Restaurant Inspection

Another day of clouds and sunshine with a return of cooling wind from the west, signifying a turn in the weather, possibly rain tomorrow? I got up and made breakfast, after a fair night's sleep: not really as much as I needed, yet again.  Later in the morning, I went out on my own for some exercise, walking up to top of the hill above the big building where the view is so spectacular up and down the coast. On the way, I saw and heard a parrot calling from one of the taller roadside trees, looking for a mate? An invasive specials, they are to be found all along the coastal strip, especially in holiday resorts. I wonder if this is true inland and higher up also? While I was out, Clare cooked for Ann and I, chicken pieces to accompany a salad for lunch. Delicious!

John called in at tea time on his way back from the airport, to hand over the Chaplain's mobile and mail box key. Then we drove down to Playa Vilches, parked the car and walked east on the Senda Litoral, after the  girls had checked out the beach restaurant menu. The Mirador de Guilches restaurant where Kath and I had lunch, was the next eaterie whose menu they inspected, and then we walked to the recently opened Mesonera de Nerja to investigate their new menu, before turning around, and returning for a drink at the Playa Vilches restaurant before driving back up to the house. 

In Aldi's yesterday Clare bought trout fillets enough for the three of us, and cooked them for supper with roasted courgettes, while I did the rice and steamed carrots. Another delicious protein rich meal, which I was pleased to eat, as my exercise routine, fifty per cent of which is climbing steep hills, is making extra demands on my body. It's certainly doing me good. My over stretched quad thigh muscles have tightened to an extent I never imaged they would again after previous injuries, and this has benefitted my walking gait and back. It's just important I keep it up day after day.

I needed to walk some more after supper, I took the rubbish to the recycling zone at the bottom of Tamango Hill, and watched the clouds in the sky change colour as the sun was setting on the slow tired plod back uphill. I found Clare being industrious in the kitchen again, figuring out how to make vegan pancake batter accurately without the benefit of a measuring jug. I don't think Ann and I were all that when it came to estimating the right weight and volume, We'll see how it turned out the morning. After all, it's Saturday again tomorrow! But before, that a wholesome longer sleep, hopefully.

Settling in

I woke up tired today, having not slept well again. Ann had to switch bedrooms as one of the local dogs started barking in the small hours and others joined in. Fortunately noise from the valley is absorbed by the house on the road side of the terrace, which is far noisier by day when there's lorry traffic to the but new apartment complex building site which seems totter on the crest of the hill above us.

The day started in sunshine but clouded over slowly. I made breakfast, and we ate on the terrace. Clare and Ann went for a dip in the garden pool. I had a lovely email exchange with Basma, still waiting for official confirmation of her UK residency, thinking about future plans, and volunteering at St German's, where Fr. Jarel is stimulating fresh initiatives already. Great to hear. 

I cooked lunch, and took Clare for a walk to the top of the urbanizacion, to see the view from on high for the first time, then we drove to Maro for a sight seeing ride to introduce Ann to the locality. We did some food shopping at Carrefour and Aldi on the return leg. It's not easy to get everything you need in one place even though each caters for a wide range of diets, mainly European of course, they're not all identical.

Later on, I walked with the rubbish bags to the bin at the bottom of the hill, and walked along the cliff top footpath to the Mesonera de Nerja restaurant. For the first week of my stay it was closed. Then Kath saw  someone cleaning the terrace after the winter recess. This past few days, internal lights have been on, and today the closed notice has been replaced by an interesting looking spring menu. All three of the nearest eateries are not open for business.

Clare and Ann took over organising a salad for supper, then we passed the evening chatting and drinking until bed time.

Company again

Another cool and cloudy day. I drove into town after breakfast and parked at the large area of open ground below the west side Mercadona, where you can park all day for a euro. As I intend to leave the car as near to the bus station as possible when I take an early bus to the airport for my three day home stay, I asked the parking, if it was permissible, and he said I could without a problem by purchasing three days worth of tickets. It's a busy area and seems safe enough, I need to check this out with locals before making a final decision. The alternative would be a very expensive taxi all the way to the airport.

I visited the church shop to collect and informative magazine from Di with lists of useful local contact numbers in it, and called into a Farmacia to buy a First Aid kit for the house. I looked up the correct term on Google translate, memorised it while walking there, and successfully made myself understood. Good for the morale! It's the third locum duty in a row where the chaplain's residence has had no first aid kit, and I've had to ensure one is acquired.

