Swins 2010 2011 tour, where are we now?: Friday 20th May 2011, BP and no washing.

Went for a walk into Benicassim and had a couple of pasties the filling of which was black but other than that I don't know what it was, some sort of vegetable, but it tasted OK. Cup of coffee and a beer and then wandered back to do a bit of shopping. Lay in the sun on the next pitch which turned out lucky I guess. Dutch guy, who lives in Tenerife, turned up with a 13 m Cayman RV and spent a while getting the thing onto the pitch just up from us, thank God he was not next to us as all our sun would be gone. He's only staying four days, so I guess it would not have been so bad.

Boules, went down again 2 – 0 and then trying to snatch back a bit of dignity tried a game of ludo, got beaten but (and I know this is hard to believe) it was very exciting! Fish fingers and chips for dinner and very nice it was to.

Getting desperate and watched “Mama Mia”, the film musical, definitely a girlie film. Bed and planning on practising my boules when she goes to the shower.

Saturday 21st May 2011, BP and woke up aching so much I think I may have got the flu.

I do remember some guy sneezing all over the place when we were at the market on Thursday, that might be it.
Sitting typing this at noon'ish time and I'm watching three very perplexed Spanish guys who obviously have not seen a 5th wheel rig before. It got to the point that if I didn't show them they would be under the truck! I did and they were very appreciative after they figured it all out, must be engineers.
Can't sit here feeling sorry for myself and SWMBO has ordered a few miles trek along the beach, well 25°C, the Med, blue skies and the beach covered in scantily clad young women must serve as some kind of pick me up? It did!

The planets have finally arrived back in their correct obits as I won 2 – 0 at boules and also the cribbage game was mine. Fish, peas and chips followed by “Terms of Endearment”, if I watch another girlie film I'm sure I'll turn into a lesbian, and then bed.

Sunday 22nd May 2011, BP and normal Sunday morning ritual CE&T, accompanied by marmalade on toast, 22°C so far and the day is young.

Plan is a cycle ride to Oropesa and a quick ride around the town. So that was a quick twelve and a half miles with me losing the resulting boules match because I thought I had won 13 – 11 and threw my remaining two boules away, on checking I was not closer and she won 13 – 12, followed by 3 – 1 at doms, BTW, I not reporting these results anymore.

Dinner of liver and onions etc. almost made up for the “black dog” I was feeling. The film “Iron man” helped a bit I guess but way too far fetched; a four inch deep recess in the middle of your chest with a magnet and eight LEDs instead of your heart and enough “fuel” to fly around the world at super sonic speeds?, give me a break. I'm obviously becoming more cynical in my old age as, as a boy (notice that “as as” bit? You often get a “had had” but not many “as as's” ) I read just about every Marvel comic I could lay my hands on. I even changed my paper route as I found out that some kid on my council estate had a Dad who was a TRADESMAN and had a CAR and then could obviously afford to get his son's Marvel comics delivered, mind they were a bit dog eared when I finally popped them through his letter box.

Blackpool, Birmingham and West Ham lost their premier league status and Sunderland won 2 – 0 at West Ham to finish above Newcastle! So the news is not all that bad but I did go to bed with mixed feelings (prefer the wife but she wasn't around).

Earlier in the day we talked to a guy in a wheelchair, Eddy, who had been all around Europe in his motorhome, impressed with his whole attitude to life.

Monday 23rd May 2011, BP a wash day, clothes and the car.

6:15 am, didn't sleep all that great last night, mixed feelings probably kept me awake?
Because we are parked where we are, under a couple of trees, we are getting covered with bird crap, I really don't want to see the roof of the MS and the solar panels mounted there are down to about 6 milliamps. It will have to wait until we get back to the UK, the car, on the other hand can be and is washed in the car wash bay not 100 m from our pitch, and for FREE!

Tomorrow we plan to get the train into Valencia and hopefully take in the science park, if you include the giant aquarium it's €32/head! So just to do that via train and tour bus is over €100! for the two of us.

Boule, me 2 – 1 and 13 – 12 in the last end, how exciting! Loser gets to pick the “indoor game”, no, no mate, don't even think about it, all games are restricted to being able to be played on our “kitchen” table, mind you................................?

So it was bloody Ludo again which I lost. Last of “Master and Commander, The other side of the World” which was OK but definitely needed a sequel which apparently never happened? Bed.

Tuesday 24th May 2011, BP and up at the crack of 7:30 am.

Well I got up quite a bit earlier, still not sleeping that good, dunno? SWMBO hauled herself out of bed and went for a shower and by 8:45 am we had had (see, had had) breakfast and were off for the 9:14 am train from Benicassim to Valencia. I had packed a picnic of three medium baguettes and was betting to myself that that (that that!) number would be somewhat reduced by the time we actually got there as SWMBO was already pawing and sniffing the bag. Always been the same, we travel, she eats, usually my steak and kidney pies.

