
I moved to Spain 4 years ago & will never be bored of it – I don't work & pick my kids up from school & go to the pool
LIFE'S A BEACH I moved to Spain 4 years ago & will never be bored of it – I don't work & pick my kids up from school & go to the pool
A MUM has shared how her family ditched the UK to live in Spain four years ago and will 'never be bored' of her new life.
Jodie Marlow, who shares clips of her new sunny lifestyle online, shared how she doesn't miss the rainy weather at all, and spends her days enjoying the sun.
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UK mum Jodie Marlow has 17,000 followers who follow her new life in Spain
Credit: Tiktok/JodieMarlow
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Jodie picks her kids up from school at 1.30pm in summer and takes them straight to the pool
Credit: Tiktok/JodieMarlow
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Jodie said she will never get bored of her life in Spain
Credit: Getty
Jodie, who is a stay-at-home mum, said her two boys finish school at 1.30pm in summer and they spend afternoons playing in the pool.
In a clip on her @jodiemar1ow account, which has over 1,790 likes, she said: 'Four years in & don't think I'll ever get bored of this.'
She added that the weather is perfect for her, with temperatures in the top 20s or 30s every day.
Jodie said: 'It's not too hot, not too cold. Like, I can wear my nice summer dresses, which I love.'
When her kids are at school, she spends her time picking up fruit and veg at the local market, or going for a pamper, including laser hair surgery.
She then does housework before picking up the boys and having some lunch with them.
Meanwhile, weekends are spent exploring gorgeous nearby beaches and dining out in local restaurants.
MOVING TO
SPAIN
Finally, Jodie advised people on how they can also make the move to Spain.
She shared: 'If you hold a UK British passport, you can't just move to Spain like you could pre-Brexit, you do need a visa.
'The working visa you could look into getting dependent on if you've got a specialised job.
I quit my job and did a complete 180 moving to Spain - beer is just $3 a pint and my life is so much better
'The self-employed visa, basically they said to us it's just impossible to get, so we didn't even try with that.
'But the digital nomad visa allows anyone that is working online, as long as you are earning a set amount of money that provides for if there's four of you for the family, you can pay for all four of you, and they set out exactly how much that would be.'
Since Brexit, UK citizens, and non-EU citizens require a visa to stay longer than 90 days.
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Jodie said the weather is usually perfect for her
Credit: Getty
SOCIAL REACTION
Many people were quick to chime in and comment on her new life in Spain, and praise her for making the move.
One said: 'It's beautiful there, my sister moved there 26 yrs ago, no regrets.'
A second added: 'I don't think you could ever get bored of that lifestyle.'
Meanwhile, and a third joked: 'You sure you wouldn't rather be stuck indoors looking out at the rain?'
Jodie replied: 'deffo don't miss that side of the uk.'
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Jodie advised getting a digital nomad visa if you want to make the move
Credit: Alamy

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Irish Examiner
34 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
Come to East Cork for the Good Life - this couple, also called Tom and Barbara, did just that
REMEMBER the charming 1970s British sitcom The Good Life, charting the move of a couple, Tom and Barbara Good, towards a life of self-sufficiency? Come up the garden paths Well not only does a good life beckon at East Cork's Ballynona Lodge, it clearly has provided a good innings and base for the couple who bought it 26 years ago. Heck, their names were even on it from day one: Tom and Barbara Hassey. TV's The Good Life, a much loved classic from the 1970s Out-of-towners, the couple and parents of three fell instantly for this early 1800s home in a blissful woodland setting, on a south-east aspected slope a few kilometres east of Midleton and near Dungourney. They bought it from a family who'd had it since the 1950s, and who had reared a family of 11 at this broadly accommodating home and its well-kept, highly attractive, 19th-century farm building cluster, with a fig tree in a sheltered courtyard (pic, above) by a lofted stone stables. A long list of names has been associated with Ballynona Lodge over its 200 years of history: Catholic and Protestant, military and land-owning, likely to have been built originally by the Wigmore family who'd been in East Cork since the 17th century. Hall at Ballynona Lodge The Wigmores had started to beautify Ballynona South from the mid-1700s, planting thousands of trees for their pleasure, according to the late historian Richard Henchion, who charted many of the families who 'made' Midleton: in fact,a picture of Ballynona Lodge is one of the colour plates in one of several historical books the diligent Mr Henchion researched for the