In Week 35 of 2024, I fell ill with a bug that was doing the rounds. I did manage to go to Cartagena for an appointment at the vaccination centre to learn which vaccinations I needed from my doctor for my trip to Japan.
Monday, 26th August.
I slept well for the first time in a while last night. The people from Murcia and Madrid must be starting to head home after their summer holidays. I woke up around 7:30 and felt refreshed. I had a coffee, checked for messages on my computer and then had another coffee.
I continued the long, tedious task of removing tags from my photos on my computer and at about 11:40, I went down to my garage, got on my disability scooter and went to meet Martin at the office. We were joined by Dave and Rob and sat talking till about 4 pm. When I left, I went to Mercadona to get some rolls, but they didn't have the ones I liked, so I didn't get any. I love the crusty rolls they do, but they sell out quickly, so I will have to make do with some soft frozen rolls I have at home.
Once home, I continued to work on my photos. The computer was still running updating the image tags, so I left it to it. This evening, I watched lots of English police programs. I know that these things are very subjective, but watching them makes me so glad I left the UK when I did. As I sat watching TV, I got a reply from the developer about the Joomla extension on my website. Apparently, he wasn't aware of the error until I told him, and after an investigation, he discovered that an update to Joomla had caused the error. He made a change to the extension and sent it out. I updated the extension on my website, and the problem I had last week disappeared. I was delighted I had held off rolling back my website when I did.
Tuesday, 27th August.
Once again, last night, I had a good night's sleep. I woke up around 7:30 am, got a coffee, checked for messages and then continued working on the thousands of images I had. I worked till around 11:30 and then went to meet Martin and Dave at the office. We didn't have too much work today and left around 2 pm.
On the way home, I stopped at Economy Cash to pick up a delivery from Amazon. It is certainly easy to pick up deliveries there rather than waiting at home for a delivery or getting it delivered to places with limited opening hours. I took my parcel home, unwrapped it and checked it out. It was a new power lead for an old external hard drive I have. It was the correct size, but I then discovered that I didn't have a spare ethernet cable for it anymore as I was using it on something else. I quickly ordered one from Amazon, and it should arrive tomorrow. Hopefully, when I have it all working and set up, I'll be able to store my video files and photos separately.
I continued the untagging of my images tonight while watching the sports news on TV to see if Arsenal had bought any new players. I was delighted when they officially announced that Mikel Merino had signed up for them. He is an excellent addition to the midfield and should make them stronger going forward. They also announced the sale of another young player, Charlie Patino, and whilst it hasn't been confirmed yet, it looks like they are finally selling Eddie Nketiah. It leaves Arsenal very short of attackers, but I hope they will surprise all their fans with a big signing in the last couple of days of the transfer window.
Wednesday, 28th August.
I woke up around 7:30 am, got a coffee and sat down to work on my computer. I did the Wordle puzzle and a bit more work on my photos and images before taking a shower and then heading out on my disability scooter to see if I had any mail waiting to be picked up at the post office. On my way along the beach, I saw my friends Connie and Bob at La Playa bar, having breakfast, and I stopped for a coffee and a chat.
I didn't have any mail at the post office, which was annoying as I was waiting for my new Spanish health card. I left the post office and went to a barber near my home for a haircut. I got them to shave my head and trim and shape my beard. It was my first time having it cut with a proper cutthroat blade, and it felt pretty strange. The head shave was fine, but the beard was a bit shorter than I wanted. It grows back so quickly it will look better soon, and it is at least shaped better. I left the barber and continued to Economy Cash to pick up a parcel.
When I got to Economy Cash, I realised the parcel hadn't been delivered yet and that the message I had received said it was on its way, not that it had arrived. I bought a couple of rolls and went home. My disability scooter only just made it back as the battery was getting low.
When I got home, I made a couple of cheeseburgers and ate them before continuing to work on my photos.
This evening, my stomach started to rumble, and I had to run to the loo quickly. This continued all evening, and as soon as I sipped water, I had to run to sit on the loo even though I was only passing water. My stomach ached all evening, and I had to make regular runs to the toilet. I went to bed early to try and get some sleep.
Thursday, 29th August.
