2025, Week 12 journal.

Week 12 of 2025 was a week in which I worked on my computer a lot. I sent my passport off to be renewed, and at the end of the week, I was in agony after turning my ankle.

Monday 17th March.

I woke up around 2:30 am when my Spanish neighbours in the apartment above mine were either screaming in ecstasy while lovemaking or waking up with cramp. I will not be asking them which. The screaming only lasted a few seconds, and I quickly got back to sleep. I woke up again around 7:30 am and got up to get a coffee and do the Wordle puzzle.

When I finished the Wordle puzzle, I published my journal for last week and then got myself some porridge with banana, raisins and a spoonful of honey. The sky outside looked very grey, and I didn't want to go out to partake of a pint of Guinness for St Patrick's Day today, so I made plans to continue adding descriptions to the photos on my Indian holiday photo albums. I say I made plans, I made plans in that I intended to do this but didn't actually do it.

I received an email from a solicitor in England, giving me none of the information that I wanted. I had been keeping my old passport in case I needed it for ID, but because of their lack of information, I decided to renew my passport today. I want to book a holiday for next year, but I can't do it until my passport has been renewed. I went online to the Overseas British Passport application website, followed the instructions, used my phone to take a photo of myself and uploaded it with my renewal application. After confirming all my details, I paid the £120.86 fee for my new passport and the charge for its delivery to Spain. I immediately received an email receipt and instructions on where to send my old passport. The process was straightforward and only took me around 15 minutes. The photo was checked and accepted during the process.

The office was closed today because the boss had to go to his other job. I spent the day at home, and after tidying the kitchen a bit, I sat down in my armchair, put a blanket over my legs to keep warm and started to play Civilisation VI for a while. A while turned into a couple of hours, and a couple of hours turned into all afternoon and evening, and I eventually stopped playing at around midnight and went to bed.

Tuesday 18th March.

I woke up around 7 am, and after fighting against the urge to get up for an hour, I finally gave up and got myself a coffee. I sat down at my computer, did the Wordle puzzle and then got ready to walk along to Time For a Change. I had been told that they do a delivery service to the UK and decided that I could use their service to send my passport back to the passport office to be renewed.

Just before 10 am, I took a slow walk to Time For a Change, but I arrived before it opened. I walked across to the doctor's surgery to ask for some advice. Last year, I was told that I might need to have a booster jab this year for the Hepatitis A vaccination and to go back to check this year. I asked the nurse about the booster, and he looked up the latest information for me. After consulting the latest information, it became apparent that booster vaccinations are no longer needed. I thanked the nurse, but because I didn't entirely trust him, I went into the pharmacy next door and asked them the same question. The lady at the counter checked with colleagues, and they confirmed that I didn't need to have a booster jab.

When I left the pharmacy, I walked back to Time For a Change, which I could see was now open. I spoke to Keith, who was working, and he advised me to get a padded envelope to send my passport back to the UK from a shop on the road behind the store. I strolled down to the little Spanish shop and was waved to the front of the queue by a man waiting who had seen my walking stick. I was quickly served, and after paying the 40 cents for the padded envelope, I walked back to Time For a Change.

Keith sat me at a table, gave me a pen and told me to address the envelope and add my details to the back of the envelope. I did this, and along with my passport, I added a copy of the reference number from the passport office and a business card with all my details on it. I sealed the envelope, handed it over and paid the €6.50 for the postal service. I was told that it should be picked up today, and now all I have to do is wait for my new passport to arrive. Then, I will be able to book my next trip away.

It was overcast when I walked home and was getting greyer and colder. Not wanting to get wet or sit outside in the cold at lunchtime, I messaged Martin and told him I wouldn't meet him for a drink today but would still meet him for dinner tonight at the Asia Star Chinese restaurant. When I got home, I sat at my computer and worked on my website while I listened to the rain outside.

By about 5 pm, the rain had stopped outside, and it was brightening up. I decided that I would go and have a pint before meeting Martin, Kate and Aria. I messaged Martin and told him I was going to Buena Vista for a beer, and at about 5:30 pm, I walked along the beachfront to the restaurant. There were puddles of rainwater along the promenade, and the wind was a bit heavy, but the weather was better than it had been. When I arrived at Buena Vista, I noticed that they had already packed away all the furniture from the terrace, and when I tried to open the door, it was locked. I decided to carry on walking and to go to Rocco's bar in Rio Nalon.

I walked to Rocco's bar, arriving just after 6 pm and ordered a beer. My beer arrived, and I was delighted to be told that it was "Happy Hour" from 4 pm to 7 pm and that my pint was €2.40. I sat drinking my beer and messaged Martin to tell him where I was in case he was going to go to Buena Vista to meet me there. He called me back but wouldn't come to Rocco's bar as it is another place on his ever-growing list of places to avoid. I told him I would meet him at the Asia Star restaurant and got myself another beer.

