Ramblings in Retirement
November 2009

It has been a quiet month since our return from the UK but the weather has been great, uncommonly mild with temperatures in the mid 20's allowing us to do some garden tidying. I removed some 20 or so branches from our feature palm tree which is no mean feat, the ends of the branches have small 6” spikes which are very painful when they puncture you skin. Also on the palm are the seed clusters, which look quite nice in large bunches of orange, but the weight of them drags the branches down so they have to be removed. Gathering all the garden rubbish, branches, grass cuttings, ivy etc, is one thing, trying to get rid of the stuff is quite another. I can load several bags into the car but when I took them to the skip it was already full so I went on to the “eco” park in Denia where I dumped the lot. I was given some funny looks by a couple of people and found out later that I should have put the car on the weighbridge and paid (a couple of euros) to dump! I'll give that place a miss for a month or so!


Our lift has been out of action since we returned and it has been difficult to get the technician from Valencia to come and repair it. We are still waiting! On a positive side, we are having to carry all the shopping up the stairs and keeping fit in the process, phew, you soon realise the benefit of having a lift (or the lack of benefit when it's not in use).

My golf has been quite good this month and I have featured among the winners within the golf society on several occasions. I'm not too sure whether I am getting better or that everyone else is getting worse! Penny has bought me an electric golf trolley which was sent from the UK, the trolley arrived but apparently the battery got “lost” in Madrid, I'm still waiting for it so I will have to keep pulling my hand cart.

We had our Annual Prizegiving and Dinner Dance for the golf society (unfortunately my consistency of playing is not good enough for me to win anything of major importance, so I was not among the prizes on this occasion).


It was a great night and rather than drive back afterwards, Penny and I booked into the Golf Hotel Oliva Nova. We had a splendid suite with a large balcony overlooking the sea.



With our fabulous holiday in 2008 well behind us, Penny and I have decided to venture out again next year, we have booked a tour of India. Our itinery is, Dehli, Agra (Taj Mahal) Jaipur, the Rathborne National Park(Bengal Tigers) and finally to Shimla at the foot of the Hymalayas. We have elected to go in March when the weather is supposed to be more pleasant. We are really looking forward to it.

Rather a short edition this month (you may be glad at that)! Just a final reminder, I will not be sending any Christmas Cards out this year as once again I shall be donating the money to the NSPCC, so in a way you have contributed also, well done.

Just to finish here is some Christmas cheer: