Went to a great concert last night. A Portuguese junk percussion group called Be-Dom. They were amazing, great 'music', rhythms and beats done on old plastic and metal bins, old tubes and bike wheels etc plus lots of hands clapping and finger clicking and stamping and included an enormous amount of audience participation, without a word being said. I don't even know if any of them speak English, there was no need, as full communication was done by hand signals and mime. Some very clever lighting too.
Only downside was I'd bought tickets for me, Daughter, E and R but R was unwell and couldn't come :o(
The concert was only an hour, but non-stop fantastic for that hour so well worth it. Then the three of us sat outside one of the dockside restaurants and had coffee and cake to round of our night out perfectly.
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Wednesday, 27 July 2011
Monday, 25 July 2011
Just another week...
Well apart from the very itchy arm the week was quite uneventful. Bits of housework and bits of gardening and out with friendsM&H for dinner Tuesday night, Daughter came over with the children Wednesday and the girls did gardening and enjoyed using the loppers and a hand saw to cut down a tree, while Daughter and Hubby were sorting out the trailer tent and I was fully occupied chasing after O and keeping him busy and safe. Art Group followed by the Truck Stop was Thursday night..... so just the usual stuff.
Friday night to Saturday lunchtime was spent with FriendH, who I've known from school days! Again our usual talking till 3am, this time was all the stories that surrounded her very recent 60th. Hubby and I had celebrated with her at the special lunch her sons had put on for her, which was great for me as I had a brief chance to catch up with some old friends I haven't seen for years too. Stayed a little later on Saturday than I normally do as her son popped in and it was so lovely to see him again and have time to chat.
The rest of the weekend was quite quiet here as not only was I still tired from the very late Friday night but Daughter and Children are all away camping - actually a bit too quiet!
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Friday night to Saturday lunchtime was spent with FriendH, who I've known from school days! Again our usual talking till 3am, this time was all the stories that surrounded her very recent 60th. Hubby and I had celebrated with her at the special lunch her sons had put on for her, which was great for me as I had a brief chance to catch up with some old friends I haven't seen for years too. Stayed a little later on Saturday than I normally do as her son popped in and it was so lovely to see him again and have time to chat.
The rest of the weekend was quite quiet here as not only was I still tired from the very late Friday night but Daughter and Children are all away camping - actually a bit too quiet!
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Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Bad reaction....
Yesterday...
About 10:30am I noticed an itch on my right forearm. When it started getting more and more itchy I inspected my skin to find two raised round bumps near the wrist following the little finger line and a long irregular shaped raised bump on the inside of the arm near the elbow crease.
It definitely looks more like an allergy reaction even though it feels like I've pulled my arm through nettles, but I don't have any idea what has triggered it. I'd eaten two plums and a few peanut things this morning but I'd eaten both of those yesterday and have eaten the plums for the past three days. Very odd that it's just the one arm and only the lower half??? I did consider it might have been something on my shirt rather than ingested, so that shirt went into the wash and I put a clean one on.
I've been using Anthisan cream but the patches are getting bigger and bigger.
It's now 7:30pm and the inner arm patch is now the full width of my arm and almost round, so the diameter of my index finger. The two small bumps have enlarged enough to have joined into one and has almost reached down to join the large bump.
If it's not gone by the morning I'd better see a doctor!
Today......
Well the patches are still there and still itchy but I decided not to see a doctor as they are now flatter and not so hot so I think whatever it was is on it's way out of my system. Actually as the biggest area is calming down a bit I can see what looks like 5 pin pricks in a semi circle, so now I'm guessing it was caused by some insect or insects biting me! Little buggar!!!
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Friday, 15 July 2011
Just housework, maybe...
Turned out to be a very successful shopping trip with R yesterday, although it did take four hours! A different sort of shopping experience with each granddaughter as one is totally focused on what she wants and where she wants to look for it and the other is happy to drag in and out of every shop hoping for inspiration, the answer to most questions being "I don't know"! Only downside was the horrid rain.
Today so far I've done two machine loads of washing and some is already dry enough to come in again. Quite hot out there today :o)
Hubby has already cut back some of the grape vine, dug around some of the tree trunks and re-felted a shed roof and has now gone off to B&Q (his favourite shop) to buy some beading to repair the table in our Daughter's camper.