Cloyne Literary and Historical Society. The family had owned the original Ballynona House, and various estate lodges and cottages, with the Wigmore name recalled of late, as the replacement 1890s Ballynona House came for sale (guiding €950,000 on five acres) and Ballynona Cottage ( a pretty 'cottage orné'), which recently got a price drop to €795,000; both are on several acres of ground and hold rustic, rooted rural life promises. This third Ballynona market arrival, in rude good health, after more the a quarter century in the hands of Tom and Barbara Hassey is listed with Midleton estate agent Adrianna Hegarty, who guides it at €585,000, making it attractive to a broader reach of good life home hunters. Ms Hegarty has fallen for its understated but undoubted charms and upgraded comforts, with a navy Aga in a cosy kitchen next to a quirky corner-set old bread proving oven. Kitchen with Aga and old bread proving oven 'Ballynona Lodge offers a truly unique way of living for those seeking tranquillity, comfort, and a touch of nostalgia,' she enthuses. It wasn't always carrying this name. 'It was originally called Ballynona Cottage, but a previous owner who moved into it couldn't bring himself to say he lived in a cottage, so he change its name to 'lodge',' says vendor Barbara Hassey with a smile. Both she and Tom loved and curated the gardens here, creating paths, bowers, seating areas dotted around the 2.5 acres and perimeter, encompassing yard with capacious old stone building and barn, veg beds, orchard, flower borders, all enhanced by old trees — from Scots pines to holm oaks and more. they combine to grant utter privacy to this home on a hill, mid-way along its 400m-long, truly leafy avenue, with entrances at either end to a quiet country road leading back towards Midleton via the Bilberry Estate. The N25 main East Cork 'highway' is a few miles away to the south. It's trade down time now for Dublin-born Barbara, who had trained and worked in fashion design in Sunbeam, and, in later years, oversaw the Friends of the Crawford Gallery programme in her adopted Cork City. Her eye for art and design is evident in the abundant array of paintings and prints in her home. She is selling up now after Tom (who'd worked as an accountant) passed away in 2023, and has already bought near Midleton, finishing up doing energy upgrades to her next home and smaller garden. Barbara's not leaving East Cork, she affirms, whilst accepting that parting with Ballynona Lodge is a wrench. Lucky whomever gets to buy it, though, as it's one of those rare buys of period property that is very easily managed, in great condition, never over-restored but still well-invested in, so that any further spend should be discretionary, while the maturity of the woodland and garden is a boon — enough to do to provide joy, but not so much that it's a burden. A fig tree climbs up the outbuilding's walls And, oh, that courtyard behind, with one of the lodge's two glasshouses, its field-fed trough, the Hasseys' two lolling dogs Rollo and Myrtle navigating the steps up to it (one wall has traditionally been whitewashed for a touch of Crete on sunny day) the old stone barn and buildings, roofed and dry, with masses of storage and holding timber from the land for years' worth of stove use to keep the home fires burning. Inside, the main drawing room to the left with broad internal arch has a wood-burning stove in a pitch pine surround, with coved ceiling, and deep-set window in a front wall several feet thick. A dining room across the hall has an original — or at least quite grand — white marble fireplace with an open fire in a cast iron surround, a gleaming old pine floor, and a door to the side leads to a home office with a further marble chimneypiece. Come dine with style Every room has character (all the paintings and art help), and the cheery hall with yellow walls above a dado and wainscoting lead to a country style kitchen, paint in buttery creams with robust units under solid timber worktops. Recipe books abound, and the navy Aga has worked for its living, while a small bread oven or proving oven is off to the side as a reminder of this home's long history. Also at ground is a store/utility with shelving for wines (a van run to France for vin, via the N25 and Rosslare ferry anyone?), a bedroom or space for other uses, a guest WC and a sewing room/art room/ den. A mid-ships staircase with slender spindles gently leads to a first floor with four bedrooms — one with en suite bathroom, the other with a lovely stone fireplace — laid out off two landings. Two can interconnect, with one to the rear able to have its own rear landing, while the main bathroom has both a bath and shower. Rooms with individual shapes all have reminders (such as the wide doorcases downstairs) that this is a home that has evolved over the best part of two centuries, but is in great nick. VERDICT: So much to like at the well-minded and much-loved Ballynona Lodge. Then, on top of all of its elements, it's even more than the sum of its parts — an under-stated beauty for some appreciative buyer who'll add their own chapter to its Good Life lore.


