Month: July 2025

Sunday, 20th July, 2025

Rained over night again. Lovely and warm and the grass is greening back up already. There are hospipe bans in some parts of the country although not in ours. Their introduction so often provokes heavy rain. I don’t think we’ve ever had a ban down here in the 9+ years we’ve lived here.

It’s going to be another very busy week. This morning, by 10.00 am, I had done the Check-in for our flights to Athens, downloaded the Boarding Passes to our smartphones and printed paper copies as back ups. I then drove to Rustington for shopping. My Carer needs new sunglasses. She bought her last pair about 20 years ago in Oldham. Didn’t know they’d heard of sunglasses in Oldham. Anyway, we went to Specsavers this morning. Quite a few pairs to choose from ranging from £70.00 – £120.00. After about 20 mins prevarication, a pair were chosen. When we went to have them fitted, we were told the sunglasses were for prescription lenses only. That saved some money although I think we will be going to Next next.

On to Grapetree for bags of Pine Nuts to make Pesto with Basil from the Garden. Drove home via the beach and sea garden. Lovely colours even if not sunny yet.

Got walking to do, resolving the distribution of investment funds in time for a meeting on Monday morning. On Tuesday, I have an Oncology Clinician Review. On Wednesday, I have a blood test for INR calibration. On Thursday, we are driving up to Surrey to meet up with M&K and to see if Colin has settled into his new accommodation. Fortunately, the weather is set to be lovely this weekend so it may be a bit more relaxing.

Monday, 21st July, 2025

Rain again over night but now dry, warm and sunny. I like this organisation. Had quite an intense evening preparing for my financial meeting this morning. Even so, I had a blinding flash of enlightenment at 3.30 am and couldn’t wait to get up to amend my proposals. Still, I fought the instinct and did a fevered hour of work before going out for a 9.30 am meeting.

My Brother-in-Law, Colin, moves into his new accomodation today. It will be a tricky situation for M&K to manage. While out in Littlehampton, we are going to buy him yet another jar of old fashioned sweets that he loves. We will be going up to Surrey to see him on Thursday and the sweets may smooth the meeting.

Always like to drive past the beach when I’m out and it was looking lovely, lonely and colourful this morning. At 10.30 am, it was sunny, 22C/70F, with fleecy white clouds decorating the blue sky. The smell of the sea was delicious.

Do you remember Premium Bonds, Dear Reader? They immediately remind me of the 1950s. We had some bought for us by our Grandfather. I haven’t a clue what happened to them. Actually Premium Bonds were introduced in 1956 and managed by National Savings & Investments to help fund post-war rebuilding of the country.

The return isn’t guarranteed but monthly prizes of £1 million downwards are awarded each month and the statistics for the likely return make it quite relateable to other Easy Access accounts. I’m going to buy £20,000 worth of Premium Bonds and keep them for a minimum of 6 months. If you follow the Blog, you will find out if the winnings are worth it. One of the reasons why I’m choosing to do this is because all winnings are tax-free and one can liquidise them instantly.

I have tied most of our capital up in Fixed Rate (tax-free) ISAs over one year and two years plus Fixed Rate Bonds over one and two years as well but the latter are taxable and money can’t be withdrawn before maturity. I will be 76 by that time. We have a number of Easy Access accounts but they are taxed so Premium Bonds will be a fun account to run for a while.

Tuesday, 22nd July, 2025

Incredibly warm night. I’m going to be proactive in researching the best air-conditioning units for our house. It’s got to be in by next Summer. My wife is concerned about the aesthetics of them so that will be a central consideration – possibly.

I don’t know what you think of these units, Dear Reader. Personally, I don’t really care what they look like as long as they are not too intrusive and perform their function well.

At 9.00 am, I had a face-to-face meeting with the Oncology Team commuted to a phone call for some spurious reason so that they could work from home. I’d had a 6 monthly blood test and the report was that my PSA was excellent at 0.21 and my Testosterone was back to normal. (I could have told her that.) I will have another test and a full body scan when I return from a month in Tenerife at the beginning of December. My Prostate Specific Antigen level was 7.0 when my cancer was identified. It fell to 0.23 when the cancer had ‘gone’ and has continued to bump along the bottom ever since which is very reassuring.

It is a week since we returned from Spain. I enthused about it in the Blog and wrote that we always treated the properties we rented with the respect that we would our own home. Imagine how shocked I was when I received this Whatsapp message yesterday.

We had to pay the normal, refundable fee as insurance against damages. In this case, it was €150.00. That was the last of my worries. I want to return to the property I really enjoyed it and didn’t want ill feeling. I immediately contacted the Agent who investigated and, within the hour, apologised for confusing us with renters of a different property. The money was refunded immediately. Fortunately, that incident has made our relationship with the company even stronger and will help us in our next booking.

Managed to get a walk in for an hour and then back home to meet the Samsung Delivery. Incredible process. We ordered a new, all singing/all dancing Washing Machine and a heat pump dryer on Sunday evening. It is being delivered today. We even traded in our old dryer for £100.00 which was nice. The deliverers will take it away. On Friday, we have a local craftsman coming to redesign the Utility Room and install the new appliances. He is also going to fit 4 more power sockets because so many household tools are recharged there.

Wednesday, 23rd July, 2025

Spent most of yesterday thinking it was Sunday. Looks like Dementia is really setting in. You will know that the philosopher, Søren Kierkegaard, observed

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.

and he was right. Our History is just as important as our Future but I was taking it too far yesterday. Mind

I’ve got an Office Day today although a number of other events will fit round it. First, I have to go out and donate another armful of blood for my INR testing. Then the weekly Sainsbury‘s shop. I got caught in an absolute cloudburst yesterday which soaked me to the skin in seconds but means I don’t have to do any garden watering for a few days.

At least it’s sunny here today and, joy of joys, my Travelling Companion has found sunglasses that ‘slightly’ please her at Boot Opticians. Well, they were satsfactory enough to have two pairs for different occasions.

I’ve driven to a shop to return two more dresses that my Carer has rejected, talked to some old friends in Greater Manchester, Leeds and the Yorkshire coast, done an 8 mile walk and my main task today is to renew my Financial Records document. This is a financial parachute for when I die. The last thing I want is for my wife to be scrabbling around for finance or waiting for Probate to move forward with her life when I die. The document tells her exactly what to do in the event of my death to release financial support immediately.