I've still got lots I want to do, ongoing jobs, like renaming and saving all my digital photos on this laptop then backing them up (they are in two places at least now). I'd always meant to write a description beside all my old printed photos so in years to come we'd remember who they are and where they were taken.....needless to say I never did! Also I'm some way to compiling a timeline of me! Got loads of old diaries to read through and pick the important or interesting bits out of to add to the timeline but that takes ages (cos I'm old enough to have far too many diaries). I wonder if anyone will be interested in any of this when I'm gone?
Note to self: Password protected computer or internet stuff can't be accessed when I'm gone, so either ditch the security protection or make sure the relevant people know my password!
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Today so far I've done two machine loads of washing and some is already dry enough to come in again. Quite hot out there today :o)
Hubby has already cut back some of the grape vine, dug around some of the tree trunks and re-felted a shed roof and has now gone off to B&Q (his favourite shop) to buy some beading to repair the table in our Daughter's camper.
I've still got lots I want to do, ongoing jobs, like renaming and saving all my digital photos on this laptop then backing them up (they are in two places at least now). I'd always meant to write a description beside all my old printed photos so in years to come we'd remember who they are and where they were taken.....needless to say I never did! Also I'm some way to compiling a timeline of me! Got loads of old diaries to read through and pick the important or interesting bits out of to add to the timeline but that takes ages (cos I'm old enough to have far too many diaries). I wonder if anyone will be interested in any of this when I'm gone?
Note to self: Password protected computer or internet stuff can't be accessed when I'm gone, so either ditch the security protection or make sure the relevant people know my password!
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Thursday, 14 July 2011
Neglected but not forgotten....
I know this has been a neglected blog, with the posts being few and far between, but hopefully I will make amends now and try to do so on a more regular basis.
There have been a few things stopping me from writing here one of which is yet another weight loss battle. This has to be just for me, so publicly marking achievements or lack of achievements doesn't help, so I've been writing that on a private space, listing my GABS= Good, Achievement, Bad and Stats for each day. Have to admit that that doesn't seem to help me either! The other thing that gets in the way of my jotting things down is having to be careful of what I say about whom in case it identifies them and/or causes any repercussions, much the same reason I'm hesitant to comment on the other blogs I read.
So a quick catch-up of the past few days....Hubby has been chopping down trees, 26 of them in fact. They are Leylandii that hedged around the play area but had gone completely brown on the insides so cutting them back this year made them all look a bit dead. So Monday they were all stripped of every branch by chain saw and yesterday Hubby spent nearly all day with two friends and two shredders reducing all but the thick branches to chippings in hundreds of orange sacks. Now just 26 trunks to get out of the ground. There'll be plenty of homes for the wood for burning so that won't be a problem.
Sunday night E asked to sleep over and on Monday we went into town to spend her clothes money as she was desperate to own a jump-suit or dungarees and although no dungarees we found two jump-suits in fact, a trousers pair and a shorts pair. Today I'm back into town with R who also has rather a lot of clothes money to spend. Can't believe I'm going into town twice in one week, haven't been for months!
Well they will all be here very soon and I'm not showered or dressed yet (I'm so easily distracted).
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There have been a few things stopping me from writing here one of which is yet another weight loss battle. This has to be just for me, so publicly marking achievements or lack of achievements doesn't help, so I've been writing that on a private space, listing my GABS= Good, Achievement, Bad and Stats for each day. Have to admit that that doesn't seem to help me either! The other thing that gets in the way of my jotting things down is having to be careful of what I say about whom in case it identifies them and/or causes any repercussions, much the same reason I'm hesitant to comment on the other blogs I read.
So a quick catch-up of the past few days....Hubby has been chopping down trees, 26 of them in fact. They are Leylandii that hedged around the play area but had gone completely brown on the insides so cutting them back this year made them all look a bit dead. So Monday they were all stripped of every branch by chain saw and yesterday Hubby spent nearly all day with two friends and two shredders reducing all but the thick branches to chippings in hundreds of orange sacks. Now just 26 trunks to get out of the ground. There'll be plenty of homes for the wood for burning so that won't be a problem.