The Irish Sun
2 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
I just knew one day people would finally get Nick Drake, says legendary producer Joe Boyd
Drake died aged 26 in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime, never knowing how much he would be appreciated. TROUBLED SOUL I just knew one day people would finally get Nick Drake, says legendary producer Joe Boyd 'I REMEMBER the moment I first saw Nick. He was very tall – but kind of apologetically tall.' Legendary producer Joe Boyd is casting his mind back to January 1968, to the day 'very good-looking but very self-effacing' Nick Drake dropped a tape off at his London office. 5 Nick Drake died aged 26 in 1974, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime Credit: Getty - Contributor 'He stooped a bit, like he was trying not to seem as tall as he was. Advertisement 'It was wintertime and there were ash stains on his overcoat. He handed me the tape and trundled off. 'My first encounter with Nick's music was, most likely, that same evening or possibly the following one.' Boyd, an American who became a central figure in the late Sixties British folk-rock boom, was 25 at the time. Drake was 19. He cut a striking figure — lanky with dark shoulder-length hair framing his boyish features. Advertisement Through his company, Witchseason Productions, Boyd came to helm stellar albums by Fairport Convention (with Sandy Denny), John Martyn, Shirley Collins and The Incredible String Band. But there was something indefinably mesmerising about those three songs passed to him by the quiet teenager who studied English Literature at Cambridge University. As Boyd switched on his 'little Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorder', he was captivated by Drake's soft but sure tones, allied to his intricate fingerpicking guitar. 'I think the songs were I Was Made To Love Magic, Time Has Told Me and The Thoughts Of Mary Jane,' he says. 'From the first intro to the first song, I thought, 'Whoa, this is different'.' I'm speaking to Boyd to mark the release of a beautifully curated box set, The Making Of Five Leaves Left, a treasure trove of demos, outtakes and live recordings. Advertisement Rounding it off is the finished product, Drake's debut album for Chris Blackwell's fabled Island Records pink label. Bob Dylan biopic is an immaculate portrayal of the grumpy singer's rise to fame - shame his women feel like complete unknowns In 2025, the singer's status as one of Britain's most cherished songwriters is assured. A troubled soul, Drake died aged 26 in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime, never knowing how much he would be appreciated. But Boyd, now 83, had no doubts about the rare talent that he first encountered in 1968. He picks up the story again: 'Ashley Hutchings, the Fairport Convention bass player, saw Nick playing at The Roundhouse [in Camden Town, North London] and was very impressed. Advertisement 'He handed me a slip of paper with a phone number on it and said, 'I think you'd better call this guy, he's special'. 'So I called and Nick picked up the phone. I said, 'Do you have a tape I could hear?'. He said, 'Yes'.' Boyd still didn't hold out too much hope, as he explains: 'I was very much a blues and jazz buff. I also liked Indian music. 'White middle-class guys with guitars were never that interesting to me — Bob Dylan being the exception that proves the rule. 5 John Boyd holding The Making Of Five Leaves Left, a treasure trove of demos, outtakes and live recordings Advertisement 'But Nick was something else. He wasn't really a folk singer at all.' Boyd describes Drake as a 'chansonnier', a French term for a poet singer who performs their own compositions, often drawing on the themes of love and nature. He says: 'I'm always a bit bemused when I go into a record store — one of the few left — and see Nick filed under folk. He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures.' To Boyd, Drake's enduring appeal is also helped 'by the fact that he didn't succeed in the Sixties'. 'He never became part of that decade's soundtrack in the way Donovan or [Pentangle guitarist and solo artist] Bert Jansch did. Advertisement 'So he was cut loose from the moorings of his era, to be grabbed by succeeding generations.' Drake was born on June 19, 1948, in Rangoon, Burma [now Myanmar], to engineer father Rodney and amateur singer mother Molly. His older sister Gabrielle became a successful screen actress. When Nick was three, the family moved to Far Leys, a house at Tanworth-in-Arden, Warks, and it was there that his parents encouraged him to learn piano and compose songs. I'm always a bit bemused when I go into a record store — one of the few left — and see Nick filed under folk. He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures. Joe Boyd Having listened to the home recordings of Molly, Boyd gives her much credit for her son's singular approach. He says: 'When you hear the way she shaped her strange chords on the piano and her sense of harmony, it seems that it was reverberating in Nick's mind.' Advertisement When Drake gave him those three demos, recorded in his room at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, Boyd 'called the