Last Thursday was supermarket shopping day. My neighbour and I go down to Huercal Overa about once a fortnight and do all the supermarkets, Lidl, Mercadona and Inter Marche. We knew that snow was forecast so we decided it would be worth getting stocked up ready for being snowed in, and it was a wise choice.
We decided to take Brian for a run and he seemed to enjoy the drive down the windy road. The sun was out and the roads were good. We parked in the underground carpark at Mercadona and left the car there while we go for a coffee and tostada con tomate y queso (cheese and tomato toastie). Last time Janet had gone down with her husband she had wanted to try a new bar, but Graeme had wanted to try a bar called El Jabilí (the wildboar). By all accounts, it's a real Spanish, blokes bar and not one Janet wants to re-visit. So, we decided we would try the bar on her wish list. It's at the roundabout neat Mercadona and is really, really nice and does great coffee and tostada -so, definitely one we will re-visit.
Shopping and breakfast over,we returned to the carpark for Brian. The carpark is very badly lit and being underground, it can be difficult to see properly. Our big car isn't a problem because it opens on the key fob, but Brian is a lot older and needs the door opening with the key. I often get confused because there are 2 keys, one for the door and the other for the ignition, but they look very similar.
When we got back to the carpark, I realised I had forgotten to get my parking ticket validated so, back into Mercadona for it stamping and then, we have a silly situation, we have to take the stamped ticket to a man in a kiosk, who then scans the ticket and then we have to drive to the barrier to put the ticket into the machine in order to get out of the car park. Seems a few too many steps for such a simple procedure especially as the Mercadona in Aguilas has a bar code on the bottom of the till receipt and you just wave it at the machine and out you go, but not to worry, if that's what we have to do, we just get on with it.
Back at the car, ticket stamped and validated, I tried to open Brian but couldn't get the key in the lock. A big, black car had parked at the side of me which was blocking what little light there was on the driver's side of the car and making it really difficult to see what was going on. I tried both keys, bent down really, really close to the lock to see if that would help but still, I couldn't get the key in the lock.
I was beginning to think I needed to call the breakdown people out, as something had gone wrong with the lock when it occurred to me, this little white car had 4 doors - Brian only has 2. This little white car had a Peugeot lion on the front - Brian is a Citroen. This little white car didn't have any shopping on the back seat - Brian's back seat was full of shopping bags.
Penny dropped! This little white car wasn't Brian!
Fortunately, the car park was empty of other people as Janet and I were doubled up in hysterics. For whatever reason, we both found it so funny that we had spent 5 minutes trying to get into a car that wasn't ours and hadn't noticed we were trying to break into someone elses car.
On the other side of the big, black car was Brian!
We made our escape before anyone noticed what we'd been doing.
Shopping can be such fun!
Showing posts with label Shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shopping. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Saturday, 9 January 2010
Fresh stuff.
I always love shopping for fresh stuff. This morning we wanted a variety of fruit for some desserts we are doing (well, Neil is doing) for later this week when we have friends coming over for dinner. We use a small shop, again - it's someone's front lounge which they have converted into a shop on a normal residential street - and the stuff she sells there is fabulous and so cheap. We decided we would splash out on some strawberries which are not cheap at this time of year but smell and taste delicious - but they are €5 a kilo (that's a lot of strawberries and we only needed 1/4 kilo).
When I tipped it all out ready to put away, it looked so colourful I couldn't help but take a photo. The stuff that looks like spring onions is actually wild garlic, a very strong flavour and really pungent smell, we have to double bag it before storing in the fridge or every time we open the fridge door we're nearly knocked off our feet, but it's fabulous for cooking in stews and stuff.
Something we are still experimenting with are the chillis we buy here, Neil hasn't been able to find any hot enough for him and this morning, a lady in the shop suggested we would probably need to grow our own, so that's something else to plan into the vegetable garden next year!
Sunday, 13 December 2009
A normal weekend doing normal things.
This weekend feels likes we are beginning to live here rather than exist as builders.
Friday saw me at my 2nd Spanish class, after which I spent some time with Janet & Graham around town. They took me to a fruit and veg shop which is quite literally in someone’s front room on a residential street with no other shops anywhere near it – but the choice and quality is far superior to anything you can buy at the market or at the local supermarkets. We had a wander around town and stopped for coffee in another bar. We sat on some small stools at a low part of the bar and judging by the look we got from an elderly man who came in10 minutes later, I think we were sat in his seat.
Friday night saw Neil and I back in town with Brian (my little Saxo). I had wanted to drive Brian earlier that day but he wouldn’t start. We knew we needed new heater plugs but after sitting over night in the cold he refused to start. By 3 in the afternoon, after sitting in the sun all day he started without a problem so we ran him down to the garage and asked them o fir new heater plugs, not that we knew how to say that in Spanish but we could point to them and they understood and even asked what they were called in English. Brian will be ready to collect tomorrow.
We had a lovely wander around the market in the sunshine on Saturday and then had a relaxing afternoon as both Neil and I are suffering with aching bones and a creaking back.
And now, we are just back from a wonderful Sunday dinner at a nearby restaurant. It’s off the road at km 12 (we live at km 8) although there’s a bit of a drive along the dirt track but it’s well worth the drive. Casa Joya is run by an English chef who had a Michelin star in the UK. We had been told it was worth visit, and we have to agree – the food is excellent. It’s a real delight to have such a good restaurant so close by for when we have visitors and the views from the restaurant are very similar to what we have from the house. Check it out at www.casa-joya.com
So, having enjoyed a good meal and a good bottle of wine we are now about to put up our Christmas tree. Neil has already unpacked a few things, one of which is my singing polar bear – which sings I’m dreaming of a white Christmas – to say the dogs are unimpressed would be an understatement, especially as it now occupies part of their settee.
Somehow, I think it unlikely that we will be leaving them alone with it for very long, I have a feeling they may try to show it who’s boss.
Saturday, 24 October 2009
Ikea, Murcia - what a trip.
