Allergy alert

January, with a maximum peak in March. Other similar pollens would be those of birch and hazelnut, so it could affect people who are allergic to these as well.

When flaring up in the winter weather, these first allergies of the year are often difficult to differentiate from the start of a possible cold or flu. Allergies last as long as the pollen is in suspension, while flu and colds usually last four to seven days Meteored pointed out.

WHEN we moved to Spain in 2018, we sold everything. But there were things I couldn’t let go of. Mostly my Louboutins and some expensive handbags. But there were a few other things that were coming with us. My husband, Jeff, moved his motorcycle over. And I moved my sofa in a container ship through the Panama Canal and the Atlantic. Did people in Spain think I was crazy to move a sofa? Yes. Did I care? Nope.

The sofa took five months to arrive. So, in the meantime, I bought a filler sofa. Jeff just rolled his eyes. When my fabulous American sofa arrived, I was ecstatic, nearly jumping up and down when the lorry pulled up. But my euphoria would be short­lived. When they went to get it into the lift, it wouldn’t fit. Fine. The two strong men carried it up seven flights of stairs to our apartment. And it was then that we learned it wouldn’t fit through the door. I was horrified.

But the men had an idea. We could crane it in through the window. So, we put the sofa in our parking spot, and they left. I called a crane company, and they came out two weeks later.

In the meantime, our Valencian neighbours gave us weird looks. Likely wondering if all Americans store their sofa in the parking garage of their homes.

The day came, and the furniture crane arrived. We then discovered, as it was dangling above the street, our sofa was ½ inch too large for the window. No amount of pushing or pulling would make it budge. My American sofa was dead on arrival.

The moral of this story is that when you move to Spain, get rid of everything. And I mean everything, including the Louboutins. Don’t remind Jeff, but I haven’t worn them once in five years.

Coming soon: Age in Spain’s Guide to Moving to Spain, a free ­ e ­ book for you to download. Reserve a copy at www.ageinspain.org