Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of swimming, salads, cherries, website work, Thai meals, football drama, heatwaves, late‑night coding, and the excitement of England reaching the Euro final, followed by the disappointment of watching them lose to Spain. I also booked a Japan tour, reconnected with old friends, and kept daily routines going despite the heat.
Monday, 8th July
I woke around 08:00, had coffee, checked messages and did Wordle before heading out on my disability scooter. I picked up my sintrom tablets from the pharmacy, then went to Aldi for two salad bowls for the next couple of days.
I met Mike in Los Narejos, had coffee and collected details of the giant Rockola jukebox he wants to sell. After he left, I chatted with the others outside the café until 11:50, then went to meet Martin at La Sombre Pizzeria. Debbie joined us for a while, and later Kate and Aria arrived.
We all decided to go to Thai Aroi for lunch. I went home to change my T‑shirt and met them there. Aria ran over to hug me. We sat inside because of the heat. I ordered Pad Thai Kung, full of flavour and absolutely delicious. Kate, Aria and I had tapioca pudding afterwards. I must find a recipe for it.
Back home, I realised I’d left my salad on the scooter, so I put it in the fridge, got a cold drink and promptly fell asleep in the chair. I watched TV in the evening and went to bed around 23:00.
Tuesday, 9th July
I woke at 07:00, had coffee and Wordle, and set Peggy the robot hoover off. I found another box of cables to sort through, a job for another day.
I went to Economy Cash to collect an Amazon parcel and do some shopping. I had to change phone settings to get the Amazon app to work, but I managed it. Inside the shop, I saw a woman wearing a stretched leotard and nylon stockings, not a good look. It made me even more determined to lose weight.
I went to the Tuesday market and bought two kilos of cherries, oranges, carrots and apples. At home, I washed and destoned the cherries, 45 minutes of work, and froze them for pies and jam. I plan to make carrot, coriander and orange soup next week.
In the evening, I watched France vs Spain. Lamine Yamal scored a stunning goal at only 16 years old. Spain won 2–1. I hoped England would beat Holland tomorrow to set up a Spain vs England final.
Wednesday, 10th July
I woke at 07:15, had coffee and Wordle, then went for my first swim of the year in the Mar Menor. I fed bread to the fish, then swam out past the rocks without realising I’d drifted through the gap. I turned back and swam to shore, enjoying the fish, crabs and jellyfish along the way.
The foot showers weren’t working, so I dried off on the wall and walked home. I washed my feet, had a foot massage, took my tablets and ate porridge with banana, peanuts, raisins and honey. After a shower, I juiced the oranges I bought yesterday.
I watched educational videos, had a salad for lunch and napped. In the evening, I heard from Mel, a friend from my 2014 China trip — great to reconnect.
I paid the final balance for my Japan holiday, then watched England vs Holland. Holland scored first, England equalised with a penalty that should never have been given, and Ollie Watkins scored a brilliant late winner. England won 2–1 and reached the final against Spain.
Thursday, 11th July
I didn’t sleep well and woke several times. I got up at 07:30, had coffee and orange juice, then went for another swim. I fed the fish again and swam to the rocks and back a few times.
Back home, I made a short animated cowboy joke video and posted it online. I had porridge at midday and spent the rest of the day catnapping and watching TV.
Friday, 12th July
I woke several times in the night because of the heat and noisy kids in Plaza de Espejo. I need to start leaving the air conditioning on overnight.
I got up at 07:50, had coffee, Wordle and orange juice, then went for another swim. After showering, I went to Economy Cash for groceries.
At home, I spent hours trying to fix article tag URLs on my website. After failing to find a solution, I posted on a Joomla forum. Within ten minutes, Per Yngve Berg replied with the answer. A true Joomla master.
I was so excited that I worked on my website until 01:30.
Saturday, 13th July
I woke at 08:15, had coffee and put washing on. After breakfast, I worked on my website all day, adding tags and editing graphical displays. I didn’t stop until 02:00.
Sunday, 14th July
I woke after 09:00, stripped the bed and washed the linen. Some sheets still had blood stains from my leg wound and needed rewashing.
I spent the day editing my Hawaii and Alaska cruise videos and uploaded them to YouTube. I added them to my website pages for Honolulu and Waimea Canyon.
For lunch, I mixed salad with tuna and mussels. I had porridge later because I was still hungry.
In the evening, I watched Spain beat England 2–1. England sat back again and wasted their talent. I hope Gareth Southgate resigns and Harry Kane retires from international football so a new manager can rebuild properly.
After the match, I watched the news about the attempted attack on Donald Trump. Then I had a design idea for my website and worked on it until 02:00.
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