We had been looking for a cooker, to run on LPG, and had seen one on the Repsol website (Spain's equivalent of Calor) but had been struggling to get a price. So, having Googled LPG Cookers, Spain - imagine my surprise when Ikea came up. But, having checked their website here in Spain, they do indeed do a cooker, just what we were looking for, €899.
So, as much as we weren't keen, we needed a trip to the store in Murcia as I couldn't order it on-line, only in store!
Then, out of the blue (well, after a rather frustrated e-mail to Repsol) I received a phone call telling me that they had the price of the cooker we were interested in, and also a cheaper version (that immediately told me the one we liked was expensive). So, I sent a text with my e-mail address on and the sent me through the details.
A cooker, very similar to the Ikea one was double the price. The cheaper one was more expensive than the one in Ikea and we didn't like it as much. Definitely needed a trip to Ikea.
Now, this could turn into a really long winded post, but that wouldn't achieve much. You've all been to Ikea, you know how it works, it's busy, you spend ages waiting for someone to deal with you (and Spanish queueing is just the same in Ikea, so very confusing) you buy much more than you went for, you wander aimlessly around the aisles looking for the one item you forgot to make a note of, and then you battle your way to a checkout where you wait for an eternity.
Yes, we did all this - we went for a cooker, which will be delivered direct to the house and the extractor hood that we would take home with us. Lucy wanted a small bookcase, a pack of 3 pairs of scissors and a catalogue, well, better make that 2 and we'll have one as well.
So, why then did we end up hiring a van to take home ALL that we bought?
Well, we needed wardrobes for 2 bedrooms, storage in the study, bits for the kitchen - oh, you know how it is. We really couldn't face another trip to Ikea - so we got it all while we were there. Then, of course, it wouldn't fit in the car (not that we tried) and if it had, was so heavy I think the exhaust pipe would have been dragging on the road.
Deliveries are still a bit difficult because we aren't always at the house and even when we are, don't have a phone signal so if they can't find the place (and it isn't easy) they can't get in touch to ask for help.
Then I noticed a sign saying van hire - seemed a good idea. So, we sorted it all out, loaded up and by this time it was after 9pm. So, we had an hours drive to the house, unload, and then an hours drive to home. By the time we had picked the dogs up from Lucy's and arrived home it was almost midnight.
But that's only half the story, because having bought all the stuff to avoid having to have another trip to Ikea, of course now, we had to go back today to return the van! On a Saturday - nightmare!
We'd left the van at the house because we would be paying mileage over 160km, so today we had to do an hour to the house, an hour to Ikea and another hour home. Murcia was manic, Ikea was heaving, the carpark nearest the store was closed because it was full, we couldn't find a petrol station to fill the van up before returning it, and so it goes on.........
But, we are back home now, have everything we need at the house ready to build and get the rooms ready, and we have just over a week before we move in.
I really hope I don't go to Ikea for a long time, and if I do - definitely not on a Saturday.
So, as much as we weren't keen, we needed a trip to the store in Murcia as I couldn't order it on-line, only in store!
Then, out of the blue (well, after a rather frustrated e-mail to Repsol) I received a phone call telling me that they had the price of the cooker we were interested in, and also a cheaper version (that immediately told me the one we liked was expensive). So, I sent a text with my e-mail address on and the sent me through the details.
A cooker, very similar to the Ikea one was double the price. The cheaper one was more expensive than the one in Ikea and we didn't like it as much. Definitely needed a trip to Ikea.
Now, this could turn into a really long winded post, but that wouldn't achieve much. You've all been to Ikea, you know how it works, it's busy, you spend ages waiting for someone to deal with you (and Spanish queueing is just the same in Ikea, so very confusing) you buy much more than you went for, you wander aimlessly around the aisles looking for the one item you forgot to make a note of, and then you battle your way to a checkout where you wait for an eternity.
Yes, we did all this - we went for a cooker, which will be delivered direct to the house and the extractor hood that we would take home with us. Lucy wanted a small bookcase, a pack of 3 pairs of scissors and a catalogue, well, better make that 2 and we'll have one as well.
So, why then did we end up hiring a van to take home ALL that we bought?
Well, we needed wardrobes for 2 bedrooms, storage in the study, bits for the kitchen - oh, you know how it is. We really couldn't face another trip to Ikea - so we got it all while we were there. Then, of course, it wouldn't fit in the car (not that we tried) and if it had, was so heavy I think the exhaust pipe would have been dragging on the road.
Deliveries are still a bit difficult because we aren't always at the house and even when we are, don't have a phone signal so if they can't find the place (and it isn't easy) they can't get in touch to ask for help.
Then I noticed a sign saying van hire - seemed a good idea. So, we sorted it all out, loaded up and by this time it was after 9pm. So, we had an hours drive to the house, unload, and then an hours drive to home. By the time we had picked the dogs up from Lucy's and arrived home it was almost midnight.
But that's only half the story, because having bought all the stuff to avoid having to have another trip to Ikea, of course now, we had to go back today to return the van! On a Saturday - nightmare!
We'd left the van at the house because we would be paying mileage over 160km, so today we had to do an hour to the house, an hour to Ikea and another hour home. Murcia was manic, Ikea was heaving, the carpark nearest the store was closed because it was full, we couldn't find a petrol station to fill the van up before returning it, and so it goes on.........
But, we are back home now, have everything we need at the house ready to build and get the rooms ready, and we have just over a week before we move in.
I really hope I don't go to Ikea for a long time, and if I do - definitely not on a Saturday.
Friday, 10 July 2009
Replacing English products with Spanish ones.
When we first moved to Spain we made sure we had planty of our normal pills and solutions that we use regularly. Over the year we have been here we have managed to find an equivalent for things such as Nurofens and Glucosamine from the chemist by taking our UK packet down and they check the ingredients on their computer and find what we need.
So that works well when you have the package, but what about when you don't?
Back in the UK we always had Corsodyl in the house so that if we felt any problems with our gums we could stop it before it got too bad. When I flew back last summer I brought some more back with me but of course, we are now at a stage where the bottle is empty and got thrown out - and we haven't got a clue what to buy or where.
