Happy New Year!

 

Was going to put a less happy emoji up as my final pic of 2021..

But, although there has been the lowest of lows.. there has also been happy moments.. 

Happy days, time with loved ones.. friends.. enjoyed happy times.. there has been laughter and good moments.. 

Mmmm I won't list the bad stuff.. we've all gone through bad stuff.. 

Happy New Year to everyone and all the very best, health, prosperity and of course happiness! 

For now, for me, here I sit on the downstairs sofabed.. wood burner going.. spent nearly three hours in urgencia today and more yesterday.. Today actually saw a doctor, unfortunately our local one yesterday was so busy he never made it back to base.. 

Today I went to the Guadalhorce Valley hospital again, just over two months from the last kidney stone exiting my kidney, the second has now, or is now? Doing so, and stupidly, extremely stupidly I googled the antibiotic she gave me, as only two doses and turns out to be one of the most lethal there is! And normally always only one dose! 

Ending the year missing the people I love..

M.

 

This photograph was taken when we were up at the lakes December 25 2011.. can't believe that was ten years ago.. 

I guess that black duck symbolizes me, always taking my own route! 

A friend called me yesterday, she's driving down to stay the night.. four hours drive! On her way now and arrival imminent!

We used to work together in the UK, albeit briefly on handovers.. Will be so good to catch up in person! 

This song below was in a movie I watched yesterday.. and now here.. 

Don't wish your life away.. Jared Lee

M.

Merry Christmas!

Maybe 'Dont look up' not the cheeriest of choices to watch on Christmas Eve! 

But good movie none the less!

Ventured out this morning about half eight, rained all night.. 

Had a coffee in the bar then went to La Trocha with friend, had another coffee and quick wander around Carrefour and then downstairs in the charity shop bought four books for a euro!

Came home and the rain came back! 

Been in my VR or watching Netflix.. made a curry and next dessert! Have a glass of wine and awaiting the tinkling of Santa's bells! He better be wearing his waterproofs tonight! And very good lights! 

M.

The eve of Christmas eve... I'm watching Love Actually.. of course.. who wouldn't be at this time of the year? Oh! Just me then..

Works been exceptionally busy which is of course wonderful! And now I'm off for a few days.. Everyone, just about all the customers were in very jovial festive spirits today, really great day.

Wood burner going, it's the second day of rain.. and now the house is in the clouds.. or are the clouds down on my village?

We now have to prove vaccinations or negative test results for entry into bars, restaurants or clubs.. even for a coffee and a piece of cake.. anywhere in side.. 

And as of today, masks again are obligatory in the streets.. 

Our figures are nowhere near as bad a the UK, but better safe than sorry.. 

We've been wearing masks still inside in public places.. bars etc.. any businesses.. since March of 2020.. That has never changed.

That's is for today! 

Oh a photograph I took the other day, last week? Or the week before? 

I would love to be able to see their terrace! And I would love to get some palm trees on my terrace! Looks so cool.. and in summer it would be so much cooler! Literally!

Today's piece of music is.. 

James Blunt Goodbye my lover..

For no reason, I heard it today at work just as someone did something outside.. they left a bag on a car.. and it seemed both sad and.. I don't know.. to leave something for someone like that? Was either a gift or a cowardly parting of ways.. maybe of course it could have just been rubbish!

But the person put it is the dumpster without opening, so I guess they thought it rubbish anyway.. 

M.

This morning was touch and go with the wind factor! 

It blew me down at 8am and chased me back up at 10!!

But first.. woke up too early about six.. came down about half past when I realised I wouldn't have the luxury of going back to sleep..

It seemed warmer than the past couple of mornings.. not the normal 8 - 10° the house usually rests at this time of the year with no heating on.. so looking at the burner for some reason I reached down to touch it near the base and was surprised to find it warm still! I opened it and a piece of wood wasn't quite burnt out so I opened the front and it immediately started to crackle and spit! Lots of tiny sparks? I put a small piece of wood on top closed it all up and it caught! 

Off out I went.. 

Came home.. five hours after placing that tiny piece of wood.. a tiny spark remained, so I put an envelope on top, secured with another small piece of wood and it caught! Three hours later I've added just one log of wood now.. 

Never been like this before! Very odd! But very good! 

Just finished watching Back to the Future.. Christmas must-watch movie! Yesterday was Home Alone #1 and #2!

Anyways! Between town for coffee and freezing my butt off.. blue finger nails and cold through.. I had to move my car at last, so drove to Aldi in Coín for milk and a few bits, was still early so drove around to Mijas pueblo, parking up near the top and walking down to the town. Still windy! 

I had a really lovely wander around, didn't stop for coffee, but went into the ermita de peña.. said a few words of remembrance.. 

Took the photograph beneath..

 

Which strangely doesn't look real here! 

Beautiful view over the coast.. 

Tempted to drop into the garden centre for more plants but maybe Saturday..

Feeling like a piece of music should be here now.. 

Let me look! What you don't know is there's a gap here of nearly two hours!! 

I went to YouTube and clicked on my playlists and weirdly after about six months? Of having this phone.. the music I had previously downloaded and paid for music that had been on my old phone and NOT transferred here.. was an option to download!!!??? Wtf?? 

Still, it's here, and oddly as is the way of the world, and only talking yesterday about thoughts becoming real.. I now have it all back!! The most is music I bought through Google rewards.. and once Google music went the option to download to YouTube, being Google came, and I did it, but new phone and nada nada monada!

Even this morning I thought again how I wish I had my downloaded music available! Two thoughts in two days and the magic happens! 

