Beatriz took the photo outside our house looking towards the village and sent it to us for approval. I cropped it and that is the one which was used in the newspaper article.
Here is the translation from Spanish:
Retirement
to Torre
del Compte
after years of work.
At
this point in March spring appears with almond trees surrounding the
Phillips home. Margaret and Colin open the door of their
house and greet me
with
a big smile and with a gesture of "follow me". We pass
through the kitchen to the terrace. «This
is the reason why we moved
to
Torre
del Compte»,
they say.
There
are no words to
describe it.
It's the1st
of
March and the
almond
trees have blossomed. In the background is the centre of the village
and the silhouettes of others such as La
Fresneda
and even the Andorra
thermal power plant smoke. (Note: I did point out that you could only see the smoke in the very distant sky from the power station as there was no wind. Normally the wind carries it away and the debris falls on Ibiza!)
Both
were born in the northeast of England, near Sunderland. Colin, in the
mining town of Easington until his
family
moved to Peterlee and Margaret was born in Hartlepool. "In
England it is common to move a
lot,"
they explain. Their last residence was Hastingwood, Harlow, near
London, where they lived for
25
years going into the capital daily to teach. Colin was a teacher of
technology at a secondary school and Margaret taught lessons of
textiles
and graphic arts in another school where she became part of the
management team. When they took early retirement they made the
decision to settle in Spain. "We were looking for a home on the
Mediterranean coast, but there was a
lot of traffic
noise and too many people," they explained.
The first option of internal Spain was Horta
de Sant Joan
then Torre
del Compte.
«To see these sights we thought it was as
if
we had died and gone to heaven», they reflected.
One
couple more in the village.
They
recall their eleven years in Torre
del Compte
while we were
having
a
cup of tea
which was
welcome. "Five o'clock is usually tea-time, here it is all day»,
they laugh. The glances of complicity are continuous between the two.
They do not hide their joy at having ended up in the
place in which they live. «We have been very lucky because the
people are wonderful,» they say. Although this house is a frequent
centre of celebrations, they have their peña,
the Katacroc,
and their daily activities. Margaret goes to pilates in La
Fresneda
while Colin develops other hobbies. "Each year I have a
different one,"
he says. The most
recent
is
a type of welding. «You have your boilersuit and everything»,
laughs Margaret. That may be so but Colin enjoys another skill:
photography. Everything that happens in the village is captured by
his lens and shared in his blog: theverybestblogever.blogspot.com.es.
Part of the organization of these events is the Association of
Housewives, (Amas
de Casa),
which Margaret became President of for two years. "I don't know
how it happened. «I said no to being Secretary and Treasurer so
being the President fell to me!», she recalls with amazement. In
fact, all were
surprised.
"It's all so different. All the people eating together in the
Plaza
at fiestas.
We would never have thought about it".
They
go to Spanish classes in La
Fresneda
and they are learning more and more every day. "I am 34 years
old in each leg," says Colin in a show of patriotic mood
arousing laughter in
his wife and Carmen, one of the friends made thanks to the
activities. She is a teacher of English at the adult school in
Alcañiz and one of those lending a hand with more difficult
interpretations
with Spanish. They met her when they gave a presentation at the
official language school, an activity that is repeated every time
they ask. They have talked about various issues such as legends,
myths and traditions.
Then
Colin, eyes fixed on the window that overlooks the incredible views,
relates a story for the first of March, the day of St. David, the
patron Saint of Wales. Finally, as
they were expecting, the question of Brexit arises. «It is too early
to talk about the effects», they explain.
And with regard to the future, "We want to continue enjoying
everything," they sigh.
And the original Spanish version:
A estas
alturas de marzo la primavera asoma en los almendros que rodean el
hogar de los Phillips. Margaret y Colin abren la puerta de su casa y
reciben al que llega con una enorme sonrisa antes de iniciar camino
con un gesto de «sígueme». Tras atravesar la cocina aparece la
terraza. «Aquí tienes la razón por la que nos quedamos en Torre
del Compte», dicen.
