Flying solo

Mara_uk7

So .......we fly to Barcelona, out of the airport and ask directions to the crazy english woman with the dogs & the singed eyebrows ?

dorothy52

Hahahaha - oh you made me laugh so much.

*Robin*

Hello Diary and Potential Rescue Party!

Sorry to have been MIA yesterday - finally made it into town, did everything on m'List and thus returned home so tired that I wasn't capable of stringing together a coherent sentence..
So it goes, but am fine today - no headache - so all those supplements which make me rattle must be doing something good.

Looking inland from the beach, it was easy to see why it's so cold here at the moment; all the surrounding mountains are generously topped with snow, which looked quite magical as it glittered in the sunshine.
CD pulled me for the first half of our walk, which she did willingly [bless her] although I had to share her minute inspection of the smells and changes since our last visit - probably doubled the distance to the estuary. There is now a wide beach and low dune in front of the sand-cliffs mentioned previously, but the waves have wreaked some damage on one of the summer bars; their patio wall is now scattered in large chunks (if there's another big storm the whole building might be lost ).

The Illegals' camp looked ok - met a couple of 'em in the supermarket, filling their trolley with bags of flour (and nothing else - how can they live and work on that? Unfortunately my French isn't up to framing the question).

Success of the day was getting back the technical report on a water sample from my well:
"There's only one problem" the girl at the lab said, "you had this sample assessed as drinking water - but you forgot to add any chlorine. The Law requires all drinking water to be treated.."
"I'm intolerant of chlorine due to ME - that's why I've got a well," said I. "Apart from that..?"
"Oh it's fantastic, I'd drink it - in fact I'd love to come and fill up my water bottles,** where do you live?"

Re-sult! Must confess I'd been wondering.. We haven't had it tested since the well was dug, and something caused PC's catastrophic decline..
Hmm; it wasn't the water. Now I can avoid the inevitable queue to fill bottles at the village fountain, which will save a lot of energy. In fact am now as certain as I can be, that my bore-hole is tapping the same aquifer as said fountain - test results are almost identical - which is wonderful news!
** People try not to drink tap water here; every weekend queues of city-dwellers wait to fill their car boots with [un-chlorinated] drinking water from one of the locally-famous village springs.

It was quite a spendy day, apart from the water analysis. A couple of Lads are coming on Sunday to try and finish the things Gaffer didn't, before he had to return to his proper job. I wasn't sure if he'd used all the big bolts I had in stock, so got some more just in case, and picked up a few other things that had been on my Ironmongery List for a while.
Also treated m'self to a rechargeable battery kit; been feeling guilty for using the throw-away type since our old charger disappeared (=borrowed, not returned). £20 got me ten batteries and a charger; soon my solar garden lights will be marking the paths [and warning where the ground drops away] again.

Mara_uk7 wrote: »

So .......we fly to Barcelona, out of the airport and ask directions to the crazy english woman with the dogs & the singed eyebrows ?

Ha! Guess geography is not one of your strong points, Mara? ..All I can say is you'd be in for a helluva long walk! :cool:

<Aargh - am about to be visited; must go and clear up a bit! ..Hope to get back later.. >

Mara_uk7

Lol Robin, My geographys not too bad, but I truly have no idea where in Spain you are . lol I love that country, would dearly love to retire there someday when dh agrees to sell the farm for thats our pension plan !

I love Andalucia, and also the area around Seville, We stayed in a place near Barcelona on our last holiday, many years ago.
DOnt know how Id cope living there rather than just a week or two holiday since Im a cold blooded Northern scot !
In the meantime, Ill keep going with the language CDs !
Enjoy your weekend !

NewLeaf_2

I am the worst at geography! And I have never been to Spain, but I would still try to help if Robin went missing

*Robin*

Hello Diary and dear Friends, :hello:

Today's official activity has been cancelled due to the lurgi, which gives me time to catch up with myself, as Mum used to say.
Just as well - am not feeling great anyway - but it's a shame that the jobs the Lads were going to do, will have to wait at least another week.
So it goes. Keeping fingers crossed that the storms heading this way tomorrow feature rain/snow rather than strong winds..

The last lightening storm did lots of damage; saw two burned patches of ground around pylons when I went into town, and many folk were without power after a sub-station melted. Don't know where the fire engines were headed locally - didn't stop at the bar to find out, just hope the family are ok (didn't see an ambulance the other night).

bast wrote: »

I love Aloe Vera and have used it for years.... My mum introduced it to me and she heard it from her friend in America in the 80`s in our house we call it "ello vera ":rotfl: Yeh we are nuts.... I actually do not have the plant but will look into that...Bio oil is fantastic but so expensive.:o

Aha; good you know 'Ello Vera - thought so! Shouldn't be too hard to get hold of a plant (don't forget it needs to be at least three years old for optimum healing properties). Yes Bio Oil is ridiculously expensive but a bottle lasts for ages (think it's on 3 for 2 at B[STRIKE]oo[/STRIKE]ts atm).
Not sure which works better - problem with Aloe is it's stickiness/sliminess - I found best to apply half an hour before showering for scars, or actually tape a deeply-scored lump of leaf over a fresh burn (replace when all the gel has been absorbed). Ha - after cutting off the layer that holds yellow liquid - where the unpleasant smell comes from which makes some folk reluctant to use it.

bast wrote: »

I love my o/h with all my heart and I dont care about any scars, he is my best friend and we are joined at the hip. Some people find it sad, but I dont care.. I love his company and enjoy being with him.. I always cherish our time together............:D
That is why I feel for you over PC and for Three dogs... I cannot even begin to imagine how much you miss him....:o

If my experience has shown you the wisdom of treasuring your relationship with OH, then I am glad..

