How the other half lives

It promised to stop raining at the end of the morning, yesterday and slowed to a drizzle, so I went out wearing a raincoat for the first time since I've been here. I went to the local shops, then walked around the Old Town, but it continued drizzling for as long as I was out. I got soaked, and needed a change of clothes. At least I got my daily exercise, though I hate walking in the rain in any climate. 

Then the toilet cistern came out in sympathy, as the valve that controls containment and release of water stuck in the open position. It's not for the first time this has happened to me in Spain as the water deposits large amounts of calcium in kettles, tanks and waterpipes. It's necessary to keep a supply of white vinegar and/or agua fuerte - dilute hydrocholoric acid I believe, and make tank descaling part of one's home maintenance routine. A build-up of limescale causes lightweight modern plastic valve mechanisms to stop working, as on this unlucky day. Still there's a second toilet in the bathroom so I've nothing to complain about. 

Earlier, Clare had bought some white vinegar. I used once I'd got the tank to stop emptying, and the filled it with vinegar and hot water. No result. I tried again with the remains of a bottle of agua fuerte found under the sink. Again no result. So Rosella has been alerted, and the cistern water supply turned off. It's an old toilet, and the mechanism I can't get at to inspect may be broken, so a visit from an expert fontanero is needed after the weekend.

This morning, I awoke to blue skies and a mild fresh breeze. Under the trees on the other side of the Paseo de Reding the monthly Bio-Mercado stall holders were setting up. It seems to me there were more stalls than last time, and more stalls than last summer too. The organic growers' association that organises these Saturday events, takes it to different locations around the greater Malaga area in the intervening weeks. Malaga is notable for the number of shops that sell organic food products, herbal remedies, cosmetics and other health products. I don't think it's simply a reflection of the diversity demand in this cosmopolitan city, but rather a continuing regional tradition of cultivating healing herbs and using traditional 'organic' agricultural methods which have retained as well as gained in market share.

It was such a pleasure to walk out without a jacket or pullover. Just in the course of twenty four hours, there's been a turn around of both cruise ships at the terminals one and two, and at the quay on the Palmeria de las Sorpresas. And talk about surprises, yesterday's MV Corinthian 100 passenger elite luxury vessel was replaced by MV The World. Twice as tall, overshadowing the quayside. This accommodates between a hundred and two hundred permanent residents, I later discovered. Instead of a millionaire having their own exclusive yacht, this ship is a floating village for high net worth residents who enjoy a life on the move, making the World in both senses their home. 

I wonder what kind of millionaires they are, what nationalities they are, whether they are retired, doing no more than oversee the market value of their assets, and what deters them from settling in any given place? I remember reading an article about a wealthy elderly widow with no family who had sold up and vowed to spent her last years cruising the world. 

She reckoned it was the most cost effective way of coping with age and infirmity, as cruise ships alway have plenty of staff, and cater well for people with mobility issues. Plus, there's always company, entertainment, never any worry about meals, and the continuing stimulus of the different ports of call, balanced by the contemplative tranquility of life at sea. Was this her kind of ship? Or would this be possible on a vessel that wasn't quite so opulent? How the other half lives. Intriguing questions.