So, last night I googled (never sure whether that deserves a capital G or not) Corsodyl and found their website. After a little searching around I found what the active ingredient was and how it was described (officially, as opposed to the way we describe it - that really strong mouthwash that taste's like.......). So armed with my bit of paper that had 2 words written on it - Chlorhexidine Digluconate.
I tootled off to the dentist as I needed to book an appointment to get my broken tooth fixed. Of course, the only receptionist in today was the girl who doesn't speak English, no problema I can speak Spanish, I learn it from a book (a la Manuel!). She told me I needed to go to a chemist so, as I was in Aguilas and there is a good chemist there, I thought I may as well do it straight away. Again, no English is spoken there but I managed to explain what I was after and passed over my bit of paper with the key ingredient - and a few minutes later I had a bottle of Perio.Aid in my hands, which has the exact ingredients in. It's a good bit more expansive than Corsodyl, which has surprised me as other similar medicine stuff is generally cheaper here than in the UK, but I've paid €7 for 500ml and on Asda website Corsodyl is £2.76 for 300ml, suppose we're outside Asda's delivery zone! I'll have to look in the supermarkets to see whether they sell it - now that I know what I'm looking for.
Still, it's great for my practicing my Spanish, having to do this a year ago would have been such a challenge, now I don't even ask if they speak English I just get stuck in with my Spanish and go for it.
So that works well when you have the package, but what about when you don't?
Back in the UK we always had Corsodyl in the house so that if we felt any problems with our gums we could stop it before it got too bad. When I flew back last summer I brought some more back with me but of course, we are now at a stage where the bottle is empty and got thrown out - and we haven't got a clue what to buy or where.
So, last night I googled (never sure whether that deserves a capital G or not) Corsodyl and found their website. After a little searching around I found what the active ingredient was and how it was described (officially, as opposed to the way we describe it - that really strong mouthwash that taste's like.......). So armed with my bit of paper that had 2 words written on it - Chlorhexidine Digluconate.
I tootled off to the dentist as I needed to book an appointment to get my broken tooth fixed. Of course, the only receptionist in today was the girl who doesn't speak English, no problema I can speak Spanish, I learn it from a book (a la Manuel!). She told me I needed to go to a chemist so, as I was in Aguilas and there is a good chemist there, I thought I may as well do it straight away. Again, no English is spoken there but I managed to explain what I was after and passed over my bit of paper with the key ingredient - and a few minutes later I had a bottle of Perio.Aid in my hands, which has the exact ingredients in. It's a good bit more expansive than Corsodyl, which has surprised me as other similar medicine stuff is generally cheaper here than in the UK, but I've paid €7 for 500ml and on Asda website Corsodyl is £2.76 for 300ml, suppose we're outside Asda's delivery zone! I'll have to look in the supermarkets to see whether they sell it - now that I know what I'm looking for.
Still, it's great for my practicing my Spanish, having to do this a year ago would have been such a challenge, now I don't even ask if they speak English I just get stuck in with my Spanish and go for it.
Thursday, 2 July 2009
Shopping trip - a success.
I've been for breakfast with a number of friends who were all sales shopping yesterday, some in Lorca, some in Murcia and Lucy & I went to Aguilas. It would seem Lucy & I chose well. Murcia was manic, huge queues for the changing rooms and Amelia, who went with her sister, hardly got anything because it was so busy.
The ladies that went to Lorca did better but it was still reasonably busy whereas in Aguilas, it was really quiet. No queues for the changing rooms and we could happily shop, try things on and it was quite relaxing.
Lucy didn't have a successful day but I had a field day in C&A - yes, we have C&A here - and they had good bargains yesterday. So I topped up my summer wardrobe quite nicely with a number of tops and trousers.
I'm going back today with Neil so we can try and get some bargains for him.
The ladies that went to Lorca did better but it was still reasonably busy whereas in Aguilas, it was really quiet. No queues for the changing rooms and we could happily shop, try things on and it was quite relaxing.
Lucy didn't have a successful day but I had a field day in C&A - yes, we have C&A here - and they had good bargains yesterday. So I topped up my summer wardrobe quite nicely with a number of tops and trousers.
I'm going back today with Neil so we can try and get some bargains for him.
Wednesday, 1 July 2009
The Sales start today.
The shops in Spain cannot hold sales as and when they would like, as they appear to do in the UK. Here there are specified sales periods twice a year - the 7th January after King's Day celebrations and the summer sales start today - July 1st.
The sales can last for a few weeks but cannot start earlier than July 1st, and many stores will have extra discounts on the first day - so Lucy & I are off shopping this afternoon - to see what's on offer. Hopefully, we'll grab a bargain!
The sales can last for a few weeks but cannot start earlier than July 1st, and many stores will have extra discounts on the first day - so Lucy & I are off shopping this afternoon - to see what's on offer. Hopefully, we'll grab a bargain!
Tuesday, 17 March 2009
Una Bodega
A Bodega is a winery or a wine merchant. Our local bodega in Pulpi actually looks like someone's garage where he used to 'fix his mates cars to save them money' and from the outside looks so unlike a winery that you would drive past it if you weren't being taken there by someone in 'the know'.
We have had red wine from there before, they sell it by the percentage strength - 14/16/18. The 14% is a bit raw but the 16% is fabulous and you can buy a 5 litre container for about €6. One word of warning, don't leave it in the plastic container or when you go for a drink a couple of days later it will taste like vinegar.
Our local bodega sell more than wines though, and today one of our friends, who was going over, asked if we needed anything. Now, recently Neil has been making me a lovely cocktail of Cava, fresh orange juice and Cointreau - and in these credit crunch times that may seem a rather lavish drink - BUT I get my bottles of Cava from the supermarket for €1.50 and as we never drink the Cointreau neat we thought we would try some from the bodega. And so we got a litre of 'Cointreau' and a litre of 'Vermouth' which is also useful in cocktails, for a total spend of €10.50 - the Cointreau seems to be way stronger than the genuine stuff and way cheaper. Again it comes in re-cycled plastic bottles that you take back for re-fills which helps keep the price low so our shopping looks like a bottle of water and a bottle of Coke but is actually our litre bottle of Cointreau and a litre of Vermouth from the local bodega.
