Morning, all; welcome to Wednesday! How are you all today. Half way through September already - how is that even possible?
Just an ordinary blog today - because life goes on.
The journey home on Sunday was as expected. We left Almeria in glorious morning sunshine and landed to teeming rain!! The last time I used Stansted (in the 1990s!!!) it was a small, friendly, easily negotiated place and I really enjoyed the experience. Suffice it to say, it has changed!
Almeria, on the other hand, gave old-Stansted vibes. Small, easily negotiated, friendly people, one - just one - duty free shop and space to breathe. At Stansted, it felt like miles of duty free to negotiate, crowded, over stimulating - just not very nice really.
Anyway . . .
I got home just after four and didn't do much at all!
On Monday, I went to circuits and did washing - the ironing is still sitting in the basket; I really do need to get that done - and slept quite a lot.
Yesterday, I went to Groove and in the evening I was out at the Harvester with Beth, Linda and Julia. It was a lovely time, as always! In between, I rested - lol!
Today, Sharon is coning to deal with my hair, after which time I will feel normal again! There's that ironing and some housework and I'm sure I will snooze too. I'm still feeling weary! :-)
And I will work on the next bit of the Spain account (or recount, as we used to call it in school)!
It's a lovely place, an old water mill that has been adapted into a sort of 'wellness' centre or holiday base. It's not luxury but it is very comfortable in a simple way and the vibe is just lovely.
I took photos and will just talk you through my perspective.
Because it is old and rural and Mediterranean, the walls are well over half a metre thick, the windows are small, covered with mesh (I didn't get bitten once!) with wide opening windows and wooden shutters inside. Overnight, I could open the windows wide open and the mesh kept all the bugs at bay. When the sun started shining in, I closed the windows and the shutters and the ceiling fan kept everything beautifully cool, even when it was baking outside. It did make for a gloomy room but that was not an issue.
The beds looked basic but were really comfortable and each room had an ensuite - mine had a bath as well as a shower which I was thrilled about. There was plenty of storage and we all had one person occupancy.
There were plenty of artefacts to remind us of its past - this is in the corner of the lounge (see below) . . .
Yes, that's a TV, the only one in the whole place and it didn't go on once all week.
This is to the left of the above photo, outside (obviously) - more mill stuff. Many of the doors and windows were protected with bars.
The lounge. Very cool, very comfortable and I may have fallen asleep once or twice in there during siesta time.
I quickly got into the habit of seeking a cool place from around two thirty to five because it did get very hot and a bit humid. Mornings and evenings were just perfect.
I just LOVED those floor tiles.
This was taken just outside the main 'house', looking up. It's build on quite a slope so there's levels and it definitely isn't wheelchair friendly in the slightest. Just to the left is where we say and chatted or played games and to the right is the lounge.
And, yes, the sky really was that colour most of the time.
We had rain once - a really dramatic night time storm that I missed completely (hearing aids out!) but which kept everyone awake for a while, as did the flooding. Old windows, bit leaky, I gather. Normally not a problem but this was a pretty dramatic storm, they said.
Part of the studio where Lindsey did classes. At the other end there's a massage table and various bits and bobs and there are two windows that look over the mountain slopes. I meant to take a photo and forgot.
One of several little sitting areas.
And the pool. Unheated and felt cold when you got in but once in it was delightful. Lindsey did several aqua classes.
Here's what I mentioned earlier - where we sat to chat or play games. A very sociable area. The two windows on the left look into the dining room where we ate our meals.
The sign!!!
A view! It was like that all the way round and there were a lot of wind turbines. I love them -they are elegant and carry hope for the future - they do to me anyway. Much nicer that those ugly old pylons (we could see a few of them too, mind you!).
Over-exposed. Top to bottom.
(and at this point I glanced at the clock and realised I needed to dash off for Groove - sorry. Home again now and carrying on!!
The 'roads' up to the mill were really just stony tracks so the last bit of each return was - interesting!
Being a mill, there used to be a river, of course. It's now a drop into a dried up river bed that occasionally floods again if there's heavy rain higher up. Those stones on the edge are the only things blocking the drop. A bit scary when reversing to the gate on a dark night.
So that's the Old Spanish Mill. It was such a lovely place - homey, comfortable and restful.
I've booked to go back. Both next year's trips are booked (Lindsey takes a maximum of eight) and so is April 2028. She opened booking for September 2028 last week, five of us immediately confirmed and the other three places are now taken. That's how much people love it.
And a very good morning to you all! It's so nice to be writing in here again after a wonderful holiday staying at Molina Viejo (the Old Spanish Mill). It's way out in the mountains, about an hour and a half from Almeria which is where we flew to from Stansted. I gather Southend to Granada was an option too but Stansted is closer to home.
I've uploaded my photos and I also have some taken by others in the group but need some time to get everything organised before I can blog. Patience is a virtue!
Just to say that it was such a lovely time away. We all got on well, the Mill and the food Darren provided for us were amazing, Lindsey did classes, we went out and about when we wanted to and it was all included. It wasn't touristy so no souvenirs, no fridge magnets, just loads and loads of memories.
