23. Mar, 2017

23. Mar, 2017

23. Mar, 2017

23. Mar, 2017

THURSDAY 23-3-17

Neither of us slept too well last night for some reason, so we ended up getting up later than usual. It was a lovely blue sky with the promise of a hot sunny day.

After breakfast I did a few bits of hand washing, which prompted The Chef to do a few bits as well. We need to keep right in top of things now before we leave on Monday.

This morning we had our final wander down to the Thursday market. For some reason there were a huge number of bikes around that area, both parked up and being ridden, we'd never seen so many before. Not too many Lycramen around, probably all a bit too busy for them. No doubt endurance cyclists everywhere will be pleased to learn that Bradley Wiggins' 2017 sponsor is to be 'Jiffy Bag'.

The Chef bought another three kilo's of oranges for just one Euro. We hope they are as nice as last week's because whilst standing at the stall our very nice Northern Irish neighbours walked past and on our recommendation ended up buying some.

When we arrived here almost five weeks ago they were about to have the grand re-opening of the local much-enlarged Lidl store. Days later we had tripped out the 10A electricity on our pitch caused by our substitutiion of our Induction hobs for more power-hungry hotplates. It was then I jokingly said to The Chef 'It's a shame they aren't knocking out cheap Induction hobs'. Well when we popped in on the way back from the market for a crusty baguette today - they were! Trouble is we didn't have any bank cards with us, The Chef only had a bit of cash on her and I had nothing.

After a brisk walk back to the campsite with the shopping I went to the hidden safe, got out my credit card and nipped back to the store pretty smartish. By the time I got back to the store and reached the appropriate storage bin there were just two hobs left, and so I scooped both of them up and headed for the till. What a bit of luck.

We should now have cracked the over-consumption of electricity when cooking, though the total number of single hob induction cookers we now have for the motorhome has reached embarrassing proportions.

Motorhomes continue to pour in to the campsite using it for a short break on the way back to northern Europe. Leaving today I noticed Mr & Mrs Guardian-Reader, loading their car up, having spent a considerable number of weeks staying in one of the chalets.

Lunch, consisted, for me, yet again, of blue cheese and tomato in a lovely baguette washed down with a small can of San Miguel beer. I have decided that whatever is left of the large Lidl slab of blue cheese when we leave here is getting binned. I like a bit of blue cheese, but not this much.

Having dined, it was time for our planned stroll along the beach heading towards the town, something we had never done before strangely enough.

Before leaving I could hear loud music coming from the indoor pool area. Checking the campsite entertainment programme I saw that it was an Aqua-Gym session. They have these sessions two or three times a week, yet we have never before heard any loud music coming from it. I had to conclude that with all the current comings and goings at the campsite they had managed to raise enough people for a session for the partially deaf. Who would have thought it eh - waterproof hearing aids. What will they think of next.

Our walk along the beach was a very pleasant experience, accompanied by my very own beach babe. We walked just beyond the town before turning around and making for the roads to walk back. Typically we got a bit disorientated, but there was a bonus to it. We came across the town's miniature ride-on-train park. I had seen an advertisement for an event there soon after we had arrived but had no idea where it was. It was quite an impressive complex with loads of track and a number of mini engine sheds.

Our evening meal was a piece of UK steak cooked on a cast iron griddle. Very nice it was to, with the added bonus that the delicious smells from the cooking were wafting towards the Germans behind us who were probably sucking on a frankfurter.

Finally I see there is still continuing controversy over the EU's demand that we pay an 'Exit Fee' when we leave the EU, with all sorts of figures being banded about. I don't see this as a problem, but first we need to do a few more calculations.

Firstly we get the Ministry of Boring Statistics to calculate how much it cost the British taxpayers to liberate them all (well all bar one) during not one, but two World Wars. This figure would cover all expenditure down to the last nut and bolt, to this we would add the pensions paid to all our war widows who lost their loved ones in both wars. Then we'd add the annual upkeep of all our Commonwealth War Cemeteries. Then we'd add how much we had to repay the Yanks for all of the armament etc which they supplied us with under the 'Lease Lend' agreement for liberating our 'friends' in Europe. In fact we only finally finished repaying that loan a few years ago. Then we'd add compound interest to all of that expenditure. Then why not add the multi-billion pound annual net contributions we have paid in to the EU allowing countries like Spain to build lots of toll roads on which they charge us Brits to use, as well as high speed bullet trains, you know, the kind of things we can't afford ourselves. Having calculated that final figure we'll get Theresa May to go to Brussels and tell them quite simply that when they've squared us up in full we'll look at discussing an 'Exit Fee', and if any of them can't afford to repay us then they can go and ask the Germans for a sub, after all they started it - twice.

I think we may well watch a bit of telly before turning in. Tomorrow we plan to catch the bus to Castellion to watch their Magdalena Festival where hopefully we'll see some horrid Spanish kids spit-roasted, or at the very least sitting on top of a tall bonfire.

22. Mar, 2017