We just need to be aware of the measures we pour ourselves!
We have had red wine from there before, they sell it by the percentage strength - 14/16/18. The 14% is a bit raw but the 16% is fabulous and you can buy a 5 litre container for about €6. One word of warning, don't leave it in the plastic container or when you go for a drink a couple of days later it will taste like vinegar.
Our local bodega sell more than wines though, and today one of our friends, who was going over, asked if we needed anything. Now, recently Neil has been making me a lovely cocktail of Cava, fresh orange juice and Cointreau - and in these credit crunch times that may seem a rather lavish drink - BUT I get my bottles of Cava from the supermarket for €1.50 and as we never drink the Cointreau neat we thought we would try some from the bodega. And so we got a litre of 'Cointreau' and a litre of 'Vermouth' which is also useful in cocktails, for a total spend of €10.50 - the Cointreau seems to be way stronger than the genuine stuff and way cheaper. Again it comes in re-cycled plastic bottles that you take back for re-fills which helps keep the price low so our shopping looks like a bottle of water and a bottle of Coke but is actually our litre bottle of Cointreau and a litre of Vermouth from the local bodega.
We just need to be aware of the measures we pour ourselves!
Monday, 16 March 2009
It's arrived at last.
Perseverence has paid off - I have finally got my parcel, well I say mine - it's for both Neil and me, a years supply of cheap golf balls for us to lose at Aguilón Golf Course over the next few months. 
We are definitely losing a lot less than we used to but we were scraping the barrel with some of the 'lake and ravine' recovered balls we were buying from the groundsmen and they were no cheaper than the ones I have bought from the internet and we are now back to playing with Calloways & Titleist even if some of them have been refinished.
The delivery man arrived about 1.35pm, I think I may have been the last delivery before his siesta but at least he came today as arranged.
Hang on a minute!!!!
There is a DHL van pulling up infront of the house - could this be my recent order from the UK arriving on the same day? - like London buses - nothing for ages and then 2 at once.
Be back in a moment.
Yes, my other outstanding delivery. Now this is how it normally works, a week from ordering I usually take delivery which I think is pretty good for UK to Spain. This time it is a griddle pan and press.
We watch a program called Come Dine With Me and on one of the programs Neil spotted one of the contestants cooking a steak in a griddle pan with a cast iron lid that does the top at the same time as cooking the bottom. Well, of course, he wanted one. So I decided to do what I do best and 'Google' it. But, as always with Google - you have to know what to put in to your search to find what you are looking for. And we didn't know what they were called, so I tried everything and eventually was directed to a blog which deals with cooking that mentioned the word 'press'. That was all I needed, I could now find them on the internet and get one on order. I found one on an Ebay store called 'Storage and Home Solutions'. I asked them if they could ship to Spain and they said they could for a small additional fee to cover delivery and so I placed the order with them through Ebay (Buy It Now!)
It's actually called a Grill pan and Panini Press, and the lid is a cast iron heavy plate that you heat up in the empty pan and then you put it on top of whatever you are cooking and it cooks the top while the bottom is cooking. It's also good for stopping meats, such as Gammon, from curling while you cook it.
We are definitely losing a lot less than we used to but we were scraping the barrel with some of the 'lake and ravine' recovered balls we were buying from the groundsmen and they were no cheaper than the ones I have bought from the internet and we are now back to playing with Calloways & Titleist even if some of them have been refinished. The delivery man arrived about 1.35pm, I think I may have been the last delivery before his siesta but at least he came today as arranged.
Hang on a minute!!!!
There is a DHL van pulling up infront of the house - could this be my recent order from the UK arriving on the same day? - like London buses - nothing for ages and then 2 at once.
Be back in a moment.
Yes, my other outstanding delivery. Now this is how it normally works, a week from ordering I usually take delivery which I think is pretty good for UK to Spain. This time it is a griddle pan and press.
We watch a program called Come Dine With Me and on one of the programs Neil spotted one of the contestants cooking a steak in a griddle pan with a cast iron lid that does the top at the same time as cooking the bottom. Well, of course, he wanted one. So I decided to do what I do best and 'Google' it. But, as always with Google - you have to know what to put in to your search to find what you are looking for. And we didn't know what they were called, so I tried everything and eventually was directed to a blog which deals with cooking that mentioned the word 'press'. That was all I needed, I could now find them on the internet and get one on order. I found one on an Ebay store called 'Storage and Home Solutions'. I asked them if they could ship to Spain and they said they could for a small additional fee to cover delivery and so I placed the order with them through Ebay (Buy It Now!)
It's actually called a Grill pan and Panini Press, and the lid is a cast iron heavy plate that you heat up in the empty pan and then you put it on top of whatever you are cooking and it cooks the top while the bottom is cooking. It's also good for stopping meats, such as Gammon, from curling while you cook it.So, a good day all round. We'll put the earlier delivery delays down to experience and see the positive in that it has given me a number of opportunities to practice my spanish. And now I'm off to buy some steak to try out our new pan!
Will it, won't it?
It's Monday and the delivery man is expected. I've not gone to golf today so I can wait at home for the arrival of our parcel.
So, will the 'repartidor' arrive in his little van?
Only time will tell!
So, will the 'repartidor' arrive in his little van?
Only time will tell!
Friday, 13 March 2009
How difficult can it be to get a package delivered?
All the time we have been here we have managed to get all our deliveries OK. All our Christmas presents were ordered online and arrived OK, even the haggis ordered for Burns Night arrived OK, so when other people complained about not being able to get things delivered I couldn't understand their problem.
Well now I can!
Just over a week ago we ordered a bulk batch of golf balls from golfonline. It goes without saying that they tried to deliver them on Monday when we were at golf. Not a problem, they leave a sticker on your letter box saying they have been and you ring them up to arrange another delivery. Simple - or so you would think.
