For once, getting earlier to bed proved beneficial. We got up at UK time, not needing to be up earlier, and listened to Thought for the Day on Radio Four while getting breakfast ready. We walked down to the bus stop at Ladera del Mar for the ten to eleven Line 3, and went straight to the Church Shop. Gill and Mike were on duty today. I could tell on arrival as the window display had changed yet again, with a fresh array of attractive colourful clothes.
Gill is also the organist, and I was pleased to touch base with her to get her correct contact details, as those in the church phone seemed not to be correct. Mike was also able to email me her planned list of hymns for the next six weeks. As I'm preparing the weekly pew sheet until the end of my stay, it's good to have all the info in advance.
Clare wanted to swim at Playa Calahonda next to the Balcon de Europe, so we took our leave, and made our way to the beach. All along the Balcon today is a double row of tent sheltering stalls that promote all the best variety of food products from Malaga Province. Cheese, bread, wine, liqueurs, different kinds of sausage etc under the banner 'Sabor de Malaga'. This event runs from today until Sunday, concurrent with the 'Fiesta de la Cruz de Flor'.
In the Plaza del Salvador stands a large cross in an enclosure with symbols of Christ's lordship over all creation, decorated with flowers. This evening there will be a ceremony of blessing conducted by the Parish Priest. In different barrios around the town other flowery crosses will be set up by local parish and community groups. There's even a Cruz de Flor set up next to the side door on the north side of the church, by a cancer fund raising charity. Some restaurants and public buildings have their own al well. It's an occasion I recall from being here in May previously, both in Nerja and Malaga.
Clare's swim was very brief as she found the water much colder than her previous dip, so we returned to the Plaza del Salvador and had a tapas lunch again at Biznaga. The food is good and it's a great place to sit and watch the world go by. Doing this meant we missed the last Line 3 bus to leave town before the afternoon siesta break, so we had three hours to kill. Shopping for gifts soon loses its appeal. We sat for a while in the shade of a canopy outside a leather goods shop and Clare dozed off. Eventually we went back to Biznaga and had a drink, then went to the bus stop, where I knew we'd find benches and a few spots of shade. I needed to buy some chicken, wine and San Miguel Cero beer, so went up to the nearest big supermarket and back while Clare waited in the shade.
The four forty five bus arrived early, and left on time. I wonder if this same bus does the Line 1 service when it's not shuttling to and from Ladera del Mar to Parada Monica? When we got back to the house, Clare had another swim, and I started working on the pew sheets for this week and next, since I'm going to be away in Wales from Wednesday to Saturday next week. Clare only wanted salad for supper so I cooked myself a sauce to eat with spaghetti, and after supper spent the rest of the evening completing the pew sheet files. A fiddly task, as there's so much variable detail contained within each week. A least I now have all the info I need on the chaplaincy computer desktop. And so to bed.
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