HERE WE ARE AT LAST!!

Well, here we are in Valladolid with connection to the wider world!

I have to briefly describe our journey here, as much for posterity as for interest. At the last minute, our carefully made plans for the removal were thrown up in the air - almost causing heart failure - but which, in the end worked out well for us.
Our new removers, Andy and Steve, had arrived on the Monday evening to check out access to our house - in the most enormous articulated lorry I have ever seen! And they were really lovely men - I cannot speak highly enough of their help, assistance and good humour.
I have to make a little diversion to thank Kath for her help on Monday, packing all our kitchen things - and being the one to notice the lorry at the end of our street and thus enabling us to meet Andy and Steve. She reckoned it was haunting her as on Tuesday as she was returning home and saw it driving along the road - this time loaded with our things.
After our whole house was loaded up and taken away, we were still left with loads to do - cleaning, packing up remaining bits and pieces and saying goodbye to friends and neighbours .... I found I wasn't really able to get my head round the idea of leaving for good so it was relatively easy; easier than I thought it might be. Probably easier than it should have been. We left for the ferry at about 4 in the morning and made good time to Portsmouth - where we found our lorry again in the queue to embark!
A relatively uneventful and easy journey across the channel, followed by a drive down to Valdepolo gave us just half an hour to prepare ourselves before the lorry arrived. However, we discovered that FR's father hadn't arranged for anyone to come and help us as we'd expected! Anyway, he rounded up a couple of people from the village and Alfredo and Ruz (pronounced Ruth, FR's cousin) came dashing over to help.
And another hot couple of hours later, all was safely loaded into the barn next to FR's grandfather's house - all in a chaotic mess, but all in. Again, I must get some photos because it is impossible to describe!
All the rest will come in my next post - let's just say, we had three lazy days after this in tremendous heat, driven mad by mosquitos but otherwise in peace, relaxation and with a great sense of achievement that we had done it.
And now, here we are at the next stage in La Flecha, near Valladolid, settling in to FR's parent's house for the time being - going twice a day to the local open air swimming pool, the children playing in the plaza and generally taking time to become accustomed to life in Spain.