Roofer, Sitter, Dancer, Host and Battle Plans!

The week since the BBQ has thrown-up quite a variety of events to do what I am poor at – Plan.

The re-roofing from a twin peak canvas version to beam, board and felt at Casa Nido is moving along. The mapping out of how to melt the bitumen gravel felt onto the free flowing boarded roof is a conundrum that needs pen, paper, reconnoiter and cerveza today. 

The storm I just missed before getting to Puerto had done some damage. One bit was the water butt at El Nido. The foundations washed away and the full butt toppledAlthough it was a great shame, I did take some profesional joy from the fact my fibreglass repair of this butt on my last visit was unblemished

Prisci has convinced me that I will absorb the culture and language quicker if my hips shake in time to Salsa. We’re booking-in for lessons starting October. I will buy tight shirts, trousers that fit where they touch, and bandana. Prisci will need steel toe-cap boots, knee pads and re-enforced shoulder pads. Should be great fun 🕺🏼💃

The coming weeks hold the Cartagena / Romans reenactment battles: http://allexciting.com/romans-carthaginians/

The fairground by the football ground is huge. I missed this event last year, but will savour everything it offers in the beautiful nearby city this time round. 

More plans, I’m housesitting in El Nido for a fortnight in October, then in Fareham UK (back to look after Shadow, the massive Newfoundland). I get to enjoy meeting up with Terry & Tina and maybe Mark & Carol again just down the road. 

The blog mentor, Tali, who is responsible for my taking up writing this stuff, is visiting Spain (first time I think) after her Canada/USA/Mexico housesits. She will love the area, and the people here. Visiting my sits, walks with Jim, and trips to Madrid, Cartagena, Barcelona, Segovia are on her itinerary before she moves onto possibly U.K. before going back across the pond. Her blog is: http://prettybrownnomad.com/ I’ll catch up with her between my sits and dancing on Prisci’s toes.

More plans – I’ve booked my flights to Abu Dhabi to visit and annoy one of my four sisters (stand-by Karen). Last visit there was sporty – run and cycle the F1 track at Yas and play football against a visiting Royal Navy ship

Planning for New Year – Brilliant that my close friends Terry & Tina will be coming for the holiday. They shared a house with me in the early eighties, still happy all this time on to keep revisiting the experience! Terry was a gun- buster in our Navy days, so I will enjoy showing him the Cartagena Military Museum and the Guns defending Cartagena in the coastal mountains (built by Vickers England), Tina will love Cartagena shopping, beautiful streets and great value designer stuff, I’m told. 

I have some electrical work to keep me out of trouble at Karl and Dishy’s. Just lights to fit, but it will be great to spend time with a cracking couple in the hours at their place near Puerto.

I’m booked in for UK and Emirates flights/airport parking/sits  – maybe I’ve conquered planning? Next blog will probably reveal the holes🤷🏻‍♂️

My old workmate has been having an on-line chat. Hayley is a mum of two now, still a fun girl who I enjoyed travelling with to USA. Even mistakenly driving us across the USA / Mexico border didn’t phase her, explained all to the border guards before they threw me into a Mexican prison with what looked like my potential unwanted sexual male fellow inmates. The relief at getting back to USA was celebrated with a tequila slammer in the first Nogales bar (watch Sicario – it is a tough city) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicario_(2015_film)

I have also met Fritz and Georgia this week. I was introduced to them by Nadine & Mark. They are considering having a house sitter during their visit to Austria. I really enjoyed chatting to them. An engineer who built his own wind generators from base materials, he told me of his passion over the last years of pottery. His ideas, home made kilns and photos of his pots were fascinating

The roof won’t ‘felt’ itself so it’s a busy Friday before what promises to be a great weekend…