wet wet wet

We holidayed in Galicia during the last week in October before now and it rained like a monsoon for the whole week - doing the same this week so there is some consistency in the weather but the locals say it is all wrong compared with the weather patterns for last century. There has been a lot of snow in Asturias and the inland SE of Galicia - tempting to go and play in it but I need to get a new set of tyres on the van before we drive up and down hairpin hills in snow.

Our 200 euro stove decided to crack so that is going back and we will prob buy a slightly better one - it only had to last a few months to pay for itself (compared to the cost of bottled gas we would use on central heating) worth a gamble but I am not gambling twice so we hope to exchange it for a more robust model this evening. The opening hours of small shops here are extrodinary by UK standards more like the kind of hours Spar shops do; 9 - 2 ish then 4pm - 9 or 10 pm..even things like shoe shops and stove shops are open until 9 pm even estate agents stay open til 8pm - very handy but I would not like to work those hours. Sunday virtually everything is closed including big supermarkets and most shops are closed after 2 pm on Mondays too.

Next weeks task is to grapple with the transfer from UK Inland Revenue to the Spanish Hacienda re taxes eeek its a huge form and can take 9 months or more to sort out or so I hear...then there is importing the car and all that entails and oh dear my UK car tax runs out today and the insurance next month.. that needs sorted too - life does not half get in the way of living sometimes.....mucho papel y la mucha administración.