If I am frozen in time, understanding backwards, what must be lived forwards, this photo illustrates my dilemma perfectly. Just 53 years ago today, I was young. Where were you, Dear Reader? Sorry.

Of course, Dear Reader, Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Twenty years ago, I had an Office Day in Greece. I had taken a new computer with me and was installing software and writing Blogs. The weather was hotter. The internet was slower. I was younger but I was doing the same things.

Thursday, 24th July, 2025

Today is a drive to Surrey to visit M&K and then go on to see Colin’s new accomodation in palatial Surrey. It’s a lovely, warm and sunny day so it should be fun. Let you know later.

I have spent a bitter-sweet day in a swanky Care Home costing £2000.00 per week but still a Care Home. The care is desperately needed and the home absolutely lovely but, if you’re the patient, it takes some accepting. M has done everything imaginable to ease the passage from home to care but nothing is easy.

The problem with Dementia patients is that they don’t really know their limitations or not all of the time. C described it as a comfortable prison which demonstrates the dichotomy of understanding. That phrase crystallises the dilemma. In mid-term, patients have moments when clarity of their crisis is obvious but most of the time they are unaware of their own vulnerability. Their loved ones have to take heed of both.

C&K are paying a fortune for the privilege of providing C with restaurant dining that includes a choice of wine but the Care includes the control of restricted movement for those who can’t look after their own safety.

We drove home with existentially heavy hearts. Will this happen to me? Don’t let this happen to me, Dear Reader, I implore you … and yet, what can we do? Meeting our own reality is all. I need to see …

Friday, 25th July, 2025

Another week is drawing to a close. It has been another significant one. This time last week the funeral of my Sister in Law took place. If any such occasion can be described as successful, the day was a success. M&K organised it very well and balanced the events with delicacy and aplomb. I am an Historian and like to record, store the records of the day.

MandyDownload

I put up photos from P’s life that featured in displays on the day and M&K have been kind enough to provide me with copies of their eulogies they delivered at the service. I include them here for future reference. Here you can open M’s Eulogy in full and K’s Eulogy in full.

KieronDownload

The aphorism: Death is Final has never been really true. I have found the images of history populating my mind all week. They fade over time but they rarely go away and return particularly in anniversaries. The browned and crumbling edges of a Wedding photograph from 1956 remain and deserve record although how many idiots like me will ever look at them is hard to judge.

While going through her Mother’s things – one of the heart wrenching processes so many of us have to do on these occasions – M found a surprising record P had kept in Diary form. Born 20 years later, she might have been a Blogger. A find that delighted me was of postcards we sent from our Greek travels in the last Century. (Just let the cadence and significance of that sentence linger.) The last Century ages us all.

These are experiences that have marked my life. They have made me the old man I have become. I don’t regret a single moment of them although perhaps I ought to. The cards are of a different time – from the early 1980s to the end of the 1990s. From there, internet, email and mobile phones took over.

Each one triggers particular memories and records elements of life’s rich moving tableau. Currently, I am still accute enough to recall those experiences in the glorious fusion of the senses.

We first arrived in Greece in 1981 and in Sifnos in 1982. The last card I posted from there was in 1999. A lot changed in that time. Arriving as a naive, young man trying to learn the language to a buying a farmer’s field and employing an architect to design our house. The island was growing, almost imperceptibly, around us and with us.

At one point, we decided we should see the rest of Greece and started doing time on Sifnos but also staying on other islands as well. We did, Zakynthos (Zante), Kerkyra (Corfu), Naxos, Milos, Andros, Kimolos, Kythnos, Paros, Serifos, Folegandros (featured above), Rhodes, Kos, Symi, Nisyros and Syros

Saturday, 26th July, 2025

Yesterday was a day of renewal. We have been married for 47 years and yesterday I threw out one item from those days. Just as M is realising with her Mother’s things in preparing the house for sale, you just have to be ruthless. Much as you’d like, you can’t hang on to everything.

In the early days, I bought my wife an ice cream machine. Almost 50 years ago they were quite novel and expensive. They were also bloody heavy. I bought this at John Lewis in the centre of Manchester – I think it was Market Street. – and I had to carry it back to the car parked in Kendall’s carpark on Deansgate. I was shattered and sweating when I got there. I nearly hailed a taxi half way. In recent years, it hasn’t been used much other than a Christmas tradition but the facility is nice to have and real, homemade, double cream ice cream makes commercial stuff look pointless. I can feel a new one being ordered.

Yesterday, renewal took another form. We had a fitter in to remove the built in laundry machines, restructure the space and install two new machines. The old ones have been in since the beginning of 2016 without problem. They were still working fine but 10 years is average for those sorts of machines and the latest models are much better so out with the old and in with the new.

The Dryer was traded in with Samsung but the washer has been junked. It is standing by the garage in the garden to be collected by the Local Authority next week. Good service and quite quick response. It is pleasing to find that is available. I took the old ice cream maker to the Recycle Centre myself and said Goodbye to it.

The new machines are hi-tec, controlled from my smartphone and even say Hello to me when I switch them on. I’m going to train them to send me texts at bedtime. They play a tune when the turn off. They are so computer controlled that I am in danger of having to do the Laundry myself. Hadn’t thought of that. Washing clothes brings a frisson of danger! I like that.

One of my adopted daughters from school is 46 today. Hard to believe her kids have graduated from University and it is 30 years since I was driving her to Scarborough for the day. There are some things – people – who are irreplaceable.

Sunday, 13th July, 2025

Up early after a late night. Out early on what is forecast to be an extremely hot day. By 10.00 am, I had done an 8 mile walk and a 30 mins swim. I have earned the right to watch the morning political programmes on a day when I want to watch the Test Match and, maybe, the Men’s Tennis Final. A lot of sitting down needs to be compensated for.

I walked down to the deserted cove of Cala Piteras which, by 8.00 am, was 29C/84F without the hint of a breeze. A few early morning joggers drifted sweatily past me and a couple of dog walkers but, otherwise, I had it to myself.

We have noticed that the further we walk away from the residential area our villa is in, the scruffier surroundings become.

