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Ready to move on?

Competa, July 2008

After my last diary entry I continued to live and work in Competa and with the support of some very good friends, buenos amigos, gradually began to enjoy my life here and to cope with living on my own. Friends and family from the UK visited regularly too and for some it's become a second home, su segunda casa, once a year!

La agencia de contactos

Eighteen months or so ago and about two years after Fred died I began to think that I might be ready to contemplate the idea of finding a new relationship, something that until then I never thought I would want to do. But, as everyone tells you, you do eventually move on and so, encouraged by girlfriends Mel and Jo who were staying with me at the time, I registered with a couple of internet dating sites, agencias de contactos por internet. We had a real laugh, nos reímos mucho, writing my profile and defining the kind of man I was looking for! It took me a while to find the right site, which turned out to be one specifically aimed at ex-pats living in Spain. I was very dubious, not to say nervous, nerviosa, about the whole thing and did have one unsuccessful first 'date' which I found very off-putting and I'm not sure how long I would have continued and remained optimistic. However ...

Mr Right

Fortunately, I then got a message from Tony who lives and works in the UK but has a holiday home, una casa de vacaciones, in Andalucia which he visits regularly. We met for the first time in Bristol when I was there for a visit and have been together, estamos juntos, ever since. Initially this meant him travelling to Spain every few weeks but then last autumn it became a more regular relationship and thereby hangs another tale ...

Back to work!

Last summer I began to find life in Competa a little lonely in between Tony's visits and I had a particular dread of the oncoming winter, el próximo invierno. It's cold 2000 feet up and the long winter nights can get quite tedious when you're on your own in the countryside. I was also beginning to hanker for life back in the UK to be honest and was uncertain where I wanted to settle in the future, en el futuro. So I made a firm plan to return to Bristol to work for the winter. By October I had a six month contract to work for a housing association, had let my house and was in Bristol looking for a flat to rent, estaba buscando un piso de alquiler. I had a wonderful time enjoying the very different delights of city living in a smart new flat by the docks and was enjoying the challenge, el desafio, of working again. Everyone thought I was mad, loca, having chosen to be in the UK during the winter and there were moments as I stood at the bus stop, la parada de autobús, in the rain when I thought they might just be right! But overall I loved it and of course Tony and I were able to see each other every weekend, nos veíamos cada fin de semana.

Where next?

I'm still pretty uncertain about where I want to live in the long term but am trying just to live in the present and enjoy the luxury of semi-retirement. But for now, Tony is going to join me in Spain and we'll see where life takes us. We both love Spain and Bristol and hope to be able to enjoy, disfrutar, a little of each. In the meantime, mientras tanto, I'm continuing to work at the hotel doing their financial administration work as they very kindly held my job open over the winter. I am looking forward to, tengo muchas ganas de empezar, a very different life, una vida muy diferente, and the chance to explore Spain with my new partner. I have re-started Spanish lessons and fortunately don't seem to have forgotten too much over the winter.

Thank you, muchas gracias, to everyone who has sent such kind messages through the website. They are very much appreciated.

Sent by: Sue

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