We had a good evening down at Gill and Malcolm’s house last night. They have done their house out beautifully and with some superb features. We met some new people and had chance for a longer chat with the folks that we already knew.
We have been warned that any day prior to a Spanish holiday is total chaos in any supermarket. As we had to go back down to Mojacar this morning any way, we sprinted out of bed at eight o’clock just a dawn was arriving (strewth it was cold) by quarter past eight the sun was coming up and by half past eight it was full sunshine but crisp and cold out. More high mountain snow overnight.
We were at the supermarket at quarter past nine, before any onset of a rush. Don’t the well organised people, who shop this early, walk fast round the place as though they owned it. I nearly had several head on crashes with my trolley round blind corners. I was a wreck by the time we had finished.
Then we scooted off back to the bank to get the money that we should have collected yesterday. It was actually open when we got there. I inquired about why they were shut at two fifteen yesterday when they were supposed to stay open until two thirty. The young lady smiled sweetly and told us that they had gone to a Navidad (Christmas) party at head office down in Almeria, and therefore they had shut at two.
So that’s what they use my money for!!!
Anyway the story does not end there. We wanted €25000 in cash but ‘they’ had only sent €20000. They did say sorry, and even said that if we wanted the rest today we could go to the Garrucha branch and collect €2000 and then go to the Albox branch and collect the other €3000. We declined but asked them to ensure that the Albox branch had the remainder of the money in their branch by Tuesday (not a public holiday here). The round trip to Mojacar for the two days was just short of 300km. This is Spain.
On the way back to base, whilst we were in Taberno, we met the builder who was on his way to see Bob and Pam. He told them that the JCB will be up on site in the morning to start digging the foundations. We thought that we might have a sleep in tomorrow after a hectic week, no chance. But it is tremendous progress and we wouldn’t have it any other way.
We ended up getting two and a half litres of pure unrefined olive oil in exchange for our seventeen kg of olives. As already said we have only done four trees out of twelve so we must get on again soon.
The picture was taken by John at The Christmas Party at Lentisco's a week last Tuesday. Paco, the owner of Lentisco's looks on with concern expecting an accident. Gladly it never happened and we all drank our drinks from the proper glasses.