So....it's still very hot here but Ian is pushing through and working on our en-suite bathroom, about which more later. And we did actually get some rain over the weekend - proper rain, not the five minutes of dirty rain filled with sand and which make your terraces, car and pool completely filthy - so that was nice as we haven't seen proper rain here for about 10 weeks or more!
I can report that I have renewed my domestic goddess credentials BIG time this past week by making a seafood paella for the very first time ......and very tasty it was too if I say so myself 👌
It got the thumbs up from Ian and I will definitely be making it again subject to a couple of small tweaks. I'd always thought there was quite an art to making paella and maybe there is and I just got lucky, but using bits of a couple of recipes and some of my own instinct from having eaten so many, it seemed to work. But an appearance on Masterchef is still a way off I think 😜
In other domestic news, our little bunch of grapes ripened and, as it is grape picking time here, we picked ours and got these sweet juicy grapes:
Last Wednesday we went to visit a friend from the UK who was staying in her villa in Calpe and went for lunch with this view:
Absolutely wonderful view and the food, once it came, was ok but the service was really not great and apparently we couldn't have paella unless we'd pre-ordered it. Given that this was really all that was on the menu, it was more than a little problematic finding something to order 😳 and they were less than helpful...... But more than anything we just found it too busy, frenetic and crowded with Spanish tourists, and if we hadn't been with someone, we'd have got up and gone to be honest. Nothing to do with Covid, we're just used to quieter living now, so once we were back in Orba we headed off for a quiet and peaceful drink at our favourite little Spanish bar. Bliss 😍
Work on the en-suite bathroom continues apace following delivery of all the bits from the big Leroy Merlin in Gandia which arrived neatly packaged:
The only thing we're still awaiting delivery of is the heated towel rail to replace the radiator that was there before, but this isn't a problem and Ian has installed the new bath, shower and screen as well as tiled and grouted two and a half walls. Here's a before and after:
Today he started on the remaining full length wall by removing the giant blue basin and, temporarily, the toilet in order to plaster, tile and grout the walls as well as chase wiring for our new 'touch light' mirror. This time next week he should have it all finished including the new floor 🥳 And then we'll turn to the kitchen in the autumn.......
Covid-wise, things are still very good here. Ian has now had his second jab and today they rang me - ahead of expected - to come in next week ie. at 8 weeks rather than the expected 10. The health service app here states that anyone under 60 who is waiting for a second jab after a first Astra Zeneca one, will be getting a Pfizer one unless they state otherwise. I don't mind on many levels but made it very clear that I want a second AZ one to keep open my options to visit the UK without having to quarantine. The UK government website makes it clear that both jabs must be the same one if given outside of the UK (hmmm, why might that be I wonder 🤔) in order to not have to quarantine and a fact which seems to have escaped quite a few people I've mentioned it to. In any event, I'm nearly over the finish line and am almost as excited to get my second jab as I was to get my first! I'm aware there are no guarantees but it does make me feel much safer, especially given that I have asthma and am quite fearful that it would kick in were I to catch Covid and not have had help from the vaccination.
In other news, I should be starting teaching again later in September in a lovely local school for two evenings a week which is wonderful - watch this space. And now that I'm back on live radio, next week the show will be moving to 2 hours so why not tune in on Thursday 7-8pm (6-8pm from 9th Sept) on valleyfm.es for some great music 🎶💃
Stay safe and hasta luego!
super
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