Well I'm a hardy Lancashire lass!
Even in winter we eat lunch out on the terrace most days often cooked on the BBQ, not this week I grant you as we have the cold north wind blowing, but last week was 22c every day.
Even when it's cold here the sky is usually blue, it makes you feel so much better seeing sunshine instead of grey sky.

As I said before, it's not a perfect climate.....but I'm very happy here and I have no desire at all to go back to England.

In that case we will put a coat on like the locals do.

We have had some brilliant BBQs with family and Spanish friends in the winter months here, on a sunny day and with a few beers or red wines down your throat it doesn't feel cold.

Me too!

I'll drink to that.

I have a suspicion that those who return to the UK will often defend their decision to the hilt, even if that means saying things like 'The UK has a perfect climate' as one character did. I can understand someone saying 'I don't like heat, the Spanish climate got me down and it was such a relief to get back to a more temperate climate.'

That is a logical, understandable comment, and I can't fault it.

However, I know what the UK climate is like, and its temperate climate maent for me that there was almost unending grey skies.

By all means tell me you are happy there, and feel free to say you prefer a more temperate climate.

I will drink to your health and be glad that you have 'Found a better hole'.

Just don't spin me a line that the UK climate is anything other than Grey, with a little sunshine as seasoning.

In the wonderful words of someone else on this board, 'Don't piss up my back and tell me it's raining.'

You will find that the main topic of conversation from the Gallegos is the weather (apart from food that is) just like in the UK.
And they usually are moaning about the cold and the wet just like folks in the UK do.

Most expats choose the hotter parts of Spain, in fact lots of expats dont even know that there are coastal areas of Spain that are cold. Most British people presume that the only cold places in Spain are skiing resorts up in the mountains.

Sheep farmers in Segovia, pig farmers in Galicia have more in common with a British farmer than they do with an olive or orange grower in the south.

Also most of the Spanish population DONT live in the sunnier parts, they usually live where they were born or their families are.

I can guarantee that a family in Galicia, has a harder time heating their house in the winter than keeping it cool in the summer. just like in the UK- and if they want to be confortable in their own home, also have a large bill to pay.

And speaking through wide experience I can honestly say that when the cold weather hits, it is better to have a temperature a few degrees lower in the UK than a higher temp. in Galicia, it is a lot more bearable and pleasant in the UK at times like that.

We have chosen to live in the sunnier part, because we can, like a lot of others on here, but I know that if I had to live through the winter in Galicia, I would be back in the UK, sharpish.

Good news for anyone flying back to southern England next week, and who likes to see a festive white background. It's a picturesque scene with loads of snow around. It's even settling on central London roads, so the parks are absolutely beautiful. However not so good news if you're flying this weekend - expect major delays - today is probably a no-no for flying into Heathrow, and Gatwick is already closed

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12025538

I heard on BBC radio news this morning that people in the UK are advised to set their heating at between 18 and 21C to keep warm.

Just out of interest, I checked my thermometer in the kitchen (in an old Spanish house with no heating having been on anywhere in the house since midnight) and it was 17C. So not too far from what seems to be the official norm for Britain then, although I'm sure some will prefer to keep their houses warmer than 21 degrees.

But then again I'm another hardy Lancashire lass - I still remember having ice on the inside of the bedroom windows of the house I grew up in. Maybe it was good training for a life in Spain?

I would find a house cold if only 18C unless doing lots of housework. A CH heated house in the UK will probably feel warmer at -4 outside than a spanish house ar 12C outside if heated with an odd assortment of electric/gas appliances.

Someone in Barbados said to me that she was freezing the night before as the temperature had dropped to 68F at 5am It's all relative you can always find a country with better/worse weather than the one you are in.

You can still come home to a real fire or wood burning stove in the UK, gas central heating just keeps the chill off and makes life more comfortable.....Inland Spain can be quite cold in the winter..the unheated, thin walled houses can build up condensation and mold, calor gas heaters can make this worse, water can run down the windows and walls...the tile floors are cold....the electric oil radiators are very expensive to run.

So all in all if your house in Spain is not suitably insulated it can cost as much to keep warm in the winter than a double glazed, cavity wall and loft insulated home in the UK.

Well, if you are dumb enough to run those catalytic gas stoves, you really will have water running down the walls fast enough to wash to mould off.

Best thing is to live nearer to the coast in a civilised area. We have the stove on at night, but never on overnight. This evening when we are starting to think of lighting it again as it starts to get dark, the temp in the house is 20C.

It will get colder than this in January, but then as I sunbathe in February, I'll try my hardest to give a damn.

But I don't want to live near the coast....I came to Spain to escape the traffic and concrete, I prefer the olive and lemon groves and feel more at home in the hills with the animals, flowers and birds around....I hate shops, people and parking.

We can sunbathe in February sitting on the roof with some clothing on.

Gee, traffic and concrete? What's that? We are 25 minutes from the sea on the south Atlantic coast, the nearest to concrete is the hilltop town of Vejer de la Frontera, I live down a little campo road, and the noisiest thing down there is a dog. Or possibly the demented rooster down the road.

25 minutes from the sea is not near the sea in my book...I live 45 minutes drive from sea, the crow would get there much quicker... but can see the sea on a clear day, even saw a large boat go past one day, the only thing that goes past our front door in the local man on a donkey making his way to the fields each morning, you can set your watch by him, on the way home he might drop a bag of oranges or tomatoes on the doorstep.

its a good job we dont all like the same things isnt it!! I've lived in the campo and altho it was lovely and had the olives, oranges, demented roosters etc, we have now moved to the costa and yes theres a bit of concrete here and there, but the sea views are lovely, everywhere is within walking distance, the electricity supply is better and it makes a nice change to be near civilisation, especially for my two teenagers!

I guess its like folk in the UK, some like towns and others like country!

Great weather today on the costa del sol - torrential rain that hasnt stopped all day, thunderstorms and floods!!

Jo xxx

Well, my choice is that balance. Near enough to the sea but not too close. Don't forget that we were very lucky to get a finca here with a bit of land. They are like hen's teeth!