In week 10 of 2021, I met my friend Jacqueline for coffee and made a visit to see a doctor who put me on a course of antibiotics for an infection in my leg.
Friday, March 5th.
This morning I pottered about the apartment waiting for it to warm up, I did some work on my website, & got a few ideas for some artwork projects. By midday, it still hadn't brightened up much but I went to do some shopping at Aldi. On the way to Aldi, I saw my friend Andrew who runs the chiringuito outside my apartment during the summer. He told me that he will be opening up the bar as soon as possible but the earliest date they could open up is March 15th. Judging by the way that most things happen in Spain, I guess it will be closer to the end of March or in April, but it will be good to see it open again, to me it signals the start of the warmer weather again & the start of my swimming season.
I don't know if it's just the cold weather today but I have not felt brilliant today. I had a pain in my chest & slept most of the afternoon on the couch in front of the television. I felt a bit better when waking up but still felt tired & lethargic. I will take it easy tonight, stay warm & have an early night.
Saturday, March 6th.
I woke up this morning after a good nights sleep & felt a lot better than I did yesterday. I made a pot of tea & had a 20-minute massage before checking my emails & messages online. Yesterday I bought myself a nice new shiny toilet roll holder as the old one had snapped in half when it caught on my clothes during the week. This morning I very cleverly managed to unscrew the base of the old wooden one & replace it with a new chrome holder. I will be able to have a shit now, knowing that there will be toilet paper in easy reach, without having to pick the paper out of either the sink drawer or the bidet.
My beautiful sister rang me on Skype this morning, & via the video link, she gave me a cookery lesson that rivalled anything the so-called professional chefs on television could have produced. Thank you, Karen, I will be asking you for new videos in the near future.
As the weather was still a bit overcast & cooler I had another restful day, or as restful as it can be when Arsenal are playing & I am watching. I was lying on the sofa, shouting, swearing & getting wound up by the performance of some of the players & by a poor result with Arsenal only managing a 1 - 1 draw with Burnley.
After the game, I started to do some genealogy research & was very pleased when I broke through a brick wall & discovered a lot of information about my 3rd great grandfather, Lewis Lewis & his immediate family. As usual, I got caught up with my research & when I next looked at the clock it was nearly midnight so I broke off from my research & made myself a milky drink before going to bed.
Sunday, March 7th.
I had a good nights sleep last night & felt better this morning when I got up. I got straight on the computer to work on the genealogy research section of my website. I realised this was probably a mistake at 11:30 am when I went to use the loo & realised the time. I hadn't had a drink or anything for breakfast, I do get a bit caught up in my work when I am interested in it. At this time I turned my computer off & made a pot of tea. I look outside & notice it is still raining, it looks like the wet weather is in for the day.
I got my slow cooker out & prepared today's meal, honey garlic chicken thighs, which I will have with mash potato, peas, broccoli & cauliflower. As soon as dinner is on I settle back down to work on my website whilst keeping one eye on the various football matches on television today.
Monday, March 8th.
As the rain has stopped & the sky has cleared I go to meet my friend Jacqueline at La Encarnacion for breakfast. It is great catching up with her, especially as she gives me a present of one of the original copies of her book, Joan, as a present. I have had quite a bit of pain in my right leg for a couple of days, so on the way home, I stopped off at the doctor's to make an appointment to see him tomorrow morning.
This afternoon I rest at home trying to keep my leg raised as it seems to be less painful that way.
Tuesday, March 9th.
I am up early for my doctor's appointment at 9 am. Just in case I have to go into hospital I put a few things in a bag ready to collect. Important things like my laptop, my Kindle, my shaving equipment & a good flannel, hospital flannels are horrible. My neighbour, John took me to the Dr, I don't think I could have walked there this morning. The Dr gave me Antibiotics to start immediately & told me to go back & see him in two days. I also had my regular blood test for my Sintrom levels whilst I was there. I left & went next door to the pharmacy & got all my drugs & potions & John took me home again.
On getting home I immediately took my tablets, rubbed on the cream, lay on the sofa & was soon fast asleep. I woke up around 2 pm had one of my curries from the freezer with some rice & was soon asleep again. I woke up later in the evening with a terrible headache but the pain in my leg is already subsiding. Hopefully, by the time I go back to see the Dr on Thursday morning, it will be even better.
My friend Pete in the UK suggests watching the Pompey game tonight to help me sleep, so I watch it to see what I have been missing. I fell asleep during the match so it couldn't of been that good & Pompey lost 2 - 0. I wait till midnight to take the last of my antibiotics for the day then go to bed.
Wednesday, March 10th.
I slept very well last night & woke up feeling a little better, my leg isn't as tight or sore as it was. I take my antibiotics at 8 am then have another nap. When I woke up I do some genealogy research before cooking myself some lunch. I had some salmon fillets, I just shallow fried them in a frying pan & had them on a bed of rice covered in a honey & mustard sauce that I quickly made up. It tasted great, I must be getting my appetite back as I was actually feeling hungry & ate all 4 fillets.
I think the antibiotics are working very quickly as my pain is a lot better than it has been, but they are huge tablets & difficult to swallow, they even smell horrible. It's the first time I can remember antibiotics smelling but if they work I don't care. After my Salmon lunch, I take my next antibiotic & fall asleep watching a film. The evening was spent watching football & sleeping through films.
Thursday, March 11th.
I went back to the Dr this morning, I collected the result for my blood test, which was as it should be, then saw the Doctor. He thought my leg looked better but was concerned with my breathing. He listened to my lungs & said they were fine but he made an appointment for me to have an ECG & see a cardiologist next Monday in Cartagena. I am pleased that I will soon get some answers to why my breathing has been so bad.
After seeing the Dr I meet my friends Sheila & Bernard for breakfast at the San Yuan bar. I have to go to the ASSSA office afterwards & Sheila offers to take me in the car. After breakfast, Sheila takes me to the office where I arrange to get some new cheque books for my treatment & have the hospital trip for Monday next week authorised. When I get home I put my feet up, rest & watch a film. As little as I have done this morning, I am worn out.
In the evening I watched the Olympiakos v Arsenal football match. After being told I have to see a cardiologist this morning the game didn't help. Arsenal was in full control, then true to current form they gifted Olympiakos an equaliser & started to come under pressure themselves. Luckily for my heart & for Arsenal they scored two more goals & go into the home leg next week with a 3 - 1 lead, I just hope they don't make any more stupid mistakes.