So difficult to read a book now, the one I'm reading now, full of errors, the latest had me rechecking..

She had arrived at her destination by taxi but very strangely, left by her own car! I wonder if it was one of those new electric ones where she preprogrammed it to come to her friends house! Ha!

I dreamt last night, one dream of many as per the norm!

I was I was in a car with people, and we were leaving somewhere..  we stopped for a moment and I looked down the road I could see a small ancient village with a castle beyond... and I said I want to go there I want to see that I've never seen it before! and somebody said don't worry you can come back and see it..

So good people watching, anywhere really, but at airports, especially the departure gate... The way people run up even an hour ahead, then looked shocked that it's not boarding or anyone there! 

Your questions, the worries, so many people.. Málaga is an easy airport one terminal.. two gate areas, B or C... Gates all in row down each 'arm' and they are joined so if a gate change happens still easy to walk to the other...

Bit mixed here, thoughts and Blogging in bits, not a good way to write ..

But if I don't add bits they are lost.. forever in the eons of time..

And now, here I write from my aunt's kitchen table in New York..

Big news! I have been scammed!

Will relate rest of this later! 

So angry with myself! Always warning other people about scams, so my lesson came late, and I won't forget it!

Update..

I've just had an email from the company, GetTransport to ask if my driver arrived in the end, I've asked for a full refund!

M.

No one is ready for a thing until they believe that they can acquire it.  The state of mind must be belief and not mere hope or wish.

Napoleon Hill

1883-1970 Author

 

More from Sheringham .. three faces Tony spotted on a wall in town!

It is a lovely seaside town, typically English, or is it quintessentially British? 

Many fish and chip shop bars, many candy stores, two knitting stores, arcades, small supermarket in town and Tesco is on the edge, but that's still in town!

Railway line runs directly into Sheringham.

Two mini golfs, so many walks and paths to follow, the maze of course!

Lots of ice-cream parlours, selling wonderfully different flavours.

The rhubarb and ginger sounded good, but they'd run out, so I had apple pie instead, very very yummy!

Lots of dog beaches which came in handy for us! Although we had our favorite, and stuck to it!

I am not used to the tides! And the tide times are all over the place!! 

M.

 

Well, it's been a while! 

A wonderful week in England, day after I arrived off to Sheringham and a whole week of sunshine, even up today's drive back to Stansted.

All above Sheringham, the town, Beeston Bump! The steam railway... 

Every day full of sunshine, so lucky, and not just because of the weather .. 

Back to Stansted! I was there since 15:30, still on upwards journey to 35,000 feet now, and it's 20:30... Flight delay! But I can't complain, I am usually so lucky with Ryanair.

I've had some water and some sweets!

I have a meal ordered but waiting for Bluetooth to get that order in to work! 

We, youngest son and family, have walked and sunbathed, we've eaten ice-cream and, for me, lots of bad food! 

We had a baby ringneck dove outside the house, he couldn't fly yet, all fluffy and puffy, was so sad sending him suffering..

We had a dead adult dove of the same type the day or two before... A parent I am guessing, because the parent that was left kept coming down to see the baby, but unable to do anything.

When it had gone.. it kept coming back to look for it... Thinking baby didn't leave of its own velution.

Back to now! I have some stomach tablets I just bought, because it's going to be bad again now when I've eaten my flight meal!! 

When I get back to the house it's going to look a right mess! A giant mess! 

I have so much stuff for charity, piled up in crates and black bin bags! 

I also have about twenty moving boxes! 

Nothing set in stone, but looks like it's all systems go for leaving the house! 

And that's okay, more than okay.

It is time, it's probably been time, for a long time, but I hold on, always with a grip of steel.

Well, it's time to let go and freewheel a while..

Holding onto a part of life which has let me go, doesn't do me any good.

Flying home to Spain today, there will be one more trip of flying home to Spain..

Although I know, a small part of me will be forever here, of course, I moved here in 2002.. 

