Had a little accident.....

Hurt my foot! Not serious but it did involve an anti-tetanus injection and a course of antibiotics. I tripped over a little hand fork/hoe type implement and sliced into the inside of my right foot just where it arches. Managed to drive myself to the Clinic. I was more concerned about infection and couldn't remember when I last had an anti-tet injection. The doc decided not to stitch it in case there was still dirt deep inside it, instead he cleaned it thoroughly and dressed it. Then I had the injection and was given a prescription for antibiotics 'just in case'. Had to return the following day for the nurse to change the dressing and check the wound. What with the visit to the clinic, the injection, the anti-bs, buying Betadine to wash the wound with (like iodine, that awful staining yellowy brown colour!), antiseptic cream and large adhesive dressings, I reckon my carelessness cost me about €75.

This happened on Monday while I was repotting some of the geraniums, so for the rest of Monday and Tuesday except for my visit to the clinic I put my feet up - literally - because every time I walked the thing bled; it was also very painful.

Was supposed to visit friends near Mazarron on Wednesday but obviously couldn't drive that distance. In any case I'd already warned them that I was expecting my package from the UK to arrive Monday or Tuesday but if it hadn't arrived by Tuesday evening I'd cancel anyway - no way was I not going to be around to receive it! No telling where it might end up or what hoops I'd have to jump through if I missed the delivery.

It turned up yesterday (Thursday) after being out for delivery since Tuesday. Finally I can think about shortening the curtains in this place now my sewing machine is here! I did the ones in my bedroom this afternoon, given myself a backache doing it, and also put a zip in the top of a bag I got free with a magazine in the UK. Probably seems a daft thing to do but it's a nice black and white canvas bag, quite roomy and worth using - except it didn't close so wouldn't be secure. Seemed like a zip would be the answer and it's turned out quite well.

Being Friday, it was market day. Did my usual fruit and veg buying but was disappointed to see some of the usual stalls missing - in particular, the one where I bought some very nice shorts a few weeks ago, wanted to buy another couple of pairs today as they're very comfortable to wear and, being a kind of 'seersucker' they don't need ironing if I'm careful how I dry them. Ever one to reduce that horrible chore to a minimum!

Since I arrived home last week I've had low water pressure. K., my plumber friend who keeps an eye on the house when I'm not here (and me when I am), had noticed it too (he ran the taps as houses here soon begin to smell of drains when they're left for any length of time). Of course we both thought it was a water supply problem with the increase in visitors in the town. However the pressure wasn't enough to fire the boiler so consequently I've only managed about three hot showers since I got back, the rest have been cold! Not a problem in this weather until you want to wash your hair, then it's not so good. K. visited yesterday lunchtime and I asked him whether it was worth checking the pressure coming into the house. I'd heard my neighbour using his garden hose and it seemed to have plenty of pressure. Made me think there was something going on with the feed from the meter to the house. That's when we discovered that SOMEONE had turned my pressure regulator tap to the halfway position. The tap is out in the street, no box around it, just the tap and regulator there for anyone to mess with, and obviously someone had. No, I had no idea there was one and even if I had I would have expected it to be in a box with the water meter. K. gave himself a little kick for not thinking of it before. No real harm done though.

I found some lovely fabric on the market for my suite! Not sure how practical it is since it's cream but at €9 a metre and 2.80 metres wide it seems like a good price. I now have to make patterns of the cushions and figure out how much I need. I've picked my friend Doreen's brains and will probably do a lot more picking along the way if I pluck up the courage to do it. In fact it might be cheaper to fly her out here to help me! The only upholstery I've ever done before involved just fabric and a stapler!

Found quite a few pictures of Derek, scanned and printed a few, just need to go through the digital ones now. While I was laid up with my poor foot I reorganised my patterned paper stash, alphas and rub-on/adhesive embellishments. Now all I have to do is scrap and once chores are done this weekend that's what I hope I'll be doing. Looking forward to OneWorld Scrap in Javea opening again after the holidays - Anke has been to CHA Summer 2007 and has lots of new stuff on order for the shop - seen several ranges I like!

