Ten Thankful Things

My another try on this weeks writing prompt from the SITS girls in their quest to get us girls back to blogging.

On Thursday we were asked to write about 10 things that we are thankful for. I saw something similar on Facebook, when friends tag 3 friends to write about what they’re grateful for that day.  This is something similar but even better because I can go into a little more details and tell you why life is beautiful! So here are the list of things I am very thankful for.

Spanish roads

I call them ‘ghost roads’. I use to hate driving back in the UK, even the school run was a headache of its own.  Here, however, rush hour in my town only involves a 5-minute wait at traffic lights and once you get in the autopista the road is yours for the taking. Sometimes I can drive for 20 minutes and not see a single car. The perfect time to blast out some rock, day dreaming about starring in an Aerosmith video (yeah, specially the one with Alicia Silverstone).

The internet

Honestly, without this our life would be impossible. Forever thankful for the joys of the internet, it gives us the means to support ourselves and our kids. While looking for houses in Spain our main concern was the internet connectivity and speed. It was frustrating when we loved a house that we just viewed and found out that it had zero internet connection and the prospect of having it installed seems like more hassle than its worth. Our current connection is not bad, it could be better but for now it’s pretty sufficient for our needs.

A husband who bakes

This weekend we found ourselves being treated to a homemade cake by my husband. Made from scratch, he’s a dab hand at making really nice desserts, and once in a while when he’s not working in front of the computer, he would surprise us with a nice after dinner treat.  It’s been over 6 months since the last time he baked, and this raspberry cheesecake is definitely worth the wait.

Living in Valencia

Since moving to Valencia two years ago, there never goes a day when I’m not thankful for loving where we are. It was a huge risk uprooting our young family and moving somewhere completely different. But after a lot of hard work and adjustment, we have finally settled down and it’s safe to say as we approach our second year things are good, the boys are happy, we have adjusted to the way of life, and our boys Spanish is much more acceptable than ours!

Living in the countryside

It’s not for everyone, but it’s perfect for us. There’s nothing I love more than being out in the open and looking out at the Valencian countryside, surrounded by orange and olive trees. The mountains and surroundings are breathtaking and two years on it still gives me goosebumps every time I catch a glimpse of this amazing view.

Friends!

Our friends are amazing. To be honest, I think everyone should have Spanish friends! When we moved to Spain, being on our ‘own’ was one of the scariest things. But after a few months, we gradually met people and got to know them, we spent more and more time together and now I really can’t image my life without them. From helping us get to know more people and places to turning up at our house on weekends with paella and beer, just because – fiesta!

My cat

He’s 6 years old, we’ve had him since he was a kitten.  When we planned to move to Valencia, we knew we had to take him with us, no questions about it. Now he likes to spend long days and nights patrolling the garden and chasing geckos and moths just for fun! Oh to be a cat.

My local Lidl store stocking the Asian range

I was like a kid in a candy shop when I saw that they had a special range of Asian food and spices. You see, here, there is not much call for such things and the only Asian supermarket I know is right in the city. So even just having the basics such as sweet chilli sauce, fish sauce and noodles is a treat when you get to find them in the local shops. Hooray!

Finally having a reliable postal address!

Of course living in the campo also has its negative sides, this include not ever having a courier deliver anything at anytime! We found out the hard way after 6 months of living here, that posts and packages are not as straightforward compared to the UK.  Even opting for the post boxes in the local correos still proved difficult, because many times the courier STILL are unable find the postoffice! It was important for us so earlier this year we decided to rent an office in the city, now our postal problems have been resolved and it’s finally nice getting parcels again!

Menu Del Dia

Once a week my husband and I eat out at our local bar for lunch. You will find many bars like this in Spain offering a set daily menu, including two plates of food, a dessert, a drink and a coffee for between €7-8. We usually pay €8.50 for ours and that’s for everything, this particular menu included a drink (wine, beer or soft drink) a plate of salad, starter plate of chicken, mushroom and vegetable in a rolled crepé, a plate of rib of beef in a sauce served with chips, a choice of postres (desserts) I chose an egg flan and a coffee to finish.

Life is full of things to be thankful for if you only take a few minutes to reflect what’s good in your life. With out busy lives it’s easy to forget and take for granted all the things that we have been blessed with.  So, tell me, what are you thankful for today? 🙂