Back home, there was obviously a lot more rain than we had - we just had one very dramatic mountain storm on Wednesday evening and the rest of the time it was glorious! I can see why afternoon siesta is a thing though!
So - this morning I took just a a few garden photos because why not? Here we go!
First of all - what I thought was baby foxgloves that I dug up and potted in hopes that they would flower next year obviously aren't anything of the sort.
I did a reverse google search and they (I dug up several plantlets) appear to be nicotiana sylvestris or woodland tobacco plant. Now, I remember planting one two years ago that really didn't do much at all so I guess it was pondering its options, so to speak.
It's really quite dramatic and the flowers are wow!
It's really just as well I removed them from the middle bed because it's absolutely crowded now and looking a lot nicer that this photos would suggest.
I had to photo the tomatoes, of course. Chris and Tracy have picked as I asked them to but there are more coming. It's just as well I tied them up or the whole lot would have fallen by now, probably damaging the canes as they fell.
The rhubarb is dying back now so I will be removing the dead leaves soon, there's autumn raspberries to pick and. . .
. . . here we go - the single surviving pear. I picked it before going away, wrapped it in tissue paper and popped it in the fridge and now it is sitting in the fruit basket to ripen - fingers crossed.
Time to go up and get ready for circuits. Yes, home one day and Lindsey is straight into the new block the following day. Where she gets her energy from I don't know. She was amazing all through last week and on she bounces into Autumn fitness.
I'll organise my photos today and probably do two or three posts about last week. It was lovely and it's also nice to be home again. Win win and now I want to do some Spanish meals as well as by Cretan ones and all the usual normal cuisine stuff. Fun!
Have a lovely day, everyone - have you had plenty of rain too? Take care, stay dry and see you tomorrow!
Morning. One more day to go, this time tomorrow we will just about be getting on the plane, I think. I've had a bit of a lie in and now I need to get going!
I was so happy to maintain at Slimming World yesterday. I thought that given the two weeks before had been illness related losses I would gain a bit after getting back to normal eating but I didn't, I maintained. Yay!
The school meeting was helpful and I had an impromptu tour of the school which was lovely.
Most of my washing is done. I just have some ironing to do and I can sort out what I'm taking as I iron. I have tomatoes to deal with and a fridge to sort out, bins to empty, etc, etc, etc. All the stuff you have to do . . .
My coffee is calling so I will love you and leave you for a while now. Have a great week, all. xx
Morning, everyone. How are you today? We're having some funny old weather at the moment. Not hot, hot cold, but on and off very humid. Is it like that your way too.
Yesterday went really well. I need to work on my strength more after several week off personal training but that's OK, it is do-able. I always enjoy my chats with Chris and yesterday was no exception. Then I drove over to Hyde Hall where I med up with Val and we had a really good catch up. I forgot my camera which was very stupid so, sorry, no photos!
Such a lovely day.
Today I've got going early with a load in the washing machine that I can get out before I go to Slimming World. After Slimming World, I am popping into school (pretty much next door) for a quick meeting. And then it is home, James, to get on with the washing, etc, so I can pack tomorrow. It's all organised and planned, I just need to get it done so there's no dashing about and last minute panics. I hate that!!
The audiology appt yesterday was very positive, my aids have been adjusted and they seem much better now, thankfully. It's normal with new aids and a new hearing profile - it's a case of try it and adjust. I have also ordered a microphone, the kind that clips on and bluetooths to my hearing aids. It should make all the difference to guided tours, etc.
Today I've had my early morning PT class and it feels good. I'm still lacking in energy but getting stronger again. :-)
Chris will be soon for out coffee and chat and then I'm off to meet up with Val at Hyde Hall - must make sure I have my RHS membership card with me. :-)
Morning! How are you all today? It's definitely much cooler morning and evening now, I'm finding, and the days are getting noticeably shorter. On cloudy evenings I have my curtains drawn by around half past six and I'm starting to feel that cosy, snuggly vibe that autumn and winter bring to an evening.
Yesterday was good.
It was nice strolling around M&S and then Aldi which is in the same precinct. I didn't get much, just a few stock up items really. M&S now do pulses in jars for a very reasonable price and the jars are a very useful size too. I don't anticipate needing to get much more this month apart from fresh stuff as I'm very well stocked. It's a comforting feeling while everything goes up so much.
Again, not much festive stuff yet apart from things I'm not going to get - Christmas puddings, etc, and, of course, those inevitable tins of choccies, biscuits and things which have festive decor but which go out of date well before Christmas. Crazy!
Today is a get everything tidied, sorted and cleaned day until the afternoon when I have a rescheduled audiology appt in town. I'm allocating stuff now - tomorrow I'm out and about, Friday is washing day, Saturday is packing day and Sunday is woo hoo!!
This seems to be a good time to say that I most likely won't be taking my laptop with me to Spain - just because of the weight - all our luggage is cabin luggage. That means no blogs next week, so sorry.
Right, well, sitting here will never do. I have piles of stuff to sort out. Better get cracking. Have a lovely day and, if you're busy, don't forget to have some 'me' time. xx
