Receiving UK Winter Fuel Allowance in Spain.

[El Cid]

Gavilan, whereabouts are you in the Axaquia?

We are near the coast in Granada province and in the winter the northerly winds come up at night down from the mountains with huge strength. 90 km/hr is not unusual. In the summer it reverses and we get hot winds for an hour or two overnight.

Sid

[gavilan]

El Cid ... north-west of you ... just south of Ventas de Zafarraya near the border between Malaga y Granada ... and those winds dont just blow down on us at night ... sometimes can last a couple of days ... then turn around like you say and blow warm up from the coast! never open the kitchen door when that wind comes down the valley!

[El Cid]

Gavilan, I now know where you mean.

The other area with odd winds is the Guadalahorce valley where the "Terral" blows down the valley in the summer. I was playing golf up there once in August and the temperature was about 45c.

It was like standing in front of a fan heater!

Sid

[Raquel]

I used to find it freezing in the winter, it was so miserable and made much worse by not having central heating. I'd often wear layers and layers of clothing and the quilt on us while we sat on the settee. On the beds we would have two duvets and two blankets. During the day we would be knee deep in mud along with car. The worse thing is the ever changing tempertures sure fire way of catching a flu, morning temps of 0 afternoon of 18-20 and then back to 0 for the evening...crazy. At least here (in england) when its cold its cold you dont need to change your clothes three times a day, although today its 15 and middle of november. But it is so much more cosy here in the winter.

People dont seem to understand that it gets cold in Spain. Last week this girl asked me if I lived in Spain for six years why don't I have a tan

[Moving Soon]

I'm not medically qualified but I thought flu was a viral illness (as is the common cold) and nothing to do with extremes of temperature?

[Valencia_Paul]

You can only catch flu from somebody else who has the virus. I don't know whether actually feeling cold would increase your chances of catching it.

A UK experiment this year which "proved" that being cold increases your chances of catching a cold virus was recently criticised as being invalid.

More to the point, if you are stressed and/or depressed your immune system will probably be weaker leading to more infections. Raquel certainly seems to have experienced this!

[toddcl]

Good point that!
If you are stressed and/or depressed your immune system will probably be weaker leading to more infections. Raquel certainly seems to have experienced this!

At least in Spain although it gets cold you do get warm days and the all important Sunshine. S.A.D has got to be the worst ailment that you can have in the UK. Four months of cloud and damp days is enough to depress anybody.

[Moving Soon]

Only four months? It's a lot more than that where I have been living - we had our central heating on more than one evening in August this year, and it rained pretty nearly every day for the whole of August.

I know Spanish houses are cold in winter, I've spent enough Christmases in mine to realise that, but even in the really cold winter 2 years ago I didn't have more than 2 blankets and a lightweight quilt on my bed. I will swap 2/3 months of having to dress warmly in the evenings for the British climate, no problem.

I'm the opposite of Raquel, I don't mind the hot weather (but I'm sensible and don't sit in the sun in the afternoons). I do find the grey skies, cloud and drizzle in England really depressing and I hate ice and snow. Where I will be living in Spain is not high enough to get either, although we can see snow on the mountain tops inland from us - looks pretty at a distance which is where I like to keep it

[toddcl]

Moving Soon

You should try a day at the Ski resort in Granada. It may be cold but when I've been, it's been dry and sunny and we have a good day just sitting in the sun watching the skiing with a nice coffee and anis to keep you warm inside.

[Moving Soon]

The coffee and anis bit would undoubtedly appeal to my OH but he can drink that at home! You will not get me anywhere near a ski resort, if I never go within a mile of snow again it will suit me just fine.

Since global warming kicked in the winters where I lived in the Rossendale Valley have been a lot milder (just wetter) but I've had more than enough of digging ourselves out over the years. One Easter we had no electricity for 4 days after the snow brought the overhead power lines down, and people were coming down into the village on skis from up on the moors surrounding us. One neighbour was looking for his car when he realised he was standing on top of it, it was completely buried. The first year I moved there, it snowed in June and a local cricket match was snowed off.

