CBBH Challenge: SIMPLE PLEASURES

Lily pond at Jardin Concepcion, Malaga

Everywhere we go at this time of year, we are all surrounded by the excesses of Christmas – whether it’s things you could buy as gifts for everyone you know,  luxury food items you may or may not eat, and electrical goods you only just found out you couldn’t live without!   Christmas as it used to be has been largely hi-jacked by consumerism of the worst kind.  People are encouraged to spend more and more money on gifts each year, whilst others are still paying off debt accumulated from last Christmas.  But, tell me this – can you even remember all the gifts you gave last year, let alone recall the ones you received?  I know I can’t.

Given the hectic nature of our lives, it’s easy to overlook the little things that make it all worthwhile.   With this in mind, for December’s CBBH Photo Challenge I have decided to focus my attention on SIMPLE PLEASURES  – or,  put another way, finding delight in everyday things.

So, what does it for you?

  • Toast with peanut butter or jam?
  • Squishing mud between your toes?  (If you´re feeling the pinch right now, this is the ideal discount spa treatment – but make sure it’s mud you are walking in!)
  • Hearing a baby’s laughter(I guarantee you can´t watch this without smiling or laughing.  OH, go on, you know you want to!)

Raindrops pooling on a lime tree leaf

Raindrops pooling on the leaf of a lime tree after a long dry, hot summer.

Goat on a hillside outside Cómpeta, Andalucía, Spain

The bleating of a goat on a nearby hillside, as she waits for milking time.

El Sardinero Beach, Santander, Spain

Walking along a beautiful,  almost deserted beach and dipping your toes in the water.

This month´s CBBH Featured Blogs:

** EllaDee at elladee_words allows us a sneak peak into her everyday life in Sydney, Australia  where she aims to escape from her “proper” desk and computer-centred day job in the city, and live more simply at her house in a tiny country village, 6 hours drive up the coast.

I was fascinated by Ella’s  recent post  All’s Well that Ends Well – Matthias and Eupham where she talks about what many Australian’s consider family history gold – convicts.  Her writing style makes for easy reading – yet once she’s got you – you’re hooked!  Why not HOP over there and say G’Day to EllaDee right away?

** My second choice for this month is a very friendly blog with great photos  – The Sophomore Slump.    Rommel loves to share his adventures around the globe and his photographs are what really make his posts come alive.  What I particularly like is that he regularly features links to blogs he enjoys himself – and we all love to share a little Blog Love, don’t we?

Rommel recently posted about his trip to Las Vagas with friends, which I’m sure you would enjoy.  He is always quick to leave an encouraging, relevant comment, so why not pop over and leave a message for him?

So that´s the CBBH Photo Challenge for December, folks!

Remember, all you have to do is post your entry by the end of the monthlink back to this blog and, most importantly,  don´t forget to add links to any two blogs that you´ve commented on during the past month, so that we can all HOP OVER and have a look.  Make sure you FOLLOW THIS BLOG so you don´t miss next month´s exciting challenge!

For more information on how the CBBH Photo Challenge works click here.

I hope everyone taking part enjoys the exposure the CBBH Photo Challenge offers to featured blogs and, who knows, you may end up finding a new favourite!  I´m looking forward to seeing what you consider to be your SIMPLE PLEASURES.

[CBBH logo Image credit: (cc) Mostly Dans]

Spanish-Style Breakfast: Churros served with thick hot chocolate

This is Churros con chocolate, a fried dough pastry-based snack dipped in thick, hot chocolate, and is a great favourite with Spaniards for breakfast.

Churros are typically fried until they become crunchy, and may be sprinkled with sugar. The surface of a churro is ridged due to having been piped from a churrera, a syringe with a star-shaped nozzle.

Try them – they´re delicious!

Whilst you’re here, why not have a look at these articles:

Fresh Figs Stuffed with Goat´s Cheese and wrapped in Smoked Bacon

Cost of Living – East of Malaga – November 2012

The Day of the Dead: A Celebration of Life

Giving thanks for the most beautiful sunsets

Sunset over the pool

I am always thankful for the most beautiful sunsets we have here, east of Málaga.  They always seem particularly spectacular at this time of year, too.   Doesn’t this one look pretty, reflected in the swimming pool?

As Oprah Winfrey once said, “Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more.
If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”

This post is my response to the WordPress Photo Challenge: THANKFUL  and this week´s Travel Theme: LIQUID

 

If you like photo challenges, you might like to look at these …..

When life gives you curves, flaunt them!

CBBH Photo Challenge: BLUE

Travel Theme: Texture

 

Cost of Living: East of Málaga, Spain – November 2012

Shopping trolley in Mercadona supermarket, Spain

Whenever I travel, I´m always interested to know how much things cost and, every day, people from around the world find my blog by searching for the cost of living in Spain.

Back in August, I posted some receipts for groceries I had bought here in southern Spain, which proved to be a very popular article. 

I also wanted to do something a bit different, so I decided that rather than post the prices of random items of shopping that you may, or may not be interested in, I would come up with a list of standard grocery items, which I will update the prices of, three or four times a year.   This list can easily be changed, so if there are any other basic items you would like me to include, please let me know in the comments section, below.  This way, if anyone else wants to do something similar, we can have a direct comparison between countries.

For this month´s prices, and to make direct comparison simple, I have once again used the Spanish Supermarket – Mercadona in Torrox Costa.

