2025, Week 21 journal.

In week 21 of 2025, I had a few visits to the nurse and one to the blood laboratory. I went out for a meal twice, and I had my new Japanese-style toilet installed.

Monday, 19th May.

When I got up at around 7 am today, I got a coffee, took my tablets and sat down at my computer. I had a message from the Correos delivery department telling me that the toilet I was expecting to be delivered on Wednesday would arrive today. I hoped that it didn't arrive while I was getting my ankle redressed at the health clinic. I was able to finally post a new sitemap on my website this morning, after producing one late last night after I finished removing missing links and images from my website.

Just before appointment time, I set off on my disability scooter and made my way to the health clinic. I parked outside and walked in, and only had to wait a minute or so before the nurse called me in to redress my ankle. She has had a trainee nurse with her the last couple of times I have been, and he was there again today. He speaks a little English, and as soon as he saw the Arsenal shirt I had on, he started talking to me. Football is a great conversation starter everywhere in the world. Both nurses did a great job dressing my ankle and said that the wounds are healing very well. When they had finished, they made me a new appointment for Thursday, and I left and went home.

When I got home, I continued to work on my website, updating some of the India Holiday Photo Albums pages and adding new pages to the Extra India Information section as I started to write up the details of my India Tour from earlier in the year. Just after midday, the delivery man arrived with my new toilet. He brought the box in on a sack track and put it in my hallway. I hope I don't have to wait too long before the company arrive to fit it and take away the old one. A short time later, the doorbell sounded, and when I checked the video entry screen, it was another delivery. I let the delivery man in, and he brought another parcel up to me.

When I checked the new parcel, it was my new phone from Google, which had arrived early, which was great news because it meant I would be able to go out during the day tomorrow. I set the new phone up and copied all my data from my old phone across to it. I couldn't quite see where to put the SIM card in, so I thought I would take it to Avatel to let them switch it over for me. I took a bag of smelly rubbish to the bin and continued to the Avatel store. I took my two mobile phones in, and the lady very kindly switched the SIM card from the old mobile to the new one. When I left the shop, I decided to get a pizza from Pizzeria La Sombre to take home to eat while I watch the football this evening.

I messaged my friend Martin to let him know I was going in case he wanted a shandy, but he replied that he was having too much fun shopping with his wife, Kate, to be able to go for a drink. I went along to La Sombre and ordered a ham, mushroom, and pineapple pizza to take away and a beer to drink while I waited for it. I went outside, and after looking for a table to sit at, I saw my friends Michael and Terry. I joined them, and we chatted for a while while waiting for my pizza. Rosa brought my pizza out to me, and a short time later, I left to go home.

When I got home, I thought I would have a slice of pizza before the football started. I opened the box and found a ham, banana and curry powder pizza. It wasn't what I had ordered, but I ate it anyway. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't what I thought I ordered. Next time, I will be more careful when I order a pizza, and if taking it away, check that it is what I ordered before I take it away. I watched the Brighton vs Liverpool football match and ate the rest of the pizza as I watched it. Liverpool were winning 1-2 when I stopped watching and went to bed. The fresh air and all today's excitement had made me tired, and I was in bed just after 10:30 pm.

Tuesday, 20th May.

I got up at around 7:30 this morning. I sat down at my computer straight away and did the Wordle puzzle. I did get it, but made a mistake using a letter that had failed on my first attempt, twice more in my 2nd attempt. I should have had a coffee and let myself wake up properly before attempting it. While I sat at my computer, I realised that my appointment with the nurse on Thursday would clash with my blood test and that I would have to rearrange the appointment.

After checking my email and online messages, I got myself some porridge with mixed nuts, banana, blueberries and honey for my breakfast. At around 11 am, I left home on my disability scooter to go and see my friend June. I hadn't seen her for a while, so I went to see her on the way to meet Martin. I went to her home and we sat talking for an hour before I left and went to La Sombre Pizzeria. Martin and Dave both arrived just after I did, and we sat talking for a couple of hours before we all left to go home and got ready to meet up again tonight.

When I got home, I had a salad for lunch and then worked on my computer for a few hours. At 6:45 pm, my friend Pat called round to take me to La Ola Bar, where I would be meeting friends for a drink before we went for a meal at Casa India. Pat was originally coming with us, but something had come up and he couldn't come with us. Pat dropped me off and left, and I walked into La Ola Bar, where Martin was already waiting. Over the next hour, the others all arrived, and just after 8 pm, we walked across to the Casa India restaurant.

