Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: I spent the week juggling clinic visits, booking my huge Australia and New Zealand adventure for next year, sorting out investments at the bank, researching insurance and travel plans, and continuing my genealogy work. The heat was relentless, the fiestas were loud, and my ankle continued its slow healing process. I stayed indoors more than usual, worked on my website, and made progress on my family tree.
Monday, 28th July
My first job this morning was to visit the health clinic to have my ankle dressed. The young nurse is beautiful and gentle, but she is almost too gentle. She does not scrape the wound like the regular nurse does, and I am not convinced the wound is being cleaned properly. She tried yet another new cream and told me to return on Wednesday.
After leaving the clinic, I went to the optician to get my glasses fixed. One arm had become loose and floppy. The optician saw me immediately, removed the broken screw, fitted a new one, and handed the glasses back as good as new. When I asked how much I owed, he said it was free. I do love that optician, they still believe in looking after their customers.
I continued to Los Narejos to meet Martin at the office. We sat talking until around 15:30, and when we left, I stopped at Harry’s Bar for a couple of beers before heading home to the cool air conditioning. There was loud music in Plaza Espejo again tonight, but at least it finished at midnight.
Tuesday, 29th July
I stayed home all day and finally booked my holiday for next year. After hours of research, I settled on an escorted tour of Australia and New Zealand. It is a long trip, but it will allow me to visit both places and cross many things off my bucket list in one go. The company did not take a deposit yet, as they call anyone who declares a disability to check suitability first.
This evening, the money I had been waiting for finally arrived in my bank account. I booked an appointment with my account manager for tomorrow to reinvest the funds.
Wednesday, 30th July
I went to the bank early for my appointment. Dolores, the advisor, was extremely helpful. She reinvested the funds and adjusted the allocations of my other investments to maximise returns.
After the bank, I went straight to the clinic. The nurse redressed my ankle again and applied yet another cream, telling me to return tomorrow. She has changed the cream four times in three weeks, which does not fill me with confidence.
I went to Mercadona for salads and returned home. In the afternoon, the holiday company phoned to confirm that I was suitable for the trip and took a £400 deposit. They also confirmed that my £25 refund from the cancelled India day trip would be applied to my new booking. I spent the evening resting with my feet up.
Thursday, 31st July
I spent most of the day at home researching insurance for my holiday. Prices have gone up considerably, mainly because I take tablets for hypertension, but I always disclose everything and always choose the highest level of cover. I would rather be fully protected than take risks.
I researched hotels and flights for my journey to and from Heathrow in January. I booked overnight stays in Madrid and London for both the outbound and return journeys. Booking.com came out cheapest again, and I like the free cancellation options.
I tried to book my train journeys, but Renfe does not release times until sixty to ninety days before departure. I received an email confirming my £25 credit had been applied to my holiday bill.
Friday, 1st August
After my usual morning routine, I rode the Sharky mobile to Café Prensa for coffee and a tostada. I chatted with Christine for a while before heading to the ASSSA office to cancel my private health insurance. Now that I am fully on the Spanish public system, I no longer need to pay €140 a month. Unfortunately, the office was closed until next week.
I went to Mercadona for salads and returned home. Loud music was already blasting from Plaza Espejo, so loud that the windows rattled. I had no idea what the fiesta was for, but I hoped it would not go on too late.
Saturday, 2nd August
The fiesta went on until 03:45, and I finally got to bed at 04:30. I woke at 09:30, did the Wordle puzzle, and rewashed a load of towels I had forgotten in the machine last week.
I spent the rest of the day working on my family tree and staying out of the heat. I made new discoveries on the Jones, Hobson and Gardner branches. Once again, it appears that different generations may have married distant cousins.
Sunday, 3rd August
After taking my medication, I browsed the internet and continued my genealogy research. I read an article about something called “check-in chicken”, where people wait until the last minute to check in for a flight in the hope of getting a better seat. I will never do that. I prefer to know my seat as early as possible. Missing a flight is not worth the risk.
For lunch, I had a cheese pasta from Mercadona, one of my favourite cheap meals. I spent the evening doing more genealogy work before having an early night to catch up on sleep.
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