Diary

Diary 2005 - April to June

19 June	Glenys and Dave went out on their own on Monday and Tuesday and came back in the evenings very tired after swimming, sunbathing and sightseeing. On Wednesday Peter took me to the Art Centre and went shopping in Javea while Glenys and Dave rested and swam. After lunch we all went to the caves in Benidoleig—Glenys and Dave were most impressed with the size of them and we all appreciated their coolness! In the evening we had a lovely meal on the terrace at the Melodia, accompanied by live music! Our visitors left at 7.15am and rang in the evening to say they had had a pleasant and uneventful journey home. We took Clio to the vets on Thursday afternoon for a belated check on her ear infection (all cleared) and her annual jabs. She wasn't very happy but it's better to be safe than sorry. Friday was a very hot and sultry day...we went shopping for presents for upcoming occasions and had a look at plants in the Eurogarden nurseries—I think we have decided on a banana palm for the rock garden. We then had lunch in Moraira, and it was rather noisier than we expected because it was Moors and Christians week and they had a posse of musketeers shooting off salvos all through lunch! We talked to Lourdes on Friday evening about our tax returns which are due in next week, and she is going to make an appointment for us with her boss for the beginning of the week. On Saturday Peter did some preparation on the cloister walls after his siesta and then went to see Max, who told him that he had to keep his weight off his bad leg and lent him some crutches! Swimming was OK so we did some of that before dinner and I caught up with some ironing later. We had lunch at Monroe's on Sunday and then did some pool cleaning after a siesta. I finished the day with some proofreading for PANtasia which was coming up to its deadline, and we watched some TV.
12 June	After washing, cleaning and re-stocking we were ready for our next guests on Thursday! Glenys and Dave gave us a bit of a scare because they were due at Valencia airport at 11am and said they would ring when they had sorted the hired car out—but we didn't hear anything until 4pm! By that time I was sure that they had had a terrible accident—and when they finally phoned and I heard Peter talking about the 'Denia Hospital, outside the Emergencies Department' I was sure that I was right! However, it turned out that they had only (!) got badly lost and had driven 178 kms (instead of about 95!) to find themselves finally in Denia. Dave had chosen the hospital as a prominent structure to tell us about so that we could go and find them. They were pretty shattered, what with the early start and their trek through the mountains, so we left them to have an early night and we went to the final night of the informal Costa Blanca Quiz at the Meson de Paco. Unfortunately there were lots and lots of people there and it all got out of hand. By 11.30pm we had only got to the fifth round, so we left them to it. We had a quiet day on Friday, although we did all go for the First Swim in the afternoon! In the early evening we realised that they were setting up the big speakers in the Plaza, and we found out that they were about to celebrate the Fiesta de Joventud (Festival of Youth), which does, of course, involve very loud music, starting at midnight and going on till about 5am on both Friday and Saturday nights! Poor old Glenys and Dave got practically no sleep at all as the guest room faces out over the town. We went to the Rastro in Jalon on Saturday morning and then on to the Arenal for a walk on the prom and tapas. And we went to Las Brisas for dinner on Sunday—after the trauma of all the loud music there was no energy for anything else! There was a thunderstorm and some rain at 4.30pm on Sunday...what a shame it couldn't have got itself organised a bit sooner! The pool progressed well—the infinity effect was switched on for the first time on Monday and Jill was waiting with the chilled cava to celebrate the christening of the trough! However, there were continuing hiccups with cleaning, chemical balance and leaks in the pump room—at one stage about 3000 litres of water escaped through the overflow, and was eventually traced to stones in the valve allowing the water to siphon out through the bottom drain. And when all four of us had our swim on Friday we found that the trough wasn't big enough to take all the water that was displaced by four swimmers...so more of the precious commodity went down the road! We are going to have a very nasty shock when our next water bill arrives! The builders decided they would have to raise the depth of the outer wall of the trough and hope that would cure the problem. Still, by the end of the week the temperature of the water was approaching 30º and we could swim regularly, albeit it without the infinity effect for a few days. And it is just lovely! We did some more work on moving and placing the rocks before Glenys and Dave arrived, but not much of anything afterwards.
