Vipassana Meditation - part two

I've done it, I've completed my first Vipassana meditation course! It was an amazing experience, quite possibly one of the best things I have ever done. It wasn't easy though but at least I didn't have any thoughts of wanting to leave during the course. 

The course was conducted at the Dhamma Neru centre, about an hour's train ride out of Barcelona - far away from the hustle and bustle of city life but not too far away in the sticks. 

After arrival and registration, we had a light evening meal, a talk about the course and what was expected of us and then our first meditation. We had to observe "Noble Silence" from that evening on. That meant no talking to anyone apart from the teacher or the manager and even then you had to whisper so as not to disturb anyone else. There was to be absolutely no communication between meditators and no eye contact. Men and women were completely segregated - the only time we were together was in the meditation hall but even then we sat on different sides, came in through different doors, even had different mats and blankets - everything was kept completely separate.

The next morning, we were woken at 4.00 by the sound of a gong being rung three times. The daily timetable was fairly similar for the ten days (apart from the last day), things starting or finishing by the sound of the gong being rung three times. We started our daily meditations at 4.30, with breakfast at 6.30. Over the course of the day, we'd meditate for just over ten hours. Before this, my meditation had been limited to no more than half an hour so it was quite a leap! The first few days, I couldn't sit in any position for longer than about five minutes as something would start hurting. This constant fidgeting and moving meant that I couldn't concentrate on the meditating. Then if I did find a position where I could sit still for a while, I found myself falling asleep! 

Although I struggled with the "sitting still" part of meditating in the beginning, I didn't find Noble Silence difficult to do. I think it helps if you're doing the course on your own - you don't know the other people so there's less temptation to want to talk to them. What was more difficult was to try and stop the incessant chattering going on in my head, particularly when I was trying to meditate. 

The days came and went and we were guided through the process of meditating. Being cut off completely from the outside world and all the days following a similar timetable meant that you soon lost track of what day it was, whether it was a weekday or the weekend. We lived like monks, moving silently from dormitory to meditation hall to dining room. For the first five days, I stayed within the boundaries of the courtyard, even though we could go out into the gardens for a walk. My whole life existed around the courtyard. I don't know why I didn't go out, it just didn't cross my mind. 

On the fourth day, I woke at 4.00 to the sound of the gong being rung and thought "no, I want a lie in, I want to sleep more" - although I wasn't actually tired. I went back to sleep after deciding to miss the first meditation and just get up for breakfast. My plan didn't quite work as at exactly 4.30, there was a little voice by my head going "Azra, get up, it's time to meditate. Azra, get up, it's time to meditate" - the manager had spotted my slumbering self! I went into the meditation hall and found that sitting in one position was now causing more discomfort than ever before. I constantly shuffled from this side to that, from this position to another, my pile of cushions going up and down in the hope that within the cushions I might find some comfort. Later that afternoon, we were asked to try and sit completely still for an hour during the group meditations. This meant sitting in your chosen position (in my case cross-legged) with your hands clasped and eyes closed and trying not to move at all for an hour. Although that morning I hadn't been able to sit still for more than a few minutes, as soon as there was a goal we had to try and attain, my competitive side rose up and made sure I did it! 

There were three group meditations a day and after the fourth day, you had to try and sit still for all three, each being an hour long. The first couple of days, I managed two sittings but would always have to move during the third. It was a great feeling when I finally managed to do all three sittings in the day without moving an inch.

On the tenth day, Noble Silence ended and we were able to talk to each other (although we still had to observe Noble Silence in or around the meditation halls). It was great to be able to talk to people but after a while it seemed a bit noisy. The people on the course suddenly took on personalities and you realised how difficult it is to garner any knowledge of someone's personality without being able to talk or communicate in any way. You don't know how they sound or what they're like - on day ten it was as if everyone came alive and there was a lot of animated chattering! 

