We wanted to go to Alicante last winter when we were here, but we only had a month here last winter so never got round to going. Before we left the UK I made a list of things we wanted to do this winter while we were here for three months this time. One of those things was to go to Alicante on the tram and go up the castle. It’s taken us nine weeks but we have done it. We caught the tram at the station we normally go from if we are going to Benidorm but this time we were on the other track going the other way, south instead of north. And this time the tram arrived and on time. It takes about an hour to get to Alicante stopping at various places. The mostly single track winds it’s way along the coast so you can always see the sea and the loverly houses which have a view to die for.

Alicante is the second largest València city. It’s a city port. The castle which we wanted to visit castell De La Barbara is situated on mount Benacantil overlooking the city and the port. The tower La Toreta is 166 metres above sea level. When we got off the tram we had to find the way into the castle. The Spanish are not very good with there sign posts. I had looked on google earth and could see various paths but none of them actually led to the right place, they just seemed to fizzle out in the middle of nowhere. We found the road that leads up to the top but did not want to take that. I knew there was a elevator around the other side so we walked around and found that. Can you believe it, hundreds of years ago they built a castle to protect there city and even put a elevator in so you get up to the castle from sea level. At the top is the oldest part of the castle. Some of the lowest zones and walls were constructed later in the 18th century. On the slopes of the mound/ castle they have found archaeological remains of the Bronze Age, Iberian and Roman. But the origin of the fortress is in the late ninth centuary with the Muslim rule. The views from up the top are fantastic and when you stand up there looking down and imagine them bringing all the stone up there to build it etc. And not in the elevator. And then standing there with there guns and the canons ready to fire at anyone who dares to come up there. We had lunch in the cafe up the castle, overlooking the sea before going onto our next stop.

Another thing we wanted to see was the promenade down by the marina. The marina does have some very nice boats, starting at one end with the smaller ones and as you go further along they get bigger and bigger and the price tag rises also. The promenade is lines with palm trees and the marble floor is made up of 6.5 million marble floor tiles. Took me ages to count them for my research. When you look at it it looks like it’s in 3D almost, very impressive.

The last place we wanted to see was a wacky street we had been told about. It’s just a street with some weird and wonderful shops in but all along the street are these big mushrooms with bugs on top. Not your average street.

Been a busy few days going here and there. Our friends Rob and Jean who we know from Devon. They stay on the site where we work in there caravan. They have been renting a apartment in Benidorm from a friend this winter. So we arranged to go and see them. We went to catch the 11.40 tram they were going to meet us at the station in Benidorm. We sat there on the station, no tram arrived, well not on our side of the track anyway. Where we catch the tram from is just a small station. An announcement came over the tannoy in Spanish so we never understood that. We could not see any leaves on the track and it had not been snowing. The next tram was due at 12.10 and that one arrived. Talking to some peaple later it turns out the tram had hit a car on the road crossing further down the track. Some of the crossings have barriers some have lights. The one we cross going down to the shops has lights and we have seen trams slow down there because cars are still going, and we have seen more than one car jump the lights and motorbikes.

We got to Benidorm and met Rob and jean and headed for the seafront for a rest, a nice little bar/ cafe overlooking the sea. And a good chat and catch up. Next a wander through the streets of Benidorm towards Tapas square which is a area, well a square actually full of bars and restaurants, every one knows it. We have heard of it but never been. The food and drink deals are crazy. €5 for five tapas and a beer. We sat there having lunch watching the world go by and did more catching up. It was all a bit much for me to be honest, to many peaple and to noisy. But we survived. Next stop was to walk to there apartment which was about twenty minutes away through more streets and bars packed with peaple and trying to dodge the mobility scooters.

Their apartment is on floor eight so has a wonderful view of the surroundings. Which is more apartments and a sea glimpse between them and the mountains in the distance. It has a nice little balcony which catches the sun which is where we sat and had a drink and more catching up. By about 5.30 we were all getting hungry again and they suggested a Chinese just down the road. They had been there before once or twice and said it was very nice, so we strolled off to the Chinese restaurant. They recommended the €5 three course menu, so you get a starter, a main meal and a sweet and a beer or half a bottle of wine for €5 that’s about £4.50 I must admit I was thinking I am going to be hungry when we leave here, but no, the food was fantastic and the portions very generous, enough to fill me up even.