5 June	Mainly a property-inspecting week for Ian and Sue—on Monday we visited agents and looked at two properties; on Wednesday Ian and Sue went with one of the agents to look at several houses in the Muro de Alcoy area; and on Thursday I went with them to have another look at one of the fincas. Their general opinion was that they now knew a lot more about the area and what was available and were going home to have a think about their next 'move'! At least they felt positive enough to open a bank account before they left! Peter's leg was not at all good during the early part of the week and we missed out on the trip with the Mixed Media class to the Art Gallery in Callosa. He had read about a natural remedy known as Devil's Claw which seemed to be appropriate for the range of symptoms he had been experiencing, and we drove into Denia where he stayed in the car while I went to the Health Shop and bought some. Peter had missed out on our paella at the Plaza Bar on Thursday because he was supposed to be having a liver/gall bladder scan at 5pm and had been told that he had to fast for eight hours! However, when he arrived they were suffering a complete power failure and he was sent home with apologies—what a waste! By the end of the week the leg was feeling considerably better and has continued to improve, although, of course, it is now very weak after nearly three months of virtual inactivity! The terrace and pool work continued and the pool was filled with four tanker-loads (40,000 litres) of well water on Saturday—very clear but icy cold! All Valro's workmen had gone by the end of the week, and we were just waiting for the electrician to finish off the connections for the pump. Peter and I started on laying the blacking and gravel for putting the cranes in position on Saturday. We had Sunday lunch at El Jardin and enjoyed it—the rest of the day was quiet.
29 May	We took the car into Denia for its service on Monday morning and had a wander round the shops while we were waiting for it. We ended up in Tresillo and ordered some new furniture—two reclining armchairs and a matching two-seater sofa. The colour is ivory, so we shall have to protect it from the cat somehow. It should be ready in about a month. The walking had tired Peter's leg so I went to the quiz at the Charo with Jill and Ken while he rested, and we excelled ourselves by getting 'nul points' on the Sports round! We did the shopping on Tuesday and the Peter went to the Acuario on in the afternoon for an outstanding scan, but the technician wasn't there, so we took the cat to the vets instead. He says she has an ear infection and we have a different ointment to put in her ear. I drove myself to the Art Class on Wednesday for the first time in a while—no problems. As Peter had rested his leg in the morning we went for a gentle stroll in Denia after dinner and had a coffee at the Tasca Eulalia. I asked the waiter how Liverpool were doing in the UEFA Cup Final, and he said they were 3-0 down—but by the time we got home they were 3-3 and went on to win on penalties. Yippee! Bill was ecstatic! Peter went to his Art Class on Thursday and was the only one there! On Friday we went into Denia, had some breakfast at Gourmand and then did some shopping. We went to the garden centre in Orba on the way home and bought three red geraniums—all right...pelargoniums, then—which we planted in the afternoon. The man from Ferrodenia came after lunch to measure up for the railings, and Roger brought the pool tiles. The building work has been progressing all week but mostly tidying, sorting and finishing. Eventually everything needed was delivered and Paco told us that the pool tilers would come to look at the job on Saturday afternoon and then start work on Monday, and everything would be finished by 3 June. The tilers did indeed come on Saturday afternoon...but they hoisted their canopy and started work! They worked from 3pm until 7pm, and then again on Sunday from 7.30am to 1pm and left the job about two-thirds done. Apart from Sunday dinner at Monroes in Pedreguer we spent most of the weekend getting ready for Ian and Sue who duly arrived about 10.15pm. The weather has been wonderful all week—temperatures 25-30º and sun, sun, sun...hope it lasts for the coming week!
