I love being Sandra in Spain!

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Well, it’s been quite a week! Last week ended with Dave Bull down to his boxers in my front room, so you’d think you couldn’t top that, but somehow, I managed it.

As part of the media team on the Kayak Challenge, I had to get a piece to the Leader newspaper within 12 hours of Dave and Mitch coming out of the water. It wasn’t quite a case of ‘hold the front page,’ but apparently they were holding a space for up to 325 words, plus a photo. So, I got the stuff off, and when Jane and I went shopping on Monday, the first stop was to pick up the Leader. Jane was driving, and I started looking on Page 7, which is where the local news usually starts. And I went all through the paper – through the local news, national news, TV guide, classifieds (including Angela from Brazil who will come to your home or hotel. Thank goodness Tony wasn’t looking over my shoulder!), past the house sales, car sales and sports pages. And there was nothing. Zilch. Nada.

‘Why did I bother?’ I asked myself – and I didn’t have an answer. When the car stopped, Jane took the paper from me, and found my piece – on Page 3! So, at the age of 63, I managed to be a Page 3 Girl, without having to take my clothes off. That’s excellent news for the residents of the Costa Blanca, because although I ain’t too bad for an old bird, the birthday suit could do with a bit of ironing. Best of all though, the piece went in just as I wrote it. It’s here, if you want a look.

Come Friday, Jane and I rocked up at Jilly’s Bar in Algorfa, for their first Christmas Fair. Jill and her daughter Sam are doing great stuff at the Tropicana and Jilly’s Bar, and it was great to see so many locals turn out to support them. We all got a few bargains, and sorted some presents out, which was enough reward. But several people said ‘Aren’t you Sandra in Spain? Love your stuff.’ And okay, it’s naff, but I still love it when people come up and say that. What put the lid on the day though was when somebody came up to me and asked if I’d worked as a journalist in England, because I wrote like a professional. I’ve had no training of any sort – I’m not even house trained, for heaven’s sake – and I only started writing when I moved to Spain in 2008, so that was the best compliment anyone could have paid me.

Come Sunday, and Jane and I are off down to the Centro Rural de Algorfa, for the Big Draw. No – not me in my Page 3 pose, this was much more interesting. We were about to draw the winners for the 200 Raffle to support the Kayak Challenge. We raised just under €160, and we had three wonderful prizes from Brigitta at the Vestry Restaurant, Beth at La Taberna de Algorfa and Vicky at Studio Six Salon.Thank you ladies – you are all stars!

We don’t just talk the talk when we do charity stuff, we walk the walk too – or in this case, buy the tickets. So, while we were folding them up and mixing them up, somebody said, ‘You do realise that if one of your tickets comes out, somebody will say it’s a fix?’ To which Jane and I replied that we’d put our money in the same as everyone else, and we weren’t pulling out the winners, so if we clued up with a meal or a cut and blow job – bloody predictive text, that should be blow dry! – we’re having it.

So, after the drum roll – which we didn’t have, because no bugger had thought to bring a drum – Mine Host Mike at the Centro pulled out the first winning ticket. And it wasn’t mine, thank goodness. But it was Jane’s! I asked Mike how much she’d paid him to pull her ticket out first, but being the perfect host, he said nothing, and just gave an enigmatic smile. However, if he thought he’d be going to the Vestry with her for the meal, I fear he will be sadly disappointed. And in any case, Therese wouldn’t give him the night off. So I really hope she slipped him a few Euros, or he could become very bitter and twisted.

So, all in all, a great week, mixing with old friends, and making new ones. Tomorrow I head for England to do the Santa Run, and although I’m looking forward to seeing my kids and grandchildren, and catching up with friends – to say nothing of hitting Poundland – I’ll be counting the days until I’m back to being Sandra in Spain. Because I absolutely love it!