V is ill with the wretched cough everyone ( except me ) has got. Been weeks. Spain has reintroduced masks in hospitals, GPs due to the big uptick in respiratory illness.

Anyway, enough there is more , I have rambled on. Roll on a return to better times

65

General Discussion Area / Re: Head bans prayer

« on: 21 January 2024, 19:40:23 »

I wonder how Christians fare in a Muslim country if they want to do something according to their religion?

We have 7 fairly young men and women in our Spanish classes. They arent allowed to go to discos. Very entrenched views on jobs for men and womens place ( in the home) Zero chance of equality. Maybe a 100 years behind the West for womens rights.

66

General Discussion Area / Re: Rwanda.... Again!

« on: 20 January 2024, 09:05:00 »

We have the same here in Spain. Just a few examples:

A lot of Spaniards will never darken the door of a discount shop ( like a huge Wilkos) run by the Chinese.

Locals here wont use “ their “cafe whilst a group of Brits sit at the best table talking loudly in….English. They confide in us how they hate them.

We live in the countryside and we are outraged by the farmers ,99% Spanish ,who live in nice houses in the town and litter even their own olive groves. Stuff like cigarette wrappings just fall out of their hands or vehicle windows.

Job vacancies are filled as follows. Family, someone recommended by family, another Spaniard, finally a foreigner even if they have lived here for years. Illegal employment is still happening for very low paid jobs. One of our neighbours had some African blacks working the season on his olives and even charged them to sleep in one of his run down farm houses. It had cold running water and nothing else. ( the workers probably saw it as an improvement as we have seen them sleeping in a cave).

67

General Discussion Area / Re: Word Association.

« on: 14 January 2024, 19:35:15 »

Man

68

General Discussion Area / Re: Alaskan Door escape

« on: 09 January 2024, 10:18:33 »

I wonder if Ryanair will charge a premium for non window seats?

Pay £10 priority to guarantee you WON’T get allocated a seat next to an innocent looking window which is actually a “ plug” with loose bolts.

It is like something out of squid games!

69

General Discussion Area / Re: Back to school today!

« on: 08 January 2024, 23:41:20 »

My daughter and son in law are considering moving to Lanzegrotty. She is doing Spanish lessons, SIL not bothered. Surprises me how many British expats never bother to learn the lingo of the country they're in. Just assume that the locals all speak English. 

Day to day you can get by with just basics. Pointing at menus, having the same drink all the time and buying food in supermarkets paying by card. The difficulties start when things go wrong. Health, detained by officials, car breakdown, in fact anything breakdown, overcharge on utility bill ( one town has a large number of folk who have been vastly overcharged on their water bills)

A vet we used, confided how her stomach is turned everytime she hears Hyyarr . In our local village, the locals wont use the outside area until the rude British expats go as they refuse to speak In Spanish to the staff.

My recommendation ronny is for them both to learn. Even with the basics, it is a far better experience.

70

General Discussion Area / Re: Back to school today!

« on: 08 January 2024, 12:47:29 »

Opti - his younger wife did everything for him.

71

General Discussion Area / Back to school today!

« on: 08 January 2024, 10:41:18 »

Our Spanish language night classes restart tonight.  Two at two hours ( no break) plus a minimum of 2 x two hours homework per week. We actually do more as being the oldest in the class our absorption levels are err lower. Coupled with travelling time it occupies a fair chunk of our lives.

We were reasonably fluent before but had many bad habits. As we intend to see our time out here it makes sense.  The class is taught in Spanish as the only common language though the tutor has some English. There is an Italian, Turk, Ukrainian, South African and about 7 Moroccans .  The Moroccans are all young and so quick to learn……

We take a recently bereaved Brit to the doctors to translate for him and because he doesn’t drive. 82 and lived here 15 years nd speaks zero Spanish.

Anyone else doing night classes?

72

General Discussion Area / Re: Sticky for Jokes

« on: 03 January 2024, 23:59:41 »

Dry January is dragging on a bit

73

General Discussion Area / Re: Luke Littler.

« on: 03 January 2024, 13:00:14 »

Maybe led a full life already?

74

General Discussion Area / Re: Happy new year......

« on: 01 January 2024, 09:48:48 »

Happy new year all.

I guess as a new years resolution I could get the Omega out the Garage for a spin 

Round trip of Europe pulling in 20 countries?

75

General Discussion Area / Re: Happy new year......

« on: 01 January 2024, 09:10:30 »

Wise words.

We are busy making memories, you cant take money with you. Today we are have the special crab burger at Crabby’s having reserved the best table overlooking the bay of Cadiz.

Tomorrow eating at Casa Bigote on the beach at Sanlucar after visiting Elias bodega for a crate of manzanilla.

Happy New Year all, get making memories!