22 May	Monday was, of course, Bill's birthday. He had his presents about 11am, including some new clothes, a CD of Spanish guitar music—and a tray of cheeses! He much prefers cheese to chocolate and sweets. He also had cards from Jean and Derek and Sharon and a CD from Jean and Derek as well. We had a bacon omelette for lunch and he had some of his cheese with crackers about 5pm, and then we went to Las Brisas for dinner, and Jill and Ken came as well. We enjoyed the meal, as always, and Milagros brought Bill's strawberry cheesecake with a candle on it...so we all had to sing 'Happy Birthday' and everybody else joined in as well. Tuesday was the birthday of Bill's youngest granddaughter Freya who was seven. We had sent her a card and a present as we do for all four of them, but as we don't get any response I have no idea whether it arrived or not. I went to the Art Centre on Wednesday morning and got my project for the summer—I have to produce an abstract painting to go in a living room—I was given the colours and descriptions of the room and I have to decide on an appropriate design and colours! I have been thinking and experimenting since then, and I think I have a general idea. We took Clio to the vets in the evening and it was confirmed that her ear is improving, but we have to keep on with the cream for a few days yet. Peter watched the second leg of the FA play-offs and saw Ipswich get beaten by West Ham! It was Peter's turn to go to Art Class on Thursday and his teacher was quite impressed with the painting he had done during the week. We went to Jalon for haircuts in the afternoon and then back to Javea for the quiz in the evening. Toby was less than pleased to find that the quiz questions he had paid for were mostly a repeat of ones we had had over the last few weeks...unfortunately, we still couldn't remember the answers! Did you know that Tonto's horse was called Scout? Peter went to the dentist for a filling on Friday morning and we went to Creativity, which is a craft shop in Gata, later in the afternoon, and found Lyn and Lawrie in there! She was buying things for her card-making and I was getting more embossing equipment—I tried embossing directly on to a painted canvas using Peter's paint stripper later and it worked beautifully! My project will definitely include embossed gold! The building has been progressing through the week, with considerable supervision to make sure that the tiles go down in parallel lines and that right angles have 90º. The coronación round part of the pool has been completed and they have done about half of the tiling which is looking good...the styles and colours all go together just as well as we thought they would when we saw them in the shop. Unfortunately they haven't started tiling the pool yet so we can't see how the dark blue looks. Patience, patience! I don't know when they will be off site but it is not going to be by their original deadline of 31 May! Peter and I spent a couple of hours on Saturday morning cleaning up the studio (and then covering the air vents!) so that it is clean enough to use. I actually had time to do some work down there before lunch. Peter watched the FA Cup Final and said that Man Utd had had the better of the play, but as they couldn't put the ball in the net it went to penalties and Arsenal won! Bill had watched it as well and he was just pleased that Man U had been beaten! I talked to Sharon in the evening and gave her and Kevin our congratulations on their 12th wedding anniversary for 22nd—which is also the first wedding anniversary for Felipe and Letizia! I wonder if the year has gone as quickly for them as it has for us. We've had a nice quiet day today—Peter went and got the papers this morning and then did some measuring up of the bases in the garden so that he can check with the builders tomorrow to make sure they have their lines straight! I did Bill's shower at 11am and we went to the Melodia for 1.30pm. We had a very nice meal...Peter and Bill had the mixed fish plate and were loud in its praise. Peter did some more painting later in the afternoon and I did some proofreading—Jill had sent some pieces through for PANtasia so we are off on that track again. The deadline will be 15 June or just after and we have visitors and she and her husband are away some of the time! It will just have to be fitted into the odd hours here and there...usually the early hours of the morning. Peter talked to Phil this afternoon and told him that he was growing a beard, so I took a photo which is now available for everyone to see. It is growing quite well but he is not yet sure whether it will get to stay! Have a nice week!
