Keeping cool ....

...or trying to. Yesterday was cloudy but so humid it was impossible to stay dry - felt like I wanted to jump in the shower at least once an hour. From now on chores will be done either early morning or in the evenings after the sun has gone down! It's now when I envy my friends who have their own pools - they can go for a dip whenever they like! (On the whole though I'm glad I don't - especially when I listen to their conversations about pool care!).

Bought a couple of the pillows I mentioned in my last blog, they really do what they say - stay cool in summer heat. Check their website - there are a couple of companies in the UK who use the technology, Silentnight being one, so they are available if anyone's interested.

Also bought more bedlinen for the new bed, plus a pair of curtains to fit over the arched entrance to my en-suite. All I need now are two nice bedside tables and bedside lamps.

Went to Monroe's on Friday as usual. It's being altered around the inside bar area which is now a room and totally closed off from the restaurant. Can't understand the logic behind it at all. Those of us who just go there to watch and listen to the music (not just when John's singing, but the jazz band, country and western, and rock and roll performers who are on other nights) will have to sit in the restaurant somewhere, because we won't hear a thing in this new 'bar'. At the moment everyone is out on the terrace (diners and drinkers alike). This week they gave John an area at the far end of the terrace instead of in the middle which he wasn't pleased about, not very balanced.

Saturday was the last official Blue Skies outing, this time to the Timon at Calpe. I first went there on my birthday last year. I expected a good turnout but there were only 11 of us. I thought the meal was expensive at €26, for what we had. But it was a pleasant enough evening. From now on we'll be making our own arrangements and for this weekend Annie has offered to do a barbecue, she will supply the meat/fish and the rest of us 'girls' will bring the accompaniments and desserts. The men will bring bottles! There are fiestas this weekend in Annie's village and we'll be able to hear the music etc. from her courtyard.

This coming Thursday three of us are having a trip to the new shopping centre at Ondara, it will be my first visit so I'm looking forward to it.

First chore today is to 'vacuum' the back yard, so better get on with it before it gets too warm out there.

Have a good day/week/month - however long it is before I blog again!

Mark's visit

Mark went home yesterday after his 6 day break. Strange to have him here on his own, and we both missed Robyn. I hope the holiday did him good but I'm afraid in the 24 hours since he got home yesterday his stress levels have risen somewhat, for reasons I won't go into on here.

He not only did a number of jobs for me, paid for just about everything in the food and drink department but he also bought me a new bed!

When I was furnishing the newly finished ground floor bedroom last year, for some reason I blindly stuck to the plan Derek and I had made to get two single beds. This was only a couple of months after he died and I expect I wasn't thinking at all clearly. I've regretted it ever since and decided that eventually I would get a king size instead - more comfortable in the summer months as you can find cooler spots! When I mentioned it to Mark he said he would buy it for me, how generous is that! We chose it on Saturday and it was delivered on Monday. It's seriously comfortable, has memory foam on top of the pocket springs and is so high I almost need steps to get in it! Two old beds were taken away to be donated to a children's home and we moved the singles upstairs to replace them.

While we were choosing the bed Mark found a 'cool' pillow - designed to stay cool no matter how hot it is. The name to look for is 'Outlast' and the technology comes from the materials used for space suits etc. He's left it here with instructions that no-one else is allowed to use it! However, I've borrowed it to see if it suits me - if so I'll buy a couple for my bed and maybe even slowly replace all the others. Only used it once so far and I'm quite impressed.

We ate out every night except Sunday when we had a bbq, spent a few evenings in Moraira listening to open air concerts - we've a 10 day fiesta going on here, ending on Sunday. Tonight, tomorrow and Sunday night feature bull running, as well as more music and the obligatory fireworks displays. Also went to Pedreguer and Javea.

Tomorrow sees the last 'official' gathering of Blue Skies before breaking for summer. However, groups of us will still be meeting up to eat out until Blue Skies re-convenes so the social life isn't coming to a standstill completely, though sometimes when the weather is particularly hot and humid it's difficult getting motivated to dress up - getting one's hair dry can be a major problem!

Had thunder storms last night - I was in Alcalali for dinner with friends and at one point we had hail stones that would pass for ice cubes. I had to drive home with lightening flashing all around me - scarey! In Moraira when I arrived home the storm had already passed through but it was raining hard. Today has been breezy and quite a bit cooler - pleasant!

Cliff Hall - The Spinners - R.I.P

In the 70s and 80s Derek and I were big fans of Liverpool Folk Group, The Spinners. I've just learned that Cliff died on 26th June, in South Australia, aged 83.

Cliff - extreme right.

Derek and I would travel all over the Midlands to hear the group and spent many happy hours in their company. We once had them sing for us at a private party we held to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary, my 40th birthday and our 20th year in business.

RIP Cliff - and thank you, so many great memories.

Oh what a night! .......

Last night - the Moraira International Music Festival, re-scheduled from last month (the evening before the start of the village's Moors and Christians week), when it was cut short by torrential rain. Helen and I went down to the beach to meet Annie and her group of friends (none of whom Helen and I knew), set up our tables and chairs, had a picnic and a few drinks first. Unfortunately, in spite of beautiful sunshine, there was what seemed like a force 5 gale blowing off the sea; even so, the beach was still very busy and quite a few others like ourselves had set up their own picnics in order to enjoy the music which was being played on a stage set up near the castle. We missed the first act as we didn't arrive till 8 pm and the festival began at 7.

After an hour or so sitting on the beach Helen and I decided to have a wander into the centre and see what was happening around the stage area. It was heaving, all the restaurants and bars were pretty much full but we managed to get a table at Jimmy's and sat down to enjoy a coffee and a brandy, listen to the music and 'people watch'. Shortly afterwards Brenda, Jock (Sheila) and Neil spotted us and came to join us. Helen and I must have been away from our original party for a good hour and a half so reluctantly we decided we must head back, but only to put our things in Helen's car and then return to the stage area to continue enjoying the music, which we did.