I was shocked to read of the chaos in central Spain yesterday. A real weather event with torrential rain and flooding. Originally, I had intended to drive to Spain in a trip which would have seen us breaking our drive half way between Santander and Murcia by staying in Zaragoza over night. Above the video shows the incredible scenes there yesterday. Quite astonishing compared with our coastal conditions.

What did I do on my holiday? I planned for my funeral. My Carer, who knows I haven’t got much longer, has told me I must seriously consider planning my funeral arrangements. Burial or Cremation? As a Historian, I have always thought a burial with headstone was important. But that was in times of limited dislocation of families. There is a private graveyard in Repton where members of my family are buried. I could be buried there but why? I don’t want people worrying about visiting a geographical spot, maintaining a piece of marble, feeling responsible. I am an atheist. I don’t want to be laid in consecrated ground.

I will be incinerated and scattered to the winds. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone although I will insist on forcing those who have featured in my life to live up to their responsibilities. No one will feel subsequently responsible. I have no children living. I do not want my wife to worry about my upkeep. All are invited to this fun party!

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. 
At the going down of the sun and in the morning, 
We will remember them.

Monday, 14th July, 2025

Up at 6.00 am and out at 7.00 on a sultry morning. Walking down to the sea, a lovely breeze got up. So refreshing. It’s strange how the more you do a route to walk, the quicker you cover it and feel like you do. Today, I was back before I began to feel properly tired.

Shower, swim, jacuzzi, shower, coffee & croissants and newspapers. Immediately, I was confronted by this news. Yesterday it was floods in central Spain and today it is quite a serious earthquake about 150 miles away from us. And still life goes on serenely here.

Actually, today is our last full one for this visit but we’ve already decided we will come back. This place is delightful and the property has been so comfortable. We will return for at least a month next time. We fly from Murcia International in mid-morning. A taxi is booked to collect us here at 7.30 am and it takes about an hour to the airport. We like to check in early and get through Security while it’s quiet. We get to Gatwick just after 1.00 pm and, with no bags to wait for and our car ready and waiting, we should be home just after 2.00 pm.

I’m watching the Test Match in its final day with England looking likely to win. Jofra Archer has returned to from a lengthy period of injury and made a major contribution. This morning he has taken a wonderful caught & bowled. My Housekeeper is working round me – probably to make me feel guilty. Cleaning, cooking, washing, ironing and packing – all her favourite hobbies.

We always treat properties and leave them the way we like to find them. Clean & tidy, bins emptied and with basic provisions restocked. We know the official cleaners will be in but it feels good to do the right thing and we will be back. We will be leaving quite a few things because of the airport restrictions. Liquids have to be contained in 100 mls bottles. Our Sun Screen and After Sun lotions will remain to benefit the next occupants. Lots of other things in the kitchen and bathrooms that we buy to make life bearable will do another month for someone.

This has been an absolutely wonderful time. Hard to remember a trip more satisfying for a long time, Dear Reader. And England won the Test. What more can one ask for? Life goes on …. for now.

Tuesday, 15th July, 2025

Up at 6.00 am on a hot and stuffy morning. Time to finish last minute packing, have a drink and pack away the property. My EasyJet App tells me our flight has a one hour delay which is annoying but at least we know before going to the airport. We won’t land at Gatwick now until 2.00 pm but it is not the end of the world. Life goes on.

Digital Newspapers downloaded to get us through the airport wait. Unfortunately, Murcia International is too small to have an Exec. Lounge but quiet enough to cope without it.

Arrived at the Airport around 9.00 am and went straight through Security while it was quiet. There isn’t much Airside so we ensconced ourselves in the very un-Spanish Costa Coffee. The good news is that our flight has clawed back time and we are now only delayed by 20 mins. It may be a homely airport but 2 cups of coffee and a bottle of water (all served with a delightful smile) still cost us an eye watering 12.35 euros /£10.70.

The flight home was really lovely. Short, comfortable and happy. Walk off the plane. Shuttle to Long Stay Carpark. Drive home with a Political Podcast playing to distract me. Glorious! Back home, the garden has survived wonderfully. Off to Sainsburys for milk and other essentials. Home for a bottle of iced Champagne to celebrate another successful trip. Our first meal of the day – Salmon and Asparagus with new potatoes from our garden. I’m thinking of those I have loved and missed.

I have continued the tradition of sending myself a postcard. It will go in the lifelong collection. I sent them to others in the hope of continuing the connection. Some are pleased and some not. My dear friend, Caroline from Saddleworth made me cry with her reply. She has been to Newquay where a failed marriage proposal marked the rest of her life. Poor girl. I feel for her and her plight. It destroyed her life. Life is cruel – full of cruel people!

Wednesday, 16th July, 2025

Lovely warm and sunny morning. I’m out early for my Biannual PSA/Hormone blood test. I have a review on Tuesday with the Oncology Department at Worthing Hospital. A lovely girl at the surgery took an armful of blood. I will have the results in my app by tomorrow morning. I have to book another blood test next week to cover my INR. I feel very healthy but I sound like I’m on my way out.

I hope I live because I would like to repeat the experience I have just had abroad. I was surprised how much I loved it. The only problem is going to be when to fit it in. I booked via the Booking.com platform this time. I’ve used them many times before and get a considerable discount on that basis. They flatteringly call people like me who have used them many times a Genius and I am currently a Genius Level 3. They can flatter me as much as they like. I only care about the discount it affords me and the guarantee of the quality I get.

The lovely property we rented and which made the whole experience so enjoyable is actually managed by a company called Casas Holiday Mediterraneo SL. I have no particular allegiance to any of them other than ones which help me. I will consider directly contacting Jennifer – the girl from the Management Company – to see if she can offer me a further discount on the Booking.com one. I made sure I got her card before leaving and I will be using it as we plan our return.

However I proceed, I’m going to be spending a lot of money on travel over the next 12 months. I am already committed to time in the North of England and a month in Tenerife. I am currently planning a Thessaloniki – Athens – Sifnos – Athens trip in the next Summer time and so it goes on. It’s not a cheap business.

Inflation has risen again this month to 3.6% partly on the increased costs of travel. Fortunately, interest rates are still positive even though a large number of mine are maturing from a 2 year fixed rate of around 6.1%. I got home from Spain to a series of maturity notices that had made me £25,000 which is better than a poke in the eye and will help next year’s bookings.