15 May	On Monday I finished the new pages on this site, checked the links etc and then published it. So there is quite a bit more to read and look at than there was before. I have also included a new link to the usage statistics—it makes quite fascinating reading to see how much the numbers of visitors have increased over the last year. The computer has been playing up a bit over the last ten days or so—sudden shutdowns and messages saying that it has 'just recovered from a serious fault'. It gets a bit worrying, even though we do back it all up regularly, so Peter rang Tony Lawrence who was so helpful when the lightning blew up the graphics card last year. He said that he had actually sold his shop, because he is now studying for his Master's in computing, and we wished him the best of luck. After a chat with an acquaintance in Ondara I got the name of his computer whiz, and I rang a couple of days later and arranged for him to come on Friday afternoon. When he arrived he said that he thought he had been here before because he remembered the set-up with the computer in the cupboard. After some discussion we determined that he had come to do the initial setting up of the computer and e-mail links in June 2003 while I was in England . Small world, isn't it? He checked the machine and deleted some spyware etc., and it does seem to be running more smoothly now. We went to another fund-raising quiz at the Charo on Monday evening. Unfortunately, Jill and Ken couldn't make it, so we teamed up with Eileen and Ross and their team-mates Mike and Sue. After six rounds out of nine, we were equal second, five points behind the leaders. And after the final three rounds we had pulled back the five points and gained another one to win by just one point! We congratulated Gill and Noel for the excellent organisation—they do put on a very well-balanced and interesting quiz. And he cooks a very, very hot chilli for supper! Gill said that the fund-raising is going well—she and a friend are entering a walking Marathon which is being held in the Cotswolds in June in aid of Breast Cancer. My granddaughter, Emily, has been taking her SATS this week. She had been a bit concerned about the Science test but Sharon had got hold of some practice tests and Emily had done them very well, so that made her feel better. She wasn't too bothered about the English and Maths tests, but there is always a degree of apprehension, isn't there? I rang her a few times during the week and she felt that she had done reasonably well, but she won't get the results until the end of June. Peter finished printing the photos that had been ordered of the Art Exhibition—next year we'll make sure that we can produce the format that the Kodak shop want so that Lorely can just take the CD down there and order the prints. I went to Art on Wednesday morning and Lorely said that they would not be going to the quiz on Thursday as they both had colds, and Lyn and Lawrie had visitors. She did say that Richard and Gail had a couple of spaces on their team, but Peter wanted to rest his leg. Peter went to Art on Thursday morning but he was late because we got involved with making sure that the builders were laying out the bases properly. Call us picky, if you like, but we felt that right-angles of 90º would make the tiles look better! By the end of the week the cloister was all roofed and rendered, the big base for the shade terrace was completed, and they had started the platform and the ramp between the cloister and the barbecue area. All this is, of course, included in the photo gallery. During the week Roger told us that his supplier had just come back to him to tell him that the green tiles for the pool are non-standard and could not be supplied from the factory until the end of June—so we are going to have a all-blue pool instead! On Friday we all had dental appointments in Javea—Bill and I were all right but Peter has to go back next week for a small filling to be replaced. We went down the the Arenal afterwards and bought some new shoes in that lovely shoe shop next to the roundabout. And that we had an English breakfast for lunch at Acuarela...and very nice it was too! We had to take Clio to the vet's on Saturday morning because she had been having some discomfort with her ears. Apparently it is not earmites but a possible problem with earwax in her right ear. We have to put some cream in twice a day and massage it, and then take her back next Wednesday afternoon. Peter had to move a pine tree from the pool terrace to the middle terrace in the afternoon because it was right where we hope they will be tiling on Monday. While he was doing that I drove to Caprabo in Denia and got a few things, including one or two last-minute items for Bill's birthday tomorrow. It was the first time I have driven for some while and it was no problem at all—partly because the sun was high and not getting in my eyes, and partly because there is hardly anyone around on a Saturday afternoon! Must go and wrap Bill's presents up now...
