Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: I spent the week juggling clinic visits, hosting my old friend Dave, recovering from acid reflux and gout, travelling to Murcia twice for concerts, sending my first PostCrossing postcards, and trying to stay cool in the Spanish heat. I made progress on my website, enjoyed some football, and finally started to feel more like myself again by the end of the week.
Monday, 21st July
I woke at 08:00, got a coffee and heard Dave stirring. After Wordle, I left him in the apartment and went to the clinic. The beautiful nurse saw me immediately, cleaned and redressed my ankle and booked my next appointment. I was back home within thirty minutes.
Dave wanted to walk for breakfast, but I don’t think he realised how hot it was. I slowed the Sharky mobile to a crawl so he could keep up. We walked through shaded streets, past my old house, and eventually reached Café 16 after seventy minutes, only to find it closed. We went to the Corner Bar instead and had small English breakfasts. Thankfully, I didn’t react to the food.
We met Martin and Aria, then Dave, Sean and Vicky at La Sombre. Rosa ordered a taxi for Dave so he wouldn’t have to walk back in the heat. I got home first and turned on the air conditioning. Dave arrived later, having rung the wrong doorbell. We spent the afternoon chatting until Kate arrived to take him to the airport. His flight was delayed ninety minutes, but he eventually got home safely. I watched TV and went to bed at 22:30.
Tuesday, 22nd July
I had a blood test this morning, so I left early and joined the queue at the clinic. I chatted with a Scottish lady I had met before. The blood lab was chaotic as usual, with pushy people barging ahead. When I was finally called in, the man doing the test made a complete mess of it. He pricked my finger, squeezed it painfully, smeared blood everywhere and failed the test twice. On the third attempt, he finally got a reading. My result was perfect, but my finger was numb.
The lady I had spoken to waited for me outside to check I was okay. She told me he had butchered her fingers before as well. I made a mental note to avoid him next time.
I went home, had a bacon sandwich, withdrew some cash and went to Mercadona for salads. Then I met Martin and Dave at La Sombre before returning home to watch TV and play CIV VI. I watched England ladies beat Italy 2-1 after extra time, with both goals scored by Arsenal players. Well played, ladies.
Wednesday, 23rd July
I slept well and woke at 07:30 feeling better than I had in two weeks. I went to the clinic to collect my blood test results and managed to ask for them entirely in Spanish. I was quite proud of that. My next test is on August 12th.
I had a bacon sandwich and Oolong tea, worked on my website and then got ready to travel to Murcia again, this time to see Lionel Richie.
Thursday, 24th July
I arrived back in Los Alcázares at 10:30, five minutes before my scheduled bus from Murcia was even due to leave. The driver had kindly let me on an earlier bus. I made coffee and several bacon sandwiches, then worked on my website until I fell asleep in my armchair.
I woke feeling better but was sad to see the news that Hulk Hogan had died. I met him years ago at his bar in Clearwater and found him warm and friendly.
I rested for the rest of the day, checked my Euro lottery ticket and saw that although I had won a small prize, it hadn’t been credited yet. Arsenal announced another signing, Cristhian Mosquera from Valencia. I went to bed at 22:00.
Friday, 25th July
I woke at 06:45, made tea and failed Wordle. I walked to the clinic because my scooter wasn’t charged. The nurse was concerned that my ankle wound had scabbed over, but after examining it with another nurse, she cleaned it, applied cream and told me to return Monday.
It had rained overnight, dropping the temperature to 29°C, which made walking much easier. I had iced tea at home, pottered around and watched the sports news. Arsenal finally agreed a deal for Viktor Gyokeres. At last, a proper striker.
I spent the afternoon watching TV and playing CIV VI. At 23:00, I put my scooter on charge and went to bed.
Saturday, 26th July
I woke refreshed at 07:15, stripped both beds and put the linen in the wash. I watered the balcony plants, took my tablets and set the robot vacuum running. The apartment is finally tidy enough for it to work again.
I checked my email and saw that my Euro lottery win had been credited. I showered and went to Tipsy Thistle for breakfast. The food was great, and my acid reflux didn’t react. I then went to Mercadona, which was packed, and bought gluten-free bread to try.
Back home, I rested and watched a brilliant film called No Address. Later, I watched Mr Burton, which was fascinating. I had a salad for supper, put away more washing and went to bed at 23:00.
Sunday, 27th July
I woke at 07:00, took my tablets and checked my messages. I designed a new badge for my Fantasy Football team, featuring the Arsenal cannon in the new away blue, sitting on a sandy beach to represent where I live.
I put towels in the wash and started genealogy research. As usual, time disappeared. I had lunch at 13:00 and continued researching until the ladies’ European Championship Final. I tried the gluten-free bread with sandwiches. It tasted dry but didn’t cause any discomfort, which was a pleasant surprise.
England beat Spain 3-1 on penalties, with Arsenal’s Chloe Kelly scoring the winning penalty again. It was great to see them retain the title.
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