Mmm anyway, I saw the one I was going to link to here, Rag'n'Bone Human and it was playing while I scrolled and clicked 'download' I, unfortunately for you and I both, hit play in queue on a track and next to auto play was this instead.. 

Lewis Capaldi Someone You Loved... 

Good video also.. 

It made me have to get up and do stuff rather than sit and get melancholy.. 

Enjoy! Or not.. 

I have my music back.. a nice gift.. 

M.

 

If this has no sound I'm deleting.. so going to be quick before anyone sees it!!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ZwTRpLjibWtqTwR86

(See if this works!)

Actually, I'm going to leave it.. because it's so funny, even without the lyrics! 

Its an App.. and I'm singing.. Tragedy by ABBA, well not me.. them singing and and I'm animated..

If I can find a way of getting the sound on here I'll do it! 

I have another funny photograph of me to post ... Un momentito! 

Elfish don't you think!

M.

Went for a drive yesterday.. San Pedro de Alcántara.. it's about forty minutes from home.. 

Usually drive underneath the main road, in fact the tunnel wasn't even there when I first moved here.. There is a strange undulating raised walkway.. 

A short video I took was way too shaky, on my Facebook it wouldn't have been a bad idea to pop a motion sickness med before watching!

Still nice there.. San Pedro has changed in many many ways since I last wandered the streets.. 

Felt a bit strange actually.. 

Had a couple of coffee's and ate some lunch... It was nice.. too much food.. 

Silk floss tree.. taken a few photographs of the this tree over the years. But caught this one just right with some of the silk floss on the tree..

Very strange looking. And spikey! Dangerous tree!

This afternoon I came back home, via the wood man, dropped in two bags or wood for the estufa, got the gas can near the door and some random cardboard and metal bits.. 

Dropped rubbish off in bins and bought a gas can, then dropped into La Trocha and Carrefour.. bought a few bits.. a few of the wrong bits as I was hungry!

This Pantone amongst them.. was it wrong to get this giant one? Then cut a big slice when I got home and lather it in butter? 

High bad cholesterol? Sure.. and high good cholesterol too! So that's equalled out nicely!

M.
 

It was good to get out on the walk earlier.. (all this written last night), really was good to get natural fresh air.. forest air..

These two photographs I took with the sun getting worryingly close to dipping down beyond the mountain.. the perspective is difficult to tell.. but I was looking way down into a small ravine.. which is where my small shadow is down there.. difficult to see the depth..

I shared my walk with no other walkers bar one.. on my way back down a man came up videoing the scenery.. 

Maybe this photograph above will help with perspective..

I sat in a small tree like chair for a while and just relaxed.. I was already on the turnaround.. 

So glad I got myself up and out and didn't just sit there and blur out..

My burner is lit, house is toasty.. and watching a great series on TV.. Superstore.. 

M.

Just watching Gilmore Girls.. again.. and this song rang a chord with me.. 

I am not unbreakable..

Sometimes it's as though the universe knows everything.. and nothing..

Thoughts appear in movies.. books.. Things in our minds, moods show up in daily life.. 

I made the mistake of taking half a sleeping tablet last night, a tablet a friend suggested, and although I bought them a month or more ago I didn't take because it doesn't interact well with other stuff I take.. 

But night before was so bad I thought I'd risk it for a biscuit.. I still lay away mid sleeps.. for a couple of hours..

And still now I feel so blurry, or maybe I would have been anyways? 

Life can be blurry.. 

My card was denied in Mercadona today.. great! Such fun! Money there but bank said no! So not only will my bank .. Santander of Spain! Not allow my wages in...  it also didn't want me to use my own money already in there! 

Only in Spain! 

So again, into the bank I went.. again she copied my TIE card...again, sent to Madrid! And she unblocked my card! Crazy! And just too tired and blurry to really care that much.

I hate when I get feeling like this... I can see myself from outside.. almost.. 

But I can't find 'me' to get me back out.. I guess this doesn't make sense.. 

So I am now sat inside, in this beautiful country I am lucky to call home, watching sad movies.. and wondering what the hell is meant to happen now.

Maybe a walk would be better.. maybe I should do that now.. right now. Fresh air.

I'm walking now..

M.

Not sure what's been happening since I last wrote.. most certainly been ages... and I'm sure I've had good and bad days and then good again...

Above a fisherman, in the distance between some very small plants.. all about the angle isn't it!

Cabopino beach, again... I still wonder who is the lucky wearer of the gold bracelet I lost there...

Wandered along here on Sunday morning... It's that time of the year when its damn cold first thing, and even chilly in the shade, but warm enough in the sunshine.. I mean, not hot! Because if it's 16 degrees for instance, that is a thirty or more.. degree drop from August and September...

 So just now, I am in bed... heater on, hot chocolate and a hot water bottle! 

I had a wonderful weekend and a crappy Monday! Ha... that's life eh! 

Someone came into where I was today.. in a store, he said he'd been told to isolate in Heathrow because he'd come from Nigeria... he told them he wouldn't so boarded a flight for Malaga.. and not an issue here with isolation! I couldn't work out if he was just stupid for telling me, or just plain stupid!!! 

Feel there is so much to tell you... my kidney stone doesn't seem to have shifted yet, as in the mornings it really hurts like hell still... I don't know what to do... I suppose just keep taking the meds and pain killers and get on with it! 

Christmas on the horizon, so I'm generally more down than up.. and life is putting me down in other ways.. so.. as we say.. It is what it is eh!

Onwards always, upwards if we can... don't look back? Mmmm that is a difficult one isn't it?

M.