New Challenges

In our lives we often wear “different hats”. When I was in the UK, I was a wife, a mother and I worked. In each circumstance I would be slightly different, wearing a different hat. Although at all times the intrinsic me was there, the loving that I showed at home would be tempered to the kindness and consideration I displayed to people I met in a professional situation. Once I retired and moved to Spain my life changed dramatically, as my family are all back in the UK, though distance doesn’t mean I love them any less. I am still the same Christine.

As you all know, I donned a different hat when I became an author. The words I write come from inside my mind, my imagination, but the characters I write about are nothing like me! This is a challenge that all writers face, to bring to life a person who shines out from the page, who is an individual. I have found my individual style of writing my stories, dedicating time and chapters to the back story of each character, so you understand their actions in the narrative, even the nasty baddies!!

Recently I told you about my helping the mayor with his political campaign however it is not stopping there. Now I have another new hat to wear, or perhaps it should be called a chain of office.

The town of Antas is made up of the main town and several outlying villages, of which La Huerta where I live is one, and the Mayor’s latest idea is to ensure those outlying villages have direct representation with the town hall. So, each village has its own mayor, and I am to be the mayoress of Los Raimundos and Los Chopos. The reason I am not the representative of where I live is that the villages of Los Raimundos and Los Chopos are 90% ex-pat, so it makes sense for me to be their mayoress.

Although the villages are only 17: minutes away by car, it is difficult to get there to see my constituents on a regular basis, especially as I cannot drive at the moment until my hip operation. So I have created a WhatsApp group and today, have spent an interesting few hours discussing water leaks! 

Hopefully it won’t all be problems ahead. One thing I am looking forward to is the fiesta which has not been held there for many years, is to be revived on the 30th September. They always say that the Spanish love a fiesta, but so do I and it will be great to be able to celebrate this one with all my new friends. This is a new challenge that I am definitely embracing!