A rise in inflation is more likely to keep interest rates higher for longer which is good news for people looking to lock in long term savings. Economists expect the inflation rate to fall back to the Bank of England target rate of 2% over the next year so a fix will continue to make positive contributions to my travel plans and, maybe, a new car in another year.

It was a wonderful time away but it is lovely to be back home. The July garden is bountiful and it will take us a few days too collect things in- today in a delightfully warm 24C/75F and sunny conditions we have picked more than 3kgs of Green Beans with double that to come. When they’ve all been picked, the bushes will be desperate to flower and fruit again and again until the frosts. The Basil will make more Pesto tomorrow than we can ever eat and the Parsley has gone so mad I may have to open a market stall.

Thursday, 17th July, 2025

A warm night and a very warm morning. Up early because there is so much to do. It’s one of the downsides of going away. There is always so much that builds up to get done. Tomorrow is committed completely to the funeral of Pauline’s sister. Today, we are scrabbling around to complete jobs. First the car needs valeting but I just haven’t got time to do it myself so I’ve gone out to have it done for me. It feels lazy but has to be done. It looks great when I pick it up. Better than I can do.

I’m loving this car which I’ve had for almost 10 months now but I’m keeping my eye on developments for the next range. They are quite radical and totally electric. They are exciting but need acclimatising to. I expect I’ve got another year before I move.

Before going out, I found time to break the Shark Vacuum for the second time and scan in a few more photos for the ceremony’s display tomorrow.

Before the end of the day, I have to do my exercise, mow all the lawns down the street, tidy up the back garden, reset the auto-watering system and cut all the Basil for my Housekeeper to make Pesto. I also have to lift some potatoes and harvest the Parsley for washing, chopping and freezing. So, a quiet day really.

EE, my mobile provider, gives me full use of my contract in Europe – with one exception which I forgot. They charge for the use of emojis and photos in texts. I sent my friend lots of emojis in texts which cost nothing in UK but 87p each in Europe. Now I am left with a bill to explain. Fortunately my Housekeeper has run up another bill by contacting her English relations on their USA phones and that has cost her a fortune. We are equal.

My Patients Know Best contact has told me that my blood test found my Testosterone reading is at the top of the range for my age. I knew it. Don’t want to boast but I just had a feeling …. Dear Reader.

Friday, 18th July, 2025

Up early on a hot and humid morning. Didn’t sleep well last night. Woke at 3.30 am and listened to a political podcast from the Newsagents. Up early this morning because we are driving to Surrey to attend Phyllis’ funeral. We will have to drive through rush hour traffic on the M25 so need to add lots of time.

Phyllis_ServiceDownload

I tried my dark suit on yesterday and, to my horror, it is far too big. I look like a shrunken, little old man in a large, dark bag. Nothing I can do about it but it’s not about me so few will notice. First time I’ve worn shiny, leather shoes for months. I live in trainers. And a tie? Haven’t worn one for so long. What a day to pick to start again – hot, humid, sweaty, uncomfortable 32C/90F. At least the car is clean.

Although it was a day of dark suits and sad memories, it was also a chance to meet again lots of contacts. Super-slim Richard was there with his daughter. Colin’s sister-in-Law and her son and grandchildren – lovely people. It was nice to be with young people again. I chauffeured two of them in the back of my car and it was quite rejuvenating. They know nothing about anything but everything about nothing. I have forgotten what a delight kids can be and how funny, idealistic and bonkers they are. They made me feel old. They made me want kids.

It was incredibly hot out there after the service particularly in a suit and tie but that was the order of the day. I had a long drive ahead of me home so I was restricted to sparkling water which did me good.

Mandy & Kieron did an excellent job of arrangement and management. They could not have been more able in their planning and execution of the day. They are lovely, thoughtful and intelligent people who have taken their responsibilities very seriously and they haven’t been easy to juggle. Mandy gave a heartfelt assessment of her Mum’s contribution to her life – not an easy thing to do under extremely emotional circumstances. Kieron wrote and delivered a thoughtful summary of Phyllis’ Life. I actually found myself moved by both. It reminded me how important it is to make peace with those you love, Dear Reader.

Saturday, 19th July, 2025

Rain, rain, glorious rain. I love it. The garden loves it. The world loves it. It’s going to be a good day. The garden has been drinking greedily all night. I’ve got jobs to do. I’ve always got jobs to do.

I reported a couple of days ago that I had broken the Shark Vacuum for the second time. Anyone who knows me will know I have virtually no practical ability at all. We have 4 vaccuum cleaners. The two robots are my responsibility because that is my expertise – setting up the programmes and activating them. Everything of real importance is done by my Housekeeper.

We have a corded, Henry Hoover which she swears by because she loves old things – just as well really. I bought the Shark Vacuum because I refuse to use corded anything or any old technology. As in the illustration, it flexes in the centre of the wand and folds in half for storage and charging. It has a detachable handset I use for cleaning the car. There are buttons for detaching and buttons for folding. I can never remember which is which and find brute force usually does the job. Not in this case. Twice, I have forced the wand to flex and fold the opposite way and, you will not believe this, Dear Reader, but on both occasions it broke.

Fortunately, I am good at ordering replacement parts and they come next day delivery so no great crisis. Just £30.00 and a new one arrived while we were out yesterday. My Housekeeper fitted it for me this morning. My new garden strimmer arrived yesterday as well from Gtech. Unfortunately, even though I paid £150.00 for it, the machine arrived in 4 separate pieces and needed assembling. After trying unsuccessfully to force two bits into the wrong places (Story of my life.), my Housekeeper finished her Breakfast and completed the job.

I started to make coffee in my newish coffee maker when it flashed up on the screen that it needed de-scaling. Got the message but how to do it? The on-screen instructions were quite confusing but my Housekeeper seemed to cope and I was soon making gorgeous cappuccinos again until my online calendar flashed up that I needed to change my shaver’s cutting heads.

I love my shaver. It has transformed my life. It is controlled by an app on my phone which monitors my technique and guides me to be a better person. I aim to achieve at least 90% of the perfect shave according to Philips every morning and then use the cleaning machine immediately afterwards every day. The app instructs me when to change the cleaning fluid and when to change the cutting heads. The fluid is every 28 days and the heads are every 2 years. I’ve learnt how to change the fluid. It’s easy.

