Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of AGM stress, early swims, birthday celebrations, photo‑sorting marathons, football at strange hours, extreme heat, Amazon deliveries, and plenty of time in the Mar Menor. I also helped friends with laptops, enjoyed meals out, and kept cool indoors during the heatwave.
Monday, 24th July
I woke around 06:45, had a coffee and checked my messages before going for my swim. I swam to the rocks and back three times before returning home for a shower and breakfast. At 10:30, I went with my neighbour Liz to the AGM at Fincalia.
The meeting began with the worrying demolition order on the apartment block. The translation caused panic, “demolish the building” actually meant remedial work on the eaves. The registry office had flagged an issue back in 2011, but owners were only told in 2020. After much confusion, it was clarified that the building does not need demolishing, only repairs. A huge relief.
The rest of the meeting covered normal AGM business, including chasing a long‑term non‑payer. After the meeting, I met Martin for a beer and was told off for being late. Back home, my neighbours had taken in an Amazon delivery, much better glasses cases this time.
I put the air conditioning on and fell asleep for two hours. The stress must have worn me out. I woke feeling better, had chicken with sweet potato chips for dinner, watched some TV and changed my bed before going to sleep at 23:15.
Tuesday, 25th July
I woke at 07:00, had a coffee and went for my swim. There were many jellyfish, but we ignored each other. After a shower, I went to see Kerry at ATime4AChange to help with a Farcebook problem.
I then met Martin and Dave in Los Narejos for a chat. When Kate picked Martin up, I went to Mercadona for a roll and bumped into Amanda and Ady, stopping for a pint at Le Petit Bistro.
In the evening, June picked me up at 19:15 for an 80th birthday party at Otomatua in Dolores de Pacheco. The welcome drink was lovely, and I sat with friends Jacqueline, Paul, Wendy and Yvonne. The meal was excellent, with several starters and a main course. There was music, singing and a great atmosphere. We all sang Happy Birthday in English and Spanish.
At 23:45, June messaged to say she was outside. She dropped Jacqueline and Yvonne home before taking me back to my apartment. I had a large glass of water and went to bed at 00:30.
Wednesday, 26th July
I woke around 08:00 feeling fragile after yesterday, so I skipped my swim. Kathy and Tony arrived just after 10:00 with laptops and hard drives so I could sort their photos. We went to the chiringuito for a coffee while the files loaded.
I spent the entire day and night sorting their photos, thousands of duplicates, mixed folders and videos everywhere. A very slow job.
Thursday, 27th July
I finally stopped working on the photos at around 03:00 and rested my eyes before the Arsenal vs Barcelona match at 04:30. The game was delayed and finally kicked off just after 05:00.
Barcelona scored first, Saka equalised, then missed a penalty. Barcelona went ahead again, Havertz equalised, and it was 2–2 at half‑time. Arsenal dominated the second half. Trossard scored twice, Barcelona pulled one back, and Vieira scored a wonder goal. Arsenal won 5–3.
After the match, I went for my morning swim, did two laps and returned home for a shower. I finally went to bed at 08:00, 24 hours after waking up.
I woke at 11:30, had coffee and went to Economy Cash for dinner supplies. I continued working on Kathy’s photos and installed digiKam to help organise them. The rest of the day was spent testing the software and sorting files.
Friday, 28th July
I woke around 08:00, had coffee and scrambled eggs on toast, and continued working on the photos. At 10:00, Tony dropped off another laptop.
I set the transfers running and went out on my scooter for bread. It was already very hot, so I didn’t stay out long. Back home, I ran digiKam on the photos, excellent software but slow on old drives.
I spoke to Uncle Paul on Skype. The NHS had made him travel between multiple hospitals for tests despite telling him he shouldn’t travel after his heart attack. He was still breathless today. I hope they sort him out soon.
Kathy and Tony collected their laptops later in the evening. I explained what I’d done and advised them to wait for their new laptop before installing digiKam.
Pat messaged to say he’ll fit some shelves for me next week, and we arranged a curry night. I spent the evening watching TV and went to bed at 23:00.
Saturday, 29th July
I woke at 07:00, put washing on and checked messages before going for my swim at 09:00. The Spanish ladies were stretched out across the water again, so I swam around them. I saw lots of fish and thousands of jellyfish. The sunlight through the water looked beautiful.
After breakfast, I removed digiKam from my computer, good software, but I already pay for Lightroom and Photoshop. At 11:30, I went to Dia for cereal and Greek yoghurt. The yoghurt seems to help my acid reflux, so I’ll keep using it.
The heat reached 46°C on my balcony again. I shut the apartment up, put the air conditioning on and binge‑watched Yellowstone all afternoon and evening. The scenery reminded me of my tour of America’s National Parks & Monuments.
Sunday, 30th July
I woke at 07:30, had a coffee and went for my swim. I managed three laps before the Spanish ladies formed their usual snaking line across the water. I returned home, showered, put washing on and set the dishwasher going.
I met Jacqueline for coffee at 09:30 at the chiringuito. We chatted until 11:00, then I returned home to check my washing.
My Amazon delivery arrived, the new wallet was perfect. I spent the afternoon researching my family tree and found information on my 3rd great‑grandparents William Wilson and Mary Harding.
For dinner, I had a tuna steak with sweet potato fries, delicious. Later, I put the air conditioning on and watched Love Again, a good rom‑com.
In the evening, I visited Liz to confirm she could attend tomorrow’s AGM. Back home, I watched TV until around 23:00. Just before bed, Gail messaged to say Val has also booked the Brazil cruise. The Three Amigos will be reunited.
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