Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of homemade sausages, heavy rain, rugby drama, long chats with friends, sunburnt heads, and more than a few beers shared with Russ.
Friday, March 19th
Homemade sausages, a missed Europa draw, and torrential rain.
My friend Sean had delivered a dozen homemade sausages, delicious and always handy to have in the freezer for an easy meal. I had been waiting for the live draw for the Europa League Quarter‑Finals and Semi‑Finals, but right on cue, just before it started, I fell asleep and woke up an hour later. Arsenal had drawn Slavia Prague, and if they won, they would face the winner of Dinamo Zagreb vs Villarreal.
The rain that afternoon and evening had been so heavy that if I had wanted to go out, I would have needed a kayak instead of the mobility scooter. I stayed home with the heating on and watched Fulham vs Leeds on TV.
Saturday, March 20th
A quiet day indoors and one of the best rugby matches in years.
The rain had stopped that morning, but I didn’t trust it to last. I stayed in with my feet up, made a Skype call to my Uncle Paul in the UK, and watched a few films.
In the evening, I watched France vs Wales in the Six Nations, one of the best rugby games I could remember. France had taken the lead twice, Wales had fought back, and then France had snatched victory with the last play. The final score was France 32–Wales 30. Wales missed out on the Grand Slam, and France now needed to beat Scotland with a bonus point to win the tournament.
Sunday, March 21st
Chicken soup prep, dishwasher maintenance, and another heart‑testing Arsenal match.
I had another quiet day. I went to the supermarket for a few things so I could make chicken soup the next day. Back home, I cleaned the dishwasher filters, ran a steam‑clean cycle, and topped up the salt.
I roasted two chickens and settled down to watch West Ham vs Arsenal. Arsenal were 3–0 down after 30 minutes, unbelievable. Then they suddenly started playing well, forced two own goals either side of halftime, and eventually scored a great equaliser to draw 3–3. Arsenal really weren’t helping my heart.
After the match, I stripped the meat from the chickens for tomorrow’s soup and set the bones to simmer in the slow cooker overnight.
Monday, March 22nd
Bike shopping, beers with Martin, and an early night.
I went to look at bikes. I wanted an electric one so that if my knee popped out or my legs hurt, I could still get home, but they were expensive, around €1000. After the bike shop in Los Narejos, I met my friend Martin for coffee and a few beers.
Afterwards, I stopped at La Zona bar, then went to the quiz at Rocco’s in the early evening. The fresh air must have gotten to me; I was in bed and asleep by 21:00.
Tuesday, March 23rd
Bike‑storage testing, a quick pint, and a deep dive into Welsh history.
This morning, Martin had cycled over to see if his bike would fit in my garage storage cupboard. Before buying one, I wanted to make sure I could store it safely. The entrance was at an awkward angle, but we quickly found that a bike would fit.
We walked to a local bar for a quick pint, and I spent the rest of the day watching television, including an excellent documentary series, The Story of Wales. It was fascinating to see how my ancestors might have lived and how Wales became the country it is today.
Wednesday, March 24th
Breakfast with Russ, lunch with friends, and a sunburnt head.
First thing in the morning, I walked to the supermarket for milk, but they didn’t have any. On the way back, I met my neighbour Russ, and we decided to go for breakfast at the San Juan bar on the beachfront. Bacon, sausage, mushrooms, beans and an egg, just what the doctor ordered, and with a great view.
After breakfast, we realised it must have been 17:00 somewhere in the world, so we had a pint before moving on to the Alaska bar for more “light refreshments.” I didn’t stay long, as I had arranged to meet Reindeer and Frouk at El Callejón de las Brujas for lunch. It was a fantastic little bar with cheap drinks and delicious food. We stayed chatting in the sun until it closed at around 17:30.
I had said I would stop to see Russ on the way back, but he had already left. It seemed a shame to walk that far for nothing, so I stopped at La Playa bar for a drink before heading home.
My head was burning, and I knew I needed to sort out my hat and start using factor 50 again. Hopefully, by next month, it will be warm enough to swim every morning.
Thursday, March 25th
Sunshine, a quiet morning, and an afternoon of enforced beer‑drinking.
My head was still burning from the day before, so after my shower, I put on plenty of aftersun and found my hat. I went for a walk and ended up at Bar Corzola for coffee and a tostada, where I sat for a few hours reading my Kindle.
In the afternoon, I met Russ again, and he forced me to drink beer at the beach all afternoon before physically dragging me to Rocco’s bar for several more while we talked garbage and watched the football late into the evening.
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