There is no chance that I would ever manage the fiddly cutting heads. Fortunately, my Housekeeper loves things like this and worked it out in no time. She likes to make me feel totally out of my depth.

Well, it’s 11.00 am and the rain has stopped. We’ve sent it to the North. The sun is out. I’m not sending that to them. I’m going out for a walk. Missed it yesterday and my body knows it already. Got to get going. Yesterday was tiring so exercise will help to refresh and to re-establish routines today. On the walk, the sun was so strong and the atmosphere so steamy that it felt like the jungle – not that I’ve ever been in a jungle.

This afternoon, my expertise is called for. The car has told me their is a full, system update to perform via the internet. I have had to connect the car to my home wifi download the software update and then install it. It went quicker than I anticipated. After that was done, the sat nav. told me their were map upgrades to download which will be good. The roads around here seem to change every day at the moment.

Sunday, 6th July, 2025

Up early even though we went to bed late. We watched a film which was made 20 years ago and features a very young Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman and Clive Owen. Closer is about sex and power and I should probably have watched it years ago but what I was left with was the music.

Particularly, I had ringing in my ears a song by an Irish musician – Damian Rice – someone I’ve never heard of. The Blower’s Daughter is hypnotic as it plays in the film

And so it is
The shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her skies

I can’t take my eyes off of you
I can’t take my eyes off of you

So I woke up early, frozen to the bone by the air conditioning and with this song still playing in my head. Outside the temperature was already 29C/84F so decided to do a walk before the real sun began to make it hot.

Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun …. wrote Noël Coward in his song intended as a satire on British colonialism, poking fun at the British tendency to work hard and endure harsh conditions in foreign climes. Well this morning I did exactly that. As the gauge hit 32C/90F, I set off for my 8 mile walk which has to be done. Here, I am walking through suburbia where the heat of the sky is reflected back at me through the concrete …. and it’s not flat.

Still, it was great fun and I lost a stone in weight when I got back and took my shirt off. Amazing how much water the body carries. I have to put on fresh clothes three times a day. The washing machine is working overtime.

And so it is
Just like you said it should be
We′ll both forget the breeze
Most of the time

And so The Blower’s Daughter theme emphasises the sadness of time passing, of loss and regret. Life goes on but only most of the time. There are always painful times of memory and of regret.

Monday, 7th July, 2025

Awake at 5.00 am and listening to political podcasts. I love them. They get me through the difficult times. Up at 7.00 am and out walking just after 8.00 am. The temperature is a cool 27C/81F. I’m wearing my Failsworth Cap to protect my scalp from the already burning sun.

Yesterday afternoon, sitting in the cool of air conditioning, I got a weather alert on my phone for my home village in Sussex. There was a cloud burst. I checked the CCTV cameras and it was bouncing down in the back garden. I contacted my neighbour to thank him for watering the garden for me only to be told he was worried about damage to his car from hail the size of golf balls which I hadn’t seen.

I am gradually compiling myself a chart of Fish names in Spanish so I can recognise them and know what to ask for. It’s doing me good. It’s funny but the first words that come to me after English are Greek, then French and then I have to rapidly readjust to Spanish. I’m so relaxed, that I can’t remember where the hell I am most of the time. In Greek, Cod Fish is Μπακαλιάρος / Bakaliaro and in Spanish it is Bacalao. In Italian it is Baccalà. Of course, the French are awkward as usual and call it Morue.

As the morning has developed, some clouds are in the sky and the heat has turned even more humid and oppressive. My friend, Kevin, arrived in Spain last night. He prefers the more cultural high life of Benidorm and he has clearly brought his Leeds weather with him. I am collecting copies of local newspapers to get a feel for life and language here.

After a gorgeous Lunch of crispy, green salad leaves, huge Spanish tomatoes and home made Tapenade with a bottle of crisp, cold white Rioja, I am anybody’s. I still have to walk another 3 miles before Supper plus do a swim. The clouds have disappeared and the sun is strong and hot. It’s going to be another soaking-wet tee shirt for washing.

Tuesday, 8th July, 2025

Up at 7.00 am. The temperature remain a constant 27C/81F over night. Opening the shutters this morning, I expected to see strong sunshine. Instead, it looked like this:

Was rain coming? Err, no. If you could smell the air you would know immediately that it was the unmistakable acrid drift of burning, of smoke.

I immediately went on the web for news but I could find nothing. I found a webcam of a Benidorm beach some hour away from us and it had the same condition. I know there are wild fires in Greece at the moment but seems quite a long way off to drift.

It will give me chance to do a bit of work this morning. Got to prepare for a meeting soon after I get home. I have to identify Fixed Rate Bonds, Fixed Rate ISAs and Easy Access Cash Savings options. They do change quickly so the decision will be last minute but currently I can get:

Did an 8 mile walk down to the sea. By the time we got there, the smoke had blown away. It is a lovely, slightly wild and deserted cove. We are about 5 miles from Torrevieja town centre but the closer we walk, the scruffier it becomes. Grubby, litter-strewn, chavvy restaurants. Well, not so much restaurants as Fast Food outlets.

Everybody but everybody has a tattoo. They are de rigeur. The uglier you are, the more tattoos you need to have. Huge, fat, old women are covered in them. I really don’t see the point.

Wednesday, 9th July, 2025

Enjoy every condition in every place at every time is an important rule to live by. Mind you, I have not been a hostage, chained to a radiator in darkness for years. Terry Waite probably wouldn’t agree. I am living in the sauna that is Spain at the moment. I am doing much of what I’d be doing at home – walking, blogging, listening to podcasts, reading and writing about politics, following economics both personal and (inter) national. I am constantly trying to learn and improve myself and my position.

Coming to Spain for the first time is a delightful challenge. Learning the Spanish expectations is fun. For example, every couple of hundred yards along the streets in this Urbanisation where our ‘Oasis’ is based there are banks of 6 different waste bins for residents to sort their refuse in to. There are banks of electric scooters on every corner. You just put your smartphone on the handlebars and the app charges you to use them. When you’re done, you just leave the scooter in any street and someone else will collect it.

There are words I don’t know everywhere. I walk everywhere but it is slowing me down because I can’t pass a word I don’t know without looking it up. This is especially true of the street names. I have drunk Manzanilla Sherry for years. It is gorgeous and bone dry best drunk icy cold. Who knew it meant Chamomile? I already knew Toro and I guessed Escorpiones. Perhaps I should guessed that a humid street was a Wetland.

