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As you can see (I included a photograph of snow on the balcony in December last year), we do have snow in Spain, as well as sun! Fortunately, there is much more of the latter.
I am delighted to say that we have had another lovely year, with lots of visitors (see the Visitors’ Gallery on the website—www.jubilacion.co.uk). We have also taken up more pursuits, like quizzing, and continued others...like partying and eating out!
Bill is still enjoying the sun—his front is as brown as a berry, but his back is still white! He has had lots of football to watch this year, English, Spanish and international, together with the wrestling, and his latest spectator sport—Strictly Come Dancing! He was, of course, a ballroom dancer himself in years gone by, famed for his hip movement in the rumba. But his favourite pastime is still eating out...he has even been known to miss a Liverpool match in favour of a meal.
Peter has had a bad year as far as his cycling goes. He damaged his knee in March and is only now getting back to regular rides, although he has been building it up gradually on a trainer in the garage for a couple of months or so. He had a lot of trouble with it for the first few weeks, and it severely affected his mobility. However, he has still been able to get on with the building of the garden, as you can see from our web site. A great deal of work has gone into painting and planting since June when our lovely pool was finished. The gravelling of the lower two terraces has now been completed and there is just some feature planting to do to set off the new olive trees and the existing plants, and the painting of the walls...before Christmas, perhaps.
In the summer he finally took up the challenge of painting, and joined a watercolour class at the Art Centre. He is thoroughly enjoying it although, naturally, finding it frustrating when the brush won’t paint what his eye can see, like everyone else! He has also been making a collection of photographs to be painted in due course.
You may have noticed that the address at the head of this missive is slightly longer than before. Thanks to the efforts of the Residents’ Association under Peter’s direction the Town Hall agreed to name the roads on Montesano and even produced ceramic signs to our choice of names and a big ceramic map to be displayed near the offices at the entrance. And they had all the roads properly surfaced! It was a great success and has made a real difference. During the year a property developer produced a plan to build a golf course and 1500 houses in the valley just in front of us, but, after an anxious few months for the people of the town, the Town Council voted it out by 5-2, and the land has now been re-classified as agricultural, so it should stay as it is—for the time being, anyway. Who can tell about the future...they are supposed to be building a bypass soon, anyway.
I continue with my art classes, and am learning all sorts of interesting new techniques. The Art Centre Easter Exhibition was a big success and I sold one of my exhibits, which was a great thrill. I am still proofreading as well, and building a website for one of our favourite restaurants in Javea, so you will be able to check it out in the New Year.
And here we are, looking forward to Christmas again! We are going to the same restaurant as last year, but this time we are going to the Christmas Eve dinner followed by carol singing! Friends are coming with us, and then joining us on Christmas Day for a full day of eating, drinking and playing games like charades and Trivial Pursuits. It will be really good!
We all send our love and very best wishes to you and yours, and hope that your Christmas will be filled with love and laughter, and that 2006 will be the best year you ever had.
Be good to yourselves...