When I returned, I completed a Morning Prayer video slide show for the week after next, and finished Sunday's sermon, to give me all the time I need to spend with Clare and Ann while they're here. I cooked some potatoes, onions and a few other veg by steaming, finishing them off in a frying pan with olive oil. My version of patatas de los pobres, which I was pleased with. With time to spare before leaving for the airport to collect Clare and Ann from their flights, I got everything ready to cook for supper on our return. It was useful having both flight numbers, as I could open separate web pages to monitor each of them. The departure of Ann's Ryanair flight from Stanstead was delayed forty minutes, but made up some of the time. Clare's Vueling fight from Cardiff was on time at both ends and arrived half an hour earlier. 

I  adjusted my airport arrival time to coincide with Ann's likely passage to the arrivals hall, where Clare was waiting for her at a cafe. I parked in the arrivals parking area right outside the airport Metro station, a familiar location. Within a few minutes of being reunited with Clare, Ann came through and joined us which meant we were out of the airport again in under twenty minutes, hassle free, Contactless payment for the parking stay is now the norm, and the ticket doesn't seem to be needed at the barrier. Whether it's number plate scanning on entry or timed departure window for any paid up car, I don't know, but it did make for a slick and easy exit. Traffic wasn't too heavy and we arrived at the house by half past seven.

After a cup of tea, Clare went for a dip in the pool, then I cooked supper - marinaded tuna, rice, carrots and judia plana. The girls were hungry after their long hours of waiting and travelling, and pleased with my effort. We spent time catching up, and then I went out for a night walk down and up the hill, to relax before turning in for the night, later than usual.

Church key handover

I woke up to another mild day of cloud and sunshine after a night of disturbed sleep, which felt like I was awake for much longer than I actually was. I took the rubbish down to the bins at the bottom of the hill after breakfast and then caught the bus into town just before eleven. I spent an hour chatting to the church shop workers. There was even a moment when I was able to help interpret what a Spanish lady was asking about, as I picked up on a word unfamiliar to them. It's amazing to see the variety of visitors who pop in to browse, and go away with a small bargain. 

There were still a few more groceries to shop for to ensure that I have everything required to welcome Clare and Ann tomorrow. I called into the Carrefour near the older of the two rio Chillar bridges, as it was on my return walking route. I had a message to say that one of the weddings booked for next month had to be cancelled. The couple were unable to change the civil ceremony booking to happen before the blessing ceremony here. Sadly, there's nothing that can be done about that. The arranger for the other wedding I am scheduled to do sent the finalised print ready version of the service booklet, and all is now in order for the last week in May.

Clare called to tell me that my three sets of keys for the three Canton churches were required for Fr Sion Brynach, soon to be licensed to the Ministry Area clergy team, so explanations and hast arrangements needed to be made so that they could be retrieved before she leaves tomorrow. Since Fr Mark was off work for months awaiting a hernia operation, when I did a lot of locum cover for him, I've had my own sets of keys, acquired when other team members left and were not replaced. It's the end of an era, and I can't say I'm sorry about relinquishing the responsibility of being a keyholder. It's been about ten years altogether. There was a time when I had my own key to St German's as well, but I insisted on handing that back at the end of a previous locum duty spell there. It's time for a change. I've been saying that for months now, though still not knowing what will happen next, or should I say discern what I'm meant to do with my freedom.

It was gone four by the time I started making a meal for myself using a small portion of thawed frozen chicken pieces, marinaded in lemon juice and cooked with an assortment of vegetables. It worked a treat, even if preparing and cooking took much longer than usual. Tonight is full moon, but I missed out on moonrise over the sea, as cloud covers the southern horizon, and eventually most of the sky.

After a walk up the hill to observe the light changing over the sea in shades of silver and grey with the setting sun, I started work on next Sunday's sermon, and then headed for bed, hoping for a better night's sleep tonight. Just before lights out, I noticed the full moon shining a little hazily through a break in the cloud, at last.

Familiar accents

A mild changeable day of clouds and sunshine. After breakfast I did a load of washing then I spent the morning recording and editing audio - somewhat challenging as I was interrupted a few times by noise in a usually quiet house, so had to stitch several pieces of audio together to complete the job. In the afternoon I drove to Aldi's to stock up with food, as Clare and Ann arrive tomorrow. 

In front of me at the check-out, a group of women of a certain age stocking up with great excitement, apparently unfamiliar with the currency. All had strong South Wales accents. They were still outside with their purchases when I left, talking about getting a taxi back to where they're staying. I asked them where they were from, and I learned they were from Port Talbot, and for most of them it was the first trip abroad, for a girls' weekend in a 'private villa'. They were curious about me too, and teased me when I reluctantly admitted that I'm a cleric working here.

It was evening by the time I was ready to go out for a walk. On the cliff edge near the Mirador de Guilches I spotted for the second time recently in the same place, a blue rock thrush perched on a piece of iron mesh. This time it stayed long enough for me to get a photo.