Today, in oppressive heat, I’ve done an 8 mile walk, watched PMQs on the BBC, done a pool swim and now my Chef is preparing a Fish Medley she is cooking with home-made baked beans. Life could be a lot worse. There are still things to achieve and I will but it is important to acknowledge things so far.

I’ve been talking to friends on Social Media this morning. A batch of postcards (old media) will probably arrive tomorrow. Communication channels are open across the Globe. One thing I don’t do at home is have 6 showers a day. Here, at 6.30 pm, I’ve just had my 6th today although two were around the pool. It is so sticky that a shower is delicious.

Thursday, 10th July, 2025

And time goes by so slowly
And time can do so much

I woke up late thinking it was Friday. Joy of joys! It is only Thursday. Suddenly, it is earlier than you think. Time has slowed down by coming away and not just inhabiting my normal routines. You should try it, Dear Reader. New experiences stretch time.

It was a couple of degrees cooler over night. From 10.00 pm – 6.00 am, the temperature stuck at 24C/77F. I went up on the sun (moon) terrace where there was a hint of a breeze. Delicious to look out over the Urbanisation and the sea beyond. This evening is officially the full moon in Spain

The brilliance of a zoom smartphone camera produced this for me last night. I love it. Were you out looking up, Dear Reader?

We’re going to be back up to the mid 30°Cs today so I’m going out early for my big walk. It’s great to come back from this and relax with a swim in the pool and a pummel in the jacuzzi.

The best walk I’ve found is down to the delightfully homely, slightly scruffy little cove-cum-beach. In this heat, it takes about an hour each way if you build in a rest half way and a few water breaks. It is downhill through residential development all the way to the sea but uphill all the way back when I am hot, wet and tiring. Still, the sense of achievement on doing it is all the reward I need.

Friday, 11th July, 2025

The rhythm of routine establishes itself inevitably the longer one stays in the same place. After 11 days of walking the same route, I have both reduced my time to do the distance from an hour each way to nearer 40 mins and I am on nodding terms with residents I pass each time.

I am beginning to notice the new properties coming on the market each day, the same people having Breakfast in the same roadside café, the same girls running on the same distances along the beachside. It is nice. It is easy to belong. It is nice to belong. I will come back to reconnect.

Back at our villa, sweaty, wet and tired, it is time for a swim. We have two, identical pools with jacuzzis attached for about 20 properties. Neither are ever busy. More often than not they are deserted. I get back, hot and sweaty from my walk. One pool is being cleaned. The other is empty and waiting for me. Swimming, jacuzzi pummelling, swimming and shower. And relaaax. Time for Lunch.

Tomato & Basil with Mozzarella Cheese, Balsamic Vinegar Dressing and cold, white wine. Lovely, fresh, tasty and light. Actually watched a bit of Wimbledon. Not really my choice but found myself quite enjoying it. Mind you, I am watching the Test Match on Sky Sports on my Laptop at the same time. Everyone is happy.

Saturday, 12th July, 2025

Gorgeous, early morning. Awake at 4.30 am and up at 6.00 am. Fresh orange juice from the supermarket juicer. It is delicious and followed by a cup of Yorkshire Tea.

The Consum/Co-op store differs very little from Sainsburys when you analyse it although the signage is obviously different. However, things like the fresh orange juice dispenser and the much wider choice of fresh fish really appeals to me.

Out early on a day which is forecast to be in the high 30°Cs – maybe even 40°C. Not a walking temperature. Virtually ran each way to complete early and returned to fall in the pool. It’s lovely to hear from old friends, isn’t it. Especially when it’s a surprise. You don’t hear from them forever and then they wait until you’re in the middle of a pool to reconnect. Still, I’m not complaining.

Felt a bit sad this evening and made the mistake of watching the Channel 4 film – A Man Called Otto. It is an incredibly sad narrative that finds a widower, Tom Hanks, seeing no point in his life and constantly trying to take his own life because he cannot live without the woman he has loved throughout his life. Throw into the mix that she lost their unborn baby in an accident and the sadness is complete. Otto turns out to be a lovely man for whom life has dealt a savagely, sad ending. He dies alone but much loved.

Sunday, 29th June, 2025

There are a lot of things to be grateful for in Life however sad it may seem at times. Weeks abroad in the sun are something I feel lucky for. Living 25 years longer than my Dad I feel lucky for. Never having to worry about my financial and domestic security I feel lucky for. Having my Prostate Cancer diagnosed early I feel grateful for.

Dermot Murnaghan, a television presenter, announced last week that he had been diagnosed with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer and had been discussing it with Chris Hoy who has Stage 4 Prostate Cancer. In both cases, the cancer has broken out of the prostate and entered the bone. Still treatable but both terminal. How lucky was I?

I have many regrets in my life but it has to be seen in the round. I have been very lucky. Even in acknowledging that, I must admit to utter, personal incompetence. In so many areas of life, I am an utter failure and it has hurt me badly. For the past few days, I have been watching a drama series on ITV-X called River. It is six episodes which I finished last night.

River features a clever man with huge, personal flaws. River is an extremely talented detective who is so buttoned-up that he hurts himself and limits his lfe. He wants to say things he cannot find the context, time and place to say. He only discovers that ability when it is too late. It moved me to tears. Exactly the same could be said of me.

Saying the formally unsayable, asking the unaskable, feeling the publically indescribable has come to me too late. Why do I have to be in my 70s before I can acknowledge and act on these things? River only comes to it after his love is dead. It is unbearable. River’s condition means he sees and talks to those missing from his life. He visualises them to the point where they become real in his thoughts and actions. It is a scary situation. You could dismiss it as too far fetched but I don’t.

In the kitchen, Basil has been taken from the garden and is being transformed into Pesto by my Chef.

Basil Leaves, Garlic, Pine Nuts, Parmesan Cheese, Olive Oil and Lemon Juice go into the chaos of the kitchen blender and come out as the most magical Pesto known to man. How lucky am I?

