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We’ve been so busy – not

Saturday 23rd December

How time flies, last time I blogged we were the newbies, now I’m in charge!! Peter and Tina have returned home for Xmas and left Lucy and me in total command of 130 odd campers (and most of them are pretty odd!!)

We have now been here for seven weeks and have just one week left. Are we going off doing our touring bit you may ask –  no, we are heading straight for Marjal to be assistant stewards there for three more months. We also have a Summer Sun rally lined up for May and June next year in the Loire Valley.

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In the first couple of weeks we were here there were week long fiestas taking place in our neighbouring town, the highlight being the fireworks display.

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For a relatively small town the display was really impressive, easily surpassing any display I have been to before.

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Occasionally we get time off and headed for the lights of Benidorm. In some respects it is just as bad as I had feared but the beach is great, much of the town is great and there are drinks and meal deals round every corner.

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You can even watch fireworks in the middle of the day. We missed the evening fireworks and the fancy dress parades, something to see another year.

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We have tried to take part in every activity. Here is my very first hand in whist, hearts are trumps. Did I win this round? All I can say is that my partner was rubbish. I’ve been plagued with poor partners ever since we arrived.

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We’ve run parties in the street, this is coffee, cake and brandy.

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We’ve been on the weekly walks, here are some avocados.

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Altea church…

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… and Altea cemetery.

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One of the back roads in Altea

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And the view from Altea church. The lighthouse is at the far left of the promontory and you can see the high rise hotels of Benidorm to the right.

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Occasionally (always) we stop in a bar half way round our walks / bike rides / shopping trips / days off, etc. We don’t really need an excuse for a bar visit.

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Oranges are growing everywhere around here. I still find them fascinating (I had a sheltered upbringing – we only saw oranges at Xmas).

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Communal BBQ..

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Another day in the street, can’t remember what this one was!

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The site is being constantly maintained and improved, savings made on health and safety equipment are ploughed back into something or other.

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We had a little friend come to stay for a little while.

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The back streets of Old Altea…

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… and a church on one of our walks. Carnations are hanging from strings – who knows why?

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Flowers for Mother – do you want me to take some cuttings or can you get some seeds from Rainham Horticultural Society?

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One of the many staggering sunsets – they aren’t always so colourful but often very pretty.

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Tapas Alley in Benidorm, 70 plus ralliers dressed up in Xmas gear walked into Benidorm and availed themselves of the wide selection of tapas bars – who wouldn’t, €5 for a litre of beer or a bottle of wine and 5 tapas.

We have had a great time here, it’s like an East Essex DA rally but for two months and in the sun. I’ve been the quiz master at one of the quiz nights, Lucy and I have shepherded a large group into the chocolate factory in Villajoyosa (and didn’t lose any of them), I’ve led bike rides and walks, today was a walk to the local flea market where you can buy second hand socks or odd shoes. We’ve helped run a tapas afternoon, tomorrow I’m cooking 160 sausages in a roll, a couple of weeks ago I cooked chilli for 40 plus ralliers. We’ve run skattles matches and been to the boules games, don’t forget the coffee mornings, administration, board game nights and problem solving (water leaks, toilets not flushing, medical issues, insurance issues, dog issues, cat issues). Lucy has a new found talent for taking peoples names for the various lunches and nights out in bars and restaurants.

One week left here and then on to another adventure.

Lucy and I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Xmas and a Happy New Year wherever you are. We get Xmas day off so might go for a paddle in the sea and do a bit of sunbathing – or we might just hit the booze, choices, choices.

XXX

9 thoughts on “We’ve been so busy – not

  1. Andrew Oleary

    Great to hear from you 2 again ,we thought you had gone undercover.. Have a great Christmas and all the best for 2018 Val and Andrew.

  2. Dennis Walland

    All sounding good to me and it’s nice to hear that you are doing something useful at last. Word is that when you get to Marjal you will be able to have a nice rest, nothing much happening here.

    Have a good day Christmas day and best wishes for the New Year

    Denzil

    1. Mark Post author

      We’ve heard that Marjal is a breeze compared to here as well! Had to cook 160 sausages today, my little helpers sold 300 servings of mulled wine, slightly worn out now and taking it easy until the Club re-opens on Wednesday.

      Have a great time looking at the photos of Xmas dinners that I’ve asked Peter to send you.

      See you soon

      Mark & Lucy

  3. John and Ann Preston

    Lovely to hear from you both and it looks like you’ve taken to it like ducks to water.

    Weather is very mild here at the moment so our 2 grandsons and their dads went on treasure hunt round the village this afternoon, to exhaust them really. They finished up in the churchyard looking for the last clue.”find 4 buttons in the graveyard”. They suddenly realised there were names on the gravestones,Button is a local name, and eventually found their treasure, 2 huge bags of goodies.

    We have really missed Spain this year, John says he would rather be there away from all the hassle, but he gets the new knee next Thursday so needs must.

    The photos are great and it’s good to see where you are, hope your Mum’s successful with the Bourgainvillia !

    Hope you both have a good time Christmas Day and a very Happy New Year. We might catch up in the Loire !

    xx John and Ann

  4. Nick & Elaine

    Good to hear all still going well and that Marjal is going to allow you to chill even more. Have a great time over the festive period.
    Nick & Elaine
    xx

  5. Alan - Going Nomad

    Unbelievable that a year has flown by since we met at Monmar last year and that you got me hooked on Game of Thrones 🙂

    We are currently back in the UK where Michelle has had a full hip replacement and I can hardly walk with sciatica. Need to get fit soon as we are doing 6 months campsite wardens this year from March and heading off on our travels again at the end of September. Happy for you both that you are enjoying the stewarding roles with some nice winter weather thrown in as a bonus. We visited Marjal last year. A huge site with some massive rigs. You should be able to chill there as it is a polar opposite to the madness of Benidorm and surrounding area. Hopefully we can catch up again “somewhere down the road”

    1. Mark Post author

      It is hard to believe how quickly time flies, is it an age thing?
      Wish Michelle well with her recovery, you won’t need to walk far if you’re doing the site warden work, you’ll have a lawnmower to play on all day long!
      We’re looking forward to a new challenge but are missing the travelling around bit as well. We’ve had to buy a new awning so travelling is going to be much harder whilst having to step over a big lump on the floor.
      Have a great time and we may see you again somewhere!

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