Thanks for keeping with me, I always mean to blog more regularly so there isn't such a diatribe to read all in one go - MUST TRY HARDER! See you after the weekend - hope you all have a good one!

Home again

...... and it felt rather odd to begin with I must say! Driving on the other side of the road, not to mention the heat and humidity!

I was overweight again with my case at the airport, this time only 2kg but it cost me £12! And I'd already unpacked a whole heap of stuff and made up a parcel to send back here which was collected from Sara yesterday. Though I should also say that the parcel contained a sewing machine! The one I'd had in the UK for years just wasn't good enough to bring out with us last year and as I'm not much of a needlewoman either hand or machine I decided I didn't need one. I saw two (either Brother or Singer, can't remember) in Dunelm Mill, both around £100, decided I'd go back and have a second look. However before I had chance I saw them in Lidl's - for £40! OK, so I've never heard of the make, think it's probably German, seemed quite 'solid' and I tried it out before I took it to Sara's for packing. If I don't do anything other than make and shorten curtains it will be good enough! But I may be tempted to stitch on my scrapbooking layouts. And perhaps tackle making new covers for the settee and chairs.......

The rest of the parcel had some scrapbooking bits, shampoos etc. I can't get here (I have difficult hair, use Neutrogena T-Gel so stocked up!). I would never have managed the box as well as my case and hand luggage - and sending it is definitely cheaper!

Caught up with a few more people during my last week in the UK, even looked at some newly built flats which are in quite a nice area, plus they are secure. But the downside is there is no garden area other than a few strips of grass and none of the flats have balconies. It struck me that after living an outdoor kind of life here, going somewhere totally enclosed would be HELL! Having said that, I haven't decided whether I will return to the UK or not. It was wonderful seeing the family and friends but the scales are still balanced in favour of Moraira right now!

The garden just about survived! Most of the geraniums made it OK but there was lots of deadheading to be done. I'm going to replace some of them and get some bigger pots, I think they need more room! All the plants that are in the ground are thriving, the two passion flowers are growing well and still flowering, to my delight! However my (potted) Umbrella tree has probably had TOO much water via the irrigation system and I don't know whether it can be saved but I'll try with it. Derek's rose bush (also in a pot) has an infestation of something and I need to get to the garden centre to find something to spray it with. I have no idea what it is - hope to find something that will eradicate all known rose pests and diseases in one fell swoop.

The Mandevilla, this gorgeous pink-trumpeted 'vine' type plant has reached the porch roof and is making its way along the twine I hooked up a long time ago when I was trying to get a stephanotis growing in the same place. The photo below is one I took about six weeks ago. There are lots of flower buds and I'm very excited about it.

I haven't ventured into Moraira yet, I expect it's getting very busy now. Will find out tomorrow when I head to the market!

I'm bound to find the heat of the next couple of months a bit trying but I've come back looking forward to getting more done around the house even though I know it will need to be tackled a bit at a time! Mark and Robyn are coming out for a week at the end of the school holidays. I'm lining up a few jobs for him! My main task will be to finally arrange the memorial service for Derek. I'm pretty sure now that a service is the way to do it and am hoping to arrange it for the beginning of October - a simple service followed by a light buffet lunch I think. Meanwhile I want to do an album of his life - if only I can find enough photographs......

Staying longer

I mentioned in my previous blog I thought I might stay on another week - well it's a six day extension, now returning home on 18th July instead of this coming Thursday. I really couldn't do everything I wanted in the time I had left. Sara, as I predicted, was thrilled to bits but even now, with 8 days to go before I leave, she is getting a bit stressed about me leaving.

Had a lovely lunch with my ex boss at Yots at Burton Waters (my idea to go there) - it turned out to be Yots' first anniversary and spookily Derek and I had gone there for the first time the day it opened last year. How weird that I should choose that place that day.