Once we could talk again, someone raised the question of why everyone was brushing their teeth the whole time. It was true, it didn't matter what time you went into the bathroom, there would always be someone brushing their teeth. It was particularly busy after meals. Even I found myself brushing my teeth three times a day but that was because of the different timetable we were following - I'd brush my teeth as soon as I got up. After breakfast, there'd be an hour free that I used for taking a nap. That meant that I didn't take a shower til after lunch at which time I'd brush my teeth again, and then once again before bed. This increased teeth-brushing meant that by the last day I'd run out of toothpaste and as I saw my supplies diminish, I wondered what I'd do if I ran out before the end of the course. I couldn't borrow from anyone else as I wouldn't be able to communicate what I needed. I couldn't just help myself to someone's tube of toothpaste as that might be seen as stealing. In the end, I decided not to worry about it unless it happened!

It turned out that most people were brushing their teeth four or five times a day just as it was something to do, they were bored. It made me realise that although at times I'd found my time there difficult, I'd never felt bored. Another girl I spoke to told me that every day she'd have to fight the urge to leave. I was surprised hearing this as during the meditations, she had looked so calm and serene, in comparison to my constantly fidgeting self! But once again, I never felt any urge to leave or escape - I was happy to be where I was, doing what I was doing. 

Although at times difficult and intense, ultimately the course was a wonderful experience and I have vowed to continue with my daily meditation practice. There's a group that meets on a weekly basis to meditate in Ibiza so I'm going to make that a part of my weekly routine. After the course, one of my friends asked me what had prompted me to do it. I'd been wanting to start meditating on a daily basis but didn't really know how to do it. I thought that a daily meditation would help to keep me grounded and centred - it doesn't matter how wonderful your life is, things do still happen and I want to feel that I'm in a good position to handle anything that comes my way. Also, when I look back over my life so far, so many amazing things have happened, I've had so many wonderful opportunities and I wanted a daily meditation where I could say thank-you for everything that's happened so far - I have a lot to be thankful for! Finally the course showed me how to deal with an issue that up until now, I'd been aware of but never dealt with it properly. Awareness alone is not enough!

I'd recommend this course to everyone! It's non-sectarian so it's open to everyone, regardless of religious beliefs. It follows the universal laws of nature and therefore isn't aligned to any one religion. It encourages all beings to be happy and to live a life that is full of love and compassion, harmony and goodwill. There's no guilt involved to try and make people take action. And as the course is free, it is open to everyone - anyone who has completed a course can make a donation at the end based on their own financial position. 

Now that I'm home, it's up to me to keep up my daily practice. I've done it so far. It's not easy though - whenever it's time, I have a little voice going "I don't want to do this". But I've ignored it and got on with the meditating. As I'm not working at the moment, I can get up at any time I want although I've worked out that once I do start working, I'd have to get up at 5.30 to meditate for an hour if I still want to fit in my daily swim before the working day starts. The alarm was set for 5.30 this morning. When it went off, I turned it off and went back to sleep. When I woke up a couple of hours later, I started meditating. But by then, Bea was up and I realised that even the smallest sounds were a distraction to my meditation. So I've now got to be disciplined and start getting up at 5.30 to meditate as it will be dark and quiet and easier to concentrate on the meditation. I know it would be so easy to do nothing but I have so much to gain from daily practice that I'm determined to make it a part of my life. I've come to Ibiza for a better quality of life and this can only help add to that!  

Vipassana Meditation

I´m in Barcelona writing this from the comfort of an internet place called EasyInternet.com but it has nothing to do with Stelios. I´m surprised they´re still managing to operate under that name. I haven´t used an internet shop for over a year and I haven´t missed it. The keyboard is awful, all the keys keep sticking and you end up getting very frustrated as you miss out letters and have to go back. Just as well I´m only here for the hour....