next day and said, 'Come on in, let's talk'.' During the ensuing meeting, Drake said: 'I'd like to make a record.' He was offered a management, publishing and production contract. Just as importantly, he had found a mentor in Joe Boyd. What you hear on the box set is the musical journey leading up to the release of Five Leaves Left in July 1969. The set was sanctioned by the Estate Of Nick Drake, run on behalf of his sister Gabrielle by Cally Callomon, but only after two remarkable tapes were unearthed. Advertisement His first session with Boyd at Sound Techniques studio in March 1968 — found on a mono listening reel squirrelled away more than 50 years ago by Beverley Martyn, a singer and the late John Martyn's ex-wife. A full reel recorded at Caius College by Drake's Cambridge acquaintance Paul de Rivaz. It had gathered dust in the bottom of a drawer for decades. Boyd says: 'I have never been a big enthusiast for these endless sets of demos and outtakes — so I was highly sceptical about this project. 'But when my wife and I were sent the files a few months ago, we sat down one evening and listened through all four discs. 'I was tremendously moved by Nick. You can picture the scene of him arriving for the first time at Sound Techniques. 'This is what he's been working for. He's got his record deal and here he is in the studio. I was stunned.' 5 Five Leaves Left was released in 1969 Advertisement In pristine sound quality, the first disc begins with Boyd saying, 'OK, here we go, whatever it is, take one.' Drake then sings the outtake followed by some of his best-loved songs — Time Has Told Me, Saturday Sun, Day Is Done among them. It's just man and guitar, recorded before musicians such as Pentangle's double bass player Danny Thompson and Fairport Convention's guitarist Richard Thompson (no relation) were drafted in. Boyd continues: 'The trigger for those recordings, that first day in the studio, was wanting our wonderful engineer John Wood to get a feel for Nick's sound. 'Nick was wide awake and on it. He was excited about being in a studio and he wanted to impress.' Advertisement All these years later, one song in particular caught Boyd's attention — Day Is Done. 'He takes it more slowly than the final version. This gives him time to add more nuance and the singing is so good.' Back then, as Five Leaves Left took shape, Boyd witnessed the sophisticated way Drake employed strings, oboe and flute. Inspired by subtle orchestrations on Leonard Cohen's debut album, Boyd had drafted in arranger Richard Hewson but it didn't work out. 'It was nice, but it wasn't Nick,' he affirms. Advertisement When Drake suggested his Cambridge friend Robert Kirby, a Baroque music scholar, everything fell into place. Boyd says: 'Nick had already been engaging with Robert about using a string quartet but had been hesitant about putting his ideas forward.' SUBTLE ORCHESTRATIONS The producer also recalls being 'fascinated by the lyrics — the work of a literate guy'. 'I don't want to sound elitist but Nick was well educated. British public school [Marlborough College] and he got into Cambridge. 'Gabrielle told me he didn't like the romantic poets much. But you feel that he's very aware of British poetry history.' Advertisement This is evident in the first lines of the opening song on Five Leaves Left — 'Time has told me/You're a rare, rare find/A troubled cure for a troubled mind.' 'When I think about Nick, I think about the painting, The Death Of Chatterton,' says Boyd. 'Chatterton was a young romantic British poet who died, I think, by suicide. You see him sprawled out across a bed.' I ask Boyd how aware he was of Drake's struggles with his mental health. 'It's a tricky question because I was aware that he was very shy,' he answers. 'Who knew what was going on with him and girls?' Boyd believes there was a time when Drake was better able to enjoy life's pleasures. Advertisement 'When you read of his adventures in the south of France and in Morocco, it seems he was more relaxed and joyful. 5 Drake at home with mother Molly and sister Gabrielle 'And when I went up to Cambridge to meet Nick and Robert Kirby before we did the first session, he was in a dorm. 'There were friends walking in and out of the room. There was a lot of life around him.' Boyd says things changed when 'Nick told me he wanted to leave Cambridge and move to London. Advertisement 'I agreed to give him a monthly stipend to help him survive. He rented a bedsit in Hampstead — you could do that in those days. 'Nick started smoking a lot of hashish and didn't seem to see many people. I definitely noticed a difference. 