Torrievieja and the sale of Ed

25/11 Our last day in Ed

Like kids on Christmas morning, we kept checking the time beneath the bedsheets waiting for the sun to come up before setting off on our bike ride and thus kick starting the day. Finally at 0745 we were off and for the first time this year, didn’t need a camera on the boring ride on endless bike paths paralleling the Costa Highrise.

The kids worked like champions alongside us, polishing around windows, cleaning sand from door runners, replacing snapped curtain ring holders and presstuds, streamlining the contents of the shed, doing a load of washing including throwing out clothes, socks & jocks that are too small, too threadbare, too dirty and filling up an enormous garbage bag of rubbish from Ed most of which were reams of small booklets made by Kel.

3rd time lucky

On a roll, we found it hard to stop for lunch only all agreeing at about 1530. The boys broke it up for a skate into town whilst the girls prettied Ed’s upholstery. 

We were buoyed toward the finish line by another confirmatory test from Elaine & Steve agreeing to meet for ‘The Sale’ in 2 days as well as e-mails from UK mates we hope to catch up with next week.

26/11

Hard to get used to this late sunrise but the parents went for a run down to the mill pond Mediterranean, then along the waterfront, noticing how amazingly well infra-structured this part of Spain is after recently being in Italy.  Spectacular tiled boulevards by the sea, green spaces everywhere, kids playgrounds, petanque courts, picnic tables, bike ways, even footpaths & cycle paths (not too many foot paths in Sicily).  But where are the people?

Savoured our last breakfast in Ed (fingers crossed) and then moved across to the cabin where thankfully we were allowed to park Ed next door.  The kids moved everything in and we went at it cleaning and scrubbing and buffing the insides and tossing a heap of junk that will be no use to us or Steve and Elaine.

The kids then occupied themselves playing in the cabin, skating, docking in and out to check our progress, ferrying washing to and fro.  A snack on the balcony and back into it.

By 4 we were done - the inside sparkling and fresh, all the upholstery cleaned, the seat covers left by Glen and Steve grey with dirt, underneath the seats as new - thanks Glen!

Jen cooked a magnificent satay prawns and fat shell pasta, the kids showered and the olds sorted more junk, post home, UK gear and RSA gear and then Jen went off to do a yoga class (with Jude’s sister!) while the kids watched another Harry Potter. 

27/11 Meeting The Buyers

It rained in Spain, and it blew a gale too.  All night!  The morning was darker with full cloud cover, rips of wind and drizzle but the troops were up & off to the car wash where the first 2-3 hours of our day were lovingly spent washing & polishing up Ed for the last time.  An icy wind coloured our lips blue, stood the hairs up on the kids LONG skinny bare legs and blew on our wet feet as we splashed about in the car wash leaving them completely numb but at the same time, strangely painful.  The kids kept ducked in & out of the heated toilet block to regain some feeling in their fingers & toes, skipping & giggling nonetheless.  The job was done and we all thawed out in a shower followed by a cuppa.  Wil on skates & Jen on bike made for the local Chinese €2 shop to find some Christmassy large fluffy silver & blue tinsel to wrap around Ed’s windscreen wipers and a celebratory bottle of bubbles to share with the new owners when the deal is done.

The buyers arrived as we watched from our bungalow window & circled Ed for some time who was parked beneath a flapping UK flag and shining handsomely in the sun.

We met Elaine and Steve who seemed very pleased with Ed, Elaine and Jen went back to the cabin to chat while Steve poured over Ed for a couple of hours of minor problems intimating that he had been mislead (can’t put me feet up, where’s the TV aerial, don’t want to spend any extra $, you’ve hammered the table top, the back bed is too high, the layout in my van is better, where is the electric oven you advertised (in Glen & Steve’s previous owner's ad, NOT ours), there’s not much space in here, the TV is not connected…..)  We gave them heaps of opportunity to ask questions and get more pics before we decided to come to Spain to se them.  Steve reckons he was only “happy-ish” and Elaine tried to smooth things over for now allowing more time to bend us over further later.   Plans were made to meet them at theirs tomorrow from where we’ll do the deal at the bank.  

Hungry & tired, we cooked up a satay chicken curry between skates and chapters of our books and took an easy bike ride along the esplanade marveling at the pinky blue sky in which a plump setting sun behind us faced off with a rising full shiny bright moon over the Med.

Then we received the predictable text demanding a “reasonable” reduction in the price by €500 (beyond the €2500 we had already taken off and despite the promise they would not try to lower the price further when we got here) because of the things Ed does not have - and never had if they’d read the extensive ad & looked at the volumes of photos we sent properly.   

Finally, after we rode out in the cold night to a phone box to respond to their text, they sent another text confirming a new price of €34,700, which we agreed to,  Karma will catch up with them.

Another restless night followed with banging shutters and second guessing their next nit-picking unscrupulous move.  

28/11 D-day!