By now it was dark and Benidorm looks totally different at night, the music volume goes up a notch, the bars are even fuller than they were in the day, the karaoke is on, the grannies are all out dressed up like teenagers reliving there youth. The apartment blocks and skyscraper hotels are all lite up in different colours etc.

We walked up through the park called Parque de L’Lguera which is a loverly green area. It’s marble floor and palm tree walkway with lights and fountains each side. There is a huge big auditorium in the middle where they have concerts. They were working in that bit so we could not go through there. At the top is a bullring.

Some other friends on the site we are on now, Tony and Lynne the ones we went to the restaurant with the ribs I told you about asked us if we would like to go out with them again about an hours drive away up the coast to Moraira a nice unspoilt small town by the sea, stopping on the way at a very good fish and chip restaurant. A day out, by the sea, food, beer, great company. Never took us long to make our minds up. The fish and chips was so nice, almost like they had sprayed the batter on and the fish just crumbled in your mouth. Are you getting hungry now. Moraira is a loverly little town and has a loverly marina at one end. We strolled around the boats. Tony used to have a nice boat so he was telling me all about them. We had a loverly ice cream sat overlooking the marina to finish the day off.

Our next trip out is to Alicante on the tram, something we wanted to do last time we were here but never seemed to find the time. We have only been here for nine weeks now so should really do it. And I must tell you Nikki got very upset the other day when we went shopping. Her favourite red wine she drinks that cost 99 cents had gone up to €1.20 A twenty percent increase. Life will never be the same. I had to take her home and sit her down and give her a drink……….of here favourite red wine.

Well I can’t believe we have been on this site now for two months. The time just flys away. I am sure the time in Spain runs different to back in the Uk. When I am at work it never goes this quick. Nikki’s foot is a lot better but still not right. She can walk down to the beach and back as long as she takes her time and has a coffee stop. The E bike that we have ear marked for her when we get back has good reviews etc and luckily we saw one on site so we’re able to have a good look at it and ask the owner all about it and what she thought of it. She highly recommended it, so that’s The one we will get for her when we get back. My bike will be serviced as it’s not working right at all. I also have an E bike earmarked for me but that can wait.

We have lots of friends on site here and one couple Tony and Lynne were telling us about different places in the area etc. They have been doing this for years. They said about a restaurant up by the dam which I have passed on my bike.They told us about the sticky ribs etc. They offered to take us up there one lunch time, so a time and day were set straight away as I was licking my lips and dribbling at the thought of these ribs. The guy that works in there was a real carecter and made us laugh so much. Nikki ordered scampi and I ordered a salad. The salad was to go with her scampi. LOL I ordered the sticky ribs and a beer and some wet wipes. Well what can I say apart from those ribs were some of the best I have ever had the fortune of eating. Did I eat them with my fingers, did I get the sauce all over my hands, did I get the sauce in my beard. Yes. I even let Nikki try one. She caught me on a good day. She enjoyed her scampi also.

Yesterday we went for a walk down to the sea, then said our goodbyes as I wanted to go for a coastal walk which would be to far for Nikki. She was ok to walk back. I had looked on google maps at the coast line and could see a couple of ruins so wanted to check them out. I love old buildings wether they are still intact or they have been left to just fall away. If I can get inside it’s even more exciting. The coast here is beautiful and as I climbed up and down the many paths on the barren land I could see my goal. This old house was on the way. Not much of it left now.

Villa Giacomina was built around 1910 so not very old really. Built by Dr Alfonso Esquerdo I suspect in between seeing his patients. He married Giacomina Bellami and they lived in the house untill 1922 when Alfonso died. Properly coud’ent find a doctor because they were all building houses. It’s historicist architecture I states Medevil, Arabic and gothic style. At the end of the civil war Dr Bastos who was the head of traumatology at the Swedish hospital of Alcohol lived there. After the war it was occupied by the Italian Littorio division. Currently the city council develops a research and recovery programme of the building. But it looks more like the graffiti artists and vandals are doing more work on it. Real shame.

