Week 24 of 2021, started with a bright blue sky, birds singing outside my apartment and the sun shining down on the righteous.
Friday, June 11th.
I woke quite early this morning, it looked lovely out & there was no wind. I had a pot of tea & two chocolate pancakes for an early breakfast then got ready to go for a swim.
I swam out to the rocks near me in the Mar Menor. Wearing my snorkel makes it easy to see all the fish living around the rocks & I find it very relaxing. This morning was a first as I saw two crabs on the rocks, they were both about the same size & about the size of my fist. I continued to swim along the length of the rock reef & then swam back ashore. I had been swimming for an hour & decided to have a coffee at the chiringuito, I sat there for an hour reading my kindle & enjoying the sun.
After my swim & relaxing morning, I went back to my apartment, had a shower & then set off on the Sharky Mobile to get my hair cut. I normally do it myself but felt like treating myself to some pampering. I went to the barber near where I live, it is run by an Indian man but he speaks perfect English. I had to wait a short time while he finished the hair of another customer but he soon shaved my head for me & I felt much better. Even when my hair is only a few millimetres long it feels horrible to me & I was glad to have it cut again & at only five euros for my haircut I will go back in the future. After my haircut, I went to pick up a few bits at a supermarket. Having got my shopping I then drove back along the beachfront before going home & having curried salmon & rice for lunch.
In the evening I went for a quick pint at the chiringuito before watching the opening match of the Euro 2020 competition at home. I was cheering on Italy because of my Italian heritage & was very pleased when they won 0 - 3.
Saturday, June 12th.
I go for a swim again this morning & after hours swimming & looking at the fish & the crabs I stop off at the chiringuito for breakfast, Before the Pharmacy closes I pop around to get my tablets for the month.
I watch the Wales v Switzerland football match this morning & was pleased to see Wales manage to get a draw. The second game today saw Denmark play Finland & will be remembered by everyone watching for a long time but not for footballing reasons. Shortly before halftime, the ball is thrown in towards Christian Eriksen & as he approaches the ball he collapses face-first into the pitch. Immediately the referee & players signal for emergency help & the game is suspended. As Christian Eriksen lay on the floor, his teammates surrounded him with their backs turned to prevent cameras from viewing the scene, medical staff have to give CPR to save his life. After what seemed a very long time he is stretchered off & taken to a local hospital in Denmark.
After Christian Eriksen has been resuscitated & has come round in hospital, it is announced that he is breathing & awake. His teammates & players from the opposition team, Finland, are asked by him to continue the game. Ninety minutes later the last 5 minutes of the first half & the second half of the game are played. Finland win the match 0 - 1 but few people will remember the score, it will always be remembered for Christian Eriksen collapsing & the life-saving help he was given pitchside.
I also watch most of the last game of today when Belgium play & beat Russia 3 - 0. The game was quite good but again because of the events earlier in Denmark, I doubt very much if many people will remember the score for very long.
Sunday, June 13th.
I am woken up by the road sweeper early this morning & can not get back to sleep, so just after 7:30 am I go for my swim. I swim for an hour & because the chiringuito is not open I have breakfast of chocolate pancakes at home.
I am expecting an Amazon delivery today & when there is a knock at the door I buzz them in. I open the door & a Spanish lady is stood there, she tells me in broken English & by showing me images, that the car I sold 14 years ago, & have been trying to have transferred out of my name because it was never re-registered, is dumped on her late husband's farm. She says she thinks Moroccan's used it for scrap then just dumped it there many years ago. Because of the language barrier, I ask her to come to the chiringuito with me & Andrew explains that she is trying to scrap the car but needs my permission to do so, as I am the last registered owner. After Andrew checks the paperwork for me, I sign it, take a copy of it & provide her with copies of the denuncia that I made against the now-dead neighbour that I sold it to. Hopefully, now I will never hear about it again. She now has my email & will tell me how she gets on.
This afternoon I sit & watch the England vs Croatia game. England started really well but didn't score, the game becomes a bit of a stalemate but in the 2nd half Raheem Sterling scores a goal & England play well enough to win the game 1 - 0. Not the big score I was hoping for but quite a good performance, it is apparently the first time England have ever won their opening game in the European final.
