Location: Cosham → Poole → Bournemouth → Los Alcázares
Summary: A week of early mornings, airport queues, reunions with friends, returning home to Spain, unpacking, painkillers, a battle with a recliner chair delivery, and a lovely afternoon with friends. A busy but rewarding return to normal life.
Monday, 27th May
I woke around 05:00. My body clock still thought I was in Spain, even though the cold, damp English weather reminded me I definitely wasn’t. I made tea and indexed some website pages on my new tablet, which is perfect for travelling.
I spent the morning chatting with Karen and Brett. When Karen mentioned Cotton Traders, I said how much I liked their clothes but couldn’t get them in Spain. She told me there was a store in Port Solent, so Brett drove us there. Within 30 minutes, I had tried on several shirts and bought four new polo shirts.
At 15:00, Chris arrived to pick me up. I said goodbye to Karen and Brett, and Chris drove me to his home in Poole. His wife, Gaynor, and son, Liam, made me very welcome. Chris cooked a fantastic roast pork dinner — his roast potatoes are still the best anywhere. We chatted late into the night, even though we had to get up early for the airport.
Tuesday, 28th May
I woke at 03:15, washed, and found a cup of tea waiting for me. Chris and I left for the airport and arrived around 05:00.
There was a long queue for check‑in, but I spotted a small sign for my flight and walked straight to an empty lane. I was checked in within minutes. Security was slower, and I was irritated by two pensioners trying to take five cases and three bags onboard. Some people never read the rules.
On the plane, I chatted with a nice lady travelling to her home in Spain. The flight was smooth, and I was first off the plane. Immigration scanned my TIE card and waved me through.
I waited briefly for my case and then walked outside. I saw Steve delivering a car, then spotted Jim arriving. He drove me back to Los Alcázares and dropped me at my apartment.
I unpacked, took my tablets and went to Buena Vista for a cooked breakfast. At 11:15, I had already been up six hours. Afterwards, I met Martin and Dave at the office. Martin had bought me a T‑shirt, but Temu sent the wrong size. Aria arrived and gave me her usual cuddle.
I went with Martin and Kate to their house and they gave me a pair of sandals that fit perfectly. I then went to Economy Cash for groceries and stopped at Harry’s Bar when Andy called me over for a beer. Back home, I ate and had an early night.
Wednesday, 29th May
I woke at 07:30, had coffee and worked on my computer. I unpacked my case and made a pile of washing. My leg was very painful, so I rested most of the day and took painkillers.
The recliner company messaged asking if they could deliver the chair tomorrow. Not being fluent in Spanish, I asked Lottie to call them. She sorted it, and they confirmed delivery between 17:00 and 18:00, but only to the front door.
I contacted Bob, who agreed to help me move it. I also asked on Facebook for a sack truck. I rested for the evening and went to bed around 22:00.
Thursday, 30th May
I woke at 05:00, checked messages and had two offers of a sack truck. Alli brought one at 11:00. As she drove past, Liz came out and started shouting at her about muddy water splashing her apartment. It didn’t even reach the kerb. Liz has been rude to my friends too many times now, and I’ve decided I won’t go out of my way to help her anymore.
I returned to my apartment and began dismantling my old chair. It was harder than expected. Paul messaged and came later to help remove the last section.
At 17:00, the new chair arrived. The driver kindly used his pallet lift to put it in the basement garage. At 17:30, Bob arrived. We carried the old chair parts to the garage, unpacked the new chair and carried it upstairs. My knees were giving way by then, so Bob assembled it for me.
We took the old chair to the bins, and locals immediately took it. I wish I’d known earlier — it would have saved me hours of work.
After Bob left, I cleaned up, lay in the new chair with the heat and massage functions on, and fell asleep instantly. I woke an hour later, ate, watched TV and went to bed at 22:30.
Friday, 31st May
I woke at 07:00, had coffee and did Wordle. At 09:45, I rode to the Oasis Centre to see Mike. His friends were already there, and we sat in the shade chatting. Mike arrived shortly after.
After an hour, I left and went to Mercadona for shopping. Outside, I saw Arthur and Bubbles. They invited me to Arthur’s birthday party next week, but I’ll be in Marrakech. I hope he remembers the apple crumble he promised me.
Back home, I had lunch and fell asleep in my new chair again. I woke a couple of hours later and worked on my computer until 23:00.
Saturday, 1st June
I woke at 07:30, had coffee and worked on my website. Loud music started outside — a PSOE political event. Hundreds of chairs had been set up, and English music was blasting out, which seemed odd for a Spanish political rally.
I did washing and continued working. By evening, the music had switched to Spanish, and speeches were booming through enormous speakers. I couldn’t understand a word, but political speeches are the same everywhere — loud, self‑congratulatory and not very meaningful.
After the event ended, I had dinner, did more washing and watched TV, including The 1% Club. I answered every question except the last one. I would have taken the money too.
I went to bed afterwards.
Sunday, 2nd June
I woke at 07:30, had coffee and worked on my website. After a few hours, I had porridge with peanuts, hazelnuts, raisins, banana and honey. I updated my blog about travelling to Hawaii.
At 13:30, Jim picked me up, and we drove to Lottie’s house. We spent five hours in her beautiful garden with Alison, enjoying food, drinks and great company. We shared stories of travel and health and laughed a lot.
Jim dropped me home just before 19:00. I sank into my new recliner and fell asleep. Later, I watched Britain’s Got Talent but thought it was awful. Most contestants weren’t even British.
I went to bed tired but content. Thank you, Lottie, Alison and Jim, for a wonderful day.
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