The Labraventures of Carbón, Spanish (ex-) foster dog extraordinaire

[Emily_Babbelhund]

OK, Carbon is asleep and I'm taking over. You will now sense a shift in tone.

Number one: man, oh man, do I wish I would have gone to Ireland or even to Scotland with the midges!

Internet cutting in and out all day with big work deadlines and several meetings, invasion of the ants in the kitchen and mosquitos in the house, next door neighbour dogs barking until 11pm every night, Carbon's lovely temper tantrum, and then I go to take a shower. Sounds innocent, right? Just the thing to calm me down before bed.

Except...this house gives you hot water in the shower for about 2 minutes, then you get cold for about 2, then you get hot for about 2, and cold for about 2. In the illogical hope that the downstairs shower would be better, so I used it tonight. And left the door open because I'm alone in the house.

And the steam from the shower set off the freaking smoke alarm which is so loud that I flipped out, ran out of the shower, ran into the door, slid into the hallway trying to figure out what in the name of god that was (house alarm, smoke alarm, the grim reaper coming to take me?). When it finally shut off, I realised that there was a stink of butane gas coming from the kitchen and I'd ran into the door so hard that I'd broken a tile in the bathroom because the door handle hits right at the level of some very delicate (apparently) plasterwork. I'm sure my arm will look delightful in the morning.

Do I feel bad that I've damaged the house (the tile) or that the house is trying to damage ME (the gas)?

Poor Carbon was hiding on the top floor of the house but has apparently now forgotten the whole thing.

So he's in bed with me. The very hard and uncomfortable bed that is murdering my back on the daily.

This house is so pretty, the owners are so nice and I. Hate. It.

Altogether now, "Pfffft!".

Ok, thank you for this regularly scheduled rant. We shall return to our previous positivity.

Maybe.

 

[Cath]

How long have you got this house for @Emily_Babbelhund

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

How long have you got this house for @Emily_Babbelhund

Only another 3 weeks. It will be fine. I was hoping for someplace I'd want to return to in the future, but this isn't it. I'm just going to try to imagine myself on an exotic holiday. At least there aren't any scorpions in the sink or cockroaches. I need to remember what some of my early rental adventures were like and CHIIILLLLLL!

Of course from here I go to my father's sofa bed for 5 weeks. Out of frying pan into the fire.

This digital nomad/living out of holiday rentals 'lifestyle' is so glamorous, right?

 

[Lisa]

Sounds very stressful and not very holiday-ish. Hope you get some good to balance out the not-so-good!

 

[Atemas]

there was a stink of butane gas coming from the kitchen

What was that all about? Sorry you have hurt yourself. It stressed me just reading it so a very unpleasant experience for you. The shower sounds dangerous.

 

[Jacqui-S]

Oh Emily, must admit I was a bit concerned after Carbòn's last couple of posts.

You found somewhere you really like in Cornwall and it's hard if you find yourself mentally (even subconsciously) comparing the experiences.

Layer that with the disappointment of this NOT being the perfect house you hoped going forward.

Big breaths, think of the positives, embrace the adventures (?).
We understand. Keep your spirits up and moan to us all you want.

 

[M.F.]

Oh no, sounds awful!!! The upside is we get to read another entertaining holiday story!! Sorry, I know this doesn’t make it better.

Re the shower, we were recently on a hike staying in lovely tented sites with en suites!! Basic. But wow, when you’re hiking!! Anyway, the showers were gas. Hot water. Yay! Except like yours, hot cold hot cold. Torture. Until we were told to turn the hot tap on all the way to keep the gas alight, and then use the cold tap to get the right temperature. Otherwise, if the hot isn’t all the way on, the hot water loses pressure when you turn the cold on and the gas turns off.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

I'm going to continue to steal Carbon's thunder for a bit because he really doesn't know or care about showers and gas tanks and ants. Just that I am the poopy human who doesn't let him roam the golf course by himself or let him play on the beach! Actually he is a naturally positive and happy boy who pops out of a mood very quickly if offered cuddles and peanut butter (not in that order), which is what I did last night. Remember the days of "Señor Grumpypantalones"? It's like he's another dog now. Just disgustingly happy 99,9% of the time. I really try to learn from him. Apparently it's a steep curve!

What was that all about? Sorry you have hurt yourself. It stressed me just reading it so a very unpleasant experience for you. The shower sounds dangerous.