At 7 pm, I walked from Rocco's bar to the Asia Star Chinese restaurant and joined Martin, Kate and Aria inside. I decided to have the cheapest Menu of the Day option. I had a hot and sour soup for my starter, and it was delicious. For my main meal, I had lemon chicken and Three Delicious Rice. It was beautiful, and I wondered if they had made a mistake with the portion size when the chicken arrived. I had two large chicken fillets in lemon sauce, not just the one I had been expecting. For my dessert, I had cheesecake, which is always lovely. It was washed down with a small beer, which may have been bottled beer because it tasted a lot better than it used to and looked better than the large draught beer Martin had. When I finished, I was offered a shot of brandy or baileys, which I declined before being given my bill for €11.95. The meal tasted great, the service was good, and I was delighted with the price.

When we all left, Martin and Kate offered me a lift home, but I declined the offer and walked home. The walk was a lot shorter than last week's walk, and the meal did not leave me feeling bloated like last week's meal. I walked down to the beach and along the promenade back to my apartment. I got back into my warm apartment and switched the TV on, but the Internet connection wasn't working. Because I couldn't watch the TV or surf the Internet, I went to bed at about 9:30 pm.

Wednesday, 19th March.

I woke up, refreshed and ready for whatever the day had in store for me, just before 7 am. I tried to get back to sleep but couldn't, so I got up, got a coffee, and sat at my computer to check and see if I had any messages. I was happy to find that the Internet service had been restored. I did the Wordle puzzle online and then worked on adding descriptions to photo albums on my website.

At around 9:30 am, I took a break and decided to go out for a coffee while the sun was shining. I took a bag of recycling out with me, I got on my disability scooter, and after dropping the rubbish in the correct recycling bin, I continued to Cafe Prensa in Los Narejos. Steve was already there, and I joined him for a chat, a coffee and a tostado. It wasn't long before Steve and Bev joined us, and we all talked for around an hour before leaving.

I went to the tourist office in Los Narejos to get a bus timetable because the app on my phone is incorrect, and the bus doesn't seem to stop where it used to. The timetables at the bus stop I use are obviously not correct anymore, and I need to know where the buses stop their route and the times they operate now. Although the times posted on the tourist office door show that it should have been open and all the lights were on, the door was locked, and there was no one inside. There were a few other people outside, all trying the door and checking the tourist office times, and we were all annoyed to find no one there. I left and went towards Rio Nalon in Los Alcazares.

On my way home, I stopped by the Avatel office. I had previously noticed that they don't offer the plan I have anymore and that the one with the same name exists but has lots of upgrades. The speed I have is 300 mb. The new speed provided is 1000 mb. I get 20 GB downloads on my mobile, but the new plan has 50 GB downloads. The new plan also includes free Spanish TV and a free year's subscription to Amazon Prime as a one-off bonus. I wanted to know if they would switch me to this new plan as it was the same amount of money that I already pay. After speaking to one of the ladies in the office, she told me that she could upgrade it and did it while I was there. It all seemed very easy, and I just hoped it all worked out as well.

I left Avatel and went into Economy Cash to get a few groceries. I got some bread rolls, a couple of burgers from the butcher's counter, some milk, and some lemon tea, and then I left to go home. I went down to Rio Nalon to see if the tourist office there was open, only to find that it was no longer there. I carried on my journey home and was soon home. I dropped off my shopping and then popped in to see my neighbour Christine. She has the same Internet provider as me, and I wanted to tell her about the new deals being offered. We sat talking for half an hour, and then I went back to my apartment.

I continued adding details to photo albums on my website, including the following albums:

• Taj Mahal photo album.
• Agra Fort photo album.
• Mehtab Bagh photo album.
• Agra to Lucknow photo album.
• British Residency photo album.
• Bara Imambara photo album.

Once I had finished these albums, I took a break from my work and got myself a cheeseburger for my lunch. After eating my late lunch, I had intended to continue working on my website, but my afternoon lack of energy kicked in and when I couldn't find any spare tanks of energy to use, I quit work and put my feet up in my reclining chair. I put a blanket over me and binge-watched episodes of Grimm.

Thursday, 20th March.

I was up early again today, and once I got up, I got a coffee, had some porridge and sat down at my computer to check for messages. The weather outside was typical of an English spring day: wet, overcast and cold.

I again spent the day inside. I contacted a local charity again as I hadn't heard back from them, and I have some furniture and other goods that they can have but will need to be collected. I continued to work on my website and then spent the afternoon and evening playing Civ VI on my computer or watching episodes of Grimm on the TV.

Before I went to bed, I checked to see what my Internet speed was. I wanted to see if Avatel had upgraded the speed of my connection yet. I was happy to see that it had already been switched and that the speed was just under 1000 MB. I also had an email from them with a link to claim my free year's subscription to Amazon Prime. I was also pleased to find that the subscription would be added to my current subscription so that I didn't lose any of the time I had already contracted with Amazon. All I have to wait for now is for the new router to be delivered and fitted, but the old one works well at the moment, so I am in no hurry to get it.

