Monday 29th March 2010, Roquetas ans all is well, well sort of.

The last few days have been bliss, no wind, temperature in the mid twenties and not a lonely cloud in the sky. Although a vote was not actually taken, it was decided to just lie in the sun and do bugger all. Again sort of. SWMBO had decided that we, well me especially, were not fit enough and therefore a “fit” plan was needed. The plan being that we got up relatively early and went for a fairly brisk five mile walk, mostly along the beach, then back for breakfast and then the gruesome task of availing our semi naked bodies to the unrelenting sun. So we did just that and I don't know if I'm any fitter but my legs ache most of the time now.

I must admit lying in the sun for hours on end, like iguanas on the black rocks of the Galapagos islands, is not me really, I have to get up now and then and do something. Like have another glass of freshly squeezed (by me of course) orange juice or a beer, maybe. She just lies there mumbling something like “God, it's a tough life”.

Today though, Maria popped in for a visit and I think it was her time of the month and a bad hair day, rolled into one. The local weather forecast had put out warnings of “strong gales”, and for once they were very right. Of course this was also chosen, by SWMBO, as a washing day in readiness for the imminent arrival of the Swan couple. After washing the sheets she hung them up and they immediately turned into the topsails of a four masted schooner and shorty afterward disappeared down the site followed by a screaming woman who matched the description of my wife. Everything is now “inside” the MS, drying, as are we also, sheltering gnome like from the winds.

The surf kiting guys down at the beach are having a wondrous time though and look like mad metalised insects being dashed from pillar to post, and of course going back for more, as they are young and obviously obtuse.

Last night was different. I popped out for a quick fag during a break from “Spartacus”, yes, it's getting that bad, and saw a white owl overhead, drifting, silent as a confession, soon to end the life of a not so vigilant, small, unknowing mouse or vole. The blue sky moved effortlessly into purple and gold, and then tumbled gently to inky blackness, shadows lurking in the trees like a jury of ghosts. The moon shone it's baleful eye upon a landscape bereft of beauty, more a shroud to the night's willing grasp. The shallow yearning of a............Hells Teeth! What the hell am I smoking here?

Also because of the Swans are coming, she is generally cleaning and clearing things out of lockers to make room, there are only here for three nights, for heaven sake! She is doing lots of other things which I can't go into now. Tomorrow it's cleaning the car, which involves going to our local “Lavado”. This means you get to dash round your car in the two and a half minutes you are given for your one €, leaving dirty triangles all over the car. Putting in another € is, of course, out of the question, says so in the scriptures.

The Germans have brought in the first of their armoured divisions so things could get a little hetic round here, more on that in a later post.

I had to do one of more arduous tasks, squeezing more oranges for SWMBO, much in demand, orange juice. We had bought an extra two bags for the coming of the Swans and I was director to squeeze a whole bag and make litres of the stuff, oh the pain of all this hard work.  The shot of SWMBO's legs is a typical effort from her, I normally just delete them.