Thefts and Vandalism

By the start of 2008 I''d had the house for a couple of years. While not everything had gone well (such as having the water and electric cut off), most of the setbacks I had suffered were either of little consequence or down to my own failings. Some of the events of 2008 were to put severe dents in my normally optimistic outlook.

My first trip of the year was in March - quite a long break since I had left the house in October 2007. I had timed it so that the nights were dark as I wanted to get some astronomy done, in the early spring skies. On arrival, everything seemed normal: the house was pretty much as I had left it, although the front yard had turned into a jungle - not having been weeded since my last visit, the undergrowth was getting distinctly tall. So, first day back, I was into the garage to find the tools of destruction for hacking away at the foliage. Inside the garage, where my cement-mixer had been was .... nothing. This new gap was right next to the other new gap where my generator should have been. It took me a moment to realise that I hadn''t just misplaced them - they really were gone! A quick look at the garage door showed no signs of a forced entry. No broken windows, either. In fact, nothing else had been taken. (Later I discovered I was also missing the 20 litre jerry can of petrol for the generator.)

Anger gave way first to doubt: had I lent the mixer and genny to someone and forgotten? No. Doubt gave way to confusion: how had they got in? Why weren''t there any signs of entry? Confusion gave way to relief: at least "they" hadn''t got into the house. Relief went back to confusion: why hadn''t they got into the house? Surely it was just as easy a target,and with much better prospects for loot? Eventually confusion, anger and doubt all turned into action with a visit to the local hardware shop for a couple of metres of the thickest chain they had and the biggest padlock they stocked. Given that the garage door was secured with just a normal front-door lock, that didn''t have a deadlocking position I assume that somehow my unwanted visitors had got in through that. A large (and hopefully impenetrable) chain across the door would hopefully deter any future attempts. As a good measure and because I couldn''t shake the impression that whoever hadgot into the garage without using force must''ve had a key, I also changed the lock on the front door.

So after my astronomical hunger had been satisfied and the garage secured I flew back to the UK thinking dark thoughts about whoever had stolen my stuff, what I''d do if I caught them (answer: probably nothing) but comforted by the feeling that the new front door lock and garage chain would be enough of a deterrent that they''d drive past my place and find someone else to steal from in the future.

As it turned out, it would be some months before I was back in Spain. Again, when I arrived the weeds were the dominant view. When I got past them and arrived at the front door I realised that the decorative panel in the middle of the door had been forced open and it was now swinging freely on it''s hinges. The obvious conclusion was that another unwanted visitor had this time tried the front door - using the gap to get an arm in, to unlock the latch from the inside.However since I always deadlock the door before leaving, the door could only have been opened with the key - even from inside. Again, many of the same emotions I had experienced after the garage thefts, but also with a large dose of reliefat their failure.

Now for a little bit of whinge. I''ve had a house in the UK for nearly 30 years. I''ve lived in many different towns for various lengths of time. I''ve worked away from home for extended periods, yet I''ve never, ever, had anyone try to break in - even though there have been occasions when I''ve discovered I''ve left the back (or side) door unlocked or open for weeks at a time. But here in Spain, in what is effectively an empty part of the country and off the main road, with no other living souls for half a mile in any direction, I''ve had two attempts within the space of 6 months. Not happy.

To make things worse, the next morning I went for a wander around the place before I started on the regular chore of pulling up all the new weeds and found that my weather station had been vandalised and my rotary washing line was missing. (Normally, these washing lines come with a detachable pole, that can be taken out of the base which is concreted in.) Because I''d been given mine, the detachable part of the pole was missing, so I had concreted the whole thing into the ground. I felt that was enough to make it non-stealable. OK, now I know better. This enterprising thief had snapped the pole away at the point where it went into the concrete base and made off with the, now quite foreshortened, pole and line arrangement.
Later on, I also discovered that my hosepipe, which lived in a concealed alcove under the stairs up to the office - and was therefore not visible from anywhere in the grounds, unless someone went snooping around the whole house - was also gone. Coupled to other losses (terracotta planters, etc.) I had sustained in the previous year I was rapidly coming to the conclusion that in Spain, anything removable will be stolen from vacant gardens - provided the thief can haul it away and has a desire for it.
Moral: keep everything locked up (but with more than just a door-latch) if
you don''t want it to be taken.