The day I never thought would happen – our first night in nuestra casa nueva!

I’m not sure I actually believe it yet.

And I’m not sure how long this post will be – could be very short if I decide to go sit up on the teraza, but it could end up the normal size.

We’ll have to see.

I sort of signed off last week with a set of crossed fingers – half expecting there would be an “issue” or two still to negotiate.

And while not incorrect it wasn’t actually all that bad.

In retrospect…

Last Friday started and breakfast went okay but then things took a bit of a nose dive.

Firstly our property agent, who is supposed to be going to the house completion and then bringing the keys to us phones to say she is unavailable.

While her companion has already cried off because of vacations.

So she says that the agent for the vendors, who we’ve met and is a nice chap, will bring the keys instead.

The day I never thought would happen. We’ve got the house keys! Image by Capri23auto from Pixabay

Vale – as we say here (pronounced almost like ballet and means okay).

Which just leaves you that little bit edgy.

So let’s do some work. No?

My wireless mouse which has pretty much eaten batteries since I got it seemed to have eaten that lot as well.

Except, when the first replacement battery was inserted, the red light flashed and when the second one was inserted – bugger all.

Nada.

Tried another set of batteries – just in case. But no.

And no plug in back up because that is in the UK or in storage here (maybe).

The end of the world? No, but try NOT to think of it as an(other) omen on the day the house purchase is completing.

So I spend the morning trying to remember how to use the laptop without the mouse.

Which only serves to make my back hurt. The arrangements of computer, mouse and peripherals is adequate but temporary but is not conducive to spending long hours hunched over.

While getting more and more wound up.

Lorraine swears she told me (and maybe she did but I have no recollection of it) that we wouldn’t hear from anyone until about 14.00.

But I’m focusing on the transaction time of 10.30 that we were told about.

So when 11.30, 12.30 come and go I’m beginning to get a little jittery.

Which is when I have a rant with (not about) Lorraine.

And she tells me (or reminds me) that we’re not going to hear until 14.00…

So let’s go get lunch?

Thought you’d never ask.

Which is on the way to the new place anyway and the other side’s agent (Jose) is underneath our property in any case.

Order lunch then Lorraine notices she’s got a text from Jose.

Which is why we (she) hadn’t noticed it as we’d been told he was going to call.

He was on his way. With llaves (keys – you’re getting a good vocabulary lesson this week!) so we heaved a huge sigh of relief and arranged to collect said keys. 😁😁😁

The day I never thought would happen.

The culmination of seven to eight months’ effort.

One leisurely lunch later and we are in Jose’s office being handed the keys and we avail ourselves of the opportunity to look in and see what has been left and what has not.

Since they are emigrating to Australia, the hope is that there will be lots. But not quite as much as there might have been.

Here is a short list of things I didn’t expect them to be taking to Oz:

• bedding
• pillows
• crockery
• plates
• toweling (would I have expected this?)
• linen basket, and
• pots and pans

However – in compensation – we did find:

• a box of sand (they used to have cats)
• several picture frames
• we’ve inherited their plant collection, and
• we’ll never need to buy a glass ever again

Since we were not getting the “stuff” from the rental and storage delivered until the start of this week no way were we moving straight in!

So it’s back to the rental for that evening.

Monday comes and the ever unreliable Dan our removals guy in Spain phones to say he can’t do the day he’s agreed to as he has to go to Gibraltar but eventually sends the job to his colleague Coco (but he’ll deliver the goods from store on Tuesday).

Who is everything Dan is not. On time (said 10.00, arrived 09.50), well mannered, well spoken and just got on with things.

Which meant that the bulk of our stuff was over at the new place by lunchtime.

But still we’re not moving in as it presently hasn’t got internet.

For whatever reason, all the other services move with the property but with internet you start again from scratch.

Luckily we’ve already talked about this with Jose and he has offered to help us get it set up.

Meet up with him at 16.00, run through the options on his laptop, come to a decision and then he completes the forms for us online.

So hola to Vodafone and the deal gives us a Spanish mobile SIM as well as 600MB fibre connection (we had 15MB in the UK – and that was download only, upload was about one tenth of that).

The next question obviously is when will it be connected?

Hopefully Wednesday – as it’s nearly 18.00 by then, just about one and a half working days and they will let Jose know when we can expect them.

The following morning he tells us they will be here between 09.00-12.00 the next day.

Both of us remember the “good old days” of UK internet set up – week to two weeks if you were lucky – so this level of service is unheard of!

So getting the boxes from storage?

Phoned Desperate Dan to be told he couldn’t do Tuesday but was Friday alright? No it f***ing isn’t!

Well, he’ll see what he can do and soon after Coco is on the case and it’s delivered here without a problem.

The quid pro quo is that Coco has earned some worthwhile tips but the total cost to date is less than Dan told us…

And he was asked by Dan to tell us that there was a €50 charge for the storage. Which Lorraine knew there wasn’t and eventually Dan backed down.

There should be a minor third load to clear the “bits” from the rental so we go straight to Coco for this.

Unfortunately he is on a three day move to Ibiza but he’ll do it when he gets back – maybe Saturday but definitely Sunday, even if he has to use his own car.

That’s service. Ever need removers out here? We’ll give you his number.

So Lorraine’s been over here most days unpacking. We meet up for lunch and I’ll have a coffee ready and waiting on her return.

Wednesday arrives and Lorraine is here waiting for Senor Vodafone.

Who, contrary to possible expectations, lets Jose know that he will be here 15 minutes before arriving, apologies to Lorraine for his poor English (as she says, why should he be apologising to her?), spends half an hour doing things and it’s all up and working.

The day I never thought would happen is getting closer.

Which means she’s decided we actually move in today.

So the thing I’ve been dreading (in a way) I have to face up to – can I disconnect the computer system, walk it from the rental to here and

• remember what plugs in where, and
• get it all up and running – two screens and all?

Well (surprisingly from my point of view) yes.

Plug and play is so often plug and doesn’t play but this went back together without a hitch, turned it on and everything seems to be working!

Gasp 😱😱😱 that was unexpected.

Still have the RAID disks to set up in Spain but I’ll save that for a rainy day. Groan.

I have a secondary external online back up so we’re more or less covered and I’m acutely aware the RAID drive sounds like clucking (not with an ‘f”) chickens. Which means it needs to be housed in an acoustic box, or downstairs by the front door or something.

Well over two hours and approx. 1400 words later and it’s probably time for a slump on our new sofa (or one of then anyway).

Plenty more to write about but it’ll have to wait.

Daughter over at the weekend and we’re off to Sevilla the weekend after that.

The day I never thought would happen.