Where do I start? I suppose it all depends on what type of person you are, and of course where you end up living in Spain. I moved here 4 years ago with my husband and a tribe of animals that under no circumstances would I have come here without, and apart from the fact I love my home in Spain, I miss so much about the UK.

I must explain, I live in a lovely villa with a pool, an outside kitchen which is a must in August, an outside bar, a pool table, a tennis court, and “yes” I live the most chilled life you could ever imagine, and my husband and I have been lucky enough to be able to work together from home.
We live in a small village called Perleta, just outside Elche, near Alicante, not another Brit in sight, and a wonderful set of acquaintances, I won´t call them friends for the moment. You make so many “friends” in the first 18 months, then one day you sit back and say “hey, would I be friends with these people in England” and unfortunately the answer is normally “no”. They come and go, and eventually you find the ones you really like and stick to them like glue – you never know when you might need them!

But as a woman, what do I miss?  Maybe men do as well, I don’t really know, but I often dream of the leafy lanes of Sussex, the woods, bluebells, holly, deciduous trees, autumn with its lovely smells, spring with daffodils and tulips, April and May when the fields are covered in yellow rape, ice on the car at 4.30 in the morning getting ready for a 10 hour shift (actually no, I don’t think so!) I suppose I’m a bit of a romantic, my husband thinks I’m crazy as he doesn’t miss a thing. I even went back in April and took photos of the sheep in the fields with the lambs, the cows, and took loads of photos of the Cuckmere River, Beachy Head, just in case I ever forget where it is and want to take a jump - sad aren’t I?, but that’s what I miss.

I used to take all these things for granted, but not any more. But the biggest things I miss are MARKS AND SPENCERS, SAINSBURYS, TESCOS, SAFEWAY AND READY MEALS. The only good thing to say about that is that you have to cook fresh food and they reckon you might live longer for it, but I think I’d rather take a chance. This all said – I wouldn’t go back to the UK, as my life has changed 360, I look healthier than ever, I have an all year round tan, I can leave my bag in the local bar and know it will be there when I go the next day, I can put my purse at the check out in the local supermercado, and know its not going to get nicked, and I don’t have to lock my house up when I pop down the road. Don’t be fooled totally by that though - as I said it all depends where you live.

Oh, I forgot, I’m no spring chicken and own a quad bike - couldn’t have done that in the UK donned in a bikini and no crash hat - not a pretty sight, but it has to be done, so life’s pretty good really.