The week started quietly recovering from my cruise around the Mediterranean, which finished last week. I had a few deliveries arrive and some that did not arrive. At the weekend my sister arrived from the UK.
Monday, 29th May.
I woke up around 7 am today and got myself a coffee and some orange juice before settling down at my computer to work before going to the office to meet my friend Martin later. I felt better this morning and think the rest over the last few days has helped. Whatever bug affected me on my cruise seems to have gone away, and I now look forward to seeing my sister at the end of the week.
On my way to meet Martin, I drop off a load of rubbish at the bins as I head towards La Sombre Pizzeria (The Office). Today, we were joined by Martins´ sister, Lesley, who is here for a week's holiday. We were also joined by Martins´ dad, Dave, who always helps us out with the work we have to do. We had a good chat and caught up before heading off around 2:15 pm.
Once home at my apartment, I put my feet up and rested for the rest of the day. I still feel lethargic after my cruise, even though I am eating a bit better.
Tuesday, 30th May.
I worked on my website this morning until around 11:45 am when I met Martin for a shandy. Lesley joined us again, and we all sat and chatted until around 2 pm. On my way home, I stopped at the Mercadona store to get groceries for the rest of the week.
When I got home, I made an appointment to see my advisor at the bank. I could not see how to make a claim on the holiday insurance I got from the bank, and I needed to make a claim. The appointment is made for Friday, and I continue working on my website.
Once again, this afternoon, I am feeling very lethargic and spend most of the afternoon watching television and drifting in and out of sleep before having an early night tonight, going to bed at around 10 pm.
Wednesday, 31st May.
When I got up this morning, I walked to the Buena Vista restaurant on the beachfront for breakfast. As always, the service was excellent, and the food was very good. I read my Kindle for a while before returning to my apartment.
I worked on my website for most of the rest of the day. I added photos to the photo galleries for the Mediterranean cruise I took this month. The day seemed to fly by, and at 4 pm, my friend Jim called to ask me out to dinner. He said he would be around to pick me up at 6:45 pm.
At 6:45 pm, I walked outside and met Jim to go for dinner. We ate dinner at a Nepal Indian restaurant near the Arches in Los Narejos. Although the meal was okay, it was nothing special, and I certainly wouldn't rush back there. There are a lot better restaurants in the area. After our meal, we went to the Chiringuito outside my apartment for a coffee. We chatted for a while before Jim headed home to pack for his return to Scotland, and I returned to my apartment. Before he left, he left me some beard butter, which he informed me would help me groom my beard and keep it looking good.
Thursday, 1st June.
I woke at about 6 am today, and after working on my website for a while, I decided to see if the water in the Mar Menor was warm enough to swim. I went to the beach with some bread to feed the fish at about 8:30 am. I sat in the water feeding the fish, and when my body had gotten used to the cold water, I swam out to the rocks about 200 m from the beach. I sat there for a while, watching the joggers and walkers along the promenade before I swam back to the shore.
When I got back to the shallow water, I just sat in the water, watching the fish as they swam around me. The small fish soon began nibbling away at the dead and rough skin on my feet. Some people pay a fortune to get a fish pedicure. I swim in the Mar Menor and let the fish give me a free one. As I sat there, my cousin Jill walked past and briefly stopped to say hello before walking on. As she went, I got out of the water and dried myself off before returning to my apartment.
Once inside, I took a shower and felt refreshed. I continued to edit the photos from my holiday to put on my website. I also went onto the Amazon website and ordered some shelving for my utility room, a shelf for my lounge and a beard set consisting of a comb, brush and pair of scissors. Besides my friend Jim, many people have told me that the beard suits me, so if I'm going to keep it, I may as well try to groom it properly.
Friday, 2nd June.
I woke up at about 6 am today. I worked on my website until around 8:15 am and then went to the bank to be there at opening time to see my advisor.
The bank was still closed when I arrived, but it opened up just after 8:30 am. I immediately saw my advisor and explained that I was having difficulty making a claim on the holiday insurance because the document she gave me was in Spanish, and I was not sure what it all said. I had assumed that the hospital onboard ship last week would have billed the insurance company, but they billed me directly and gave me a letter for my insurance company. My advisor kindly said she would deal with it all for me. She took copies of my documents and told me she would email me or call me when it had been resolved. I hope that it is all that easy.
