Spain 2019 - Paella and buried in the internet

Monday 25th February

I was having another go at paella today.  Our boating friends, Andy and Sue plus Roly and Bev were coming.  The paella turned out very well and we sat outside to eat it.  Andy and Sue informed us that they were going home on Wednesday, for two reasons.   Firstly and most importantly they want to go to Paul’s funeral.  They along with Roly and Bev were very close friends with both Paul and Elaine.  Secondly the dust and the noise from the Nienar building works are getting them down.  Then Roly and Bev said that they are going home on Sunday for the same reasons as Sue and Andy.  It was sad to hear that they are all leaving but we can understand their reasons.  We shall hopefully see Sue and Andy on the River Thames this summer but I guess, with Roly and Bev, it will here in Mojacar in 2020.  Would you believe I didn't take a single photo all day :-(

Tuesday 26th February

I had a visit by a podiatrist today as I had a very sore foot.  She set to with a nasty looking knife and cut away a lot of dry skin – hopefully that will do the trick.

We are going on a big ship cruise in May and it really was time to get on with organising some excursions.  So, I sat at my laptop most of the day trolling through internet page after internet page.  Our cruise is split into two sections – the Adriatic and then the Greek Islands.  I managed to complete the Adriatic and sent everything off to Penny for her to make choices.  Oh, I forgot to say that Penny and Jim are going on the cruise too.  It was all right for me so sit in the lovely sunshine and do this, but Penny does lead a busy life and I was tapping my fingers waiting for replies, but she was out and about at meetings or the like!

Richard dragged me down the beach kicking and screaming – I wanted to do more research!  No of course he didn’t but he was right about me getting away from my laptop and enjoying some sunshine.  Muffin really enjoys his afternoon walk – he starts pestering about 3pm and we usually go about 4pm.  I didn’t take this photo today but I love it – just look at the ears!

I’ve been reading back today’s post and realised that I have used the word “trolling”.  I thought I ought to double check that I did have the meaning correct (carefully and systematically search an area for something).  So, just to make it clear, I am not a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the intent of provoking readers into displaying emotional responses and normalizing tangential discussion – what the hell is tangential discussion?

Wednesday 27th February

Yesterday I queried what tangential discussion is – well me being me had to look it up.  It means referring to something that's not part of the whole. If you make a comment that is tangential to the story you're telling, it's a digression. The story could still be understood without it. In geometry, a tangent is a line that touches a curve in one spot but doesn't intersect it anywhere else.  I wish I hadn’t started this now!!

More cruise excursion research today.  I got the Greek Islands done and sent off to Penny.  I said yesterday that she lives a busy life – well I got this from her this morning.  “I am chasing my tail today:  I had a ‘free’ morning, but just been asked to go to a meeting for half an hour at 11am and couldn’t really get out of it.  Out this afternoon at my Bible Study group (fixed last week) and then I’m singing tomorrow evening, all day Saturday and Sunday afternoon.  So bang goes my free morning today to catch up…”  Heavens I think I will stick to life in the sunshine!!

I mentioned my Indalo Man necklace the other day.  You see these little men all over Mojacar and the region.  Here is a bit of information about them.  “The Indalo is a prehistoric magical symbol found in the cave of "Los Letreros" in Sierra de María-Los Vélez Natural Park in Vélez Blanco. It has been customary to paint the Indalo symbol on the front of houses and businesses to protect them from evil and is considered to be a god totem. The indalo has an origin in the Levante, Spain and dates back to 2500 BC.  Legend has it that the Indalo was a ghost that could hold and carry a rainbow in his hands – hence thus the arch over the man’s head.  We have an Indalo man at our front door, on the car, on the boat and on the caravan – so no evil should get us (I hope)!

There appears to be two designs of Indalo men – as this photo is of the one that was in the cave I guess this is the correct design.