'He'd been at Marlborough, he'd been at Cambridge and suddenly he's on his own, smoking dope, practising the guitar, going out for a curry, coming back to the guitar some more. He became more and more isolated and closed off'. Boyd describes how Drake found live performance an almost unbearable challenge. He says: 'He had different tunings for every song, which took a long time. He didn't have jokes. So he'd lose his audience and get discouraged.' Advertisement 'It still haunts me that I left the UK' For Drake's next album, Bryter Layter, recorded in 1970 and released in 1971, Boyd remained in charge of production. Despite all the albums he's worked on, including REM's Fables Of The Reconstruction and Kate and Anna McGarrigle's classic debut, he lists Bryter Layter as a clear favourite. It bears the poetic masterpiece Northern Sky with its heartrending opening line – 'I never felt magic crazy as this.' Boyd says: 'I can drop the needle and relax, knowing that John Wood and I did the best we could.' However, he adds that it still 'haunts me that I left for a job with Warner Bros in California after that. I was very burnt out and didn't appreciate how much Nick may have been affected by my leaving'. Advertisement Drake responded to Boyd's departure by saying, 'The next record is just for guitar and voice, anyway'. Boyd continues: 'So I said, 'Well, you don't need me any more. You can do that with John Wood'.' When he was sent a test pressing of 1972's stripped-back Pink Moon, he recalls being 'slightly horrified'. 'I thought it would end Nick's chances of commercial success. It's ironic that it now sells more than his other two.' Then, roughly a year after leaving the UK, Boyd got a worried call from Drake's mum. 'Molly said she had urged Nick to see a psychiatrist because he had been struggling,' he says, with sadness, 'and that he had been prescribed antidepressants. Advertisement 'I know Nick was hesitant to take them. He felt people would judge him as crazy — a typically British response.' Boyd again uses the word 'haunting' when recalling the transatlantic phone call he made to Drake. 'I said, 'There's nothing shameful about taking medicine when you've got a problem'. I know Nick was hesitant to take them [antidepressants]. He felt people would judge him as crazy — a typically British response Joe Boyd 'But I think antidepressant dosages were way higher in those days than they became. 'Doctors didn't appreciate the rollercoaster effect — how you could get to a peak of elation and freedom, then suddenly plunge back into depression. Advertisement 'Who knows but it might have contributed to the feeling of despair Nick felt the night he took all those extra pills.' 5 Boyd says of Drake: 'He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures' Drake died at home in Warwickshire during the early hours of November 25, 1974. As for Boyd, he made a lasting commitment to the singer who had such a profound effect on him. He says: 'When I left, I gave my company to Chris Blackwell because there were more debts than assets — and he agreed to take on the debts. 'But I said, 'I want it written in the contract that you cannot delete Nick Drake. Those records have to stay. Advertisement 'I just knew that one day people would get him.'


Extra.ie
3 hours ago
- Extra.ie
Duolingo issue apology to JK Rowling after calling her 'mean' during lesson
Languages app Duolingo has had to issue an apology to Harry Potter author JK Rowling after describing her as 'mean' in one of their classes. The online app is a great asset for those looking to learn a new language, with a realm of free classes for basic phrases and words. The app also allows users to have a wide range of languages at the tip of their fingers, but they have confirmed they will be amending their German content following backlash. Languages app Duolingo has had to issue an apology to Harry Potter author JK Rowling after describing her as 'mean' in one of their classes. Pic:TV producer Gaby Koppel took to X, writing: 'Shame on you @duolingo: learning German and I came across the sentence 'Yes I like Harry Potter but the author is mean.' How woke you you have to be to let #trans ideology infect a language lesson? @jk_rowling.' The X account for the app, responded: 'We apologise for any offence caused and will remove this content from the app.' Fellow social media users took to the comments calling to remove the 'woke sh**' from the app. We apologise for any offence caused and will remove this content from the app. — Duolingo (@duolingo) August 20, 2025 One said: 'I stopped using your app after seeing so many gay couples in it and middle eastern 'Germans.' I've also deleted it from my kids devices, they don't need to be exposed to more homosexual 'normalization.' Another said: 'You guys should investigate how this happened, not fire worthy, but keeping politics out of language learning is good for business.' A third added: 'Weak ass.' Earlier this year, Rowling faced major backlash with Pedro Pascal among those hitting out at the 'heinous LOSER' following the UK Supreme Court's ruling over the definition of a woman. Pic: Karwai Tang/WireImage Earlier this year, Rowling faced major backlash with Pedro Pascal among those hitting out at the 'heinous LOSER' following the UK Supreme Court's ruling over the definition of a woman. The court ruled that transgender women would not be included under the definition of 'woman' under the Equality Act of 2010. It is understood the British author funded the campaign group which brought the case to the court. Following the ruling, the 59-year-old posed on her yacht as she puffed a celebratory cigar, while activist Tariq Ra'ouf took to social media calling on any future Harry Potter projects to be boycotted as he branded Rowling's move as 'serious Voldemort villain sh**.'