On the mend

I had a fair night's sleep and was grateful not to wake up with a thick head or sore throat. The virus started working in my gut instead, giving me stomach pains and much time in the toilet. Apart from this symptoms have been fairly mild. Fortunately things had settled by the time I left for the funeral at Fuengirola Crem. When I got there however, I needed the toilet again, but only once. Just as well I was an hour early getting there.

Two dozen mourners attended the service, almost all expats, most turning up at a quarter past for the half past eleven service. That's when the chapel attendants unlock the doors to let people in. There didn't seem to have been any other service before ours. I took the music MP3 files on a memory stick and on my phone, just in case. Just as well. The hi-fi system controls didn't register the presence of the USB stick, maybe due to the fact that people habitually use their phones to play music via Bluetooth. In fact, that was what the chapel attendants did, and it worked OK. I was relieved that my phone didn't play up and refuse to co-operate.

What I failed to notice however, was that both hymn texts I'd copied, pasted and printed out were short of a verse, whereas the recorded music was the full version of both, and I had sufficient control of the music app on the phone to stop it at the right time. I wasn't impressed with the quality of sound reproduction over the chapel PA system, but it didn't matter, as the congregation sang well from their hymn sheets for both 'The Lord's my Shepherd' and 'Abide with me'. The family were happy with the service and the turn-out, and so was I. After bidding them farewell, I went straight back to Casa de la Esperanza to relax and keep recovering from this bug.

I didn't feel like a cooked lunch, so I had bread and hummus made with cooked chick peas, olive oil and lemon, plus the remains of a lettuce instead. Then I walked down to Los Boliches and continued all the way to Fuengirola town centre investigating shops that I'd not noticed open before. As I passed the local Parish Church of Our Lady and Santa Ana I heard singing, and went in to investigate. Down the front a group of about forty children plus parent minders were attending what I suppose was a catechism class led by a man with a guitar. I don't think he was either the priest or the deacon I saw when I looked in last Sunday evening. It conjured up distant memories of my early ministry to Sunday School children, singing choruses with a guitar, when it was all in a day's work.

I'm on the lookout for a cap, but various ones I tried in shops I visited were too small and of the same size. All are Chinese imports, fine for people with smaller heads, but no use to me with so much hair to tuck into a cap, to prevent it getting in my face. There are lots of second hand technology shops as well as clothes stores. I wondered if I might find a cheap discounted used Chromebook, as I'm missing mine. I've only seen them on sale new in El Corte Ingles, and I'm not prepared to pay that much. Apple products sell well here, but Chromebooks do not seem to have made any impact on the computer market, sad to say.

I caught the train back. Clare called as I was reaching the top of the hill, and we talked for a long while until it was time for 'The Archers'. Recent episodes have been quite interesting, exploring in detail the impact of bereavement on different members of the same family. 

After another light meal, I read for a couple of hours again, before attempting to get to bed earlier. I find it hard to break the habit, even when I'm tired.