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Pamela1
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none residents

Postby Pamela1 » Sat Sep 15, 2018 5:26 pm

This question is mostly for non residents although those who reside permanently in Spain please join in if you wish to..
Firstly, i am or seem to be always happier when i'm at my house in Andalucia, some may say it's because i'm in holiday mode. Is it though?.. When we first get to the house it's about cleaning, i always leave it in good order but of course dust builds up in our absence and i usually take about 3 days to clean the house and catching up on washing the bedding and towels from our last stay.. i'm not cleaning all day during those 3days, i spread it over the 3days.
Then i usually have a wander around the land taking note of all the trees, plants and grape vines, there is much to do outside and i enjoy taking part in keeping it all in good order..I seem to work more but it seems more enjoyable and the biggest difference is that i'm more motivated than i am when i'm home here in the Uk...Life feels more relaxed and less stressful...How would you describe your days away in your home in Andalucia?

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costakid
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Re: none residents

Postby costakid » Sun Sep 16, 2018 2:12 pm

My holiday starts once i have cleaned the terrace and got the furniture out. Always my 1st job. My wife's starts when we stop in Malaga for a tapa and beer on our way from the airport.

Pamela1
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Re: none residents

Postby Pamela1 » Mon Sep 17, 2018 9:47 am

Lovely, your wife has the right idea...love it ..

anyroads
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Re: none residents

Postby anyroads » Mon Sep 17, 2018 1:49 pm

My first job is trying to light the gas.

Always after some months away, it never seems to want to start. I sometimes just give up, go up town for something to eat, and tackle it when I get back. Always a nice feeling when it finally decides to play ball !

We usually get in late anyway, so next day is cleaning day. I try and kill that in one day.

anyroads

Pamela1
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Re: none residents

Postby Pamela1 » Mon Sep 17, 2018 4:58 pm

The gas! yep its the same for us every single time, sometimes it takes hubby an hour to get it sorted and i wait around with baited breath willing it to start because until it does everything is on stand still...There was one occasion he messed on with it for an hour and it wouldn't start, frustration set in and he gave up, he returned to it later and it came on straight away, yes agree..a nice feeling when the hot water is sorted..
I do hate having to start the cleaning but again when it's done it's a nice feeling, means i can relax. :thumbup:

TorreDelAguila
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Re: none residents

Postby TorreDelAguila » Mon Sep 17, 2018 6:10 pm

Gas appliances left unused for long periods, especially if the cylinder regulator has been disconnected, and the gas pipe run to the appliance is long, can be difficult to get lit/started. The long pipe can fill with air, and it can take up to a minute for it to refill with an igniteable concentration of gas.

On a BBQ or cooker it's easy: just open the appliance tap, listen for the gas/air to come through, and after 10-15secs try lighting; repeat as needed. When a good quantity of gas arrives, it will light.

Boilers can be another thing, though, as it is often not so easy to flush through the unwanted air or air-gas mixture. Holding the gas control down ("lighting mode") should allow flushing, but it can be slow.

Also:
- Boiler thermocouples (the little copper rod that protrudes into the upper part of the pilot flame) can age badly, or fail.
- The small adjustment provided for altering the size of the pilot flame can become claggy, and not allow sufficient gas through to light and maintain the pilot flame. Cure: temporarily increase the flame size, then adjust back to textbook size when lit.
- The piezo spark ignition system can fail to provide an adequate igniting spark.

Safety: All this, and any other investigation, must be done in a well-ventilated non-confined area. If unsure, call in a professional.

Gas boilers here in Spain have a somewhat dismal record, although there are good brands. Long periods on non-use (absences, hot summers...) don't help.
Chris

Weescottie
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Re: none residents

Postby Weescottie » Mon Sep 17, 2018 11:58 pm

It seems that I’m not alone. I always have to do the cleaning routine before I can settle with a well deserved drink or three. That bloody dust gets everywhere. Thankfully all electric so no faffing around with gas.

anyroads
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Re: none residents

Postby anyroads » Wed Sep 19, 2018 6:59 pm

Going to arrange my 5 year "service" when I am out next week, so hopefully this may help the gas situation.

Glad I am not alone in that one. One trick from a neighbour, was to "prime" the gas nozzle of the gas canister with a match, before connecting it.

anyroads

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costakid
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Re: none residents

Postby costakid » Wed Sep 19, 2018 9:50 pm

Gas and Match equals BANG BOOM

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peteroldracer
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Re: none residents

Postby peteroldracer » Thu Sep 20, 2018 8:49 am

anyroads wrote: One trick from a neighbour, was to "prime" the gas nozzle of the gas canister with a match, before connecting it.
Another candidate for the Darwin Awards!
I used to cough to disguise a [email protected] I f@rt to disguise a cough.

1bassleft
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Re: none residents

Postby 1bassleft » Thu Sep 20, 2018 9:00 am

I feel more motivated when I get here in Spain - most times. 2017-18 was my first year of coming and going when we like, not when we have to. Of course, it coincided with the coldest winter; I was stunned when I got into the car at 2pm and the outside temperature display said 4C - I've never seen single figures, certainly not in mid-afternoon. Knowing that the dust/sand/grit infiltrates whatever you do has improved our "last day" immensely; I used to get wound up about the scrubbing, bleaching and mopping before we left but now we just get rid of perishables and do a sweep. Doing the real blitz on arrival is more economical. It's a pity I don't smoke and drink anymore; getting the table, chairs, ashtray and vino out on the balcony used to be my "arrived" moment. Now it's just when my wife's suitcase is empty, the bedding is done and I can get horizontal.

