End of the dream
AndalucÃa, 25th of November
It's almost a year since I wrote my last diary entry and in that time my life has changed
completely. At the beginning of May, Fred was suddenly taken ill and we had to return to Bristol where he died three
months later. We married in July and in spite of everything it was a wonderful and very special day.
The
first part of 2004 had seen some real steps forward for us. We planned a new extension to give us more space for guests
and a swimming pool. Work on this had started in March and so when we went back to Bristol we left behind a building
site and were reliant on friends to supervise it for us. More friends looked after the letting of the little casita in
the village. Without them we would have even more to worry about.
Last winter, Fred had finally found that he really missed playing live rock'n'roll and had started a band
with some other local musicians from the UK. They were doing really well and had regular bookings in the local bars. In
October, two months after Fred's death, these musicians organised a tribute gig in aid of the hospice in Bristol where
he died. It was an emotional but also celebratory event which sold out in the first two days of tickets going on sale
and raised £1000. Fred had made many friends in the short time we had been here but he would have been touched,
proud and no doubt amazed by the number of people who came to celebrate his too short contribution to life and music in
the village. I was proud of him too.
I have been
in Spain for nearly two months and am about to return to Bristol to empty the flat we had had to rent when Fred became
ill. Then I will be heading off to stay with my son and his family in Seattle for Christmas and New Year. I'll be back
here in January to see if I can make a life in Spain or if I should sell up and go back to the UK. I'll be recording my
thoughts on this in another diary entry early in the new year.
All our dreams were shattered after such a short time but even so we both agreed that we didn't regret
having made the move to Spain.
It would have been worse to be in England thinking 'if only' we had done something exciting whilst we had the chance.
Sent by: Sue
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