Sunday night E asked to sleep over and on Monday we went into town to spend her clothes money as she was desperate to own a jump-suit or dungarees and although no dungarees we found two jump-suits in fact, a trousers pair and a shorts pair. Today I'm back into town with R who also has rather a lot of clothes money to spend. Can't believe I'm going into town twice in one week, haven't been for months!
Well they will all be here very soon and I'm not showered or dressed yet (I'm so easily distracted).
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Sunday, 19 June 2011
A very special father's day...
I know there have been lots of father's day cards from me to my dad in the time from when I was old enough to make them or buy them to the time of his death, now 12 years past.....but the only father's day card that I will always remember was 1975's. No present that year, just a simple card making no big promises of undying love and gratitude but added to that card the biggest gesture I could ever make.
Three years earlier my dad had shown his objection to my choice of boyfriend by not talking to me! As it happens this boyfriend was a lot more suitable than some had been, he was clean, healthy, polite and respectful and in full time employment - but he was not of our faith! I wasn't the first of my siblings to have a non-Jewish boyfriend, my eldest sister got very close but was then packed off to relatives overseas to "get over it", but I held my ground and that boyfriend has been my hubby for nearly 38 years so far. Holding my ground resulted in silence from my dad for three years, us having our wedding a year earlier than we would have planned (so no savings), mum coming to the wedding without dad (torn between us) and us moving into bed-sits because we couldn't afford anything else!
Actually I didn't blame him, even though he was not a religious man himself and it was more his belief that he was teaching a child right from wrong (in his eyes). He never tried to stop me but he refused to show his approval. I don't think he ever tried to stop my mum from sticking by me or coming to the wedding which was quite a big thing with his Victorian attitude to being the master of his family. It was three very long years without him but we were both pig-headed and I certainly wasn't going to make the first move to have it thrown back in my face. So the first year when I was still living at home was the hardest but then there were two more years after the wedding of knowing I had a dad that couldn't allow himself to be part of my life.
Father's Day 1975 and dad was in hospital (can't remember why but know it was nothing major) and I walked onto the ward at visiting time, mum and a sister already at the bedside and I just threw a card gently onto his legs without saying anything, he opened the card and said thank you............we were friends again and I'd paved the way for three more siblings to marry out and be accepted by him.
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Three years earlier my dad had shown his objection to my choice of boyfriend by not talking to me! As it happens this boyfriend was a lot more suitable than some had been, he was clean, healthy, polite and respectful and in full time employment - but he was not of our faith! I wasn't the first of my siblings to have a non-Jewish boyfriend, my eldest sister got very close but was then packed off to relatives overseas to "get over it", but I held my ground and that boyfriend has been my hubby for nearly 38 years so far. Holding my ground resulted in silence from my dad for three years, us having our wedding a year earlier than we would have planned (so no savings), mum coming to the wedding without dad (torn between us) and us moving into bed-sits because we couldn't afford anything else!
Actually I didn't blame him, even though he was not a religious man himself and it was more his belief that he was teaching a child right from wrong (in his eyes). He never tried to stop me but he refused to show his approval. I don't think he ever tried to stop my mum from sticking by me or coming to the wedding which was quite a big thing with his Victorian attitude to being the master of his family. It was three very long years without him but we were both pig-headed and I certainly wasn't going to make the first move to have it thrown back in my face. So the first year when I was still living at home was the hardest but then there were two more years after the wedding of knowing I had a dad that couldn't allow himself to be part of my life.
Father's Day 1975 and dad was in hospital (can't remember why but know it was nothing major) and I walked onto the ward at visiting time, mum and a sister already at the bedside and I just threw a card gently onto his legs without saying anything, he opened the card and said thank you............we were friends again and I'd paved the way for three more siblings to marry out and be accepted by him.
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Friday, 20 May 2011
My clock moments...
OK you are going to find this a bit weird, I do, but for quite some time I seem to look at digital clocks and see them at exactly 1:11, 2:22, 3:33, 4:44 or 5:55 in the night or in my car or wherever! Three numbers together, more and more frequently it's getting spooky. So I started looking at numerology sites and Angel numbers etc to see if it means something and low and behold it does. I'm not a great believer of the supernatural but like to keep an open mind. Most of the sites I've read have shown these numbers are positive signs that my guardian angel is trying to show its presence, no mention of it being anything negative or sinister, so my interpretation has been that with a lot of sickness in close people around me recently then it's a reassuring hug from possibly my mum who only died two years ago!
