Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of genealogy research, new routines, neighbourly catch‑ups, and settling into the new year with a mix of healthy intentions, football, and familiar comforts.
Friday, January 1st
A new year, new scales, and a day of family‑tree work.
I woke up fairly early and, as part of my promise to step up my efforts to lose weight, I started the new year with a blueberry, raspberry and banana protein shake. I liked the flavour of these, so it was no hardship.
I had bought new bathroom scales that connected to an app on my phone, allowing me to weigh and measure my body in much more detail. They could tell me my BMI, the amount and types of fat and water in my body, as well as muscle and bone mass. They also, rather worryingly, told me my body’s apparent age.
There was a lot of information about my body makeup, but the figures I concentrated on for the first big weigh‑in were 17 stone 12 lb, and a BMI of 29. For the nosy people who want to know, it said my body age was 56, which wasn’t as bad as I expected, since I would be 54 in three weeks.
Straight after breakfast, I settled down to work on my family tree. My subscription to the Ancestry websitewas coming to an end the following week, and I would not be renewing it for a while, as it was too expensive. I had started using genealogy software on my laptop called Legacy, which seemed to have everything I needed, but since it was new to me, it would take time to learn it properly. I spent the rest of the day poring over data in my family tree, correcting place names and removing duplicate entries from the database.
In the evening, I watched football on the television and wrapped up warm under a blanket with a pot of chai tea.
Saturday, January 2nd
A slow morning, a walk to the shops, and Arsenal ending the day in style.
I woke up around 08:00 and jumped straight into my massage chair to ease the aches and pains in my back. I had a pot of cinnamon chai tea before shaving my head, showering and getting ready to face a new day.
As usual, when I got out of a hot shower, I had trouble breathing and had to sit down for ten minutes. After a pot of sweet cinnamon tea, I walked to the small Spanish Dicost supermarket by the church near where I lived. I picked up a few groceries to make chicken soup in the next few days, then walked home along the beach promenade.
After more hours working on the family tree, I steamed some broccoli and made cheese sauce to go with a chicken burger. The cheese sauce wasn’t brilliant, but it was OK for a first attempt.
The evening was spent watching the mighty Arsenal hammer West Bromwich Albion 4–0, a perfect end to the day.
Sunday, January 3rd
More genealogy, a birthday call, and a quiet day indoors.
I spent the day working once again on my family tree. It was going to take me a long time to sort through all the records in the Legacy software. I was merging duplicate locations, adding addresses to the correct records, and verifying that places were added correctly. I thought this would take weeks, if not months, but there wasn’t much else to do in COVID isolation, so it was a good time to catch up.
My low‑carb, high‑protein meal for the day was a large beef burger without the bun, topped with melted cheddar, mushrooms and a fried egg.
As it was my sister’s birthday, I rang her in the evening to wish her a happy birthday and catch up on any news. Like me, she had little to report; she didn’t get out much either. We were both looking forward to being able to get out more once COVID‑19 allowed us.
Monday, January 4th
A surprising weigh‑in, shopping trips, and a day of small comforts.
I got up, showered and stepped on the bathroom scales to see how my diet was going. I couldn’t believe it when a message popped up saying I had lost a lot of weight and asking if I was the same person it was weighing. I sat down with a pot of turmeric tea before going out to do some shopping. Doughnuts stayed off the shopping list as the diet seemed to be working.
My first stop was Consum, where they sold a charming bottle of Don Simón lemonade for only 75 cents, the only place I had seen it. After getting the lemonade and stowing it in the back of the Sharky mobile, I crossed the road to Aldi to stock up on a variety of meats for my keto diet.
After my mushroom cheeseburger for lunch, I settled down to watch Robson Green on the television. He whined like an old woman every time he lost a fish; it was hilarious.
I had been without jeans for ages, so I finally ordered some new ones from George at Asda, along with new pyjamas and a dressing gown. At the same time, I ordered oils, a diffuser and an electronic hand warmer from Amazon. Then I just had to sit back and see what arrived first.
Tuesday, January 5th
A neighbour returned, a chaotic travel tale, and an unusual Three Kings Parade.
I had a pot of tea first thing before doing some more food shopping, as I thought the shops might be shut for a Spanish holiday the next day. I only needed a few things, as usual, the things I had forgotten the day before.
I saw my English neighbour, Russ, in the afternoon. He had gone away at the start of December for a week and had finally returned from the Dominican Republic late the previous night. His outward trip had been a nightmare, lasting over 55 hours. He extended his stay for a second week, but his return trip took nine days due to COVID-19 restrictions, lost luggage, and delayed flights. Los Alcázares may have been quiet, but after listening to his story over a gin and tonic at a local bar, I was glad I had stayed put and hadn’t attempted to fly anywhere for Christmas.
In the evening, the very limited Three Kings Parade came past my apartment. I wasn’t sure how accurate it all was. I remembered the biblical story of the Three Kings bearing gifts; I didn’t remember the one about two extra men on horses, a motorbike outrider, three police cars with flashing lights, and a vehicle blaring loud music. No wonder there was no room at the inn with that entourage.
Wednesday, January 6th
A 02:00 webinar, a walk with Russ, and an evening with Jimmy Stewart’s voice‑alike.
The day started very early because I had a 02:00 webinar to attend. The presenter was in Australia, so the early start. I got a couple of tips, so it was worth it.
I went to bed at about 03:30, but was back up around 09:00 and had breakfast of avocado, scrambled eggs, and bacon. I would have had a pot of tea, but my kettle had decided to die.
I went for a walk with my neighbour, Russ, at lunchtime. After going to a small supermarket that used to be open 365 days a year and finding it closed, we went for an Asiatico or two at La Olivera, where we bumped into my friends George and Yvonne. After a chat, we parted ways, and Russ and I went to the Alaska bar on the promenade, where I had a gin and tonic for my diet. It soon got cold, so I headed home.
In the evening, I watched another webinar. I didn’t learn anything new, but it was interesting and strange, because the gentleman hosting it sounded just like the actor Jimmy Stewart.
Thursday, January 7th
A rainy day indoors and preparations for tomorrow’s cooking.
I had a delivery due, so I couldn’t stay in bed catching up on the sleep I had missed the day before. For a change, I didn’t mind waiting in, as it was pouring with rain outside and I didn’t want to go walking in it. Typically, on a day I couldn’t go out, my delivery arrived before 10:00, and I could have gone out if the weather had been better.
It rained all day, so I stayed indoors. I roasted two chickens, picked all the meat off the bones, and made chicken stock ready to turn into soups for the freezer.
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