To see ourselves . . . . . .

[Mariacristina]

This is especially for Oliveview01 because she entertains me with tales of her Spanish neighbours doings, but it amused me so much I thought it was too good not to share with all our members who might have a similar sense of humour.

It also makes me wonder what our Spanish neighbours really think of us. However well we integrate we will always be strangers in a strange land but they do enjoy our eccentricities.

So . . . this came to me via the Spanish network of jungle drums: An Englishman has a holiday home in a nearby village and visits several times a year, He is very enthusiastic about socialising with his Spanish neighbours and always thinks up reasons to host a get-together whilst he is in Spain.

During a recent visit he threw a party to mark the occasion of his car getting to 100,000 miles on the clock. (Truly!). The grand finale of the party was when he produced a cake with candles on it (and no, I didn't ask how many) which he carried outside, carefully positioned behind the car, got in the car, switched the engine on and revved it up so the exhaust blew the candles out.

His neighbours look forward to his visits, consider him to be completely batty and think he is more entertaining than anything they see on television.

[Julie]

Sounds like my type of neigbour Rather someone like that than a moaning Minnie

[olive]

I hardly dare say ....

I wonder if this is DA?

[gavilan]

Here is another story about foreigners: I was sitting on the patio yesterday when I heard a vehicle come down the driveway. It stopped and the driver hooted. I got up and went round the house to see who had come as I was not expecting any visitors. A man came down the steps towards me and asked if this place was private. I think he was German but he could speak some Spanish. I said yes it was. He then asked me if there was a river here where he and his lady could swim. It is November so I was a bit surprised he wanted to swim but he kept making swimming actions with his hands/arms ... and we haven't had any rain for 6 months so all the streams around here have very little water in them anyway. I said I did not know any river in this area where it was possible to swim at this time of year. He then showed me a map which had Alhama de Granada marked in red (that town is not near here, it being a good 40 minute drive away) ... I explained that there are some hot springs there but not deep enough to swim and the hotel has a pool but I did not know if it would be open at this time of year. Never mind he said, he would go there anyway. I started to give him directions but he said not to worry he had a Satnav!

[Devils Advocate]

Nice one OP. No Olive it wasn't me...........but I'm sure I'd get along with the bloke!!

[IreneD]

Olive beat me to it but I know DA's house isn't near Mariacristina. We have someone like him here, very popular with the Spanish who find him extremely entertaining. You'd like him, DA - he's learnt to speak Spanish by socialising with the locals, no Spanish classes for him....... he's actually great company whatever nationality you are