That's quite comforting and pleasant but this morning was very different. Yesterday I visited my poorly sister and also had two close friends having hospital treatments and they were texting me their progress. In the early hours I stirred and rolled over to see the time, it was 5:05 but all I could see was SOS......that was a bit scary!
What do you think, should I just ignore it as coincidence or look into it more?
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That's quite comforting and pleasant but this morning was very different. Yesterday I visited my poorly sister and also had two close friends having hospital treatments and they were texting me their progress. In the early hours I stirred and rolled over to see the time, it was 5:05 but all I could see was SOS......that was a bit scary!
What do you think, should I just ignore it as coincidence or look into it more?
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Wednesday, 18 May 2011
Spain holiday - 9th to 16th May 2011
Destination = Pinar de Campoverde, Pilar de la Horadada, Costa Calida, Spain.
Hubby's friend has a villa which they use a lot but does occasionally rent it out to family or friends, he also keeps a car valet parked at the airport which we rented from him too.....all at mates rates :o)
Monday 9th - Leisurely start as we didn't need to leave home till 8am, which is quite late for us when flying off somewhere. Happy to report that flights were on time and no huge queues, although we haven't really got the hang of this Ryanair, cheap flight, no allocated seats, type of flying so we didn't get to the departure gate until after we'd stopped for breakfast so we ended up not being able to find two seats together, but I read the whole journey so don't suppose it really mattered! Actually it amused me that I'd actually chosen a short story (189 pages) that took me almost the exact time of the flight to read.....how clever eh? Easy baggage collection at Murcia Airport and our car was there waiting for us. We couldn't actually get the sat nav to work but we had printed directions so got to the villa with ease. The villa was lovely, spacious, very well equipped and on two stories but as there's a double bedroom on the ground floor and a bathroom and only the two of us we won't bother using any of the upstairs. Outside there were sundecks and eating areas and planted areas and an outdoor pool. Our first toe test proved that the pool was still a bit too cold for us to venture into yet but we did have a sunbathe by the poolside. So wanting to get the lie of the land we went for a walk around the village and soon discovered it was like any housing estate but very clean and extremely quiet. Just opposite the villa was a little row of shops all designed to cater for the English ex-pats and tourists. Not totally to my taste for a Spanish holiday but would prove to be convenient, like not wanting to go far on our first night so choosing to have dinner at 9pm in The Portabello, an English style pub run by English people. I had a prawn salad while hubby tucked into gammon and chips and sat happily watching football on the big screens. Also happening back home we knew, was our daughter going off to see a trailer-camper she was hoping to buy, well she did buy it and sent me a photo by MMS to prove that she had succeeded her first ever tow with this very big trailer and it was now on our drive...Well done to her but unfortunately the MMS cost me £2 to retrieve!!!
Tuesday 10th - We both slept well in a really comfortable bed and I love it that the windows have the blackout shutters so the room was still dark in the mornings! We did get another text from our daughter who said they were so excited with their new purchase that they had decided to camp in it immediately to try it all out....on our drive! Then off we headed in the car to San Pedro beach (we'd worked out how to use the sat nav by this time) and headed first for an English breakfast. There was a long walkway alongside the beach and we saw people covering themselves in the famous black mud then lying in the sun for it to bake onto them, not sure what its medicinal benefits are but they all seemed to be enjoying it. Then we noticed a formation fly past, and hubby said we were near the military air base and these were their pilots obviously practicing their display routines, so we settled down on the beach and enjoyed an amazing free air show. We also enjoyed an ice cream (which was very green) and bought our three postcards then on the way back we stopped at the supermarket to get some provisions for breakfasts (really don't want another English fry up) so fruit for me and cornflakes for him. That evening we decided to take the long walk down to another pub that had been recommended, an Irish pub this time! Oh dear it was also quiz night! But the advantage of somewhere to walk to did mean hubby could have a few pints so we stayed and ate outside (roast chicken and chips) but didn't stay long after we'd eaten and walked back up the long hill and settled in with the TV and some Grand Designs (satelite tv with all the English channels = happy hubby).
