Sunny side up

The great insight I have arrived at today is how much difference the sun makes. I seem to recall from my study of 18th C English enlightenment writings that there was a theory about that people's character was a function of the climate and topography: therefore Scottish people are hardy and warlike because they have had to conquer mountains in the cold, while your Italians lie about eating tomatoes and so on. Anyway, this was all rubbished of course, but the fact is, I am beginning to see something in it, in particular, how negative the British are, something I didnt realise particularly before, and which in my mind is now linked to the fact that the UK is under several metres of water, according to my mother.

I notice nobody here is at all bitchy. For instance, when I mention "el dueno anterior," the previous owner, Oliver, who seems to have started and screwed up endless projects appeared to owe everyone money and then disappeared, nobody jumps at the chance to say what a tosser he was, as they would at home. No, actually the neighbours all say, as they do about almost everyone, that he was "buena gente," "like yourself," adds Isa, the cleaning lady, though I can't see where she gets that from. The fact that Oliver isnt really by most standards, buena gente, escapes them, or maybe they just see his good side: friendly, amiable, a bit absent minded, meant well, never mind he allegedly ran off without paying the Vera gas bill or Juan Manas. I think they are just more positive - yes, that cupboard will get up those stairs, and that bed will get down, we'll just saw it in two. About two minutes later, they've done it. There's no sucking the teeth and saying, no love, that'll never happen, and no bitching, except about the other Inglesa, the lady from Cardiff, and that could be racism because she is black, or could be because she doesnt speak any Spanish and has a massive satellite dish and six dogs.

Anyway, my point is, I feel as if everything in the UK is based around moaning, even the humor. Dinner party conversation, newspaper articles, etc, are basically all one long whinge about everything: the mortgate rate, the bins, other people - and I am not excluding myself here as I put my back into the process when I was living there. There is no way anyone would say, as they do here, this is a great life, life is good. You don't really hear anyone complain - or I haven't, and if they do, it's more localised. Maybe it's a town-country thing. Maybe the wet flood of whinging is a South East, urban thing in the UK, and it's not like that in Grasmere, or Fort William - who knows? Or maybe it is the sun . It's hard not to feel good when the sun is on your face As Juana's father said, when he was telling me he didnt need anything from Sorbas, all we need is to have a good time with family and friends, that's all. The sun determines all that: sitting outside, feeling relaxed, going to the beach, just as being up to your knees in water makes you feel pretty pissed off.

Anyway, this is what I have spent today:
28 Euros for a full tank of diesel: my car will run on this for ages.
2.10 for a rosca, a round ring of bread in a bit of paper
2.20 for a coffee and a mineral water, in the square, under the palm tree watching all the little dogs and the old men
34 Euros - big spend- for two bead curtains to keep the flies out.

A good day, all in all.