“We should enlarge that upstairs window and install French doors, to match all the other windows on the second floor.”

The builder opened it up to accommodate the change.

“That looks dreadful. It’s only two feet above the top of the front door. Put it back the way it was.”

Did we really throw out an almost brand new aluminium window?

Why did we remove the brown and blue mosaic tiles and paint the wall ‘magnolia’ instead?

And why on earth did we replace the liver-coloured marble stairs with terracotta steps?

“I think the foreigners prefer peasant flooring,” they said.

On the day that Helena, the real estate agent, took us to look at properties for sale in Montejaque, she introduced us to Cristobal Calle Jimenez, manager of La Posada and of Casas de Montejaque. Cristobal knew all of the houses that were available in our price range … and, best of all, he had his own team of craftsmen (builders, plumbers, electricians) who would be able to ‘re-form’ our chosen property.

We looked at five houses, narrowed it down to three, then did the ‘Goldilocks test’: too big, too small, and just right.

IT'S 2003 and it’s our 26th wedding anniversary.

“What would you like: flowers, chocolates, jewellery?”

“How about we buy a house in Spain,” he said.

I humour him by going out for a drive into the ‘pueblos blancos’ of Andalucia.

Now the World Cup is over Montejaque's Carolyn Emmett, writing from South Africa, turns her attention to... wrinkles!

“If God had to give a woman wrinkles, He might at least have put them on the soles of her feet.” Anne “Ninon” de L’Enclos (1620-1705)

Carolyn Emmett, Montejaque's correspondent in South Africa sends her last report from South Africa on the Spain v the Netherlands game in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final on July 11.

MY Dutch girlfriend, Kinie, was embarrassed by the tactics of her team ... nine yellow cards in total (two to the same player, in overtime, which therefore earned him a ‘red’ and a ‘sending off’). How come only three players on the Netherlands team could behave themselves? I think both Spain and Holland were a bit wary of each other at Sunday night’s final, but it seemed the Dutch wanted to bring dirty tactics to the game – and the Spanish team rose above them.