Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: This week I walked more than usual, cooked plenty of homemade food, met friends for coffees and meals, dealt with a chaotic bus journey, battled cold mornings and made more breakthroughs in my genealogy research. I also booked another concert for next year, fought with my bank again and spent a lot of time updating my website.
Monday, 25th November
I slept well and woke at 07:30. After coffee, I posted last week’s blog page and checked on my delayed printer ink delivery. For breakfast, I made a bacon, egg and mushroom roll. I then made the final payment for my India holiday and printed a seven‑generation report of Martin’s family tree to take with me.
I met Martin and Dave at La Sombre. A UPS driver arrived, and I asked him about my ink. He confirmed it would arrive tomorrow and said he would call me first. After Aria arrived, I walked to Avenida Café to meet George and Yvonne. George offered to take me to Cartagena for my vaccination appointment in December.
Back home, I put the heating on and arranged to meet Debbie tomorrow. I spent the evening doing genealogy and went to bed at midnight.
Tuesday, 26th November
I woke tired and needed two coffees before Wordle. I stayed home to wait for the UPS delivery. The driver called at 11:30, and I collected the ink. After working on my website, I walked along the beachfront to meet Debbie.
We had coffee at La Estribor and then went to Ramón’s for the menu of the day. I had soup, pork fillets with chips and cheesecake, plus Debbie’s whisky ice cream. After lunch, I stopped at J&G for a quick pint before walking home.
In the evening, I watched Sporting CP vs Arsenal. I expected a tough match, but Arsenal were superb and won 1-5. I went to bed smiling.
Wednesday, 27th November
I woke, had coffee and did Wordle. The postman delivered a debit card from England, but it was an old cancelled one. Shortly after, JustYou emailed to confirm my India holiday payment and sent all my documents. I looked at the hotels and was pleased to see I have executive lounge access at Heathrow and pre‑booked assistance.
It was cold and grey, so I put the heating on and spent the afternoon researching my family tree. Breaking through a brick wall always brings hundreds of new relatives into view. I also played Civilization VI for a few hours.
I watched the first half of Liverpool vs Real Madrid, but it was 0-0 and my eyes were sore, so I went to bed at 22:00.
Thursday, 28th November
I woke just after 08:00, had coffee and did Wordle. After a shower, I took recycling out and went to Mercadona for coffee and groceries. I bought fresh orange juice and coriander to make carrot, coriander and orange soup tomorrow.
Back home, I ate a €3 cheeseburger from Mercadona, which is far better value than fast food. I spent the afternoon playing Civilization VI. In the evening, I saw that Simple Minds are playing in Murcia next July, so I booked a ticket and messaged my old mate Dave Hardy. He wanted to go too, so I booked another ticket.
My apartment was cold again, so I put the bedroom heater on. Before bed, Gail messaged asking me to get her a Lionel Richie ticket. I told her to remind me in the morning.
Friday, 29th November
I didn’t sleep well. Something I ate went straight through me, and I was up several times in the night. I spent the morning close to the toilet. I changed my hotel booking for the Simple Minds trip to a room for two and messaged Dave.
I had porridge with honey, fell asleep, woke up, had more porridge and slept again. By late morning, I felt a bit better but still weak. I spent the day watching films and eating small meals. I tried to watch Brighton vs Southampton but went to bed before halftime.
Saturday, 30th November
I woke feeling much better. I stripped my bed and put the linen in the wash. After coffee and Wordle, I worked on my Japan notes and genealogy. I discovered more information about my 3rd great‑grandfather Charles Jones and five more of his ten children.
I updated my website and cooked fish and chips before watching West Ham vs Arsenal. Arsenal were brilliant in the first half, leading 0-4 after 36 minutes. West Ham scored twice, but Arsenal added a fifth. The game finished West Ham 2, Arsenal 5. I watched it again on MOTD before bed.
Sunday, 1st December
I had coffee and installed an icon package on my website. I backed up the site and asked the hosts to install it. They broke the site completely. After a few hours, they fixed it, but the package still didn’t work properly. I rolled the site back myself and installed the icons directly from FontAwesome. Not ideal, but it works for now.
I watched Liverpool vs Manchester City. Liverpool won 2-0 and made City look ordinary. Afterwards, I bought a Civilization VI add‑on and played for a while. I went to bed just after midnight.
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