I rang the number and had a very simple conversation in Spanish, explained we would be in either Tuesday morning or Wednesday afternoon and they said Tuesday morning would be better.
So, we stayed in and no-one came.
So, I waited for Wednesday incase they took my other option, but still no-one came so I rang again. To be fair the young man on the end of the phone seemed quite surprised that the package had not been brought to us and we agreed that it would be delivered in the morning. To make sure he meant Thursday morning, I said this back to him. Yes he said, Thursday morning. Neil stayed in while I went to my Ladies group meeting and then to Pulpi Post Office but when I got back at 1pm, still no golf balls. I rang again, bearing in mind all this is being done in my best spanish, and he said what still no package, it will be there this afternoon.
Well, you've guessed it - no package had arrived by 6.30pm so I rang the office again. This time a young lady answered and, well, why would we be expecting our package to be delivered on a Thursday, they don't have a delivery man in Terreros on Thursday's, could they bring today - Friday?
I explained that we would not be in today but agreed to stay in on Monday and so I thought we were sorted.
That is until we got back from golf this afternoon to find another sticker on the letter box saying that the delivery man had been with our package but we weren't at home!
**/!!//***!!!!! Grrrrrr!!!
So, I am about to ring them yet again to see whether they are still coming in Monday as previously arranged or did today's trip start the whole process again!
Now I understand why people complain about deliveries out here - it is a little trying!
Well now I can!
Just over a week ago we ordered a bulk batch of golf balls from golfonline. It goes without saying that they tried to deliver them on Monday when we were at golf. Not a problem, they leave a sticker on your letter box saying they have been and you ring them up to arrange another delivery. Simple - or so you would think.
I rang the number and had a very simple conversation in Spanish, explained we would be in either Tuesday morning or Wednesday afternoon and they said Tuesday morning would be better.
So, we stayed in and no-one came.
So, I waited for Wednesday incase they took my other option, but still no-one came so I rang again. To be fair the young man on the end of the phone seemed quite surprised that the package had not been brought to us and we agreed that it would be delivered in the morning. To make sure he meant Thursday morning, I said this back to him. Yes he said, Thursday morning. Neil stayed in while I went to my Ladies group meeting and then to Pulpi Post Office but when I got back at 1pm, still no golf balls. I rang again, bearing in mind all this is being done in my best spanish, and he said what still no package, it will be there this afternoon.
Well, you've guessed it - no package had arrived by 6.30pm so I rang the office again. This time a young lady answered and, well, why would we be expecting our package to be delivered on a Thursday, they don't have a delivery man in Terreros on Thursday's, could they bring today - Friday?
I explained that we would not be in today but agreed to stay in on Monday and so I thought we were sorted.
That is until we got back from golf this afternoon to find another sticker on the letter box saying that the delivery man had been with our package but we weren't at home!
**/!!//***!!!!! Grrrrrr!!!
So, I am about to ring them yet again to see whether they are still coming in Monday as previously arranged or did today's trip start the whole process again!
Now I understand why people complain about deliveries out here - it is a little trying!
Tuesday, 6 January 2009
Preparations for New Years Eve!
The week between Christmas and New Year flew by full of doing nothing particular. We managed another round of golf with Andrew, this time in much warmer sunnier weather, we went into Aguilas at night to see the square all lit up and the Christmas lights along the streets and while we were there we took Andrew to Randy & Michelle's for Fish & Chips - and they were good.
All too soon it was time to start thinking about New Years Eve's plans. Terreros closes at 5.00pm on New Years Eve. A couple of the english bars were having parties but we had decided to have our own party at the villa. What had started out as a group of friends, a few drinks and a few games on the Wii took off along a complete tangent one evening in mid-December and we were now hosting a Pirate Murder Mystery Dinner.
I had done all the planning before Christmas, we had decided to do curry and our guests were all bringing something towards the meal and drink. One thing we did need to do was sort out our costumes. There is a new Shopping Centre opened about half an hour away in Lorca and we had been told there was a good costume shop there so, one afternoon we took a drive up there.
The new shopping centre is really very good, and I look forward to having a shopping day there with some of the ladies but we were on a mission, no time for window shopping today. After walking through the centre for a while we suddenly found the shop in question - and it's great for fancy dress and themed parties. It's called Megumi (http://www.megumifiestas.com/ )and is packed with costumes, hats, wigs and all kinds of accessories - we were like kids in a sweet shop.
When we have done themed dinners in the UK we have always hired our costumes and generally pay about £25 for the nights hire. In this shop you can buy outfits for as little as €15 and they are better quality than some of the outfits I have hired before. Both Neil & I got our pirate outfits sorted fairly quickly and a quick rummage through the shelves and we had some pirate accessories for the dinner as well - tablecloths, napkins etc.
So, we were just about ready for New Years Eve - all we needed to do now was work out how to seat 11 people for dinner.
All too soon it was time to start thinking about New Years Eve's plans. Terreros closes at 5.00pm on New Years Eve. A couple of the english bars were having parties but we had decided to have our own party at the villa. What had started out as a group of friends, a few drinks and a few games on the Wii took off along a complete tangent one evening in mid-December and we were now hosting a Pirate Murder Mystery Dinner.
I had done all the planning before Christmas, we had decided to do curry and our guests were all bringing something towards the meal and drink. One thing we did need to do was sort out our costumes. There is a new Shopping Centre opened about half an hour away in Lorca and we had been told there was a good costume shop there so, one afternoon we took a drive up there.
The new shopping centre is really very good, and I look forward to having a shopping day there with some of the ladies but we were on a mission, no time for window shopping today. After walking through the centre for a while we suddenly found the shop in question - and it's great for fancy dress and themed parties. It's called Megumi (http://www.megumifiestas.com/ )and is packed with costumes, hats, wigs and all kinds of accessories - we were like kids in a sweet shop.
When we have done themed dinners in the UK we have always hired our costumes and generally pay about £25 for the nights hire. In this shop you can buy outfits for as little as €15 and they are better quality than some of the outfits I have hired before. Both Neil & I got our pirate outfits sorted fairly quickly and a quick rummage through the shelves and we had some pirate accessories for the dinner as well - tablecloths, napkins etc.