And I feel emotional at leaving, but I know, there is still a full life of adventure ahead of me..

I'm not looking forward to my flight leaving, especially on my own.. 

We're maybe forty-five minutes away from landing, captain said we're flying at 1000 kph, great tail wind! 

So soon be landing, and taxi and home, did have a lift, but coming in this late I said not to worry... 

I didn't eat either, suddenly not hungry, so just read my book...

Took two with me, left the first with my other bits and bobs at son's; wouldn't normally keep a book, any more... But this is filled with great Italian recipes! 

The book with me, has some good stuff too.. not worth keeping, but definitely worth noting!

M.

The common eye sees only the outside of things, and judges by that, but the seeing eye pierces through and reads the heart and the soul, finding there capacities which the outside didn't indicate or promise, and 

which the other kind of eye couldn't detect.

~Mark Twain

 

You can disregard the previous post, I didn't even bother sharing it, I had been looking at the news and had a bee in my bonnet!

And this weekend I had a wonderful break cat sitting in the country, I was about half an hour from Alhaurín, further up and further in towards the lakes. 

I had to drive from there to work on Friday and it was a nearly an hour, but well worth coming back home to.

Plenty of wildlife that we are used to seeing here in Spain from the little hummingbird thingy that's the technical term, to the shield Beetle above on the tree there, he had fallen in the water and I saved him, of course! 

I also have been saving the wasps that seem to enjoy the pool, I have been fishing them out with leaves and letting them dry out by the side.

Also saving the wonderful bullet ants! One had climbed the glass I was drinking cava from... He left the glass for my glasses! And then my face! Thankfully before he bit me I threw him off into the pool, but then, graciously saved him with my pool noodle! 

The hummingbird moth is the focus of beautiful Wilf!

M.

When you let go of what you think you need, you clear space for the Universe to bring you what you really want.

Gabby Bernstein - Author-Motivational Speaker-Spiritual Leader-Podcast Host

 

Thinking about all of these demonstrations at the moment in a few of our cities here in Spain, and the islands, demonstrating against tourism or tourists, or really more to the point the prices that people are charging for Airbnb and private holiday lets.

I believe, and of course I could be wrong, but hundreds of thousands of people are prevented now because of brexs*it of being able to spend time in what they call their second home here in Spain. 

And so with their homes being empty for six months of the year, I imagine a huge percentage of them decided to put them on Airbnb or privately rent out for holiday accommodation. 

And yes of course they're going to charge premium prices, so another downfall from brexs*it.

If you take out the holiday makers and the travelers from this country you will also remove all of the money received that they spend, we see it in our shop they they make a huge difference to the Spanish economy in the stores every day. 

It brings in money to workers who support tourism in their jobs, in fact some jobs that are only here because of tourism. 

I fully understand how the prices that are charged for tourists to stay a week in an Airbnb or rental, affect what we as residents can rent a property for, and I imagine given the option of charging €650 a month to a local or 1200 for a week from a tourist can be very alluring.

And of course the people who cannot live here anymore or stay longer than six months out of twelve, they want to be able to visit their home every other month or every three weeks, or whatever, and therefore allowing it to be holiday let is viable, but renting out long-term is not. 

M.

No greater treasure than lost time.. 

'Letting go' does not come easy to me... It is against my natural feelings ..

Against all I am.

I prefer

Hold on to 

Keep

Bury 

Wrap up and become part of me

Letting go feels like losing, and my whole life from the very beginning, literally has been losing, from my dad when I was born until recent times.

And I know that's not really, actually true, I don't lose, I haven't lost everything, most certainly not every one, but, that small child I still am cannot let go of that feeling, and letting go means ... To let go of that feeling also.. 

And that is what I feel is impossible for me.

Probably everything there I have written makes so sense to anyone else, it just flowed, because I needed to say it.

Because I am changing, always, because it is time for change, because this is the time.

M.

If you don't risk anything, you risk even more.