I had a chicken trio starter, which was pieces of chicken breast in different sauces. They were lovely. For my main meal, I had mango chicken. Between the eight of us, we ordered a selection of kinds of rice and naan to share. I tried a chilli garlic naan, and boy, did it have a bite to it. I was not expecting it to be so hot, but it was nice. I couldn't eat all of my main meal, probably because I ate the salad I had for lunch so late. I had what I couldn't eat boxed up to take home with me.

Around 10:30, we all got up to leave. It had been a good night, and I enjoyed the company of some great people along with a great meal. The last time I was at Casa India, it had only just opened, and it wasn't very good. I am pleased they got over their teething problems because tonight's food and service were first class. Dave gave me a lift home and dropped me off at my apartment. I went in, got a drink, and sat watching TV for a while before I went to bed.

Wednesday, 21st May.

I woke up around 7 am today and got up at about 7:30. I got up, checked for messages on my phone and computer and then did the Wordle puzzle. I was expecting the plumbers to come today to fit the new Japanese toilet that was delivered on Monday, so I settled down at my computer and started to work on my website. I added a couple of new photo albums to my India Holiday photo albums and began typing up some of my holiday notes. As I worked, I added new pages to the section with Extra India Information, specifically for the different places that I had visited in India.

In the afternoon, my friends George and Yvonne rang to ask if I could help Yvonne put some apps on her phone. I told them to pop round and I would do the work for her. They arrived a few minutes later, and after letting them in, I was able to put the apps on Yvonnes' phone. We chatted for a while, and whilst we were chatting, a postman called to deliver a package to me. It was a return package to return my trade-in phone to Google. George and Yvonne left a short time later, and I carried on working on my computer.

By 6 pm, no plumbers had arrived to install my new toilet, so I messaged  Nashi, the company that sold it to me, to ask when they would be coming to install it. I explained that I have a hospital appointment tomorrow and wouldn't be available between 11 am and 2 pm. I hope they come soon and not while I am out.

I continued working on my website and stopped to watch the Tottenham vs Manchester United football match at 9 pm. I can't say I was 100% behind Tottenham in this game, but it would be 100% true to say I cheered when the final whistle was blown and they beat Manchester United 1-0. It doesn't alter the fact that, apart from the three relegated teams, in the Premier League this season, they have been the worst teams in it, and now Tottenham would be playing in the Champions League next year. Something I think every supporter, apart from maybe Tottenham and Manchester United fans, would think is wrong.

Thursday, 22nd May.

I woke up at 5 am today, and after half an hour of trying and being unable to get back to sleep, I got up. I got myself a drink and did the Wordle puzzle online before sitting down to work on my website. Once I had been awake for around 15 minutes, I was able to concentrate and got a lot of work done. I wondered if my getting up early most days went back to when, as a kid, I had to get up early, seven days a week, to do a paper round before going to school.

At around 11:20, my friend Jim messaged me to tell me he was on his way to pick me up. When Jim picked me up, we went to the health centre, and while Jim waited outside, I went to see the nurse. When I got to her room, the door was open and she had no one with her. I explained that I had to go to the hospital today for blood tests and asked if she could give me a new appointment to dress my leg. She asked me to come in, changed the dressing, and cleaned the wound on my ankle straight away. She made me an appointment to go back again on Monday and told me that the ankle was looking good.

I left the health clinic, and Jim drove me to the Los Arcos hospital in San Javier. Jim said he would meet me in the hospital cafe, and I walked to the blood lab. I spoke to the lady on the reception desk, and she gave me a bit of paper with a number on it indicating my turn to see the doctor. I sat back down in the waiting room, but a few minutes after I sat down, the receptionist called me back and then walked me through to a hospital ward that looked like it dealt with people with blood problems. She spoke to one of the nurses, and she gave me the blood test by pricking my finger and putting a drop of blood on a machine that soon gave me my INR reading. She was speaking to me in English, and I asked her about the phone app that I could use to make appointments and get results. She called another nurse over, and he took my phone and tried to install the app. He had no luck either and, like me, could see no reason that the app wouldn't download. I asked him if I could do the same checks and book appointments on my computer, and he said I could. As we stood talking, the first nurse came back with a scrap of paper to give to the doctor with my INR result on and told me to go back to the reception and then see the doctor.