Anyway, I digress. I´m in Barcelona, about to go on a meditation retreat for 10 days. 10 full days of meditating, no talking, no looking at anyone else and not very much food. The longest I´ve meditated for is about 10 minutes so I´m curious to see how I get on. I´ve heard great things about the Vipassana retreats so will be interesting to experience it myself. 10 days with no contact with the outside world - no mobiles, no internet, nothing.

I´ll come back and blog after the retreat - now I´ve got to stop using this awful keyboard as it´s driving me crazy!

It's not often that.....

...you get photographed with the former President of South Africa so I've decided to put a post in about this picture.

The photo was taken in March 2004, at the end of the inaugural weekend for the Global Leadership Foundation. I've got a big smile on my face as it was up to me to organise everything (apart from what was discussed in the meetings) and the weekend went really well, everyone was very happy and I was asked back the following year to organise the annual AGM.

Reading this, you may be thinking "but I thought she worked in interiors?". It's true, I do. But before I moved into interiors, I worked as an international relations consultant, gaining invaluable experience at the Foreign Office and Bell Pottinger Consultants. The experience was unique, high-level and basically I think I developed a reputation for delivering results, even with things I'd never done before. After I moved into interiors, I'd still get calls to do one-off international relations projects so, at times, I'd find my life moving between the two - I think it's known as a portfolio career. Although I don't think portfolio careers usually see you doing two things that are so vastly different.

The Global Leadership Foundation (GLF) is a not-for-profit organisation with the aim of helping national leaders who face complex economic and political challenges by providing confidential advice, especially but not exclusively in the developing world and emerging markets. The GLF, chaired by FW de Klerk, President of South Africa (1989-1994), is a group of former national leaders, all internationally respected with a wealth of experience in dealing with complex issues of state. The group meet annually, the first time being the inaugural weekend in March 2004.

I remember when I got the call from Graham Barr at Bell Pottinger. I was busy decorating a house down on the south coast and thought Graham had called as he had an interiors project for me. I sat down and he talked me through the GLF project. I'd already heard about the project while I was at Bell Pottinger but at that time, it was still an idea being discussed, nothing concrete had been established. By the beginning of 2004, the GLF project had moved forwards considerably and was ready to be launched with an inaugural weekend that would involve the members flying in from all around the world to attend. All they needed was someone to organise the weekend and I got that call. My time at the Foreign Office had seen me organising media arrangements for visits by Heads of State and Government so I had experience of working at the national level but nothing quite like the GLF project.

I went in for a meeting with Graham to talk about the project in greater detail. Although I'd never done anything like this before, I came to the conclusion that all my past experience put together would enable me to deliver successfully. There are so many variables you have to consider in order to make sure everything comes together beautifully. You sometimes have very delicate egos to manage and be prepared for any last-minute disasters.

I spent a month preparing for the launch which took place at Chevening, the Foreign Secretary's country residence. Our first former President was arriving early on the Friday morning so I had to be there in advance to meet him on arrival. I turned up in my normal mode of transport, my little white van. When I arrived, the Chevening staff said I could leave my car in front of the house, on the beautiful sweeping drive. I pointed out of the window to the vehicle and said perhaps it would be better if I parked out of sight - one of the more amusing times that my two different worlds have collided!

The weekend went really well. It was an honour to work closely with FW and he was delightful to work with. But even with the most meticulous planning, things can and will go wrong. We lost a President on the Friday night. His High Commission had decided to pick him up from the airport and bring him to Chevening. I'd offered our car service but the High Commission wanted to look after their own President. But they never did a reconnaissance trip from the airport to Chevening and found themselves lost. A thick fog had descended and they were trying to find their way round narrow country roads for the house. In the end, one of the fantastic members of Chevening staff guided them in over the phone. Once our missing President was safely on site, I could relax a little.

