Location: Los Alcázares, Murcia, Spain
Summary: A week of hospital visits, dental work, website updates, long walks, new server setup, family news, films, and football, all while managing my leg treatment and settling into cooler weather.
Monday, 10th November
I woke up around 6:00 and since I was wide awake, I got up, made a coffee and checked my messages. I had a second coffee and finished last week’s blog post, adding a photo before publishing it on my website. After a shower, I got ready to visit the nurse at the health clinic to have my leg checked and dressed. I was curious to see how it looked after wearing the compression stockings since last Wednesday. I took my Kindle, got on my disability scooter and drove to the health centre. As I passed Liz’s apartment, she called out to me and I told her I would pop in later.
While waiting to see the nurse, I had a phone call from the manufacturer of my disability scooter. They said they were still waiting for the lithium battery to arrive, but once it did, they would finish building the scooter and deliver it. I asked them to tell Amazon it had not been delivered yet, and they agreed. The nurse cleaned and redressed my wound and advised me to get a different type of compression stocking that covered the foot as well as the leg.
After leaving the clinic, I drove towards Los Narejos. I stopped at a Chino shop to look for new mugs for my Horlicks. I found two large plain white mugs at Meta Market for €1.99 each, much better than the chipped ones I had seen in the charity shop. I continued to Cafe Prensa for a coffee and tostada and sat with Christine. Afterwards, I went to La Sombre and joined Martin and Dave, but it was cold sitting there.
I left around 13:15 and went to EconomyCash for rolls, crunchy chicken burgers and bread. Back home, I put the shopping away and took a bowl of the soup I had made yesterday to Liz. We chatted for a while before I realised it was nearly 15:30. I went back to my apartment, made pork fritter sandwiches and had a bowl of soup. I spent the evening playing WhiskerWood, messaging George and watching TV before going to bed around midnight.
Tuesday, 11th November
I got up before my alarm, had a wash, made a coffee, did the Wordle puzzle and checked my messages before getting ready for the health clinic. I walked there and went straight inside for my INR test. A Scottish man was ahead of me and we chatted briefly about old age. My INR was 1.9, which was okay, maybe a little low. I walked home, had some water and worked on my website for an hour before leaving for the dentist.
I arrived early and read my Kindle in the waiting room. A woman next to me had her phone constantly going off, which was annoying, but it reminded me to silence mine. When I was called in, the dentist and nurse made me comfortable and began working. I was surprised not to be given any injections, but the filling was painless. The dentist asked if I wanted implants for my two missing teeth, but I declined. I have managed without them for years and my stomach size proves I am not struggling to eat.
I picked up some tablets at the pharmacy, though it was too early to get all of them. I hate that my prescription never covers a full month. I will need to ask the doctor for a larger supply before my Australia and New Zealand trip. Back home, I waited to hear from Dave, but by 12:15 I had not heard anything, so I tried to get to the office on my disability scooter. As I left, John was heading to San Javier and offered me a lift. When I arrived, I saw Dave, and also Alan and Jacquie. I helped Jacquie delete a WhatsApp status she had accidentally made public. We agreed to meet up soon.
I sat with Martin and Dave, and realised I had not turned my phone sound back on after the dentist, which was why I missed Dave’s messages and calls. I apologised and he was fine about it. Kate and Aria joined us before Dave dropped me home. I spent the afternoon working on my website or playing WhiskerWood. I spoke to my sister in the UK and asked if Holly had had her baby yet, but she had not.
Wednesday, 12th November
After waking up, I made a coffee and checked my messages. I decided to take my tablets in the morning again, as keeping them by the bed did not stop me forgetting them. I had to go to the hospital today to see the consultant I missed last week. At 9:15 I rang Andy to confirm he remembered he was taking me, and he had. He picked me up at 10:00 and we drove to Los Arcos hospital.
We checked in easily and waited outside the consulting rooms. Two nurses were there, one removed the dressing while the other spoke to Andy, who translated. The consultant came in briefly, looked at the wound and said I did not need antibiotics. The nurses redressed the wound and gave me a small pot and a tube of cream to take to the health clinic tomorrow. They also gave me another appointment for November 18th. I wondered why I needed to take a urine sample, but later discovered I had misunderstood.