Wednesday 11th - So started the day with fruit/cereal breakfast then off to find another beach at Torre de Horadada and Playa mil Palmeras. We did lots of walking and driving as it was too windy to sit on the sand, then back for an afternoon relaxing at the villa for a bit of sunbathing, a bit inside, a bit of crosswording and a bit of reading. I wrote and then posted the three postcards, because I do like to do them early in the holiday so they get back to the UK before we do! For dinner that evening we drove down to a restaurant called Treetops (another recommended) and that night they had a steak and wine deal for 20 euros per couple so we both had the steak and shared the bottle! Then back to watch the film Benjamin Button that was in the cupboard on DVD, it was very good but somewhat dragged out a bit. Late evening our daughter sent a text saying she was having a panic and are we near the two earthquakes that have just happened in southern Spain. We knew nothing about it, so tried to find a Spanish TV channel to see if we could get any information, but couldn't.
Thursday 12th - We had a lazy villa day and managed to find some news off the two earthquakes at Larco, which was about 60k from where we were, they said it was the worst they had experienced for 50 years and 10 people had been killed. My brother-in-lawA had also text to check we were OK, reassured everyone we were fine. We had lunch over the road at the Pasty Shack and headed out about 4pm, but all the shops were shut so we headed to the beach and marina at San Javier, very pretty place. Then came back and later had dinner in Restaurant Mary also over the road. I nearly had my paella but they said it would take 40mins to prepare and we'd heard that the Irish pub, Fibber McGees, was having a blues night so thought we'd eat something quicker and head down there. Glad we did actually because the two Spanish guys that performed blues all night were very good.
Friday 13th - We didn't get up till 9am ish and had a very lazy start so no chance of getting to the shops before they siesta! So we sunbathed/read/crosswords etc and finally left the villa about 4pm and headed to Torrevejo for a lovely walk along the beach and through lots of market stalls (all quite tacky). We stopped for an ice cream which I managed to drip all down me (hubby said it was due to the date). Then back to the villa by 8pm. We'd only bought 4 tshirts, two rings and a little train, so I was stressing a bit about having enough gifts to take home. We didn't bother with dinner that night as neither of us was hungry so stayed in and watched The Castaway/Tom Hanks from the video collection in the cupboard, which we both really enjoyed.
Saturday 14th - I got up at 7:30am (an hour before hubby) and checked emails etc online as I'd found a free wifi connection from halfway up the stairs, sitting on a cushion as they are very cold marble stairs. Eventually we went for a long walk on the beach at San Pedro all the way to San Javier (about 5k) then found a lovely beachside restaurant for lunch where hubby agreed to share my long awaited paella (they'd only cook it for two as it takes so long to cook and comes out as a huge flat pan to share) it was delicious! Then of course we had the long walk back. It was about 25 to 30 degrees C all day and I got a bit burnt on my back without realising it. Of course we didn't need dinner that night so had a TV evening again, mostly Britain's Got Talent which was very funny.
Sunday 15th - We were up early and pulled up the blinds to find a very cloudy sky and then some rain so we did nothing but a bit of reading and crosswords till 3pm ish then went for a very windy walk on Playa de la Horadada beach which totally blew the cobwebs (and my new haircut) away! A card on the fridge recommended dinner at the Rebate restaurant, it was excellent (hubby had steak and I had sea bass with garlic oil). The whole place was quite classy and the staff were very attentive. Outside there was a large pond with ducks and baby ducklings swimming and in a nearby pen was an ostrich. There was a wedding reception going on in the function room next door too. On the way back we stopped off at the Irish pub for a Rockabilly band, they were really good and had the totally packed pub bouncing. We didn't stay long though as only sitting room was outside and it was getting a bit chilly. A really lovely last night.