This evening I go down to the chiringuito & read for a while before my friends Sheila & Bernard join me for a drink & a chat. We must have had a good time because the time flew by & I do seem to remember laughing a lot. After Sheila & Bernard leave I have a pint with my friend John before going home to watch the end of the Holland vs Ukraine game on the television. It was the best game so far with Holland eventually winning 3-2.
Monday, June 14th.
I have a lie-in this morning & don't get up till around 10 am. Yesterday's early morning swim, the sun, the beer & the good company must have worn me right out I go through yesterday's deliveries from Amazon in the morning, I place hangers around my apartment for keys, towels & kitchen rolls. I put my new bread bin where it will live & placed my new chopping board alongside it.
This afternoon I go for a swim for an hour, it is a bit more effort in the afternoon as the wind is stronger & the waves are bigger than they are if I go out in the morning when the sea is like a millpond. After my swim, I go back to my apartment & spend the rest of the day watching football at the Euros.
Tuesday, June 15th.
I go for my swim around 8 this morning, I swim my normal route around the man-made rock reef & then go back to my apartment for a shower. After my shower I take all my recyclable rubbish to the bins, there is a lot of cardboard boxes & plastic packing from the deliveries from Amazon. On my way back I stop for a coffee at the chiringuito.
A few weeks ago I signed up to take part in a Guinness Book of Records challenge in September. The challenge is for as many people around the world to run or walk 10 km in a 24-hour period. As I know I have to build up to 10 km I decided to measure a route of that distance. I do it by using google fit to track a route whilst I go out on my mobility scooter. I have a rough idea of the route I will have to take from when I used to be able to walk further. I measure what I think 10 km is & I am pleased to find that my estimate was only a little bit short, now I know a route I can slowly start building up my exercise regime to make sure in September I have no trouble completing it.
This afternoon I watch a film & then in the evening I watch both football matches. I have never seen Kylian Mbappé the French player play before. I now see why he is so highly rated. He may not have scored but he was always a danger, I just hope that he quits his current team & signs for Arsenal.
Wednesday, June 16th.
This morning I had planned to start my walking training for the Guinness Book of Records event in September & was about to leave when my friend Keith messaged me to say he was at the chiringuito & asked if I wanted a coffee. I went for a coffee with him & he told me that at lunchtime he was meeting some other friends, Steve & Dave for lunch. I decided to go with them but decided to walk the 5 km from my apartment to Keith's house.
I walked along the beachfront turned up the road that Keith lives on & got about 4 km along the way before I had to rest. I stopped at my friend's Wayne & Marie's house for a short stop to catch my breath & have some water. After a rest to catch my breath & for a chat with Wayne & Marie, I continued to walk the rest of the way to Keith's. After a drink of water & rest, we jumped in Keith's car & drove to El Mohon to meet Steve & Dave for lunch at a bar called Pizzeria Trastevere. I had not been there before but the food was brilliant, we all had the Menu del Dia & sat drinking & chatting for hours afterwards. When we did leave we walked around to another bar just a short walk away called The Border bar. We sat there & watched the end of the Turkey v Wales football match. Wales were winning 0 - 1 when Gareth Bale took what was probably the worst penalty I have ever seen, blazing the ball high & wide so I was very happy to see him set up an amazing goal just before the end of the game, to make it 0 - 2.
When the game finished we all left, Keith dropped me off at the chiringuito outside my apartment, where 12 hours before we had coffee. I had a pint with Keith & when he left I joined my neighbour John for a Gin & Tonic before finally going back to my apartment. I should sleep well tonight after all the exercise, good food & several beers & gins.
Thursday, June 17th.
I did sleep well last night but was awake around 7 this morning. I checked my email, updated my website & had a bacon sandwich before deciding what to do with the rest of the day. It was strange looking out of my patio doors, all I could see was a bright blue sky but I could hear thunder somewhere in the distance. After yesterday's long walk, my leg aches a bit today so I will mostly be resting my leg.
I walk to the chiringuito for a coffee & sit in the sun reading my kindle for a while before going back to my apartment where I sit reading my kindle. This afternoon I watch a film called 'Spiral: From the book of saw' if you haven't seen it I highly recommend it although it is a bit bloodthirsty in parts. It was about a policeman who is trying to catch a serial killer, I won't say anymore as I don't want to give anything away but it is very good.
This evening I watch the Denmark v Holland game, in which Holland eventually win 1 - 2. By winning this match Holland become the second team, after Italy, to qualify for the next round of the European Championship.