Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A cold but productive week filled with website work, errands, plant‑pot hauling, new thermal clothes, football, rugby, and the excitement of preparing for your Hawaii and Alaska cruise.
Monday, 5th February
I woke around 06:30, had coffee and worked on my website before getting ready for my regular blood test. I arrived at the surgery at 08:45 and saw a new nurse. She was beautiful, and although it took her a couple of attempts to get blood, I didn’t mind. It was freezing outside, so I went home for a hot drink as soon as she finished.
At 10:20, I went to see Mike in Los Narejos and sat chatting with him, Lawrence and Christine over coffee. At midday, I visited the office to see Martin. As I am off the beer for a few weeks, I drank a large bottle of water with lemon. I left just after 14:00 and went home.
I cooked turkey breast for lunch and then ordered AA and AAA batteries from Amazon. I also ordered thermal longjohns, vests, gloves and waterproof ankle boots for Alaska. All items were scheduled to arrive on Thursday so I could check the fit before my holiday.
In the evening, I worked on my website and watched Brentford vs Manchester City. Brentford scored first, but City won 1–3. I went straight to bed afterwards.
Tuesday, 6th February
I woke at 06:30, had coffee and checked my email. Metro Bank had finally responded about the account my sister and I have been trying to close. I sent them the document they needed and told my sister.
I cooked a full English breakfast and then went to the pharmacy in Los Alcázares for tablets. On the way home, I walked through the market and looked at the fruit and vegetables. I will start using the market more often once I finish what I already have at home.
Back home, I indexed more website pages and updated descriptions on my China photo albums, including Tiananmen Square, Xi’an, the Han Yang Ling Museum and the Terracotta Warriors.
At 15:30, June took me to Ala 30 garden centre in San Javier. I bought compost for my cactus and a new plant, a Justicia Carnea, simply because it looked nice. I watched TV in the evening and went to bed at 22:00.
Wednesday, 7th February
I woke early and had coffee by 06:30. Liz messaged asking if I was going shopping and if I could pick something up for her. At 10:00, I set off on my scooter, but the battery was too low to reach Mercadona. I tried Economy Cash and Dia, but neither had what she wanted. I went home to charge the scooter and messaged Liz.
I had a cheeseburger with mushrooms for lunch and worked on my website. At 14:30, I checked the scooter and went to Mercadona to get Liz’s shopping and a few bits for myself. I dropped off her groceries and went home.
In the afternoon, I washed one of the terracotta pots and repotted the plant I bought yesterday. I placed it in the lounge where I can keep an eye on it. In the evening, I put the heating on, got under a blanket and watched TV until bed at 22:00.
Thursday, 8th February
I woke at 07:00, had coffee and checked my messages. Amazon confirmed my deliveries would arrive today. After indexing more website pages, I had porridge with banana and blueberries.
I added details to my Huangpu River Tour and Sichuan Opera photo albums, then repotted some plants on the balcony. My hands got cold from working outside, so I stopped at 12:15 and had a hot Bovril before warming up under a blanket.
I slept on the sofa until 15:00. At 16:00, my Amazon delivery arrived. The gloves and thermal clothes were excellent, but the boots were terrible, so I arranged a return and ordered a better pair.
I worked on my website in the evening and went to bed at 22:30.
Friday, 9th February
I woke at 07:00, had coffee and stayed inside because it was cold and windy. I wore my new thermal longjohns and shirt, which made a big difference. For breakfast, I had porridge with blueberries, banana, yoghurt and honey.
I finished adding descriptions to my China photo albums and began rewriting parts of my 2014 China tour. At 11:15, Jackie messaged, and we arranged to meet at Buena Vista for lunch.
At 13:00, I walked to Buena Vista and met Alan and Jackie. We sat outside under the awnings and ordered coffee. Alan and I had curries, and Jackie had tacos. All the meals were delicious.
Back home, I continued rewriting my China pages, then had a siesta. The TV signal went off in the evening, so I worked on my website until midnight before going to bed.
Saturday, 10th February
I woke at 07:00, had coffee and checked my messages. I had won €8.50 on the Euro Lottery. I posted on Facebook offering to buy one lucky person a coffee if they found me in a café this morning.
At 09:15, Liz messaged asking to go for coffee, but the free coffee had already been claimed. We went to Buena Vista anyway at 10:30. I had a cooked breakfast, and we chatted until midday.
Back home, I put washing on, tidied the kitchen and prepared vegetables for soup. As I watched the rugby, I could smell the soup cooking. Wales led briefly but lost 14–16 to England. With such a young squad, the future still looks bright.
The soup was far too bitter because I added too much garlic. I looked up how to fix it and will try adding brown sugar tomorrow. In the evening, I watched a film called The Shift. It was not brilliant but thought‑provoking.
I worked on my website until MOTD came on, watched it and went to bed.
Sunday, 11th February
I woke with my alarm, had coffee and porridge and worked on my website. I indexed more pages and updated my robots.txt file, hoping Google will remove thousands of pages that should not be indexed.
I tried to save yesterday’s soup by adding brown sugar and tomato sauce. It worked, and the soup tasted lovely. I froze the extra portions. For lunch, I had cheese and ham croquettes cooked perfectly in the air fryer.
I watched West Ham vs Arsenal. Arsenal were brilliant and won 0–6. Five different players scored, and the whole team played well.
Later, I cooked chicken and chips and watched Aston Villa vs Manchester United, which finished 1–2. Ten Hag will need time to rebuild United, just as Arteta did at Arsenal.
I watched more TV, then watched the Arsenal game again on MOTD before going to bed at midnight.
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