New to Spain-in Mojacar.

Hi and welcome to Mojacar. We have been resident in Spain since 2002 and just love the country. We have our apartment in Mojacar and a cottage outside Puerto Lumbreras, Murcia to which we can escape when holiday makers make Mojacar untenable.

Now as to paint that's generally the Ferateria/Hardware shop and most Brits seem to gravitate to Lopez although there is also Gonzalez. There are also specialist paint shops but the only one I know of is in Albox. Others may be more clued up. Think you are right to go with white and any ferateria sells in a variety of sizes, by weight not volume. The white is usually marked interior and exterior and is more a matt than gloss and just as well as gloss would show up the exingencies of Spanish construction.

As we live here and the other side of Huercal Overa we tend to use Tapia Ferrateria in Huercal Overa which tends to be less expensive the Mojacar. Only once did we buy white paint from Lopez and were appalled by the quality. Still you get what you pay for and prices vary markedly. If you are doing a really good job you would want to apply a more dilute coat initially and then full strength as a second coat-but personal preference. Filler is also available in the feraterias and the todo shops and many todos also stock paint. 

Best of luck and may you days be long and contented,

Bob & Sandra Lyons

Thank you so much for the informative reply. We are hopeful to have a good positive experience here. We have found the community very welcoming. 

We have no plans to live here, but October to April is a long time and integration is so important....we are throwing ourselves at the language with enthusiasm! 

Thanks again for the paint advice. 

Kind regards

Pam and Bob Coxon

Oct-April we are usually in Goa or Oz but this year due to join Australian friends in Ecuador. Returned from.Oz in May and family took up Summer. Then 7 weeks in the north of Spain and then Sandra decided to spend Xmas/NY with new family in UK.

Loads to do here over Xmas/winter & lots of Brits return to their Spanish homes. If you can get a free copy of The Almeria Focus monthly magazine & directory all the clubs, etc are at the back. PC Playa usually have copies and the Charity Shops & Iceland in Vera.

Bob and Sandra

Me too!! Just trying to get a feel for this area!! 

Focus magazine comes back early September, they like most of Spain take their holidays in August.

Here in Huercal Overa on what we call "the bottom road" theres a big paint shop on one of the corners, cant think of the name but when open they have big plastic tubs of paint out front.

As the Colonel says theres Ferretarias/hardware stores all over, theres at least 3 here in town, the one, again on the bottom road has paint and lots of other stuff. At least one guy, maybe the boss can speak half decent english but seems to be "what side of the bed did you get out of" lol.

Most of the other guys you can get there in the end with google translate lol.

We've been here since the end of March and had a leak in the main water line in the pool patio slab I fixed by re-routing the line, then we found out that by re-routing the line we'd cut out the top up device for the pool. A new water boiler was next, fixed with a replacement new electric one tho others said go with gas, bits n bobs with the plant irrigation system and going thru the hoops with paperwork to get padron, residencia, now medical cards, the Spanish healthcare system I'd rate as very thorough.

We're both of pensionable age and just today had bloodworks done, medical registration, next up are ECG's mamograms for partner, prostate exam for me plus general mot's for both that I think are called "Global health screens", nothing like the NHS we've all come to know love and depend, plus being pensionable age prescriptions only cost 10% of the full scrip price, well you cant get everything for free lol

Be aware if you have a pool that you will lose up to an inch of water a day in this heat.

We live 40 minutes inland in a small village called Urcal near Huercal Overa has a bar/cafe doctors, small supermarket etc, friendly locals and just 7 mins from the motorway, 12 miniutes from Huercal Overa, street lamps on all night and most of the day its just so blissfully peaceful and quiet.

We can visit Mojacar and the other small villages dotted along the coast and come home to our little bit of paradise as n when we want lol, even the Colonel comes here to top up his water tanks lol.

Just as an aside, we were lead to believe that Spanish "siestas" ran from 2pm, 1400 hours to 4pm, 1600 hrs but here, in town, 4pm stretches to around 5.15 to 9pm for smaller shops and 9.30 for the supermarkets, dont know what its like over your way.