Country Road

Yes I'm here.... about ten minutes from Stratford upon Avon... Very pretty village, two pubs and small shop and a massive maypole!!

Above a photo taken in Alcester, also very close by and where my initial training was for the company I work for!

The flight left over three hours late, we spent over two hours actually sitting on the plane, after boarding on time, we just never left! We were taken off for fueling and re-boarded! Crazy! So getting into Birmingham airport and then here to placement and only being an hour late, I did okay, reason being of course I would have had a couple of relaxing hours... I thought I'd go around the Birmingham Bull Ring, but it didn't happen... oh well!

We have a rental car so I am able to take the customer to centres and shopping which is great, long days and normal challenges of course, with a few extra surprises thrown in for good measure, its a long placement, and the countdown on my phone will take a while to look like I am making any progress at all!! Maybe I should move it away from the home-screen and only look at it if I think of it! Good plan!

I have got soaked through a couple of times, and although I know not responsible for it... but probably not helped... I picked up a cold from my travels, I guess plane or trains.... I had the usual sore throat, that left as soon as the cold begun to come out and today we have just walked up the shop for some hot lemon powders!! Oh the joys!  I haven't had a cold for at least two years... at least like this I am guessing because my glasses are in the way! And I got them two years ago in December!

These photographs!  Anyone know where they were taken?

Should we tell the world??

I am guessing the top of the blue church in Alhaurín is a bit of a give-away!

Yes a stunning, beautiful roof-top terrace in Alhaurín El Grande.... We went up to the terrace on Friday night, before my 'early' night and early flight... ha ha! They have done the best ever job of a roof terrace! All the decking the beds, sun-loungers, pallet seats... cushions... swing chair! The bar... just amazing!

Where? Oh Bar Sardina por su puesto!

Back to work tomorrow, and as a good friend of mine said to me this morning, "Spain is crying because you are leaving for work tomorrow"....

There had been a a few drops before I took Pipster for her walk this morning, then it chucked it down before we made it home, sheltering under trees, and looking dodgy walking right next to the houses!

Above when we sheltered in the doorway to the little chapel under the ayuntamiento...

Our new sun-lounger-bed on the terrace! jeje... just kidding, down at Casa Flores, they are getting some expensive gear in these days!  There were a few terrace sofas, one or two sold already, with, the customers names on!!! So everyone else knows where they are now... jeje!!

One of the little turtles bathing in the sun... and yes, this wasn't today!!!  So sunbathing today!  Its all my fault, I actually sat in the sun yesterday, don't normally sunbathe!!

Pippa knows I'm going soon, she watched sad eyed as I packed my bag today... its so light now! It looks like an overnight bag... wish it was!!

Still, not everyone gets six months off a year do they!

We had a coffee down at 'the office' this morning, say bye to friends for a month for me, then got a few bits I needed... but lots closed today, no scrap that, nearly every thing closed!  Well, it it a public holiday today after all... Think another next week too, although that could be local to Malaga, this one is all over Spain.

After town we popped up to 'our' bar for churros!

This time tomorrow I will be pulling into Builth Wells... Speak to you from there amigos!

TTFN
Marian

A day well travelled...

Station seat at Llanelli

A day well travelled today!  Up at 5:30am, walked the Pipster is the cool darkness of the day, a beautiful time at this time of the year in Spain, it still being dark will be different from when I wake up here now in Blighty tomorrow morning!  We left a bit late for the airport, maybe we are getting a bit lackadaisical about it! Could be a problem if we leave too late!!

Anyway, got to the airport fine, checked my bag in and went through, gate number up already, well, I already had the notification of my phone by before we even reached Malaga airport!  Walked through, sat waited and boarded!  My free seat as I waited until on-line checking in was row 4, window seat!  So off easily, bag came through, out and on the bus to Bristol Temple Meads train station... no stopping, easy ride, in and on the train in due course!  I got on an earlier train than I had thought so was early at the next station, only a few miles away, Bristol Parkway, so sat and ate a sandwich on the platform!  I hate eating like that, I don't usually eat while walking about either, I don't know why, its just not me somehow!  But I ate, and it was fine! LOL, nothing happened to me!

A reader after my own heart in this railway guard office!

That train took me all the way to Swansea, so just relaxed and enjoyed the ride, waved at Briton Ferry and Neath on passing, still seems very weird passing through somewhere where we used to live... surreal somehow!  Once in Swansea I had time to get my tickets from the machine, paid for already just popped in my card, typed in my code and out they came, for my next journey up to Nottingham when I leave work in less than a months time! [Happy smiley face here!]  Also got a Costa coffee! Nice!

Station seat

 And I was on my final leg... of the journey, a two hour and ten minute ride on a small two car train to where I am now!  Near Builth Wells in mid Wales!  The weather was okay on the way, some sun, a drop of rain, and its been full lovely sunshine since I got here!

A view I had always wanted to 'snap' when we lived here, but hadn't got around to!

I don't start work until tomorrow at 13:00, so just relaxing now, unpacked my small bag, that took all of 30 seconds and its feet up and writing to you'all now!

TTFN
Marian