Hi guys,

I thought it was time to give you a little update on how we are settling into our new lives in Ibiza. Where to start!? The realisation that this is actually a permanent thing is finally starting to sink in and the feeling of being on holiday has completely disappeared as we settle into a routine. Some days I feel very settled and absolutely love it, other days I think about being in England and feel a bit homesick. In practice, England isn’t even my home anymore and that’s a weird feeling in itself.

There were lots of things I took for granted when I lived in England, like being able to buy goodies such as tenderstem broccoli and Coconut Collaborative yoghurt, not having deadly levels of chlorine in the tap water and not least, being able to speak the language. Last week, both my oven AND hob decided to pack up at the same time. Not the biggest deal and totally a first world problem, but when cooking is your life and you don’t speak the local lingo it was a testing few days to say the least. It’s always the smallest straw that breaks the camel’s back and not being able to get a chicken without giblets was what tipped me over the edge after a particularly frustrating day. Looking back it makes me laugh that something so trivial as giblets gave me the proverbial ‘hump’ but it really was the cause of a major meltdown!

So, my expectation lunching out every day, having a ‘perma tan’ and taking the children to the beach every night after school is far from reality. As for us all speaking fluent Spanish in 6 months, I don’t see that happening either! It’s just full steam ahead and as the saying goes ‘the same shit, just a different location!’ Luckily I love this location and I feel very blessed to be here, but there is no running away from the fact I have three children, a husband, a dog (soon to be two), school runs and a job so my hectic life is not going away. At least most of the time the sun is shining which makes such a difference.

The language barrier is proving tricky but I’m pleased to say my vocabulary is gradually improving. I feel I need to give Paul Noble a big shout out at this point! Paul Noble has come up with a ground-breaking new method of teaching languages via audio and it’s proving to be a really effective way of learning Spanish for me. This man is my new best friend and always keeps me company when I’m driving around the island – believe you me, we cover a lot of miles together as every place I need to go to always seems to be as far away from the last place as possible.

More progress: I’ve joined an awesome gym and got myself a new personal trainer who specialises in rehabilitation which is exactly what I need. Joan (pronounced ‘Juan’ and not ‘Joan’ as I called him the first time I met him) trained for eight years in Madrid and definitely knows his stuff. I’m banned from lifting any weights for the time being but the gruelling H.I.T.T sessions Joan’s putting me through, combined with body weight strength training, is paying off. I’m also spinning regularly and if you have seen the photos of the spin studio on my Facebook page, it is seriously mind blowing. I’m loving the yoga here too, although gone are the days when I can practise my poses with my eyes shut. At the moment, I have to do every move with one eye on the instructor so I know what I am meant to be doing! Again, being able to speak the lingo would be such an advantage!!

Like me, the children have good days and bad days, which was only to be expected. Immy has taken to Ibizan life like a duck to water. Archie on the other hand misses his football team and Waitrose sausages and Henry is just ecstatic that at his school they only get homework Monday to Thursday meaning much more fun and far less agg over the weekend! At the moment, the children aren’t going to loads of clubs after school, so the days of being in three places at the same time seem a bit of a distant memory. I’m sure that will change as the children settle in. Last week Henry went for trials at a much talked about football club on the island. He really struggled with the language barrier and I felt really terrible for him, so I’m hoping this will motivate him to get fluent in Spanish pronto! He is such a talented footballer so I will feel content when he’s up and running at a club where he feels happy.

I have made a new friend (well I’ve made a few actually, but I’m particularly fond of this one!) Meet Annouska! No, she’s not Russian, she’s a Scouser. I spend a lot of time trying to pull off her accent in between forgetting her kids names! (Those of you that know me well will be aware that I am hopeless at remembering names!) So far I have called her son, Hendrix, ‘Henley’ at least 20 times and her other son whose name is Marley gets called ‘Marvin’ all the time!! Henry cringes while I fold up laughing. How can I KEEP forgetting!????? Shameless boast, I have introduced Annouska to the world of CCwK and in five weeks, she has lost 11 pounds simply by eating clean from the recipes in my book. #feelingproud

Margo is rapidly building up a new fan base in Ibiza. Whenever we are out and about she gets a lot of attention. Everywhere is so dog friendly which is a massive plus. Margo is loving the sunshine and warmer climate and has taken to sunbathing like a true Essex girl. She hated going for walks on cold rainy days in England but here she can’t wait to get out. Like owner like dog!!!!

I’m off to do the school run, but I’ll introduce you to Martha, a bundle of wrinkles and massive feet, before I go. Margo tells me that she’s not terribly thrilled about the prospect of her baby sister, Martha, arriving next week. I have the distinct impression Margo’s nose may well be out of joint for a good while. I will keep you posted!

Laters peeps xx

PS All you lovers of all things Ibiza – check out the Fish Shack in Talamanca. I know it looks like a disintegrating shed but I promise you it is the freshest fish on the island.