Wednesday 8th December 2010, Roquetas and where's the sun cream.

Heavens it's hot.

Heather baby (our daughter) is 30 today so gave her a call and looking forward to her party when we get back on 11^th.

The taxi to the airport is about €30'ish so that will be about €70 return when you tip and add the extra charges that they usually make up on the spot. Sitting outside the other day and Henk, our Dutch guy next door was asking us how long we were staying and when we told him we were flying back for Christmas he said he would drop us AND pick us up in January! Friendly or what!

Yesterday went for a walk up to El Parador, the local small town and had coffee at our “usual” café. It was May this year we were last there, seems longer because we keep thinking of it as “last year”, makes sense as our “year” is from September to the next June.

 I have to lift the waste-hog a fair way off the ground when emptying the black stuff, which can be very difficult, problem now solved with a piece or strong cord and a short length of rubber pipe! Other problem was the nearest water tap is 2 meters further away than my flat, roll up, 25 m water pipe, problem solved again, genius!

Washing day and as I was emptying the hog of grey water, down the small yellow man hole covered orifice, next to the toilet block, one of my hog caps fell into it, hell's teeth! Had to remove the very large and very heavy, non yellow, man hole cover near it and buried in the sludge a meter down, there it was. Ran back and got SWMBO's sweeping brush hoping while I was gone, that a small child, or car, or old German woman, or bicycle, or the Spanish orange delivery man, had not fallen down the gaping hole and I was going to be sued to hell and back. All was OK and retrieved the cap, irreplaceable over here, that thing is. Put it down as far away from the hole as possible and struggled manfully to get the man hole cover back in place, and a car ran over it! BTW should that not be a person hole cover?

Whilst taking in the sun outside the MS, Henk, our new airport chauffeur, took time out to introduce his wife Fenni, to us and mentioned to her about the lift to Almeria airport on Saturday. They then went into a rapid and complicated discussion which slid easily from hyperbole to litotes with a bit of sarcasm and irony thrown in, obviously concerning something about what they (she) had already planned for Saturday, but being completely in Dutch, went right over our heads. So we still get the lift? Also by some devious means or other SWMBO has managed to wangle a lift from Claudio at the other end. Sweet or what?

Thursday 9^th December 2010, Roquetas and a last quick wash before we go.

Another warm, sunny, windless day, oh the boredom of it all.

Last night it was baked potato covered in home made (MS made?) chilli con carne and some weird Spanish green beans which, coupled with the extant kidney beans and chic peas, may cause a minor revolution “down there” come tomorrow morning. (and it did!)

SWMBO has relented and we are only washing the white things but not, thank God, not all the sheets.

I mean every two weeks! I only get into bed, sleep, get out of bed, that's it! Don't read, complete jigsaws, render walls and alcoves, I don't knit or crochet, listen to music, re-wire 3 pin plugs or deduce the amplitude of SWMBO's snoring. Get in, sleep, get out. What the hell do I do in there (don't even think about that) that makes her want to change and clean ALL the sheets every two weeks? Men are from Mars and SWMBO is from Sunderland, answers everything.

Boring?

When that's finished will do a practice pack and have a final, final look for my UK Vodafone sim.

I had put it in a safe place, told her where I had put it so she could remind me later and we've both forgotten where it is, was or may be.

Then probably a quick cycle ride through to Aquadulce, nice place for coffee and cake.

Sunday 5th December 2010, Roquetas de Mar, it's warmer than back there.

Had dinner with T&D at the site's restaurant, nice, me steak, T hamburger, T&D, that thing with rice and fish stuff for two, and a couple of drinks. Next morning 8am, SWMBO thought it was still night, everything done and left at 9am, said “sod off and good riddance”, to T&D and on our way. Uneventful really, no wheels fell off and we arrived at Roquetas at about 3:30pm. Managed to drive, forwards, straight on to a pitch and that was it! Well not quite. We are in the German zone and because as I had parked about 3° out of true the guy opposite kept on telling me, in fluent German, that I needed to do it correctly. I got the feeling if I didn't it would be lampshade time, so complied.

On the way there

Nearly there

Our new pitch

Comfy?

Introduced ourself's to the next door neighbours and after explaining that we will be around for 4 months, they said that they would be leaving tomorrow!