Yeah, at the end of the day, the internet and other issues pale next to the shower problem and smell of butane gas. The shower problem is an irritation for me, but could be potentially dangerous for children especially. If you turn it all the way to hot as it goes cold, in the vain hope of getting it the right temperature, then actually wait the 2 minutes until it turns hot again, it comes out boiling all the sudden, which could hurt someone.

Not sure if the butane smell is just the way the boiler works (there's a big butane canister under the sink which feeds the boiler), or actually dangerous. I really only put two and two together last night as I've been taking showers upstairs so wasn't right in the kitchen after I'd attempted a longish shower. I will tell the owner all this today. She is a nice person who will try to fix it, I'm sure. Whether it will actually get fixed is another question.

I have to admit that I was hoping I'd just figure out the shower/hot water thing ("There must be a trick to it!") because I didn't fancy having to deal with a parade of workmen coming into the house. Same with the wifi. The first two days here was a parade of people and text messaging that took up a good chunk of time and I was selfishly hoping it would sort itself out. I guess my dad is right, things don't usually fix themselves! I'll tell him that, he'll be thrilled.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Oh Emily, must admit I was a bit concerned after Carbòn's last couple of posts.

You found somewhere you really like in Cornwall and it's hard if you find yourself mentally (even subconsciously) comparing the experiences.

Layer that with the disappointment of this NOT being the perfect house you hoped going forward.

Big breaths, think of the positives, embrace the adventures (?).
We understand. Keep your spirits up and moan to us all you want.

Thanks so much for the nice words, Jac. It really does help.

These are all such minuscule things compared to what some of you here on the forum are going through. I'm healthy, Carbon is healthy, we're safe, and this is oh so temporary. However I do get so down, just my funny brain and how it misfires. It's been giving me "Danger! Danger!" mis-signals since about 2 weeks since we left Cornwall and as much as I know it's (really) all in my head, when a succession of real life things go wrong - and it can be little things than normally wouldn't roll a person - it feels insurmountable. Then I stop doing the things that would help like exercise, eating well, trying to sleep enough, and it gets even worse.

You are right, even if I'm trying not to, I'm also comparing to Cornwall. But even more, I'm comparing this to the 8 years I spent with Brogan on the other side of this same golf course in another house that I loved as much as I love Upperdeck in Cornwall. I'm really being slapped in the face with that old saying, "You can't go home again". And I know this - time marches on! Heck, when I first came here, the main road through town was DIRT and it was the height of the recession so 90% of the houses were empty or left standing half built. Now the community is in full holiday hotspot mode (good for them) and things are different - including NO DOGS everywhere.

I'm trying now to think of this as a new place I've just come to. What new places can I go to so that I'm not always walking down memory lane? And also not even think for the most part that I'm near a beach. I'm just not because if Carbon can't go, then I can't go either. We'll go see some hill towns this weekend, maybe see if there's a wild beach an hour south that might still be wild - it's a nudist beach and those USED to be all dog friendly! But there are loads of things to do in the short time I have left here.

Ha ha, that was my cheerleading speech to myself, could you tell?!

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

The upside is we get to read another entertaining holiday story!! Sorry, I know this doesn’t make it better.

No, it does make it better! I always say that a cr*p time equals a great travel story for later. I think me sliding around the house naked trying to squelch the rabid alarm from hell will make a good story once I'm out of here!

Except like yours, hot cold hot cold. Torture. Until we were told to turn the hot tap on all the way to keep the gas alight, and then use the cold tap to get the right temperature. Otherwise, if the hot isn’t all the way on, the hot water loses pressure when you turn the cold on and the gas turns off.

Mmm...that does make sense! The only problem here is that she's put in new taps that are one of those single handles that you swivel left or right depending on the temp you want. I wonder if the system USED to work with old separate taps but now doesn't because you can't leave that hot tap fully open anymore.

This is why I really really wish that holiday rental owners would actually spend a few nights in their house/apartment BEFORE renting it out. So many issues could be solved in advance that way.

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Hola todos, I think after ML kidnapping MY thread, we could all use a dose of adorable Spanish Señor. Here I am in Megavissey, a delightful little pueblito in Cornwall. I am looking muy guapo as usual, no?

