This week, I spent time with my sister Karen and her other half, Brett. We went swimming each morning and sat feeding the fish as they swam around us in the Mar Menor. It was great to see each other again after not seeing each other for nearly four years.
Monday, 19th September.
I slept well last night and woke up around 7:00 am today. I waited until the sun had come up and then took a loaf of bread and some croissants down to the beach to feed the fish. I was joined by my sister Karen and her other half, Brett. We sat in the Mar Menor with the fish circling the three of us as we sat and fed them for about half an hour.
After we had used up all the bread and croissants, we all swam out to the rocks and sat on the rocks for a while before swimming back in. Karen and Brett went back to their apartment, and I swam back out to the rocks for a second time. The tide was picking up a bit by now, and I finished my swim and went to the chiringuito for a coffee and tostada. Karen and Brett joined me for breakfast, and Brett and I had an Asiatica coffee to finish breakfast off.
Today, Karen and Brett went to see the Flamingos at San Pedro del Pinatar, whilst I had to go to the office to work. On my way to the office, I went along the beachfront and saw many different types of birds on the beach, so I suppose you could say that my sister and I both share an ornithological interest.
At the office, we are joined by Martin's sister Lesley, who has just arrived for a short break. Work was cut short today, and we left the office and went to Jardin III for lunch at about 1:30 pm, along with Martins's wife Kate and daughter Aria. We all had delicious food, a few beers and sat talking, eating and drinking until 4:30 pm. Lesley and I had similar tastes, so we just kept ordering and sharing whatever arrived. We ate far too much and had orange duck, teriyaki chicken, BBQ ribs, egg fried rice, grilled mussels, tempura prawns, about five different types of sushi and about a million garlic prawns, which were fantastic. When we left, I went back along the beachfront to my apartment and as soon as I got in, I sat on my sofa and fell asleep in front of the television.
Sometime in the evening, Brett messaged me and I walked down to meet him. I said that he can use my kayak during the week, so I had to show him where it was kept and how to get through the different locked doors to get to it. We then went back to our apartments, and I once again watched the Arsenal game on repeat television to check if the score was correct and to see that I hadn't been dreaming of the result yesterday. I went to bed at about 10:45 pm, and thanks to all the fresh air and good food, I fell asleep quite quickly.
Tuesday, 20th September.
I woke at about 6:30 am, and as it was too dark to go swimming yet, I got a coffee and worked on my website until the sun came up. When the sun rose, I met my sister's other half, Brett, outside the garage. I helped him carry my kayak down to the Mar Menor, where he went out on it for a while.
My sister Karen met me in the sea, and we sat in the water feeding the fish until Brett came back on the kayak. We all went swimming for a while before Karen and Brett went to the Tuesday market in Los Alcazares, and I went to see my friend Colin to see if I could help him with a problem with his Kindle. As it turned out, it wasn't a problem with the Kindle but a problem with purchasing from the Kindle store. I think we fixed it, but I arranged to go back tomorrow morning to see if the book has downloaded correctly.
This afternoon, I met Karen and Brett, and we wandered around to El Callejon de las Brujas for some lunch. Unfortunately, the bar was shutting as we arrived due to a family bereavement. We walked to the Avenue Cafe and had an Asiatico before we walked onto La Playa bar for something to eat. When we finished our food, we all went back to our apartments. I don't know about Karen and Brett, but I was tired out from all the swimming and walking, but it was a good day.
Wednesday, 21st September.
I woke up at around 7 am today. I got myself a coffee and waited for the sun to come up before I walked down to the Mar Menor for a swim. I called out to my sister as I walked past the apartment she was in and carried on into the sea for my swim.
Karen and Brett soon joined me, and we swam and fed the fish again. The little fish eating bread right out of our hands and swimming in circles all around us were soon joined by three big fish. It is a fantastic feeling as the fish eat bread, cake and cornflakes right out of our hands.
At 11 am, I go to see my friend Colin, who is having problems with his Kindle. He is not able to get his Kindle to sync the book he bought from Amazon Germany. It is made even more difficult because his Amazon account in Spain is all in Spanish, and he doesn't have access to his actual Amazon account, as he has no computer or laptop that works. After looking at all the settings, I can find nothing wrong. We go to the computer repair shop near the Arches in Los Narejos to see if they can help, but they don't work on Kindles.
We stopped off at Rocco's for a beer, and I told Colin that if he brought the Kindle to my apartment, I would work on it and check his Amazon account online so that I could see what was actually happening on his account. He agreed to this, and I told him I needed to get a burger at Cafe Parking for lunch, while he went home and waited there for me. I ordered a burger, but the Cafe was so busy that it took me nearly an hour to order, receive, eat and pay for my burger. The burger, however, was fantastic value. I will definitely be going back more often.
After my burger, I headed off to meet Colin, but when I got there, he had figured out the problem with the download of the new book. The book he had bought isn't available for download yet, and he paid for a pre-order only. This was why it helps if you can actually see what you are ordering on your Amazon account. I left Colin and went back to my apartment.
This afternoon, I walk down to the apartment my sister is staying in with a bottle of wine that I bought on my Bodega trip a few weeks ago. I sat outside on the balcony with Karen and Brett for a few hours, we quickly finished the bottle of wine, and I sent Brett to my apartment to collect a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin. We had a few more drinks before poor Brett was overcome with a bout of sleepy head and went inside to sleep on the sofa. Karen and I continued talking and reminiscing before I left to go back up to my apartment to have something to eat.
