Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: This week was cold, wet and full of walking, deliveries, films and food. I spent New Year’s Eve at home, caught up with friends, battled a broken TV box, cooked plenty of meals and kept myself busy with website work and genealogy. I also enjoyed some football, avoided the winter bugs going around and started the new year with a long walk and a good Sunday lunch.
Wednesday, 1st January
I woke at 07:00 to a dark, cold morning. After coffee and Wordle, I spent the day watching films while the rain came and went. In the evening, I watched Brentford vs Arsenal. Brentford scored first, but Arsenal came back to win 1-3 with goals from Gabriel Jesus, Mikel Moreno and Gabriel Martinelli. I went to bed at 21:45.
Thursday, 2nd January
I woke at 02:00, slept again and got up just before 06:00. After coffee, porridge and Wordle, I transferred money between accounts and ordered a new coffee machine, the Cremmaet Compactccino, directly from Cecotec.
I prepared a stew for lunch but realised halfway through that the diced pork was actually diced turkey. I added beans and mixed root vegetables, and it smelled wonderful. I bought French bread to go with it and had a bowl in the afternoon. It was delicious.
I spent the evening budgeting for the year, thinking about a possible long‑haul trip in 2026, and adding descriptions to my Japan photos. I watched River Monsters before going to bed.
Friday, 3rd January
I woke at 07:00 and made Thai ginger oolong tea because I had no coffee. I tried watching English news but quickly remembered why I stopped. I switched to Radio 2 instead.
I waited for an Amazon delivery of essential oils and updated many of the Japan photos on my website. Liz kindly brought me some milk so I could have coffee later. I also added details to the India section of my website and reread the itinerary for my February trip.
My delivery arrived at 16:30, too late to shop, so I went to Hong Kong Chinese and bought another set meal for two. They gave me another bottle of wine. I had soup and sweet and sour prawn balls and saved the rest for tomorrow. I watched Young Guns II and went to bed.
Saturday, 4th January
I woke at 06:45, made tea and did Wordle. I added more descriptions to my website photos, took recycling out and emptied old coffee pods so I could compost the grounds. I found a recipe for ham chowder and another for overnight oats to try next week.
For lunch, I had half of the leftover Chinese dishes. I watched the second half of Tottenham vs Newcastle and waited for a delivery for Lawrence. During Brighton vs Arsenal, Ethan Nwaneri scored a great goal, but Brighton equalised with a ridiculous penalty. Arsenal’s injury list is growing, and unless they buy players soon, the season could be over.
The delivery finally arrived at 21:00. I watched TV and went to bed at 23:00.
Sunday, 5th January
I woke at 06:00, did Wordle and worked on my website. Lawrence called at 10:15 and came to collect his parcel. He invited me for coffee at Café Prensa, where we met the two Steves and Bev.
Afterwards, we went to Campbell’s Bar in Roda for Sunday lunch. Lawrence had chicken, and I had lamb. His daughter Chanel arrived while we were eating, and I was introduced to her.
Lawrence dropped me home, and I spoke to my sister before watching football. I fell asleep before the Liverpool vs Manchester United match started but woke in time to see the goals in a 2-2 draw. I watched TV for the rest of the evening and went to bed early.
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