3Dogs is getting rid of her dogs. Can't go near her diary atm as it's just too upsetting. Especially as her local shelter is also mine (at home in the UK). The place is bursting at the seams - they're desperate for adopters and people to foster.

It would break my heart again to lose my two remaining Daft Dogs now. No way could I change my lifestyle to something that doesn't include them. Can't imagine it without feeling overpowering despair.

..Just had to stop typing to envelop CD in a hug; she's so lovely, she puts her paws on my shoulders and hugs back! Aah; feel better already..

ETA: No criticism of 3Dogs intended - simply that I find her decision incomprehensible.

Be Lucky, Bast, and Missrlr, thanks for your comments re various banks. Am still mulling it over; shame Sant@nder has such a dodgy reputation as they also appear to be my best bet for now. The interest rate is better (even though I can't take advantage of the cash-back so must factor in the monthly charge). Plus it is a Spanish bank, so has advantages for moving living-expenses over when I'm here. :think:

dorothy52 wrote:

Hi Robin - you okay there lovey? Not like you not to post. I will check in you tomorrow then if I don't hear from you I will have no option but to mobilise the mse gang and come and find you...............you have been warned!!

Dot thank you for making me laugh! Am sorry that you were worried, and will try harder to check in briefly on days when activities/state of brain preclude a 'normal' update, lol.

Mara_uk7 wrote:

Lol Robin, My geographys not too bad, but I truly have no idea where in Spain you are . lol I love that country, would dearly love to retire there someday when dh agrees to sell the farm for thats our pension plan !

I love Andalucia, and also the area around Seville, We stayed in a place near Barcelona on our last holiday, many years ago.
DOnt know how Id cope living there rather than just a week or two holiday since Im a cold blooded Northern scot !
In the meantime, Ill keep going with the language CDs !
Enjoy your weekend !

Andalusia - a long way from Barcelona! ExDIL2 came from Seville so for several years we were regular visitors on our way here - got on very well with her Dad who became a real chum. Sadly he's no longer with us, another one who succumbed to cancer far too early.

Winters are - well you're reading one take on the experiences of a foreigner over-wintering in Andalusia. Summers are great if you love the beach and lots of parties. PC and I found it, hmm intense - which is why we bought the caravan, in order to be able to explore cooler regions if we happened to be here in August. It's fun being able to wander around perfectly comfortably in the buff though, and sleeping outside with only a mossie-net interrupting one's view of the starry firmament..

NewLeaf wrote:

I have never been to Spain, but I would still try to help if Robin went missing

Aww, thank you NewLeaf! Am sure your skills would be invaluable in a rescue party, but with any luck we will not need to put it to the test.
Still, I think you'd enjoy Spain so hope you do get the opportunity to visit one day.

NewLeaf_2

I looked up Andalusia on the map. It must be quite warm there. I hope one day to see it!

bast

We have our up`s and down`s like all couples but after 26 years, we know each other well!! He was my first boyfriend at the age of 8 lol He has a serious illness so puts a lot of things into prospective you understand what is important and what is not. Plus living on a boat there is not many places to go after a row...:rotfl: But we do manage to have a few...!!!:D

I read on three dogs thread that she was giving her dogs up for adoption. I cant really comment but like you I feel immensely sad .. I have two cats and one of them is husbands... Is it true to say you pick your animals to your own personality??.. Well o/h`s cat loves food, has to be full ... adorable, friendly and so laid back ... Mine is a nutter... honest to god true nutter... I love them both god forbid anything happened to o/h, but personally I could not be without either of them irrespective of anything else.. It would be too confusing for them. They complete our little family...I love them like babies...:D But I speak for no-one but myself just my feelings...

I hope that family was okay... hopefully that will be the last of the storms what horrendous damage they caused...:eek: I could not stop thinking of that poor American family yesterday that lost their loved one due to that sink hole... That poor brother will never get over that.. I felt for him..:(
I am laid up in bed with a stinking cold, been sick all day so feeling sorry for myself...
Thank you for the tips on the plant will defo check that out...
I am just looking out my window and the geese are quarreling as per usual.. The ducks are ignoring them... and the farmer is just finishing off his muck spreading... He must work 7 days a week ...x

dorothy52

Hi Robin and friends - sorry you are feeling bleugh Bast - here's hoping for a speedy recovery
Good to see you posting again my friend, as you now know we worry about you and if you want to prevent the Rescue Robin gang descending upon you without prior warning you would be well advised to check in and reassure us that you are ok lol. For me it's the fact that you are quite isolated there which makes me feel so protective of you.

I was fascinated to read that you have your very own borehole - wow - was it there when you bought the property or did PC organize it? Was he a geologist or an engineer? It must be quite deep to tap into the aquifer. Imagine, pure spring water to drink at will.......bliss? Do you use it for bathing as well or is there mains water as well?

Lovely image of CD giving you a hug - they really do sense and respond to your emotions, don't they? I too read 3dogs diary and am also astonished at her decision to rehome the dogs, I hope that she doesn't regret it later.

Well we were due to see the grandkids today but our plans have had to be abandoned as the other grandparents (and great grandparents) have rather monopolised them this weekend and they are not home yet, and we are taking MIL home now. Hey ho, am disappointed but am also glad that they have such loving grandparents who will provide them with a real support network when they are older and inevitably fall out with their parents.

Well, back to work tomorrow, so I will check in during the evening, have a good evening

Dotxxx

bast

sorry to hear you did not get to see the grand children Dot... like you say how wonderful they have two sets of adoring grandparents..:) That is lovely xx Unfortunately my kids only ever had one set... mine as o/h father is a complete git and his mum died young...Mine are ace though.... x