Roads back to Spain...

Long time of travelling... See if I can get things straight...

Fish & Chips at Sandys, Huntington Beach

I left LAX late, an hour, luckily had my phone on charge at the gate most of the time, you know there, as most US airports charger sockets are on every row of seats at the gates, with the possibility of charging four devices at a time!

We eventually boarded, and I was sat at the window with two Spanish guys next to me, who after a while of listening to them speaking I was sure they would be on my next flight also, to Malaga... we talked here and there a little, more for help in passing stuff and a bottle it was impossible for me to open!

The flight was great, these 787 Dreamliner babies that Norwegian Air are flying long haul, are the very best, amazing lighting to help with sleep and jet lag, maybe, apparently something different with the air conditioning too, to help with jet lag... comfortable, huge windows with no blinds to pull down, just a tap of a button to adjust the incoming light, I stared at the sun for ages yesterday[?] morning, then realised it was the sun!! Still, looked amazing over the silver side of the clouds...

Anyways, landed in Gatwick, and although an hour late taking off, with great tailwinds we landed on time!  So after immigration and bag collection, which took a while.. It was the shuttle tube thingy from the south terminal to the north and I self checked in my bag with Easy Jet, again, so easy, done that before at Stansted a couple of years ago... only problem, just remembered I had to get off all the stickers from my other flight before the case would clear! Oh these multi fly trips! Haha!!

Into another departures after another security check through... I didn't notice, but my case had been opened in the states, always me, always my case... so another lock broken, and my bits and pieces are checked through!  Really? Why mine?  Good thing the built in code thing hadn't been used, not sure how they would open that!!  The case is shot to hell anyway, busted up on the flight over I think, cracked and broken, I had used duck-tape to stop the sharp areas catching and breaking further... maybe they thought that looked a bit dodgy!

And so... onto Malaga from Gatwick and that left late, but also managed to land on time, off, through security, baggage collection... car collection, Pippa collection and into the house... before ten, just I think...

I unpacked everything, but left it in piles, the little there was, tried to relax, luckily I had some coffee with built in milk powder and chocolate!  Watched TV and went to bed about midnight...  Oh we also did a tour of the terrace, all okay up there!  It took me ages to get the boiler working, not sure if it was the gas can, it was full, but I changed it over anyway, and will try it again when this one is empty...

I woke up about 3am, ended up getting up, making some chamomile tea, thought it would help, although of course, I would have had coffee if I had had some milk! I read and went back to sleep about 5am ish... I switched off the 7am alarm thinking I would probably wake up about 8am... er no! Pippa didn't budge, I was warm and cosy in the duvet, bed cover, and then two blankets... bed felt damp when I got into it... The house smelled fine, clean and not damp, like in the old days... so I knew it wasn't bad, just chilled I guess... And I woke up just before 2pm!!!! OMG!!! 2pm!! 

I rushed and got ready went out... I had completely forgotten it was a holiday day here today! Nothing open as I drove about... I went to two garages for milk, the second getting lucky! Back to the house and then I took Pippa out! 

She is a bit strange, I guess it feels strange for her... being in the doggie hotel for ten weeks, and although she was excited to see me, which was good, I think it must seem funny now her being here, and on her own without her doggie pals she has been used to for all these weeks... she snuggled up on the bed with me... but this house, just isn't the same anymore, I don't know about Pippa, but I don't feel I belong here anymore, I don't feel at home... my heart has left here now; I couldn't even bear to look across the valley earlier, towards the wind turbines.. to the range that has always reminded me of California, because now more than ever before they remind me of the home I was born in, and I know now more than ever before looking across will make me sad now, not happy.

I was going to put up the tree today, or at least this week.
Shall I? should I bother? whats the point... For me? for Pippa? I think this year Christmas can pass on by, bring on 2018...

From Fat Face

I Tweeted this pic yesterday from Gatwick, waiting for my flight to Malaga... Another mug, another quote... Seems so long ago back in Malaga taking a similar photo... that quote said.. "You can't discover a new ocean until you have the courage to leave the shore."

That's all I'm saying...

Over the years, many it feels now, I have completed the journeys through Blooming Human and Gratitude, on-line groups, 40 days usually of emails filled with positivity and thoughts on life... They have helped me through many parts of my life since, but along with the Inspirational quotes I have, had, been posting daily from my email box to my Facebook page... these things seem rather fruitless, empty words... I am a positive person by nature, always finding the good out of the bad, always happy and laughing, always a smile... I find myself now just with nothing much on my face at all... a real bad screensaver face permanently etched there, here... People who I would normally see are having to call to me, or come across the street, or shout at me.. period!