The second building I wanted to see was a small tower not far from the house. Standing on the highest point of the land overlooking the sea from both directions. This was built by the famous psychiatrist and head of the Republican Party Jose Maria Esquerdo who was Alfonso’s uncle. It was built as a private study. No computers or lap tops here but what a great location to sit and work from. Again the graffiti artists and vandals have moved in.

Happy new year to all.

Seems like it’s been ages since we caught up. It’s that time of year with Xmas and new year where for everyone the thing to do is run around the shops buying presents that no one really wants and buy enough shopping for three months because the shops are closed for two whole days. Then the big day arrives you put on your best Xmas jumper and wait for the relatives to arrive then open your present from them to reveal yet another pair of socks and put on that false smile as you say thank you,they are just what I wanted. Lucky for us Xmas is just another day. We sat outside and had a big breakfast. Bah humbug.

I have been out on my bike, and on only the second time out managed my target to get around the whole of the dam and back. It’s just over ten miles round trip with some real serious climbs. I must admit I did walk up one of those but only because I can’t get all my gears on my bike. Which has 24 gears and I can get 16 of them, and the eight I can’t get are the ones I need to keep peddling up the hills. I am still pleased I bought it though and we are going to get Nikki a E bike for next year. My E bike will have to wait a bit longer so I hope she waits for me on the hills.

A few days ago now we went out for a walk, our aim to go down the seafront have a drink, non alcoholic and walk back. We went a different way to normal and Nikki took a tumble. We were walking down hill on uneven ground and she stumbled, tried to grab hold of me and fell. Don’t panic, she is ok. A bit shook up she limped to the cafe and we had our drink. Then when we started to walk back she realised she was not going to make it as her foot had swelled up and was very painful. So we got a taxi back. Another five pounds out of her pocket money. It’s loads better now but still not 100%.

Our friends Stu and Nettie from Somerset arrived for two weeks. It’s always nice to see them. They have a car and were going to Carafour to get some shopping and would we like to go with them. We needed a couple of things so off we went. Carafour is a huge big supermarket that sells everything, a bit like Halfords, B & Q, and marks and spencer all rolled into one. As you may no I love shopping….. NOT. So as we roam around I doodle past the huge tv’s watching the surfing and extreme sports, I even got to look round the bike section for ten minutes before Nikki found the pillow section. We need new pillows she says and starts to show me various pillows, some hard some soft, some feather some not feather. These are the ones I want, memory foam, they are on offer look 70% off. My eyes are by now starting to glaze over and I am thinking I really need one of those pillows to put my head on and drift off. When I wake up I will be in a bar on the beach. In the trolly they go and off we go to pay. The lady on the till rings everything through and Nikki asks if the bill is right as it seems a bit high, the till lady says it’s ok, Nikki asks about the pillows. Till lady explains that you buy one and the next one is 70% off. Nikki turns to me and asks me what shall we do. In my mind I think if we don’t buy them I am going to have to go through all this again. That will be so painful. So I smile and say just buy them, it’s what you wanted. They took a couple of nights to get used to but they are nice so we will be keeping them. And hopefully they will last a long time.

A bit of excitement on site the other night where two German family’s were playing loud music late at night and then letting of fireworks. The night security were straight on to them and then some dutch peaple joined in. So you had germans, spainish and Dutch all shouting at each other, none of them understanding each other. The end result was the Germans were kicked off site the next day. There has been a bad bug going round and putting peaple in bed for a few days, hope they got nice pillows. And one of the ladies even got taken to hospital and had to stay in overnight after she collapsed in the shower on site. She is back now and on the mend. It all happens here you know.

Now I know you all want to know about the weather. Well we are now into our 54th day without any rain. There has only been one day when it just spotted with rain on and off for a couple of minutes, not even enough to keep the dust down. Yesterday we had lunch by the pool with our friends as they are leaving today. It was about 26 degrees so we sat under the umberellas so the beer stayed cool a bit longer. I know back in the Uk you are having some really nasty weather. Hope you are all safe.

