Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of better sleep, long hours of website work, photo tag clean‑ups, physiotherapy, a difficult trip to Cartagena, stomach trouble, football, new software, and the arrival of your new suitcase. You also enjoyed evenings with friends and kept pushing forward with your projects despite the heat and exhaustion.
Monday, 26th August
I finally slept well for the first time in a while. The summer visitors from Murcia and Madrid must be heading home. I woke at 07:30 feeling refreshed, had coffee and checked my messages. I continued the long job of removing tags from my photos until 11:40, then went to meet Martin at the office. Dave and Rob joined us, and we talked until 16:00.
I stopped at Mercadona for rolls, but they had sold out of the crusty ones I like. Back home, I continued working on my photos while the computer updated the tags. In the evening, I watched English police programmes and was glad I left the UK when I did.
I received a reply from the Joomla extension developer. He found that a recent Joomla update had caused the error I reported. He fixed it and sent out an update. I installed it, and the problem disappeared. I was glad I had not rolled my site back.
Tuesday, 27th August
I slept well again and woke at 07:30. After coffee and messages, I worked on my images until 11:30, then met Martin and Dave at the office. We finished early and I went to Economy Cash to collect an Amazon parcel. It was a power lead for my old external hard drive, but I realised I no longer had a spare ethernet cable, so I ordered one for tomorrow.
In the evening, I continued untagging images while watching sports news. Arsenal announced the signing of Mikel Merino, which pleased me. They also sold Charlie Patino and look set to sell Eddie Nketiah. I hope they make a big signing before the window closes.
Wednesday, 28th August
I woke at 07:30, had coffee and did Wordle. After a shower, I went to the post office but had no mail, which was annoying because I am waiting for my new Spanish health card. I stopped at La Playa bar for coffee with Connie and Bob.
I went to a barber for a head shave and beard trim. It was my first time having it done with a cutthroat blade. The beard was shorter than I wanted, but it will grow back. I went to Economy Cash for a parcel, but it had not arrived yet. My scooter battery was low, and I only just made it home. I made cheeseburgers for lunch and worked on my photos.
In the evening, my stomach suddenly went bad. I spent most of the night running to the toilet and went to bed early.
Thursday, 29th August
I had a terrible night with stomach trouble and noisy kids outside. When my alarm went off at 06:30, I got up. I could not rearrange my vaccination appointment in Cartagena, so I got ready to go. I avoided coffee and packed a toilet roll just in case.
Lisa picked me up, and we took the train from Los Nietos to Cartagena. As we walked near the police station, a man was shouting at six police officers, and a van and car tried to squeeze past in the pedestrian area. In the chaos, I lost sight of Lisa and panicked. Instead of calling her, I followed Google Maps to the wrong address.
Lisa eventually rang me, and I realised I had gone to the wrong clinic. I walked to the correct one, puffing like a steam train. The receptionist knew who I was, and I was soon taken in for my travel vaccination advice. I need tetanus, hepatitis A and tablets for typhoid, but not yellow fever.
Afterwards, Lisa and I went for a drink. I only had water and had to run to the toilet again. We walked through the shops, but I felt worse with the heat and lack of water. Lisa patiently helped me back to the station. On the train, I cooled down and felt a little better. She drove me home, and I spent the evening drifting in and out of sleep, still running to the bathroom. I went to bed at 20:00, woke at 22:00 to do Wordle, then went back to bed.
Friday, 30th August
I woke several times during the night but got up at 06:45. I sipped water and checked messages. At 08:00, I tried toast with honey and was relieved it stayed down. I avoided coffee and spent the day watching the transfer show on TV. I ate more toast and later had a protein shake with banana and cherries. I went to bed at 23:00.
Saturday, 31st August
I woke at 05:30 because of noisy kids again. I got up at 06:30, had toast with honey and checked football news. Arsenal loaned Neto and Raheem Sterling. Sterling should be a good signing.
At 10:00, I went to Economy Cash for green tea and Amazon parcels. I stripped my bed and put the linen in the washing machine. I watched Arsenal vs Brighton. It finished 1-1, and Declan Rice was sent off unfairly. Brighton players got away with worse. After the match, I discovered the washing machine had stopped, so I restarted it.
I watched West Ham vs Manchester City. Haaland already has seven goals in three games. My stomach still felt off, but I managed a chicken burger and toast. I stayed awake until midnight, then remembered the sheets were still in the machine. Luckily, they were clean and dry. I made the bed and fell asleep instantly.
Sunday, 1st September
I slept fairly well but was woken several times by noisy kids and a loud motorbike. I got up at 07:30, took my tablets and did Wordle. I had toast with honey and put towels in the washing machine.
I watched a beginner tutorial for Affinity Photo, which was excellent. Later, I worked on my genealogy pages after hearing from a third cousin once removed. I added more relatives to my family tree and resisted buying another Ancestry subscription.
While waiting for a report to finish running on my website, I realised it was already Monday and did Wordle again. I managed it, but only just.
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