We’ve had a lovely summer, maybe not the sizzler predicted but very pleasant, dry and for the most part sunny. We’re now nearing October and people are still walking around in shorts and t-shirts, which is wildly different to what I was expecting. After 13 years away I’ve been asking our neighbours ‘is this normal?’, which apparently it sort of is (which is good news!).

It is now getting distinctly autumn, with the leaves turning, the mornings cooler and conkers on the ground. When we were in Spain we always used to tell the kids about going conkering so it is nice to be doing just that.

There’s a good rope swing in the park where these photos were taken, all the kids had a go and these pics (of our neighbour Ella) were the best of many attempted shots to capture it.

I’ve updated the site now to block all the Spam, so any comments now welcome

I’ve moved www.dougandrews.net to a new host and taken the opportunity to update the theme and also upgrade Wordpress. This means that I can now block out all the spammy comments – for the record I have just delete 19,888 comments which I have not read, apologies to anyone who genuinely sent me a message. Once the new spam system is in place I will be sure to post/answer any messages that come my way!

The new theme isn’t that great but it is something to replace the old one which was ‘oh so Vilanova’ that I had to do something. I liked it actually but it doesn’t really reflect Market Harborough. For the record, this is what I’ve been using for last few years:

I’m out of the habit of keeping my blog up to date but will see if I can’t get back into it – anyway we’re now in the UK, having arrived in July 10th.

It’s been much much easier to settle in than we ever expected, partly due to good fortune/good planning on Jo’s behalf, having moved into a superb location. Despite being in a street which is out of the catchment area of the kids’ school Gabe has got 2-3 kids in his class as neighbours (all of whom are really nice) and there are siblings to keep Olivia happy as well. Essentially it’s a constant street party for the kids, we never see them unless they (and all their mates) deign to pay us a visit.

Esmé equally is happy to have all the kids around and the attention she receives, and we’ve got a nice garden where she’s got a slide and a trampoline to keep her amused.

It’s all very ‘English’, with a pub (and beer garden) at the end of the road, we do walks, are planning on harvesting the blackberries soon for a crumble, and get together with the neighbours for a BBQ or a day out. I’m enjoying the beer, a good pint of bitter at last!

Work-wise there have been big changes at Selfcateringhols (watch this space) which should be good. I’ve got work lined up with Globe2 that will keep me busy and pay the bills in the short term so that’s all good.

I’ll be moving my blog to a new server soon, so I’ll update it and I guess may have to choose a different theme from the ‘counting my lucky stars in Vilanova i la Geltru’.

Funny that when there’s most happening that I’d like to record I don’t have time to keep up my blog.

The BIG changes in our lives since updating my blog:

1. we’re leaving Spain and moving to the UK, probably by July

2. At the start of this year, with Selfcateringhols struggling in the economic crisis I started a new business (Globe2) installing voip telephones into businesses. That’s gone well with several call centres under my belt and contracts for more already agreed. By July I hope to be handling 80-100,000 calls a month.

We should be signing this week on the house after which we can really start to organise the logistics, as it stands we’re already living amongst boxes.

Will try and update again sometime soon!

After a lot of experimentation over the years these are the recipies I now use. The pizza dough is much better than the pre-prepared mixtures. Mix it up in a big mixing bowl, cover it with a tea towel, leave it for an hour or more and then make into pizza shapes ready for the topping. When you mix it, it should absorb the water sufficiently so you can pick it up without it sticking to your hands. If it’s sticky add a little flour, and knead it in. To flatten you can use a rolling pin but I prefer to stretch it – pick it up and keep spinning it round a bit so that it stretches under it’s own weight.

PIZZA: makes enough dough for 4 individual pizzas

1 cup water (230g)

2 3/4 cup flour(385g)

2 teaspoons sugar (12g)

1 teaspoons salt (5g)

1 packet dried yeast

2 tablesppons olive oil (10g)

PITTA.

2 tablesppons of olive oil

1 cup water (230 g)

3 cups flour (420g)

1 teaspoons salt (5g)

1 tablespoon sugar (6g)

1 teaspoon dried yeast (3g)

BREAD: granary style

1 1/2 cups water (263g)

1 cup white flour (140g)

2 cups granary flour (255g)

2 tablespoons oats

2 tablespoons bran

2 tablespoons milk powder

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoons salt

2 tablepoons oil or oil

1 1/2 teaspoons dried yeast

Esmé has been off colour all week and was off sick yesterday – she went back to nursery today but I got a call before the end of the day to say she’s got a temperature again. So that’s Esmé.

Gabe has also been suffering and was also off sick yesterday but is back on form to the point of doing a good impression of Tigger.

Olivia has been fine all week but today broke her arm in gymnastics!

Tomorrow I have all three of them at home: an ill Esmé, an Olivia with her best arm broken and a Tigger-like Gabe. All I need now is for it to throw it down and I’ll be in an asylum by the end of the day!

Worse of all: I lost my damn glasses so am half blind* to boot. Bugger.

*OK, slight exageration, but working is going to be difficult when I next have time

Jo put the heating on for the first time this year last night – it was cold outside but I haven’t really been feeling it. Today the kids were sent out wrapped up but it’s got really warm in the sun so I’ve got the windows and doors open.

I knew I’d been lacking in my blog but just realised that it’s been 2 months since my last post.

So what’s happened, beyond the credit crunch?

- we visited James and Rachel at their new place in the south of France (very nice)

- the kids finally went back to school and I’ve been able to get some work done!

- Esmé’s now walking (and at nursery)

- Quen turned 40 (and we went windsurfing which was excellent)

- we found out that Esmé also had jardia, the parasite which made Jo ill, we’re still trying to get rid of it

I feel like I’ve fitted a lot more into the last two months than that but that (work aside) is it in a nutshell… I’ll try and post more regularly from now on..

I’ve put my phone through the wash, so have lost all my phone numbers pretty much

I haven’t replaced it yet either so won’t get any calls or texts till I get back to Spain and buy a new one.

It’d be good if you can let me know your number just in case (obviously this is only relevant to those who know me!!) – post a comment to this, I won’t publish it on the site.

Thanks..