Just want to let everyone know that I have had over 300 euro's worth of Fire Wood STOLEN from outside the cave I am renting.  My husband moved it 2 weeks ago up to the cave in los olivos although we weren't moving in till this week and when I arrived yesterday to unload the van which was parked in front of all the wood.  I couldn't believe my eyes, every bit gone, from the box of kindlers to the block we used to chop them  I am absolutely gutted that anyone would do this in this area and thought it would be worth mentioning incase it happens to anyone else.

Oh no that's awful. We have just had a big load delivered to our cave, just about to move to in a couple of weeks!! Very worrying!!

It is but I have been living here for over a year and coming on holiday for several and never ever known this kind of thing to happen.  It's sad more than anything, especially as my husband works away and I will be there alone and am now a bit uncomfortable being there on my own and wouldn't have thought for a minute I would be uneasy about living around here.  Hopefully it will pass after a few weeks without further incidents x  The loss of the wood isn't really an issue that can be replaced eventually when we have the money I just hope I can replace the slight unease I have at the moment x

Hi
I know exactly how you feel. I was renting a converted railway carriage a few years back in the UK, and I returned one night to find it had been broken into, lots of things stolen (I couldn't insure the contents because of what the structure was), but it was a really horrible feeling that someone or people had entered my home. Thing is there were other neighbours all around!!!! Where are you in a village or the campo? After I cleared up after a few weeks I was able to put it to the back of my mind.It was probably kids thinking they could make a bit of money!

Hi Mandy, hope you get over this soon.
I think what has happened to you is disgusting and can just imagine how you feel.  I'm sure someone must know who did this, these villages are far too small to not know who does what and when.

Dear Mandy

My daughter Kelly rented that cave before you, and the cousins and family kept going into the front yard taking building materials and those very large logs in the corner.

There was also many large reels of telephonica cable that belonged to telephonica (the tennents before kelly) and these were also taken by the family, kelly saw the guys and the landlady do this!!

There is also a bike in the garage that belongs to the local policeman. They are all related and are nice folks apart from the fact they obviously thought that your logs were either theirs or the last tennents a(Kelly) and thought they help themselves.

Im sorry re the logs but taking logs from your neighbours is regarded as lowest of the low.

Please pm kelly for any details,

Col  x

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Mandy wrote : It is but I have been living here for over a year and coming on holiday for several and never ever known this kind of thing to happen

It's a real shame - Although not on your scale, everything that I've left outside while I'm away has been stolen. It's only small things like terracotta urns and for some reason my rotary washing line. However, I've stopped thinking of the campo as a low-crime area: it isn't. Speaking to (british) neighbours, they have all had things nicked, either while in the UK or just at the shops.
Sad state of affairs.

I am just about over it now, I was so looking forward to sitting by a big fire this winter after freezing half to death last winter in this flat (only reason I am moving) Ironic is the word that springs to mind.  We got permission from the landlady before we put the logs up there Colin and David had the van parked so close to the logs it would not have been easy for them to take them.  I know that most of the people around both spanish and british are honest trustworthy people but there is always one who spoils it for the rest x

Mandy I am ever so sorry that this has happened to you.  Not a nice place to be or a nice way to feel.

I guess we have been so lucky here, although not blase.  We do leave things that we should lock away but I work on the premise if they want to try and rob us and feel brave enough to walk past the dogs then they are far braver than me, and as such deserve their spoils.  Even the postman throws the mail    

--Last edited by Atila the nun on 2008-09-22 17:35:20 --

I'm with you there Van - we even go out and leave the front door wide open!I don't think any stranger would dare go past our noisy doggies! However, Kate did have a set of car keys stolen from her unlocked car which was parked outside and, bizarrely, before we had the gates fixed, a pair of lacey knickers went missing from the washing line!!! x

Don't worry too much, when we first bought our place 3 years ago we had a few things taken from outside and had a lot of doubts about whether we had done the right thing in buying in the area. `it is the opposite now and we find that our neighboiurs have left things outside the door for us instead, old rustic pots and plant cuttings etc.

`it taught us not to trust everybody, as you have said, it is that 1% who ruin it for everybody. We locked our wood away this year, despite seeing all the neigbours with theirs outside.

Can you use fire bricks in a wood burning stove and is there anything to be gained if so which type of brick can you use

I have been here 5 years now and EVERY item I leave on the patio be it mop, cup or brush is stolen if I forget to bring it in. Even the cats bowl is stolen. I have lost many - cheap chipped worthless bowls nicked (one yesterday!). I will catch them one day. It seems to be if it is outside and unattended it is fair game - I once caught someone trying to barrow away some blockies I had delivered - a complete stranger never seen him before or since. and I live in a VERY quiet dead end street. So I am afraid you have to be a bit careful!!.

Pete, weve got a cheap device which makes 'bricks out of your waste newspapers. Similar to this http://www.amazon.co.uk/Briquette-Recycling-Newspaper-eko-mania-E-M1001/dp/B000OOCMB2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1225542376&sr=8-1
Weve made a few bricks but havn't tried them out yet. Ill keep you informed.

Just to put the other side from caveperson. We seem to have no problems and have even left the car outside at night with the boot facing the road with the keys in in the boot. Car and contents still there in morning. Plus we had a five week period last year where our front door lock was being repaired, when we tied the door closed with washing line when out and put a half concrete block behind the door at night.
Barry.

I think your Cave is perfectly safe here in Spain, I think there is something in some of their phsyche that says if a small item is outside it's fair game - I might be wrong but that's what it feels like listening to other peoples experiences as well as my own.????

We usually put unwanted items near the bins and they are gone within minutes but our log pile is on the roadside the other side of our gates and we have never had any of them taken.

It is such a shame that people take things from others - I still wonder who took my knickers off the washing line...........but it did happen whilst Little Ken was staying with us    :/

Hi Dave, the fire bricks I was meaning were the ones just to reduce the size of the fire space. The fire unit we have gives out 11 Kilowatts and also has two switchable fans. At the moment in the evening we use our balanced flue gas radiator 5.75 Kilowatts but thought it might be nice once in a while to have a wood fire burning.  

Pebbles, you know it wasn´t me, they wouldn´t have fitted me...too big!

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Barry wrote : Just to put the other side from caveperson. We seem to have no problems and have even left the car outside at night with the boot facing the road with the keys in in the boot.

I reckon that having a car outside the house probably acts as a deterrent - it shows there's someone around, so the baddies just drive on past. It's only when the place looks deserted that they get out and have a mooch around. Plus I don't think thieves come past every day (or even every week). It's just that when they do, they can take their time, in the knowledge they won't be disturbed and act with impunity.