The rest of the weekend went very smoothly and FW was happy with the launch of the GLF. I was asked back the following year to organise the AGM which I went back to do, once again juggling interiors and international relations. It was off the back of the GLF projects that I was asked to be involved with the British Ukrainian Society. If you've read my post about the Society, you'll know how much I loved that project - it always makes me smile that two of my most interesting international relations projects, where I've had the greatest responsibility have come about after I left that world!

Day 2 of Habitat 2008

Habitat 2008 kicked off yesterday evening at 1800 on the dot. Preparing for the exhibition had gone well and we left yesterday at 1230, stand all set up and ready to. Others were still frantically doing last-minute preparations to meet the 1400 deadline and the stand opposite us had yet to make an appearance. We wondered if that space would be filled or whether we'd have to spend the whole exhibition staring at an empty stand. 

Once the stand was ready, I quickly went round the other stands to see what everyone else was doing. Our stand certainly looked completely different to all the others (that's not it in the photo, I'll put some up tomorrow). I wanted to create a space where people would come and sit for a while, browse through the interiors magazines and books, look at the website and generally be inspired. I've achieved the look, the people just need to stop and hang out there for a while now. We've been busy handing out the interiors postcards, there's been quite a lot of media coverage and we did well with today's "Diario" - an article, photo and ad in the "Habitat" supplement and two extra photos of the stand - our stand is certainly more colourful than the furniture shop stands and feels more like a real room. I guess it also photographs well - using colour makes it more interesting.  

When we came back yesterday at 1700, the stand opposite us had been set up with massage chairs and cushions. We've made friends with the guys on that stand, they're enjoying the music on our stand and we're enjoying the massage chairs. I'm glad that space has been filled with some fun people - some of the stands are very techy!

All the Ibiza officials were at the show yesterday, as were the press. I was introduced to the official delegation and even the organisers are using the line "this is the first time someone British has exhibited at Habitat" - it paid off to push that to them. 

It's now Saturday afternoon leading up to lunch time. It's still fairly quiet, some families here with their children. The children are enjoying the sweets on the stand. The visitors are mainly locals from Ibiza, a few members from the international community here and there. Not being able to really speak to anyone in Spanish reiterates the point to me that I need to put learning Spanish as my next priority, after promoting the work. I've had one interesting conversation so far with a French property developer. I've offered our interior design services for any further development projects. I've yet to see anyone I know - I hope people come down, it'll be more fun when you've got friends hanging out at your stand. That's also when the general public will see that you can sit down here, read the papers and take it easy. So far, no one has ventured in and sat down - apart from me and Bea!

Will be interesting to see if the coverage in the "Diario" encourages people to come and find out more. The British Consul dropped by the stand in the late afternoon. I'd sent her a letter of invitation, telling her that I'd be exhibiting so it was good to see her here. She'd seen the piece in the "Diario" - I'm starting to make myself known on the island.

Late afternoon has been a lot busier than the morning. I'm not sure they will have the 15,000 people that are supposed to attend. If that's the case, it will be absolutely rammed all day tomorrow as there are a lot of numbers to be made up. We've had friends visiting the stand which has been lovely - hopefully we'll see more familiar faces tomorrow! 

Habitat 2008

Suddenly realised that although I've mentioned the interiors exhibition I'll be at this weekend, I hadn't really gone into any detail - so here they are!

The exhibition is called Habitat 2008 and is being held at the Ibiza Exhibition Centre between the 4th - 6th April. It has mainly Spanish exhibitors and Spanish visitors but we're going to try and make it more international!

I'll be the first British person to exhibit there and actually I'm quite excited about it all! As soon as I finish this post, I'm heading off to the exhibition centre to start setting up. I've been running round inviting anyone I know (the number has increased since I first arrived two months ago and only had one friend on the island). The local English-language weekly free paper has written a story about me today - hopefully this will encourage people to come to the exhibition and say hello, particularly any fellow Brits! The "Ibiza Now" blog are going to write a feature on it - all my former PR skills are coming into play. I've got to go and start setting up now - I'll be blogging from the exhibition, possibly in real time!

los gatos

I rarely go on the internet on a Sunday, deeming it a sacred day where I do nothing work-like (including cleaning). But as I've got the exhibition next weekend and designs for the display boards are still going back and forth between London and Ibiza, I've had to log-on on a Sunday to sign off on designs.

