Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain; Alicante
Summary: A week of doctor visits, new medications, kitchen upgrades, swims in the Mar Menor, deliveries, website work, a trip to Alicante to see Bob Dylan, and welcoming my friend Cindy for a two‑week stay.
Monday, 12th June
I woke around 07:30, checked my messages and got a coffee. My IKEA baskets, originally due tomorrow, were now arriving today, so I couldn’t go to the office. At 09:30, I went to the doctor to get the results of last week’s tests.
The doctor told me I have high cholesterol and that my stomach acid levels were not right. I was given two more tablets to fix these issues. I also asked again about my swollen legs, and the doctor added the tablets that help oxygen levels and swelling back onto my prescription for three months. I collected everything from the pharmacy.
Back home, I spent an hour sorting all my tablets into pill dispensers. I now take seven tablets a day at three different times, some before food, some after, and some before bed.
The IKEA baskets finally arrived around 19:00. They looked great in my kitchen. I organised the shelves and placed the new bread maker alongside them. Feeling inspired, I ordered new glass kitchen containers to replace my old plastic ones. Soon I’ll start batch‑cooking soups and healthier meals to help control my cholesterol.
Tuesday, 13th June
I set my alarm for 07:30 in case the dishwasher arrived early. I got a coffee and orange juice and checked the news. The Amazon delivery arrived around 09:00. The dishwasher was unwrapped, but the trim made it 3 mm too tall to fit. The installers left it half‑connected and cancelled the fitting charge.
I messaged Dave Pope, who came later to look at it. He managed to fit the dishwasher into the space, but the plumbing was a nightmare. He had to visit two hardware stores to get the right parts. At one point, I thought I’d need a whole new sink, but Dave fixed it with new plumbing and some colourful language.
I now have a working dishwasher to go with my new washer/dryer. In the evening, I watched television and a storm over Los Alcázares. I love storms, the rain, the thunder, the lightning. Not as dramatic as Florida, but still enjoyable.
Wednesday, 14th June
I woke around 07:30 and checked for updates on my food container delivery. Nothing yet, so at 09:45 I took stale bread to the Mar Menor to feed the fish before my swim.
The water was beautiful, warm, clear and calm. I fed the fish, watched seagulls trying to steal their food, then swam out to the rocks. Four women were bouncing around on leg springs with loud music blaring. Why they needed to drive to a public place to annoy everyone instead of doing it at home, I’ll never know.
After they left, I swam back and chatted briefly with Diane and John before heading home. I spent the rest of the morning doing admin on my website. My delivery arrived at 12:45, lovely bowls for my homemade soups. I took recycling out, went to Mercadona for a few bits and then relaxed at home.
For dinner, I made honey mustard chicken with a jacket potato and Camembert cheese. I watched TV and printed my documents for tomorrow’s trip to Alicante to see Bob Dylan.
Thursday, 15th June
I woke around 07:30, grabbed some bread and went to the Mar Menor. I fed the fish, swam to the rocks, enjoyed the peaceful morning and then returned home.
After a shower, I had cereal, orange juice and coffee, then packed a few things into an overnight bag. At midday, I locked up and headed off to Alicante for my Bob Dylan adventure.
Friday, 16th June
I woke in the La Lonja hostel after seeing Bob Dylan in concert last night. After travelling home, I had an early night.
Saturday, 17th June
I slept well and woke around 07:00. I had coffee, orange juice and cereal, then put washing in the machine and worked on my website.
Mid‑morning, I checked the washing machine, the clothes were still wet. I had run the wash but not the dryer. I set the dryer going, but later found the sink blocked with fluff, preventing the machine from draining. I unblocked it, repositioned the drain pipe and ran the machine again.
In the evening, the washing was finally dry. I put it on the spare bed and watched Forrest Gump while messaging my friend Cindy, who flies out tomorrow to stay with me. I completely forgot about the washing and went to bed.
Sunday, 18th June
I woke at 04:00 remembering the washing I hadn’t done. I put the next load in and went back to bed. At 07:30, I got up, checked the machine and put the dry clothes in the spare room. I stripped my bed and washed the sheets before having cereal for breakfast.
At 10:30, June picked me up to go to Corvera airport to collect Cindy. The roads were clear, and we arrived just before her plane landed. We had a coffee while waiting, and Cindy came through arrivals quickly. Parking was only €1.10, far cheaper than UK airports.
Before going home, we stopped at June’s apartment to move a sofa. Then June dropped us at my apartment around 12:30. Cindy was about to unpack when I remembered the washing covering her bed. I quickly cleared it, and she settled in. At 13:00, June picked us up again for lunch at Campbell’s.
I enjoyed my roast lamb and was relieved I could eat properly after changing tablets this week. After lunch, June dropped us home. Cindy and I sat on the balcony talking until 18:30, then walked to La Playa bar. It was empty, so we finished our drinks quickly and jumped on the tourist train to Rio Nalon.
We saw lots of people I hadn’t seen in ages, some didn’t recognise me with the beard. We had an Asiática coffee at Café Parking, then went to Rocco’s for a drink until 22:15. We took the tourist train home and sat talking until around 01:15 before going to bed.
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