Erica Jong - Novelist-Satirist-Poet

Today is an important day for a very good friend of mine, she woke up to the news that her brother had passed..

I, in work, far from home, woke up to the news Pippa had passed..

Certain days have a pin dropped, sticking them forever in our hearts and minds at that very moment, and those moments stay where they are forever, and we have no choice but to move forward from there..

We we can't stay where we've dropped our pin, we have to keep on and the days turn into weeks, to months and into years.

And that pin that was dropped was four years ago and it seems an impossible amount of time has already has passed, and when we reach those dates sometimes we feel that it was but yesterday.

M.

My birthday cake for today from dear friends...

I got it home in one piece, mostly unmelted, very soon though in the kitchen it started to! Badly! So I quickly sliced it up, and half of it is in the freezer in small slivers! 

I didn't freeze the fruit.. later this evening I shall consume my first slice! 

We met up this morning in a pastelería, wonderful cake store; sat outside under their veranda and drank coffee and food was eaten.. conversation flowed, as always...

Cards and a present.. I am a very lucky girl... Not sure how I got to be 65? 

That's not even a real number is it? 

Surely not! I'm still me, still the same girl, looking out through my same eyes in awe and wonder most of the time.. still wondering what my mission is? Or did I complete it already?

Out again later for dinner, different dress! No driving though, so I shall partake of a small beverage!

There's a loose thread in the world... This was on something I was watching yesterday.. I like it, a loose thread in the world... 

My kind of thought process..

Thank you all for being in my life, sharing good and bad and nothing-much-days, for listening to me while I chatter away to you all... 

If I am next to you you can zone out... I guess if you're reading me? Not so easy! Ha!

M.

Two quotes today, just because I can!

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

And...

Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over.

Guy Finley - Writer-Philosopher-Spiritual Teacher

 

I read very varied and diverse things! Surprise surprise! I save way too much much on my phone then have to read it all in blocks when I have time; I delete and forget! Well, maybe some sticks in those places in our brains where useless information goes to be suddenly spoken of when least needed! 

This! The earth's core which was turned in X amount of velocity in one direction, has changed speed and actually reversed it's direction now!! 

It does of course rotate independently of our planet! Or I think we might have noticed, dramatically one day as our gravity would surely have changed! Never mind the rest of other possibilities!! I better put link here now! 

The core is roughly 5,180 kilometres away from us.. I needed to get in head what distance that would be like from me, hence the map above!

Now! I need to get up and have my brekky!

Bit heavy for a Sunday morning! 

And later this evening Spain v England footy!

M.

Follow your bliss and don't be afraid and doors will open where you didn't know they were going to be.

Joseph Campbell - 1904-1987 - Writer-Professor

 

I made jelly, again!

Chatting to a friend just now ...

I said the common phrase for us lucky to live, I said 'another day in paradise.'

Of course it doesn't always feel like that, and most commonly said sarcastically! 

But where is paradise? It really isn't a place is it? It's how we feel, wherever we feel our bliss, our happiness, all our very different paradises! 

Why sometime we find to hard to believe someone isn't happy when we see their beautiful home, their full wallets or bright shiny cars..

Yet, if they're not happy, it's nothing to them, and things don't make people happy in their hearts not true happiness.. 

Or does it? Not for me any way, although maybe I've just never had that so don't have a clue what I'm talking about! 

Outsides J's off to work, another good day ahead, tiring and full of awkward customers! 

Some that is, but all the nice ones too!

M.

Saturday morning having early morning coffee in town before heading to the coast.. and had a Stephen King moment! Expected Pennywise the clown to be nearby! 

Still, I made it down to Calahonda and the beach with J. we got good beach beds in the back line.. there was a strong breeze blowing and sand in the air... looked like a desert storm!

Unbeknownst to us we were joined by a customers family, so that was nice..

We left the beds about four and walked along to Andy's Bar and found some high chairs near the stage and settled in for a good couple of hours with Zac Black and Bruno, absolutely wonderful, took a bit for me to to get up and dance, but eventually I did! 