I've also visited my aunt and uncle (my mother's brother). It's been some time since I've seen them, my uncle will be 80 next year, but the years seem to be treating them pretty well considering their ages. They had three daughters, sadly the youngest died of breast cancer a few years ago, and we haven't kept in touch except by christmas card for several years now. It was good to catch up on all their news and I hope to pop in and see them again before I go back to Spain.

Tomorrow and Thursday I'm visiting more friends, hope to fit in another lunch with my ex boss, will be babysitting for Simon and Louise on Saturday, and would like to spend a bit of time with Robyn and Mark this weekend too. No doubt next Tuesday Sara will have me pinned to her for the entire day!

I got my new glasses today - they're taking some getting used to, not just the look of them but the weight as well. I'm always the same with new glasses - love them when I choose them, hate them on me when I get them and then take about six months to get used to them. Hopefully by christmas I'll be feeling much happier!

Still no decision on the service for Derek - when, where or the form it will take. Several ideas - a trraditional memorial service but no idea when, a damn good party either on his birthday in January or the first anniversary of his death in February, but I feel that a lot of people would miss out on their chance to say goodbye if we took that route - people I've not heard from since he died but who would like to pay their respects, former business acquaintances and colleagues etc. Really need to make our minds up soon but talking to various people is helping clarify my feelings. Would like to get together with Simon, Mark and Sara to talk it over, just the four of us, but getting us all together in the same place isn't easy!

That's it for now, CSI has just come on - off to watch it!

No change.......

No change in the weather, the difficulty in getting around this 'home' town of mine or anything else as far as I can see! What a time I picked for this visit - it's rained every single day and thrown up the everlasting problem of 'what to wear'. Already had to buy a jacket and been given a cardigan by my best friend! I know that when I'm back in Spain by the middle of next month a wet day will probably be very welcome but, although I didn't come back here for the weather, a bit of sun right now would be nice!

My hire car is a Honda Civic, brand new and very very quick! So quick I'm frightening myself to death driving it - it gets up to gazillion miles an hour without me noticing *blush* This evening, being Mark's birthday, we went out for tea - Mark, Robyn and me - Italian, very nice but very filling, came back completely stuffed. Mark drove the Civic instead of us all going out in his truck and after dropping Robyn back at her mum's we came home up the bypass. He got 120 out of it before we ran out of road .....

Over the past week I've done some babysitting, taking and fetching from school, shopped a bit, visited friends and eaten far too much! Still to come - lunch out with an old friend (my ex boss) tomorrow, evening meal on Thursday with very long time friends, barbecue on Saturday and maybe some babysitting Saturday evening if I'm fit to drive! On Monday I should get my new glasses and Monday evening a group of us are going to see a clairvoyant at The Lawns in town. We've all been to see him before so this is nothing to do with Derek as such, though I did have a word to him before I left Spain and told him what I wanted to know if he should decide to come through for me.

Am considering extending my stay by a week as I feel I still have quite a few things I want to do and more people to visit. I know Sara would be pleased if I did, not sure how Mark would feel having me around for another week - but I'd be here to take Robyn to school so would be a help to him in that respect!

Mark's neighbours' new baby arrived this morning at 1 a.m., Alexia - mum and babe came home about 9 a.m., Alexia has masses of black hair, she's gorgeous! Mark is chuffed she arrived on his birthday. Looks like their cat has jumped ship though, seems to have been hanging around on top of the fence for most of the day.....

Visited the accountant at lunchtime - I think we've finally reached the stage where everything is nailed down and done with. What a relief!

Think that's it for now - oh, just to reassure friends overseas - we are NOWHERE NEAR London or Glasgow where the terrorist attacks have taken place, but that doesn't mean we're complacent - even Lincoln has more than its fair share of foreign and immigrants these days and you never can tell........