Now that I'm here, I thought it a good moment to introduce those wonderful gatos I share the house with, the cats! Red has already had plenty of coverage in my posts and his photo graced the post previous to this one. Red and I are great friends and have been since my first day at the house. He is a wonderful cat and I love him dearly. Of the five cats at the house, only three miaow and he is one of them. If you spend enough time at the house, you soon recognise the different miaows and know which cat it is. 

Red is up at my bedroom window as soon as it's light. He comes in through the window and waits with me while I do some yoga. Sometimes he joins in. Usually when he miaows he wants food or milk but sometimes he's just after a cuddle. Although there was one evening last week when he was in the house, miaowing away. I'd already given him some food and milk and didn't know what he wanted so I left him. I then went into my bedroom and saw Red trying to get out through a window that was closed. Nature was calling and he couldn't get out. I opened the front door and he bolted out before there was an accident. 

The two cats in the photo above are the babies of the house. Brother and sister, affectionately known (by me) as Little Red and Blacky. Like most siblings, they scrap but can also be found fast asleep, curled up next to each other. They were left at the house as kittens and have always been a bit wild. Little Red is okay and has always let me stroke her. Blacky, on the other hand, is paranoid and skitty, always ready for fight or flight. You couldn't touch him or get close to him, he'd swipe at your hand and his claws are sharp. Once when I was sat on the porch stroking Red and Little Red, Blacky was close by, watching the other cats get some attention, possibly a little enviously. I gently had a go at stroking him and he let me stroke him a couple of times, purring furiously. Then he swiped at my hand so I stopped and went back to the other cats. Blacky shouldered his sister out of the way and took her place getting stroked. It was hilarious to see. 

Since then, Blacky and I have also become good friends. He's still wild, still prone to bite and scratch but I don't think he realises that it can hurt. He trys to play fight with me, the way he does with some of the other cats but it never works. Even with his moments of wildness, it's amazing to see how tame he's become in recent weeks. Whenever I'm in the house or garden, Blacky is usually near by, often weaving amongst my legs and always purring furiously. He seems to want love and affection more than extra food or milk - he always gobbles it down if he gets any but never really asks (unlike Red). Although that may be because he doesn't miaow. I have become very fond of him. His personality is vastly different to Red, he's a cheeky devil, always getting into mischief but deep down inside, he's not as brave as he makes out. If the stray tom cat that terrorises the house turns up to steal the food, Blacky is usually hiding behind the sofa, not defending his patch.  

Little Red doesn't miaow, she squeaks. We think she may be pregnant, her tummy is looking suspiciously big. She's barely a baby herself. She used to get lots of attention from me, it's been less so in recent weeks due to her big brother. If he sees any other cat getting attention, he's straight in wanting some himself so the other cats are missing out on some tlc. 

The other two cats in the house are Fouzie/Fozzie and Sheba. Fouzie is black, long-haired and had us in fits of laughter once when it was windy and his hair was blown up so it looked like he had big hair. He has a funny lop-sided face, I'm not sure why that is. Fouzie and Blacky can often be found play-fighting in the house. On the one hand, it's quite amusing as they look so funny, on the other  hand, it's destructive as they always managed to knock things over. I usually end up sending them outside to carry on there.

The last cat is Sheba. She's the old lady of the place and isn't friends with any of the other cats. She always misses out on treats as she won't lower herself to eat from the same dish that any of the other cats are eating out of. She keeps herself to herself, hisses sharply if any of the cats get too close to her and is the one cat that I have no connection with. I don't think she really cares - she won't even be friendly in the hope of getting some treats, all she does is miaow.   

