Off to Portugal we go...

Ok, it ha been a while, I know. We have been suffering with lack of internet issues. Were to start? Tim arrived on...hang on what day is it now? (she checks her phone to see) Ok so he arrived on Sunday afternoon and promptly fell asleep. Well it was just like being at home. he was knackard and running on two hours sleep so spend the rest of Sunday asleep. (I will have to load all the photos as and when I can get a signal, as there is no signal here at all on my phone. (So I can't make any calls until next site tomorrow) He woke up for Monday and we went off to the oceangraphic in Valencia and had a lovely day! (Photos to follow) We then spent Tuesday on the beach, and Amy's Birthday on the Wednesday at the water park. A good time was had by all and we were sad to see him leave on the Wednesday evening straight after cake and candles with Amy.
Random photos now that I have managed to get off my phone, however they are in no order as the emails aren't coming through in order and taking hours to go off. this first one is Amy just after she had ridden her bike for the first time...Oh the shock...

So here are the gallery photos and the last of the Mariola ones.

So these are the ones from some of last week, including Tims visit and Amy's Birthday. 

We saw lots of animals at the zoo, and have had a few great days out...

So now we find ourselves here.....

And can I just say that the caravan was reversed into that space by me! Don't ask how, as I still don't know how. I think I was speared on by the fact that at the last two sites I have seen people hit trees and take down bins, smashing their lights in, and that was couples who had help. No one can reverse them like experts as you just don't have the space to practice. I saw one couple really take a bin out and smash their lights in and that was while she was supposedly giving instructions through the window. Any way, we are now just under two hours off the Portuguese boarder. On the N 430. We drove from Valencia straight across from east to west and are now ready to cross the boarder tomorrow. The site here is lovely and the owners are really nice. So tomorrow a new country, and one I know little about. This should be interesting. we are going to stay in a site not far from the boarder the other side for a night or two, before going on up to near where the families we have been in contact with live. I must say the kids where great in the car yesterday and considering it was nearly 6 hours I still felt like we had a great day. we stopped and chatted about the journey and looked at the map, and then went swimming as soon as we arrived. I am really enjoying being with them. A moment of feeling very lucky I think. I meet a guy who was cycling to the Sahara dessert  yesterday. We chatted for ages and he left London on his bike and will return in four years when he has seen the world. We talked about fear and how it can stop people from following what the want to do. The fear of doing something is never ever what it is actually like to do it in reality. Fear is nothing more then a thought saying something that it actually know's nothing about yet! It hasn't done it yet. To feel the fear and do it anyway is a real buzz, and what's the worst that can happen? You can brake down on the side of the road, get your car smashed, and have your card eaten in the same week. Do you know what though...I would do it all again tomorrow. I have met some wonderful people and seen some amazing places because of that. All those friends who have emailed me and said you are inspired to take off with your children...go for it! The world is amazing and there for the exploring. Spain is Beautiful, friendly, and warm! I could be sat in that house in England, waiting for my husband to come home and fall asleep....er...no....Next country tomorrow.......

Will try and post gain later as loads to say still...Wifi dependent.

Zoo, Beaches, and lot's of sun...

As our time on the Mariola has ended I must say it is nice not to be running for water from a font every few days. I enjoyed cooking on the fire, but not smelling like one all the time, and the ability to go for a semi warm shower is much appreciated by us all. 

We ended our stay with a gallery exhibition by all the children who showed off their work and then sold it off for money for charity.  

I do have photos of the side of the caravan covered in their work, but as my phone can't connect to the wifi here as it is so poor I can't get the photos off my phone yet. They will have to come on mass later on. We are now in Devesa, which in right next to Valencia in a camp site that is not great. It will do until Tim has been. We have been to the BioParc yesterday which was really nice and then the beach. We seem to spend a lot of time here at the beach as we are right on it. It is nice to feel like we are on holiday again for a bit. We are now waiting for Tim to arrive on Sunday at lunch time and then we have some more days out planned. Until then it is mainly the beach and hopefully a few siestas! It is hot here now and we are coming out of the midday heat to find shelter in the shade and snooze. We are having our first really child day today at the camp site and just playing and veging as we have been out and about a lot lately.  The children are playing in the soft play area (which from next week they charge 4 euros for a pop?) and we are off to the beach when it cools down later. The pool here opens on Sunday so no doubt there will be a lot more swimming from then on too. We are booked in here until the 27th, which is the day after Tim leaves and then we are heading off towards Portugal. I will have to post the photos from our days out here at the next camp site when or if I get wifi. It is nice to be on our own for a bit now before we stay with another family. We have five weeks until we are due to arrive with them at the beginning of August. I will post again when Tim has arrived and if I can get the photos off of my phone and onto here. Until then....the beach! 