We took Ed for a final spin into Pilar de la Horadada to post home all sorts thus lighting our  baggage load - we’ve worked out we’ll be staying in 17 different places before getting home to Castile Street.  Our iPhone navigation ran out of charge, so back to campsite for connectors & finally on our way.  Jeff sat quietly refluxing & scrolling over plan B of driving across Spain, to ferry, to Graham’s dealership, probably missing the flights to Glascow, not seeing Jimmy or Glen….but realising, no matter what, we’ve had a priceless year and whatever happens now will work out just fine.

We pulled up outside Elaine & Steve’s place where they piled into Ed and we choofed straight to the bank.  Jen took the kids into a bookstore leaving Jeff to do the final transaction.  No surprise, we were expected to pay all their banking fees - €138!  Eventually agreed to pay 1/2 that.  After a coffee they dropped us home where we chatted for a while hoping the money would come through.  With no luck after an hour or so, we bade them farewell, they took Ed with plans to meet in a few days when Steve will come by for the bikes that he’ll flog off.  

Our magnificent children were absolutely beautiful, quiet, patient, respectful and earned themselves €20 for the last 3 days of cleaning and waiting.

boy shoppers

With softer winds and clear late afternoon skies, the olds set off for a magic 43 min run along the beautiful broad, tiled esplanade outlined with rows of tall healthy palms, white washed walls & sweeping curved staircases to the endless still uncluttered ocean.  The miles of gorgeous esplanades & magnificent sunsets together with some of the wonderful Spanish architecture characterized by torre-like features & tiled staircases and entry steps make up a little for the otherwise ugly overdeveloped, barren Costa Blanca strip.  The kids stayed in to read & play.  Back home a soccer tournament filled the last lights, the boys set off on bikes & skates to stock up on final bits of shopping and the girls cooked up a feast of chimichurri mince spaghetti.

29/11 Oh Lazy Thursday

Woke having slept well and long, with nothing to do in a hurry, except have breakfast (porridge!), skype the grandmothers, have a family gym session (the kids used the machines while the olds did a 10BX) and then a loll in the spa pool getting a back and scalp massage from the massive water spurts.

The rest of the day was spent playing about with BK’s, planning, chatting, tea and coffeeing, and then a haircut for the squids.  Lo Monte camping found a hairdresser, made the appointment and ran us there is a bus - all for free.  The kids and Jen spent a delectable 2 hours with Antonio who fussed over them delivering the best haircuts each of them have ever had.  Kel bounced out with a glorious cute wee bobby showing off her tiny pert face and Wil all of a sudden looks like a man.  Jen indicated a number 3 as Wil sat in the chair but Antonio had other ideas.

Then we received the email from Rowdy that the money was in the bank - woo hoo relief!!

30/11 LAST DAY IN SPAIN

Lovely lie in knowing the money is in the bank and we’re on the way home.  Kel thudded off her bed and crawled in for a cuddle at 0815.  Peeking out the window promised a gorgeous morning with still trees, and clear orange skies.  Still really crisp though, we decided to have a slow brekkie and run later.

We packed, worked further on the slide show and the kids had “Snuggy play”, went for a skate together on the ‘green’, made millions of paper planes out of the remaining paper and then had a time trial on the oval outside.  We took off for the most incredible 9km run along the beautiful esplanade feeling so bloody free - Jeff does this joyful flying thing with his long elastoman arms.

Using up the last bits of food, we had a cracker leftover large lunch and as we were cleaning up Elaine & Steve turned up for the bikes and to sign the rego documents. 

The last long trek to the laundry, more discards and a final yoga session with Spanish Jude filled the rest of the day.  After cereal for dinner and a giggle at some of Get Smart, the kids piled into bed and we packed almost to completion. Tomorrow we start another adventure - WOO-HOO.


1/12 Braces OUT; Conn’s OFF the European Continent

It was pleasing that Elaine did in fact keep her word and drove us the one hour journey to the airport - we did have a €70 taxi sussed for plan B.  Still encumbered with all the worn out & outgrown wet & cold weather gear, we had a very unpleasant & stressful baggage check in, trying to shift weight about between bags whilst an irritated Spanish attendant kept telling us to move aside and rejoin the now very long line.  Sweating profusely as we had to don as much cold weather stuff as possible to reduce weight & be adequately prepared to subzero UK, we struggled on with fake smiles, fast hands & fussy worn out zips.  We only needed a few minutes and they charge heavily for every kilo over 20. 
Small pleasures & ‘memories’ had us buy a yummy soup in the London airport before jumping on our flight to Glasgow where we met Steve, AKA “Jimmy”, who hasn’t changed one bit in 15 years!  We detoured via Col’s 50^th birthday celebration where we trained our ears to the magical Scottish vowels & Gaelic sayings before arriving to the best welcome from his beautiful Carol, David (14), Finlay (10) & Angus (8).  Although we’d eaten on the plane & at Col’s, it was impossible to turn down Carol’s haggis pots & champagne. 
The kids screeched about until 2300hrs and the old’s competed for talking space until 0100.