Now if I had a euro for every time I have said watch out on this trip I would be staying out here a bit longer. Now your all wondering, what is he on about now, has the cheese slid off his cracker, has he finally lost the plot due to to much sun. Everywhere you walk in Spain, France or Portugal there is dog poo. They just don’t pick up after their dog. Well some do, but most don’t. I know it’s bad in the Uk but not as bad as Europe. And it’s not the dogs fault, it’s the owners. So as we walk off down to the beach or town to the Chinese shop, supermarket etc it’s like a obstacle cause with me shouting WATCH OUT as weave our way around the poop piles, some small, others bigger. That’s enough of that dirty talk now.

Over the back of our pitch here are olive trees and barren ground. The amount of different birds I see in there is amazing. Blackbirds, sparrows, blackcaps, redstarts, Black redstarts, Siskin, and even on rare occasions a hoopoa. the other day when we came back from the shop, sat on the fence singing away was what looked like a white sparrow, grabbed the camera but to late he had flown away. The next day he was back, hopping about on the ground eating. I managed to get some photos of him this time and relized he was a canary and must have escaped from his cage. Going back to the Hoopoo, no we’re not talking about the dogs and Chinese shop again. HOOPOO he did that one over there, no not him hepoo no Hoopoo I don’t know Hoopoo. The Hoopoa is a mistle thrush sized bird found in Europe and sometimes seen in the south of England in the spring while on there migration course. Beautifully coloured with a long bill and a crest on there head which stands up when they are excited. Wanted to get a photo of one but you don’t see them that often. Well the other day one landed and was searching for food on the ground, they eat spiders and grubs etc and dig in the ground with there long bill. Got the camera out and stood very still and reeled off a few shots. He was very obliging coming even closer and at one point even sitting down in the sun for a small nap. He was not very excited about having his photo taken though as he never raised his crest.

Before we came away I dusted off my 25 year old mountain bike to bring with us. I wanted to be able to get out a bit further than just walking. We both did to be fair and the idea was to buy two E bikes but lack of funds put that on hold until next year. Nikki was ok with me bringing mine and her running along behind. No not really. She does not do running, even a long walk is painful for her hips and feet. So before we come away next winter we are going to get her a E bike. I have not used my bike for a long time so my bike fitness is very poor but I go out for small rides now and then. I used to bike a lot and am getting back into it now. Although not as mad as I used to be when I used to go up on ex or every weekend and hurtle down the hills at stupid speeds. I checked out google maps as I knew there was a reservoir not to far away and wanted to go up there. You can cycle to it with out going on many main roads which is always nicer. Took me about half an hour to get there. The reservoir is called Embalse de Amadorio It’s the closest reservoir to the sea in all of Europe supplying all of Benidorm and surrounding areas. It’s not very full at the moment considering it’s winter time which is when it mostly rains and fills up. It was really Erie up there, nobody about. In the summer it would be packed as there are lots of nice picnic spots all around, loads of paths shooting off all over the place. A road runs all around it up and down through the hills but the road is fenced off so you can’t get through with a car, only a bike or walk. My aim by the time we leave her is to be able to cycle from where we are staying all the way up to the dam and around it and back. Will keep you posted. You go through a tunnel to get on the main dam wall go across and a tunnel the other end takes you to the start off the road. Lots of graffiti on the walls as usual in Spain. I noticed a couple of good points to get some photos so cycled up into the tunnel. Found the archway, covered in graffiti, dark and Erie. As I stepped into the archway and started to take photos I could hear footsteps and a voice. I had not seen a single person. Am I going to be mugged and thrown into the dam and my 25 year old bike stolen. I stepped out of the archway and saw this scruffy unshaven man approaching me with two dogs. I smiled and said Ola and he walked on by. Lucky for him, I like my old bike and the water looked cold.

So that’s us to date. As we don’t do Xmas we both wish you all happy holidays and hope you have a good one and it’s not to cold. We will have a walk down the beach in the sun and if it’s to hot take shade under a palm tree. Until the next time. WATCH OUT.

