Sigh.....So much has happened since I last wrote that I will find it hard to recall it all, but here goes. After I last blogged I called the family and went over to meet them for the day on the Monday (I think???) Anyway, I had learnt my lesson well and was not just about to tow the caravan on to someone's land with out first having met them and spent some time with them. We all know what you can end up with. So off we went. We arrived and I was talked at non stop pretty much with out drawing breath for the first two hours. The dad of the family ranted about (and these are the thing I can remember) his plan for the land, a community, how people had come and gone and not been right, how the police were horrible here, how all other land apart from there's was bad, how all the ex pats in the area took drugs and were not nice, oh and how they had just had a court case because the social services had wanted them to send their children to school and vaccinate them, also that there were aliens up on the mountains around them. (This was in passing and I though was a joke at this point) Basically it will be hard life here. I felt really drained at this point. They explained how they wanted people to come and work the land with them, but I got the real feeling that he would want it all done his way s rightly so it was his land. I couldn't see it working. Anyway we were jut staying for a while and would park our caravan up the hill or the duration of our stay and just help out a bit. There kids seemed lovely and fair enough. Then he went out and the mum got really emotional and talked about how she was lonely and isolated. Their son had no one to play with and she was really frustrated about waiting for seven years so far for the right people to come. She cried and got upset at being so isolated and also spoke about how the dad would shout a lot and this was why others had left. I think he is very dominant and people have found this hard to deal with. I felt very sorry for her. They had moved out here, got their dream bit of land, animals, sun, but no people at all. They didn't get on with the villagers or their neighbours either. My heart did go out to her......Then she started talking about the aliens again. Ok, then the penny dropped. They were not joking. So I had managed to find depressed, broke, isolated alien believing healers in the middle of Portugal. Well, with the luck I have had with families so far what did I expect. She desperately wanted us to come and stay (unsurprisingly) and we left saying that we would call in a few days if we were going to come and stay.
We didn't call.
On the way back to the camp site we passed what looked a abandoned puppy by the side of the road. This upset me as what the hell could I do. (Still feeling bad about this) and several drunken men staggering out in the road shouting?
So we woke up on the Tuesday to pouring rain which lasted all day. We went into the local village and got tug buy the prices. I think this is due to the nearest big town being a long way away. We sat in the caravan chatted and decided that we were heading back to Spain. Portugal wasn't for us. I felt it was just too rural for us. (Sorry Clare! We will visit when your settled I promise. xx) We need to be a bit nearer a big town and I was missing my Spanish very much. So we woke up...oh God I don't know Thursday? and headed of to Sevilla with the plan of exploring Granada. Why I don't know? I wanted too. We got to Sevilla yesterday and stayed one night before heading to Granada where we are now. During this two days I managed to get on the internet, this is not easy here, and get an email from someone near Granada who is looking for someone to run some home school sessions. How weird! So we got in contact and are of to meet them all tomorrow. Apparently this area is the biggest congregation of home eders in Spain! There are loads and a Montessori school and a Steiner. I had no idea. We are off to a community in a valley an hour away who re starting a home school project and want someone to run it. They are building a straw bale house for the person to live in. I have no idea what to expect other then being told that all sorts of people live there in some kind of a community and there are in their words "hippies and punks" there. I'm really interested. We have been invited to go and stay with the caravan, but due to all of my experiences so far being, lets say, a bit dodgy we are visiting for the day. I will up date you when we get back. Wish me luck! Glad to be back in Spain and Matt currently sat in the caravan with a Spain friend. Really like it here a lot.
The mountains in the back ground are the Sierra Nevada. There is still some snow on the top. Tim would love to live here....he can snow board in winter!
No comments:
Post a Comment