8 May	I have been doing a lot of work on the website this week—some of it is published already (see Recent Additions), but the main bit, a Site Index and a revised homepage, will be online, I hope, later this week. Peter has been practising his painting and resting his leg. When we went into Denia on Tuesday we went into Bertomeu and bought Bill a new TV to replace the cheap Japanese one we had brought from England which had lost its picture. It is a nice 28" Thomson, and the picture and sound quality are very good. Bertomeu delivered it on Wednesday afternoon and the two lads set it all up and made sure that it, and the linked portable in the bedroom, were both working before they left. They were very helpful and it was all excellent practice in Spanish. Peter took me to the Art Centre on Wednesday morning and we got back to find that the builders had put walls across the ends of our cloister! After a panic phone call they were swiftly removed and it eventually turned out that the plan the builders have is different from the one we have! All sorted out now. Peter had his art class on Thursday and came back to practise trees. I had been washing and ironing to the accompaniment of the builders knocking holes in the wall for the cloister beams and the roof. Fortunately it was a bit quieter in the afternoon, which gave me a chance to revise for the Grand Final of the Costa Blanca Quiz League that evening. We had only found out about it the day before, so my revision was minimal. Perhaps that was the reason we only came 17th out of 18 competing teams! On Friday morning we went down to the Denia Rastro and collected our lovely pair of bronze cranes for the terrace. They stand about 4'6" tall and will be very impressive in front of the pool when everything is done. I was a bit concerned on Friday morning that the arches in the wall were going to be too squat and look out of proportion, but by the time they had finished all the beams and cleared away the scaffolding they looked good. The builder came on Saturday morning and we had a chat about what comes next. He says that the tiling of the pool will take longer than usual as we want two colours, and they still have to do all the site levelling in preparation for the tiling. He thinks that they will be off site in four weeks as a 'worst case' scenario. After he had gone we went to the May Fayre of the Help Organisation which was being held in La Xara. We won some wine on a tombola, had some refreshments and bought some cards and some cheap books—just the sort of things you do at a fund-raising fair anywhere!
1 May	We went to Acuario for the results of our blood tests, etc., on Monday and the doctor told me that he would like me to see the cardiologist just to check on a possible problem arising from the x-ray. He sent Peter down to have bone and arterial scans and then decided he ought to see a joint man! That should about cover all the leg then! We made appointments for Thursday. By the time that was all over we got home at 7.55pm, due to leave at 8pm for the quiz at the Charo! Peter decided that his leg had had enough and he wanted to rest it, so I went with Jill and Ken. We didn't do as well as the previous time—it must have been the interval round that did it. We weren't very good at International Car Registrations...only 12 out of 25. I went to Art on Wednesday, Peter went on Thursday and we spent a couple of afternoons down in the studio as well. It is nice and relaxing down there...except when the JCB is backfilling round the pool outside! The gunnite crew turned up on Monday as promised, and the job was completed by the evening. Since then the builders have finished rendering the existing walls, built the new boundary wall (except for the top row of decorative bricks) and started on the cloister wall. They are still waiting for the electrician and the plumber to come and finish their bits on the pool before it is possible to start the tiling. I don't even know if they have the tiles yet! My cardio check-up on Thursday didn't show any problems. He just told me that I needed—can you guess?—to lose weight and take more exercise! Peter's joint man gave him a cortisone injection into the knee (ouch! ouch!) and told him that it was an overstrain of the joint. Through Friday and Saturday it felt a lot better and he probably did too much because it is swollen and painful again today. This is taking a long while to settle down. Jill from next door had a 'minor op' at Denia Hospital on Wednesday and came home the same evening. She is feeling better than she expected to, and is full of praise for the skill and care that she experienced. She is supposed to be taking it easy for a while and we are helping by sitting on her terrace and talking to her while we all drink tea. What are friends for, after all! We had a lovely meal at Las Brisas today—good food and excellent service, as always. It's such a pleasure to eat an excellent Sunday lunch without cooking it or clearing up after it. The weather has been wonderful this week—the temperatures have been between 22º and 25º, with hardly a cloud in the sky. There is usually a breeze about 4pm, but that is refreshing. Bill has started his midday sunbathing again and is so red (though not burned) that he gave it a break over the weekend. And I am getting brown again, as well...