I must admit – I was pleased that I had noted down these prices in August, or otherwise I wouldn´t have known about the pleasant surprise awaiting me – THERE HAD BEEN NO PRICE INCREASES AT ALL, AND MANY OF THE ITEMS HAD ACTUALLY COME DOWN IN PRICE!  YAAY!

This was even more of a surprise as there was a hike in IVA/VAT tax rates at the beginning of September.  Whilst it´s fair to say that four of the price-reduced items are “seasonal fruit and veg” ,  six others are not, including a whopping 1.07 € off a packet of washing powder!

So, here´s the Standard Grocery List I used last time (with prices as they were in August) – now with November´s prices in RED alongside.

Standard Grocery List

Milk (semi –skimmed UHT, own brand), 1 litre  0.54 €      0.54 €   
Loaf  (white, baguette 250g)   0.45 €    0.45 €  
Eggs (12, own brand caged, medium) 1.35  €     1.35  €
Chicken breasts (1kg, boneless, skinless)  5.50 €     5.50 €
Apples (1kg, green, Golden Delicious) 1.35 €     1.00 €
Oranges (1kg) 1.39 €     0.89 €
Bananas (1kg) 1.25 €    1.15 €
Potatoes (1kg) 0.92 €    0.89 €
Lettuce (1 head, Iceberg) 0.85 €    0.85 €
Water (1.5 litre bottle) 0.45 €    0.36 €
Domestic Beer (1 litre bottle, Cruzcampo) 1.29 €    1.20 €
Fish  (1kg Salmon steaks) 8.75 €    8.75 €
Toilet rolls (pack of 6, own brand) 1.95 €    1.95 €
Washing powder (Box, 35 washes, Elena brand) 5.94 €   4.87 €
Olive oil (1 litre, extra virgin, own brand) 3€    2.75 €   (5 litres 12.99€)
Coca-Cola (1.5 litre) 1.09 €    1.00 €
Butter (250g, own brand) 0.98 €    0.98 €
Sugar (1kg, white) 0.95 €    0.93 €

New items on the list:

Coffee (ground, 250g, Santa Cristina)  1.79 €
Beef mince (Store brand, pre-packed, 1kg)   5.43 €

Till receipt from German supermarket Lidl in Spain

I´ve also included my store receipt for a few groceries I bought from the German supermarket Lidl which has stores throughout  Spain.  Most of these items not included on my standard grocery shopping list.

Currency Conversion from XE €1 = 1.27   USD
0.80   GBP
1.22   AUD
1.27   CAD
1.55   NZD
11.15   ZAR

Inside of Lidl supermarket, Algorrobo, Spain

Other household expenses

Gas:  We don´t have mains gas here – we use bottles of butane gas.   In August, a 12.5kg bottle of Butane gas cost 16.45 € – they are now 16.10 € .   One bottle used to last (on average) 21 days (for two people… though around 4 weeks in summer) for all hot water, showers and cooking.  During September we had a new gas water heater fitted and, even though it has a larger capacity for water heating than the previous one, it appears to use significantly less gas.  It´s early days yet, but the first bottle lasted five weeks (rather than three weeks).  I´ll keep my eye on how that goes.

Electricity:  Last time I told you that for a 3 bedroom/2 bathroom detached house in the countryside with a swimming pool, we paid an average of 90 € per month.  I may have underestimated this a bit.  The cost of consumption for us is slightly lower in winter with heating/lighting, as opposed to air conditioning/lighting/swimming pool pump running for 8 hours a day, in the summer months.  Our electricity company Sevillana Endesa has raised their prices significantly recently and monthly bills now appear to be averaging 120€.

Water: We are not connected to mains water, so when we bought our house part of the purchase cost was for a share in a local water company.  We have a water deposit to store our house water.  Our water share gives us an allowance of up to 17,500 litres of water each week at reduced cost, after which the price rises steeply.  Needless to say, we don´t use this amount of water, even allowing for swimming pool top-ups and garden irrigation.  The water company, Patamalara, doesn´t always sent out their bills regularly and much of the cost appears to depend on the amount of repairs that have been undertaken on the system, but over the past twelve months our annual water bill has amounted to 92 €.

Village house in Torrox pueblo, Spain

IBI – Council Tax:   Paid yearly to the local council.  This year´s bill is 338€

Internet:  29 € per month with unlimited downloads (within reason).  Speeds up to 3 Mbps

Petrol/Gasoline:  In August 1 litre of 95 octane petrol was 1.49 € – now that price has fallen to 1.40 €

Vehicle excise duty:  We have a Peugot 307 and pay 51 € per year.

Eating out:  Glass of wine or beer, including one tapa is 1 € – 1.50 €.  Menu of the day (three course meal, served at lunchtime, including bread and one glass of beer, wine or a bottle of water) 8 – 10 €

How do prices compare where you live? 

You might also enjoy these articles:

Menú del Día: Great food at a budget price

Cost of Living: East of Málaga, Spain  –  August 2012

Goats on the road: I kid you not

WordPress Photo Challenge: Renewal

 

Where the land meets the sea, marina del este, Spain

 

To paraphrase Avery Sawyer in Notes to Self  –

I couldn´t imagne living in a place that wasn´t near the sea.  

It´s like a giant reset button. 

I can go to the edge of the land, see infinity and feel renewed.

 

This post is my response to the Weekly Photo Challenge: Renewal

 

Related posts:

East of Málaga: So near, yet so far away

The Buddhist Stupa of the Eastern Costa del Sol

All Things Bright and Geometrical