Two breaks, two (missed) wakes, a knees-up, Big Toe issues and a thousand tissues

"Ahhhh!"

Well, November is probably the cruelest month in Spain with no bank holidays after All Saints on the 1st and the double festivo whammy in early December, plus the effects of the hour change! We did our best but it was not our happiest time! Halloween largely passed us by because we took a three night break further South to the Barcelo in Caleta de Fuste, which is a tourist rather than residents´ location. The justification was two-fold: to celebrate a year of weight loss for Ruth (37 kilos at the time) and in anticipation of her immobility following the toe operation seemingly scheduled for the 9th. It was not as good a stay as in 2012:-  the tariff structure meant Greyrocks didn´t run to a Superior Room, the place was over-run by badly behaved Brits (both children and adults) and there was a lot of cold wind. Ruth - having relished a pain-free walk to the hotel - twisted something, hence:- no swimming, no cycling, little walking and not much sunbed time, but we knew what we were doing on the dinner front, and along with one Barcelo buffet (for which they forgot the wine making it a reasonable deal) Greyrocks got in two excellent meals. Read about them on their Trip Advisor.

Just after the return home the hospital rang to say the appointment was changed (with no other options) to 29th. A cat amongst the pigeons! We would be in Gran Canaria on Trip 2! Hasty rearrangements took place to get a flight back booked to be on time, and we would also lose 3 days of paid-for accommodation. Unfortunately on top of this Ruth had started a head cold in Caleta, so spent two days bed-ridden, and Bob was three days behind. This was a bad week! We hunkered down, and - as a result - missed the wake for Boat Mike whom we knew fairly well and would have liked to toast! A few days later there was a second wake for a Brit we barely knew:- Clive! A bad run!



"Not bad for 65!"

RIP Mike and Clive

 

Fortunately we did not miss the do (a week later and also at Rogues´ Gallery) for the 65th birthday of Greyrocks´ friend and hairdresser Elaine. It started in the afternoon, featured food from Casbah Mike and a flash cake and there was jolly music, singing and dancing. It´s a shame all the party frocks were hidden beneath fleeces:- a chilly wind!










 



"That`s Playa del Ingles! - think 3 characters from Pugwash!"
 

The filthy colds lasted for three weeks and there were too many cold spells, but we struggled through and went off on our Birthday Bash trip to Gran Canaria (albeit truncated).  We started with three days in Las Palmas. On the first afternoon we sat at a bar on Las Canteras prom with a chilled bottle of wine and thought all was well. Suddenly the wind changed and we got inside just before the rain started! It rained everyday after that - most notably on Sunday when we went to see "The biggest TransAtlantic Regatta in the World" and ended up wandering round the administrative area of the city in a downpour. We found a bar and lurked there for hours. Having suffered appalling drunken noise until 4am this was probably a sound outcome! Anyway, we then went for four nights at the lovely Vista Flor in Maspalomas. Not such bad weather, but nothing to write home about! Bob did a good walk, Ruth swam once, we went to the market and we sat on a very windy and eroded beach!

 

Of the whole week the best thing was some good meals. For details look at the Trip Avisor reviews!

We got back on a morning flight, were seen early at the hospital for both X-ray and surgeon consultation, discovered surgery was never envisaged for that day (but will be soon!), and went by cab to despatch our passports for Indian visas. The couriers had moved! Grrrrr! So we end the month with a pile of washing, a package of passports to go to Madrid, a layer of calima on the terraces and an intact - if defective - big toe! Read on!