Monday 16th - It seemed too much time to kill before our flight home but not enough time to go anywhere, so we very slowly cleared up, emptied the rubbish and stripped the bed then because we were packed and ready to go in plenty of time we went over the road and had a proper lunch at The Portabello pub, in case there wasn't much at the airport. I even found and bought a book at the pub to take back for the children "Sophie visits Spain" for some language learning. Drove the car back to the airport car park and they drove us right to the airport doors, then took the car to keep it safe till it's needed again (such a useful and easy service). We had a good flight home and we sat together, only because we queued at the departure gate for an hour and half (stupid system). On the bus back to the car park we were saying how we'd travelled without any problems just before having a problem getting out of the long stay car park!!! Sooooo eventually got home about 7:30pm UK time.
All-in-all a lovely holiday and proof that hubby and I can survive a week alone together :o)
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Hubby's friend has a villa which they use a lot but does occasionally rent it out to family or friends, he also keeps a car valet parked at the airport which we rented from him too.....all at mates rates :o)
Monday 9th - Leisurely start as we didn't need to leave home till 8am, which is quite late for us when flying off somewhere. Happy to report that flights were on time and no huge queues, although we haven't really got the hang of this Ryanair, cheap flight, no allocated seats, type of flying so we didn't get to the departure gate until after we'd stopped for breakfast so we ended up not being able to find two seats together, but I read the whole journey so don't suppose it really mattered! Actually it amused me that I'd actually chosen a short story (189 pages) that took me almost the exact time of the flight to read.....how clever eh? Easy baggage collection at Murcia Airport and our car was there waiting for us. We couldn't actually get the sat nav to work but we had printed directions so got to the villa with ease. The villa was lovely, spacious, very well equipped and on two stories but as there's a double bedroom on the ground floor and a bathroom and only the two of us we won't bother using any of the upstairs. Outside there were sundecks and eating areas and planted areas and an outdoor pool. Our first toe test proved that the pool was still a bit too cold for us to venture into yet but we did have a sunbathe by the poolside. So wanting to get the lie of the land we went for a walk around the village and soon discovered it was like any housing estate but very clean and extremely quiet. Just opposite the villa was a little row of shops all designed to cater for the English ex-pats and tourists. Not totally to my taste for a Spanish holiday but would prove to be convenient, like not wanting to go far on our first night so choosing to have dinner at 9pm in The Portabello, an English style pub run by English people. I had a prawn salad while hubby tucked into gammon and chips and sat happily watching football on the big screens. Also happening back home we knew, was our daughter going off to see a trailer-camper she was hoping to buy, well she did buy it and sent me a photo by MMS to prove that she had succeeded her first ever tow with this very big trailer and it was now on our drive...Well done to her but unfortunately the MMS cost me £2 to retrieve!!!
Tuesday 10th - We both slept well in a really comfortable bed and I love it that the windows have the blackout shutters so the room was still dark in the mornings! We did get another text from our daughter who said they were so excited with their new purchase that they had decided to camp in it immediately to try it all out....on our drive! Then off we headed in the car to San Pedro beach (we'd worked out how to use the sat nav by this time) and headed first for an English breakfast. There was a long walkway alongside the beach and we saw people covering themselves in the famous black mud then lying in the sun for it to bake onto them, not sure what its medicinal benefits are but they all seemed to be enjoying it. Then we noticed a formation fly past, and hubby said we were near the military air base and these were their pilots obviously practicing their display routines, so we settled down on the beach and enjoyed an amazing free air show. We also enjoyed an ice cream (which was very green) and bought our three postcards then on the way back we stopped at the supermarket to get some provisions for breakfasts (really don't want another English fry up) so fruit for me and cornflakes for him. That evening we decided to take the long walk down to another pub that had been recommended, an Irish pub this time! Oh dear it was also quiz night! But the advantage of somewhere to walk to did mean hubby could have a few pints so we stayed and ate outside (roast chicken and chips) but didn't stay long after we'd eaten and walked back up the long hill and settled in with the TV and some Grand Designs (satelite tv with all the English channels = happy hubby).
