March winds and April showers...

It seems to me that March was warm and dry here in Spain but April has truly made up for it with, showers, thunderstorms and gales.  At least the flowers seem to enjoy it - and it doesn't generally last long with adequate spells of very warm sunshine following on pretty soon.  After last night's rain the pool temperature was down to just over 20 degrees so I gave it a miss today, busying myself with a heap of washing that soon dried in the sun and wind.

A week or so back we went to Cartagena to see  the Cuban Folklore ballet.  It was quite a spectacular show depicting the island's african heritage right through to it's Latino influences.  The finale was quite brilliant and the dancers got several curtain calls which I don't think they expected.






One can perhaps see why T and D enjoyed it so much.

The flowers around the pool look really lovely at the moment despite the battering they have had from the weather and the roses and other plants on the back terrace are slowly settling in and producing buds and, in some cases, flowers. I don't think one can ever have too many plants but I have to be prudent with the cash and spread the purchases over a number of months.  A few more geraniums on the wall at the back of the pool would certainly look nice and I have also seen some pot hangers that would take them - in May!

Carol of course is at present in Blighty where she has been since the middle of March.  Her sister, Dianne, had a fall and broke her leg in three different places.  She also disclocated her ankle and will be in plaster at least until 22 May when the cast comes off.  However, she then will have to go back to Bronglais in Aberystwyth to have the screws taken out of her metal plate.  Carol meanwhile fell over in Mach High Street and broke her wrist.  She too is due to return to Bronglais on 22 May but she also has an appointment on Wednesday this week just to check that all is well.  They both suffer quite a bit of discomfort and, with only three arms and legs between them, some disruption to routine as well - especially as Dianne's house is built around a staircase to all departments.  Still, I am sure they are enjoying their company (and the good will of kind friends) and I have been told in no uncertain terms to stay away as I 'would only moan about how I was missing my pool in Spain' - which is probably true.  Still I am ready to go if need be at a moment's notice.

 

Suzie's Spa and Hairdressing Salon

How it will look?    

A million housewives everyday...?

The rain in Spain stays where?

Apparently not mainly on the plain.  Yesterday I went to Camposol to do some shopping at Consum and found that, although it was fine in Bollyview, the colony of British West Camposol had suffered quite a downpour. Then today the intrepid three set off in the Vulva for Cartagena to fix a tyre and 'do' Leroy Merlin's.  I told TC on the way there that I doubted the problem was in fact the tyre but a dodgy wheel bearing or other problem.  Needless to say, I was quite right as the car is making a grinding noise at the front and it bangs when you turn left.  Anyway it has to go back again next week to be fixed 'cos they didn't have the part. It wasn't the tyre.

Leroy M's was, as usual, quite good fun but due to severe financial restrictions placed on me by my financial adviser (and spouse) I had to restrict myself to necessities - or rather things that in true civil service tradition could be justified as such (in whatever way possible). So I came away with two paintbrushes, a mini roller set, several small tins of emulsion and some primer. Justification?  All included in previous budget estimates for dolls house materials. Oh, and when we got back it poured with rain, I mean really poured.

I had to go into Mazarron to pick up a packet from a well known company situated in the jungle of Brasil on one of the world's longest rivers (Clue: A-az-n?).  It contained my copy, purchased on line minutes before her indoors informed me it was being repeated on Saturday, of 'Labyrinth' the end of which I missed on TV the other night.  It pssd with rain all the way there and the streets of Maz were like rivers racing through the town.  Never heard of drains here apart from the ones that smell.  Anyway there was a fantastic rainbow on the way back the foot of which touched the good old Moreras.  Oh, and why did I have to do this?  Because they tried to deliver my parcel to number 11 on whose Buzon (post box) they cellotaped the delivery 'aviso'.  I am definitely going to stick something over that number  15.

Got to cook my own dinner tonight so looks like beans means - Branston.

Splish splash, I was taking a bath...