So, we were just about ready for New Years Eve - all we needed to do now was work out how to seat 11 people for dinner.
Monday, 5 January 2009
And so to Christmas Day
I had always wanted to walk along the beach on Christmas morning with the dogs in the warm Spanish sunshine - just because I could.
BUT......
Christmas morning dawned cool and overcast and so it was a normal walk around the Campo before breakfast. Trust me, the dogs would probably prefer to be on the Campo as they can be off the lead and they enjoy their freedom.
So, once back at home and breakfast over we got down to the serious stuff - opening the pups pressies - and for more on that see Brinkley's blog http://www.2littlepuppies.blogspot.com/
We were due to have Christmas dinner round at Annie's Bistro. She had done a trial run on Christmas dinner for the ladies group and made a good effort at a traditional english christmas dinner considering Anika is Belgian. However, there were a couple of things missing that were important. So, we had been shopping a couple of days earlier and bought Cranberry Sauce and Apple Sauce. I had order Christmas Crackers to be delivered along with some of the gifts I had ordered from Hawkins Bazaar (I love that shop). http://www.hawkin.com/ which had arrived without problem through the post.
Our crackers had little mechanical sprouts
in them
in themso we could have sprout races after dinner - doesn't everyone?
But the main thing missing was Sage & Onion stuffing. Now, we had tried to describe this to Anika but she couldn't understand the concept of making stuffing from breadcrumbs and so I had offered to make enough stuffing balls for everyone for Christmas Day. Now, what I hadn't realised until Neil worked it out, was just how much breadcrumbs, chopped onions and Sage we would need to make enough for 40 people.
We struggled to find dried Sage initially and so Andrew and Chris both brought some with them from the UK ( since then we have found somewhere locally). So, on Christmas Eve I had peeled and chopped 10 onions ( needless to say there were loads and loads of tears), removed the crusts and crumbed 3 loaves and left it to be put together by Neil ready for cooking on Christmas morning.
So, after pressie opening, we were back to making stuffing balls. And trust me 40 balls is a lot of balls.
At 1.30pm we tootled off to Annie's armed with stuffing balls and crackers when, halfway there, I remembered we had forgotten the Cranberry - so Neil had to go back for it.
There were hors d'oevres when we arrived along with Champagne and then the Christmas menu was Prawn Cocktail, Asparagus Soup, Turkey and all the trimmings follows by Chocolate Mousse. Annie's Bistro is a small place and 40 people is a lot to feed from a small kitchen but Anika and Danny did a great job. However, when we received our main course we were a little surprised to see there was a certain lack of stuffing balls. Had there been a crisis in the kitchen? No, we were the first table to be served and they had forgotten to put them on, not a problem though, the were soon brought to be added to the plate.
I have to say we had a really good time on Christmas Day, we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner and as we were sat eating it we could look out through the Bistro doors towards the sea. By early afternoon the sky had cleared and we had a beautiful blue sky and equally blue sea, the sun was shining and it was how I had imagined Christmas Day in the south of Spain would be. Unfortunately, an excess of Champagne meant I really wasn't upto that Christmas Day walk on the beach - hey ho, there's always next year!
Happy Christmas!
Sunday, 26 October 2008
Shopping for a telly - Part 2
http://www.mediamarkt.es/
OK, both Neil and I like technology, we like gadgets, we like electronic gimics - we have found our Mecca as we walk through the door of Media Markt, it is like Christmas to us.
As we approach the TV's we can tell there are more tellys here than in the previous places combined. Not only do we have choice of make and size, but even same make, size - different styles.
So, we start off with the Sony's. So far we haven't seen any LCD above 40" in Sony so we decided which Sony we liked to compare it to the 42" LG's - after all, once we have the set at home are we really going to notice a 2" difference? We've had a few LG products before including previous flat screen TV's and the American Fridge/Freezer and we've always found them good. (And the American Fridge/Freezer is 2-3 times the price over here than the UK)
We noticed some tellys were much better pictures than others so we started reading all the small print on the product cards, and realised the difference was the resolution. OK, something else to think about. The prices we had previously been quoted were not for the higher resolution - and of course you pay more for higher resolution - but wow, they were obviously better.
So, as we get older and the eye sight gets worse - a big telly that's really clear should suit us best. OK, another re-think on the price. We decide we like the LG 42". The 50" are really too big - ah, what's this? LG do a 47" - unfortunately it wasn't switched on or connected up to check the picture. But it didn't really matter, the 42" was big enough, wasn't it?
Well, after wandering back and forth around the department, we agreed on the LG 42" high resolution set. We couldn't buy it today as we were on our way to the airport - but decision made, we could come back in a few days and that would be another job done.
So, 2 days later we were back on the road for Cartagena to buy agreed telly from Media
Markt - or so you would think.
When we arrived at the Centro Comercial straight ahead of us was CarreFour. Now, I've read a lot of mixed reviews about the place but know they sell TV's - so, 'maybe we should check it out before we buy, just to make sure we have the best deal' I said to Neil as he's about to park up. OK, we're not in a rush so we'll have a walk round and see what they have.
http://www.carrefour.es/index.html
And that's when a decision made became all fuzzy. They had a good selection of large screen TV's and they had the LG's we had seen before and they had another LG 42" high resolution which was a further €100 less than the one we had decided to buy already. Close inspection of the TV and the product card left us none the wiser as to why this one should be cheaper than the one in Media Markt. Oh, confusion reigns!
Nothing else for it, take loads of notes and go back to Media Markt and compare.
Why is life never easy. Rather than going back to the car and driving across the carpark, we decided to walk through the shopping centre, the nearest place I have found to Meadowhall - and I thought it would be good to know what was there in case any visitors needed a real shopping fix.
It's a really good shopping centre inside which is, yes you've guessed an electrical store which sells amongst other electrical stuff - large screen telly's.
We looked at each other - and yes, we decided we really needed to check it out.