The acts we missed before we arrived or were still on the beach included Theatre Express, Dark Horse, Rock of Ages and Sax in the City. Charlotte Henry was singing when we had our coffees, and we got back in time to see Emma Rose Wright (Emz) and the final act Rubber Soul which is a Beatles tribute band. Rubber Soul's line-up includes Tony and Anthony Rivers (father and son) who are very well known locally, both as individual singers and also as a duo. Tony Rivers had his own group in the 60s - Tony Rivers and the Castaways - which was later re-named Harmony Grass (their first hit was 'Move in a little closer baby'). This is the first time I've seen Rubber Soul and they were brilliant, Helen and I were enjoying ourselves so much we just had to stay until the very end by which time it was well past midnight. The crowd was in such good spirits, extremely well behaved, there were lots of young families with very small children too, in spite of the late hour. Helen and I remarked while walking back to the car that we couldn't think of anywhere in the UK we could do what we'd done that evening. I made up my mind that from now on I'll be down there in the middle of it all whenever there's something going on, the atmosphere was so great.

Re-wind to Saturday evening which saw the 5 of us (Annie, Brenda, Helen, Mariel and me) dining at the Salamander. 'Dining' is the only word to use. This was 'posh'! I'd not been before but the others had and since their last visit there've been changes - no 'menu del dia' being the obvious one. Annie and Mariel had roast suckling pig, first time I've seen that on a menu - they both declared it divine. I had chicken and it was delicious. At an average of €35 each it was almost twice what we normally pay on our Saturday evenings out but worth every cent. I should also add that the service from the waiting staff was superb.

Re-wind again to Tuesday and Friday, my nights for listening to John at the President Bar in Javea and Monroe's at Pedreguer respectively. Thankfully, on Tuesday the previous week's drunken Spaniard did not put in an appearance, and on Friday there was a lovely breeze flowing through the terrace area which meant I could dance and still keep fairly cool - unlike the previous week where I yet again ended the evening looking as if I'd just stepped out of the shower.

Must start the day - early appointment at the medical centre then lunch with the g/fs as usual. Hope you all have a good one!

Hot and sticky

That would be the weather of course! And unfortunately sometimes me too when it's particularly humid. After what's seemed to be a very long cool wet spring, summer has finally arrived. On the whole it's lovely, except when the humidity is high and then you just can't stay dry. Aircon is OK but we all find as soon as you move away from it, whether in the home or in shops, offices or even the car, you break into a sweat immediately. I'm trying not to use it as I seem to suffer more than most. Had two embarassing evenings recently while out socialising when I've ended up looking as if I've just had a shower. I have to find a way of dealing with this otherwise it's going to wreck my summer. The sun never actually gets into the house so if I have windows and doors open it tends to stay cool and if there's a breeze I can get a good flow of air through.

SPAIN ARE EURO 2008 CHAMPIONS - YAY! Not a football fan but I did watch the final, and enjoyed it, Spain are a very young team and ran the legs off the Germans. As soon as Torres scored the only goal the fireworks started going off here. Sara happened to phone me before the end of the match and by the last two minutes of the game, we'd exchanged all our news and were simply watching in the hope Germany wouldn't score in the last minute. (Thank heavens they didn't!). She wanted to hear the reaction and sure enough the moment the final whistle blew, the fireworks started again in the village, along with car horns, music and the rest. I hung over my balcony holding the phone in the direction of the village and she heard it all quite clearly. (The celebrations continued into the small hours I might add!). The Spanish certainly know how to celebrate, and as England was out early on, the British ex pats threw their weight behind Spain as well, as our adopted country, and I bet there were a few sore British heads yesterday as well.

Blue Skies will 'officially' take a break during the summer, but a lot of us will still meet up on Saturdays to do something. The five of us g/fs (Annie, Brenda, Helen, Mariel and me) are meeting at the Salamander this week. This will be a first visit for me - Blue Skies went the week before I joined and hasn't made a return visit. It's a nice location and I'm looking forward to it, hope I can stay cool!

Had a nasty experience with a drunken Spaniard last week at the President bar. He'd been sitting outside listening to John and watching the dancing and at the end when John was singing a slow number and couples were 'last waltzing' he suddenly made a lunge at me through the door and tried to get me to dance. June saw him first and warned me in time for me to pull myself back, and I think John had the microphone ready to bop him over the head! Scarey. I hope he's not there this evening - unfortunately he probably will be as I've seen him around at the same time for the last few weeks. Must be careful where I park my car.

Mark is coming for a few days next week! He's not bringing Robyn (school!) so it will be quite a different kind of holiday for us both. We can do grown up stuff for a change! He's going to do a few jobs for me, I'm making a list!

You have to hand it to Tesco for their efforts towards a greener environment. Sara has just sent me two of their 'Big Green Bags' and I'm very impressed with the look of them. I shouldn't have a problem getting all my groceries in them and can't wait to try them out this week. (Pity I can't qualify for the green clubcard points you pick up every time you use them!). The Spanish hand out plastic bags willy-nilly, and while I do re-use them for rubbish etc. it does prick my conscience somewhat. However, we are well set up here for recycling waste - there are recycling points all over the urbanisations - sets of four enormous bins with huge underground chambers, for biological waste (food etc.), plastics and cans, paper and cardboard, and glass. In the village there are smaller bins in the streets but they still have big underground chambers. And that's not to mention the free-standing recycling bins such as those you might see in supermarket car parks in the UK.

Away to start the day - have a good one yourselves!