At last, after months of driving the roads of Spain illegally, a Spanish driving license is on its way into my glove compartment!

English people can usually get away with using an English driving license, even if they have taken residency in Spain. But if the photocard expires (like mine did five months ago), then that’s when problems can arise.

I no longer have a UK address so I had to be honest and admit that I was now a resident in Spain. The DVLA staff told me they couldn’t do anything more and that I’d have to seek assistance from the Spanish authorities. Pah!

And like many things of an ‘official’ nature in Spain, that wasn’t an easy task. Firstly, I rang the trafico department, who told me they couldn’t help. Then I rang a couple of other trafico-related people who said they couldn’t help either. More like they didn’t WANT to help…!

In the end I had no choice but to go directly to the trafico office in Malaga City with a bag-full of every document they might ask for.

And fortunately it all went surprisingly well. I had to pay 26€ for tax and 30€ for a medical certificate, which involved a fake eye sight test, a blood pressure check and a reflex test which involved having my knees banged with something that looked like a hammer. I also had to fill in a few forms….And that was pretty much it.

The man behind the desk said someone would call me within a few weeks and then I can return to collect my new driving license. Whoooopeeee!

With my driving problem solved I then had to sort out my mortgage payments. As interest rates have dropped substantially within the last six months I knew I could shop around for a better mortgage than my current bank offered. In fact the new mortgage is so much better that it works out that I pay about half of what I paid before. Want to know the bank in question? Email me to find out!

So for me, April was very much a month of finding solutions and taking action. And this month is totally choc-a-block with new ventures and exciting projects. All I need now is for the sun to come out and stay out!!

Until next month…

Keidi
Editor