Today shady European Deals and shady terraces, as we continue our daily diary of Lockdown, Spanish style.

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Day 74 shady deals

 

Thursday has arrived and we are awaiting the blind men, not that they are actually blind, but they are hopefully going to fit the awning blinds that run along the top of our pergola.

 

Some rather sad but predictable news from the Spanish economy, and that is 38,508 fewer pensions were paid out last month as the Covid19 virus has been especially lethal amongst Spain’s ageing population. This is also the third month in a row the pension bill has declined.

 

The E.U. has finally moved into action and there is a plan to help the Spanish economy to the tune of 140 Billion Euros.  But that plan does depend on all 27 member states agreeing a rescue package principally for Spain, Italy and then smaller amounts for the rest of the Union.

 

European Commission President Ursula Von Der Leyen says “We either all go it alone, leaving countries, regions and people behind, and accepting a Union of haves and have-nots, or we walk that road together”.

 

The European Union has finally reached its crossroads, is it prepared to bail out countries like Spain?  Will there be strings attached, like reform of Labour law and the ease to run a small business here in Spain? Or will they just throw Euros at Spain in the hope that some might do some good?

 

It is Thursday and finally we are going to get some shade out on the terrace.  If when the restrictions lift and you decide to come and look for property here in beautiful Spain, forget about the sun, that is a given.

 

I know in the UK we constantly hunted out the sun.  We used to sit at the bottom of our garden, because it was the only place the evening sun reached.  We would play a game of musical chairs to catch the last warm rays before the cold of the evening arrived.

 

It was rare that evenings, even in summer were warm enough to sit out in the garden without a patio heater somewhere nearby.  I remember once a particularly miserable barbecue with our friends where the heavens opened, but we carried on under a large plastic parasol come tent, hardly alfresco eating.

 

So it comes as no surprise when you see those homes abroad in the sun shows that the first thing the Brits look for is a bit of sun, ooing and arring at a roof terrace, which the Spanish would only use to dry their clothes on or let their dog up to for a crap.

 

“Oh Audrey, I can just see us and the thirty-nine grandchildren up her having a lovely Sunday roast.”  Well you would certainly be roasting all right.

 

Or “Frank, what about this wonderful pool, I can see myself sipping a cocktail beside it.” Again, an hour or so sunbathing fine, but sitting out in the sun all day, Brit style is an uncomfortable and potentially dangerous regular pastime.

 

I quote from the Daily Mail: “Cilla Black may have had a stroke after being overcome by heat during the hottest summer in Spain for 40 years. The 72-year-old collapsed suddenly on Saturday on a sun terrace at her luxury holiday villa in Estepona, near Marbella”

 

So, if you are looking around property, look for the shady areas of the house or flat, places where you can sit out of the sun and have an evening meal.  Mostly that means more than just an area with a parasol stuck somewhere nearby.

 

The Spanish love a bit of cane, they wire canes together to form a cover and then lay it across a pergola to create some shade.  I am not personally that keen on cane, it is a bit too rustic for me, but I have to say our neighbour José has painted his cane white, and with the white of the building it looks ok.

 

The blind men have gone for a late lunch, I am not sure if they will work till 8pm, they sometimes will do that.  A summer working day can start at 8am, breakfast at 10am, lunch usually at 2pm back at about 3 to 3.30pm working through to the evening sun sets.

 

If you are outside working, this makes perfect sense.  Indoors with air-conditioning, I think most Spanish would prefer to do a 9 to 5pm working day, with evenings free to see the kids and have a slightly earlier social life.

 

It does not help that really Spain should be at the same time as the UK, indeed it was before Franco decided to move Spanish time to Berlin time. I think it is one of the reasons why the Spanish stay out so late at night.  For years they have been talking about changing it back, but don’t hold your breath.

 

Now is the time to think about making your move to Spain, start by looking at the Estate Agent sites like Kyero, but remember when we saw the house of our dreams on the internet, it looked like a house of horrors and we immediately discounted it.

 

So, combine a holiday and an Estate Agent trip here, as soon as you can after travel is lifted.