I seemed to spend the first part of this week waiting for deliveries or people coming to my apartment for some reason, and at the end of the week, I travelled to Murcia to see one of my favourite groups, Simply Red, in concert.
Monday, 31st July.
I woke up at about 7:30 am today. I had a coffee and sat at my computer, checking my messages and updating my website. I finally left my apartment at about 11:40 am. I took some rubbish to the bin and then continued to Los Narejos to meet Martin at Pizzeria la Sombre. David met us and had a few quiet beers before Viv and her family arrived, swelling the number of people at our office meeting considerably.
When the meeting broke up, I went straight home. At around 6 pm, I got myself something to eat before crashing on the sofa for an evening of Yellowstone on the television. I am slowly making my way through all the programs made.
Tuesday, 1st August.
I woke at 7:30 am. I got myself a coffee and some orange juice and sat down at my computer to work on maintaining my indexed pages on Microsoft Bing and Google search engines. After doing as much of this job as allowed in one go, I started to work on my family tree research, adding death dates to many of my ancestors on the corresponding pages on my website.
At about 2 pm, one of my deliveries arrived. It was two pairs of swim shorts that had images of seahorses on them, which were very apt for my swims in the Mar Menor. I got myself a pizza for lunch before continuing to work on my genealogy.
I worked on my family tree until another of my deliveries arrived at about 4 pm. This time, it was the beer I had ordered from Amazon. I have taken a liking to San Miguel Radler and can't find it anywhere locally, so have it delivered by Amazon. After I had collected my delivery, I sat in front of the television to watch television for the evening.
At about 5 pm, another delivery arrived. This time, it was a shirt I had ordered with an Arsenal pattern/design on it. I like Amazon because at least you know the day it will arrive, but the other two deliveries today were not expected because I wasn't notified when they would arrive. I am glad that I have no other deliveries expected. I will try to stop buying things I don't need when bored.
This evening, I waited for the Arsenal game, hoping that I would be able to watch it on television. After not finding it, I checked what time the game kicked off and found that the game kicks off tomorrow.
I watched television till 11 pm, then put my dishwasher on to run overnight during the cheaper electric period.
Wednesday, 2nd August.
I woke at 7 am this morning. I got a coffee and settled down at my computer to work on indexing my website pages on Google. At 9:30 am, I got some cereal and got ready for the arrival of my financial advisor, with whom I had a 10 am appointment at the apartment.
By 11:15 am, the financial advisor had not arrived, and I sent him a concise, well-worded email querying his tardiness. I settled down at my computer and spent the day working on my family tree. At around 3 pm, I had a phone call from the financial advisors' clerk. He apologised and explained that he had forgotten to pass my details along to the man I should have been talking to. He explained that he wouldn't be calling my apartment anyway and that they only do phone calls or Zoom meetings now. I would expect a monthly in-person meeting for the money they take from me. As soon as my financial packages conclude, I will close all my accounts with them and continue to make my investments alone. The ones I have done on my own seem to be faring better than the financial companies' expert picks have done, anyway.
I couldn't watch the Arsenal game on television this evening, so I watched Yellowstone. I should soon have finished all five series.
Thursday,3rd August.
I woke at around 7:30 am and got some orange juice before going to the Mar Menor for a swim. The water seemed cloudy today, and I didn't see many jellyfish floating around. I only swam to the rocks and back once this morning before returning to my apartment for a slice of toast and a coffee.
The day was again spent updating my website with some of my Genealogy research. I stopped for a short time at midday when the financial advisor I was expecting to call me yesterday rang me for a phone consultation. He apologised for the missed appointment yesterday and answered all my questions. He explained that although my current plan ran to 2024, I could cancel it or take money out at any time and that at the end of the policy term, I could leave the money where it was, earning money, but I would no longer be charged for their services. I will have to look at it again next year when it matures.