Whenever we are on a campsite we always end up giving peaple names, only because we don’t know there real names. So at the moment, one side of us we have a retired Dutch couple. She is called the Ya Ya lady because everyone she talks to all you seem to hear is Ya Ya. Her husband does not say a lot. She is normally talking to the guy the other side of us, a Belgium guy called the walrus, because he has this big walrus’s type moustache and just looks like one. Another Dutch couple walk past us to go to the shower block. She is very stern looking and never smiles she is scary lady, he always wears his clogs so is called Mr cliperty clop. Then we have Hat man, he was here last year and is still wearing the same cloths and no matter what the weather he always has his hat on, a black leather beret style, must be so hot but I don’t think we have ever seen him with his hat off. Tilty man is over the other side of the campsite, named because last year his pitch was sinking but he refused to move so his van was all lop sided. Maybe he is related to the leaning pole down the road. I will let you know if more peaple with funny names arrive. Just don’t park next to us, you never know what we might call you.

It was time for a hair cut again. While coming back from the beach one day we saw a barbers with an English name and all the signage was in english. Makes it easier if they can understand you. So a couple of days later we were passing that way and it was open. No time like the present I thought and went on in. Only one girl in there and another guy. Yep you guessed it. Spanish speaking. So the trying to explain and lots of hand gestures to the young lady and I think her boyfriend, with Nikki joining in and me she stood there nodding. To be honest she could have been saying she was going to cut my head off and I would have said yes. She was very nice and gave me a very nice hair cut.

Weather wise, we have had some frosty mornings, well I think it was three,but by nine o’clock the sun has come out and it has been hot. We are due for some rain tomorrow. Not happy about that as that will be the second day of rain in the 24 days we have been in Spain. Still we can’t complain when we hear what you guys in the Uk are getting. I am still trying to get a fishing licence sorted but seems very difficult after doing some research on line, you have to have two passport photos, an address in Spain etc. I have one more place to try down by the marina so will wander off there soon. Nikki is happy as Cava has been reduced in the supermarket, now down to £1.32 a bottle. Think we’re going to need a bigger camper. Which leads me onto a very nice camper that arrived two days ago. A Concorde liner plus. German built with hundreds of options and a garage in the back for your small car. When something unusual arrives on site it’s like a magnet, everyone wants to see it. We were lucky it was not far from us. It parked up on the pitch, only just fitting lengthways the back end went down, the garage door opened and out came a original fiat 500. By this time there must have been about twenty peaple all looking on. The garage door closed, the camper levelled itself and the owners went in for a cup of tea. Never even signed autographs.

We went for a loverly coast walk, passing the marina and heading on along the footpath past some loverly houses and some not so loverly. Or they would have been when they were built a few years ago, now they are just abandoned with a loverly piece of land, just waiting for someone to buy and completely rebuild. Nikki sat in the sun while I went a bit further along on the rocks. Camera in hand I was trying to get a shot and had to be low down and as I crept further forward on the rock towards the sea, I started sliding towards the sea, it was like ice. All I could think was I am going in. I was not at all worried about going in the sea but was worried about my camera, holding it as high as possible and a quick decision to launch myself at a rock nearby worked. It all happened so quick but seems like it was in slow motion, if you know what I mean. I never went in but was close and the camera was ok. This is not the shot I wanted but a safe one.

Good morning, that’s what the title says in Spanish, just in case you thought I had gone mad. Really I am just showing off that I have remembered some Spanish from our Spanish lessons. I know a couple of other words also, but must admit Nikki is far better than me. I suppose that’s the difference in going to school and not going a lot when we were young. We have now had two Spanish lessons and I must admit I am struggling with it. They say things in such a different way to what we do. I know that’s stating the obvious but it’s true. The teacher Yvonne asked me what year was I born. I know I was born in 1960 but to say 1960 in Spanish you say it as it is in numbers, so it’s one thousand nine hundred and sixty. Mil novecientos sesenta. Can you see why I am confused. Mrs clever clogs Nikki gets an easy question. Like what pitch are you on. 90 = noventa. Still we are having a laugh. It’s a good job we don’t go to the Bingo, but i think that’s all in English.

Our friends Bill and June took there van to the garage after the Mechanic came out and said it was the injectors and would need it for a couple of days. They had to find somewhere to stay while it was in the garage and found a loverly little apartment down in the old part of Villajoyosa overlooking the sea. We let them get settled in and then went down to see them. The view was fantastic, shame it was a overcast day. The photo is taken from their balcony looking out and to the side.

