Tuesday 16 November 2010

Well, its Tuesday, but it really could be any day. The sun is shining and its nearly 1pm. Everyone who goes to fly has now left the field and its the women who are left to 'get on' with their daily tasks. Me? Ive already done them. Washing done, floor swept, emails checked.

There is a lady in the next campervan who says she wants to do some painting today, so Ive got my stuff ready so when she calls me I'll go over there. Something to to!

Saturday 13 November 2010

Getting things up to date.

Ok, I could start to work backwards again and start to write about everything in a methodical way, but it will take me too long I think and I just dont want to.

Its now the end of week 15 and I have 4 more weeks left I guess.

Where have I been since Zaragoza? Well, here is a short and condensed version so I can start writing again everyday.

After Zaragoza, we went back to Ager for a weekend so that the Pilot could fly with a friends who had travelled from Barcelona. The weather was rubbish and we only ended up getting drunk and finishing the weekend with not much else to do but start driving south.

We stopped by the coast in a small beach called 'Cala Forn'. I have no idea where this is, but we went snorkelling in the sea. I say 'snorkelling', but it was putting on a mask and dipping my face under the water. I dont like putting myself under water so this was a huge deal for me. I watched the video that the Pilot had made with the underwater camera and it made me laugh on many occasions.

We went then to Santa Pola which is near Alicante and staryed by the beach for a while. I met a really great guy there called Noel. He is 80 years old and has a really cool american campervan. His wife passed away a few years ago and they used to travel together and now he spends the winter in Spain and then travels back to the UK. I spent many hours chatting to him and I became really fond of him in a 'grandfather' sort of way. Not having had a relationship with my own grandfather, I imagined that this was what it would have been like. He took me for a walk one morning to get his morning English paper and then we went for a coffee. He had so much to talk about and I felt priviledged to be a part of his day. On the last evening we were there, he showed me his shell collection that he and his wife had collected over the past 25 years. He said that he was upset that when he died, all his treasures would just be thrown away. I tried to utter some words, but we both knew that he was right. Treasures are always in the eye of the beholder. When we parted, h e gave me one of his treasures. It was a 'sand-dollar'. It is a fossil that is extremely difficult to find on the beaches in America. I will always treasure it. I in turn gave him a thimble that I had bought him because I had seen a collection that he already had. It was wonderful to meet this man, he will always stir fond memories for me.

We went then to fly with some people we met in France and they bowled us over with their hospitality. They cooked and took us out. I certainly taught me a thing or two about generosity. It was a great weekend with them.

After that we went to Granada to fly, but the weather was rubbish and the Pilot was keen to get down south to continue flying. I wanted to see the Alhambra, and we decided we would come back to see it another time. We should have really gone now, because we are far away from it, and probably wont go back that way on the way back.

We spent a few days in Motril which was a beach straight down from Granada. There was nothing there really and the wind was really torrential at times with a huge downpour in the middle of the night. We cycled around the place to get a postcard, but it seems that noone comes here to write a postcard. Off to Torre del Mar after that and spent a night playing in the 'grown-ups' park, which was an excersise park. Spent the next day cycling along the sea front exploring and eating churros con chocolate. Here the hot chocolate is so thick that it is like custard. I dont think I will ever have hot chocolate in the same way ever again! I have even bought myself some powder which goes down really well for breakfast!

Then off to Malaga to meet my mum's oldest friend and her daughter. It was lovely to meet them finally and I spent lots of quality time with her daughter. She was an absolute star and I hope we go back to Malaga to see her again. She mamanged to sort us out with mobile internet and gave me an unlocked phone so I could buy a Spanish sim card. Much cheaper!!

After this we went to Algodonales and spent a weekend flying and having barbecues. Off then to Ronda for a few days which was amazing. The history there is incredible and we bought a 9 euro pass to see the museums and few attractions there. I loved it.

Now I have brought you up to date, I am sitting inside the snail back in Algodonales after arriving here a few days ago. There are many people here now, as I think that it is the best place to fly at this time of year in this country.

It is the weekend and I have thoughts of returning back to the UK and wondering what to do when I get there. I didnt really think about it when I left and now I have 4 weeks to get things sorted. I have tried to un-sorn my car today, but I need an important number which is in a file, in a box, in my parents loft, so I will have to sort that out when I get back to the UK.

The sun is going down now and the Pilots are packing up their paragliders. There is a mixture of English, German, Spanish, Polish and French conversation going outside the window. I can understand most of it, except the German. Its been a good day for them apparently, perfect weather conditions. Me? I have painted my toenails and fingernails. It was perfect conditions.

Monday 8 November 2010

Postcard from Spain

Hi everyone,
Sorry I havent updated anything for a while. It has been difficult over the past few weeks with not having internet access, and when I have had time to write my muse seemed to have left me. With 5 weeks left of this 'adventure' I will try and tell you whats going on. Now, I am planning what I am going to do when I get home. Big plans for me I hope. Have made a few positive phone calls today and I hope that things will turn out for the best.
Write soon xx