Andy dropped me home and said he would take me to Primark soon for tracksuit bottoms, which I need now the weather is colder. They will also be more comfortable for my long flights in January. I told him I would buy lunch as a thank you. After lunch, I walked to the health clinic to collect my INR results. They had adjusted the days I take a lower dose of Sintrom. I also asked about Flu and COVID jabs and got an appointment for November 20th.
Back home, I worked on my website and checked NAS drive prices on Amazon. I want to stop paying Google for cloud storage. I found a discounted NAS with two 4TB drives and decided to buy it. It will save money long term and give me remote access to my files. I arranged delivery for Friday, along with full size compression socks the nurse recommended. I spent the afternoon and evening playing WhiskerWood, which is updated daily by the developers.
Thursday, 13th November
I got up, made a coffee and checked my messages. My sister told me I was now a Great Uncle. Holly had her baby daughter last night, named Nola Jean Renshaw. Nola is a Celtic name meaning fair shouldered one. I like to think it is just my name backwards. I had tried to get Holly to name her Lanesra, which is Arsenal backwards. Jean is after my mum.
I walked to the health clinic at 9:45. I had looked at the small pot the hospital gave me and realised it already had liquid in it and was not for a urine sample. The trainee nurse explained it was an acid solution to help clean the wound, and the cream was to be applied afterwards. She told me to bring both every time I came. She also told me to keep wearing the compression socks.
I walked home, left the pot and cream in a small bag ready for next week, then walked to Buena Vista for breakfast. I sat outside with a coffee and tostada and read my Kindle in the sun. After returning home, I worked on my website for a few hours before cooking two crunchy chicken burgers for lunch. They were lovely but very filling.
In the afternoon I watched a film called Playdate, which felt like a reworking of Kindergarten Cop. It was humorous but not one I would watch again. Later I watched Roofman, based on a true story about a man who robbed McDonald’s restaurants by cutting holes in the roof and later lived inside a Toys R Us for six months. It was fascinating and I highly recommend it.
Late in the evening I remembered England were playing Serbia. I made a Horlicks using steamed milk from my coffee machine and watched the second half. England won 2-0, with goals from Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze. Declan Rice ran the midfield. I went to bed after the match but struggled to fall asleep with lots on my mind.
Friday, 14th November
I woke around 6:00 and could not get back to sleep because I was thinking about rearranging my living room. I want to reorganise it before setting up the new NAS drive arriving today. I checked the layout and the cables and decided my idea would work. The TV cannot be moved because of the fixed wall bracket, but the rest should fit.
I made a coffee and checked my messages. I waited until 9:00 to start moving furniture so I would not disturb anyone. I messaged Liz to see if she could help me avoid tripping over cables. I moved the large furniture and swept the floor. Liz arrived just after 10:00 and I made us both a coffee. After she left, I finished placing the TV equipment and connecting everything.
Amazon delivered my new server and the two hard drives. I unpacked everything and set it up. It was easier than I expected. I connected it via Wi-Fi and left it running checks overnight.
Saturday, 15th November
I slept well and checked the server when I got up. It was working correctly. I made a coffee and began installing the server software. I started transferring photos from my external hard drives to the server. After a few hours, I went for a walk along the promenade to the Rambla, then to the main road and back home. I made scrambled eggs on toast for breakfast.
I spent the rest of the day working on the server, uploading photos and organising them into country folders. I hope the tagging system and facial recognition will help keep everything organised. I left the server running and watched a couple of films before going to bed around midnight.
Sunday, 16th November
I woke when the alarm went off at 7:45, got a coffee and checked the server. The photo software recognised faces, tags and location data, which made sorting everything much easier. It even recognised videos that had been uploaded by accident. I stopped working on it around 10:45 and went for a walk along the promenade to Rio Nalon. I stopped at NoName Cafe for a tostada and coffee and read another chapter of Cemetery View on my Kindle.
I walked straight home afterwards, got some water and typed up notes for this week’s blog. I checked the virus scan running on the server and then relaxed in my armchair watching TV. At 13:00, George called to see if I wanted to meet him and Yvonne at Avenida bar. I walked there at 14:00 and we chatted for about three hours before heading home.
Back at my apartment, I cooked sausages for dinner and watched the Albania vs England game. England won 0-2, setting a new record for consecutive clean sheets. I watched a couple of old films afterwards and went to bed.
Add comment