Deadline missed and regained

Another gloriously hot and sunny day, though for most of it there's been a strong cooling breeze, turning waters off the sea shore white with foam. After breakfast, I wrote a reflection for Morning Prayer a week Thursday and prepared the Office of the Day ready for recording this evening. Jorge called in for his pay and Churchwarden John rang to say the car should be ready to collect by two, before siesta time. I thought the walk to Urbanizacion Noria where the carroceria is situated would take about an hour, and allowed an extra fifteen minutes just in case. 

The wind was strong enough to make walking feel like an effort. At half past one, three quarters of an hour of walking, another call from John announcing a delay. The car would now be ready at five. It was a relief, with the prospect of a twenty minute walk uphill before reaching the last kilometre, I stopped at the nearby Restaurante de la Puente, a popular sprawling roadside eatery beside the old N340 bridge into town, and treated myself to lunch. 

I had sopa de pollo - a clear broth with little chunks of ham in it and plenty of chicken, with a mint leaf to impart an interesting flavour to it. I must try making that recipe some time. The maccherone bolognese to follow was a microwaved from frozen: overcooked pasta uniformly hot, always a giveaway, with a heap of tasteless rubbery cheese on top, definitely not parmigiano. Nothing to commend it. But the bill, with a 0% beer was €20, and the small amount of cheese I couldn't avoid eating didn't give me digestive grief later.

I found a shady spot to sit in the Plaza de la Ermita to while away an hour, then returned to the junction from when I could resume the walk uphill to my destination. I arrived half an hour early, but the car was ready to take away, so I paid Artur the repairer and returned to church house straight away. Just as well there'd been a delay as the actual journey time on foot was an hour and 20 minutes, so I couldn't have arrived before Artur closed for siesta. All's well that ends well, somehow!

Once I recovered from my long walk and had something to eat and drink, I recorded and edited what I prepared this morning, made the video slideshow and uploaded it to YouTube. Another digital chore out of the way, freeing up more time to be with Owain during his week's stay. Then I called Clare for a brief chat.  She's been over to RWCD this afternoon for the graduation piano recital of Ieuan, one of the sons of Kath's school friend Mandy. Amazing talent in a young man we remember being born, we're that old! Definitely in need of an early bed time this evening,