We have moved.....

After returning to Mariola from the coast i decided that it was time to move on. Being on the mountain is not conducive to learning any Spanish as you don't actually get to speak to anyone in Spanish up there, and it's so isolated that once we had done that area it was taking longer and longer to explore other regions. So we have moved. We are now in a camp site in Valencia. We are planning to explore the city and the local attractions and stay here until Tim comes at the end of the week for a few days, and then it is on to Portugal. We will travel across Spain and Straight into central Portugal. The Wifi here as ever is only available on the cafe terrace, so yet again I am sat out side with the laptop with the kids running around. Spain really hasn't got the whole wifi thing going great yet. Anyway. I will post and get photos up when I can. We have already hit the beach and are off to the zoo tomorrow for the day. I will let you know how it goes, and what it is like. Tired today as towed the caravan and loaded and unloaded on my own yesterday and am feeling it today. More details to follow when not under pressure to go and cook some tea....Now. Relaxed post at some point.....maybe???

and now to see my Parents....

We had a great time here. Yes it is very busy and hectic, but we managed to stay to the outskirts and not go into the hectic bit much. We did the circus, the animal park, and the water park, and the children had a great time.

here is a bit of a quiz for you all...Where is Matt in this picture?

Have you found him yet? 

Yep, typical Matt...

So as our time in Benidorm comes to a close, we are heading of to see my parents who are out here on holiday for two weeks. We are staying the night before heading back to the Mariola. The place here is very posh and the villa they have is really nice with it's own pool and posh bathrooms. It's a step up from the caravan on the Mariola boiling water on a fire. I will be pleased to get back to the quite of the Mariola though and retreat to the hill where the kids can run around. We will stay there for a few weeks before planning our next trip off. So the wifi will be no more and we will be back to the cafe again. 

With regard to work here, I have been talking to loads of people and there is lots of work here. I could walk into a job in a private school today just with the TEFL or there are lots of people setting up private lessons who are full and have waiting lists here. I think anywhere in land in Spain will have more then enough work if I want to teach here. As for a more alternative education project, I don't know. The towns here are very conservative and I think we would have to head to a larger city. I have had lots of intercambios with teachers here now, who say the education system is a nightmare here. I think this would suit Portugal better maybe? We will see when we head there next month. All I know is that where ever we are we would like there to be nice people, nice weather, and other families with similar values whom the children can play and socialise with. This is important for us as a home educating family. I don' t want to teach all the time and yet my own children feel isolated out here. Lets see what Portugal has to offer? 

We had such a nice day....

Today we went to Mundomar park. It was lovely. We got to see a dolphin show, sea lion show, and a parrot show, all of which the children loved. It was a lovely day. We wondered around for the whole afternoon and then returned for a swim in the pool at the camp site. I will add the photos tomorrow as I am struggling with the wifi here. So here are some of the kids playing in a park we found in Benidorm yesterday. We met a lovely lady who chatted to me. She lives here. Anyway, trying to use the internet to make plans for coming weeks and where to head to next. I think we will take a trip down to Granada in a week or two to have a look around. It's been really hot the last few days and even I got in the pool today, which means it must be roasting!We are off to practice my Spanish in the local park. Yes there actually are Spanish people In Benidorm. You just have to seek them out. The park near where we are staying is the local social hub, and a non English zone it would seem. We have been heading there of an evening so the kids can run about and cool down. That's where I met the lady yesterday.

Things Spain has done for us so far.....

1. Given us sun tans (so to speak) 

2. Taught Amy how to say an array of Spanish words that she happily says when approached by a Spanish person. (Non Elderly)

3. Given Amy a phobia of elderly Spanish people who persist in coming up to her in the street and pinching her cheek and saying "Muy Guapo" (My Beautiful) or picking her up and shaking her in a playful style, of which she does not find the least bit funny. They love children here loads! Maybe more then the children love them just Amy!