I thanked both nurses for their help and walked back to the receptionist. When she saw me, she told me to take a seat and wait to see the doctor. After waiting for a couple of minutes, the receptionist called me back and took me through to the doctor. I saw the doctor, and she asked me a few questions about the tablets I had been taking and told me to continue taking the amount of Sintrom that I am currently taking. I asked her if I would now get results printed off like I used to, and if I could get regular checks at the clinic in Los Alcazares. She showed me her computer screen and asked me if I was Alan Richard Morris in the system. I told her that it was me, and she said she didn't understand why the doctor in Los Alcazares couldn't see the results, as she could see records of my visits going back to 2018. She printed off my pill sheet with the amount of my daily dose on it and the date for my next test at the Los Alcazares clinic. She told me that if I had any trouble at the health clinic in Los Alcazares, I should get them to call her because there was no reason they couldn't have done what I wanted straight away. I took the print out, thanked her for her help and went to meet Jim in the cafe.

Jim had finished his coffee and took me straight home. When I got in, I looked closer at the sheet the doctor had given me, and even on the sheet she had printed out, I could see my details of previous INR tests from 2018 and 2019. I added the new appointment for the Los Alcazares health clinic blood test to my calendar and filed the paperwork to take with me. 

As I still hadn't heard from the people who sold me my toilet, I logged into their website, and this time I was able to send them a message through their website. I asked them when the toilet would be fitted. It was initially supposed to be delivered on Wednesday and fitted within 48 hours from that date. The early delivery could have been just that, and the fitting may still not be booked until tomorrow, but I would appreciate them telling me when they are coming rather than just turning up.

This afternoon, I had a couple of sausage sandwiches and sat down to watch the 2025 version of Snow White. I fell asleep about 20 minutes into the film and woke up about 10 minutes before it ended. Judging by what I did see, I don't think I missed much and won't bother trying to rewatch it

Friday, 23rd May.

When I got up today, I got a coffee and checked for any messages from Nashi. There were none yet, and I did the Wordle puzzle before continuing to work on my website. 

During the morning, I got a reply from Nashi saying that a fitter would call tomorrow to fit the toilet. A few minutes later, a fitter messaged me and said he would call between 1 and 2 pm tomorrow. He asked me to send him a photo of the current toilet so that he would know what to expect. I quickly took a couple of photos with my phone and messaged them to him. He thanked me and again told me he would call between 1 and 2 pm tomorrow. A short time later, Nashi messaged me telling me the same thing.

I had intended to go for a walk this morning to try to get some exercise, but it poured with rain until mid-afternoon, by which time I had no get up and go left and stayed where I was. I watched a film called Nonnas. The story was about a man who, after losing his beloved mother, risked everything to honour her by opening an Italian restaurant with actual grandmothers as the chefs. It starred Vince Vaughan in the lead role, along with Lorraine Bracco, Susan Sarandon, Brenda Vaccaro, and Talia Shire (Adrianne in the Rocky Films), who all become the chefs in his new restaurant. The film was entertaining, funny, and sad, and it had a few tear-jerking moments as well. It got a big thumbs up from me, and I would recommend it.

This evening, I cooked myself a beautiful bit of steak with mushrooms for dinner. I took a mouthful of it and found that I couldn't eat it. I just found that I really wasn't hungry anymore, and I binned it. I will have to try to eat more to give me some energy and do more exercise now that my ankle is healing. The trick will be to do both without doing too much of both, eating or exercising.

Saturday, 24th May.

When I got up this morning, I got a coffee, checked for messages, in case the plumber had any more questions or wasn't coming, and then did the Wordle puzzle. After doing the puzzle, I put my dishwasher on and put some washing in my washing machine. Then I took some rubbish to the bin before walking along to the Buena Vista restaurant for some breakfast.

Breakfast at Buena Vista restaurant.

Alan Morris at Buena Vista Restaurant.
I got to Buena Vista and ordered the breakfast special, tostada with tomato, coffee and a glass of orange juice. I sat in the sun, and read my Kindle while I had my breakfast before returning to my apartment garage and putting my disability scooter on to charge. When I got back to my apartment, I sat at my computer and worked on my website, waiting for the plumber to arrive.

