During week 51 of 2023, I saw a lot of friends, listened to some Christmas Carols sung by Spangles Ladies Choir and went for the Annual Christmas swim in the Mar Menor.
Monday, 18th December.
I woke up at around 7:30 am, got a coffee and worked on my website till around 10:45 am. I was happy to see the sun out this morning and decided to go out on my disability scooter and take a slow ride along the beach to the office today. I left home at about 11:10 am, and after travelling the entire length of the beach, I turned up towards the office when I got to Spinosa. I arrived at the office at 11:45 am.
When I arrived, I sat down, got my Kindle out to read, and Rosa brought me a pint. Martin was late for work and turned up at about 12:10 pm. We sat talking until Aria arrived on the school bus. We had a quick drink, and Martin got a taxi for him and Aria to go to La Petit Bistro, where Kate would be singing with Spangles. I jumped on my disability scooter and met them there.
As soon as I arrived at La Petit Bistro I went inside and found Martin and Aria sitting next to where Spangles were set up. I sat with Martin and Aria and listened to Spangles sing some Christmas Carols. Unfortunately, one lady singing next to me had to stop as they were singing. She had a bought of coughing but the rest of the group carried on and were very good. After a couple of songs, the ill lady came back and continued.
When the group finished, we moved outside and sat in the sun for a while talking. As the ladies gradually left, Kate, Martin and Aria went home, leaving me there. I went inside and sat talking to my friends Paul, John and Norma before speaking to my friend Alan when he finished calling bingo. His better half, Jackie, joined us, and we continued talking for a while before we all left to go home.
When I got home, I put the heating on, settled in front of the TV for a while and went to bed early, at around 10 pm.
Tuesday, 19th December.
When I got up this morning, I had coffee before going to Economycash to do my shopping. When I got home, I sat down at my computer, checked my messages and then worked on some of the hundreds of photos for my website.
I worked all day on my website, finishing at around 7 pm. When I finished, I watched a few hours of TV before going to bed early.
Wednesday, 20th December.
Today was another day that I didn't leave the house, and I spent all day working on my website.
Thursday, 21st December.
I got up around 6 am and continued to work on my website. At around 10 am, I took a break for coffee, and while I was looking at messages and posts on Facebook, I saw that Tom Jones was appearing in Murcia in July of next year. I have seen him in Murcia, Orlando, London and Las Vegas and love to hear him sing. I have been lucky enough to have met Tom Jones a couple of times, and in Las Vegas, he sent me a couple of beers while I watched the show. Seeing that he was appearing in Murcia, I quickly went online and booked a front-row seat for his show and got a local hotel within walking distance of the Bullring for the night. It is the first of many things I hope to be able to do next year.
After booking the show and hotel, I met my neighbour Liz, and we walked along to the Buena Vista Restaurant for breakfast. We sat talking for a few hours before leaving so that I could be home for a delivery I was expecting from Eurodrop Foods. My order was delivered shortly after I got home, and I put it all away. It should keep me going for a while, I love their bacon and Cumberland sausages and buy them in bulk.
This evening and afternoon were spent watching films on the TV.
Friday, 22nd December.
When I woke this morning, it was freezing in my bedroom, even though I had been leaving the warm air on all night. My bedroom has two large walls that are outside walls, and they stay cold for a long time. I got myself a coffee and a bacon sandwich and then sat at my computer to look for a small, efficient room heater on Amazon.
I found one that looked good, it was small and moved around on a swivel to heat different parts of the room. It also had a timer so I could leave it on and get it to turn off after a specific time. The best thing about it was that it had a thermostat that you could set so that it went off at different temperatures. It was on sale at €50, so I ordered one. I also ordered a cutlery basket for my dishwasher as I'm not too fond of the very shallow shelf it currently has for cutlery.
This afternoon, I did a lot of work on my website, finishing several pages about my holiday and then posting links to them on Facebook. At around 6:30 pm I walked along to La Playa bar to get some fresh air and to see my friend Alan. I stopped for a short time, around half an hour and then went back to my apartment to have an early night.