Game of Dos, close but I won brilliantly, and SWMBO decided to have a bottle of fizz, I've never seen her so drunk, had to undress her and put her to bed, got quite exciting. She is now tucked up with her Penguin and I'll be blamed for everything as usual, not going to get lucky in the morning that's for sure.

Monday 6^th December 2010.

I had forgotten what the facilities were like here. First, it's hard standing so I need back the two bits of wood I threw away at Zahora 'cos I didn't know what they were for, they were extra slide out supports. We need to get our “green” down asap as the small granite gravel gets dragged into the MS and also goes to mush when it rains.

The showers are great, constant, no button and powerful. Getting used to a different toilet seat, orifice size and shape, and height off the ground is a bit of a challenge however. Even the toilet paper is softer, not a bad idea as it's curry night tonight!

The rates are about the same as Zahora when you average it out i.e. after 60 days it's €8/day plus electricity @ 32 cent/KW, so we use gas for everything, Wi-Fi is 75 cents/day long term, so taking everything together it's about €11/day. (German lessons are extra)

We are surrounded by Germans and it brings back the memories from 26^th February earlier this year.

http://swinsblog2010.blogspot.com/2010/02/friday-26th-february-2010-roquetas-and.html will clue you in. Looks like we will be catching up on our German then.

It's definitely drier and warmer here and as as it is apparently thundering and lightning back in Zahora, I guess we made the right choice. What we did not expect when we arrived was to be asked if we had booked! The camp is almost full or rather the pitches are booked by the long term people who arrive just before or just after Christmas. They only gave us a choice of about 10 pitches and although probably could have got onto all of them I think we picked the best one.

Hells teeth! That German opposite us has just produced an accordion, welcome to hell.

It's a balmy 21 degrees here, no wind and people are out in their cossies sunbathing. Just had a trip round the town of Roquetas and a lot of the shops have closed, permanently.

Cycling is now back on the menu!

Wednesday 1st December 2010, PSJ and we have guests.

Woke up to rain and wind, but still warm. Heard that Gatwick airport is shut due to the heavy snowfalls in southern England. Heather can't get to work and Adam crashed his car, he's OK, sliding about on the snow and ice in Forest Row.

Stayed in and did some “put off” things before driving to Mercadona for supplies. On the way back decided to turn around and visit a village we have seen many times on the northern headland but had never been to, called Cabo Roche. It was basically a suburb of Conil and was very beautiful, clean and right on the coast with it's own little harbour.

On the way back got dragged into a ceramics shops and lightened my wallet considerably, but it made SWMBO happy and we have, a new fruit bowl, letter and washing up cloth holders, all turned out in hand painted ceramics. So will other people we know, come Christmas.

Rained on and off all afternoon so no walkies today.

About 3 o'clock, whilst passing the time of day with Yorkshire Mick, we were approached by an English couple who were looking to park their RV next to us, I think they were in company with another couple who also had a RV. Both RV's are very American and very large. First one tried to park up on the ridge where everybody so far has managed to get stuck, guess what, he got stuck and had to be pulled out by the site tractor. He then found a more stable pitch up toward toilet block B.

The other couple tried to get in on the pitch two pitches from us, well the thin little tree that was on the pitch and quite a lot of branches from the tree at the end of the pitch are no more. This was the result of the PSJ site team descending as a horde and sorting the pitch out for this 38 foot monster. This is rather unusual for owners of sites, normally if you cut down or trim anything you are off the site pronto. They are safely on the pitch now so there goes our afternoon sun, what little there was.

Tonight it's “see what's in the fridge” for dinner, followed by wine, beer and House. SWMBO has been beaten a lot lately and last night said she would never lift a domino again in her lifetime, somehow I think she will come round, she's kinda addicted now. The high you get preventing your opponent playing their double six is too potent a brew, cribbage is just a shallow cousin.

Thursday 2^nd December 2010.

Got up late, had breakfast late, started washing, late.

Tony and Debs came down to the MS on the promise of coffee and cake and SWMBO told them a completely made up tale about me and a tea bag, which I will not go into here as it is slightly inflammatory to my character. The guy who Tony bought the now useless generator off has basically told him that he will not help in getting it operational again and that Tony should “go forth and multiply”, or words to that effect.

