Week 5

---

Geo: 42.0534, 3.19767

30/4/11 Hot and Sunny 23oC

My cough has now gone from a dry cough to settling deep in my chest I'm having difficulty breathing and wheezing like an old man, (no comments) despite everything I just can't seem to shift it.

A leisurely day on site doing absolutely nothing, the site is slowly starting to fill up and every week-end more and more Spanish are spending their time on site arriving Friday evening and leaving Sunday evening not a bad life if you can manage it.

Our daughter Michelle rang up to say her car has packed up and is beyond economic repair, she works late shifts so a car is a must for her, so after a long discussion about finances and whatever, arrangements were made for her to view suitable replacements with a reliable friend.

Every time we go away on a long holiday something happens to Michelle she really has a hard time of it, it's no wonder she dreads us going away.

01/05/11 Hot and Sunny with a cold breeze 20oC

Well I really can't believe we've been here a full month already although in retrospect we feel like we always been here.

Michelle's found a real bargain a 2 year old Vauxhall Vectra estate with a genuine 6000 mls 1 owner ex mobility car, fully serviced, and with the remainder of the manufacturer's warrantee. Now just to arrange the finance form the bank of dad, oh for the internet where would we be without it.

02/05/11 Overcast but warm am rain pm 18oC

After a test drive Michelle's bought the car and it'll be ready on Thursday.

02/05/11 Rain with a couple of thunderstorms 17oC

03/05/11 Hot and Sunny with a warm breeze 22oC

Nothing much happening today until a Dutch camper arrived late pm and decided to pitch up at the top of our avenue on the opposite side, all seemed to be going well everything came out and was setup. Whilst we were having dinner I noticed the bloke standing on the camper's roof setting up his satellite dish after a couple o minute she came down and then I noticed the dish rapidly swivelling from side to side in an arc of some 180o he'll be all day I thought to myself if that's how he's going to align his dish, after a short spell the dish stopped moving and out he came, grabbed a chair and promptly started nudging the dish with the winding brace for the rollout awning, in he went , out he came, moved the dish again, and went in. Why I thought doesn't he either move the tv so he can see the screen as his making the adjustments or ask his wife to report on progress, either way the process continued whilst we ate and after about 10-12 mins he came out jumped on the chair and started smacking the dish with the brace it was hilarious it was almost like the Fawlty towers sketch where Basil attacks his mini. Obviously this is the preferred method of obtaining the correct dish alignment in Holland because he repeated this process 4-5 times each time running back into the van to see whether he had a picture.

We decide to take a stroll along the sea front after dinner, and on the way back noticed that the Dutchman had taken down his dish and stowed it, well I assume he took it down, it may of course succumbed to the attack and just collapsed.

I must admit you can go days with nothing out of the ordinary happening and then all of a sudden the entertainment arrives I'm really not sure quite why I brought the TV!

04/05/11 Hot and Sunny 25oC

Up nice and early, thought I take a different route for my morning bike ride and take the more gentle back lanes to Torroella, as the main road is all uphill some 5 Km, brilliant on the return journey though .

All started well but after 25 mins I reached a crossroads and the signposts stopped, not a problem I thought just keep going in the same direction and see what happens, well after 5-6 mins I ended up on a deserted beach, oh well back to the crossroads where I took the junction I thought was going in my intended direction. After 15 mins nothing not a signpost, or another person, oh well I'm fairly sure I'm on the right track, after another 5 mins I'm starting to consider whether I need to turn back as there's still nothing to indicate where the hell I am or in what direction I'm going, although I can see the fort so in general terms I'm going in the right direction but this route could take me miles off the track.

Eventually after another 15 mins I suddenly exited the lane into the town, after a knackering short ride up to the main road it was downhill all the way to the site where I collapsed in a heap ready for breakfast.

The afternoon was spent horizontally on the beach and after dinner we took a stroll into town.

Just received a phone call from Michelle she's in hospital having had an accident at home and ended up electrocuting herself! It turned out she was ironing when the dog came flying in knocked everything over including the iron, what she didn't notice was that somehow the top of the plug had come off and she plugged it in without noticing the resulting a surge of electricity going through her arm.

To cut a long story short she ended up in hospital with the consultant concerned that the muscle in her arm may be permanently damaged so she's on morphine and we'll have to wait until tomorrow for the prognosis

05/05/11 Hot and Sunny 26oC

Michelle rang this morning to saying she's had an awful night, the fire alarm went off at 03:00 and all the wards were evacuated, they were all huddled outside in the arrivals area until the all clear was given, apparently someone set fire to a bed in one of the wards !!! the good news is she's being released but with strict and dire warnings about any problems experienced after her release, any repercussions and she's to go straight back in; as they're still concerned that the muscle could die. She's off work for two weeks albeit she flies out to us Saturday week. She really doesn't do things by half our Michelle. A friend is going to pick her up from hospital and then go and collect her new car with her.

A quick stroll to the market, lunch back at the van and off to the beach

My cold/ whatever hasn't improved I'm still wheezing, my sinus are now blocked solid, and I'm deaf in one ear. All I need now is a fly in my eye and I'll be completely disorientated, oh well time for another beer.

06/05/11 Hot and Sunny with a warm breeze 26oC

A leisurely day spent down on the beach with a good book, and a few drinks and Barbie to end a really pleasant day.

---