Was an absolutely beautiful day.. over-did the sun, under-did the suntan lotion, probably not enough fluids either, but a really lovely day.. I got home about eight or half past... Needed to strip my Aloe Vera plant before I went to bed!

Every now and then I think on a pen pal I used to have, his name was Eugene Kumar, from Singapore, we wrote for about fifteen years...

As well as the many letters over the years, he also sent cards and gifts for me and the boys...

We make so many friends along our path of life, many, if we are lucky, we get to keep, forever.. 

Some pass through and then, they're gone.. they come in like the old saying goes for a reason or a season .. something like that.... To help us through our lives or us to help them through theirs...

I'm still friends with school friends, some go back to when I was only four! 

And some, like Eugene, gone, completely...

Today now, Monday, met up with a friend not seen for sixteen years! The third this year, of friends not seen for far too long. So good to see her, I used to work for her here in town, time goes too fast, always reminded of this, every day now it seems... 

And this! Figs! WoW, did not know all of this! Especially the wasp bit! 

Figs are pollinated by fig wasps, they're really a flower, grown in on itself really, and the wasp enters to pollinate, and dies inside! It is absorbed by the fig!

Still my favourite fruit! Flower??? Yes!

Only now I feel like I also enjoy eating wasps!!

M.

Where have I been? 

Had Sunday lunch out at a restaurante in nearby Coín..

Been in town and had many coffees! Spent some quality time with good friends ..

Worked Saturday, but always good on a Saturday, different set of customers, and lots of tourists already heading in.. for good and bad.. 

I've finished the licorice tablets I was taking for my stomach, it feels so so now... Which is better than the agony I was in for so long ...

So I will take it easy, try not to eat too many fatty or sugary foods, just try to be careful any way, it's all I can for now, until I go back for a check-up.

It is better, but my better isn't someone else's, like my sleep, my better sleep is waking up about twenty times and falling back to sleep each time..

And I know, at least I'm sure... That isn't what is normally classed as better sleep!

Same with my stomach I suppose, but it's better than it was which if it's as good as it gets? It is better.

I had, still, two parts of my old sofa to get to the bins.. neighbor suggested I dismantle one piece more, which I did, and then I used the other bit for a headboard! 

Today at last I took the rubbish and two gas cans from near my front door and got two new cans and dumped the trash!

Looks very empty now! 

There is one more piece to go, it is so big and so in the way, but I have already stopped seeing it!

Can't find another use for it either, yet!

Went to Estepona Sunday morning, nice ride out and back.. before lunch.

M. 

Some people are fools

Some people are made fools of

Photographs taken at Plaza Alta at the end of my street..

I have been having a bit of a spooky witchy odd time recently, last week I came home to find the world's largest cockroach, well probably not largest ever but quite a big one!

And had a little bit of fight to get him out of the house but I managed okay, squirting him outside in the street with suntan lotion, and then at last some roach spray when I managed to get into the house with him trying to get back in with me, or her of course!

In work I was telling J. about it and we turned around and there was a cockroach! bizarre!

Then also the other night I turned off the TV and I was just scrolling through Instagram before going to bed, I yawned as I was scrolling through and the very next picture that came up on Instagram was a tattoo of someone yawning!! Yawning fine, tattoo of someone yawning!! Whoa! Weird!! 

I was having coffee with a friend in town, and I went into the lottery shop with him, I said I'll help you carry your winnings out and he won! only 4 Euro 66 but he did win!

Above photograph taken at the other end of my street..

Yesterday out on the bike we talked about where we would stop for a coffee on the way back and I said let's go to France! We continued our journey, and a car overtook us, unusually, it overtook us and then two or three minutes later it turned off and it was a French car French number plate.

Reason I'd said that was of course because I just wanted to keep going, as always...

These weird things have been happening so much recently, I don't dare say some stuff in case it happens! 

I had a wonderful beach morning Saturday, drove down to work, had unintentionally brought home something needed! I had mentioned the previous day that I must be careful not to take it home! 

