Keeping calm

OK, I confess. I wanted to write my next blog installment in a state of high excitement because FR had phoned me to say - "I've found it! Our home in Spain!"  But, he hasn't. My hope that the house in Meira, that looked so appealing in the brochure, would be just what we were looking for ..wasn't.

In fact, FR was quite down yesterday when we spoke because he'd been all day going around with Mark from Galician Country Homes - who has been extremely kind, helpful and enthusiastic about all things in Galicia - but thus far,FR has not been equally enthused. And he was tired. So I can't say exactly what he thought about what he'd seen because when he's tired, he does tend to exaggerate and also to use really bad language.  Listening between the expletives, I think he was saying that the villages are quite dead, very few children around and that what he had seen might possibly be OK after several years hard work but not what we had in mind. Personally, I think his view was also seriously affected by the fact that it was windy - FR hates wind - but he did concede that it was not cold and it wasn't raining, even though it seemed like the rest of Spain was suffering awful weather.  This is good. I've checked the forecast for today and it's not too bad; a bit chilly but no rain and only light wind...whereas in Huddersfield, it's a very chill 6 degrees and I've had to put the heating on.

So the search continues and I have to accept that it's early days. My mood wasn't exactly improved when the house down the road here had a 'SOLD' sign on it yesterday and it's been on the market for less time than ours. I know the market is subdued but we've only had one couple look. I'm desperate for more viewers; if only to make all the tidying up worthwhile.

The Easter holidays continue for the children and yesterday we went to the Royal Armouries in Leeds. They had all been so fractious before we set off that I had every intention of letting them take a weapon of their choice so I only had to bring the last one standing home. However, by the time we got there and listened to some pirate stories, watched some two-handed sword fighting and had lunch, they were all cheerful and quite pleasant company again. I found the amount of weaponry rather disturbing after just a short while and much preferred looking at the medieval pictures in the Tournament Field; whilst we were there, we found Guy, who was explaining how metal armour could 'bend' and that was very interesting. We all felt we'd learned something there and also got to try on some real armour.

I await news from FR with renewed optimism that today will be the day he phones and says, "I've found it!"