Wednesday 11th - So started the day with fruit/cereal breakfast then off to find another beach at Torre de Horadada and Playa mil Palmeras. We did lots of walking and driving as it was too windy to sit on the sand, then back for an afternoon relaxing at the villa for a bit of sunbathing, a bit inside, a bit of crosswording and a bit of reading. I wrote and then posted the three postcards, because I do like to do them early in the holiday so they get back to the UK before we do! For dinner that evening we drove down to a restaurant called Treetops (another recommended) and that night they had a steak and wine deal for 20 euros per couple so we both had the steak and shared the bottle! Then back to watch the film Benjamin Button that was in the cupboard on DVD, it was very good but somewhat dragged out a bit. Late evening our daughter sent a text saying she was having a panic and are we near the two earthquakes that have just happened in southern Spain. We knew nothing about it, so tried to find a Spanish TV channel to see if we could get any information, but couldn't.
Thursday 12th - We had a lazy villa day and managed to find some news off the two earthquakes at Larco, which was about 60k from where we were, they said it was the worst they had experienced for 50 years and 10 people had been killed. My brother-in-lawA had also text to check we were OK, reassured everyone we were fine. We had lunch over the road at the Pasty Shack and headed out about 4pm, but all the shops were shut so we headed to the beach and marina at San Javier, very pretty place. Then came back and later had dinner in Restaurant Mary also over the road. I nearly had my paella but they said it would take 40mins to prepare and we'd heard that the Irish pub, Fibber McGees, was having a blues night so thought we'd eat something quicker and head down there. Glad we did actually because the two Spanish guys that performed blues all night were very good.
Friday 13th - We didn't get up till 9am ish and had a very lazy start so no chance of getting to the shops before they siesta! So we sunbathed/read/crosswords etc and finally left the villa about 4pm and headed to Torrevejo for a lovely walk along the beach and through lots of market stalls (all quite tacky). We stopped for an ice cream which I managed to drip all down me (hubby said it was due to the date). Then back to the villa by 8pm. We'd only bought 4 tshirts, two rings and a little train, so I was stressing a bit about having enough gifts to take home. We didn't bother with dinner that night as neither of us was hungry so stayed in and watched The Castaway/Tom Hanks from the video collection in the cupboard, which we both really enjoyed.
Saturday 14th - I got up at 7:30am (an hour before hubby) and checked emails etc online as I'd found a free wifi connection from halfway up the stairs, sitting on a cushion as they are very cold marble stairs. Eventually we went for a long walk on the beach at San Pedro all the way to San Javier (about 5k) then found a lovely beachside restaurant for lunch where hubby agreed to share my long awaited paella (they'd only cook it for two as it takes so long to cook and comes out as a huge flat pan to share) it was delicious! Then of course we had the long walk back. It was about 25 to 30 degrees C all day and I got a bit burnt on my back without realising it. Of course we didn't need dinner that night so had a TV evening again, mostly Britain's Got Talent which was very funny.
Sunday 15th - We were up early and pulled up the blinds to find a very cloudy sky and then some rain so we did nothing but a bit of reading and crosswords till 3pm ish then went for a very windy walk on Playa de la Horadada beach which totally blew the cobwebs (and my new haircut) away! A card on the fridge recommended dinner at the Rebate restaurant, it was excellent (hubby had steak and I had sea bass with garlic oil). The whole place was quite classy and the staff were very attentive. Outside there was a large pond with ducks and baby ducklings swimming and in a nearby pen was an ostrich. There was a wedding reception going on in the function room next door too. On the way back we stopped off at the Irish pub for a Rockabilly band, they were really good and had the totally packed pub bouncing. We didn't stay long though as only sitting room was outside and it was getting a bit chilly. A really lovely last night.
Monday 16th - It seemed too much time to kill before our flight home but not enough time to go anywhere, so we very slowly cleared up, emptied the rubbish and stripped the bed then because we were packed and ready to go in plenty of time we went over the road and had a proper lunch at The Portabello pub, in case there wasn't much at the airport. I even found and bought a book at the pub to take back for the children "Sophie visits Spain" for some language learning. Drove the car back to the airport car park and they drove us right to the airport doors, then took the car to keep it safe till it's needed again (such a useful and easy service). We had a good flight home and we sat together, only because we queued at the departure gate for an hour and half (stupid system). On the bus back to the car park we were saying how we'd travelled without any problems just before having a problem getting out of the long stay car park!!! Sooooo eventually got home about 7:30pm UK time.