4. Made me realise that there are places where everyone says hello and is friendly. Southampton is not one of them. 

5. Allowed us to see that there is a slower and more gentle way of life where the moto is "tranquilla" Which everyone says all the time. "chill out or don't worry"

I'm sure there is more, but my internet time is up as the kids are now running riot. Some things never change!  

Thank god that is al over...

I don't even know how to begin this post as so much as happened since I last wrote. Being stuck on the Mariola isn't  helpful in keeping in contact with anyone, so sorry!  Having to go down to the town and write in a cafe while the kids run around means that not a lot gets written often. I will try and fill in the gaps from over the last week or so, but it may not be in chronological order. Firstly sorry to anyone who has emailed me. My lack of internet access means that my restricted time on it has to be prioritised to the blog and internet banking. That's my lot. I took the car to the garage last Monday to be fixed (take two). They lent me a Spanish car to drive, which believe me was probably my greatest challenge yet. No I was not only driving on the other side of the road, but on the other side of the car with everything the other way around. Boy did this throw me and to top it off the first journey was straight back up the Mariola road. Now the Mariola road is like one of those roads that you see on the worlds most dangerous roads programmes. You know the ones where you can see over the edge of the cliff the whole way up, winding and turning up the mountain. I would add a photo here if I could, but this would mean stopping on the road and certain death. Most of the road is only wide enough for one car and some of the bends involve prayer and a large intake of breath. Anyway, I made it mostly with my eyes shut. We spent Tuesday at the rock pools again. It was so hot and it is so amazing there. Truly beautiful. I got a call Wednesday morning to say the car was ready and off we went to collect it. True to their word they had fixed it. I have found the mechanics here to be amazing and really nice people too. Like I have said everyone here is so kind and friendly. I am still amazed at how forgiving they are about my Spanish and so encouraging. We were on the Mariola the other day and two old lady's came wandering through the land. They were on a walk with their dog and just came over to the house and started chatting. It didn't occur to them that I wouldn't speak Spanish. I chatted back as best as I could in my broken up Spanish. The whole time they were not bothered by this at all and at one point one of them commented on how surprised she was that I could speak so much Spanish. (this was her being very kind) I had a lovely chat with them and for the first time felt I had chatted in Spanish and got away with it. They have a great saying here that they all say about learning Spanish...poco a poco. Little by little. They really are sweet. They invited us up to their house so that the children could see their chickens. So I think we will go up next week and say hi. I'm sure they will spoil the kids and be really kind. I can practice my Spanish too.  Well after getting the car we spent some time on the Mariola and after a while not having water gets really hard work. It is stunning, but really hard work. My gas ran out on Wednesday so for the last few days we have been doing everything by fire too. This means heating up all the water and for cooking everything. I decided that a shower and a few days of running water were needed so...and get ready for this.....we are in Benidorm. Yes I know, I feel the same, but as the resort that is only an hour away from where we are we could get a cheap chalet and not have to go far to hit the beach. We are in a little chalet with two bedrooms and most importantly, running water and a shower! I will post lots of pics tomorrow and some more info. We are going to go to the water park here and the zoo. There is a theme park here close by and loads of stuff to do with the kids. We re booked it till Tuesday and have wifi here so I can update this  bit more before we head back to the mariola again. It is hot here now and over the last few days the temp has risen a good few degrees. Not going to head into the main part of town, but going to head to the bits we can do as a full day out. Mundomar animal park tomorrow I think? we will decide in the morning. Photos and more bits to come tomorrow as need to get the kids in bed. It is to hot the even think of sleeping until ten, half past and they have got in the habit of staying up late too. We were at the park at half eight this evening as it had only just cooled down for them to play ad run around. Sending a hug to all, Speak tomorrow.

Below are some pictures of the finished compost loo! Merlin worked really hard on it and build the children a little chair to sit on for it. His steps are great too. Also one of Bocairent. As you can see it is build up the side of a mountain and the picture here doesn't even show the most hilly bit. I can't show you that with out stopping on the road again and causing instant death via a Spanish driver up my bum. (which they always are) The mountain that you can see in the second one is the Mariola we are staying on. we are at the top of that!