Location: Los Alcázares, Región de Murcia, Spain.
Summary: A week of strong winds, heavy rain, cancelled celebrations, long walks, website work, films, shopping trips, and steady progress with my leg. I spent time with friends, dealt with lift problems again, stocked up for the coming weeks, and continued improving my health routines while keeping up with football and my daily habits.
Monday, 6th October
I woke up early this morning but managed to get back to sleep. I woke again when the person in the apartment above knocked something over. The crash woke me, but as it was 7:00, I got up. I made a coffee, which tasted much better today, and looked outside. There were large puddles in the square, and I hadn’t heard the rain at all. The wind was blowing very hard, and I hoped it would calm down so I could go for a long walk. It felt strange but good to know I didn’t have to see the nurse until Friday.
After completing the Wordle puzzle in 3 for the fourth day in a row, I treated myself to a cooked breakfast. I checked the weather forecast, saw heavy rain was expected later, and messaged Dave to ask for a lift to see Martin at lunchtime. I worked on my website until the writer of one of my extensions messaged asking for access to fix a problem. I created an account for him and stopped working.
Just before midday, Dave picked me up and we drove to Pizzeria La Sombre. Martin arrived at the same time. We sat chatting for a couple of hours and were joined by Andy and Terry. After saying hello to Aria when she was dropped off from school, Dave drove me home. I had a salad for lunch.
I worked on my website and browsed the Internet before having a jacket potato with cheese and battered fish fillets for dinner. One would have been enough, but once cooked, I ate the lot. I felt bloated and had no energy, so I played games on my laptop until 20:30, watched TV until 22:00, and then went to bed.
Tuesday, 7th October
I woke around 6:00 and got up at 6:30. I made tea, completed the Wordle puzzle, checked emails, and ate the porridge I had soaked overnight. I had rubbish to take out and two bags of clothes to donate. I messaged Martin to see if he wanted a coffee and went out on my disability scooter to drop everything at the correct bins.
As I was putting the clothes in the charity bin, Kate rang asking if I wanted to meet her and Martin for breakfast. I told her I was heading to NoName Cafe. I sat with a coffee until they arrived. After they left for a cooked breakfast at Penny Farthing, I finished my drink, read my Kindle, and then joined them for another coffee.
When I paid, I noticed the coffee cost €1.95, about 30 percent more than the other cafes. Over time, that adds up. It made me appreciate my own coffee machine even more. Drinking at home saves me over €1,160 a year.
We left, and I continued to the office on my disability scooter. I stopped at EconomyCash for salads and fly repellent but couldn’t find any. At Mercadona, I found the repellent and bumped into my friend Claire. We chatted about her holiday in Canada, my upcoming trip, and Arsenal.
I then met Martin and Dave at Pizzeria La Sombre. Kate and Aria joined us later. I left around 14:00 and stopped at Mercadona again for things I had forgotten. When I got home, the rubbish in my parking spot had been removed. I removed my notices and went inside.
I watched Gone Fishing with Joe Pesci and Danny Glover, then Eight Heads in a Duffel Bag. Later, the Joomla extension writer messaged to say he had found the problem and told me how to use the extension until he fixed it. I removed his access and worked on my website until bed.
Wednesday, 8th October
I woke a few times but slept well overall. My REM sleep has returned, giving me vivid dreams. I got up around 7:30, had coffee, completed the Wordle puzzle, and worked on my website. Before I knew it, it was midday. The Amazon delivery arrived at the same time I stopped to eat.
After lunch, I continued working until after 14:00, then went for a walk along the beachfront. It was cool with a gentle breeze. I walked to the mermaid and fisherman monument, then past the church and up to the main road before heading home. I wasn’t as out of breath as I used to be, and I felt the exercise, diet, lack of alcohol, and sleep routines were helping.