When the plumbers arrived, my neighbour Liz came up to translate what they were saying for me. I had to have some extra work done because the electrical outlet was too far away. They explained this and also said they could clean the waste pipes out. The toilet did have that horrible smell that a lot of Spanish toilets have, so I agreed to have both jobs done. The problem was that I didn't have enough cash. My neighbour Liz lent me the money I was short of so that I could get the work done and my toilet installed. 

It took the two men around 2½ hours to do the work and install my new toilet. They showed me how it worked, left me with an instruction manual, and told me to leave it for a few hours before using it. Once the fitters had gone, I went to the ATM and withdrew some money so that I could give Liz her money back. When I got back to my apartment, I entered the money I had withdrawn on the Eurobilltracker website and then walked to Liz's apartment and gave her the money to pay back what she had lent me.

This evening I watched the Arsenal ladies play Barcelona ladies in the European Champions League Final. The Arsenal ladies played very well and beat Barcelona 1-0. The ladies looked a lot better than the men, and yes, you can take that anyway you want. After the game finished, I went to test my new toilet. As I approached it, the lid raised itself, and as I positioned my feet to have a wee, the seat raised itself. I had a wee and then walked away to see what happened. After a short while, the seat lowered itself, and the lid lowered down on top of it. I then heard the toilet flush. As I retired to my bedroom for the night, I was pleased and excited about a toilet, how sad I am in my dotage.

Sunday 25th May.

I woke up at around 5 am this morning. I couldn't get back to sleep, so I got up, got a coffee, and sat down at my computer to do the Wordle puzzle.

After my coffee, I used my new toilet for the its inagural poop test. It worked perfectly and I felt very clean and refreshed after using it. I did notice that the night light built into it below the rim was still on, so I picked up the instruction manual to see how to turn the light off. After a quick read, I worked out which of the buttons on the remote control worked the light, and I pressed the button to turn the light off. The light changed from blue to red but did not go off. I pressed the button twice more to see it go through more colour changes, and then on a fifth press of the button, it started going through a rotating colour display like the mother ship on the film Close Encounters of the Third Kind. I pressed it once more, and it went off. Its good to know that I can have a proper disco while having a poo. While reading the manual, I also discovered that while sitting on the heated seat, I would also get an infrared therapy treatment on my bottom, which would help blood flow through my body. I still haven't worked out how to get a toasted cheese sandwich from it.

Around 11 am, I took a break from work on my website to shave my head. I did it without removing too much of my beard, but I nicked my head a bit to draw blood. When the blood had dried, I wiped it off and then got ready to go out to meet my friend June at Buena Vista at lunchtime. 

I finally finished writing up my blogs about my holiday in India, added the final photos to the Indian photo albums, and decided to walk along to Buena Vista earlier than planned. I took my Kindle with me and walked along the beach to the restaurant. I got a seat at the side of the restaurant so that I could see June when she arrived later. I ordered a beer and then sat reading my Kindle in the sun.

When June arrived at 1:30, the sun was getting very hot, and we moved inside to order dinner. We both ordered different curries and shared a portion of rice and some naan bread. I tried a Rogan Josh curry, and although it was okay, it wasn't my favourite. I prefer a creamier curry. I bought lunch today to thank June for picking me up when I returned from India in February. I had promised her lunch then because she wouldn't take any petrol money, and this was the first chance I had to do it.

We sat talking for a while before leaving and going back to June's house to collect a plant that she had said I could have. We collected the plant, and then June dropped me back at my house. I put the plant on my balcony and settled down to watch the evening's final Premier League games of the season. Unfortunately for me, my TV decided to play up, and I couldn't get it to work again until the games were finished. Arsenal had beaten Southampton 1-2, which meant they held second spot in the final Premier League standings. The third time in succession, they finished runner-up. Many people have been saying that this was a poor season for them, but with all the terrible injuries that they had and playing most of the season without a recognised striker, I think it was a great season. Many of my friends would love their team to finish 2nd in the league and get to a semi-final in Europe.

I watched TV for a while after the football game before doing some work on the Google Index site for the pages on my website. I finally went to bed at 11 pm. It had been an eventful week, and next week could be similar, with visits to the nurse planned and hopefully appointments to be made to see social services and the doctor.