 

[Cath]

it's a nudist beach and those USED to be all dog friendly!

cold dog nose

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

cold dog nose

Mi amiga Cath, I would NEVER put my gentlemanly nose THERE!

( )

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

ML got of her culo this morning and took me for a before-work walk!

 

[Lisa]

Mi amiga Cath, I would NEVER put my gentlemanly nose THERE!

( )

Simba could take lessons from you, it seems….

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Mis amigos, I am officially DONE with Spain. I have decided that I am Eeeenglish, or at the very least Cornish. Cornwall does not try to murder this poor Señor with hot weather and screeching wind. We have the "Levante" today and all weekend, a very high and howling wind that comes from North Africa bringing heat and dust. Today it was 38C (100F). ML says that is not bad, that the week before we got here it was 47C (116F), so we should feel lucky.

I do not feel lucky, amigos, I feel HOT.

Monkey and I are laying on the cool tile in the living room and I refuse to move. ML says we must go out and be tourists mañana. I am not touristing anything but the inside of my own eyelids tomorrow! If ML wants me to move, she will have to carry me and fan me with teeny tiny little ice cube-powered fans. Ojala! See how she would feel if she had to wear a black fur coat in this weather!

 

[M.F.]

So sorry. It sounds awful. Especially that you can’t swim in the sea. I would be going out of my mind. We once took Snowie away for the weekend. Friends invited us to stay at their holiday house in a small town. Boiling hot. No dogs allowed in their swimming pool. WTF?! They swam. But no, dog hair bad for the filter. Poor Snowie went mad. I went mad. We couldn’t relax in their garden while Snowie was barking frustratedly to swim. We spent a lot of the time at the tiny stream that ran through the town. And were glad when the weekend was over and we could go home. Wishing you strength, Carbon. xxx

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Wishing you strength, Carbon. xxx

Muchas gracias, ML of Snowie. I am used to changing conditions so I am being very brave, but it is very strange that I can see the sea but not swim in the sea. Unlike Señor Snowie, I am not used to swimming in a pool so I do not mind that so much. However today we visited an amiga of ML, and she has a salt water pool which she invited ML to use. ML told her no thank you as I would want to swim too and she did not want me to have to watch. The nice amiga said I could swim! So next week when we have more time than we did today, we will both swim in the pool! ML says this is on her "bucket list" to swim with me and is so happy. I do not know what bucket list is, but I know happy.

The levante (big bad wind) is really no fun. Tonight ML was in the bathroom yelling at the hot/cold shower, when there was a big "bang!" from downstairs. I am very brave - as previously mentioned - so I got off the bed and stood at the top of the stairs, in front of the bathroom door until ML came out. I looked in a concerned fashion towards the downstairs, and ML looked a little frightened like there may be burglars trying to get in to steal my delieeecious food.

Once I saw that she was properly motivated to defend me and my foodstuffs, I went back to bed and let ML handle it. No use two of us being horribly murdered by thieving outlaws, de verdad?

In fact we were being attacked by the levante, not by the murderers. The strong wind pulled the roll down shutters off their tracks on the sliding glass door and it is stuck. This means that we cannot go into the back garden any longer, plus the only way to "lock" the doors is now broken - there are no locks on the doors so the only way to protect the doors from murderers and food thieves is the roll down shutters. Which now do not open but also do not close.

Now we are in bed upstairs where it is very hot and we are both laying on the bed like dead fish. You would think the wind would cool us down, but we cannot open the window because it sucks the drapes outside and if you close the rolling shutters, it may suck THOSE outside.

Aye carumba, I am a very positive gentleman, but I am really not so sure if my homeland really wanted me back, sabes?

 

[Cath]

Are you alright Emily and Carbon

 

[Emily_Babbelhund]

Are you alright Emily and Carbon

We're fine, thanks for asking Cath. The door to the garden downstairs is both unusable (we can't go out) and unlockable (a strange combination for sure). The rest of the house seems to have survived the night and ironically even the wifi is working at the moment.

I'm debating whether to WhatsApp the owner now or later in the day. I really don't want to deal with all this stuff.

But at the end of the day, it's nothing serious for me. It's a headache for the owner for sure and I'm sorry about that, but unfortunately she's going to have to solve it, even if I'm the one that's going to have to deal with the workmen.

I'm debating now whether to take Carbon out and face the heat and wind, or just keep working on my work projects. The second choice seems a waste of a weekend, but my have a better result!