Blog #Paul Whitelock

"How Green Was My Valley" is a novel by Richard Llewellyn about a Welsh family and the mining community in which they live. It was turned into a Hollywood film, two BBC TV series, a Broadway musical and a theatre play. I was struck the other day by how green my valley was. But we've had a load of rain. I live in the Valle de Fuente de la Higuera just outside Ronda (Malaga). I've never seen it so green at the start of Spring. And I've lived round here for over 16 years. Here's the story.

Since the UK formally left the European Union on January 1st, 2020 - commonly known as BREXIT - it has become a lot harder to become a Spanish resident. New rules apply, as they do for other non-EU members. Read on to find out the situation as of April 1st 2025.

The start of the new Tax Year in the UK is always on 6 April and runs until 5 April of the following year. So why I am I posting about this on Eye on Spain? Well, because there are large numbers of British people living here and even more who own property which they visit for up to 90 days a year (since Brexit) and they may/will have tax liabilities in the home country. To find out about the changes, please read on.

April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains. April here in southern Spain is the start of Spring, a little earlier than in Britain, and plants and trees are starting to push out shoots and buds. It's a good time to start planting. April is also a busy month for us socially, especially this year, 2025.

I grew up in a rural area in North Devon (England) where I lived in three different houses between the ages of nought and 14. I remember that my Dad, from rural South Wales, always had either a garden or a big allotment. Here's my story of how I went from being a novice English gardener to an apprentice Spanish jardinero, despite the challenges: hot sun; ice cold winters; heavy rainfall; pests; exhaustion; poor quality soil.

Spring has arrived in southern Spain at last, albeit a bit later than normal. Or has it? At the spring equinox days and nights are each approximately twelve hours long, with day-time length increasing and night-time length decreasing as the season moves forward to the summer solstice. The weather had improved - the rain had stopped and the sun was out - so it was time to start planting.

Of the four patron saints' days in the British isles, I think St Patrick's Day in the Republic of Ireland is the most celebrated. St Andrew's Day in Scotland, November 30, comes second and St David's Day in Wales, March 1, comes in in third place. The English don't seem too bothered about St George's Day, which is "celebrated" (not) on April 23.

​The heavy rain and thunderstorms of the last couple of weeks, combined with a lousy infrastructure has left whole areas of the Serrania de Ronda flooded, with roads blocked by rockfalls and houses soaked, gardens waterlogged and frequent power cuts. ​Worse still, a major rockfall has blocked the main route from the Costa del Sol and the towns of San Pedro, Marbella and Estepona to the capital and main town of the Serrania, namely Ronda.

International Women's Day is celebrated annually on 8 March as a focal point in the women’s rights movement. IWD gives focus to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against women. ​This important day is celebrated throughout the world, on Saturday 8 March. Read more:

I first visited Spain in 1970, when Spain was a dictatorship under the tight control of General Franco and the Roman Catholic Church. I was 20. Viewed back then as a fascist country and a strictly religious society, pretty much everything was banned, including all forms of contraception. What's that got to do with suppositories? Read on to find out!

Local council mayors can earn good money these days. Previously, being mayor was a voluntary role and an honour. Whether they were effective is another matter. Surely, it’s right that the “chief executive” of a council with a budget to manage is regarded as a professional who should be paid.

It’s some 15 months since I started my website www.help-me-ronda.com. It has grown and grown and is a pretty comprehensive one-stop-shop” for information about all aspects of life in the Serranía de Ronda. It’s time for a review of the website, it’s aims and objectives and its fitness-for-purpose.