A Glimmer Of Light

When we took over the villa in December last year, the chap left everything behind and I mean everything, included in all the goodies was a motorbike.

In any other county it is a simple job to change the ownership, but this is Spain and they love their paperwork and bureaucracy.  Before I can even consider putting the bike in my name I had to get an NIE number, it is basically a identification number for us immigrants. I had applied months ago and was on a 3 week waiting list, then of course the kaka hit the fan and we returned to the UK.

I had  an appointment in Almeria 2 weeks ago to apply for the NIE and today I picked it up, I now have to wait about another 2 weeks whilst they send away the paperwork to put the bike in my name, its a good job I'm not in a hurry, plus after all the things that have happened lately I dont get stressed over such trivial matters. Even the Spanish just shrug their shoulders and say its Spain get used to it!

And here it is....A bit of paper.

I have been getting a bit more done in the house, I changed Elaine's massage room back to a bedroom, it was sad doing it but it was just a waste of a room, I sold her trusty massage table to a local chap. 

My friends down here have been fantastic, I am invited out nearly everyday but decline mostly as I'm still not completely ready for going out everyday, I do go out a few times a week and the company is great, we have good chats and they all understand completely when it gets too much and I bolt up the hill to my seclusion. I met up with an old School friend from Luton who has a unit down here, he flew down two weekends in a row, so we had a good catch up.

I have been back down Ankara with some friends and Bombo, its a really cool beach bar with some great music, if the demand is there they are going to keep open during the winter, I really hope so. 

I bought a case of Landlord with me from the UK, I'm down to the last two bottles.

I sat up on the terrace today and knocked one back, its still very warm so I only stayed up there for 30 mins, then it was back into the shade. 

This is my place from the track above, as you can see going from a narrowboat then a motorhome I have so much space to swing a lot of cats. I am very lucky and really appreciate living here, I dont know how long it will be for, but at the moment its perfick. 

I have also given the van a good sort out as I think I will take off for a couple of days. My best mate Matt from Oz is coming out on October 17th for a couple of weeks, I think he is looking to have a good break, he is in charge of the Sydney Ferries maintenance division has been overseeing a multi million refit of one of the Manly ferries so it will do him good to de stress.  

One of Elaine's nieces is currently working in Marrakesh for a few months so I'm hoping to fly over there and check it out and catch up with her, just got to sort out some dates and flights.

So overall I think I am slowly getting there, still miss her of course and always will but Im starting to see a glimmer of light at the end of a very long tunnel.

Week Two In Mojacar.

I have now been back two weeks today, blogging hasn't taken a priority as I just haven't felt up to it.

Im still near the bottom of the roller coaster and ever so slowly climbing up again, it wished it would speed up a tad!

I have just about finished sorting out all Elaine's bits and pieces, it takes me forever as I constantly stop and read a piece of one of her diaries or just sit looking at old photos etc.

So far all the clothes and shoes have gone to the local animal charity shop, all her old course notes have been recycled, there was boxes of them. I have sorted all her jewellery into little packs to be given to friends and relos when they visit. 

I also have boxes of notes that relate to her business back in Oz, as a lot of these are a bit sensitive in nature I will wait until it cools down and burn them on the log burner. 

I have been desperately trying to stay positive as Elaine wanted me to but have been failing quite regularly. 

I have been socialising but dont stay out too long and tend to run back up the hill to the villa and contemplate my navel.

I have been down the Samoa Surf beach bar a few times.

Its the most perfect location, but will be dismantled in the next couple of weeks as the season is over and they must clear the beach. 

We had a nice lunch down there a few days ago, it was cooked by Wendy and Barry the Canadians,  a Spanish couple also supplied some food, the premises are owned by a dutch couple, it was a right little United Nations get together. 

I took the boys for a walk on Macenas beach which is a 5 minute drive south of Mojacar, its usually deserted so I just let them runaround, Mojacar is in the background. 

The beach beds and umbrellas are starting to disappear as the holiday season is officially over, its quite amazing really as the weather now is probably the best of the year, its not to hot and cools down nicely in the evening.  