Looking up the street from the balcony.

They had this for two nights and everything was in it they needed. After admiring the veiw we decided to go for a stroll along the front and have a drink with them. We sat outside at one of the bar/ restaurants watching the fishing boats coming back with a huge cloud of seagulls around them. Peaple strolling past. And ordering our drinks in Spanish. When we are back in the UK we don’t go out a lot because of the expense, preferring to save our money for when we are away. You will understand when you work this out. Just add up the price of what we got where you are now in the Uk and then look at what we payed. So between us we had. 9 x glasses of wine, not small ones, 2 x small beers, half pints, 3 x large beers, 1 x big Brandy properly 3 measures, 1 x coffee, 2 x large plates of chips to soak up all that drink. And whenever you get a drink in Spain you always get tapas, so we also had dishes of olives, nuts, crisps. The total bill for that was. £33. Now you can see why we don’t go out much in the Uk. And that is with a poor exchange rate at the moment. Another example is when we go shopping. Last year Nikki bought a bottle of wine at 99 cents just to try. It was really nice so she gets some every time we go shopping now. At the super market the other day. Four bottles of red wine and two bottles of carva. £7 and two pence. So that’s enough of telling you about prices as you probably hate us now or your landlord next time you go down your local.

We left the bar about 7.30pm peaple we’re starting to come out then. Walking up through the town it was like the middle of the day, well not spanish middle of the day because they all close up and go and have a kip. The town was buzzing, all the shops barbers etc all open and every doing there shopping. The Black Friday sales were still on so everyone was looking for a bargain.

Now I am going to make you happy, why because we had some rain, the first rain we have had for over two weeks. Not a lot of it just enough to dampen the ground. Today it’s blowing a hoolie buts it’s going to be sunny later. Then we are in for a cold snap for a couple of days then back to normal. We went for a walk yesterday around the back streets and old houses not far from the campsite. It’s amazing how the Spanish live and we saw some loverly old houses that needed some TLC. This was one of my favourites.

Bill and June got there motorhome back and came to say goodbye, they are off to another site an hour further south. We may go down there to see them, just to get off site for a couple of days and to give the camper a run. We have lots of other things planned also. We will see how the money goes. Can’t believe we are into December already.

Here we are a week later at Camping imperium at Villajoyosa. We plan to be here for up to three months, before heading back for the ferry home. But we don’t want to talk about that. The reason for doing it this way this year is, one to see if we save any money, but I don’t think we will, and just to see if we like it this way as lots of peaple do this. As our aim is to get away from the horrible winters in the uk, we are just living in Spain for the winter. But my itchy feet just want to see more and more. My feet don’t really itch, I don’t need cream or anything to make them stop itching. It’s just a saying, you know what I mean. I must admit it’s nice to be back here seeing the same peaple we saw last year when we were here for a month and hearing their tales of what they have been doing since being here. One couple have been here all year, another couple went home and sold everything and came back and are staying here for the moment.

We have used this week to recharge, walking down to the beach, the supermarket, the Chinese shop. The Chinese shop is not a takeaway but a shop where you can buy almost anything, and you never know what your going to find in there so we always go in there and come out with something we didn’t even know we needed. The supermarket we use has had a refurb from last year and looks very nice. One of the wines Nikki drinks is still 99cents and still tastes as good so I am informed. We did a shop there and it cost us €40. When we got back to base Nikki sat in the sun, sorry there’s that word again and did a like for like comparison with what it would have cost us in the Uk. It would have cost us about £25 pound more. So even though the exchange rate is not to good you still get more for your euro than your pound.

The site has a pool, out door not heated and always looks so inviting. Spanish outdoor pools are not heated because in the summer it’s so hot they just get warm anyway. I dipped my toe in one day and thought, that’s not too bad, I am going to go for a swim tomorrow. Tomorrow came we walked down to the pool, Me with my towel and swimming shorts, Nikki forgot hers for some reason. The reason being she has a brain that works. Got to the pool and it was looking so nice, shimmering in the sun, blue sky overhead, no German towels on the sun loungers. So yes of course I went in. Was it cold, yes it was but once I was in and swimming it was ok. Apparently cold water swimming is good for you. I know why, because when you get in you think how cold it is and say sod this let’s go down the bar. The picture below proves I did it, and yes I will do it again.

