Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: This week I spent time with friends, continued my genealogy research, sorted out my holiday money, enjoyed some good food, replaced a faulty printer, and watched Arsenal’s youngsters shine. I also made more progress on my website and cooked a few homemade meals.
Monday, 23rd September
I was up early, had coffee and porridge with bananas, walnuts and cherries, then did Wordle and some genealogy before heading to meet Martin. I sat at La Sombre with Martin, Dave, Lesley, Viv, Aria and Kate until 14:30, chatting about my research and having a few beers.
On the way home, I passed La Zona and, for the first time in months, the gate was open. I stopped for a beer and chatted with friends I had not seen for ages, including Sean, Mike, Dave and Julia. I explained why I had stopped going, and Sean offered to pick me up for the quiz on Thursday. I agreed.
Back home, I had dinner and continued my family tree research until 22:00.
Tuesday, 24th September
I had coffee and porridge, did Wordle and worked on my family tree until 11:00. I took rubbish out and went to Mercadona for groceries. Before meeting Martin, I ate a large cheese and bacon burger I had bought by mistake. It was labelled Angus, but unless the cow was called Angus, it definitely wasn’t.
I sat with Martin and Dave at La Sombre. While we talked, Eurochange rang to say my Japanese Yen had arrived. I told them I would collect it tomorrow. I went home, put my shopping away and spent the rest of the day doing genealogy before going to bed at 22:00.
Wednesday, 25th September
I woke at 05:30, had coffee and got stuck into genealogy until I suddenly remembered at 11:00 that I needed to collect my Yen. I showered and went straight there. I took the money home immediately rather than risk carrying it around.
I added more cousins to my website and linked to a page explaining cousin relationships. In the evening, I watched Arsenal vs Bolton in the Carabao Cup. Arsenal fielded a very young team, including 16‑year‑old Jack Porter making his debut. He conceded a goal, but it was unstoppable. Arsenal won 5-1, and the youngsters were excellent, especially Ethan Nwaneri, who scored twice.
Thursday, 26th September
I had coffee and checked my email. Air France had sent my tickets for Japan, and I was able to reserve my seat. I upgraded to an aisle seat near the front for the long Paris to Tokyo flight.
At 11:15, I met my cousin Jill at Chispazo for coffee. Peter joined us, and we chatted for about an hour. On the way home, I stopped at Buen Sabor and bought two meals for €11. I ate the eggplant dish for lunch and saved the pork for later.
At 14:45, Sean picked me up for the quiz at La Zona. The gate was closed again, making access difficult. The quiz was late starting, but we had a good laugh. We didn’t come last, which was the main thing. Sean offered to pick me up again next week.
Back home, I reheated the pork meal, which was delicious, then worked on my computer until midnight.
Friday, 27th September
I woke at 08:00, had coffee and a bacon and avocado sandwich. My new printer was not feeding paper properly, so I arranged a return with Amazon. I ordered a different, cheaper printer that looked better suited to my needs.
I spent the rest of the day working on my website and genealogy, combining the two as I added new information to my site.
Saturday, 28th September
I woke at 06:45, had coffee and porridge, did Wordle and stripped my bed. I ran the washing machine and dishwasher, then worked on my website while waiting for the new printer.
The printer arrived and was much easier to set up than the expensive Epson I returned. The new Canon cost €61 and worked perfectly. It just shows that a higher price does not always mean a better product.
Before the football, I made three large cottage pies. I substituted Worcestershire sauce with sweet chilli sauce and discovered the mince was mixed beef and pork. They still tasted fantastic.
I watched Arsenal vs Leicester. Arsenal led 2-0 at halftime, but Leicester equalised quickly in the second half. Arsenal scored twice in injury time to win 4-2. After the match, I chatted with distant cousins in Australia, Wales and America while doing more genealogy. I froze two cottage pies and watched MOTD before bed.
Sunday, 29th September
I woke at 07:00, had coffee and worked on my website. At 11:00, I made a large batch of soup using butternut squash, leeks, onion and mushrooms. It turned out lovely, and I froze several portions.
I watched bits of football but spent most of the day helping a distant relative in America with her family tree. When I looked up, it was 01:00. I turned off the laptop and went to bed.
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