The cats are wonderful company, particularly while Bea's been away. They keep me entertained and amused. They even come on walks with me. I took a long walk on Easter Monday and Red and Blacky came with me. We went the back way, through the fields. I was amazed at how far they came, I kept expecting them to have enough and turn round and go home. But they came all the way with me, sniffing and exploring as we went. I turned back before we got onto the main road but it was a good walk. I think the cats enjoyed it but may have ended up being a bit thirsty by the end as on the way home, they both ran alongside me, mouths open, looking as if they were panting. 

Seven weeks in Ibiza.....

I was going to write something after four weeks here, capturing the various moments but it slipped to five weeks, six weeks and now after seven weeks, I'm getting round to writing how the first few weeks have been. It feels more like seven months, in a good way though. Next Friday will mark two months in Ibiza for me and I'll be busy exhibiting at an Interiors show just outside of Ibiza Town. That's going to be a great way to mark two months!

Anyway, back to the first few weeks. Although I scribbled away quite a lot in the first few weeks, capturing all the various moods I was going through, it was only after about three weeks that I really made sense of how I'd been feeling. That's how long it took before I started to feel settled. In the greater scheme of things, that's not long at all but then again, I am very impatient! Here's something I wrote to a friend just after three weeks:

"Feeling quite settled now. First three weeks felt like I was neither here nor there. Not huge amounts of contact with the life I'd left (for which I felt pangs of guilt) but feeling like a complete novice here - you start wondering where you belong. But something really clicked into place on Saturday and it's been quite magical since - the change in seasons, the end of winter and the start of spring may have something to do with it too! The light in the valley is quite breathtaking now, as are all the wild flowers in the fields.  For a city girl, my heart seems to be in the countryside". 

The first three weeks were a combination of being constantly amazed at the beauty of the island and moments of discomfort as I didn't know how to do this or that. You get so used to the life you're living that you never have to think about anything. Then you find yourself in a place where you have to start from scratch, in a language you don't speak, having to work out how to do the simplest things like posting letters. Bea was an absolute godsend - helping me with everything, drawing me maps to show me where I needed to go, explaining things, generally doing all she could to make my life easier. I felt so proud of myself when after a couple of weeks, I went off to buy wood by myself - it feels like a major achievement when you accomplish something by yourself. I guess it's like a child learning to walk - you appreciate the hand that holds you as you toddle along but you really want to do it by yourself. 

I also packed up my life in London so quickly that I didn't really have time to think about the move I was making. I finished work on a Tuesday, on the Wednesday I started packing properly and the following Monday morning, I loaded up the  van, collected Carole and headed off for my new life. It didn't really sink in what I was doing, it still hasn't. Once I arrived in Ibiza, I took it easy for a few weeks, catching up on sleep and trying to fix years of tiredness from London. I was quietly preparing things on the work front but not pushing things too much. As I mentioned in my earlier post, my daytimes were definitely looking forwards with not even a slight glance back at the life I left. I found myself wondering if that life had been so meaningless that I could leave it so easily and not look back. How could I forget my old life so quickly? But I hadn't really forgotten it - it would come to me every night in dreams. At night I always looked at the life I'd left. Perhaps in those uncomfortable moments in the first few weeks, I had to look forwards, only forwards so I wouldn't regret the much easier life I'd just left. 

I hid in the countryside in the first few weeks. If I did go anywhere, I'd keep myself to myself. I made contact with the few friends of friends I knew here but didn't arrange to meet up with anyone. I needed time to rest. I didn't feel ready to make new friends. When you're in that strange no-man's land you might come across as a desperate person who doesn't know anyone if you try too hard to get to know people. Perhaps you give off a funny vibe and people generally tend to avoid you. Also, making friends with Bea as soon as I arrived meant that I felt like I had a really good friend from the beginning. Actually I had two really good friends from the moment I arrived - the other one being Red who is gracing the photo with this post. Yes, okay I know he's a cat but we did actually become friends immediately and that was before he discovered that I'm soft-hearted and can be counted on giving treats to the cats. I love Red and perhaps he knows it and in return, loves me back!

