It has been a quiet fortnight at Los Gallardos during which we haven’t done anything particularly exciting. The sun that we have been trying to follow seems to have deserted us, being replaced with a lot of rain. For one week it rained each day at some time, at least when it rained the temperature was mild, but when the skies cleared it got cold especially during the night. In bed I’m still in my sleeping bag and Moira has had to get into her bag as well.
When the weather dried up we have been playing bowls but the green is in a very poor condition making it difficult to bowl a consistent line. As we found in South Africa it is a peculiar crowd that play bowls with their trivial restrictive rules and regulations, they are much the same here. It must be our attitude to this form of petty bureaucracy that we inevitably rock the boat and I have run foul of the club captain on a couple of occasions. We had thought about buying bowls when we get back to Scotland in the summer and play there, but are now having second thoughts. I don’t think the people will be any different there.
We have managed to have a few walks in the hills behind the campsite. It is easy walking with good paths constructed from an old railway line with cutting through the hills and viaducts over rivers. I have had a few runs in the hills when the weather has been agreeable, I am managing to run for over an hour comfortably without a stop. I have recently joined a gym in Turre, a little town about 5 kilometres away. I cycle to the gym and back over quiet dirt roads that go beside cultivated fields which are green with rows of lettuce. The gym is not very big but it is fully equipped with all the usual machines and weights; it looks fairly new with everything well maintained.
I discovered the gym in Turre when we walked to the town on Christmas Day. We had booked our Christmas lunch at the Indian restaurant there, some may thing a strange choice for the festive season but it was excellent. We both had lamb Madras curry, it was a bit hotter than we are used to, making our eyes water. The price of the meal was very satisfactory, only E24 and that included drinks.
We have been playing whist regularly each week but haven’t managed to win anything since the first time. We did pick up second prize at the quiz night that was on last Monday. We tied for first place with another team; the tie break question was – ‘how many miles from John O’Groats to Land’s End’. You would have thought that we could get that right considering we have walked most of it, but I said 1250 miles, that’s nearly 400miles too much. Maybe it feels that much when you are walking it.
This place has turned into a Little England. All the permanent mobile homes are occupied by Brits and there are lots of people who come for the six months over winter, they’ve been doing that for years. It’s like a ghetto of ex-pats who spend their time moaning about either the UK Government who have in their opinion forced them to move because of poor pensions, or complain against the Spanish who have allowed their economy to deteriorate, making their life style not so cheap and comfortable.
We have decided to stay on here until the end of January, that’s when the membership of the bowls and gym expire. Moira has been looking at other places to visit with good campsites. We will make a decision nearer the time, until then we hope the weather gets warmer so that we can spend more time outside.
I hope everyone reading this blog has had a good Christmas and wish you an enjoyable and healthy New Year.
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