Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A quiet recovery week spent resting my aching leg, editing hundreds of cruise photos and videos, updating my website and YouTube channel, and watching plenty of football, with Arsenal giving me two reasons to smile.
Monday, 7th November
Back to work and an accidental early night
I woke around 04:00, made a coffee and worked on more cruise photos and videos for my website. After a busy morning I set off for the office at 11:45, only to realise halfway there that I’d forgotten my wallet. I turned back, collected it and arrived a little late, but Martin didn’t mention it.
Dave joined us and we spent the afternoon chatting about my cruise, Martin’s dead bicycle and other earth‑shattering topics. After Aria arrived from school, we all headed home.
I stopped at Le Petit Bistro for a pint with Mat and Stuart, then continued to Harry’s Bar for another. It was quiet, so I finished quickly and went to the supermarket. It has changed hands again and now has less stock and higher prices, so I’ll use other shops from now on.
On the way home I briefly stopped at the chiringuito, but the ice cream I’d bought was melting. When I got in, I sat on the bed to take my shoes off and immediately fell asleep. I woke at 21:00, had some water and went straight back to bed.
Tuesday, 8th November
Stocking up and resting the leg
I woke around 06:00, had a coffee and worked on my website until George arrived at 11:00 to take me shopping. I needed a big shop to refill my fridge and freezer, and I can’t carry that much on my scooter.
We went to Mercadona and I stocked up on everything I needed for cooking now that the cooler weather is here. George helped me carry the bags upstairs before heading home.
The rest of the day was spent resting my leg in front of the television. The swelling is finally going down.
Wednesday, 9th November
Website work and a disappointing cup exit
I woke at 06:30, got a coffee and continued editing videos for my website. It’s enjoyable but very time‑consuming.
My disability scooter was supposed to be collected today for a service and a new battery, but no one came and no one called.
In the evening Arsenal played Brighton in the Carabao Cup. It wasn’t on television, so I listened to the commentary. Arsenal started well and went 1–0 up, but the second‑string team lost 1–3. I went to bed as soon as the match finished.
Thursday, 10th November
Video editing marathon
I woke at 06:30, made a coffee and worked on another cruise video, this one featuring one of the bands onboard the Costa Toscana. It took a long time to edit, but I eventually uploaded it to YouTube and added it to my website.
I then edited around 70 more photos, adding details and maps to many of them. By 15:00 I’d had enough and stopped for the day. I watched a film in the evening and went to bed around 22:30.
Friday, 11th November
Thunderstorms, finishing the cruise pages and a big night out
I woke at 06:30 to thunder and lightning. After coffee I continued working on my cruise pages, stopping only for a small pizza at lunchtime. By the afternoon I had finished all the pages, images and videos and uploaded everything to my website.
I had a nap on the sofa before deciding whether to go out. For dinner I had steak and potato salad, and when Alan messaged me, I walked down to La Playa bar for a couple of beers. A couple turned into a few, which turned into half a dozen and possibly more.
We sat chatting with Gary, and in the early hours he took the guitar off the wall and treated us to a sing‑along. A brilliant end to the night.
Saturday, 12th November
Football joy — twice in one day
After getting home very late, I slept until 10:00. I had a coffee and did some more website work before watching Manchester City vs Brentford at lunchtime. Brentford won 1–2 with Ivan Toney scoring a late winner, meaning Arsenal would be top at Christmas regardless of their result later.
In the evening I watched Wolves vs Arsenal. The first half was frustrating, but in the second half Arsenal stepped up and Ødegaard scored twice for a 0–2 win. Five points clear at the top. I went to bed very happy.
Sunday, 13th November
Housework, website maintenance and a quiet end to the week
I woke around 08:00, had a coffee and stripped the bed linen for washing. I tidied the apartment, threw away some holiday paperwork and spoke to my Uncle Paul on Skype before having steak and potato salad for lunch.
In the afternoon I spent a few hours sorting canonical and non‑canonical URLs on my website, a boring but important maintenance job. I finished the day watching a film before going to bed around 23:00.
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