I had a lousy night's sleep. My stomach kept me running to the toilet during the night, and kids shouting outside must have woken me up three or four times. When my alarm went off at 6:30 am, I got up straight away. My stomach still didn't feel right, and I tried to rearrange my appointment at the vaccination centre in Cartagena today. I was unable to rearrange the appointment, so I got ready to go.
I didn't risk having any coffee. My stomach felt a bit better, but knowing that coffee can act as a laxative, I didn't have any. I had a small sip of water, and because I know how often Spanish toilets don't have toilet paper in them, I packed a toilet roll to take with me in a small bag.
Lisa picked me up, and we drove to Los Nietos to catch the train to Cartagena. It was my first time on this small train, and I enjoyed the trip through the small villages on the way. When we arrived in Cartagena, Lisa led the way to the vaccination centre, as she had been before and knew where it was.
We got close to where the place was near the police station, but Lisa wasn't sure which way to go next. As we stood outside the police station, we saw a man surrounded by about six police. He was screaming and shouting at them, but instead of arresting him, they were just shepherding him away from the building. At the same time, a van was trying to drive through the pedestrian area we were in and pass the police and the strange man. I backed up as much as I could, but an idiot car driver was trying to overtake the van as he was trying to pass the police and the screaming man. All this was in the pedestrianised area outside the police station.
When the van and the car passed, I looked for Lisa but couldn't see her. I walked in the direction I had last seen her go but couldn't see her. I began to panic that I wouldn't get to my appointment in time. I looked at the email I had from the centre and used the address and Google Maps to find a route to it. It was a ten-minute walk from where I was, and I set off towards it as quickly as I could. I have no idea why I didn't just ring Lisa. I just set off towards the centre.
I was only a short distance from the building when Lisa called to tell me she was outside and asked where I was. I told her I had gotten lost and would be there in a minute. By now, I was puffing like a steam-train. The lack of water and food was beginning to affect me. I arrived at the building and saw a group of people waiting to go in, but I couldn't see Lisa. I sat down to get my breath back, and Lisa called again. I was obviously in the wrong place. I checked the email I had again and saw that it had two addresses on it. I had picked the wrong one. I typed the correct one into Google Maps and set off for the correct office where Lisa was waiting.
I arrived 10 minutes later, at 9:45 am, for my appointment. Lisa took me inside, and we were greeted by a receptionist who showed me to a seat and knew who I was by name. At least we had the right place. I went through the check-in process and began to get my breath back. I was soon taken to see a lady for my vaccination advice. It turned out that they don't give you any vaccinations, but they advise you which ones you need.
The advisor was very nice. We conversed using Google translate on our mobiles and soon figured out what I needed. She then took me to see a doctor, who checked the things that the advisor had told me I would need for my Japan trip and told me how to get them and how to take the medication. I will need to get a new tetanus jab and a hepatitis A jab and take three tablets for Typhoid. There is no need for me to take a yellow fever vaccination, which I thought I would need. The doctor filled out a form to give to my doctor and gave me a leaflet on a good mosquito repellent to try.
Lisa and I left and walked around the corner to a small cafe for a drink. Lisa ordered a coffee and some breakfast, but I just got a small bottle of water. My stomach was still acting up, so I sipped slowly on the water before running to use the toilet in the cafe. I returned to Lisa, and she finished her breakfast. I just sipped at the water enough to wet my lips but didn't risk drinking anymore.
We left the cafe and walked through the shopping centre. I kept sitting down to use my phone to see if Arsenal had signed any new players, but Lisa didn't seem to mind. She kept just pretending to look around two or three million dress shops while I surfed the Internet. By the time we walked up and down the main shopping drag, I was feeling quite ill. I think it was more due to the heat and lack of water than anything else, but I began to suffer quite a bit. When we got to the bottom of the street, we turned and walked back towards the train station. Luckily, I was with Lisa because I had entirely lost my sense of direction and had to stop every 100 yards to get my breath and sip some water. Lisa patiently walked with me, allowing me to keep resting and got me back to the station.
We had to wait for our train, and Lisa got me some water, which I sipped and poured over my head to cool me down. I began to feel a bit better sitting in the shade, and it didn't seem long before the train arrived, and we were sitting on it, being taken back to Los Nietos. When we arrived in Los Nietos, I felt a little better again, but I still wasn't good. Lisa drove me home and dropped me off at my apartment. I was soon sitting in my chair watching TV, sipping water, and cooling off as the air conditioning kicked in.
