Delilah and my Friends in Spain

Hello again Everyone,

I would like to introduce you to Delilah, my new love.


After returning to Nerja from Portugal (without Lucy) everything seemed so different. The move to my new flat helped a lot but I just couldn't shake that I needed another dog. It was not to replace Lucy of course, because she was one of a kind. I realized I am a dog lover, plain and simple. So I went to the Donkey Sanctuary where stray animals of all sorts are looked after. But I only went to look (really) at the what dogs they had. I walked in and saw Harriet holding the cutest little timid dog on her lap and figured the dog belonged to Harriet. We hung out at the huge dog area and they had some beautiful dogs and puppies there, but all of them were big and the puppies they had were going to grow up huge. Oh well, I thought that is life.

As we are leaving Basel was telling Harriet I just lost my dog 3 weeks ago and that I was looking for a smaller dog to adopt. It turned out the dog on her lap was brought to the shelter 3 days prior. I got the low-down on Delilah and asked if I could take her for a walk. So off we went and she didn't know what was up as she was an apartment dog. She had no muscle tone and was tired within 15 minutes. I was back at the Shelter the next day and off we went for another walk. She took to me right away and this time we could walk a little further. I asked if Delilah could come for a sleepover to see how we would get along at my place, but she was to be spade the next day and Harriet said I could come back on Monday to pick Delilah up after she had a few days to recoupe.

Delilah came for her sleepover and has never left haha. I knew the minute she got to my place that we were meant for each other, so I phoned Harriet and Delilah is now my adoptive doggie. Her personality is so different than Lucy's was which I rather like in some ways. Delilah, like I said is a rolly polly out-of-shape, year and a half old dog that hasn't socialized much with other dogs, but she is very well trained. She has come to me every single time I have called her name or said "come". She isn't a bird chaser which I also like. She doesn't want to come into my flat during the day, only at night. I found that strange at first but am use to it now. She has these very floppy, funny looking ears, a long nose and short stubby legs.

Oh I should mention, Delilah is mostly Dash hound with a mix of possibly Jack Russel Terrier the Vet said. I was going to change her name as it is a mouthful to say (one too many syllables ahah) and to be honest her name reminded me of the singer Tom Jones singing "Delilah", ugh. But after having Delilah here for a few days, the name she came with suits her. I am enjoying learning about her personality. We are having so much fun together since she now loves to play with other dogs. She constantly teases Foxy and they play for hours together. Delilah has lost a few pounds. And like Lucy, she goes everywhere with me. The Vet did her bloodwork yesterday and Delilah now has her European Passport so we can travel anywhere. She will be coming to the Family Reunion in Ontario next year with me plus she needed all her shots for future trips. People, I will try (try, being the operative word) to keep the Delilah pictures to a mininum ahah.

After spending the day at the beach,
someone was really tired.

Foxy and Delilah relaxing after a fun day
roaming the beach

Besos (kisses for a half-asleep Delilah)

Delilah snoozing on my chest while
sporting her new "Canada" collar from Jill & Michele.

Waiting for her ball to be thrown.

My friends from Spain:

I am enjoying all the friends I have met here in Nerja and around the area. Paco is our really good (Spanish) friend from Orgiva. Paco came to Nerja for 10 days at the beginning of September and we had such a good time. He only speaks to us in Spanish and we help him with his English. I learned so much vocabulary, expressions, and verbs while he was here. It was like having our very own private Spanish teacher to hang out with all day and night. We went to the beach most days, out for cervezas or café con leches on tapas tours, listened to Paco sing at La Tetería and also at Karaoke Night up at Punta Lara. We also all went to Juliet's new gym to paint one day. Paco and Basel cooked and served us drinks all day and the next night was dinner and drinks at my new place with everyone that helped paint. Oh, that was a late night, but fun. Paco had to go back to Orgiva as he was starting a new job, but man, did we miss him when he left. Paco, hopefully will be back very soon or we might go to Orgiva (45 mins. away) for a few days real soon.

Basel and Paco at the Playa Burriana

Karaoke Night at Punta Lara

Paco, myself and Juliet

Paco singing Karaoke in Spanish.
He has the most beautiful singing voice.

