Ring, ring! Ring, ring!

For most people in the modern world, a ringing phone in the house is not only completely normal, but very often excessively intrusive.

For us, it is a forgotten sound.

Since we moved here in November we have had no mobile signal here. Until we had the Astra satellite dish installed, we didn't have the internet or the chance of a ringing phone.

Then in December, the dish was fitted. We could access the internet again, we could use e-mail again and we could use Skype.

But the luxury of sitting with a normal phone and hearing it ring still eluded us. We needed a number. Now we could have a choice. If we expect most incoming calls to be from the UK, we could have a UK number, if most calls will be from Spain, we could have a Spanish number. For an extra payment we could have 2 numbers, one Spanish and the other English. We opted for a local Spanish number and were told it would take about 10 days.

That was more than a month ago. Now, I assume it is a bit like BT releasing numbers in the UK to non-BT providers only here it is Telefonica. We have been able to make outgoing calls, but because it showed as number withheld, we did have the problem that people thought it was a sales call and didn't answer. We also had a problem when calling my brother, as for some reason he couldn't hear us yet I could hear him perfectly. He would wait a few seconds and then assume it was me and embark on a monologue for my benefit.

Finally, on Friday we got home to an e-mail with our new 950 number. We were so excited. E-mails and Skype messages flew off to all our friends and we sat back to wait for our first call.

And waited.....

And waited.

Eventually I got a Skype message from my brother, the calls were not connecting,he was just getting a continual tone!

This morning I contacted our Astra providers to ask what happens now, and less than half an hour later, I got the shock of my life. Sitting here, at the computer suddenly...............

IT RANG!

Finally, we have full contact with the outside world!