I left the bank, and as it was still early, I stopped at my Doctors' surgery on the way home. They had just opened, and no one else was there when I went in. The lovely lady, the receptionist, made an appointment for me to see the Doctor immediately. Within a few minutes, I am in with a new lady Doctor I haven't seen before. After reading the notes from the Doctor I saw onboard the ship last week, listening to me tell her about my lethargy and the fact that I seem to be constantly dehydrated at the moment, she told me that she wants to take some blood tests from me to see what the matter is. I have to make an appointment to return on Monday with two stool samples and a urine sample, and then the nurse will take some blood samples so they can all be sent off for analysis. After making the appointment for first thing Monday morning, I headed home.
When I got in, I worked on my website until the lethargy kicked in again. I got myself a pizza for lunch and almost immediately fell asleep on the sofa. I woke up just in time for a delivery from Amazon: the beard kit and the shelving unit for my utility room that I ordered yesterday. I checked the order was okay, sat down and fell asleep again. I was woken back up in the afternoon when another delivery arrived. This time, it was one of the four shirts I ordered before I went on holiday. I contacted the company I ordered them from, and they told me they had been sent separately as there was a delay in the rest of the order. I liked the shirt that arrived and the fact that it fits well.
Once again, I fell asleep on the sofa, and at about 5 pm, the second part of my Amazon order arrived. This was a bookshelf for my lounge. I will move my dining room table and the massage chair to my lounge, which will involve moving two bookshelves. I am going to use one slightly longer shelf than the current two I use at the moment.
In the evening, I don't seem to be able to keep my eyes open again and spend the evening and night dropping in and out of sleep before eventually going to bed.
Saturday, 3rd June.
I woke up around 6 am. I worked on photos from my cruise for a while, and at around 9:30 am, I walked to the Buena Vista Restaurant on the beachfront for a cooked breakfast. I had ordered breakfast and a coffee and was sitting outside when light rain began to fall, so I moved inside the restaurant. I ate breakfast, got another coffee and read my Kindle for a while before returning to my apartment.
At around 11:30 am, my sister Karen, her other half, Brett and their daughter Holly arrived at my apartment. They had arranged to pick up the key for the apartment they are renting below mine at my apartment. Unfortunately, the owner had not delivered the keys yet. We all went downstairs to the chiringuito, where we sat chatting and drinking. Brett contacted the owner of the apartment they were renting several times and was told the keys would be delivered soon. When we finished our drinks, we returned to my apartment to wait for the keys. The lady who owned the apartment eventually turned up around 2:45 pm with the keys, and they could move into the rental apartment.
I sat and watched the Manchester City vs Manchester United FA Cup Final on the television. Manchester City won the final 2-1, which meant that next season, the opening game of the season, the Charity Shield, would be between Manchester City and Arsenal at Wembley. I got myself steak and salad for dinner, and whilst preparing it, I noticed that Karen and Brett had left some of their grocery shopping in my house, so I took it down to them.
Whilst we sat there talking, Karen produced a parcel for me. It was all wrapped up and addressed correctly, and she told me that she had sent it to me around three years ago, but the parcel had been returned to them undelivered. We don't know why it hadn't been delivered; it was addressed correctly. Anyway, I had a new, old present to unwrap and I had a nice new shirt when I did unwrap it. It came at a good time as I intend to throw out a lot of my old clothes in the next few weeks. I have been reviewing some old photos and noticed that some of my shirts are older than time and need replacing.
I watched a little television this evening before bed around 1 am.
Sunday, 4th June.
I woke up at around 7 am. I finished the work on my website for my cruise around the Mediterranean in May and then went down to see if my sister was okay in the apartment she was renting below me. They had a couple of problems with door locks, and I told them to let the owner know immediately so they don't get billed for a repair. After speaking to my sister, I walked to the Buena Vista Restaurant for a tostada and a coffee. I sat there reading my Kindle for a while before returning to my apartment to be picked up later by June for Sunday lunch at Campbells' bar in Roda.
June picked me up at 12:45 pm, and we went straight to Campbells for dinner. I ordered the roast lamb, and June had the chicken. This was no surprise to anyone as it is what we have every week. As always, our food was very good, and the service was great. We chatted for a while afterwards before June dropped me off at home.
I watched a TV program called The King of Harlem this evening and during the night. It is based on a true story about a man in Harlem, New York, USA, who ran one of the crime gangs. If you haven't seen it, it is well worth watching.