Out of hibernation…

So, the weather is slowly improving and apart from the odd day when winter re tightens its grip we are for the most part enjoying sunny and bright days again.

Which is just as well as me and my trusty chariot (aka Gigi) have been putting quite a lot of tarmac under our wheels over the last few weeks as I get to grips with what is commonly known as networking – or having cups of tea in assorted cafes across the Costa del Sol!!

No, in all seriousness I have met some amazing women over the last month or so and we have formed some great collaborations and friendships and out of the laughter, fun and cups of tea have morphed some great ideas and business opportunities. It seems that my humble ‘raw onion bread’ may well be manufactured and sold to actual real live health food shops – how exciting is that

One of the events that I have organised with two of the lovely ladies I have met is a wonderful weekend detox retreat entitled ‘Release Your Inner Calm’ – we all have some but sadly it remains hidden from us for much of the time!!

This will be my first foray into the retreat world and I have a feeling that it is going to be a great success – you may think that I am blowing my own trumpet there but no, not a bit of it.

I am just so in awe of the collective power of women when they come together in a nurturing environment that I just know that the universe is going to send us the people we need (men and women) so that we can make this retreat something really special for them.

Don’t take my word for it though, take a ride over to my website and have a look for yourself.

Its official…..winter has arrived

Those that know me will confirm that I don’t do cold weather very well. In fact I am pretty lousy at it. I hate nothing more that feeling cold and I detest being swaddled in layers of clothes trying to keep warm which means that for the 40 odd years that I spent living in the UK I was a grumpy old bear.

So, as you can imagine, spending the winter in Spain is a great joy to me as the thermometer rarely falls below 10C at night and hangs around the mid to high teens in the day. Perfect for her royal grouchiness and those that have to live with me (namely hubby and the cats 🙂 )

But, the natural order of things seems to have been shaken up this week and winter has very firmly arrived and planted its bloomin’ cold hand on our tropical paradise.

With temperatures plummeting to zero overnight and a savage icy wind howling around the campsite life in Bessie has a decidedly bleak feel to it.

I am tired having had little sleep for the last three nights due to the fierce winds that threaten to blow away our awning at any moment.

Oscar who weighs little more than a few bags of sugar nowadays and has zero fat on him is as cold as nails at night and so restless as heck. I try vainly to cover him in a blanket or duvet but that just freaks him out and so he spends the whole night getting up and down to (supposedly) keep himself warm.

Molly on the other hand has been laying down blubber all summer for precisely this occasion (or so she would tell you) and so weighs considerably more than Oscar. However, even her seal like proportions are failing to keep her warm overnight. To rectify this she has taken to sleeping on top of me to get my warmth and so the little sleep I am managing to get is thwarted as I suffer from a medieval form of torture by having the breath squeezed out of me.

Hubby has taken to wearing his bright orange ski jacket and green fleecy hat (I know but I didn’t marry him for his fashion flair) inside the caravan and I am modeling a very fetching pair of sequined fingerless mittens (a girl can still do glamour even in the most dire of situations you know) and a rather snuggy scarf whilst lounging under the two duvets on the bed.

Daisy Duke – our recent feral cat – is bravely coping with the conditions and hubby very sweetly warmed her tuna this morning as he was rather concerned about how cold she must have been in the awning overnight.

You may be able to detect from all this that I am less than happy about the situation. Shivering our ****s was certainly not on the list of things to enjoy about overwintering in Spain…… 😦

Now, I know that compared to some we are extremely lucky. Parts of Eastern Europe are suffering much, much worse conditions than these…….but just a word to whoever needs to hear…… ENOUGH ALREADY.

Feel free to resume with normal service whenever you are ready…….PLEASE.