Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of blood tests, website work, cold recovery, errands, football, social evenings and two live matches in Cartagena. Your energy slowly returned, and you kept busy with small routines, friends and projects.
Monday, 8th January
I woke around 07:00, had coffee, took my tablets, showered and got ready for my blood test at the clinic around the corner. I left at 08:40 on my disability scooter. I was pleased to see the nurse who knows how difficult my veins are. It took her a couple of attempts, but she got enough blood for the test.
Back home, I charged my scooter and worked on my website. At 11:30, I went to Tecnyshop to collect an Amazon parcel, then continued to the office in Los Narejos to meet Martin. We chatted until 14:30. Martin took Aria home, and I headed back. I stopped at La Petit Bistro to chat with friends I had not seen for a while, then popped into Harry’s Bar before going home. I watched TV and went to bed.
Tuesday, 9th January
I woke around 07:00, had coffee and checked my doctor’s website for my blood test results. They were not uploaded yet. After porridge and more coffee, I checked again at 10:30 and was pleased to see the results were perfect.
I went to Economy Cash for bread and milk. When I got home, I realised I had forgotten the milk. After lunch, I added descriptions to photos on my website and indexed more pages. The temperature dropped quickly in the afternoon, so I put the heating on and watched TV under a blanket. I went to bed around 23:00 but could not sleep and think I finally drifted off around 02:00.
Wednesday, 10th January
I woke at 07:00 after a terrible night’s sleep and a horrible dream about a job interview involving climbing steep mountains with no safety gear. When the alarm woke me, I felt exhausted.
I had coffee, sorted my tablets for the month and indexed more website pages. After breakfast, I finished writing up my day at the Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden and completed the photo album.
In the afternoon, I took recycling out and went to Dia to get the milk I forgot yesterday. I had a short siesta, played a game and watched TV. Alan messaged asking if I wanted to meet tomorrow night, and I said yes if my cold continued improving. I cooked spaghetti and meatballs, saving half for tomorrow. At 22:15, I had a warm Horlicks with honey and went to bed.
Thursday, 11th January
I woke several times during the night and turned the heating up. At 07:00, I got up for coffee and porridge. After checking messages, I updated Joomla and some extensions before turning the computer off.
I read through my PIP form and filled in the updated sections. Most of it was unchanged since 2015, but I added details of operations and ongoing treatments. I scanned it for my records and put it in an envelope to post tomorrow.
I had yesterday’s leftover spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, then indexed more pages and removed old directories from Google. I had a siesta and waited for an Amazon delivery. At 18:00, I collected my new cardigan from Tecnyshop. It fitted well and was warm and lightweight.
At 19:45, I walked to La Playa bar for my friend’s daughter’s birthday party. I had a good evening catching up with people. Jim invited me to another Cartagena match on Sunday. Shellie gave me a lift home. I put the heater on and sent birthday messages before bed.
Friday, 12th January
I woke at 07:00, had coffee and watched the news before going to the post office to send my letter. I walked to Buena Vista for breakfast but realised my scooter battery was low, so I parked it in the garage and walked with my stick.
I had a cooked breakfast and read my Kindle until midday. Back home, I transferred money between bank accounts and will check tomorrow that it worked so I can close one of them.
It was cold in the apartment, so I put the heating on and stayed under a blanket watching Fast and Furious films. I went to bed around 22:30.
Saturday, 13th January
I woke around 07:30, had coffee and put washing on before having cereal. I worked on my website, then walked to Tecnyshop to collect slippers I ordered, only to realise they no longer open on Saturday mornings.
Back home, I charged my scooter and made ginger and lemon tea before typing up the page about my visit to Christ the Redeemer and Sugarloaf Mountain.
In the evening, I watched Newcastle vs Manchester City. It was an excellent match, but City’s 2–3 win is not good news for the rest of the league. They look like they are starting their usual second half of the season run early.
Sunday, 14th January
I woke at 07:30, stripped my bed and put the linen in the washing machine. After coffee and porridge, I worked on my website until midday, then hung out the washing and walked to La Playa bar.
They had run out of draft beer, so I had a small bottle while waiting for Jim. When everyone arrived, Jim introduced me to the group. I will probably only remember John’s name because he is another Arsenal fan.
Two taxis picked us up at 13:30 for Cartagena. We waited in the beer tent until the ticket office opened. Jim bought all the tickets, and we went inside. The seating layout was unclear, so the group sat in some empty seats on the front row of the upper level. No one complained, so we stayed there.
The match was excellent. Villareal B scored a penalty in the first half to lead 0–1. In the second half, Cartagena equalised with a penalty right in front of us and then scored three more goals. Cartagena won 4–1, and the atmosphere was brilliant.
After the match, we waited for the taxis and returned to La Playa bar for drinks and pizza. My leg was painful, so Shellie kindly drove me home. I put the heating on, had a coffee and a painkiller and watched films. I fell asleep on the sofa and woke early on Monday morning, then went back to sleep.
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