I don’t like to brag, unlike some I might mention, but it would appear that no-one else has posted a blog since my last entry. Erm…might someone have been slacking?
Consider me the new blog king.
Actually in fairness, Kate has been rather tied up with getting her book finished, and all the text was sent forward to the publishers on the set date. She’s now tying up the step by step images which show the projects being worked through at different stages. To make life easier, my Mac has moved to her workshop to allow her to scan the flat pieces, which is easier and gives better results than photographing.
Today is the start of a quiet period after 2 sets of guests in the last 3 or so weeks. Janet and John spent a fortnight with us and hopefully enjoyed themselves. They flew back to Bournemouth the Thursday before last.
We were driving them down to Malaga for their flight and had arranged to visit a British run animal rescue place just outside of Malaga at Mijas that afternoon to adopt a couple of kittens/cats. Because it was going to be a long day driving down to the coast and then back home again, we loaded all the dogs into the back of the van as well, rather than leaving them home alone.
With them in place and everyone else getting into the van, I took the opportunity to fill the windscreen washer reservoir. With water left over, I checked the radiator expansion tank. I wasn’t too alarmed to discover it empty as I hadn’t ever previously checked it. The van had ben running fine regardless. I did then think perhaps I should quickly check the oil and it was only as I was glancing around for the dipstick that I noticed the disconcerting lack of a fan belt. Oh dear.
I can’t stop thinking how lucky it was that I opened the bonnet that morning before setting off. At best we’d have been left stranded by the roadside as we struggled to find a mechanic with a fan belt. At worst we’d have blown the engine up.
Dogs were unloaded, in case we hadn’t to leave the van somewhere and make alternative plans, and we limped the vehicle slowly into Llerena. The first garage couldn’t help but did tell us the best place to go, which was only a few hundred metres down the road, at the Citroen dealership.
I was able to communicate the problem without too much difficulty and too much relief, it became apparent that they’d look at it immediately. I had feared that the manana attitude might mean that it would have to be left with them for a fortnight.
At one point I became concerned that they couldn’t find a correctly sized fan belt and were going to effect a repair with a piece of string. Unfortunately I managed to covey my concerns to my new Spanish friends and they, through hysterical laughter and a few actions, conveyed to me that the string was purely to measure what size belt was required. I retreated to the back of the van and decided to leave them to get on with it.
They didn’t have a blt in stock, but one of the mechanics walked off down the street and we guessed he was going to try some of the other garages. In due course he did return with a selection of belts and after some time refitting the alternator, which they had demonstrated was hanging loosley off the block, and then fitting the belt, the job was complete. We’d lost about an hour and a half in the garage, but the bill was a refreshing surprise and they had kindly got it sorted as quickly as they could.
Stopping to get the dogs, we hit the road for Malaga just after noon, more than 2 hours later than I’d intended. The drive down wasn’t as rapid as we’d have hoped, with quite heavy traffic slowing us down considerably through Seville, followed by thick fog and rain between Seville and the mountains outside of Malaga. Malaga was bathed in sunshine.
With the later start and slightly longer than expected journey, we had to revise our plans and head straight to the airport. I had been hoping to leave Malaga by 4.30pm to avoid to much driving in the dark, but as it was we now didn’t arrive at the airport till 5pm.
The weather throught the mountains on the way back was worse, but once the other side, the weather had improved and there was only a few points of mist and rain on the drive back to Seville. By Seville it was dark enough for headlights to be turned on, though it was only when we got onto the A66 motorway the other side of Seville that we realised our lights hadn’t turned on despite the switch being in the on position. After jiggling the switch a bit, the headlights came on.
Moments later, as I tried the full beam adjustment, the lights went off and the switch refused to lock on. Fortunately we were close to a junction and when we stopped in a small village, Kate suggested using some tape that was in the van to stick the light stalk to the dashboard and lock it in the on position. This fortunately worked and meant that we were able to continue the journey with working headlights and full beams.
We eventually made it back home at about 10pm that night.
We then had a couple of days before meeting Ed and Emma off the train at Llerena on Tuesday evening. They’d flown into Malaga the previous Sunday and travelled by train to Seville, where they stayed the Sunday and Monday nights. Their report of Seville was very good, which didn’t surprise us, and they strongly recommended a stay there for any future visitors.
We had an enjoyable few days with them and most of the time the weather was on our side. We didn’t do too much, but pigged out a lot and tried a few different local wines.
They had a flight back to Bristol from Malaga on Saturday night, so we were driving them to Cordoba so they could get a train back to the coast Saturday afternoon.
Unsurprisingly, on Saturday the weather for our drive to Cordoba was miserable. It usually is when we decide to head east. The rain was heavy when we left home and got heavier as we drove. It wasn’t too bad in Cordoba and driving back out through the mountains after dropping them at the station in the centre of the city, the rain seemed to have lifted. The final hour of our drive home was in heavy rain again though.
So today Kate is knitting and crocheting her step by steps and then scanning them. I shall shortly be heading through to her workshop to take some photographs that she needs taking.
Later this afternoon, I’ve got to head into Zafra to meet up with an English estate agent to talk about building them a new website and possibly some discussion on marketing.