Another thing we have done this week is have some Spanish lessons. They came round asking if anybody was interested in learning some basic Spanish. When we’re away we always like to try and communicate as much as possible in the language of the country we’re in, even ifs it’s only a simple hello, thank you, goodbye. The lessons are free so thought, let’s go for it. It’s only for an hour once a week. Do we have time though, I think so. The lady doing the lessons, Yvonne speaks five different languages. She is Dutch but also speaks Spanish which is lucky as she is trying to teach us that, also she speaks French, German and of course very good English. It’s amazing how she can switch from one to another if speaking to a group. I was never very good at school and am not very good at learning things now as I get older, but the way she taught it was very basic and we had it all written down so I can practise. Nikki is much better than me. So when we get back to the uk and see any of you and start speaking and it doesn’t sound right to you, please remind us we are in England.

Another good thing this week, our friends Bill and June texted us to say they are stopping in on this site to see us for a week on their way further south. So nice to see them. We met them three years ago and have managed to see them every year at some point. When we went round to say hello, I could smell diesel and said to Bill, you have a leak and started to investigate. He has had a lot of trouble with his motorhome this year so was not too pleased about more problems. I got on the Internet that evening and found a garage just down the road with a English speaking owner who we went to see the next morning and is coming out to have a look today. Then he will get it booked in for when Bill leaves this site.

Just one more thing. I have to tell you about the tilty pole. The way we walk to the supermarket, the first bit is through a cut through, small road, orange groves in the fields and lemons etc. Last year we noticed this electricity pole leaning over and thought then a good wind and that would be gone. Not like in England where the minute the wooden poles get a bit of rot in them they are replaced. Good ol Heath and safety. Well there was the pole still there, a year later but leaning even further over now. I really don’t know how it is managing to stay there.

As the title says 1437 miles after leaving Devon we are at our winter destination, camping imperium at Villajoyosa in Spain. More on that later.

We got to Parcverger campsite and were met by Frank the owner. Had a chat with him. It’s always nice to see peaple you have not seen for a while, catch up etc. He told us what he had been doing to the campsite etc. We got parked up eventually. We were going to spend a couple of nights here to recharge our batteries. That’s me and Nikki not the camper. We use Guinness and wine to recharge, the camper uses electricity. The weather was not good, misty and raining on and off so we never really got out for a nice walk. Another couple who live on the site in a small chalet invited us over for tea in the afternoon which was nice to catch up with them. We often check the weather while we are away to see where we’re going is going to be nice etc. As I said we were planning on moving on after a couple of days, but the weather was set to be gale force winds as in 50/60 mph where we were heading for which was Palamos in Spain. My nervous passenger and co pilot was not looking forward to the journey, so we stayed another night at Parcverger.

The day we left Parcverger was sunny and dry. We decided to use the toll roads because we wanted to get there the same day. It was very windy at one point, but with a firm grip on the steering wheel we were ok. If we had a pound for every cone we saw on the road or a euro we would be very rich. There was mile after mile coned off because they were cutting the grass banks. Or what I really think is they never had room at the yard for all the cones so the boss thought, let’s put some out on the road so it looks like we’re doing some work and solve the storage problem.

Our sat nav has been playing up on this trip and on more than one occasion has been very close to being thrown out the window. At one point we had the sat nav on which was Emily, she does have a nice voice, Nikki had maps on her phone for directions which was a woman’s voice also and of course Nikki with the map. I was thinking, this is great here I am driving along and I have three women trying to tell me where to go. And none of them have ever driven anything bigger than a shoebox.