While searching for photos of her sister, my Housekeeper found these postcards that we sent from a different time. They fix us in History. I particularly love the Nysiros memory. I had a short wave radio in the years before internet and I sat transfixed on a remote and volcanic Dodecanese Greek Island as I listened to the replacement of Gorbachev by Boris Yeltsin in 1991. Yeltsin mounted a tank and gave a speech which I listened to on short wave radio and in which he took control of Russia and changed the political landscape. I was 40, Dear Reader. Where were you in my life?

Monday, 30th June, 2025

A very warm morning for a travelling day. Up early with so much to do before leaving. Sometimes, I get to this point and then wonder why I’m bothering. I could just stay at home in the ‘normal’ routines or go to Wales for the rain but nothing ventured, nothing gained. (Must stop writing in clichés.) It’s not time for slippers yet. Sun, sea, sex-no-sand, red wine, European voices, European food, new challenges – the key to life long learning.

We have travelling routines for packing and leaving the house. We each have our routines to complete and even then wonder what we’ve forgotten as we drive away. A travelling bag is permanently packed in a cupboard and everything starts from there. It contains flight-appropriate containers for liquids – aftershave, creams and female potions – passports, packs of euros, plug adapters, etc.. My Travel Agent manages all that so I leave it to her. The cases – two, large carry-ons -are already nearly packed with just last minute things to go in.

My job is to make sure the technology is ready. I have to charge and pack the Laptop, iPads, Kindles, smartphones, watches along with my failsafe, Power Bank portable charger. I have a dread of a phone running down before presenting a vital document like a Boarding Pass. Of course, the other worry is about forgetting the chargers for each item. Routines are invaluable in getting all this right.

Finally, I make sure VPNs are installed on everything to look as if we are in London while actually in Spain. Virtual Private Networks are the lingua franca of the technology world. Even the draconian Iranian government are thwarted by their citizens who find social media blocked by the regime can be circumvented with VPNs. Successful technology is the secret to a happy husband.

An additional consideration this time has been the death of Pauline’s sister 10 days ago. She has been agonising for days about whether to cancel our travel arrangements to support M in sorting things out. Ultimately, it was a decision made for us by the hospital who have ordered an a post-mortem examination followed by an inquest which has delayed the funeral. In the past few days, I have been searching the records for photographs and digitising them so that they can be potentially used in a funeral ceremony. Pauline has been searching out a couple of her sister’s favourite songs/pieces of music to play in the crematorium.

Phyllis loved the voice of Alfie Boe & Michael Ball so Pauline has picked the song above and one from Les Misérables. She went to watch the musical numerous times in London and elsewhere. She loved Bring Him Home sung by Alfie Boe. What could be more appropriate?

I’ve just been putting together some notes that might be used at her funeral oration. When I thought about it, I was amazed at her achievements: she was an intelligent girl at Blue Coat School in Oldham but economics prevented her going into Higher Education where she would have done well. She turned her intelligence and strength to creating viable businesses especially a Plumbing Business, a News Agents, a Fish & Chip shop and a Flower shop that she owned and ran in her local area.It was an undeniable achievement.

In later life, Phyllis was Registered Blind but she made so little of it that you would be forgiven for not knowing her problem. She just got on with things and didn’t expect the world to owe her a living.

Tuesday, 1st July, 2025

Happy July, Dear Readers. New month in the sun. No escape at the moment. Wherever you are, it’s going to be hot apart from in Wales and Scotland. It’s certainly hot in Spain and I am a Spanish Virgin …. well, a Spain virgin anyway.

Hot, Hot, Hot. This is my sort of weather although I should probably take a bit more care in my 75th year. I wear a cap outside and drink more water. Still do my walking but I intend to do it early in the morning and later in the evening.

I was responsible for this booking. I chose the place, the property, the flights. If it was going to go wrong, I was concerned that I had chosen the wrong airport. In the event, Murcia International was very impressive. It is small, intimate and modern. We were off the plane and through passport control in minutes in spite of being designated Third Country Nationals because of the idiots of Brexit. They thought they’d get their country back but just got economic impoverishment and long queues.

We had already arrived 30 mins early and we went for coffee before contacting the property managers. They are lovely, young people who say, Are you on Whatsapp? I’ll send you the details. Fortunately, I am and they did. I contact Jennifer, a beautiful, young Belgian who manages our property. Few Jennifers can be trusted but she agrees to meet us at the property.

The taxi driver struggles to find the property. There are so many looking the same outside. Eventually, he gets us there and Jennifer ensures we have everything we need.

The property has two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen with dishwasher and washing machine. The lounge has satellite TV and the internet delivery is excellent. The property has dining outside on a large balcony and a private, full sized rooftop solarium which has shaded areas and a barbecue but is currently too hot to use.

It could have been a bad area but we are in a gated community of modern, well serviced villas with two pools and manicured grounds. If you have to slum it, there are worse places. I think I will survive for two or three weeks.

Wednesday, 2nd July, 2025

Went to bed early after a long and demanding day. Woke at 5.00 am (CET) and listened to Yesterday in Parliament and the debacle of of last night which I had been too tired to concentrate on yesterday. At 8.00 am, the temperature here is 28C/83F so we will be going out early to walk and explore the local area. First though, will be a trip to the local Supermercado to stock the fridge/freezer

Interesting walk at 9.00 am in 32C/90F with burning sun on our back to a supermarket chain we’ve never heard of – Consum which means Co-Op. Perfectly acceptable. We were able to source fresh fish – Tuna Steaks for Supper to be served with salad. Gorgeous Mediterranean Tomatoes and Antipasti Olives and Garlic and Red Peppers.

I love Spanish wine and I’m particularly on Rioja Blanco at the moment. In this heat, it oils every wheel. Fish and white wine go so well together as all those without a chip on their shoulders would acknowledge. And it is so cheap in Spain. This bottle is just €3.75 in Supermercado Consum and tastes delicious when chilled.

Been for a walk around the quiet, privately owned area this morning. Nobody seems to have visited Torrevieja recently and no one professes to even have heard of Benidorm other than in a cheap, failed television comedy.

I am so relieved that our property has proved to be exactly what I expected. The sun terrace upstairs is large and useful but currently too hot in spite of the canopy cover for Dining. It is also much more than we require. We have two sun balconies attached to our Lounge and our bedroom but the sun terrace is huge with lots of sun loungers, two dining tables, a barbecue and a covered pergola.

It looks out to Torrevieja and the sea side. It only takes about 20 mins to walk there but I doubt we will be going. Everything we need is here … with one or two notable exceptions.