We still haven't got adjusted yet. My wife got bored quite quickly in the winter and was missing central heating - one of the main reasons for being here, I thought. Conversely, jumping out in August to escape (for me) unremitting heat and humidity was a fine idea for the less than two weeks of what constitutes a summer in NW England but the blanket grey sky and headlights required at 6pm made me as happy as Leonard to be back just before September. I think we'll just take the mid-August fortnight off next time.

The finesse trick for me will be trying to spend 183 days in Blighty.

("prime the gas nozzle"... I would make checking the firewall part of my "arrival" routine with that neighbour)

TorreDelAguila
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Re: none residents

Postby TorreDelAguila » Thu Sep 20, 2018 9:13 am

anyroads wrote:One trick from a neighbour, was to "prime" the gas nozzle of the gas canister with a match, before connecting it.
:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :thumbdown:
Chris

anyroads
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Re: none residents

Postby anyroads » Thu Sep 20, 2018 1:11 pm

Maybe I am phrasing that wrong.

What he meant was, hitting the the part of the the gas bottle, from where the gas comes up, with something like the end of a match, ( tooth pick might work too I suppose ) unlit of course, to draw some gas, before reconnecting the whole thing.

No flames involved !

Its about as dangerous, as eating in Salisbury these days..BOOM BOOM.

anyroads

Pamela1
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Re: none residents

Postby Pamela1 » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:31 pm

Don't worry anyroads, i didn't really think you had any intention of blowing yourself up.

Pamela1
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Re: none residents

Postby Pamela1 » Thu Sep 20, 2018 2:33 pm

Great post 1bassleft, sounds very much like us. :)

1bassleft
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Re: none residents

Postby 1bassleft » Sun Sep 23, 2018 10:58 pm

I don't know how much of the year you can spend out here, Pamela (nor how feasible this might be where you are - we live in a built-up area) but we were tipped off about free Spanish classes for extranjeros and glad we signed up. "Getting by" is quite different to gaining a better understanding of the language. Instead of "No water. Tap. (1st person plural)Fix today?", I can now sound like my IQ is getting into double figures and avoid unfortunate misunderstandings. The drawback is now knowing that the woman in the shop ten years ago laughed because I said, "I look for wardrobe with two testicles."
It's also an antidote to petrifying in the sun (pleasant though it is to be able to) once the cleaning's done. We've just re-started after the summer break and look forward to it. Apologies if you've already read through "Love in the Time of Cholera" in the original and I'm way behind you.

Pamela1
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Re: none residents

Postby Pamela1 » Mon Sep 24, 2018 11:00 am

Yes, much easier to have a better understanding of the lingo although i doubt i wiill ever master the family dilect...i resigned a long time ago to leave them to chimo raya amongst themselves.. :yawn: :lol:

jogger
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Re: none residents

Postby jogger » Wed Sep 26, 2018 1:26 pm

1bassleft we have a very similar routine to you, even the non-drinking and smoking bit these days. This year we did early May until late July then late August until Nov 8th.

We normally deal with the cleaning on the last few days of our visit and then deal with the sand (nowhere near a beach) and dust again when we arrive. It's a small mercy to be able to soak up the great atmosphere in the village, food and usually weather. For winter we retreat to the centrally heated UK home and count the months until our return. Hopefully in the next couple of years, it will be fulltime here in Spain.

One thing I have noticed over recent years, food here seems so much more expensive than it use to be but then again it still only a small sacrifice.

1bassleft
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Re: none residents

Postby 1bassleft » Wed Sep 26, 2018 11:55 pm

Nice to read, Jogger - when we came out at Easter 2017 (our last fortnight's holiday before it all became a holiday) I checked out Casares, Sabanillas, Manilva and La Duquesa. Our current place is a tad small and that area had reasonably sized property a short stroll from under-utilized beaches (a big thing for Mrs 1bl). It looks like we'll stay where we are for some time yet, but I liked it a lot. La Duquesa has really affordable restaurants around the marina - unheard of in this part of the CdS and Manilva was my kind of slightly-inland town. We only recce'd it, but I think my impressions weren't misty-eyed. I'm a proper Anglo-Norman and the winters here (although the most recent one did make me find a long-sleeve top) are just fine but Mrs 1bl is half-Italian and I realised too late I was being stingy with the Calor-gas heater. When we returned, I let it burn to keep her happy and it's still on the same cylinder.

Shopping for cooking at home is still peanuts here (I make one-pot soup/stews a lot) and spend half as much that lasts twice as long compared to UK, but eating out is something we do less, nowadays. There aren't so many "gosh, this is so cheap and good, why bother to cook?" places as there used to be, and most are oriental - which we're fine with, but the parrilladas dent the wallet more than they used to.

jogger
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Re: none residents

Postby jogger » Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:02 am

We are up the hill in Casares village so different from the coast, very Spanish but only a reasonably short drive to the coast and all that goes with it.


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