The end of the third week saw me celebrating my birthday and from that day, something clicked into place and it's all felt very different since. My birthday reminded me of the importance of quality, not quantity when it comes to anything, particularly friends. Bea, who I'd known for three weeks, really made my birthday special. Someone else I know and have known for years was just a little strange but then again, he does seem to be a bit hot and cold with me.  

I'd said that after my birthday, I'd start to really move things forwards with finding work. The thing that I'd been so apprehensive about - contacting estate agents to see if I could leave my cards there - turned out to absolutely fine, as these things usually are. I didn't get many responses to the emails I sent out but I've spent a couple of days this week distributing my cards and they've been very well received. Only one place, a restaurant, asked what I'd do for them if they displayed my cards. We're meant to be having a talk about how we can work together, I'll see if I hear from them. 

I started to get recognised in the places where I tend to spend most time, people would wave to me and say "hola" as I went by. When you get to this stage, it's lovely. You start to feel that maybe, just maybe, you're starting to belong somewhere again. In Foodism, one of the internet cafes I use, after a few weeks it was as if I passed some magic test and became a friend. Before that, I'd been another random person using the wi-fi facility. Earlier this week, there was some serious bonding over a love of music with Mladen who owns Foodism. It's nice how it happened, it was very organic, not forced and now I'm glad that I didn't rush about in the first few weeks trying to make friends. 

After seven weeks I feel quite settled. I still need to make a big effort with learning Spanish - my brain doesn't seem to work as quickly as it did when I learnt Japanese in my early twenties. Bea is currently in Italy and hopefully should be back next week. I miss her and will be glad when she returns. But at least I'll have lots of new things to tell her about and even some new friends to introduce her too. I've slipped into a nice little routine. Even though I'm not working, I get up early and go swimming in the mornings. This has a double purpose - I get some exercise four or five times a week and I also get to take a hot shower and even dry my hair with my jumbo-strength professional hair dryer. I laughed a couple of weeks ago in the changing rooms when a lady asked me if I was a hairdresser. I said no and then pointed to my fringe. I'd cut it myself, it's now very choppy and uneven - I'm hoping to start a new fashion for jagged fringes. I have a Saturday routine not that dissimilar to the one I had in London, although instead of yoga on Saturday mornings, I go to the pool and do 40 lengths. Then it's off to an internet cafe to listen to the Six Million Steps radio show, broadcast out of London by my friends Andrew and DC. 

So, all in all seven weeks in, things are going well. There have been no major disasters, although I have managed to destroy a few things in the house. The worst was the sliding door at the back of the house. It hadn't been opened for years but after Bea and I had cleared the garden, I got excited and wanted to open up access to the garden from the kitchen and room at the back. I managed to prise the lock open, slid the door to one side and excitedly shouted to Bea to come and see what I'd done. She came and saw, meanwhile I moved to the other door to see if I could open that. As soon as I stepped aside, there was a scream from Bea, a crash and the sound of breaking glass. I turned round to see that the door I'd opened had completely collapsed, fallen out of the frame and as it crashed forwards, the glass broke. It missed me by inches. When we looked more closely at the broken door, we realised that the wood was completely rotten and it had been an accident waiting to happen. That happened. I felt guilty but less so when I found out that the rotten wood in the door had been known about, it had been known that it was a danger and nothing had ever been done about it.   

There's been some good news with the van. I didn't think I'd be able to drive it any longer once the European insurance ran out at the beginning of May. But there's a company that does insurance for British cars/vans in Spain. They've given me a good quote and all this means that I can carry on driving the van for at least another year. That's one less thing to think about. 

So all in all, going well. Long may it continue!