I made myself a sandwich for supper and went to bed a few hours later after watching a bit of television.
Thursday, 22nd September.
I woke early this morning and had a coffee before going down to the Mar Menor for my swim. Karen and Brett joined me, and we sat in the water, feeding the fish for a while before going for a swim.
Once we finished our swim, we all returned to our apartments. I took a shower and then rejoined Karen and Brett to go to La Zenia Boulevard shopping centre to look for some shorts and trousers. I do actually find trousers and shorts that will fit me around the waist but they are so tight around my calves and thighs that I have trouble getting them on. They are definitely not made for people with muscular legs or people whose legs swell up with exercise. I can not find any that will be any good for me.
Whilst at La Zenia Boulevard I look for a new television, the one I have is still working at the moment but there are spots of light appearing on it as the screen is beginning to deteriorate. I find one I like but at over €1600, it can stay in the store, I hope my television will last until the new year, and I hope that I will then be able to get one in the January Sales.
We got a bit of shopping at the supermarket, and I stopped off at the Tea Shop to get some more tea leaves. This time I got a green tea with Jasmine and Peach, and bought myself a new box to keep my tea in. When we got home, I went back to my apartment for a sandwich and to rest my legs. Karen and Brett returned to their apartment to go out for a meal on their last night here.
My knee is quite painful this evening, so I kept my feet raised on my sofa and watched television before going to bed at about 10:30 pm. It is getting quieter now, and I am able to sleep with the windows open, which keeps the apartment cooler without having to put the air conditioning on.
Friday, 23rd September.
I woke up around 7:45 am, my knees still ache a bit, but I went down to the Mar Menor with some bread to feed the fish. Brett had got my kayak in the water and was going off to explore the Mar Menor before he and Karen flew home this evening. I sat in the water with my sister chatting, we fed our bread to the fish and then went for a swim. As we finished our swim, Brett came back in the Kayak. Karen went for a shower, and Brett and I went to the chiringuito for a coffee and tostada.
After breakfast, I went back to my apartment. As I approached the front door, a deliveryman was ringing all the doorbells. As I approached, he recognised me and handed me a parcel that he had for me. I took the parcel off of him, and then I went home for a shower. After my shower, I checked the parcel, and it was a medical bracelet that I had ordered. I put it on before going back downstairs to see Karen and Brett before they left.
Karen and Brett emptied their fridge and brought me all the unused groceries before they left to go back to the airport. We said our goodbyes, and at about 1:15 pm, I wished them a safe trip home and wondered if it would be another 4 years before we saw each other again. After they left, I turned on my electrical foot massager and sat for an hour having a massage in the hope that it would loosen up my calf muscles a little. Feeling very relaxed afterwards, I sat down, ate a cheese and ham croissant and shortly after fell asleep for about 2 ½ hours.
When I woke up at about 5:30 pm, I checked my email and read a message from the company I am going on a cruise with in October. From October 8th it will no longer be necessary to have an antigen test before going on a cruise, and I will be able to check in, online before I go.
This evening I walked down to La Playa bar to see my friend Alan Bond who will be performing and running his karaoke. Due to a lack of people willing to tell me how bad I am and throw me out, I actually sang three times. I sang ¨Combine Harvester by the Worzels¨, always a popular little number, ¨Rabbit by Chaz and Dave¨, and ¨Friends in low places by Garth Brooks¨ because I have a few of these. My apologies to anyone who had to endure my singing, the way to stop me is by singing yourself.
Looking back on the day I realised how clever my sister was, leaving before I started to sing tonight.
Saturday, 24th September.
I slept well last night and got up around 9 am. I realised I was going to have to order new clothes from Amazon as I have been unable to find any trousers and shorts that will go over my calf or thigh muscles anywhere in Spain. I went online and ordered four pairs of shorts and two pairs of trousers, at least with Amazon, returning goods is easy if they don't fit.
I spend the day procrastinating over my washing and eventually decide it can wait until tomorrow. The entire day was spent reading, watching television or chatting with family in Wales, England and Australia, via Farcebook Messenger. Whatever your view on Farcebook it is a great way to keep in touch with people all around the world.
I went to bed at 10:30 pm, but I got back up because I couldn't sleep. I watched television and fell asleep on the sofa around 2 am. I woke up around 4 am and went back to bed.
Sunday, 25th September.
I woke around 8:30 am and got up and put my washing on. No procrastinating today I am straight into my jobs. For breakfast, I had a couple of crumpets with Nutella and washed them down with a pot of Green Mango tea.
When the first lot of washing had been done, I stuck on a half load with the last of my clothes. It was overcast and windy today. AEMET (The State Meteorological Agency in Spain) has issued a warning for bad weather, so I didn't think I would be going far from the apartment today.
My new shorts were delivered at about 1 pm. I tried them on, and to my delight, they all fit and were of good quality. I hope the trousers which I ordered will be as good as they are when they arrive next week.
This afternoon, the rain started, there were large black clouds, thunder began to roll, and lightning lit the sky. It is nice to be safe indoors listening to the heavy rain outside whilst it cools us all off. I am fortunate to have had no damage caused by the storms.
This video was taken on my balcony overlooking the Plaza del Espejo in Los Alcázares.