Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain.
Summary: A week of new shelves and flower containers, Amazon deliveries, football stress, doughnut diplomacy, and a long‑awaited cardiologist appointment in Cartagena that finally brought some peace of mind.
Friday, March 12th
New shelves, flower containers, and a sophisticated casserole.
I got up, put some laundry in the washing machine, tidied the kitchen and put a chicken casserole in the slow cooker. I had never known the difference between a casserole and a stew, so I looked it up. As mine was in a slow cooker, I decided I could call it whatever I liked; casserole sounded far more sophisticated.
My friend Reindeer came round to put up shelves in the lounge and hang flower containers on the balcony. He had made them from old wooden pallets, and they looked fantastic. Once my breathing improved, I would finally be able to pick up the books lying on the floor and put them on the new shelving. Then all I would need to do was sort the last box of rubbish, sweep and mop, and I would have a tidy home again.
As the bookshelves were now up, I ordered some bookends after dinner. I didn’t like seeing books lying down. I also sent a photo to the Arsenal Disabled Supporters Club, who were asking fans to submit pictures for banners to decorate the stadium. I sent one of me in my Arsenal shirt at the Great Wall of China. Hopefully, I would spot myself on TV when the banners went up.
Saturday, March 13th
A chaotic video call, Amazon deliveries, and a day of sport.
I had a quick chat with Uncle Dave on Farcebook Messenger, but my apartment echoed too much, and he kept fading in and out as he waved his device around. I messaged him instead and said I would update him after the hospital on Monday.
Around 12:30, Amazon arrived with one of the parcels I was expecting. It always amazed me that items ordered at the same time from the same place arrived in separate vehicles. Both were tiny packages, so it wasn’t a space issue. It meant I still had to wait for the second delivery before going to the supermarket.
I settled on the sofa to watch Leeds vs Chelsea. I hoped it wouldn’t be boring, or I would fall asleep and miss the delivery driver. I fell asleep. The game was boring.
The second delivery arrived later, and I was finally able to put my books on the shelves without fear of collapse. I watched the second half of Wales vs Italy and was pleased to see Wales romp home to a big victory. Then I watched the Pompey vs Salford EFL Cup Final. It went to penalties, and Pompey were terrible; they lost.
Sunday, March 14th
Doughnuts, pizza, and a heart‑testing North London Derby.
After eating my way through most of the freezer this week, I took the Sharky mobile to the local shops. I engaged the invisibility cloak to avoid my adoring fans, my leg was still painful, and I didn’t want to spend hours signing autographs, kissing babies or collecting phone numbers from the hordes of local beauties.
Back home, worn out, I sat down with a pot of tea and two chocolate, jam, sprinkle‑covered doughnuts. I didn’t know how they had got into my shopping bag; they must have jumped in to watch the Arsenal game. Sadly for them, I couldn’t risk being seen with them, so I devoured them both, followed by a pizza before the match.
Arsenal were the better team but went behind to Spurs’ only shot of the first half. Thankfully, they equalised before halftime and went ahead from the penalty spot in the second half. Spurs went down to ten men but still played well, and the last fifteen minutes had my heart racing. Not ideal, the day before I saw a cardiologist. But Arsenal won the North London Derby, and my heart survived.
Monday, March 15th
A trip to Cartagena, an ECG, and reassuring news.
I was up early, heading to the bank before the hospital. After that, I had time for some reading before Olivia, my translator, picked me up at 09:45 for my appointment in Cartagena.
We arrived at the hospital, and Olivia confirmed everything at the check‑in desk while I signed two "insurance cheques", one for the ECG and one for the cardiologist. We then walked the entire length of the hospital, looking for the room, only to discover it was right where we had started.
We were seen within thirty minutes. Olivia translated everything the nurses said. The ECG was done quickly, and for the first time ever, they removed the leads from my hairy chest without ripping half the hair out.
We then saw the cardiologist across the corridor. After thirty to forty minutes, he confirmed that apart from a very slow heartbeat, which I already knew about, everything looked fine. This alone made me feel much better. With it being the last day of antibiotics for my leg infection, I hoped I would start recovering properly.
Olivia dropped me off at home by 12:30. She made the whole morning far less stressful, and I would recommend her to anyone needing a translator.
My new kitchen light arrived in the afternoon, and I spent the rest of the day watching films and reading, and was very happy to take the final antibiotics.
Tuesday, March 16th
Feeling better, coffee with Russ, and a kitchen light replaced.
I woke feeling better than I had in a while. The antibiotics had helped, and the worry about my heart had eased after yesterday’s appointment. With the doctor also confirming last week that my lungs were fine, I must have been the fittest, strongest, healthiest person in the scrapyard.
I went to the post office to collect two letters that hadn’t been delivered. On the way back, I saw my neighbour, Russ, outside the Alaska bar and stopped for a coffee. After catching up, I headed home to meet Derek, who quickly replaced the LED kitchen light.
For dinner, I cooked a rack of ribs, but could only eat half. The rest went in the fridge for tomorrow.
Wednesday, March 17th
St Patrick’s Day pints, friends old and new, and a long wander home.
St Patrick’s Day arrived. This time last year, I was supposed to be in Benidorm for the festivities, but they didn’t happen, and none of us expected to still be under similar restrictions a year later.
In the morning, I met my friends Mike and Theresa for coffee. After that, I took the long and winding road across the motorway to Roda to see my friend Mike at his pub, Campbell’s, and had a couple of pints of Guinness to celebrate.
After a chat and a few pints, I headed to Rocco’s bar in Los Alcázares, where I saw more friends. We spent a few hours discussing the world’s issues before I headed home via La Playa bar, where I caught up with Derek, Janet and Shellie.
Thursday, March 18th
A rainy day indoors and mixed fortunes in Europe.
I woke to an overcast sky, and soon it began to rain. I didn’t go far. I spent the day watching old films and trying to keep warm.
In the evening, I watched Arsenal lose to Olympiacos in the Europa League, but they still advanced thanks to their bigger first-leg win, going through 3–2 on aggregate. Totteringham, however, blew a 2–0 first‑leg lead and lost 3–2, getting knocked out of the same competition.
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