No hay
palabras. Es primero de marzo y los almendros han estallado. Al fondo
se ve el casco urbano del pueblo y las siluetas de otros como La
Fresneda e incluso el humo de la Central Térmica de Andorra.
Ambos
nacieron en el noreste de Inglaterra, en la zona de Sunderland.
Colin, en el pueblo minero de Easington hasta que se trasladó a
Peterlee, y Margaret nació en Hartlepool. «En Inglaterra es
frecuente moverse mucho», explican. La última residencia del
matrimonio fue Hastingwood, en Harlow, muy cerca de Londres, donde
vivieron 25 años desplazándose a diario a la capital para dar
clase. Colin era profesor de Tecnología en un instituto y Margaret
impartía lecciones de Textil y Artes Gráficas en otro centro donde
llegó a ser parte del equipo directivo. En el momento de la
jubilación tomaron la decisión de establecerse en España.
«Buscamos una vivienda en toda la costa mediterránea pero había
mucho ruido y gente», explican. La primera opción de interior fue
Horta de Sant Joan y la siguiente, Torre del Compte. «Al ver estas
vistas pensamos que era como morir y estar en el cielo»,
reflexionan.
Una
pareja más del pueblo
Rememoran
sus once años en Torre del Compte mientras dan sorbos al té con el
que amablemente reciben al que llega. «Lo del té de las cinco es
mentira, aquí es todo el día», ríen. Las miradas de complicidad
son continuas entre los dos. No esconden su felicidad por haber
recalado en un lugar en el que viven y conviven. «Hemos tenido mucha
suerte porque la gente es maravillosa», cuentan. Aunque su casa es
frecuente centro de celebraciones, tienen su peña, la Katacroc, y
sus tareas diarias. Margaret acude a pilates a La Fresneda mientras
Colin desarrolla otras aficiones. «Cada año tengo una», asegura.
La última tiene que ver con un tipo de soldadura. «Tiene su traje y
todo», ríe su esposa. Eso sí, Colin goza de una habilidad
permanente: la fotografía. Todo lo que sucede en el pueblo es
captado por su objetivo y compartido en su blog:
theverybestblogever.blogspot.com.es. Parte de la organización de
esos eventos es de la Asociación de Amas de Casa de la que Margaret
llegó a ser presidenta dos años. «No sé cómo pasó. Dije que
secretaria no, que tesorera tampoco y ¡me cayó el de presidenta!»,
recuerda aún con asombro. De hecho, todo les sorprendió. «Es todo
diferente. ¿Comer todo el pueblo en la plaza en fiestas? Nunca lo
habríamos pensado».
Acuden a
clases de Castellano en La Fresneda y se van soltando cada vez más
en el día a día. «Tengo 34 años en cada pierna», dice Colin en
una demostración de humor patrio despertando la carcajada de su
mujer y de Carmen, una de las amigas logradas gracias a las
actividades. Es profesora de Inglés en la Escuela de Adultos de
Alcañiz y una de las personas que les echa una mano con situaciones
más complejas con el Castellano. La conocieron en una presentación
que hicieron en la Escuela Oficial de Idiomas, actividad que repiten
cada vez que se lo piden. Han hablado de varios temas como leyendas,
malentendidos y tradiciones.
En ese
momento Colin, con la mirada fijada en el ventanal que da a las
apabullantes vistas, cae en la cuenta de que es primero de marzo, día
de San David, patrono de Gales. Y, como ya estaban esperando, cae la
pregunta del Brexit. «Es demasiado pronto para hablar de efectos»,
argumentan. Y respecto al futuro, prefieren dejarse llevar. «Queremos
seguir disfrutando», suspiran.
BEATRIZ
SEVERINO
Here's another photo which Beatriz took and I cropped:
I think Beatriz made the right choice for the newspaper. However, yet another experience.
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