Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A hot July week of swims, long walks, lift failures, helping friends, cruise planning, social evenings, and a few battles with acid reflux. I booked my dream Brazil cruise, spent time with friends, and tried to stay cool during the heatwave.
Monday, 3rd July
I didn’t wake until around 08:45 today. I got a coffee, took my tablets and sorted this week’s pills into my dispenser. With so many tablets at different times of day, I’ve written everything down to avoid mistakes.
At 10:30, I went on my mobility scooter to see my friend Mike at the café in Los Narejos. He looked frail but has finally got a disability scooter, although he still insists on driving his van and walking from it to the café. I told him I’d look for a scooter cover on Amazon and tried to persuade him to use the scooter more.
After he left, I went to La Sombre to see Martin and Aria. On the way home, I stopped at Mercadona for fruit. When I got back, the lift was out of order. I had to carry three heavy bags up the stairs, stopping halfway because I was out of breath. By the time I reached my apartment, I was exhausted and had to sit with a glass of water.
I woke up two hours later on the sofa. Gail had sent me a cruise schedule, but I left it for tomorrow. I had chicken wings for supper and spent the rest of the day watching TV.
Tuesday, 4th July
I woke around 07:00, still drowsy. After coffee and tablets, I walked to the Mar Menor for a swim. Afterwards, I chatted with John and Diane at the chiringuito, and Andrew arrived, he didn’t recognise me with my beard.
After a shower, I went to Economy Cash for shopping and ant spray. This is the first year I’ve had ants in the apartment. I sprayed everywhere I’d seen them. I saw Uncle Paul online and called him on Skype, he’s recovering well from his heart attack, and Hyacinth is keeping him in line.
In the afternoon, I looked at cruises. Gail had suggested one, but I found another crossing the Atlantic to Brazil and ending in Rio de Janeiro, a bucket‑list destination. I compared both trips.
The heat reached over 40°C on my balcony and 30°C inside. I finally gave in and turned on the air conditioning. It cooled the apartment quickly, and I felt much better. I think the heat has been making me lethargic for weeks.
Wednesday, 5th July
I woke just after 07:00, had coffee and tablets, and walked to the Mar Menor. The wind was pushing dark clouds across the region, and the tide was strong. I fed the fish but saw none. The swim took longer than usual, and there were only a few jellyfish.
After breakfast, I shaved my head and beard, too hot for facial hair. Bald is beautiful and much more comfortable. I then went to Correos to return a parcel to Amazon.
In the afternoon, I decided between the two cruises. After much thought, I chose the Brazil repositioning crusie. I booked it online but wasn’t sure it had gone through, so I waited for a call. At 16:00, Costa Cruises phoned to confirm the booking.
I then booked a hotel for five nights on Copacabana Beach and a direct Iberia flight from Rio to Madrid. It cost more but saves hours of travel and includes luggage, food and entertainment. All that’s left is to book trains to Barcelona and back from Madrid.
Thursday, 6th July
I woke at 07:00, had a coffee and went for my swim. The sea was calmer, but thousands of jellyfish were everywhere. I often post on Farcebook asking if anyone wants to join me, the jellyfish joined me today, and I didn’t even know they used Farcebook.
I cut my swim short because Jacquie was coming over so I could fix her Farcebook account. After cereal and another coffee, she arrived. I deleted thousands of unwanted emails, removed all the groups she’d accidentally joined, and arranged a meal with her and Alan next week.
For dinner, I had trout fillets cooked in the air fryer, delicious. Later, Alan Bond messaged asking if I wanted to meet him at La Playa bar. I walked along the promenade and we chatted all night until Diane picked him up just after midnight. I walked home, got a cold drink and went straight to bed.
Friday, 7th July
I woke around 08:00 and got a coffee. The wind made the Mar Menor too rough for swimming, so I stayed home and tidied my email account, deleting thousands of old messages.
I booked a bus to Murcia on the Movelia website for my Rod Stewart concert in a few weeks, and a return ticket for the next day. Later in the month, I’ll book another bus for Simply Red.
Just before midday, June picked me up for a magical mystery tour. We went to Pizzeria D’ban in Torrevieja for coffee, then stopped at The Lucky Lion in Cabo Roig. I had a Radler, but I don’t understand why people choose to sit in a car park next to a roundabout when there are nicer places nearby.
We drove back toward San Javier but arrived at Unica Garden Centre before it reopened, so June dropped me home. I put the air conditioning on, watched TV and later had a chicken thigh with salad, followed by a fruit salad with yoghurt and honey. It was excellent, and I saved some for tomorrow.
Saturday, 8th July
I woke at 07:00, had a coffee and put washing on before going for an early swim. I fed the fish and swam through thousands of jellyfish, some alone, some in huge groups. They look beautiful in the water. I used my full‑face snorkel mask so I could see them better.
I noticed the jellyfish numbers dropped as more Spanish ladies arrived to sit in the water talking loudly. They are far harder to swim around than jellyfish, and much noisier.
After my swim, I showered, had cereal and worked on my family tree. At lunchtime, I dropped a Save the Mar Menor flag to Clara at La Playa so she could stitch eyelets into it.
In the afternoon, I arranged to meet Pat to watch the England vs Spain U21 final. He picked me up at 17:30 and we went to Perlita’s. A strong breeze kept us cool. England won 1–0 after a penalty save in extra time. Pat and Paul left early, and Andy, Wayne and I stayed chatting. Eventually, Andy and I walked to Rocco’s and talked until the early hours.
Sunday, 9th July
I didn’t wake until 10:00. I worked on my family tree until June picked me up at 12:45 for Sunday lunch at Campbell’s. Halfway through my meal, my acid reflux hit hard. I couldn’t finish eating and had chest pain and constant hiccups.
June boxed up my meal and took me home, but we had to stop twice so I could throw up the acid. Once it was out, I felt much better.
I slept on the sofa with the air conditioning on. Later, I had cereal,muesli seems to help, and the last of yesterday’s fruit salad. Both helped settle my stomach.
In the evening, I watched The Second Best Marigold Hotel and Papillon. I enjoyed both, but the book of Papillon is better.
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