All-in-all a lovely holiday and proof that hubby and I can survive a week alone together :o)
.
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Surrounded by cancer.....
I can't believe how many people that I am directly linked to have had cancer, died from cancer or are still battling with cancer! There are even more people that are just one step away from a direct link too! Why?
Is it that cancer in all its various forms are more prevalent now, or just more talked about? Or is it because I'm older I'm nearer to the age people are struck down with it? Or are there in fact a growing list of forms this dreadful disease can take, more parts of the body it will attack?
Is it the way we live that is triggering its hold on us? I've heard that drinking from a plastic water bottle that has been allowed to get warm in the car can cause cancer! So perhaps it is our exhaust fumes, our processed foods, our man-made fibers etc etc that are killing us? I've also recently discovered that my ethnic origin makes me a higher risk too!
All I ever hope for is that our ever increasing education will inform us to change the things that are bad and help the scientists to find better treatments or perhaps even a cure!
.
Is it that cancer in all its various forms are more prevalent now, or just more talked about? Or is it because I'm older I'm nearer to the age people are struck down with it? Or are there in fact a growing list of forms this dreadful disease can take, more parts of the body it will attack?
Is it the way we live that is triggering its hold on us? I've heard that drinking from a plastic water bottle that has been allowed to get warm in the car can cause cancer! So perhaps it is our exhaust fumes, our processed foods, our man-made fibers etc etc that are killing us? I've also recently discovered that my ethnic origin makes me a higher risk too!
All I ever hope for is that our ever increasing education will inform us to change the things that are bad and help the scientists to find better treatments or perhaps even a cure!
.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Weekend by the sea....
My BestFriendM gave me her holiday cottage for the weekend to take my SisterM (who is poorly) and our two husbands. Here's my 'thank-you' email to her below...
From: me
To: BestFriendM
Subject: Lovely weekend
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 08:20:02 +0100
Hi BestFriendM
From: me
To: BestFriendM
Subject: Lovely weekend
Date: Mon, 4 Apr 2011 08:20:02 +0100
Hi BestFriendM
We really did have a lovely weekend, thank you :o)
Before we saw you Friday, SisterM had unpacked and said how lovely the cottage felt, and we had been out for a walk along the beach (up the bank and turn right) in the late afternoon sunshine so everything sparkled. Dinner in the FBI was OK (to be honest nothing great which surprised me) but we all enjoyed it and I'd had a glass of wine before we went and I'd taken a bottle of Baileys and had a large one when we got back so I was nicely relaxed!
Saturday while we lazily pottered SisterM also said what great taste you have and how she loved the way you'd furnished and she really liked the bed linen on the double and all your ornaments etc. She was amazed how you provided EVERYTHING and that you did all your own cleaning "as it's spotless"! Have to say that they are not always the easiest to please but this pleased them both a lots.......isn't it great that they loved it as much as we already do :o)))
Saturday we walked to the jetty and had a lovely chat with FriendA, then back to the FBI at 11am to meet some friends SisterM and bilA had made on their New Zealand holiday but haven't seen since, they live in Colchester and come to Felixstowe a lot so when they knew M&A would be there they came specially to see them. Then we went for another walk (down by the pier end) and a cafe lunch, then to the shops, then to Languard Fort and Bencotto's for dinner - got there 6:45pm and that was perfect as it soon got very busy indeed, soooo glad I'd rang you! Again enjoyed the wine before and the Baileys after so quite a boozy weekend for me hahahaha
Sunday market of course and chips on the front and a long walk along the prom then unfortunately our final tourist stop was A&E as the wound on SisterM's permanent stomach drain had been weeping a lot and the dressing was pulling and quite sore. Can't believe she came out of hospital on Tuesday and hadn't even been contacted by the district nurse yet! Anyway luckily we were only in there for an hour and a half and she said she was so pleased I'd bullied her into going as she felt relieved that they had looked at it and there was no infection and it just needed a change of dressing. Phew.
So, the key is in the letter box as requested, I'd stripped the beds and with the used towels heaped the laundry by the washing machine but unfortunately as we ended up leaving in a bit of a rush for A&E I forgot to put the rubbish out, sorry.
Thank you so much.
love you lots xxxxxxx
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