Waited 15 minutes past the time it was supposed to turn up and then back to the camp site with her mumbling all the way “Bloody 7:30 in the morning!” and “Can we go for a picnic then?”
So off on a 21 miler cycle ride to Castellon and a picnic in the park, right next to El Corte Inglés, well I was doomed wasn't I? She wanted (nay needed) some Lancome stuff, well apparently a very small jar of something. So she goes in and then comes out again, “How much cash money have you got?” “Er.....about €60?” “That's not enough, give me your credit card!” What! So she comes out with tiny 15 ml jar (jar!) of “Renergie Morpholift Yeux, RARE tm” which cost the equivalent of €300/litre, worse than the last one, I could buy Kryptonite cheaper!

Cycled back, can't remember much as I was still in shock.

It was so hot, 27°C in the MS and over 30°C outside that we, for the first time in two years, put the A/C on and it felt great, don't care if the electric is expensive, we needed it and even put it on again just before we went to bed. Tomorrow it's going to be hotter!

Wednesday 25th May 2011, BP and it is going to be rather warm.

Started off at 24°C in the early morning and will top 30+°C, later on (and it did!)
Our gas bottle ran out already! Normally get minimum of four weeks and now this is only two and we have not used the gas much, no BBQ connected as yet? Then read on the web that someone's RV with the same make of fridge/freezer as ours, had caught fire and was completely gutted.

Checked and with the help of Paul AKA Zaskar in the UK, who has the same 5er as us, that according to our serial number we are OK. Then Paul tells me that he took his cooker apart because he had been getting the same problem as us, i.e. the oven going out, and he finds a crack in a joint causing a gas leak which the gas detector did not detect, what's the use of that then? So now I guess I'll need to have a look at ours. Been under the MS and with the help of some washing up liquid and a small brush have checked all the gas joints I can see, only leaves getting the oven out. I wish I had bought one of those hand held gas detectors that I looked at but did not get when we started all this.

Walked into Benicassim and bought, my first pair of Crocs, a Frisbee, a small beach ball, a fruit basket and small multi dish for Heather, or and a lettuce, never meant to buy anything, who knows?
On the way back stopped for a coffee, two thin pasties, one with Anchovy and the other pate and a thin oval cake like thing with nuts on.

Plan now is to hit the beach with our new toys.

So we did, the Frisbee always rolls to the right and anyway she can't throw it, the small beach ball is a bit too light and anyway she can't throw it, throws like a pansy. Swam around a bit, lay down a bit and then went back.

BBQ of chicken, Spanish sausages, home made beefburger and salad, yummmmmmy. Bit of red wine, cider and beer and just as it's getting dark we decide to play boules, I think she won 13 – 12, but can't really remember, or much of the film if it comes to that. Read and bed.

Thursday 26th May 2011, BP and where are some clouds.

Up early and hot.
Breakfast and then the Thursday market for our veggies and oranges. Then we went looking, by car, for the supposed local Leroy Merlin, nope, it does not exist. SWMBO wants some special fencing stuff for Heather's veranda and I want a hand held gas detector. Came back and eventually found it via Google maps, go there tomorrow I think as the temperature is due to fall below boiling point. Guess what tonight? BBQ, what else?

Lying by the pool the other day and I can't help overhearing three Brit couples in their conversation.
“Well coming down the N23 I was getting 22.3 mpg but as soon as I hit the coast road it shot up to 22.9 mpg, mind that was running on Repsol stuff, if I can get Shell it tops 23 mpg!” “That's because you've not had it chipped, got mine done for £500 back in the UK and I'm over 25 mpg!”

Falls asleep zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. One hour later; “Yes, but if you pull in your mirror extensions, even a couple of inches, you get and extra 0.4 mpg, read it in MMM, provided you keep all the windows closed and don't use the A/C”. “Yeah you're right, that A/C's a killer, even though it is over 30 outside I'd rather put up with the heat than lose about 1.5 mpg”. Then they began discussing the “Big rigs” on the site, as there are only two, they are probably including our 5er. “Bet they get less than 18 mpg on them and the train weight must be over 6 tons in all, and they are AMERICAN!”

Now these guys have 22'-24 foot motor homes, no A/C, sleep over the cab in basically a coffin and you have to squeeze past each other all the time, if you are whizzing around Europe, getting to see all the off the road bits and small villages etc. they are perfect, but these people have been here for THREE months. Give me my island, pocket sprung Queen bed, A/C, large AMERICAN fridge freezer, massive slide out, microwave etc, any day of the week.

Of course the ladies in the group are going on about Corry and Emerdale and I'm wondering where the hell I am anyway, am I not in Spain?
Perhaps I'll return tomorrow and find out if after the accident, Tyrone got arrested for Kevin's attempted murder and would my mpg go up if I overinflated my rear tyres?

Tonight we will be trying to watch the remainder of “Jeremiah Johnson” after another chicken based BBQ.
Boules, me 2 – 0 and 3 – 0 at Doms.