Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain.
Summary: A week of rain, golf, breakfasts with friends, sunburn, errands, and a brilliant Arsenal performance to finish things off.
Friday, April 9th
Heavy rain, the Masters golf, and mixed fortunes in fantasy golf picks.
The heavy rain in the morning meant I wasn’t going anywhere on my mobility scooter. Luckily, the Masters golf was on, so I spent all afternoon and evening watching it. After day two, my fantasy picks hadn’t done brilliantly, but at least three of them made the cut.
My amateur, Joe Long, didn’t make it and scored me -7 points overall. He improved on day two with +3, but the –10 from Thursday sealed his fate. My other three picks did better: Jordan Spieth scored 16 points, Webb Simpson 6, and Tommy Fleetwood 8.
Saturday, April 10th
Another storm, a new fantasy golf pick, and an afternoon of beers and racing.
Another big storm overnight meant another wet morning. I had a pot of tea and chose a new player for my fantasy team, Will Zalatoris. He had handled Augusta well in the first two rounds, so I hoped he would continue to do so.
In the afternoon, I joined Russ at the chiringuito for a swift pint before walking along the beach to La Playa to watch the Grand National. I had a great afternoon with Shellie, Jim, Emma, Derek and Janet, and later Russ and John joined us for a final pint before curfew. I then stayed up watching the end of round three of the Masters.
Sunday, April 11th
Breakfast at El Lobo, beers in the sun, and a confident Arsenal win.
In the morning, I went to the bank, then stopped at El Lobo chiringuito for tostada and coffee. After breakfast, I went home to cover myself in sun cream. After dinner, I headed back to El Lobo for a beer with my neighbour in the afternoon sun.
It was a great day to sit outside, lots of friends I hadn’t seen in ages walked by and stopped for a chat. With so much space between tables, it was easy to talk safely.
In the evening, I watched Sheffield United vs Arsenal. Arsenal won 0–3, playing good attacking football for the first time in a while. Hopefully, they would carry that form into the Europa League.
Monday, April 12th
Scooter service, sunshine at the chiringuito, and a new watch.
When I woke up, it was dull and overcast, but I hoped it would clear. At 11:00, I took my mobility scooter to Gerry’s house for a service. While he worked on it, I went to a café with my Kindle for coffee and a tostada.
In the afternoon, I sat at the chiringuito with Russ and John, enjoying the sun before the week’s expected rain. In the evening, I ordered a new watch from Amazon to replace the one I had bought only two years earlier. Watches used to last forever; now they barely last a couple of years, despite doing everything except making toast.
Tuesday, April 13th
A quick blood test, a long‑awaited breakfast, and a new watch delivered.
I was up early for my regular INR blood test. I walked to the doctor, had blood taken, and walked home, all in under 40 minutes.
At 10:30, Pat picked me up to meet James for breakfast at The Tipsy Thistle. It was fantastic to see them both after more than a year. The breakfast was excellent as always, made even better by the company.
As Pat dropped me off, Amazon rang; they were already at my apartment with my new watch. Luckily, they were still there when I arrived. I paid about €54 for the watch and €5 for an extra two‑year warranty, so it should last at least three years.
I unpacked it, then went to the chiringuito where I spent the afternoon chatting with Russ, Sophie, Ady and Clara. I read several chapters of my book and got quite sunburnt before going inside for after‑sun lotion.
I had lasagne for tea and relaxed in front of the TV.
Wednesday, April 14th
A mission for oven cleaner, a visit to the doctor, and a forgotten banana.
I had a mission today: buy oven cleaner. I had meant to get it for over a week and kept forgetting. After a coffee at the chiringuito, I walked to the doctor’s surgery because I couldn’t log in to see my blood test results. They printed them for me, and as expected, I could reduce my tablets. Cutting myself shaving was usually a good indicator of whether I needed to adjust my Sintrom.
I then walked to the supermarket for oven cleaner. I could never buy the same brand twice and always spent ages checking labels. Luckily, Maria from the chiringuito walked in and confirmed I had picked the right one. I went home and cleaned the oven, but forgot the bananas I'd planned to put on my pizza.
I spent the afternoon and evening reading my Kindle.
Thursday, April 15th
Itchy sunburn, folded sheets, Asiaticos, and a brilliant Arsenal win.
I didn’t sleep well last night, my sunburn was tingling and itchy. I got up several times to apply after‑sun gel. When would I learn how quickly I burned? No danger of that today, though; it rained and was overcast.
George and Yvonne came round for help printing, scanning and emailing documents. We worked out a fair trade: I did the computer work, and Yvonne folded my winter sheets and duvet covers, something I was hopeless at. Afterwards, we walked to a local café for delicious Asiatico coffees.
In the evening, I watched Slavia Prague vs Arsenal. Unbelievably, Arsenal were brilliant for the second game in a row. They were 0–3 up after 24 minutes, defended well, and added a fourth to win 0–4, winning 5–1 on aggregate, a great way to end the week on a high note.
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