Bonterra Park 21st May 2009

Uneventful few days, keep planning to cycle to Orpesa, a small town 6 miles north of us. As there is a hill in the way (150 m high) Tricia usually finds some reason why we should put it off till tomorrow? Tricia took her first swim yesterday, no, not in the Med, she tried that last week and the shock from her cold little pinkies, very nearly caused her to drop her ice lolly! Separating my wife from food, especially when it is actually in her possession is an act off idiocy. I tried it once and have still got the fork wounds to prove it.

So the Mediterranean is off her guest list for the time being. So it was the pool, choice of three, kiddies, outdoor or indoor. As the “indoor” is basically a pool in a greenhouse, at 30 degrees in the shade it makes it like a sauna. So into the “big” pool and six lengths later (that will do Mr Swan, no snickering at the back thank you) “I will improve on that each day”.

It’s market day today and I’m off to get a new wallet (or purse, as Tricia calls it) because my old one has worn out, through over usage. Mind it did take 18 years to do so, so I’m getting an extra strong, extra thick leather one this time.

As I type, I can see Tricia still in bed “I’ll get up early tomorrow”, its 9:10am and not a stirring. Looking out of the window it looks like another hot, cloudless day, another one! Dam.

We are thinking about moving to a different plot as, 1. This one slopes a bit, 2. It’s not going to be easy to get out off and exit when the site gets full, 3. There are some railings above us, to support overhead coverings in the winter, that prevents good reception of Astra 19.2 and all those “German channels” (we know what we are talking about here Phil TG) and 4. As we are parked now we can’t fully extend the awning.

I’ve more or less come down from the euphoria of finding a Lidl so close to the Park; I’ve cut back to 3 visits a day now. So now the task is to find the cheapest of everything! Potatoes are, when purchased via a wheel barrow, otherwise not. Meat is expensive and until we get a better handle on the language, we still don’t know if we are buying a fillet or dried badger. Luckily the real essentials beer and wine, oh all right, bread as well, are cheap if you are prepared to drink local/Spanish stuff. Saying that, the “local” stuff is called “Steinburg” (did the Germans actually LOSE the war?) only it is brewed in Valencia (pronounced Balethia) and is actually Spanish. At 4.8% and costing 60c a litre, I cannot get enough of it; well I would if SWMBO let me. I mean a fridge works much better when it’s full, it’s a known fact.
I finally found gold dust wine wise, 5 litres (a gallon!) for €3.29. It’s red and probably, to a more delicate palate as mine, a bit rough, but after the first few glasses becomes almost drinkable.

We are running out of DVD’s to watch, remember no TV as yet, so after the whole series of “Darling buds of May” (David Jason is just Del Boy but says “perfik” all the time instead of “luvly jubly”). We got past “The Notebook” as presented to us for our wedding anniversary by our son Adam. Does he really think I’m a woman? I thought it was a manual on computers and it turns out to some kind of sick romance thingy, thank God for the wine and I missed most of it but Tricia insisted we watch it AGAIN because I had fell asleep the first time. Then I got “Erin Be-something-ich” from the on site “Rally” library, made up of Camping Club and Caravan Club members, don’t ask, which was OK.
So now we are on to “Black Adder” the series, after that’s gone I’m going to have to talk to the wife.
Speaking of such it’s now 9:45, no movement as such, except “Stop the bloody coughing!”

After dinner we usually have a “friendly” game of cribbage. We stick mainly to the rules but have few “Swinhoe” additions which we think makes the game fairer. i.e. if you play off more than one card in a play, you get a point for each card and not just “one for my last”. We were once introduced to the “Swan” rules in the lobby of a hotel in Heidelberg, which revolved, very loosely about, “If Swans are losing, turn round and going the other way and then claiming they were going the correct way. Cheating b******ds.
Well it looks like Tricia has invented another rule or gambit. After winning the first 3 nights, yes 3 up in the series, I nearly spilled some beer. Anyway, justice and the very core of nature returned to it’s rightful place and I won the next 2 games, but here is the new rule: - If I (me, no one else, mind) win and Tricia, after I have actually won, can “peg in” with what’s in her remaining hand/box etc. then it’s a draw. So basically there are only 2 outcomes from any game, she wins or it’s a draw. I think I’ll try chess; she doesn’t play chess “it’s just draughts with knobs on”. After a game I remind of the Italian saying “after the game the pawn and king go in the same bed/box” “in your dreams sunshine, in your dreams”.

By the way she has just got up “Why didn’t you wake me up at 9 o’clock?” It’s all my fault.