Last year, with temperatures in the 40Cs/100F+s, tourism was put under pressure. The Telegraph this morning has an article to that end:

A decade ago, I was warning people in the Greek Tourist Industry of this possibility. It is coming home and will bite them unless they readjust their offering. Winter in Greece. You never know.

Thursday, 3rd July, 2025

A night of wide divergence with the UK. In Northern England, temperatures fell to single figures – 8C/46F – whereas I was on the roof terrace at midnight in a wall of 29C/84F of warmth.

I know from experience that it can feel suffocating but up here it feels delightful, looking out over the Development, urbanisation, Torrevieja and the sea. I know I am odd but I always find the bright lights of civilisation both exciting and frightening in their potential. They offer the chance for pleasure and threat. Here, from the enclave of a gated, middle class indulgence, they look attractive but distant and other. I have no desire to go there.

Back inside, the air conditioning units are set to permanent cold. I’ve paid for it so I feel justified in using it fully. My travelling companion actually complains that the bedroom is too cold. I suggested some remedies but she couldn’t find a blanket.

Our enclave development is called Oasis Beach 8 and it is on Avenida Espuña which literally translates to Foam Avenue. Well, it is certainly a quality environment, an oasis of calm. I was warned that Torrevieja, was half a step up from Benidorm and wouldn’t suit my cultured palate. Well this does, Dear Reader. It is home from home with new influences. Yesterday was walking, swimming, politics – PMQs and all that – writing, eating gorgeous, pan-fried fresh tuna and drinking ice-cold white wine.

This only our third day here and I feel like I’ve been living here for ever. Chatted to a lovely girl on the Checkout at the Supermercado. I noticed her name badge said Ashley which struck me as odd. Turns out she was of Nigerian origin but born in UK and had been living in Spain since the age of 3. She was keen to sell her adopted home to us.

We were there to buy things for Supper. The savages may turn their noses up but this is the food of the gods. Octopus which has been boiled in brine and now will be served as octopus salad – sliced, marinated in olive oil and lemon juice and eaten with green salad. It was a favourite in Greece – Octopodi Salata. I now know that it is called Pulpo in Spanish. Here it is Pulposur – Octopus from the South of Spain.

Already, I love this place. It is my sort of property and renting instead of laying out hundreds of thousands of euros to buy a property with all the add-on responsibilities makes so much sense. It is beautifully designed constructed and maintained. The Development is for people like me – people who respect each other’s privacy, autonomy and relaxation. I am definitely coming back here – maybe for a couple of months next time.

Friday, 4th July, 2025

Out walking in the slightly cooler air last night as the sun went down, we talked – as you do – about whether this was a place to buy a property.

It really is incredibly cheap compared to Greece or Italy and the quality of the properties is generally better.

Admittedly, we had drunk a bottle of wine and optimism was high but these things are always worth considering and not automatically dismissing. If ISA levels are cut, would a Spanish property offer an alternative investment outlet. Of course, I had the voice of reason walking at my side ….

All lifestyle experts recommend the Mediteranean diet and, largely, we have been eating that way for years. Every morning, my Chef prepares the juice of two freshly squeezed oranges for my Breakfast. I just wish Sainsburys had one of these machines for making your own in store. I’ve seen them before and used them in hotels but to have one in every supermarket would be great. I filled a litre bottle with fresh orange juice and they charged me €4.85/£4.18 and it tastes wonderful.

Fish has dominated our main meal diet for quite a long time now. We have a wonderful fish supplier on the South Coast but this Co-op/Consum store has an excellent supply with knowledgeable staff serving. So far, we’ve eaten fresh Tuna and cooked Octopus. Today we bought Swordfish steaks and Sea Bream.

Well, we thought we had bought swordfish steaks because that it exactly what the looked like. Actually, we have chosen a Spanish delicacy called Emperor Fish. I’m going to have to book another month to try all this fish.

Saturday, 5th July, 2025

Up early and looking out across the Development – quiet and a relatively cool 24C/75F – as the sun came up. The only person out was a woman sweeping the lawns with a brush and dustpan. Haven’t seen one of those for a long time.

Yesterday was screaming hot as I walked down to the local beach just for the walk rather than for the beach itself. By the time I got back to the house, my shirt was heavier than me. How is it possible to lose so much moisture? Must drink more water.

We cooked and ate the Emperor Fish along with asparagus and red & green peppers. Absolutely lovely. The whole day was delightful. These are days one needs and should remember for life. I bought some postcards and sent one to myself amongst others yesterday. One for the records.

Who knows what today will hold ….

…. well, a hot walk – 29C/84F at 9.30 am -to the supermarket. My housekeeper is addicted to them. Tonight, Supper will be Grilled Chicken & Salad or Baked Sea Bream & Salad or Sweet & Sour Pork or Pan-fried Shark Steak. Choices, choices.

Actually, normal life continues and we need Dishwasher Tablets & Washing Machine Tablets. Looking for those brings endless fun. We seem to be living at the Co-op/Consum.

There are only two double bedrooms in this property with two, large bathrooms. Feasibly, it will only accommodate 4 adults but it has 4 separate Dining areas each with its own Dining Table and Chairs. We have one in the Kitchen-Diner, one under the awning covered patio outside the Lounge. We have two more huge ones on the Rooftop terrace with a barbecue and views over the sea. It has been so hot that the closest we have got to eating outside was under the awning but all the air conditioning units are in use 24hrs a day and indoors is the most comfortable place to eat.

In our down time we have two tasks to complete. As soon as we get home, I have to order a new tumble dryer and a washing machine because we have a fitter booked to redesign the Utility Room. The current machines still work fine but are 9 years old and need readdressing. Now is the time to buy to take us in to our 80s. (Aghhh!) The final decision is left to my Scullery Maid but I’m pushing for Samsung machines because the are the most technologically advanced. The other task I have to complete is to decide where to move our ISAs – 6 of which come to the end of their fix after two years of earning.

There are two, large infinity pools with Jacuzzis attached to each on this Development. They serve only a small number of people which means we can go down to swim any time. They are heated to an incredible temperature. I swam this evening as the sun went down and the air temperature was 29C/84F. The pool enveloped me in soft warmth as I swam just as the Jacuzzi pummelled my tired muscles after a hot day of walking.