Just after I got back to the house, I noticed the rising nearly full so called 'pink' moon visible above the sea horizon at the end of the valley, a lovely sight.

After supper I walked up the hill to see the moon again from on high, with its light shining on the water. Unfortunately the phone's camera didn't do justice to the view. And so to bed.

Coastal questions

The cloud cover is thinning and the sun shining more brightly today. It's comfortably warm, and when I hear the UK news and weather forecast, I realise how much cooler it still is back in Cardiff - ten degrees as opposed to eighteen, but a similar mix of clouds and sunshine as it is here. After breakfast and Morning Prayer, I drove to church early and was fortunate to get a parking place quite close to Iglesia San Miguel. 

With several regulars away we were only eighteen this morning, including a couple enquiring about a wedding blessing in October. John and I met them for a briefing in Bar Atalaya after the service. Among today's absentees was our organist so we sang hymns and the Mass setting unaccompanied. Quite well too. When we came to sing the metrical version of the Gloria in Excelsis, the tune went right out of my head and I had to ask for a reminder from the servers. Laughter ensued!

It was nearly three by the time I got back, and four be the time I'd cooked and eaten lunch. Then I went for a long walk in the Torrox direction. On my way down Tamango Hill, an open topped BMW sports car drove past slowly with a Swiss number plate from Thurgau. The person who wasn't driving was talking pictures on her phone of a couple of properties with noticeboards outside, advertising that they are for sale - one with a Swedish estate agent and the other with a Finnish estate agent. Hoping to invest in a luxury holiday home in a coastal beauty spot, I wonder? Or buying to invest in the holiday rental market? Who knows. It's a long way to have driven by car from the north eastern corner of Switzerland.

This afternoon, I walked past Playa Calaceite further than when I cam in this direction twelve days ago. There's an amazing variety of wild flowers in bloom along the verges of the road and on the side of the footpath. There was little wind but the waves breaking were big and unusually noisy like thunder, perhaps because the sea bed shelves steeply. 

Much work has been done to build sea defences to protect the N340 which is 4-5 metres above sea level. When the wind is up, water spills over on to the footpath leaving big salty puddles which dry out and leave their mark behind in the mud and gravel. I wonder how long it'll be until the rising sea level makes coastal erosion impossible to stop with a seriously expensive impact on the road. Although there are cliffs on the inland side of the road, their geological composition won't spare them from the impact of the sea in the long term.

Clare and I chatted for forty minutes after I returned. Then I uploaded the photos I took with the new Olympus PEN. Despite not having a viewfinder, only a screen, it's nice to handle and takes good photos. Its operating menu is the same as on the OMD-E-M10.1, which means no new learning curve. Though it was a leisurely paced day, earlier bed will be most welcome now.

Transport alternative

Cloud covered the sky from dawn to late afternoon, with just occasional gaps through which the sun cast feeble shadows on the balcony, but there was no wind, a little warmer down by the sea than up on high. John sent this weekend's pew sheet for printing. I worked on tomorrow's sermon a little more, and spent a lot of time exchanging WhatsApp messages with family members, but didn't print it off until the evening. Pasta with a veggie sauce for lunch, then a chat with Clare on WhatsApp. 

Walking into Nerja later, I spotted and took photos of a black cap and a goldfinch, both out proclaiming their availability to suitable mates singing loudly as they patrolled their territories. When I reached the Carretera de Frigiliana, I decided to visit Aldi's to see if I could find a jar of tahini, some black pepper and a chorizo, items I've tended to omit from my shopping list. The supermarket is half a kilometre up the hill from the N340a, further than it seems when you drive there, but the effort was rewarded. On the way back to the main road, I saw a passenger wagon being drawn by a team of four mules carrying a few people, whether family members or tourists it's impossible to say. I'll keep a lookout for this ensemble next month when the Romeral de San Isidro takes place, as it does each May in Nerja.

From the edge of town, I made my way down to the Plaza Monica Line 3 bus stop, but took a less direct route by mistake, through the urbanizacion that covers the west facing headland above the beach, made up of holiday apartment blocks and hotels. I hadn't realised how extensive it was. Anyway, I eventually reached the bus stop and didn't have to wait long for five forty five to arrive for the eight minute journey to the Ladera del Mar parada where the bus turns for the return trip. It would take five times as long by mule carriage!

The evening just slipped away exchanging even more messages with family members reminiscing about generations long gone. So many stories behind the old photos I started digitizing them twenty years ago, but haven't looked at them much over the years. Actually, it's nice to have the leisure to piece together the fragments of stories about people who died long before I was born, people other than our Dad's uncles who died in the Somme over a hundred years ago, and discussed most of all over the years. For a change, I really will get to bed early tonight.