So there we are, standing infront of a working 47" LG LCD cheaper than we've seen it anywhere before and cupid's arrow has hit both of us together. Suddenly, the 42" look small! As we both stood there gazing at the clarity of the screen a young assistant came over to us and said 'Is it Hola or Hello?'
Now, to cut a long story short, we never got back to Media Markt, we got the 47" from this shop cheaper then the 42" in CarreFour, which was cheaper than the one in Media Markt.
Bigger telly for less money - seems too good to be true. No, the one we were wanting, we could take away with us - the additional saving was because it was last years model, the new model has a red back and a posh lit up hole on the front which is the touch sensitive on/off switch (we agreed we could live with out a red back and gimmicky on/off switch) and we were getting an additional reduction as it was the display model on sale.
So, we told the assistant to box it up and we'd take it with us. He did ask if we had a big car, but we were happy it would go in the back - and it did.
So, we now have a beautiful telly all connected up and working and it's brilliant after spending the last 6 months watching a 22" screen. And the savings we had made - well, we spent that on a home cinema kit - big screen, big noise! And because we were buying both together we got 10% off the home cinema kit.
So, how did it compare to Comet's online price? Well, with the Euro as it is we paid about £100 more than if we'd bought it from Comet, but then there would be the delivery, the worry about it getting here OK and problems if it went wrong AND Neil is currently watching Arsenal & WestHam rather than still waiting for it to be delivered - we're both happy with our purchase.
And the moral to this story - do your research on the big stores where there are lots to compare and you can see all the pictures next to one another, after all without we wouldn't have realised about the different resolutions. Be prepared to travel to the bigger Centros Commercial and don't forget about the smaller independent shops who are giving good service and good prices in the current economic times, they have some good deals on and if it's on what you are looking to buy - and don't stick to english speaking shops, we found all the product cards were in english because it's how the manufacturers print them, so we had no problems checking what we wanted. We bought from Miró in The Centro Comercial Mediterráneo in Cartagena.
What you may also need to ask friends about is whether there is a local guy that installs TV's and satellite as that's where the problems may be if you aren't familiar with the technology. It took us a while of pressing buttons on all the remotes before the sound came out of the seperate speakers, by which time the volume was up around twice comfort level and all the street shared our new system and the pups went in to hiding.
OK, both Neil and I like technology, we like gadgets, we like electronic gimics - we have found our Mecca as we walk through the door of Media Markt, it is like Christmas to us.
As we approach the TV's we can tell there are more tellys here than in the previous places combined. Not only do we have choice of make and size, but even same make, size - different styles.
So, we start off with the Sony's. So far we haven't seen any LCD above 40" in Sony so we decided which Sony we liked to compare it to the 42" LG's - after all, once we have the set at home are we really going to notice a 2" difference? We've had a few LG products before including previous flat screen TV's and the American Fridge/Freezer and we've always found them good. (And the American Fridge/Freezer is 2-3 times the price over here than the UK)
We noticed some tellys were much better pictures than others so we started reading all the small print on the product cards, and realised the difference was the resolution. OK, something else to think about. The prices we had previously been quoted were not for the higher resolution - and of course you pay more for higher resolution - but wow, they were obviously better.
So, as we get older and the eye sight gets worse - a big telly that's really clear should suit us best. OK, another re-think on the price. We decide we like the LG 42". The 50" are really too big - ah, what's this? LG do a 47" - unfortunately it wasn't switched on or connected up to check the picture. But it didn't really matter, the 42" was big enough, wasn't it?
Well, after wandering back and forth around the department, we agreed on the LG 42" high resolution set. We couldn't buy it today as we were on our way to the airport - but decision made, we could come back in a few days and that would be another job done.
So, 2 days later we were back on the road for Cartagena to buy agreed telly from Media
Markt - or so you would think.
When we arrived at the Centro Comercial straight ahead of us was CarreFour. Now, I've read a lot of mixed reviews about the place but know they sell TV's - so, 'maybe we should check it out before we buy, just to make sure we have the best deal' I said to Neil as he's about to park up. OK, we're not in a rush so we'll have a walk round and see what they have.
http://www.carrefour.es/index.html
And that's when a decision made became all fuzzy. They had a good selection of large screen TV's and they had the LG's we had seen before and they had another LG 42" high resolution which was a further €100 less than the one we had decided to buy already. Close inspection of the TV and the product card left us none the wiser as to why this one should be cheaper than the one in Media Markt. Oh, confusion reigns!
Nothing else for it, take loads of notes and go back to Media Markt and compare.
Why is life never easy. Rather than going back to the car and driving across the carpark, we decided to walk through the shopping centre, the nearest place I have found to Meadowhall - and I thought it would be good to know what was there in case any visitors needed a real shopping fix.
It's a really good shopping centre inside which is, yes you've guessed an electrical store which sells amongst other electrical stuff - large screen telly's.
We looked at each other - and yes, we decided we really needed to check it out.
So there we are, standing infront of a working 47" LG LCD cheaper than we've seen it anywhere before and cupid's arrow has hit both of us together. Suddenly, the 42" look small! As we both stood there gazing at the clarity of the screen a young assistant came over to us and said 'Is it Hola or Hello?'
Now, to cut a long story short, we never got back to Media Markt, we got the 47" from this shop cheaper then the 42" in CarreFour, which was cheaper than the one in Media Markt.
Bigger telly for less money - seems too good to be true. No, the one we were wanting, we could take away with us - the additional saving was because it was last years model, the new model has a red back and a posh lit up hole on the front which is the touch sensitive on/off switch (we agreed we could live with out a red back and gimmicky on/off switch) and we were getting an additional reduction as it was the display model on sale.
So, we told the assistant to box it up and we'd take it with us. He did ask if we had a big car, but we were happy it would go in the back - and it did.
So, we now have a beautiful telly all connected up and working and it's brilliant after spending the last 6 months watching a 22" screen. And the savings we had made - well, we spent that on a home cinema kit - big screen, big noise! And because we were buying both together we got 10% off the home cinema kit.