The power cuts in Spain hold no terrors for me because it's a way of life for me to always have a plentiful supply of candles in the house and never rely on electricity for all my cooking/heating needs

[Raquel]

You can only catch flu from somebody else who has the virus. I don't know whether actually feeling cold would increase your chances of catching it.

A UK experiment this year which "proved" that being cold increases your chances of catching a cold virus was recently criticised as being invalid.

More to the point, if you are stressed and/or depressed your immune system will probably be weaker leading to more infections. Raquel certainly seems to have experienced this!

A lot of old people get the flu in the winter though that's why they get they get the flu jab. I agree with you that the cold would make you more vulnerable. My worst ailment was hay fever (something I never suffered from in England, only Ireland and Spain) I used to get really sick with it and the fact we lived in the campo made it so much worse for months and months I'd have it. It really was horrible I hope I don't get it again this year.

[Raquel]

The power cuts in Spain hold no terrors for me because it's a way of life for me to always have a plentiful supply of candles in the house and never rely on electricity for all my cooking/heating needs

You should try 22 months thats how long our power cut lasted coupled with no running water. To be honest I can't understand why I lived like that for so long.

[Moving Soon]

No, I would certainly not have enjoyed 22 months of living without electricity or running water, Raquel. I often wonder when I watch all the TV programmes about taking on old properties in rural areas and renovating them (and there are plenty of 'Start a New Life in the Country' programmes about the UK as well) if they really know what they are taking on and the hardship that will be involved.

I hope you don't have any fields planted with rape near to where you are living now, they are the bane of the countryside in England now and the smell in the Summer is so heavy it is sickening. I don't have hayfever or asthma myself but I believe it causes problems for people who do.

[gavilan]

re discusion of cold winters ... whenever one of us feels cold, we remind each other of our early days down here ... renting part of a 1700s old flour mill which faced north, so never any sun indoors, stone floors, 5/6 metre high ceilings, large open plan kitchen/dining/lounge ...only heating was a small log fire and a foot or two away from that and you were freezing again ... one day I said to our Spanish host/neighbour that we were somewhat cold indoors ... her response and reply/advice was 'wear more sweaters'!!

[toddcl]

Reminds me of when I lived in Lowestoft . One paraffin heater that stank the place out and newspaper stuffed in the widows because you could drive a car through them even when closed.

Electrical supply would not take a heater. went to bed early with hot-waterbottle as this was the only place that you could get warm.
[with all the coats etc piled on the bedding]

Still makes me shiver when I think about it.

[Solysombra]

what happened to Frank?

Perhaps he eloped with Spanish Hopes!

Alan

Frank's ok by me but the idiot Spanish hopes we can do without, I think he's permanently confined to the Manilva site now, apparently all the oap's love his caricatures, long may he stay there

[katy]

My doctor (here) says that the sudden changes in temperature are the casue of many throat infections. If severe they can feel like flu'. It suprises me what conditions some are prepared to live in here in order to "live the dream". Was in a friends "house" a few days ago and when i stood up I felt as though I had had an accident it felt so damp.

Don't think it is as cold as last year in Nov though.

[Alan-LaCala]

Don't think it is as cold as last year in Nov though.

Oh I do! But then last Novemeber we had only been here 2 months and were probably still full of the warm glow of contentment aabout having finally moved.

Lit our wood burner on Tuesday night for the first time since mid March. Lovely.

Alan

[toddcl]

Alan.

I think it will be getting cold!

Have a look:

http://www.sierranevadaski.com/En%20Pis ... 0A%20M%20S

[jenna m]

The stove is lit (its only 11am) and I am happily listening to RNE Radio3 streaming on the internet.
Here in Ireland we had our first snow of the winter (on the mountain tops) yesterday. -It is much too early for snow everyone is saying.
Regards to you all,Jenna m