Ramblings in Retirement

September 2006

I am pleased to say that the month started well with Penny returning from the UK with a clean bill of health. The specialist in Leeds explained what has been done to her and that they were happy with the result, furthermore, she need not return again unless she experiences chest pains. Although she will have to take medication for the rest of her life this is but a small price to pay.

As part of the celebrations on her return, we invited our friends round to share a meal with us a gesture of thanks for looking after me whilst Penny was away. We had a pleasant night, good food, good drink and good friends.

The weather has been very good throughout the month with temperatures reaching over 30 degrees at times. Little work has been done in the garden apart from hedge trimming which is a bit of a pain as it is so deep and tall. I intend to cut it down to half size or even get it out altogether as my neighbour has planted white Oleander on his side, which is much better than my horrible hedge.

I have decided at long last to sell my golf share, over the past four years I should have been improving yet it seems that I am not, indeed, I am probably worse! I seem to lack the consistency necessary and in a round I can play some magnificent shots only to follow them with a poor shot. I advertised the share at the club and within a week found a buyer who paid me full price (despite him wishing to haggle). From now on I will need to pay as I go but given that golf is only one of my interests it will not break the bank.

The computer club and various projects have kept me busy, it seems like “topsy” and demands on my time and expertise seem to come thick and fast. Nevertheless I enjoy producing videos and the like and I am improving with each project. As leader of the Video Editing Group of the computer club I am always searching for new material to keep the members happy and in September we had two sessions where presentations were made.

Penny and I decided to take a short break and mid-month set off for Cuenca. This is a town 200km north of Valencia and about 80km east of Madrid. We stayed at the Cuenca Parador (these are state run hotels of a high standard and we enjoy those which have some history). The Parador at Cuenca was previously a monastery in bygone years and many of the original features remain whilst the accommodation is relatively modern. Whilst partaking of an aperitif, we met another English couple and discovered that they had come from Denia, what a coincidence!

Cuenca is famous for its “Hanging Houses” (casas colgados), which have been built on the face of the gorge. There is an adjoining bridge so that one can access from the Parador to the old town but as luck would have it, it was closed for repair when we were there! I have no accurate information but I believe we were some 3000feet above sea level and it was interesting to see the change in the plant life and agriculture when compared to our part of Spain. We did all the normal tourist things, walked into the old town, took the tourist train and went into the cathedral (we seem to do this quite often and despite this I am still confused as to what all the little chapels mean. Frankly, once you have seen one cathedral….).

Close to the town there is an area called “The Enchanted Village” and we were intrigued enough to visit. In fact the “village” is an area where in some prehistoric times, a glacier moved down towards the sea and gouged out the gorge leaving behind interesting rock formations.

The tour round this area was one of the most tranquil periods I have experienced (similar to the visit to Fontilles leper colony which was equally peaceful). We rounded off our tour with a drive around the countryside visiting the “Venatanas de Diablo” (Devils windows) which was a vantage point overlooking the gorge and the river Jucar.

On my last visit to my Osteopath, he advised me that I had a serious dislocation of the first vertebrae in my neck (is this why my golf was so bad)? I had arranged to see a specialist in Valencia on our return from Cuenca so we overnighted and the following morning, visited the Oceanographic. The Oceanographic is part of a massive complex also housing the Science Museum and L'Hemisfèric (planaterium and Imax), all quite impressive architecturally and academically. Anyway, later in the day the specialist sorted my neck and, I can honestly say, I feel much better for the treatment. (I wonder if I can get my golf share back)?