In Week 41 of 2024, I spent the first half of the week doing genealogy research, and in the second half of the week, I set off for my holiday in Japan.
Monday, 7th October.
I was up early today. I had woken up at 4 am and again at 5 am. By 5:30, I realised I wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, so I got up. I made myself a coffee and cleaned the kitchen counters before sitting down at my computer to check for messages and do the Wordle puzzle. I like to try different words on the Wordle puzzle every morning rather than the same starter word every day. I got lucky today; my starting word wasn't the correct word, but the last three letters were correct and in the proper order. I got the correct word with my second go.
I got myself a second coffee, and I knew I had been up for a while when I heard the street cleaner come round at 7 am. When I finished my coffee, I took a shower and got ready to leave for my appointment at the bank that morning. At 8:30, I got on my disability scooter and set off for the bank. I went a long way round, slowly travelling along the beachfront, looking at a group of ducks that were waddling along the beach and the council workers who had now started the daily clean of the weed from the sea. I arrived at the bank on time and checked in for my appointment using my mobile phone and the bank app.
It wasn't long before Dolores, my account manager met me, and I followed her back to her desk. She made sure I could use my bank card at ATM's when I go to Japan or use it to buy things if I needed to. We also checked that my investments were all doing well, and I signed some paperwork that I seem to have to sign every year or so. I think this is to prove I'm still alive and living in Spain.
After I had finished speaking with Dolores, I left the bank. I travelled back along the beachfront on my disability scooter to Buena Vista restaurant, where I had another coffee and a tostado. As I sat there, I remembered that I was supposed to have gotten my tablets at the pharmacy when I went to the bank, but I hadn't. I got back on my scooter and went to the nearest pharmacy. I got my Sintrom and Omeprazole tablets and then went home to put the tablets in my pill dispenser.
When I got home, I plugged my scooter in to give it a quick charge and went up to my apartment. I sat down and began putting my tablets in the box. I realised that the pills had come in a box of 14. They always used to come in a box of 28. This means they have gone up in price by giving me less. It always seems to be the same pharmacy that gives me a box of pills with less in it. Unfortunately, it is the closest one to me. I will have to make sure I always use the one a bit further from me from now on.
A large head on a glass of beer.Just before midday, I went to meet Martin. Dave soon joined us. I ordered a beer and was very disappointed with the measure I got. I know Spanish bars generally give head on the beer they pour, but it is creeping closer to the half-beer, half-head mark. We sat and talked until Aria joined us from school, and then we went back to Martin's house, where I collected some sausage rolls Martin had for me, before heading home. As I went home on my scooter, I ate one of the sausage rolls, saving the second one for later.
When I got home, I did some more genealogy research and watched TV. I had a message from my friends Lottie and Alison asking if I wanted to meet for lunch tomorrow. We arranged for Alison to pick me up from the office, and we will go to either Thai Aroi or Buena Vista for a late lunch in the afternoon.
This evening, I binge-watched Star Trek Voyager and went to bed around 10 pm.
Tuesday, 8th October.
I woke up at 7:30 this morning. I got up, had a coffee, and was working on my website when I got a call from Paypal UK. They need me to pay money into my account because, for some reason, the system is not working. They tell me the payment keeps being stopped by Nationwide, but they won't accept a payment from me to pay the amount owed. I can not believe they won't accept a payment from me by credit card/debit card. It means I now have to make another call to Nationwide to get them to transfer the £90 to the Paypal account.
I called Nationwide, and after being passed around three different departments, I got put through to someone in management who quickly transferred the money from one account to another so that the payment could be made. It took nearly 2 hours and conversations with five different people to pay for something that should be simple, but it is now done, and I can go on holiday and not worry about it anymore.
Once the calls were completed, I had another coffee and then a quick shower before walking to the main road to meet Dave and go to the office at midday. At the office, Dave and I were soon joined by Martin, Kate, Sean and Lou for a while before Kate, Sean, and Lou left. We sat chatting until Alison and her brother, Chris, arrived to pick me up to go for lunch. We chatted for a short time while we waited for Aria's school bus, and then we all left.
Alison, Chris and I arrived before Lottie at Buena Vista restaurant, but it wasn't long before she joined us. We had a lovely meal. I had a lamb Rogan Josh with pilau rice, followed by an ice cream sundae. We chatted for a few hours, and when we finished our meal, we all went home. I walked the short distance back to my apartment, and a short while after sitting in my armchair, I was fast asleep.
I watched some TV tonight but went to bed early, at around 10 pm.
Wednesday, 9th October.
I woke up early today at 4:15, and after trying to get back to sleep and failing, I got up at about 5 am. I got a coffee and sat at my computer. I checked my emails before attempting the Wordle puzzle. I failed the puzzle today and broke my 61 consecutive days' run of managing to do it.
I spent this afternoon and early evening doing family tree research before going to bed early to try and get some sleep before going on holiday tomorrow.
Thursday, 10th October.
Today, I was up early to begin my journey to Japan for a holiday, which has been on my bucket list for a long time. I set off for Madrid, where I stayed overnight.
Friday, 11th October.
I was up very early today to go to the airport for my flight from Madrid, Spain, to Paris, France, where I got another flight to Tokyo, Japan.
Saturday, 12th October.
Today, I landed in Japan and began my escorted tour of this beautiful country.
Sunday, 13th October.
Today, I woke up in Tokyo and went on an escorted tour of the capital city of Japan.