In 1985, a year after I started my first job, I bought myself a house. I could only afford it because unemployment locally was so high that half the town was trying to move away. In fact my mortgage payments on the house in Shotton were slightly less than rent on a bedsit in neighbouring Chester. The catch, of course, was that the bedsit was furnished and the house wasn’t….
Busy, busy, busy
Friday morning went on helping Helen and Theresa with paperwork, which gave us all chance to catch up on the chatting. A friend of mine’s gone to work on another island. Since she was leaving on the Sunday afternoon ferry, she stayed with us on Saturday night and on Sunday we hosted a small leaving party at lunchtime. Helen and Theresa promised to bake a cake, which they did. Shame…
Rural Houses
There’s an alternative kind of accommodation aside from the obvious hotels and pensions on La Palma, and that’s casas rurales – country houses. As the name suggests, these are houses for rent in the countryside. It’s self-catering accommodation, which is, of course, very flexible, and tends to suit walkers. The local government has a registration scheme, and they have a reputation for being demanding, which is good news for tourists….
Little Woolly Hats
The other lot of knitting I’ve been doing lately is little woolly hats for Save the Children’s Knit One, Save One campaign. (Another link for USA) Newborn babies lose a lot of heat from their heads. In colder countries, poor babies can lose so much heat that they get pneumonia – and at that point there’s no money for a doctor or medicines. Pneumonia still kills around 2 million children…
The Things Great Aunties Do
I haven’t managed to meet little Saul yet, and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to do so. But in the mean time, I’ve been knitting for him. Actually, did the hat and bootees before we went to El Hierro, and I did most of the little jacket while we were on El Hierro, but I only just got the buttons and finished things off.
Tuning Cars
Santa Cruz hosts a tuning car show this evening and tomorrow afternoon. Tonight (Friday) starting at 5pm, is kids’ day, with bouncy castles, and a circuit for mini-motors and quads. Later on there will be an open-air dance (verbena) with live music from the group Mayeya. Tomorrow (Saturday), from midday until eleven pm, is the main show for adults. There will be prizes awarded in twenty-four categories (oldest, cleanest, best…