The new paseo is open so I have been taking the boys for a stroll along it. 

From the paseo you can see my place on the hill, the villa is called El Nido which is Spanish for The Nest.

Its the white one  in the middle of the pic.

And zooming in.....you can see why its called the nest!

You can also see its pretty big, after living in small spaces for the last 4 years or so its certainly different. It keeps me busy just cleaning it.

But its so lovely to just sit up here and gaze out to sea and imagine how different it would have been to have my lovely Elaine sitting here with me.... :-( 

I have also been going down to a local beach bar called Ankara, its one of my favourites as it sits right on the beach and they have some good bands on. 

I took Bombo down there last night for a couple of drinks and was soon joined by five friends, it was a good night. I left Sammie at home as for one its too far for him to walk with his bad back and two he totally freaks out with any sort of noise.

I have found the old Aussie flag and flagstaff that flew off of the stern of Caxton.

It is now flying proudly over El Nido. 

Ups and Downs in Mojacar.

 I have been back in Mojacar for six days. There were no problems with the villa and the little Citroen fired up straight away.  

As people have told me plus what I have read its very much a roller coaster of a ride at the moment. Its now been over five weeks since Elaine died, I naively thought that I would start to feel a bit better by now, but in reality I feel worse, I think its due to the fact that it has really sunk in that I will never see her again.

In saying that I am eating and sleeping OK, I have been going out but not staying out too long, just a couple of drinks with some good friends than home up the hill to the villa. I have also been visiting the local pub, which always makes me and the doggies welcome.

I have been slowly but surely sorting out all of Elaine's stuff and I can tell you there is a lot of it.

Then I look out of the windows at the view and life doesn't feel too bad.

I have been in the water a few times and it is absolutely lovely, I have also visited Samoa surf beach bar which is owned by some friends, the bar sits right on the beach. They are only allowed to be there from June through to the beginning of October then its all dismantled and put away until next summer.

Martin and Anika have been running the bar since 1981, when Mojacar was a very different place.

I can see their place from the villa, I had to zoom in a bit!!

I also went to visit the little chihuahuas, they have found the most perfect home and are both extremely happy. Elaine's  biggest worry was what would happen to her little doggies but thankfully they found a lovely forever home before she died, it made her so happy. 

Talking of dogs, I snapped this one a couple of days ago on my morning stroll.

I think it is a Spanish Galgo. 

So all in all I am in a good place, this is the beach today, its just gorgeous at the moment. 

However I was off to the pub to watch the footy,  Bombo enjoys the cold tiles, plus the pub has fantastic air conditioning so it's a good place to be. 

Sammie however isn't so good, I took him to the vets again to try and find out why is walking like a drunk and can no longer jump around like he used to.

She gave him a thorough examination and when she manipulated his spine he tried to bite her, so she thinks he has damaged his back somehow, he is on drugs for a few weeks and if that doesn't fix him it will be a x-ray and possible operation. 

Home!!

I left Ile De Re Saturday morning, I decided that I really should get back to Spain and stop faffing around. I have been away from the villa for getting close to four months, I have been living in the van for the whole time apart from a couple of weeks at The East Cheshire Hospice.  I thought it was time to get back there and get myself sorted out!

Saturday night I stopped over at Gan which is still in France in the Pyrenees foothills.  

The parking spot was a winery carpark....I didn't even go for a tasting!

Sunday I took the windy narrow road over the Pyrenees mountains, I really enjoyed it. 

Lovely views up there, this was a ski resort on the Spanish side of the mountains. 

Its a magical spot, the temp at the top was 5 degrees! 

Once down on the flat in Spain the sun was shining and the temp was increasing. 

I puled up for the night at a little beach just outside of Tarragona. 

There was a doggie spa on the site so I gave both the boys a tub. 

This morning I took the doggies for a walk on the beach then hit the road for the long trek down to Mojacar. 

I went on the motorways as I really wanted to do the trip in one day. 

This is Sammies new spot, on the floor in the passenger footwell!! 

I arrived in Mojacar at about six, I partially unloaded the van and parked it up.

