Do you remember, the 21st night of September..

Down at the beach, Luna Beach, it was the 21st night of September!

I had moved into my friends apartment earlier in the day, and the blog before is after this!?

Never mind, it's typical of my life at this moment, moving backwards to get forward!! 

Great optical illusion above, my friends glass of water taking the aspect like a chameleon, of the glass of orange behind! 

Alhaurín at 8am on Saturdays morning... 

But this week has been crazy! Last time I sold a property, it was smooth and easy..

Now I am being questioned about a mortgage I haven't had, asked to pay next year's IBI (house tax), I have just paid this years! 

Having to personally run around to banks and town halls, to registry offices, doing things a lawyer should be doing, in fact should have done a month ago, not in the last moment, putting the sale back from today, to ... Next week? 

I even spoke with my lawyer from nineteen years ago! 

Couple of other ridiculous things I've been asked which I won't say, because.. just ridiculous!

My stress levels have been off the ceiling... Where my blood pressure was Monday afternoon! If it had stayed at critical I would have been off to urgencia yesterday, but although still stupid high..

It's not up there with urgent care!

Today, more issues, every day this week, struggling to cope with it to be honest..

Today when I got back from Alhaurín, I ate changed, and took a walk down to the beach and along to Cabopino and walked back along the carretera path, bit noisy and scruffy! 

On the road, a turn off for Cabopino, the first turn.. 

There is a big apartment block, it had been started around 1989, left empty and unfinished, graffitied and left abandoned..

At last scaffolding is up! 

Good to see a change for the better!

M.

Some reason sitting waiting now for J. looked back at some random posts and I was saying goodbye to things... Just my stuff that I've gathered over the years...

I really am a gatherer aren't I!

And now in the house, only a case and few bits to travel with me personally.

Rug been cleaned with Vanish carpet cleaner, came up beautifully! Washing machine cleaned with cleaner stuff! Refrigerator ans freezer defrosted and immaculate as an old appliance can be! 

All kitchen cupboard shelves cleaned ans scrubbed!

House is ready for a new family, happiness and laughter and life!

And my turn to open a new chapter, turn a big heavy page, wet and blurry with tears.. It has been.

But just like a good book, all the happy parts remain tucked away in the pages... 

I can turn pages back, just to glimpse and smile..

But I have so many pages left, all being well, and nothing wrong with tears spilt on pages.. flowers and memories .. onwards

M.

Notice the sign outside the bar next to the store..

So funny, and funnier because I didn't notice it for days! 

So many photographs I've taken waiting outside J's on the way to work... 

No more now, after today... If I take one at all when I get there!

Monday we had company medicals, and J. and I drove down to Fuengirola, parked up, and walked along...

I wanted to have coffee in Luis's Bar .. not seen him in a year or three, and unsure if even still is..

It is! After we finished I was inside the bar and he appeared, off his scooter and at the bar for something random, he said he's rarely there in a morning, and not that often rest of the week it seems!

So was so good to be able to see him and tell him goodbye, since 1988, seen him grow from boy to man... 

Coincidence seeing him... Life is like that..

Yesterday I came down to Fuengirola again, have stayed over with my sister-in-law, we have talked and eaten, and eaten and talked!

Now I am off to work along the coast road this time.

And Wednesday was my very last journey down through the mountain for work.

I didn't realize until coming around and seeing the sea, then it hit me like a brick wall and made my eyes leak...

Last time.

Lots of last times, but there will be more times, just not living here...

M.

ps more to right but must post 

Can't take photograph, too many people... But sat here watching aircraft land through the window opposite me... Oh well, through the window I can see them land! Almost... 

What I can see are silver balls of light afar, and as they approach, lights separate, and then the wings come into view... As one by one their flight path brings them down to land.. only minutes between each.. 

Gray skies as a backdrop, looks amazing to watch...

Photograph above is my plane, they arrived an hour ago, everyone off the flight through where we are sitting... 

Funny, I know someone in the Denver area, where this flight landed from... Now that would have been funny to see here disembarking!

We're boarding in half an hour..

I have to say, Newark Liberty Airport is a nice airport, I got a taxi, paid when I reached here! Took an hour, I labeled up my own bag and dropped it at bag drop area.

Then upstairs and through security easily and smoothly, into departures/gates area.. all within twenty minutes.

The bars, stores, restaurants and bathrooms, are all mixed in around the gates, so easy to navigate here..

Low chairs with drinks holders, interspersed with high and low tables, all with charger points. Great airport!

M.

Okay, okay! Supermarket shelves! But couldn't resist the look of the Bubba burgers and huge spices!

I mean for a photograph, not to buy! 

Stopped twice for trains on our way out to dinner the other night..

I love the sound of the trains here... 

Above I took on the bridge taking us to Fire Island and the TWA flight 800 memorial..

Couple of random photographers taken out in the Hamptons...

I don't normally post food on my Blog, maps yes, but not here...

But! This! Was absolutely amazing! At the Bayside Clam & Grill, East Islip Marina Park! This was Pina Colada coconut shrimp! 

Just looking at it, I want it again right now! And will have to make it! And the fries! WoW, they were amazing, very different.. just the best!

On the road as we neared the marina we past deer, on both sides of the road, and turkeys!! Lols, yes! turkeys!

And now, my last evening of my last day here with my aunt ... We have eaten a lot today, she just said after we finished off bowls of peach ice-cream, that she'd eat no more today! And I can't keep staying if she eats so much and puts weight on! 

I'm checked on for my flight, and this time tomorrow will be in the air..

Already missing her.. 

M.

The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.

Alan Watts - 1915-1973 - Writer

Coopers Beach, very peaceful now after summer... The many tourists gone home, able to drive through towns now, not bumper to bumper.. still feels like summer to me though... 

Stunning... 

Sand warm and comfortable to walk on.. 

Beautiful 

And in Southampton no Tom Hanks but the Amazing Zoltar was here! 

I slid in a dollar bill... And his advice told me to be kind to others..

I hope, I think, that mostly I am..

We had coffee here, and had to fight the yellow jackets off! 

M.

Other things may change us 

But we start, and end, with family

More from TWA memorial...

Seeing so many family names side by side is heartbreaking..

Flags from each nation who lost souls...

They didn't stop until they found every single person from the sea.. every one..

and most of the wreckage.. 

M.

You know, you can't make up for lost time... The many many years I lost when I was a young child, a teenager, well, up to 30 I guess I was...

But now, the memories we make will stick, we hope! 

So I know I lost some very important things, but I love and very much appreciate everything they do for me now, that we get to do now as a family when I visit..

It absolutely means the world to me.. yes, even walking around supermarkets! 

Even, and probably it's the best bit, just sitting and talking and being together...

Yesterday we went to the TWA memorial, which came about because of the families of the 208 people who died that day, just off the coast here.. 

The three of us felt the loss standing there, reading the memorial.. 

 TWA memorial was haunting 

What else? We've, read I've shopped, we've walked, we've eaten.. 

The Hamptons yesterday, gazing with great difficulty through high and thick shrubbery at million dollar homes... We looked at an estate agents windows... 3, 4 6 million dollar houses! 

Tbc..

M.