Back home, I worked on genealogy pages, adding census records and details about my grandparents. For supper, I toasted rolls with garlic and ginger paste and cheese. My eyes were sore from the computer work, so I stopped around 21:30 and watched TV before bed.
Thursday, 9th October
I felt unwell during the night but wasn’t sick. When I got up at 9:15, I felt better. I had coffee, ate my porridge, showered, and got ready to shop before the holiday weekend. I wondered if the mint water I drank last night caused the nausea. Google confirmed mint can trigger GERD symptoms.
A friend on holiday in Los Alcázares kept sending me Farcebook videos I can’t view because of my ban. I’ve told him many times. He also sends voice clips instead of typing. This morning he said he had used all his data and could only message when he found free WiFi. I’m not surprised.
I went shopping at midday. I got the last trolley at Mercadona and did a big shop. My diet has changed, so I bought mostly chicken, shellfish, bass, hake, a huge can of tuna, fruit, salads, and bottled tea drinks.
I loaded everything onto my disability scooter and went home. After putting everything away, I had cheese pasta for lunch. Later, I visited my neighbour Liz for a chat.
I watched The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, then the England vs Wales friendly. England won 3-0. Wales improved in the second half, but the game slowed. I went to bed afterwards.
Friday, 10th October
I slept well and woke around 7:30. I walked to the health clinic at 9:40. Liz had told me it was closed because of the storm, but the rain hadn’t been bad, so I went anyway. It was open. The nurse cleaned the wound, and it looked good. I joked that it looked like a dried prune, and she laughed. She made me an appointment for next week.
Light rain began as I walked home, with thunder in the distance. I got home before it got heavy. I had cheese pasta for lunch and watched the rain form rivers outside. I worked on my website and added new pages, including:
Brian Llewelyn Morris
Llewelyn Morris
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
St Pancras Old Church
Chingford
Waltham Forest
Postcrossing
Eurobilltracker
Before bed, I looked outside and saw water flowing past my apartment, but nothing like the floods years ago. The new storm drains have helped.
Saturday, 11th October
The rain had stopped when I woke, and the puddles were going down. I had tea and answered messages from people who had seen flood videos online. People love to sensationalise bad news. I did the Wordle puzzle and went to the garage to get my disability scooter.
I rode along the main road, through puddles, and over the Rambla bridge, avoiding gawpers filming the water. The shops were open and undamaged. I bought pastries at Bastida bakery and returned home, but the garage lift wouldn’t close. The garage was dry, so it wasn’t water damage. I parked my scooter outside and emailed FAIN. They replied quickly saying an engineer was on the way.
I had breakfast, did washing, and went out again to drop off recycling. I rode to Rio Nalon and saw most shops open. EconomyCash was closed, so I bought potatoes and bread at the Indian supermarket.
When I returned, the lift had been fixed. I put my scooter away and spent the rest of the day watching films and working on my website. I watched An Unfinished Life, which was excellent, and then Shanghai Noon. Feeling tired, I went to bed at 22:00.
Sunday, 12th October
I woke just before 7:00. The weather looked okay, but cool. Caldero Day celebrations had been cancelled because of the storms. I made porridge with fruit and completed the Wordle puzzle. The word was wound, which felt appropriate given how often I visit the clinic.
I tried my coffee without milk, an Americano, using Flor de Jamaica 1967 beans. It tasted great. While working on my website, I realised I had an unpublished page about Monument Valley, so I finished it and added it to Extra Travel Information.
After weighing myself and seeing I had regained last week’s lost weight, I went for a walk along the beachfront. The beach was empty, and the promenade near the Rambla was muddy, but there was no real damage. I turned back and walked home.
I ate the porridge I had soaked earlier and continued working on my website while listening to Radio 2. For lunch, I cooked pork tenderloin with potato salad. It wasn’t as good as last week’s.
In the evening, I watched Shanghai Knights, then put the dishes in the dishwasher, prepared porridge for tomorrow, and went to bed at 22:00.
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