 The little Citroen needed a jumpstart to get going it was then straight down the pub for a beer.

I was dreading going back into the villa as we literally abandoned it and ran away back to the UK, but it felt really good, it felt like home!

Many thanks to Wendy and Barry who have been walking up the hill every few days and checking the villa out. 

Tomorrow I will start on emptying out the van and sorting out the house and Elaine's belongings.

I just went across to the van and grabbed a bottle of red out of it, I felt quite sad that it will sit there empty tonight, it really is a lovely comfortable mobile home, and once again she didn't miss a beat all the way to the UK and back to Spain, its a fantastic motorhome.  

I was going to do a really long detailed blog on the road trip over the last couple of days, but Im so tired, so that's it I'm afraid.

Rare Rastafarian Donkeys!

It poured with rain all night and most of the morning, so I spent half of the day, catching up on emails, banking and hand washing all my clothes.

By about 13.30 the sun came out so me and Bombo went walkies.

This is the Aire its long and narrow.

A pic nicked off the net shows St Martin De Re fortifications that completely surround the town, they were built to keep out the pesky English.

They are very impressive, the walls are probably 30ft high and if you are up on the top of them there is nothing to stop you going over the edge. 

Bombo enjoyed the solo walk, we left Sammie back at the mothership resting. 

We walked halfway around the town reinforcements, before spotting some beasts, I thought they were cows at first until we got close up....

Then I realised they were the very rare Rastafarian donkeys! 

We entered back into the town through one of the gates. 

Then just ambled about the streets.

Before ending up back down the harbour where I had a couple of beers.

I will head off tomorrow, but I still haven't decided where yet!

A Top Spot..

It was a bit drizzly when I woke today, it didn't last long though.

As soon as it stopped I took the boys for a walk along the river bank.

I headed towards the coast towards Ile De Re, which is a small island off the west coast of France very close to La Rochelle.

We visited her a couple of years ago, and we both said it was our favourite place in Europe.

Some people have a problem visting places which bring back memories of someone who has departed, but I only have good memories with Elaine so I dont find it a big problem. Its  sad but it wouldn't stop me visiting.

The drive was pretty straightforward, I have been keeping a closer eye on the speedo, I dont think I would be so lucky if I get pulled over again.

I moored up at Saint Martin De Ray which is a settlement on the island, the place is just stunning, it is a walled town, the fortifications are mega, I will take some pics of those tomorrow, today I headed off down to the harbour. 

It is as every bit as good as I can remember it, it is just stunning. 

This boat had an Australian registration and is from Neutral Bay on Sydney harbour. The owner was onboard, he brought it out on a ship as he didn't fancy the long ocean stretches, he has been exploring the med and is heading up to the UK.

Its like the South of France without the poseurs. 

I was looking for some grub but couldn't get my head around cucumber milk!!!

I settled for a couple of pints of lager and some frites in a bar! 

There are loads of shops to look around but I gave them a wide berth. 

More pics cos its so lovely. 

The Aire is a 5 minute walk from the harbour, it is incredibly popular but only takes 17 motorhomes, they are all squeezed in but that's fine, there is a 10 euro charge a night but when I got here the boom gate was up so I just parked up, I'm not sure how you are supposed to pay. 

I left little Sammie at home when I went on the big walk, there is something wrong with him, I think he has hurt his back, he normally jumps all over the place but now he cant, plus he walks all hunched up and his back legs dont seem to follow his front, Its as if he has had a drink or two, I have started giving him ant inflammatorys and am only going to take him on little walks until he gets better. 

I still haven't got used to travelling on my own, I think its going to take a long time, normally its not a problem because I would be thinking I will be seeing Elaine soon and be looking forward to it. Then it sinks in that I wont be seeing her again  and it gets a tad harder. So far on my travels I haven't met another motorhomer on their own, it really is a couples thing.  Not whinging.....much, its still 100% better than sitting inside a house and feeling sorry for myself.

In saying that I will soon be sitting in a bloody great house in Spain, but I really do need to sit and reflect what I'm going to do with my life post Elaine.