This week I started to swim a bit more in the mornings. My sister Karen was staying in Los Alcazares for a week & she joined me several times to feed the fish. I bought a few things for my apartment that will make my life a bit easier but generally, I just took it easy.

Week 23 of 2023.

Monday, 5th June.

I woke up around 7 am & pottered about working on my computer until around 8 am when I had to prepare for my visit to the Doctor this morning. First of all, I had to collect a urine sample, no problem, I had been given a small pot to pee in, that was easy. Next, I had to collect two stool samples. I have reached the grand old age of 56 & never before had to collect a stool sample, how the hell was I supposed to know how to get a walnut size piece of poo in a pot the third of the size of a coffee mug?

I considered the scoop from the bowl method but the sample couldn't get wet so that was out of the question. I considered the squat & aim method but decided that was very hit-or-miss & could get very messy if my aim & control wasn't very good. I couldn't think of a good method so I Googled ´stool collection´, you can imagine some of the weird & wonderful methods Google supplied. The advice from the NHS website said to use the hat provided with the collection kit.

I hadn't been provided with a hat & I decided I wasn't going to take a crap in any of my hats, it didn't matter how much I scrubbed them afterwards I wouldn't want to put them on my head again. Another suggestion said to put clingfilm over the toilet bowl & to collect the sample in the cling film. This seemed like a good idea but my cling film was quite narrow & wouldn't stretch across the toilet bowl without breaking. I was at a loss & I sat on the bidet staring at the toilet bowl next to me wondering what to do. I suddenly had a Eureka moment. I had never really seen a point in the humble bidet, I always washed my feet in the shower. It did however now throw up a solution, I could lay clingfilm in it & use it to catch the stool sample & then thoroughly clean the bidet with warm water, disinfectant, more disinfectant, more warm water & then a last lot of hot water.

When I was eventually happy with my two walnut-size pieces of crap & my nice warm urine sample, I placed all of the samples in the bag provided by the surgery & travelled there on my disability scooter, making sure not to go too fast over any speed bumps. Any fallout caused by a bump or collision could have caused a catastrophic ecological disaster to the delicate balance of the local ecosystem. When I went into the surgery I was seen almost immediately & the nurse took my samples & stuck preprinted computer labels on each sample bottle before placing them in a fridge. I just hope it's not the same fridge the staff keep their lemonade & chocolate spread sandwiches for the morning break.

We then started sorting through different size needles to take blood samples. I am used to having my blood taken as I have it done monthly to get my Sintrom tablet dose correct. I have never seen such a large vial attached to a needle before though, this was going to be very draining. Luckily for me, the nurse listened to me when I explained I have very poor veins & stuck the needle in my arm where I told him the best spot for blood would be. The blood flowed slowly at first but soon filled up the vial & was transferred into six smaller vials to have different tests run on it.

I was soon leaving the Doctor & headed back towards my apartment. As I approached my apartment I saw my sister Karen & her partner Brett, they were going swimming & feeding the fish some bread. I had a chat with them before heading off to get some breakfast at Buena Vista restaurant. When I arrived at the restaurant they were only just opening up so I went home & collected the bags of recycled refuse I had at home & took the rubbish to the local recycling bins. I then carried onto the Economy Cash supermarket to get a few groceries. When I had my groceries I went back to the restaurant & had a cooked breakfast & a couple of coffees whilst I read my Kindle.

After breakfast, I took my shopping home & then set off to see Martin at the office. We were soon joined by Dave & were quietly chatting when Dave's wife, Viv turned up. Unfortunately, she had thought it was bring your child to work day. Our normal high-level management meeting soon became a noisy gathering as our numbers were swelled by Viv, her son Sean & her daughter Vicky & two grandchildren. Now we are officially in the summer the school bus arrived an hour earlier than winter time & our number was joined by Aria, Martin's daughter & shortly after by Kate, Martin's wife.

The office isn't built to hold large meetings like this & the management meeting couldn't go on with this number of participants all trying to get their point of view across. The meeting eventually broke up & all of the late arrivals left leaving myself & Martin alone to make some last-minute high-level business decisions before we also left to go home.

As I approached my apartment I saw some of my neighbours, John, Richard & Val outside the apartment block & stopped for a chat with them. Just after John left my sister arrived & I introduced her to Richard & Val. As the four of us started chatting my friend Jan walked past & I introduced her to my sister. We all chatted for a while before we all headed off home.

This evening I walked down to see Karen, Brett & Holly in the apartment they were renting & we had a drink & a chat before they went off for dinner. They did invite me to go along but I already had plans for my dinner with a nice bit of steak already waiting for me in my apartment. After eating dinner I watched TV for a while & had an early night, going to bed around 10 pm.