Three mountain shots taken up at El Chorro

I usually see everything, things people wouldn't even normally see, as so many of my photographs prove to the point!

Today I spoke with a friend on the phone on my way into town, I was in the Plaza Legion, I must have looked strange from anyone watching me! pacing about, holding the rail, stepping from ledge to ledge like a big kid!  Talking, crying, talking... then she wouldn't leave me until I stopped crying so I recalled a moment from long ago, and we laughed and we hung up the line...

Next a stopover in friends shop in town, cup of tea and chat and some strength gathered along the way, and in the street stopped to talk to a friend, we normally see each dog walking, and I know, now she is reading this! LOL! Welcome!!

I do some of the people who read my Blog, but going by the mail I receive the majority I do not... You guys have been with me some time now... This one has been going ten years... no eleven now!!!  and I blogged before that on Blogspirit, but I think its gone now, which is sad, also a Blog I wrote on behalf of my step dad was on Blogspirit and I cannot gain access to that one either... I am guessing I started back in 2003 then...

Flowers by the Kiosko

Eucalyptus tree

We came out of the bar before lunch and my camera was free to live and possess what my eye came upon.. so the flowers and the eucalyptus, I love eucalyptus trees, the height of them, the bark, the smell... and the memories of them... lining the road near my uncles Charlies in Yonkers...

Roaring fire in Kiosko

 This was the fire crackling and spitting throughout our lunch... should have actually recorded it shouldn't I?  Would have been more effective maybe!

Wind turbines in the clouds

and the aforementioned wind turbines in the clouds....

This taken from my secret location!!  lol

Well, what have we been doing since last posting? was new years eve... and today is the 3rd!  I sadly still feel the memories strongly at this time seven years ago... and it was exactly seven years ago on Friday when I am travelling to Bristol airport that I flew to Luton from Malaga, to get to my mom urgently, I thought it was today, the 3rd, but just reading back to then, it was the 6th January 2010... I can't believe its seven years, I wish I could fly over there now, get to Watford hospital and find my mom still there, boy would she be annoyed with me!! lol... but just to talk to her, get comfort from her...  Seven years...

Anyways, yesterday Franco woke up with the need for [more] suckling pig!  So off to the coast we went and after many stores we found 'him' in Eroski! Eroski is closing did I mention that? Yes, I think so!  And today after getting home from town Franco had already got him roasting in the oven, he had named him!!! Really!! Enrique!! So we had to eat something with a name!! Arrrhh!!  He also, in the photo Franco put on Facebook bore a strong resemblance to Pippa when she is sleeping!!

Down town I needed to get a few last things to take with me to work on Friday, allowed ten 100ml bottles, which is fine, just enough for three weeks hopefully, because there are no shops anywhere near where I am going!!  I thought I would go into the perfumaria instead for the few things, what a mistake!! Apart from the cost being higher I forgot Christmas present buying is in full swing and all packages are wrapped here... so stood in the line for about twenty minutes!!

A positive note though, our gorgeous baby granddaughter is now two years old! Already! Impossible I know!  We spent time on Facebook cam which was lovely, no substitute I know, but a million times better than past generations had the benefit of... photographs below taken in late November when we were visiting, Cassie and Franco relaxing and chatting on the sofa...

Cassy at Christmas keeping warm :-) 

Todays weather has been beautiful, a bit misty over the Guadalhorce valley from out of the window just now, but the sun is shining and the flies are out!!! Whats with those flies?? Could it be the piglet!!

TTFN

Formby Beach, Liverpool coastline.

Some photos I took on the beach in Formby, on the Liverpool coastline...

Above some of the wind turbines out at sea...

These sand dunes look almost identical to the ones in Pembry, and the walk to the beach the same too!  I could have been picked up and dropped in either spot and not know where I was!!!

With the naked eye... the above looked more like one of those monster machines from War of the Worlds!!  Thankfully able to zoom in with the camera an oil rig came into view.... as if floating above the sea, its legs dangling down ready to make a move onto the planet Earth!

On extra 'zoom in' above still looks a strange thing indeed!

The path down to the beach at Formby, it was a long, long walk from the car park!  An observation deck half way had been where I was headed, and thought it the beach, but no!  Still further to walk, first up hill and then down!

TTFN
Marian