Sorry

I know I’ve been lapse in keeping this Blog up to date, but after all we are supposed to be out here enjoying ourselves, which has meant we have been too busy having such a good time to spend any of it on the lap top.

Today though the weather has changed, we were cold early this morning, which soon changed to a windy but warm midday. So after going out to do the weekly shop we dropped into the Dome restaurant in Catral for lunch and then back to the RV for a rest and for me to get to grips with updating the Blog, (It’s a hard Life).

We have been out and about with the cycling group and it is gaining strength week by week. I took the group out to a nice little village called Albatera (a place which Kay and I had reconnoitred a few days before) where we stopped for a coffee and then returned via Sant Isidre to the Marjal camp, a round trip of 13 miles.

After cycling with the Dutch (who normally do 40 miles) these distances for me are a bit on the short side, but we can only go as far and as fast that the weakest and slowest cyclist in the group can handle. Hopefully the distances will increase as the group gets more confident and experienced.

Albatera Church

Albatera Square

The group are really enjoying these Wednesday jaunts as it’s one of the nicest ways to explore our local area. You get to see some interesting things, on our last reconnoitre we saw a group of what appeared to be Mexican field hands planting out seedlings. 

As we passed they shouted out “Hello Americano we love America” sadly I didn’t know enough Spanish to reply that we were English & Welsh not American.

The indoor swimming pool and sauna have been a great boon too us both, as after cycling it’s a great way to ease any aches and pains, especially for me as I suffer from spondylitis and the exercise is helping to keep me fit, loosen up my muscles and joints and to hopefully help reduce my weight, just what the doctor ordered.

Kay’s enjoyed some retail therapy, as we have visited the main town of Elche to shop in the Carrefour and Decathlon stores. We have also visited the Christmas shop on the outskirts of Torrevieja to get our decorations for our Christmas tree.

The Marjal camp is holding a best decorated Christmas pitch competition, somehow I don’t think we stand a chance of winning it, as some campers have really gone to town decorating their pitches, but it’s great to view them at night with all the twinkling lights.

Christmas Lights

Christmas Lights

We’ve been able to keep in touch with the girls back home via Skype, which is great as the distances seem to shrink when you can see them on the monitor.

Ah well its back to living the good life, if I haven’t updated my Blog in seven days you know we are out enjoying ourselves and after the winter we left behind last year, can you blame us?

Keep warm and remember to keep those fat cats at British Gas and all the other greedy energy companies happy by paying out those ridiculously high fuel prices…..I bet you wish you were here!!!!

More Anon

November into December

The winter months are now upon us and considering this is the rainy season we have got off fairly lightly. 

Yes we’ve had the unusually heavy downpours last week but the rains have been mostly interspersed with some quite hot sunny days.

The Animation team have now got their act together and are putting on quite a few events like Archery which Kay excelled in by hitting the target twice (she said she just imagined my face on the bulls eye) which was far better than I or any of the others did. 

We have both enjoyed the Spa and have done some swimming.

We have visited the nearby town of Almoradi to visit the market there which is quite large and typically Spanish. The trees in the main square in front of the church were amazing in how they had been trained the tops are cylindrical which look amazing see photo below.

Market at Almoradi

Trees at Almoradi

We have now got a cycling group organised that ventures out every Wednesday (if the weathers fine that is) and we have already done our first foray into the local area. 

I have been instrumental in going out on my own to reconnoitre the area and discovering as many of the, off the beaten tracks that I can find.

Last Wednesday we cycled through the tiny village of Casicas a one horse village of only two streets down some winding Camino roads (service roads) through the cultivated fields out to a nearby town of Sant Isidro. Here if we wish to, we can get a train into Alacanti for just €4.70 return with free car parking to boot. 

We cycled out of the town and down alongside the railway line towards Elche and past the building works for the new High speed rail link, to yet another small hamlet called El Realenco. 

Where we stopped off at the Ricio a Bodega for a coffee and to refill our 2 litre Vino Tinto bottles for €2.40, then returned via Sant felip Neri to the Marjal Site.

Cycle group

We had a BBQ event put on by the management this week for €3 each which sadly was a total flop. The caterer’s idea of a BBQ amounted to greasy offerings that defied recognition; at least the beer was good.

We have been joining in the usual Brits abroad games like Cribbage nights and Poker nights to bide the time and last night we won the quiz night. Not that we wanted to, as the winners have to set the quiz for the following week.

We had some strange visitors that literally fell out of the blue as a group of power gliders swooped low over the camp site. They waved to the children who gathered bellow amazed at there Arial acrobatics.

Power Gliders

Down he comes

and gives us a wave

Today Kay and I felt adventurous and set out once more on our cycles this time to the town of Callosa which nestles at the base of the Serra de Callossa a huge 572 meter high mountain that is part of the Serra de Orihuela range. There are three towns that sit at the base of this mountain Callosa, Cox and Redovan one day I hope to cycle through all three.

Kay snapping away at Callosa

Serra de Callosa

Kay at Callosa

Callosa Town hall with the mountain behind

Map of the area

We arrived back just as the weather decided to turn from hot and sunny to rain so it’s a night in reading and getting the blog up to date.

More Anon