24 April	We talked to the builders on Monday morning because Peter was a little concerned that the workmen might not be following the plan accurately. Both bosses came out, and the architect turned up in the afternoon! The upshot was that it had been done a little differently from the plan, but everybody is happy. There's good, then. The finishing of the walls and the placing of the reinforcing was done (see photo gallery) and the boss said that the cementing of the interior would take place on Thursday. On Thursday they said that the machine was not available until Friday, and on Friday they said that it had actually broken down, but would be coming to do the job on Monday—we wait with bated breath! On Monday afternoon we went to visit a fellow artist from the Javea Art Centre, in particular to look at one of his paintings. We had seen a photo of it in the Commissions File at the Art Exhibition and wanted to have a closer look. I thought that the actual painting was even more enticing than the photo, so we haggled a bit, and then brought her home with us. It's a picture of a native woman in a colourful headdress, and I asked Norman what she was called. He said she didn't have a name so I am calling her Ayesha—after both She, from Rider Haggard's book, King Solomon's Mines, and the youngest and most-favoured wife of the prophet Mohammed. Seems like a good pedigree. Jean Jeanie arrived for a visit on Tuesday and we saw a lot of her this time—good, because it's nice to see a lot of her, but bad, because it meant that she was here on her own. (Derek was in Portugal on business.) I didn't have an Art Class on Wednesday, because my tutor was in the UK, so Peter and I decided to go to the Paichi Garden Centre to get ideas for 'dressing' the terrace, once everything is finished. We asked Jean if she wanted to come as she didn't know Moraira very well, and we all had a wander around the Garden Centre, and then the Town Centre and then lunch. Jean bought three pots and we didn't get anything! She came to dinner in the evening and Peter took her home, worn out, about 10.30pm. When I spoke to her the next day she said that she had had the best night's sleep she has had in months! It must be the air. Peter had his first ever art class on Thursday and thoroughly enjoyed it. We went over to Jalon for haircuts in the afternoon and then back to Jean's to hang pictures—including my Blue Remnant, which looks really eye-catching in their white alcove behind the dining table. We didn't have time to finish the hanging because the Repsol engineer came to do the annual boiler inspection and we got involved in translating! So we went back on Sunday morning and finished them off then. We had our usual Quiz Night on Thursday and Arty Farty won for the third week in a row! We shall have to watch that we don't discourage all the other teams! And the other problem is that we keep winning back all the limited edition prints that Lorely is providing as prizes. Jean and I spent Friday visiting the Rastro in Denia and then the indoor market. She hadn't seen either of those before and I also managed to show her some new and useful parking places. After lunch—tapas at A Tota Hora—we went to Marina Mobles and she bought a new coffee table. The staff put it in the back of the car, and the satellite engineer helped her to unload it and set it in place when she got home. Aren't people nice? On Saturday Peter and I went to the Orba Garden Centre and bought an enormous black bamboo. All we have to do now is get it home. In the afternoon we went to a barbecue at Lyn and Lawrie's on Cumbre del Sol—they are one-third of our Quiz Team. The food was marvellous...cooking is Lawrie's hobby and he had done some research and come up with some wonderful dishes from the Middle Ages onwards to celebrate St George's Day. We all ate far too much, and then sat in the sun chatting and digesting. We had Sunday lunch at Monroe's in Pedreguer today...they are always extremely good value and Jean hadn't been there before. We dropped her off at home at 4pm to finish her packing and get back to Valencia after an exhausting break visiting all sorts of new places! The weather has definitely improved this week—apart from a few cloudy or hazy patches it has been wall-to-wall sunshine and temperatures of 22º plus!