After a forecast of rain which never happened, it's been sunny all day. Everybody on the site are girding their loins ready for the invasion of the Spanish for their 4 day bank holiday (another one!) starting on Saturday 4^th December, apparently all the casa's (bungalows) are booked, don't know about how many RV's and caravans are coming but I'm sure it's going to be party time.

The WWW is again not pleased, she is not the happiest of people at the best of times and this news is not helping either. She can suck the very joy out of life, merely by opening her mouth, which she does, whenever she can. The last time the Spanish were here she complained about the “enjoyment” that was going around, I explained that technically this is their country and we are visitors, she threatened to set her dogs on me.

Lucky Luciano Tony B just came down to give us the news that he will not be getting his new axle anytime soon, as Old Mo, the guy who was supposed to be arriving in two weeks time with the axle, is now not coming. Apparently he fell over the A frame attached to his RV and broke some ribs a while ago and he is not improving therefore doesn't know if he's coming at all now. So Tony needs to get his dealer, after delivering it to Old Mo, to re-deliver to the site at PSJ. As T&D were planning to follow us to Roquetas early January, and now can't, it's not all bad news then.

Plan then is; Friday, is a run down to Gibraltar to see the things we missed last time round and fill up the truck with diesel, possible visit to Morrison's is probably on the cards.

Saturday is packing and getting ready for an early (?) start for the 260 mile run up to Roquetas so we can get there while it's still light and set the pitch up.

Friday 3^rd December 2010.



Where's my coffee, then?





Africa from Gibraltar



Went to Gibraltar and because of the lack of planes the runway was open to traffic so hardly any wait to get in. Straight to Morrison's and stocked up on all the things we just can't get in Spain or are too bloody expensive here, €3.80 for a Hovis loaf in Carrefour?

 

Europa Point



Sun was shining and so we had SMALL fish and chips and tea. Loaded up with diesel and it's the first time ever that a full tank cost less than £60, at 82p a litre that's hardly surprising. So we are full up for the off on Sunday. Went to an ATM and the money it gave me was Gibraltar's £'s, which as you may guess can only be spent in Gibraltar. So as cigarettes are £1.45 for twenty, there you go, if I sell them back in the UK I'll make a profit of £220 quid!

Got some Ginster pasties and Scotch eggs for Tony and Debs and as many boxes of rice crispies as I could carry. They also sold, cooked on the premises mind, steak & kidney pies, I thought I had died and gone to heaven. Only bought four and how long they will last, as SWMBO eats big time (even when on her special diet) when she travels anywhere (Sunday), is anybody’s guess, bets are between 50 and 57 minutes.

Had a drive up to Europa Point and SWMBO broke her record for the most pictures taken in 3 hours, 320, mostly of seagulls, don't ask.

Dinner, dominoes, House and Penguin then bed.

Saturday 4^th December 2010.

Looks like the Spanish are staying away in droves as hardly any are here, so it's still nice and quiet.

Pack day and using our 55 point check list for leaving a pitch and site. Paid the bill, it worked out at €10/night inc. electric, Wi-Fi etc. so not bad at all.

Lucky Luciano Tony B actually drove down especially, on his quad, to tell us that the Spanish Air Controllers are on strike and we may not get back for Christmas even if the snow goes. Friends and bastids I have sailed with, was one of my Dad's favourite sayings, how apt. The Germans have a phrase for it “Schadenfreude”, look it up.

Borrowed Tony's ladder to clean all the pine tree crap off the roof and awnings and jammed my fingers in them, again! So we are now hitched up and all packed away so it's up to the restaurant for dinner with T&D.



Mini 5er



Just read something on the Motorhomefun forum, Zaskar, who is obviously a complete sad arse, has built a 43 to 1 replica of his Navara and 5er, same as ours, from Calder. This man probably has too much time on his hands and should stick to designing aeroplanes. The annoying thing it's a superb model and if ever I get to his place I'm going to steal it, I hate him!



Well with the snow at home coupled with freezing temperatures, Gatwick closed and now the Spanish Air Controllers are on strike, we'll be lucky to make it home on the 11^th.

Next blog will be from sunny Roquetas. It is 24°C there next week, which is a change from the 16°C we have been suffering here. It turns out we will be followed in about six weeks by our present neighbours, Peter & Jackie in the big RV, as they are also planning on Roquetas.

Hope we have an uneventful trip, i.e. no wheels fall off.