I inherit a companion for life

         Sometime after I returned to England I received a call from my daughter. She lived nearby and owned three dogs. The dogs had all had all been fighting. She had had to separate them. The one who caused all the trouble was locked in the bedroom. The other two were bleeding and hurt, as was my daughter, who had been bitten on the hand trying to separate them. I bandaged and bathed the wounded, but we could not leave the dogs together any more. I offered to take the bad tempered dog home with me until she could decide what to do. The little troublemaker became my constant companion for the next nine years. We were ideal for each other.

         I left the factory I had been working in as an engineer and went to work for a different factory in the same town making chocolates and toffees. The change of jobs meant that I had to work every weekend alternating days and nights, from July to Christmas making toffees. Then from Christmas to Easter packing chocolate eggs. The remaining three months I did not work at all. The factory was closed for repairs and cleaning. I loved the free time I had all week. But I hated the job!

        However, this meant I could rent my house in England and go to Spain to renovate the house there. Then come back in July and start work again.

         I bought a Suzuki 1300 van and kitted it out with a foam rubber bed. I bought the kitchen units I needed as flat packs and put them in the van along with all the tools I would need for the renovation. When I had put all the things I needed in the van I had 18 inches before I touched the roof. This was my sleeping space.

        When the factory closed in April I said my goodbyes and I and my little companion set off for Spain.

        Having been the landlord of three rented houses in England for a number of years and done most of the repairs myself, I had a fair idea how to go about it. Also I had been a part of a "Self Build" where a group of 36 families built 36 houses. This took two and a half years and was probably the high point of my life. It also led indirectly to my divorce.