and there was me thinking you were leading the donkey because you were frightened a scary English woman would jump out and accuse you of animal cruelty

Most banks are safe up to their guaranteed limit, however I believe it could be possible to pick an account with Santander that could cause you embarassment if they did go bust. It probably won't ever happen, but who would have predicted the mess we are in five yers ago.
http://www.which.co.uk/news/2011/04/...e-safe-249570/

When a restaurant is very busy and you manage to catch the waiters eye they do the same signing from across the room (Spanish area).

Rosemary

granny
matress
money

The spanish in andalucía do not like the British (or any other foreigner) collectively. There are just too many of us now. They are fine when they get to know you but when you are out of the comfort zone and they don't know you they can be very xenaphobic. I have heard a few bad comments when they don't think you can understand. When I have gone with friends to the various authorities they frequently say go home if you are not satisfied type stuff. When my OH was in carlos haya hospital he was refered to by the nurses as "the foreigner"

The only dealings many British have with the spanish are in bars, shops etc. people who are earning money from tourism and therefore they don't pick up on the resentment. When we moved into one house one neighbour said to another "mierda they will all be coming now" she told me because I was already friendly with her. He was ok. though, nice as pie to my face!

If you look at some of the things that are said on here about immigrants you realise it is only human nature...the majority just don't like their towns and villages being taken over by Brit bars, shops, plumbers etc. etc. Go to extremadura, galicía areas and the spanish are much friendlier.

I think what you say is true, but I would temper it a little. I think that no-one likes a huge influx of 'furriners', almost everyone is nervous about strangers, but this can be hugely eased if the strangers show a desire to integrate, they learn the language, and above all, they don't expect you to change.

We know that some people in our town expected us to do our house up and sell it and move on. Those people initially did not speak to us. When we had the outside of the house painted one of the painters said "now it will look good for the ´For Sale´sign", I reacted and said an emphatic NO. Even the doubters now speak to us and have become friendly.

In hospital my OH is known by his christian name and is greeted like a real friend. Not sure whether this is because he has virtually lived with them for a couple of years or because he is a good patient, nevertheless we have always been treated well and I have overheard the nurses talking on the telephone to other departments and his christian name is always used.

Rosemary

Who really cares if Brits do not speak the lingo, the Spanish don't seem to and are just happy Brits are helping to keep their economy afloat, it is only fellow Brits who seem unhappy for some strange reason like your your typical "job's worth" just get on with your own lives and try not to worry to much
I have family in Spain who have been their 20 years, they cannot speak Spanish but get on fine.

As always you get what you give. I believe that generally that applies in spades when you are going to a place expecting people to be negative.

You were intent on being part of the scenery, and not some forastero intent on passing thru while making a quick buck.

Unfriendliness to outsiders is also caused by perceived class differences. A Spanish small town or village may not take to the retired British bank manager painting up the old village house where Paco, the olive picker, used to live, and parking their brand new Range Rover outside.

Or when they go into the village shop to buy a loaf of bread and pay with a 50 Euro note. And a 2.4 metre satellite dish on the roof winds them up too.

Even worse are the ones who buy up an old finca (cow shed) and expect the local villagers to lay on electricity and water for the 12 by 6 swimming pool and air conditioning for the six bedrooms built on the site of the old cow shed.

The locals don't want to demolish those places, they want to blow them up.

Ohhh you mean they are jealous

The Spanish neighbours around us were always reasonably friendly from the start, but became noticeably more so the first time they saw us using a Spanish tradesman to do some work on the house, rather than a fellow Brit as so many do. My OH is good at making friends with people (better than me, I have to say!) and is quick to muck in if anyone needs anything. We often get people knocking on the door asking if they can borrow some tools, and kids wanting their bikes repaired (he spent half an hour yesterday evening doing just that for one of them). One of the neighbour's sons who is currently doing up a house down the street says he is going to get a sign made for our house, "Talleres Kevin"!

Many of them now call him primo or hermano, but they are much more formal with me, I am always Senora, usted or at best vecina, even though I've told them many times to use my name.

Yes... we were putting up a replacement metal pergola (questionmark over whether licencio required) when the elections were imminent. The fact that the now Alcalde turned up touting for votes when our Spanish contractor, who they knew, was doing the work won't, I think, have done us any harm! The neighbours know we use probably 80:20 Spanish/English tradespeople (as opposed to black money Brit hired help!), and exclusively Spanish suppliers.
Ref being called by my name -strangely it was while I was in the UK one of the several times this year when my mum was ill and my OH was doing the stuff I usually do (order tyres, to name but one) that suddenly my neighbour at the top of the hill and the tyre man both changed from no name at all or senora to Fiona!!!! Maybe cos they wouldn't stand a hope of pronouncing his name

Once had an old spanish guy doing some tiling, he was there 3 days and he called me hombre all the time

I find I get called hombre by younger people too... never quite understood it but I'm fine with the familiarity!