17 April	There was a fun quiz at the Charo in the town on Monday evening, and Jill and Ken came with us—and we won by seven points! I do like a quiz, and it is particularly enjoyable when you win! Gill and Noel did an excellent job of organising it, and cooked a very hot chilli supper for the interval. Our congratulations to them...we'll definitely be going to the next one! Peter went off to England on Wednesday morning to help his mother celebrate her birthday on Thursday. He didn't want to miss it as she was 95 and that is an age worth celebrating! They spent a couple of days visiting relatives and he came back on Friday evening. His leg was a bit the worse for wear, but it's not really surprising, as he had not had much opportunity to rest it. The builders continued with the pool—and we now have a photo gallery—but Peter is a little concerned that the work may not be exactly in accordance with the plans. He will be talking to the builder tomorrow! Peter and I went to the Pedreguer market this morning and met Guus who sells bronze statues. We had another look at a pair of cranes which we had admired in the Rastro in Denia some while ago, and satisfied ourselves that they will look fabulous beside the pool when it is finished. So we paid him a deposit and he agreed to keep them until we are ready for them. Later we all went to the Marriott to treat ourselves to their Sunday Brunch. This was our special treat, paid for by the loose change that we save through the year. When we counted it up in January it came to enough for a special meal out and today was the day! The choice of food was enormous—particularly the fabulous dessert table—and the service was second to none. We really enjoyed the whole experience. Another thing that we discovered during the week, thanks to a neighbour two doors down cutting his hedge, was that we actually have a sea view which includes Ibiza on a clear day! Doesn't that sound wonderful? I can stand in the living room and look at Ibiza out of the window! I still find it amazing to realise just what you can do with your life if you make the decisions!
10 April	Tuesday was a momentous day—the builders started work on the pool! They got the first of the foundations dug out and the bomba came on Wednesday morning and filled them in again with cement! They have continued during the rest of the week and the walls are now rising gradually... Unfortunately it rained hard on Friday afternoon, so they finished a little earlier than usual. We went to the quiz at Meson de Paco on Thursday. It was the first unofficial one since the end of the League season last week, and Arty Farty won by one point! Our prize, in addition to the bottles of wine, was a limited edition print that Lorely had donated! So I've got that, and she's going to provide another one for Lyn. We bought a new extractor hood for our cooker on Friday morning—nice and cheap because it is now an old model. And we have discovered that there is a shop called Aguilar near the bus station in Denia where you can buy individual switches, buttons, controls, etc., if they have them, instead of having to go to the expense of calling out an engineer to replace a switch! The Art Exhibition rumbles on—twelve of us met on Saturday evening for a Hanging Committee dinner at Los Almendros on the Ctra Jesus Pobre outside Javea. The food was fine, and the wheelchair access will be good for Bill (although there is no disabled loo), but it did get exceedingly noisy as the Spaniards arrived from about 10pm. There was a young man on the table next to us with ten young ladies and Richard eventually went and asked what the occasion was. He was told that it was an engagement...but we never discovered which one was the fiancée! We thoroughly enjoyed the evening and volunteered to help out again next year—anything for a free meal. As Bill missed out last night we all went to Melodia for lunch today and had a very nice meal as usual. I had a chat with Sharon this morning and they are off to take advantage of the Essex Schools peculiar timing of their Easter holidays—I don't think the weather will be very kind, but they will have lots of entertainment so that won't matter. Peter's ankle is feeling rather stiff again this evening, and he is attributing it to eating red meat two days running. Back to the vegetarian stews, then...
03 April	Well, this has been a very Arty Farty week! The first ever Javea Art Centre Members' Exhibition continued over the Easter weekend and finished at 9pm on the Thursday evening. On April Fools' Day Peter and I arrived at the Hotel Marriott to help the Hanging Committee to dismantle the exhibition and return the exhibits to their creators - or their proud new owners, of course! We left about 2pm but I am sure that the work continued long after that. We went to dinner with Toby and Chris in Javea on Saturday night and met some interesting people. And on Sunday we went out to dinner at Las Brisas. What a luxurious life we lead! Peter's leg continues to improve, and he is hobbling faster every day. He can handle the scooter again now but has not yet returned to the bike.