Saturday, 23rd December.
I woke up around 7:30 am this morning. I got a coffee and sat at my computer, reading messages and looking at what was happening in the world.
At around 11:30 am, I packed a towel, some shorts, and clothes in my rucksack and walked along the beach to Playa Carrion for this year's Christmas Swim. I arrived at Mementos Cafe expecting to get a coffee and see many people I knew sitting there. Unfortunately, it was closed. The beach had a few people on it, and the entrance to the swim was being set up, though, so I walked a bit further to a chiringuito on the beach. I had an icy coffee there, and I wouldn't be going back in a hurry. Then, I walked back to the start point of the swim.
Lots more people were milling about, and I saw a few people I knew. I asked my cousin Jill to watch my rucksack and then went in the water for a paddle. The water was freezing, and I wasn't looking forward to jumping in when the swim started. I saw my friend Andy and chatted with him before introducing him to my friend Jacqueline. I then moved to stand with my friend Craig, who was also doing the swim again.
We had to wait for quite a while, but eventually, we got to go in for the swim. Mario, Los Alcazares Mayor, led us off. He was dressed as Mario from the Mario Brothers arcade games, and he jumped in first. I was about 20 minutes behind him, and when I jumped in, the shock of the cold water was horrible. The water was very shallow this year, and I could have stood up quite quickly, but I decided to swim. It was warmer in the water than half out of it, and the wind was blowing.
As all the swimmers left the Mar Menor, we were handed a towel to dry off and keep. We were also given tickets to get chicken soup with a dumpling and churros with chocolate sauce. I queued up, got my soup and a can of beer, and quickly ate the soup and dumpling to warm me up. I then collected my churros and chocolate and collected my bag from Jill.
As I sat on the wall to eat my churros, Peter, Jill, Greg and Jenny all left, but I spoke to my friends, Sean, Michelle, Paul, and super Gooner Clare. We all chatted before they left, and as I sat there, my friend Bernice and Sharon joined me. We talked briefly and then moved along the beach to another Chiringuito. We had a beer and sat chatting about the cruises we had both been on this year. While there, I changed out of my swim shorts and put on some warmer clothing.
When we had finished our drinks, we walked along to La Encarnacion, where Bernice and Sarah had something to eat, and I had a piping hot Asiatico coffee. We sat there talking until around 3:30 pm and then walked along the beach to La Playa bar. We sat outside chatting and were joined by Dawn. We stayed outside until it started to get a bit colder, and then we moved inside.
Inside, the girls were enjoying themselves, but I decided to go home, shower and warm up. I walked home, had a hot shower, put some warmer clothes on before having a sandwich, and then walked to Rio Nalon and Harry's Bar to watch the Liverpool vs Arsenal game. As the game started, I was joined by an Irish couple, and we started chatting about football and darts. I enjoyed a great game and was glad Arsenal had held on for a 1-1 draw away at Anfield, but I was disappointed Arsenal hadn't won.
When the game finished, I said goodbye to my new friends and walked up to The Celt Bar to see if Bernice and Sarah were there for the karaoke. I didn't see them as I walked in, but I did see my friend Kristin sitting at the bar. I joined her at the bar, and we sat chatting all night. We kept discussing what song we could sing together on the karaoke but talked about it for too long, and the karaoke finished. Bernice and Sarah had been there, but I had sat with my back to them and didn't see them. Bernice approached me and said hello before she returned to Sarah, and they danced along to a singer. I continued chatting with Kristin until I realised the bar was shutting. I said goodbye and then walked back to my apartment.
When I got home, I was glad I had left my heating on as it was beginning to get very cold. I got myself a drink and then went straight to bed.
Sunday, 24th December.
I woke up this morning with a horrible cold; my nose was blocked, and I was sniffing a lot. I had nothing planned today, so I spent the whole day under a blanket on the sofa watching rubbish Christmas TV before going back to bed at about 9 pm.