So, how did it compare to Comet's online price? Well, with the Euro as it is we paid about £100 more than if we'd bought it from Comet, but then there would be the delivery, the worry about it getting here OK and problems if it went wrong AND Neil is currently watching Arsenal & WestHam rather than still waiting for it to be delivered - we're both happy with our purchase.
And the moral to this story - do your research on the big stores where there are lots to compare and you can see all the pictures next to one another, after all without we wouldn't have realised about the different resolutions. Be prepared to travel to the bigger Centros Commercial and don't forget about the smaller independent shops who are giving good service and good prices in the current economic times, they have some good deals on and if it's on what you are looking to buy - and don't stick to english speaking shops, we found all the product cards were in english because it's how the manufacturers print them, so we had no problems checking what we wanted. We bought from Miró in The Centro Comercial Mediterráneo in Cartagena.
What you may also need to ask friends about is whether there is a local guy that installs TV's and satellite as that's where the problems may be if you aren't familiar with the technology. It took us a while of pressing buttons on all the remotes before the sound came out of the seperate speakers, by which time the volume was up around twice comfort level and all the street shared our new system and the pups went in to hiding.
Friday, 24 October 2008
A shopping trip for a new telly.
When we were in Sheffield we had a wall mounted 28" tv, but Neil always wanted a really really big telly, at least 42". So, in one of my good moods I promised him, when we were settled in Spain we would get one.
So, 5 months later, it's official - we're telly hunting so we must be settled!
OK, time to interrogate some of our new friends, who already have big tellys, about where to go. We have a reasonable idea what we are after but want to get a good deal and then check to see whether it's better to buy in-store, on-line in Spain, from the UK and ship out - oh, the options are endless.
It doesn't matter whether we buy from a spanish speaking place or english and we are happy to drive up to an hour to check our options.
First place recommended was in Mojacar Playa from an english owned shop so off we went with the parting phrase being - they are a little more expensive but the service was superb. Ok, we don't mind paying a little for good service so armed with a notebook we took a drive to Mojacar Playa.
First impressions were not good, I have to say. It was a really small room with only about a dozen tv's on display - I wanted choice, I wanted a bank of tv's to look at, I wanted something to shout at me 'take me home' - but they did have both Sony & LG, the 2 makes we were interested in so we didn't give up straight away. Well, after 15 minutes and a few prices scribbled on a bit of paper we were sent on our way having been told to ring them back in a couple of weeks, well maybe a bit longer and they may have more information for us. Er, shouldn't the shop be ringing us? I have to say that I was significantly unimpressed by the whole experience and left the shop hoping we didn't end up buying from them as I had been made to feel that we were completely insignificant to them. I'm wanting to spend money now - not maybe in 2 weeks and I want to feel they are prepared to make me feel a little important to them, not as if I was an interruption to their coffee break. Maybe they have so much work on they don't need to try (isn't their a pending recession which is making the purchase of luxury goods plummet - obviously not here)
So, another conversation with another friend and we were off to Albox, if we get to the Indian Restaurant - we've gone too far. This time we walked into a large shop which sold everything for the home and had a reasonable range of tv's. We compared the prices to those from the previous day and we could see we would be saving €150 on the Sony and €250 on the LG. Result.
BUT, we had also heard about a shopping centre at Cartagena where Media Markt was. We'd never heard of Media Markt and had no idea what it would be like but..... it seemed logical to take a drive up there bearing in mind we would be spending roughly €1,000.
So, on Tuesday we were driving up to Murcia airport to pick up some friends and Lucy's Great Aunty Gladys - and we pass Cartagena on the drive up, so we decided we would set off an hour or so early and call off at Media Markt to see what they had.
Boy, were we in for a surprise!
Part 2 later.
So, 5 months later, it's official - we're telly hunting so we must be settled!
OK, time to interrogate some of our new friends, who already have big tellys, about where to go. We have a reasonable idea what we are after but want to get a good deal and then check to see whether it's better to buy in-store, on-line in Spain, from the UK and ship out - oh, the options are endless.
It doesn't matter whether we buy from a spanish speaking place or english and we are happy to drive up to an hour to check our options.
First place recommended was in Mojacar Playa from an english owned shop so off we went with the parting phrase being - they are a little more expensive but the service was superb. Ok, we don't mind paying a little for good service so armed with a notebook we took a drive to Mojacar Playa.
First impressions were not good, I have to say. It was a really small room with only about a dozen tv's on display - I wanted choice, I wanted a bank of tv's to look at, I wanted something to shout at me 'take me home' - but they did have both Sony & LG, the 2 makes we were interested in so we didn't give up straight away. Well, after 15 minutes and a few prices scribbled on a bit of paper we were sent on our way having been told to ring them back in a couple of weeks, well maybe a bit longer and they may have more information for us. Er, shouldn't the shop be ringing us? I have to say that I was significantly unimpressed by the whole experience and left the shop hoping we didn't end up buying from them as I had been made to feel that we were completely insignificant to them. I'm wanting to spend money now - not maybe in 2 weeks and I want to feel they are prepared to make me feel a little important to them, not as if I was an interruption to their coffee break. Maybe they have so much work on they don't need to try (isn't their a pending recession which is making the purchase of luxury goods plummet - obviously not here)
So, another conversation with another friend and we were off to Albox, if we get to the Indian Restaurant - we've gone too far. This time we walked into a large shop which sold everything for the home and had a reasonable range of tv's. We compared the prices to those from the previous day and we could see we would be saving €150 on the Sony and €250 on the LG. Result.
BUT, we had also heard about a shopping centre at Cartagena where Media Markt was. We'd never heard of Media Markt and had no idea what it would be like but..... it seemed logical to take a drive up there bearing in mind we would be spending roughly €1,000.
So, on Tuesday we were driving up to Murcia airport to pick up some friends and Lucy's Great Aunty Gladys - and we pass Cartagena on the drive up, so we decided we would set off an hour or so early and call off at Media Markt to see what they had.
Boy, were we in for a surprise!
Part 2 later.
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