Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of genealogy deep‑cleaning, printer frustrations, soup‑making marathons, unexpected purchases, and the usual mix of football, errands, and small domestic victories.
Friday, January 8th
A weigh‑in, some soup experiments, and a quiet day of research.
After my shower this morning, I weighed myself to see how the diet was going. I hoped my weight was coming down, not piling on. The figures from my weigh‑in were 17 stone 9 lb, and a BMI of 28.6, a loss of 3lb in my first week, so I was pleased.
I spent time in the kitchen making soup with the chicken I had cooked the day before. I tried a chicken-and-mushroom soup I had never made before. It turned out nice, but the ingredients made it more expensive than any other soup I had made, so I decided I wouldn’t bother with it again. I made enough for one bowl today and three more portions to freeze.
The rest of the day was spent doing genealogy research and watching films on Amazon Prime.
Saturday, January 9th
A morning of anticipation, essential deliveries, and FA Cup relief.
I woke early and got washed and dressed quickly as I had a delivery arriving from Amazon, two objects my life apparently couldn’t do without: a hand warmer and a new kettle. People who knew me well knew that even in warm weather, my hands got cold, so the electronic hand warmer should help. And as my kettle had broken two days earlier, a replacement was essential.
I spent the morning cleaning up data in parts of my family tree while waiting for the delivery, which finally arrived at about 15:30. I drank tea in large quantities and settled down to watch football. Arsenal played Newcastle in the third round of the FA Cup. It wasn’t the best game, but Arsenal won 2–0 after extra time, which was all that mattered.
Sunday, January 10th
Sad news from home and another big batch of soup.
The day did not start well, as I found out that one of my aunties had died in a UK hospital from COVID overnight.
My friend Jo helped me translate and complete a document I needed to take to the Town Hall, after I received a bill for a car I sold about 14 years ago. It had been sold to my neighbour here in Los Alcázares, but he died a few years later, and I never found out what happened to the car.
In the afternoon, I made a chicken-and-vegetable soup. It was perfect, I had some straight away and put another six large portions in the freezer.
Monday, January 11th
Blood tests, framed artwork, and the first signs of printer trouble.
This morning, I went to schedule my regular blood test, which determines how much Sintrom I need to keep my blood from clotting. I was lucky, they did it straight away. Afterwards, I walked to the pharmacy for more pills, then a little farther before returning home for a pot of tea.
When the local shop that framed artwork opened, I went back out to collect a photo and a piece of Chinese leaf art I had bought in Chongqing. I now had a pile of framed pictures and art ready to hang when I could borrow a drill.
Back home, I tried to print a Town Hall document, but my printer wouldn’t work. After searching online for Epson support, I found an email address for a repair company. The printer had been bought in November 2020 and had printed fewer than 10 pages, not a good omen. Luckily, I had an extended warranty. I emailed the repair company, crossed my fingers, and hoped for a quick reply.
Tuesday, January 12th
A walk that turned into furniture shopping and a day of printer irony.
I went for a morning walk and ended up stopping at ATime4AChange, where I bought a coffee table and a reading lamp to be delivered later in the day.
When I got home, I had an email saying my printer would be collected the next day for repair. The only problem was that I had to print off paperwork for the collection people, oh, the irony. I called a few friends to see if they could print the documents, and my friend Keith said he could and offered tea and conversation. Unfortunately, on the way to Keith’s, I realised my mobility scooter battery didn’t have enough charge to get there and back.
Luckily, I saw a sign in a small Spanish shop offering copying services. They printed my documents on the spot, four pages for 40 cents. I jumped back on the scooter and just made it home as the battery died.
For lunch, I had some of yesterday’s soup, then waited for my delivery. My table and lamp arrived on time, and the staff took measurements to give me a price for a new headboard made from recycled pallets. They were invaluable and placed the furniture exactly where I wanted it.
I had never liked liver, probably because my dad overcooked it when I was young, but I saw chicken livers on sale for €1.50 and decided to try them. I cooked them with bacon, mushrooms, onion and cream. They were lovely, and there was enough left for tomorrow.
Wednesday, January 13th
A quiet day of genealogy after the printer was collected.
I was up early as my printer was being collected for repair. They said it would be picked up between 10:00 and 14:00, so I packed it up early.
It was collected at 12:00, and I spent the rest of the day working on my family tree.
Thursday, January 14th
An early start, a late delivery, and a terrible match to finish the week.
I woke very early, around 04:30, and, unable to sleep, got up to work on my family tree again. At 11:00, my stomach demanded a break, so I quickly made bacon, fried mushrooms and tomatoes, scrambled eggs, and brewed a pot of chai tea.
After eating, I returned to the family tree while listening out for the day’s delivery. It didn’t arrive until about 18:30. I was annoyed at having waited all day for a driver who refused to ring the doorbell and instead phoned me from outside. Still, the delivery arrived, and I was pleased with my new beach chairs and mini table. Now I just needed the sun to warm up enough for a beach day with my Kindle.
To end what had been a remarkably ordinary week, I watched Arsenal struggle to a 0–0 draw with Crystal Palace. It was a terrible game, and I was surprised I stayed awake.
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