I then walked along to Cabopino from work, sat on the beach for a couple of hours, was lovely... Nice breeze and I read and relaxed .. a good morning..

Waiting on my passport now .. 

M.

Always so many coincidences in life.. at work today taking about two things and twice they appeared! 

Watching Desde la Mañana now, dubbed in English, apologies! 

It is June 18th today, and they mentioned the summer solstice and she looked on the calender, marking June 21st, and she said well today the 18th, we have three days! 

Very very strange coincidence!! 

My third Blog post today! Don't expect this very often! 

The first two posted outside Jo's home, and then my other colleague messaged to say I was in the wrong place! So funny! I was in the wrong place!! Trust me eh! I was listening to that depressing song and going wrong! 

Coming home the traffic was bad so I took the Rivera route, then found the road closed! Took me an extra fifteen minutes to get back to where I wanted to be, and no traffic! 

The photograph, me my shadow this morning on the way to my car..

M.

You must learn a new way to think before you can master a new way to be.

Marianne Williamson - Author

It's not very easy to change the way we think is it? If we could do that, a new way to be would come very easily also.. 

Last night on my drive home the main road going up to Alhaurín,  a huge truck had come off on a bend, it was on its side just like about a year ago actually, so we were able to come past it mainly because he was almost off the mountainside! This morning the truck had gone but still the signs and the broken concrete which was only renewed last year. 

Yesterday morning waiting for J. to come out of his house I decided it was time to switch my CD, I took out the disco hits of the 80s and put on David Blunt, I love his music but sometimes it brings me down and this morning a track came on just as I was leaving the village, and I pressed replay all the way down to the coast! 

So now my sports not raised, but dashed into the rocks and broken and torn..

Forgot to publish yesterdays post, so this is a double whammy today! 

M.

"I've noticed before that if you go too long without anyone seeing you, really seeing you, it's easy to start wondering if you're really there."

Maggie Mitchell

Busy few days off, Friday getting my new passport, running around like a headless chicken for two hours, but all complete now!

Saturday helped friends who has a water filter leak in the night, although leak isn't enough of an explanation! Small flood would better describe it! Mopping for a couple of hours, but luckily it's summer and with doors and windows open the warmth helped dry the doors and everything we put outside...

Yesterday was a bit more restful, so a headache I had instead.. back to the old fix though, a can of coke with some sugar!! 

Out in the evening with friends celebrating Father's Day.. and learnt that one was born near my younger son's, and another born where my boys and I used to live! 

The world becomes smaller the older we get! 

I am now writing in the car awaiting my colleague and I'm cooking in here already! 

M.

I wouldn't usually have such a big poem, or words from someone else, but three times this has come into my Facebook feed..

So even if it is just an algorithm and its task is only set to repeat, maybe in a tiny way its task is to make me listen... 

“Each second, I am one second closer to leaving this planet.

And so, I will

look at everything always

with wonder,

as though I am 

seeing it for either

the first or the last time.

And I will choose to live in such a way,

that if this were my last second, I could die in peace

for I am proud of who I am

and let my final second show

how I have grown

and who I have become.” 

Words by Tahlia Hunter 

Well this dream has to be posted and now before I forget...

So I was having a dream where I was with a group of friends,.and we were already hiding or running from somebody, the business that we work for suddenly shut down for some reason we were having to hide... and then I was on my own on top of a hill or mound that was smoking slightly, and lots of rocks.

Two skeletons were coming towards me, one smaller one on my right and a really large skeleton on my left my only means of protection was a golf club, but without the club bit on! so it was just a long metal stick really! I don't know what I thought I could do with it? poke them with it!? 

When the big one got to me.. I was terrified but then he suddenly communicated to me without words that he was there to help me, and to direct me and so he pointed a long skeletal arm in the direction for me to look at, and told me mentally that's where I had to go! so off I went and when I got there it was like a hospital type place, and there were two other people in there, and one of them pointed out to me that I'd lost some toes on my right foot and some fingers on my right hand and then my alarm went off! 