Tuesday, 6th June.

I woke around 7 am & got myself a drink of cold tea before sitting to work on my computer for a couple of hours. At around 9:30 am, I took some stale bread down to the Mar Menor to feed the fish. After feeding all my bread to the fish I swam out to the rocks about 200 m from the beach. I sat on the rocks for a while before swimming back into the shore & then sitting in the shallow water whilst the fish swam in circles around me.

After my swim, I went back to my apartment, took a shower & got ready to go to the office this morning. At about 11:45 am I got on my disability scooter & went to the office. Martin & I were joined by Dave & we sat chatting for a couple of hours before heading off in different directions. When I left I headed towards La Playa bar. I was making a delivery to Paul who works behind the bar. His wife Wendy, swam the across the Mar Menor for charity last week but on her journey across was stung by jellyfish. I had been stung by jellyfish a couple of times whilst swimming & my Doctor had prescribed me some gel to rub into it to help the pain & the itch. I still had the gel at home & was passing it on to her to use, I hope it helps Wendy.

I met a few friends in La Playa bar & had a chat before leaving to go back to my apartment & later going out for a meal with Karen, Brett & Holly. We all walked to El Patio II for a meal at 8:30 pm. I hadn't been to the restaurant for a long time & I was pleasantly surprised by how the outside courtyard had been improved. First, we had a few different things we could all try. We had potato & ham croquettes,  garlic prawns, baby squid in batter, potatoes in garlic & vinegar & a large salad. For my main meal, I had a lamb shoulder, it was gorgeous but was so big I couldn't eat it all.  We washed our meals down with a bottle of rose wine before leaving. On the way home we stopped off at Rocco´s bar for a drink. Whilst Bret & Holly honed their pool skills, Karen & I sat chatting outside. 

When we got back to the apartment we all said goodnight & returned home. As I got to my apartment door I found a large box on my front door mat, it was a delivery of coffee. It should keep me going for about 6 months if not more. I was shattered after all the walking & after getting some water to drink I went straight to bed.

Wednesday, 7th June.

I woke around 7:30 am this morning but seemed to have no energy. I checked online & the results from my tests at the Doctor's are back. I do not understand them so I will have to go to the Doctor for an explanation. I have another delivery arriving today so I won't be going far, I will have to walk to the Doctors surgery tomorrow.

This evening Brett came up to my apartment & helped me move some furniture around in my apartment. It looks much better now & is a lot more usable for me, it is beginning to resemble a proper man cave these days. All I have to do now is tidy up the leads & things that I keep hanging around just in case I need them.

My delivery from Amazon arrived at around 7 pm, just as I had sat down with my dinner. At least I now have toilet rolls for the next year. Tonight I sat & watched the Fiorentina v West Ham UEFA Europa Conference League, Final. It wasn't the best game to watch with very little goal-mouth action but I was pleased to see West Ham win their first piece of silverware in 43 years. I was also pleased to see their Captain Declan Rice, come through the game uninjured, according to reports, rumours & gossip there is a good chance that he will shortly be joining Arsenal. Well done the Hammers.

Thursday, 8th June.

I woke up around 8 am today. It was overcast & a bit clammy as I sat down at my computer with a Ginseng Coffee. I do like Ginseng Coffee, if you've never tried it, buy some & give it a go, it does wake you up in the morning & clear your head quickly. I sat working at my computer for a while before going out on my disability scooter.

This morning I went to the local Dia store, I like the Muelsi they sell with fruit already in it & want to get some for my breakfast. After getting the Muelsli I went along to the Doctors surgery to make an appointment to see the Doctor. I wanted to check what the results from all the tests I had on Monday, actually mean. I made an appointment for Monday next week & then went across the road to A Time 4 A Change to pick up a small bread maker that I had bought. When I had collected it I went to the Bodega Mar Menor to get something called Gulf. It is like Baileys but is brandy based instead of whisky based & is for a friend who likes it.

When I got back to my apartment I filled in a return form on Amazon to return some pads that I had bought for my new washer/dryer but didn't need. Whilst on Amazon I also ordered a new dishwasher. My old dishwasher broke down earlier in the year & I have been getting by without one but decided to get myself a new one. I picked a good make & model after reading lots of reviews, & arranged for it to be delivered & fitted next Tuesday. As soon as this had been done I dropped some rubbish at the bins & was going to the post office to drop off the parcel for Amazon but realised my disability scooter wouldn't get me there & back. I returned home & as my sister, Karen & her partner Brett, are staying in an apartment below me at the moment I got Brett to take me to the post office to drop the parcel off. When this had been done Brett helped me drop off an old cupboard at the recycling bins as well.