Good news!  The pool temperature reached just under 22 celsius today and for the first time this year I took a dip - well two actually and for about 20 minutes each!  Lovely! The last few days have been really warm which has whooped up the temperature during the day with the pool cover off.  Mrs P has busied herself with the new waschmaschine and it now feels churlish to put on clean clothes for fear of dirtying them...

Pink skies tonight so let's hope Mrs P's birthday will again be bright and sunny.

Must pop into Cartagena sometime this week to see the processions and other spectacles of the 'Semana Santa' - Holy Week.  There seems to be some thing on every day from today until 31 March.

See http://semanasanta.cartagena.es/principal.asp

All I want for Easter is a washing machine...

Now just to make all of you ingleses quite sick with envy I can tell you that the weather here in Bollynuevo is just fabulous with temperatures in the upper 20s.  I actually put a foot in the pool yesterday and at just under 18deg it was good for paddling - but not a lot more.

On Saturday we decided to adventure forth to the Leroy Merlin/Carrefoure shopping complex to the north of the city.  Having eschewed the 5.70 Euro motorway charge in favour of the cheaper mountain route we proceeded into the centre of town and out along the main Boulevard towards the A30 motorway.  After a little detour via other housing/commercial estates we eventually found the place and were quite impressed with the stores available, including a McDonalds and Burger King eatery.  Life just doesn't get better does it?

Leroy Merlins is great - a French chain of DIY stores but slightly more expensive than B and Q.  Oh the excitement of finding a little plastic folding tea table in white resin and a parasol for only 35.95 - 10 euros cheaper than the bazaar chino at camposol!  We also found a bargain pressure washer to sweep away all the nasty saharan mud that came with last week's rainfall.

Then over to Carrefoure (has it got an e on the end? - who cares) to do some food shopping.  Ha ha!  It always starts off that way, just a kilo or two of potatoes, a box of Cornflakes and a bottle or two of Sauv Blanc.  But these froggy supermarkets are cunning:  they put everything your heart has dreamed of right by the entrance so you just have to have a look around to see if there's anything you need at a good price - and, amazingly enough, there always is. 

On Saturday it was the electrical department that caught our eye and an own brand washing machine for 149 Euros - that's about £120 ish depending on the rip off currency rates and a bargain in anybody's money.  So before we even got to the tatties and vinos the last available unidad was hoiked off to the Agila to sit in state in the car park.  Then back in again to do what we came for...

The lavadora sat in the back of the car, with the umbrella, the plastic table and the karcher until Adam our local handyman could help daddy to get it out, almost collapsing at the knees as he made his maanly way backwards up the steps into the downstairs apartment.  The machine in the kitchen upstairs is almost  unreachable in the corner and fires like a machine gun cum howitzer during the spin cycle, so we decided that, for the new one, we would create a laundry corner in the apartment below.  Adam diligently installed it by the sink unit and it quietly began its first wash cycle, without dirties as recommended in the manual.  No leaks, no maschinengunfire, and a 1000rpm spin as sweet as a whisper.  Bargain!

It was so nice yesterday that I then spent the afternoon (a) lazing on a lounger (b) drinking beer from the newly stocked downstairs fridge and (c) pressure washing the mankie loungers.  The latter brought them up like new if perhaps a little rough to the touch as most of the shine came off under weather wear and water pressure.  Still, certainly looks more hygienic.  Just hope that the plastic is not too cooked or there'll be another Torrevieja incident with mummy going though the slats this time.

Doesn't get much better than that really and, as the sun is shining for all its might again today I am going to leave it there and top up the pink bits with tan....  

This blog has been sleeping for some time but now it's wide awake: watch this space!

Yep, I just got access to 'News from Bolnuevo' again!

Ola de Bolnuevo!

