I started week 39 of 2021 with a visit to the doctor to get the results of my blood test last week.
Week 39 of 2021.
Friday, September 24th.
This morning I walked around to my doctor´s surgery to pick up the results of my anticoagulant blood test. After picking them up I carried on walking to La Encarnacion where I had breakfast.
When I got home I had to work out what level of anticoagulant tablets I would have to take. I have two apps on my phone for this. One lets you put in your INR reading from the test, along with your current dose & it then tells you if you need to alter the dose of tablets you are taking. The other keeps a record of all your INR results, reminds you each morning to take the tablets & keeps a history of what you have taken, handy if a Dr needs this information. After working out what I should take for the next few weeks I sort out my tablets & put them with the others I take in a monthly reminder pillbox. I sometimes wonder why I don't rattle more when I walk.
Saturday, September 25th.
When I woke up this morning I had a craving for a cooked breakfast & having not remembered to take any bacon or sausages out of the freezer I walk to The Tipsy Thistle for a small English breakfast. It is definitely the best place for breakfast in Los Alcázares & I sit & read my kindle whilst enjoying my breakfast with a pot of green tea.
After breakfast, I walk back to the chiringuito outside my apartment & sit reading for a few hours before going back to my apartment to watch some of the day's football on the television.
Sunday, September 26th.
I am up quite early today, it is a beautiful-looking day & I walk downstairs for a coffee & a tostada at the chiringuito. I sit there reading for a while & it gets hotter and hotter. Luckily for me, I had my swim shorts on, so I give my belongings to my friend Andrew to watch for a while & I dive into the Mar Menor for a swim. The water is beautiful & there is no one else in the water.
After my swim I feel very refreshed, I get a bottle of water & sit at the chiringuito reading for a while before going back inside for a shower. At lunchtime, I get out my disability scooter & go to Roda to Campbell´s bar where I have ordered a Roast Lamb Sunday lunch for myself. I get there at 1 pm & am very soon eating a beautiful meal, accompanied by a pint of cider.
After my meal, on my way home, I head to Aldi to get myself something for a dessert to eat when I get home. I buy a small pot of mixed fruit, some ice cream & a few other bits for next week. When I get home I eat the fruit & ice cream & have asleep on the sofa before the Arsenal v Tottenham football match comes on.
The football match was brilliant, Arsenal played really well & easily beat Totteringham Hotspurs 3 - 1. After three games of this season, Arsenal had lost all three of their games & been bottom of the league, Tottenham had won all three of theirs & been top of the league. Now after only three more games both teams fortunes had been turned around. Arsenal have won their last three matches, Tottenham have lost their last three matches, Arsenal have climbed into the top half of the table whilst Tottenham have dropped to the bottom half.
Next up on the television Arsenal ladies played Manchester City ladies. Arsenal blew Man City away winning 5 - 0, a result which took them top of the WSL, above Tottenham ladies in 2nd place. This weekend has been a great weekend for Arsenal fans, not so good for Tottenham fans.
Monday, September 27th.
This morning I go for a swim in the Mar Menor but when I finish the chiringuito has not opened so I go back into my apartment for a shower & breakfast. For breakfast I have cereal with bits of dried fruit in it, I add a bit more fruit & some Greek yoghurt & eat it before settling down at my computer.
My friend Mike is a Tottenham fan & as he doesn't always see the football scores, I make a beautiful poster to inform him of the Arsenal v Tottenham score from yesterday. I drive to Mike's house on my scooter & when I get there he has left the window open on his van so I am able to slip it onto the driver's seat before I carry on to Cafe Prensa for a coffee & tostada.
After my breakfast, I carry on to Pizzeria la Zombra where I meet my friend Martin for a couple of pints & to catch up. I hadn't managed to see him at Campbell's yesterday, because he was so busy cooking & hadn't met him for a few weeks so it was good to catch up for an hour before he had to shoot off to meet his daughter Aria at the bus stop.
When I left I went home via the Mercadona supermarket. I have made this my usual store to shop in because it's easy for me to park my scooter outside & there are always people on the tills so I never have to wait too long to be served. Instead of buying my usual ribs from the deli counter today, I get half a chicken with potatoes before heading home.
When I get home I can't eat all of the chicken & potatoes, I eat some & what I can't eat I save for tomorrow. This evening I watch another American TV series on Amazon Prime before watching some of the Crystal Palace v Brighton football match on the television.
Tuesday, September 28th.
I get up this morning & update my website before finally getting myself some cereal, some fruity muesli that I bought yesterday.
At lunchtime, I go to meet Martin at La Pizzeria Sombrera for an hour. We chat for an hour then I head off towards home. I find my scooter will not work properly, the steering seems to have a mind of its own. As I try to steer it to my apartment it fights against me & instead of taking a left to my garage entrance it continues straight on into Los Alcázares, winding its way through the back streets it eventually comes to a stop. Scared & frightened because of what has happened & worried it may do something else, I jump off it & run quickly into the establishment it finally stopped at.
Luckily for me, Shellie, who owns the establishment (La Playa bar), knows me. Shellie sat me down at a table & got me a pint to steady my nerves. I sat reading my kindle for an hour & after Shellie had checked the scooter to see if it was OK, I felt I could risk seeing if I could get home.
The scooter seemed to be going well until I got close to my apartment. I went to turn & put the scooter in the garage when it again had a strange change in direction & pulled up at the chiringuito. Luckily for me my friends Keith & Dave were there & brought the scooter to a controlled stop. They got me a pint to control my nerves & once again after a chat with my friends, the scooter seemed to be working correctly. I was able to park it safely in the garage for the night, I hope the scooter behaves better the rest of the week & that I don't have to get it serviced somewhere.
Wednesday, September 29th.
I didn't sleep particularly well last night. Waking several times because of noise outside & being bitten by a mosquito. I fell back to sleep at about 3:30 am but then didn't wake until after 9 am. I had muesli with milk & Greek yoghurt for breakfast & updated my website before tidying up my kitchen.
This afternoon I sat reading the latest book that I am reading on Kindle whilst waiting for this evening's football match, Arsenal ladies will be playing Tottenham Ladies. I watched the lady's football match & was horrified when Tottenham went 0 - 1 up in only two minutes. It didn't take long for the Arsenal ladies to equalise though & they went on to win easily with a final score of 5 - 1 although it could of & probably should have been a lot more. It has been nice this week to see both the men's & the lady's Arsenal football teams easily beat their north London neighbours Tottenham.
Thursday, September 30th.
This morning I am up early because last night I was told that I will need a copy of my Padron for the NIE to TIE transfer appointment I have next week. I go to the office at 9 am when they open, get the copy of my Padron then return home before my cleaner Lesley arrives today to clean my apartment.
Whilst Lesley is cleaning my apartment I catch up on my paperwork, updating my budget records on my computer. Because I don't have coffee in the apartment I go downstairs to the chiringuito to get a coffee & bring one back up for Lesley.
After Lesley has finished cleaning my apartment & gone home, I make some Butternut Squash & Carrot soup. I make enough for around 6 large portions, most of which will be frozen for later.
I have some of my freshly made soup for my tea before updating some paperwork on my computer & having an early night.