At 3 pm, I got some cream cheese and salmon on crackers for a late lunch, and then I worked on my website. At around 5:30 pm, my friends Sara and Maj knocked on my door, and we walked to the Buena Vista Restaurant, which was just a short walk along the beach. We sat talking, and I was able to relay to Maj what had happened in the AGM meeting last week and the news about the apartment demolition. Like me, she had been worried about the terminology and was relieved with the news I gave her that the apartment block would not be demolished. We sat talking about snorkelling in the Mar Menor, and I was delighted when Sara and Maj offered to take me with them to Cabo de Palos or Portman Beach the next time they go.
I broke off from working on my family tree to watch television this evening before going to bed at about 11 pm.
Friday, 4th August.
I woke up at around 7:30 am after a fitful night's sleep. I had a weird dream: I was a Whitney Houston tribute artist. I had lost my wig and jacket, and Tina Turner had given me her wig and a glittery jacket to perform in. Halfway through the act, Tina Turner joined me on stage, and we dueted and sang the song ´Rolling on the River´. As we left the arena, we got separated, and fans mobbed me, and again, I had the wig and jacket stolen. As I went in search of whoever stole the wig and jacket, I woke up. If this is Whitney and Tinas' spirit telling me they love my singing and want to perform with me, then they will have to wait a long time as I have no plans to join them for a long time.
I got a coffee and looked outside because I could hear the wind blowing. The waves on the Mar Menor were quite big, and I decided not to go swimming this morning. I worked on my website until about 1 pm, and then I stopped working, packed some clothes in a bag and got ready to leave to go to Murcia to see the group Simply Red this evening.
At 2 pm, I walked to the nearby bus stop and waited for my bus to take me to Murcia.
Saturday, 5th August.
I got off the bus from Murcia at the Town Hall in Los Alcazares at 2 pm. I walked the short distance to La Playa bar, bought a pint, and then sat at a table at the front of the bar on the beach. I quickly finished my beer and read my Kindle for a few hours before heading home.
As soon as I got home, I turned on the air conditioning to cool the apartment. In the evening, I cooked two trout fillets and ate them in a sandwich with creamed camembert cheese. I sat resting my legs and watched a film called ´ The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry´. It was a great film and one I highly recommend, but I would suggest you watch it with a box of tissues or a hanky nearby because it is very sad.
This evening, I messaged my friend Jacqui, an Arsenal fan. When we spoke last week at a party, she said she wanted to watch more Arsenal games but didn't like going to the bar alone. I asked her if she would like to meet me for the Community Shield game between Arsenal and Manchester City tomorrow.
Sunday, 6th August.
I woke around 8 am and got some orange juice before sitting at my computer to check for any messages. After reading my messages, I stripped the linen from my bed and put it in the washing machine before getting myself a coffee.
Jacqui and Alan in Harrys Bar, Los Alcazares.I spent the morning reading my Kindle. The book I am reading, ´The Illiterate Prince´, a fantasy novel, has me hooked, and I can't stop reading it. At around 4:15 pm, I walked along the beach to Rio Nalon and then to Harrys' Bar, where I watched the Arsenal vs Manchester City Community Shield game with Jacqui. To my delight, Arsenal won the match in a penalty shoot-out after the game finished in a 1-1 draw. The game was quite good, and both teams had periods where they were the better team, but in my slightly biased opinion, I think Arsenal did enough to win the game.
After the game finished, I got on the local tourist train and travelled to La Playa bar to see my friend Alan Bond, who would be there tonight. His wife Diane was running the karaoke tonight, and in my slightly tipsy state, after celebrating Arsenal's win quite hard, I got up and sang a couple of times, much to the horror of the locals. After finishing their last run of the night on the tourist train, my friends Bob and Connie came to the bar for a drink and kindly gave me a lift home at the end of the evening.
When I got home, I went straight to bed. Celebrating what I hope will be one of many wins for Arsenal this year took its toll on me, and I was asleep very quickly but very happy.