I haven't thrown a dart.....

 since playing for my local pub in Shepperton twenty years ago, I wasn't very good, only turning up to make the numbers up and feast on the spread each landlord laid on for the travelling & home team,  a sort of sub- competition ensued with the licensees trying to out do each other in the gourmet stakes. Pizza, roast potatoes, chips. sausages pork pies and other assorted nibbles being normal fare for the Wednesday evening matches.

The Emerald Isle was short of a player, I was happy to be drafted in to play in the inaugural match at the (new) Rose & Crown, some free fodder would surely be laid on for the players. 

Nothing, nada, not even a peanut or crisp made it to the tables near the oche.  

It was still a fun night, luckily I was drawn against their bloke who, like me, was hoping for free nosh and making up the numbers, I fluked a 2- 1 victory. 

Emerald Isle won the match and there's talk of a re-match... I'll take a lunch box.

 Betty is enjoying her self, has a tan already and has been doing quite a bit of walking with the promise of a medicinal Chardonnay.  

By the light of a silvery moon.

 You'd be forgiven for thinking the below picture is of the sun when actually it is the moon.(taken on the 10th December)

Merry Brexmas

We've left Spain for a few days to collect Betty the out-law and take her back to Spain for Christmas. I know I'm a saint..... although now I wished we had kept the apartment up heart attack hill - she could have been imprisoned up their until her return to the UK (the halo's slipping a bit). 

At Gatwick.

An easy walk to the sea for Betty & Sue

Betty at Christmas eve party.

Someones refusing to pose

In Turre with freinds

Pre Christmas dinner drinks in Garrucha

And a Happy new year 

The rain in Spain

It tipped down all night 

Carboneras beach

The rain washed away the route out of this parking area for cars/motorhomes.

These river beds are usually bone dry

You cant see them very well but there are over 70 coots on the water. 

Back to sunshine today

You know..

.... when you leave home and forget to do something important and a little panic sets in- well it's always good to have a mate on hand to go check everything is in order.

When we left the boat I had forgotten  to tie down the boarding ladder/plank this is a lightweight aluminium jobby that would surely take off if a winter storm was coming in from an unfavourable position. Thanks Ray & Diane for securing it.

While in Spain I'm not neglecting FL, this week I have booked the slip at Stafford boat club for May to redo the blacking I last did in stone two years ago.

We seem drawn to spending time around harbours and boats.

We have now moved to accommodation that doesn't involve hiking up the side of a hill to get home. It's in a great location only 100 meters from the sea, its for sale. If we had the means we would definitely consider it.

Clouds building ...

It has been fairly cool in Mojacar for the last few days, even bouts of precipitation  ( I blame Martin for this). I tried to persevere with shorts but succumbed to goose bump lower legs, jeans are back in place & an occasional woolly.

Villaricos

Villaricos harbour

Just for balance a photo of rain on a cool 16C day

Next week are moving on from this apartment, it's a great apartment and has fantastic views being so elevated, but Sue's knees can't take the hike which meant we have used the car most days just to get up and down the hill.

Sun rise

I do like to have my first cup of tea watching the ball of fire rise out of the sea.

It's not all sun & fun in Spain

Sunrise

The Med gets choppy for a few days

Had a great day out with Canadian friends Wendy & Barry, they took us up into the Sierra de los Filabres to the white washed village of Bedar. 

The parish church Iglesia Santa de la Cabeza

After Bedar we continued over the mountain, our guides knew of a good lunch stop at El Machal.

When we arrived it was closed down, we learnt from the English owners that although the enterprise had been successful and had been embraced by all the Spanish locals in the small village, one Spaniard had been a problem with regular threats to the owners and vandalism to the property.

Their appeals to the local police fell on deaf ears, the last straw was when the Spaniard slashed Wayne four times with a knife, still the police refused to get involved, eventually the villagers afraid of this one individual turned there backs on the bar and it's owners.

It was very sad listening to the stressed out couple who said they would never try to open an enterprise or live in a Spanish only village again.... I suppose living in BritSpain has advantages.

We headed back to the coast stopping at La Montana restaurant near Bedar for a drink from the bar before moving on to Puerto Madero our new favourite tapas bar.

Chorizo

Chicken 

Fishing fleet....

arriving back to port

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