Friday, 21st March.

I woke up this morning and could hear the rain on my window. I got up and pulled the curtains open to see a grey, cloudy sky, and I immediately felt cold. I got myself a coffee and porridge before doing the Wordle puzzle.

I tried to clean the razor I had bought before my holiday last month. After cleaning it, I could not put it back together and could not see if it was broken or not. I contacted Amazon, and because I had paid for insurance for it, they said that I could send it back and they would return my money to me. I boxed it up and printed off the return paperwork to take to the local drop-off point tomorrow.

I spent all morning working on the photo albums on my website again, adding descriptions to these photo albums:

• Journey from Lucknow to Varanasi.
• River Ganges sunrise boat trip.

This afternoon, I continued to do some research on Japanese-style toilets that use water to wash your backside and warm air to dry you afterwards. I was very impressed by them when I went to Japan last year and had considered getting one for myself. For people with certain health conditions, they are a lot healthier than regular toilets that you use toilet paper with. They leave you feeling a lot cleaner and are kinder to your backside than paper if you have haemorrhoids.

After a lot more research, I found a company in Murcia that sells and installs Japanese toilets, Nashi. I asked a few more questions via their website, and after getting answers back very quickly, I decided to get one and ordered myself a model that did everything apart from singing to me while I used it. I paid for it online and got a discount by agreeing to a delivery and fitting within two months. 

Saturday 22nd March.

I woke up at around 7 am and got up and got myself a coffee. After my coffee, I did the Wordle puzzle before stripping the linen from my bed. I put one load of washing in the washing machine and got another coffee.

After finishing my coffee, I took my parcel to be returned to Amazon, to the Euronics store in Los Alcazares. I dropped the parcel off and then made my way to Buena Vista for breakfast. When I arrived, it was still a bit cold outside, so I sat inside. I ordered a coffee and a medium size breakfast. I really enjoyed the breakfast this morning. It was just what I needed. I had just started to eat it when my neighbour Liz arrived and joined me. We sat and chatted over a second coffee before going back to the apartment.

Liz said she was going to Carrefour in San Javier, so I went with her to get something for my dinner tomorrow. I got myself a nice pork steak for my dinner on Sunday and some ham for my rolls this evening. I also bought a 3XL shirt that was on sale. I quite liked it and was willing to take a gamble on the size, as they are generally smaller than the label suggests. When I got home, I tried the shirt on, and although it was tighter than I would have liked it to be, I would be able to wear it.

I checked on the washing I had put on this morning, and it was still spinning around in the washing machine, so I got a cold drink and sat down in front of the TV for a while. The short time in front of the TV turned into sleep interspersed with episodes of Grimm. I remembered to take the last lot of washing out of the washing machine and then went to bed at around 10 pm.

Sunday 23rd March.

I woke early, around 6:45 am, and immediately got up and got myself a coffee. I did the Wordle puzzle, and after checking for messages, I got myself a bowl of porridge. After I had breakfast, I put the last lot of washing in the washing machine, and I then added descriptions to more of my India photo albums. I finished the albums for:

• Varanasi and Sarnath.
• New Delhi to Amritsar.
• Golden Temple.

While working on my photo albums, I received a message from my friend Debbie, who I hadn't seen for a while, and we arranged to go out for a meal and a drink next Friday. After I had arranged to meet Debbie, I began to feel hungry, and I got myself something to eat. I had the pork chop I bought yesterday and cooked some chips, mushrooms, and a fried egg to go with it.

This afternoon, I walked around the corner from my apartment to take a photo of some street art. I took the photo and walked home. I didn't notice how rough the ground was and I turned my ankle over. My ankle didn't hurt too much, but not long after I got in, it started swelling up, and I was in agony. I sat in my recliner chair and put my feet up, hoping the pain would ease off.

I managed to fall asleep, but when I woke, my ankle was very painful. I started having hot and cold shakes, and I couldn't stand on my ankle at all. I didn't have any painkillers, so I messaged my neighbour, Christine, to see if she had any. Unfortunately, she wasn't home and wouldn't be in until late. I messaged my friend Kate, and she had some painkillers and said she would send Martin around with them. He has a key, so it would mean I didn't have to stand up to answer the door for him. The pain was so bad that I thought I was going to be sick.

Martin brought the painkillers for me. He got me some water and got me a bin in case I was sick. After Martin left, I took some painkillers, and a short time later, I fell asleep. At about 10 pm, I tried to get to bed. I managed to get to my bedroom and had just sat down on my bed when my neighbours, Christine and John, arrived with more painkillers.

When Christine and John left, I quickly fell asleep.