I drifted in and out of sleep, occasionally waking up to run to the bathroom. My stomach ached, so I went to bed around 8 p.m. I woke up at around 10 p.m., got up and did the Wordle puzzle online to keep my daily win streak going, and then went back to bed.
Friday, 30th August.
I woke up and had to go to the bathroom a couple of times during the night and finally got up for the day at around 6:45 am. I sat at my computer, checked for messages, and sipped some water. Just after 8 am, my stomach started grumbling, and I decided that I had to try to eat something. I hadn't eaten since Wednesday afternoon. I got myself two slices of toast with honey and was delighted that I didn't immediately have to run to the toilet when I ate it. I didn't dare to have coffee, but I continued to sip some cold water.
I spent the whole day in front of the TV watching the transfer show. I ran to the toilet occasionally, but as the day went on, I started to feel a little better. I managed to eat some toast with honey during the day. This evening, I had a protein shake with banana and cherries.
I couldn't manage to watch the end of the transfer window and went to bed around 11 pm.
Saturday, 31st August.
I managed to sleep until kids in the square woke me up around 5:30 am. I stayed in bed but couldn't get back to sleep. I got up around 6:30. I sipped some water and got myself a couple of bits of toast with honey. I watched some TV so I could see if Arsenal had bought any new players late yesterday. They had two players on loan for the season: the Bournemouth goalkeeper Neto and Chelsea striker Raheem Sterling. I don't think Neto will play much, but Sterling will be an outstanding loan.
At around 10 am, I went to Economy Cash on my disability scooter. I bought some green tea with aloe vera and picked up my packages from Amazon before heading straight back home. When I got home, I stripped the linen from my bed, put it in the washing machine, and set it to clean my sheets.
I watched the Arsenal vs Brighton football game on TV. I was disappointed at the result, a 1-1 draw, and the refereeing decisions that got Arsenals Declan Rice sent off for a second yellow card offence. A Brighton player escaped any punishment for the same offence, and another Brighton player escaped any punishment for kicking Declan Rice. It is going to be a long season. After the game, I checked my washing and realised the machine had stopped for some reason, so I had to restart it.
This afternoon, I watched bits of the West Ham vs Manchester City match. I think Erling Haaland needs to be handicapped in some way to make it fair for the rest of the teams in the Premier League. He has played three games and scored seven goals already this season.
My stomach still didn't feel great, but I did manage to eat a chicken burger and bits of toast throughout the day. I was able to drink another protein shake with banana and cherries as well. The frozen banana and cherries kept it ice cold, and I enjoyed it a lot. I tried to stay awake as long as I could tonight as I had dosed off a few times during the day and wanted to be able to sleep tonight. I went to bed at around midnight, and as I entered my bedroom, I remembered the bed sheets were still in the washing machine. I went to the washing machine and found that it had finished running correctly and that my bed linen was now all clean and dry. I made my bed up and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
Sunday, 1st September.
I slept pretty well last night, but I was woken several times by the screeching, whining noise of the kids and the loud motorbike being revved up. I would like to know if there are any laws about noisy motorbikes in Spain. In the UK, it would have been seized by the police because of the noise it makes.
When I eventually got up at around 7:30 am, I took my tablets, sat at my computer and did the Wordle puzzle. I got lucky today and got the correct word on my last attempt. I got myself some toast and honey for breakfast and then put a load of towels in the washing machine before sitting down at my computer again.
I watched a training video for beginners about my new Affinity image editing software this morning. Designed for dummies, it was perfect, and I found it easy to follow. If you want to use Affinity software, it is free unless you buy the professional version, and the Affinity Revolution YouTube video channel has excellent, easy-to-follow instructions on the software.
After being contacted by a third cousin once removed over the weekend, my quest for knowledge about my ancestry was rekindled. I started to add more people to the ever-expanding section of my family tree for great-granduncles and great-grandaunts. I hadn't added to this section previously because its branches have spread so far and so quickly that the research would take over my life. I have managed to resist getting a new subscription to the Ancestry website so far, but I am not sure how much longer I can put it off.
As I waited for a report to finish running on my website, I realised it was now Monday, so I did the Wordle puzzle. I did manage it, but only just. It is easier to concentrate in the morning when I get up rather than at night.