Location: Los Alcázares, Región de Murcia, Spain.
Summary: A week of long walks, heavy rain, cancelled celebrations, dental pain, antibiotics, new furniture, new appliances, water shortages, and steady progress with my leg. I spent time with friends, worked on my website, dealt with sleepless nights, and prepared for upcoming visitors and my long-haul trip next year.
Monday, 13th October
I woke up around 7:00 feeling refreshed. It was very overcast and almost dark outside. I got a mug of tea, checked my messages, and did the Wordle puzzle. After eating my cold porridge, my back teeth started to ache. I hoped it was just the hot tea and cold porridge combination.
The Lemon thyme plant I bought recently was looking very sorry for itself. I moved it from its self-watering pot indoors to the balcony to see if more sunlight would help. My phone beeped with a reminder to book my train tickets to and from Madrid for my Australia and New Zealand holiday. The morning train had already sold out, but the afternoon one worked, so I booked first-class seats both ways.
With the sky clearing, I decided to walk to Los Narejos. My Oura ring had shown my exercise was lower last week, which explained the weight gain. I showered, unplugged my disability scooter, and began walking. I arrived at Pizzeria la Sombre at 11:40, earlier than expected. Martin arrived at midday, followed by the man who tried to murder his mother. I considered leaving until Dave and Lol arrived. Thankfully, the man left when his pizza arrived.
Kate arrived with Aria, and everyone except Dave decided to go to the Asia restaurant in San Javier. I joined them. The food was excellent, especially the salt and pepper ribs. The menu of the day was only €10.95, including wine. After eating, we sat outside while Lol smoked, then Kate dropped me home.
I fell asleep for an hour and a half, probably due to the wine. Later, I worked on my website and received a call from Churchers’ solicitors saying money I was expecting would be wired soon. I decided to buy a new disability scooter with lithium batteries and ordered it. I also ordered a Ninja coffee machine after watching videos about it.
I watched TV for a while and then went to bed.
Tuesday, 14th October
I was woken just after midnight by the youngsters from the chiringuito shouting under my bedroom window. One of them kept screeching the wheels of his electric scooter. When Maria saw my lights on, she told them to quiet down. I couldn’t sleep, so I worked on genealogy pages for Lancelot Read and Emily Wilson until 2:00, then went back to bed.
I woke at 9:30, got a coffee, and did the Wordle puzzle. I tried to find out if the water was safe yet, but without Farcebook, I couldn’t check. My friend Andy rang to say he could help move furniture tomorrow.
I didn’t want to risk drinking tap water, so I went to EconomyCash for bottled water and salads. On the way to Los Narejos, the disability scooter company called to confirm my order and delivery address. I arrived at Pizzeria la Sombre just before midday and ordered a beer. Martin, Dave, and Lol arrived shortly after, and we chatted until after 14:00.
Back home, I messaged Lauren about getting my kitchen refitted. She sent me her dad’s number, and he agreed to look at it next week. George later called to tell me the town hall had announced the water would be turned off completely until remedial work was done. I was glad I had bought bottled water earlier.
In the evening, I watched Latvia vs England. England won 0-5. As soon as it finished, I went to bed.
Wednesday, 15th October
I got up just after 7:00, stripped the bed, and made coffee using bottled water. The town hall website still had no information about the water situation. Their website is terrible and inaccessible for partially sighted people. My question to the Mayor still hadn’t been answered.
I did the Wordle puzzle, extending my streak to 77. Andy arrived to help move furniture. Together we moved everything in about 20 minutes. After he left, I worked on the genealogy section, adding photos and descriptions to the Family Tree Photo Album and adding Merthyr Tydfil to the places list.
My toothache worsened, so I took painkillers and had a salad for lunch. My Amazon delivery arrived: two bedside tables. The instructions were terrible, and it took hours to build the first one and most of the second. I put the first one in the bedroom and finished the second tomorrow.
I made the bed with clean linen, cooked bass fillets with potato salad, and enjoyed the new bedroom layout. I watched TV and went to bed around 23:00.
Thursday, 16th October
I woke around 6:00, got a coffee made with bottled water, and washed with wet wipes. I worked on my website and added new pages to the Extra Japan section: Arashiyama Bamboo Forest, Tenryu-ji Temple, and Fushimi Inari Taisha’s Senbon Torii.
I checked the delivery status of my new coffee machine and saw it had been moved to Sunday. I went to Mercadona for more water and salads. On the way back, I saw my friend Rob, who told me the council had delivered water to him. I wondered why they hadn’t contacted me.
Back home, I finished building the second bedside table, hoovered the bedroom, and set everything up. My toothache worsened, so I took painkillers and decided to see a dentist tomorrow.
I watched three films: A Big Bad Beautiful Journey, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Way. All were good, especially The Way, which made me cry and laugh. I tried saltwater rinses, but they made the throbbing worse. I watched TV and went to bed around 23:00.
Friday, 17th October
I slept terribly because of the toothache. I got up at 7:00, made warm tea with honey, and took painkillers. After scrambled eggs, I went to the health clinic. The nurse said the wound was healing very well and made me an appointment for Wednesday.
I went straight to the dentist. Using Google Translate, I explained the pain. She saw me within 50 minutes. She found a hole in the tooth and said I needed a root canal. She did it immediately. My cheek felt huge, but I couldn’t feel anything. She removed the nerve, cleaned the tooth, filled it, and filled another hole. The bill was €132, which I thought was very reasonable.
Liz asked me to buy batteries, but I gave her some of mine instead. I took antibiotics and painkillers and fell asleep in my armchair. Later, I checked my medication and found gabapentin, which is good for nerve pain.
I messaged my cousin Peter about the water situation. He said he didn’t mind roughing it. I took my tablets and went to bed at 23:00.
Saturday, 18th October
I slept better, probably due to the medication. My alarm woke me at 7:00 for antibiotics. I got up at 8:00, had tea with honey, and scrambled eggs. I did the Wordle puzzle and worked on my website.
Amazon updated the delivery date for my new coffee machine to today. It arrived at 13:30. The build quality was excellent. I watched the setup video but decided to shop for milk and water before finishing the setup.
I ate chicken wings, then went to EconomyCash for milk, water, bread rolls, spreads, fruit, and yoghurts. My scooter battery nearly died on the way home, but I made it. I watched the end of Man City vs Everton, then Fulham vs Arsenal. Arsenal won 0-1, despite a disgraceful VAR decision.
I worked on my website, took my tablets, and went to bed at 23:00.
Sunday, 19th October
I woke at 7:00 for antibiotics. I had lost weight again this week. I watched MOTD with tea and honey, then made a cooked breakfast. The water was now safe for washing but not drinking. The management company is arranging to clean our tank.
I researched emoticons for my website and worked on accessibility. I had toasted cheese and ham rolls for lunch and watched football while working. Tottenham and Liverpool both lost, which was great for Arsenal.
I worked out how to add descriptions to emoticons, bulk-change images using a database tool, and add long code snippets quickly using an editor extension. I was thrilled with these discoveries.
I wanted to set up my new coffee machine but decided to wait until the drinking water was safe. I felt tired, probably from the medication, and stayed up only to take my last tablets before going to bed at 23:00.
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