We crossed the border into Spain and the sun was shining and we were soon at Palamos. The place we’re staying for a couple of nights to recharge again was a cross between a aire and a campsite. All very nice, plenty of space, clean showers and toilets etc. We got checked in by a nice guy who spoke very good English and told us to park where we liked. As we drove in we saw a nice pitch in the sun and guess what. There beside it was another bloody cone. We did laugh and had to have that pitch. The next day we walked off down to the beach which was about 1km away. We sat on a bench in the sun gazing out to see thinking, this is what we work for, to spend winters like this. Well and to buy our recharging sources. There was a group of students setting up some small sailing boats for lessons in sailing. I think they got ripped off because there was hardly any wind, where were they the day before when the winds were blowing a hoolie.

On the way back from the beach we spotted a big bug. A praying mantas to be precise. Fantastic looking bug. Reading up on them later, it turns out that they have sex and then the female eats the male. No wonder he is called a praying mantas. I think I would be praying if I thought after sex I was going to get eaten. Here’s the one that got away or he is still a virgin.

Off we go again after two days, heading for Benicarlo, to a site we have stayed before. Another loverly greeting by one of the owners daughters who actually remembered me which was nice. Pitched up and time to recharge. Saw some old friends there also which again was nice. Washed the camper as it was so dirty after the bad weather and all the miles/ kilometres. The weather again was fantastic, no wind blue sky’s and warm enough to be sat out in shorts and vest top until the sun went down.

We left Benicarlo yesterday at 10am heading for Villajoyosa. The journey is mostly motorway and the miles flew by. As we turned into the site it felt really good to be back. Greeted by Yovonne who again remembered us. Pitched up on our pitch and within ten minutes we had been greeted by three different people, all who had remembered us from last time we were here which was December/January. So after leaving Devon and driving 1437 miles we are here. Time to recharge.

. Had a great last couple of days in the UK, at the Sparkford musuem and a nice meal in the pub for my dads 80th.

And now we’re in France. We caught the 8.30am ferry. Big surprise we never got searched this time. Quite disappointed really I was looking forward to getting patted down by a nice French lady. We don’t normally like to go far on the first day when getting off the ferry, but decided to drive for a couple of hours to a place called Fougeres where we would spend the first night on a aire near the chateau. The sun was shining, the roads clear and we were on the road. Found the aire and parked up.  The sun was starting to go down so we had a quick walk around the outside of the chateau which was very impressive. A good nights sleep and a. Dry frosty morning followed.

We needed to top up with fuel and get a bit of shopping the next morning before heading out on the highway. There was a big supermarket up the road and we could also get fuel there. The car park was busy but we managed to find a space on the end of the row, well two spaces actually as we take up two spaces and being so big it’s better if we can get on the end of the row for getting out. All went well. Off to get fuel and try and squeeze into a gap where a car would normally go for fuel. A bit tight but we managed with me at the nozzle end and Nikki at the put your card end. Lucky we are both so slim. LOL.Back on the road we are heading for an aire by a lake out in the country. Again the sun is out the roads are clear. The speeding laws have changed in France now where now if you get caught speeding now they can access the uk database and fine you. It’s still a bit of a grey area from what I can gather. But the reason I mention it is because I got flashed. Not by a loverly French lady but by a little box on the side of the motorway. Being over 3.5 ton my limit is the same as HGV lorry’s 90kilometers per hour. This is very frustrating as the lorry’s bumble along and so do we normally, but when you want to get somewhere I tend to cruise at about 70mph on clear open roads with hardly anything on them. So we will see what happens it’s done now so no point in thinking about it.

We get to the next aire by the lake after a small detour. Thanks sat nav. The road leading to the village of Boisme is used like a race track it seems as the cars coming towards us are going at motorway speeds except for one ol boy who must have been about 110 years old and in the middle of the road, but we passed by. Parked up, the sun is out the trees look beautiful in there autum colours, so a walk round the lake was what we needed after being on the road for four hours.

A pint in the sun and some tea and as the sun goes down it starts to cool down. All cozy inside looking forward to a nice quite night beside the lake in the country. WRONG the race track is behind us and also the big juggernougt lorries have joined in the race, dogs are barking and the trees we are parked under are dripping on the roof. Plip plop plip plop,pliperdy ploperdy. It sounds like a bunch of sqeurals are having a party up the tree. Would we come back to this so peacefully aire. NO. We move on the next morning for another 4.5hour drive to Parcverger a campsite we have stopped at before for a nice shower and a peaceful night.