First party at my new flat with
the Painting Gang. Basel serving us all sangria (to die for).

Andy at Juliet's Birthday a couple of weeks ago.There was about 12 of us who
met for Chinese food in Torrox. A fun evening.

Andy and Toni are sure a nice couple. We met them through Juliet and always have a good time when we get together. They are so laid back and both have a great sense of humour with interesting stories to tell. They live in the campo (the country).

Juliet and Basel

We three were in Spanish school at Quorum together way back in February. Juliet and Basel have become great friends who I will never forget if I ever return back home to Canada. We have enjoyed great meals together, lots of laughs, interesting talks and of course, we are all still learning Spanish. We all learn differently but I think our differences have helped one another. Juliet has moved her women's gym from Punta Lara to Peñoncillo, which is just before Torrox and about a 10 minute drive from Nerja. The gym is in a better location (on the main road), in a brighter, newer building, the population is greater, is only a 1/2 block to the Med. Sea and near Juliet's gym is the best little tapas bar (bonus). Juliet is renting a brand new flat not too far from her gym. I am happy for Juliet, everything is working out nicely for her and Basel and I are sure proud of her doing what she has set out to do.

Basel is also starting his own company, Caravan Inn where he will take people on private tours around the Andalucia area and eventually on longer trips in a relaxed and informal atmosphere. This was the reason we drove to Germany, for Basel to buy a newer and larger caravan (motor home, as we would say in Canada). He and I have been working on his brochure and today we go to the printers to check the final layout before they are printed. Anyone we have talked to about his new enterprise thinks it is a good idea since his customers can basically plan their own trip, go wherever they want and make as many stops along the way. He will do all the cooking (meals included in the price)and the people can relax while he does all the driving. Plus Basel is fluent in 4 languages - working on his 5th.

This Sunday Basel is taking 5 of us as his first guinea pigs on a trip to either Granada or Ronda to explore for the day. Basel has lived in 4 different countries with many friends in each place he has lived and also he is from a large family, all of who will be his first targets to flog his brochure ahah. The printer said that he has never heard anyone with this idea before and figures it will take off no problem. Juliet and I are really excited for Basel and we hope that we can still go on a few trips ourselves once in a while ahha.

June being silly at her birthday dinner back in June ahah.
It was a fun evening at Puguiler's Bar / Restaurante.

June is my hairdresser, an artist, a singer, the best cheerer-upper when I miss home, but most of all, a good friend. She is a wonderful person with a huge heart, great sense of humour, give great hugs, speaks Spanish, fixes my hair when I pop in for a visit, and even closes her shop to go for a walk together during the day. She keeps finding me jobs and I had to tell June the other day, my job for now is learning Spanish. I think she finally got it ahahah. Unfortunately June is moving back to the UK at the end of November. She has lived in Nerja 3 years and is missing her 2 sons. I will miss June's company a lot.

My friend Yvonne, the young German girl I met also at Spanish school is such a sweetie. She is now back in Spain going to University taking her classes all in Spanish. I am so impressed with this young woman. She has it together for sure. When she is in town we often go out for tapas and have the best talks. I feel sometimes I am her serrogate Mom and she is my serrogate daughter as she is Sarah's age. One day I hope Sarah and Yvonne can meet. I have a beautiful picture of Yvonne after we had an evening at one of our hang outs, La Tetería. One of these days I will convince her to let me post a picture of her ahahah. Yvonne will be in Nerja this weekend for La Feria, the fair. She seems to know more about Nerja than I do and I live here aha. We all hope to go to the crowning of the King and Queen of Nerja Thursday night, it is suppose to be a fun event. I hope to have some good pictures from the Feria for my next blog.

I have been lucky to have met so many other friendly, nice people in the 7 months that I have lived in Nerja. But of course, I miss my family and friends back home and wish sometimes I could hang out with them all like I use to. Oh well, I live in Nerja now and they all just have to come and see me someday (hint, hint ahha). I love hearing from you all and am so glad that we have stayed connected from the other side of the world. I thank you all for that.

Must run, Delilah needs to go out for her morning caca (yes, caca is the Spanish word for #2) ahaha.
Adios mi familía y amigos para ahora! xox