Once home I messaged a friend that I would buy a bed from him to replace mine before going back online & ordering some baskets to use for storage in my kitchen. Hopefully, before I go away to see Bob Dylan next week, my apartment will be tidy & have a new dishwasher & some new baskets to use for storage.

This evening, Karen, Bret, Holly & I walked along to the Buena Vista Restaurant. We had an International mix of food between us. I had an all-Indian meal with a Prawn Puri starter & a Roghan Josh curry, Bret, Karen & Holly had a mix between them & had Mexican starters & a mix of Mexican, Indian & Italian main courses. All the food was very good as usual & after Bret forced me to have ice cream for dessert we walked the short distance home. It is great to have a nice restaurant within a few minutes' walk of my home on the beachfront. Once home I watched an episode of The Godfather of Harlem on TV before going to bed.

Friday, 9th June.

Today I woke up at around 7:15 am, I got myself a ginseng coffee, checked my email & messages on my computer & went down to the Mar Menor for a morning swim at around 8:30 am. Brett was already swimming in the sea & I sat in the water watching the fish swim around me & as I sat there my sister Karen arrived with some bread so I could feed the fish. After I fed the fish I swam out to the rocks, I sat on the rocks watching the joggers & walkers going up & down the promenade before swimming back to the shore.

After my swim, I went back to my apartment & took a shower before checking my computer for messages. I walked down to the chiringuito for a coffee & tostada at around 10:45 am. I was ambushed on my way to the chiringuito & ended up sitting with my sister outside the apartment she has been renting. We sat for a couple of hours before I went back inside out of the sun. Even after living here for 8 years, I seem to burn quickly, I cover up with a factor 50 sun cream but my nose still looks like a red Belisha beacon if I sit in the sun for too long.

This evening I had intended to go with Karen, Brett & Holly for a drink but unfortunately for me, the suncream I had put on my head, had mixed with the sweat on my forehead & run into my eyes. This caused my eyes to sting like crazy all evening & I couldn't see properly so I decided to stay in.

Saturday, 10th June.

I woke up around 7 am today. At about 8:30 am, I went for a swim in the Mar Menor. As I sat in the water allowing my body to get used to the temperature before swimming, the fish started to congregate around me. My sister arrived a little while later carrying some bread & she threw it to me so I could feed the fish. The fish ate the bread right out of my hands, some people walking along the promenade even stopped to film me feeding the hundreds of fish that were swimming around me. When I had run out of bread I swam to the rocks & back before going back to my apartment.

I showered & then covered myself in sun cream again before going back down to the promenade to sit with Karen, Brett & Holly. I sat reading my Kindle & as we sat there a very posh horse & trap came down to Plaza de Espejo with a newly married couple in it. A page boy helped them out of the cart & they spent some time there posing for wedding photos before climbing back in & departing.

I saw my neighbours Richard & Val & had a short chat with them before I went back to my apartment for something to eat. After eating I sat on my balcony & finished reading the book I had been reading about drug cartels in Columbia. It was a factual documentary rather than a fantasy story & it still amazes me how corrupt the American government & American law enforcement agencies are. American tax money is given to drug cartels to help them wage war on their governments. This is done so that the USA can get leaders in these countries that they can control & stop Communist governments from taking over. The book I read was called The Cali Cartel Beyond Narcos & was by Shaun Attwood.

My sister Karen & her family left this evening to go back to England & after they left I walked down to La Playa bar to meet my friend Vince for a drink, a chat & to watch the Manchester City v Inter Milan European Champions final. We seemed to be chatting more than watching the football. Halfway through the game, Vince's phone rang & he had to leave immediately because his wife Jan had taken a fall & had probably broken her arm.

Manchester City was good in the first half & took a 1-0 lead but Inter Milan was the better team in the second half. Manchester City held on for a 1-0 win & by winning they completed the great feet of winning three competitions in the same season, they had won the treble, the Premier League, the FA Cup & the European Champions League, well done City. After the game finished I left the bar, walked home & went straight to bed.

Sunday, 11th June.

I didn't wake up until around 9 am this morning, very late for me. I got myself a coffee & sat at my computer to read my messages. I had intended to go for my morning swim but I lost track of time & at about 11 am I thought I had better get ready to go out for lunch with June later.

June picked me up at 12:45 to go to lunch at Campbell's. We had a great meal & when we left June drove me to a pharmacy in San Javier so that I could get my tablets for the coming month. After picking my tablets up & going to the ATM to get some money, June dropped me off at my apartment. When I got in I had a message from Vince & his wife Jan had broken her elbow last night, I hope they can fix it for her & give her adequate pain killers.

I had intended to go to La Playa bar tonight but somehow I had managed to twist my knee today & it was very sore. Instead of going out I stayed at home & watched some films on the TV.