10th March already – where does the time go?  It’s Sunday morning – well afternoon just – but we’ve just got up.  I say we but, then again, one of us is still in bed munching on her scrambled egg.  I’m listening to a jolly radio station (Siete Radio) and looking out over that view – it’s sunny but there are some heavy clouds around – let’s hope they just pass us by.

Last night we went to the Lions annual dinner at the Hotel Playasol down the road – it’s a very nice venue and the food was lovely – but the Lions president told them to serve it Spanish style, which means very slowly over the whole evening.  This was a shame because they had a six or seven man jazz combo and by the time the dance music started people were getting ready to go home – it was after all midnight!  It was a very formal and quite posh occasion – the Mayor of Mazarron was there and the Regional Governor – as well as other local dignitaries and there were toasts to King Juan Carlos and HM the Q.  Daddy was all done up in his DJ and dickie bow and mummy all in her finery as well as a touch of discrete slap.  We had fresh salad to start with cheese and Serrano ham – and some super almonds, the biggest I’ve ever seen (perhaps they weren’t?).  Then there was calamari with mayonesa, then soup, then chicken in blue cheese sauce with jacket potato and finally yummy desert – I had two cos Terry didn’t want his.  After the raffle (which we didn’t win) there were some speeches – the Mazarron Bahia Lions (an international charity and alternative to the masons – without all the ceremony) have rebuilt a school for disabled children in Lorca which was destroyed in the earthquake some years ago.  Not bad going and something to be proud of.

What’s new at no 15?  Well, not a lot really.  I have been working quite hard on the garden and I am in the process of planting roses and other plants at the back of the house to make the back terrace a bit more attractive.  I need five more roses and the job is done.  The right hand side is planted with a mixture of seeds scattered amongst the rocks which I have placed around the roses.  I have also pruned the yuccas to make them into a sort of spiky palm tree and they look much better.  I cut off one trunk from the back of the plant and have put it in further down near the steps leading to the pool and a few other plants (mainly osteospermum) have gone in around it.  They root fairly easily.  That’s the back terrace – just the mountain to go, ha ha…

It’s coming up to Semana Santa (Holy Week) and everywhere will be having the usual processions etc.  I don’t know what they do in Bolnuevo but the big shows in Murcia and Cartagena are supposed to be something else.  Today they are using the dirt track that goes down from here to the Gredas car park and beach for a cycle event.  Simon will be sad to hear that Monroe’s has gone from the village.  The boys who ran it sold it to the lady who runs Elliott’s Restaurant further up the road but it flopped without their magic touch (fairy dust) and it looks like it’s going to be a burger joint.  Time will tell but most people think it is optimistic.  We are quite friendly with Anya who is the daughter of Pauli who had the German place with the number plates.  He died and she was left alone here.  She works in the garden centre and is also a friend of Terry’s.  He knows everyone!

Hey, you know those Nespresso coffee cups that cost a fortune and the alternatives in M and S – well the good old Bazaar Chino has ‘em in stock for only 4 Euros 50 for six – 6.50 if you want saucers as well.  Which is less than a Euro each – espresso and lungo.  Brill!  Also, the coffee pods are 3.60 for ten in Corte Ingles, but you can get alternatives in Mercadona and Consum (Camposol) for just over three Euros.  Bargain.  We raided the Chinese shop there on Friday and got another matching recliner for the balcony and two more cushions for the pool lounger making three all together.  Amazing, every time one goes into that store one finds something to buy: we also got a nice little wall clock for our bedroom – 4 Euros!  Don’t laugh, it matches the décor and looks nice.  We went in for a mixing bowl.

You will be pleased to hear that for the last week or so we have not had the heating on during the day – or in the evening – which is encouraging – and we sat out on the balcony on Friday and cooked ourselves: for the first time I actually turned pink – a bit.

Mum opened her Woooomans Day card today and was chuffed, for which many thanks.  Would love to take you all for a steak at La Siesta (on Bolnuevo beach) to celebrate – or down to the Antipodas at La Azohia for the view.  Oh well, when you come again…