Meanings: loss, vulnerability, regrets, mistakes, lack of perseverance to move ahead, are just a few with regards to skeletons and loss of toes..

WoW! That was some dream to wake up to!! 

Photographs taken a couple of weeks ago up at Ardales, still the water level is incredibly low, plants are now being watered publicly, so things must be a little better, but the evidence here is to the contrary... 

M.

A smile is happiness you'll find right under your nose.

Tom Wilson - Actor-Comedian

I have to vent about a customer yesterday, we have some really lovely customers, so lovely they bring us coffees and cakes and really care about us ..

Some others, not so much; then there are the ones with a real sting in their tail.. 

Yesterday, woman walks up to the till, she speaks to me in such awful Spanish I can't understand her and said 'if you like we can speak English'.. as she was British.. 

That was my first strike X

She said she wanted to make two separate purchases, and pay with card... 

I said no problem, I put the first item through the till and she used her credit card; it said denied!

My second strike X 

She said okay I'll pay for both items together, it came to 5:15 and she said I'll pay €5 cash and 15 cents on my card!! 

I refused the 5 euro note because it had been torn and badly stuck together it would not have been accepted by our cash machine..

My third strike X

And then a man with the woman gave me a 10 Euro note which I rung into the till and gave her the changes.

She said I wanted to pay 15 cents on my card! Its not that difficult! 

I was speechless! And that takes a lot!!

Now! What else have I been doing! 

Mmm La Trocha mal a few times, down town of course! Seeing friends, coffees and food out...

Chinese in Alhaurín Sunday lunch, and Chinese down at Benalmádena on Monday lunchtime.. 

Drop of rain today which hardly had a chance to fall without drying up, rained the other morning too... But hardly!

I've a new old sofa, so very comfortable now down here in my also new old living room.. 

Just need a needle and creamy coloured thread to do a little repair and job done! 

I'm tired! But happy.. I do wish I could pick up my house and move it down to the beach though! 

Every day is great in the store, regardless of above occurrence! 

Keeps my mind busy, problem solving every day and so many people, and best my work colleagues! 

M.

In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer - 1906-1945 - German Protestant Theologian

 

What's been happening!! 

Friday late afternoon in Cabopino, had a coffee and watched the world go by.. 

Bag purchased from lookie lookie guy, I can count on one hand the items I have bought from them over the decades .. luckily! 

Stayed over, and Saturday was work, but in the evening I walked down to Playa Luna Beach, it was almost closed so continued onto the definitely closed Bar Dunas, sent a photograph to friend I was staying with and she called to say her and her fella were down in Cabopino.. I was almost there, to join them for a drink before dinner.. 

So I did just that! Walked through the port and out the other side to reach them.. had a vaso de vino tinto and walked back ..

It was deserted along the boardwalk.. which was both nice and slightly creepy at the same time! 

Sunday was stock taking and the end of another week .. Soon be halfway through the year... again!

M.

If you start now you will start seeing the result one day earlier than if you wait until tomorrow.

Unknown

Sat here in departures.. 

I wrote two paragraphs of this on Facebook, but way too much information! For having a meltdown!

I got in a strop at baggage drop off first .. when a whole bunch of people thought they'd skip a line we'd all been waiting in for an hour (okay ten minutes!), still!! And yes, very embarrassing I said my thoughts out loud! 

Best bit was skipping through Fast Track! Oh yes!! The very best, although I did have to point out two empty bays for security to the family in front of me who were just standing and staring.. and then once those plastic trays are through I couldn't even get to mine as everyone emptying out theirs on the line...

I pointed out the bays for that very purpose!

I am so bad! 

This is what comes of flying twenty or more times a year for six years!

Patience? Who? No not me!

And that's better.. vented.. 

For your reading pleasure! 

Bet you're all glad you're not sat next to me, or my 'phone a friend.'

M.