The exceptionally long, and late summer last year meant that the rain in Spain came all at once, with a vengeance, over the Christmas Holidays and into January.
So, as we tend to plod through the month of January nursing a financial hangover from a festive season of excess spending, the gloomy weather seems to match the general mood of residents in Spain as the government levies more taxes, increasing the basic cost of living.
However, it is not all doom and gloom as February begins down here on the Costa del Sol. With the downpour of rain, comes rainbows.
According to the Sur in English, 2010 has started with the lowest inflation rate in history.
To top that, a cap has been put on telephone rates, toll road tariffs and (in some places) water rates to help us all try and survive the crisis.
This "ray of sunshine" is welcome news. But rainbows disappear as quickly as they appear, and its back to cloudy overcast skies. And so we remember that other overheads have increased, like gas bottles and fuel, not to mention the dreaded electricity bills.
But I'm going to try and keep it positive...
On that note, for those of you employed on a Spanish contract the minimum wage has gone up by 1.5% and pensions also have been increased by 1%.
As they say every cloud has a silver lining (albeit a small one).
How are you finding life in Spain? Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel? Please share your thoughts and experiences.
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