Almunecar on Spain's Costa Tropical

When writer Laurie Lee first saw Almunecar in 1936 it was a small village.  To quote 'a tumbling little village'.  Because it was on the hillside below the Castillo de San Miguel.

In the 1950s when Laurie Lee returned, the village was still coming to terms with the outcome of the Spanish Civil War.  His book 'A Rose for Winter' is based on that.  And there is a rather plain memorial to this British writer

These days there are now hotels and a nice flat promenade for strolling along.  And, of course, shops to browse.

Incidentally, when in the town do wear comfortable shoes as there are a lot of very steep hills here, especially if you go up to the Castle and meander around the old town.  There are plenty of cafes in which to sit and recover but I enjoyed relaxing in the gardens overlooking Playa Puerta del Mar. Good seats and it is reasonable quiet.

The Laurie Lee Memorial

In these gardens, below the Castillo, is the metallic Monument to the Phoenicians near to which is Laurie Lee's Memorial.

Another quiet place where you can sit and relax is the Parque el Majuelo with trees from around the world.  And you can see another part of the area's history - the Roman Fish Salting 'factory'.

If you fancy a trip to Malaga, buses leave from the bus station towards the back of the town.  As there are two companies operating it is not advisable to buy return tickets.  If you do buy them there is a danger that you may get on the rival company's bus for the return journey and have to pay again.  They don't have a reciprocal arrangement!

Train Travel Woes

Although I appreciate the bad weather MAY have had something to do with my recent travel troubles, Southern left me and other travellers feeling abandoned.

On the day I was sailing out P&O had given me a check-in time of 14.45-15.45.  The best train for me to catch was the 13.06 which was scheduled to arrive in Southampton at 14.15.  Plenty of time one would think.

The train arrived 4 minutes late and by the time it reached Chichester it was 11 minutes late.  And it went downhill from there.  At 14.15 we were stuck in the middle of nowhere and eventually the train was sent to Eastleigh.  Not a taxi in sight so I and another lady who was also destined for the ship had to wait with everyone else for a train to Southampton.  Talk about nail biting.  That train arrived at 15.00 and we reached check-in at 13.30.  Probably the last passengers to board.

And did things improve for my homeward journey?  Nope.  First of all I asked the taxi driver to take me to the Platform 4 entrance of Southampton Central and he took me around the houses to Platform 1 - presumably so that he could earn another £1?  Grrrr.

THEN I found that the 9.33 Brighton train had been cancelled.  Had to wait another hour.  The 'ticket collector' (don't know what the gatekeepers are called these days) did suggest I take a train to Haywards Heath, another to Brighton and then a train from Brighton.  Two things against that:

1.  I had a large suitcase, a garment bag (large) and hand baggage and there isn't a lift at Haywards Heath Station.

2.  If I had gone to Haywards Heath I could have caught the Littlehampton train which would have been quicker and lot less hassle.

Had I taken either of these options it could have taken longer than the 1 hour wait + the journey.

Are Southern's staff actually trained?

Think I'm going to have to write to Southern to complain don't you?

Plastic Bags for Profit

There's nothing like jumping on a bandwagon to increase your profits, is there?  For all the Government's wittering on about the ecology being the reason to have shops charge for the plastic bags, it isn't going to cut down on the use of plastic bags.

Those of us who are into recycling and our own personal economy have been using the free supermarket plastic bags for years as bin liners. 

I suspect that the only reason for charging for the bags is because the manufacturers of plastic bags aren't selling as many bin liners as they used to - before most of us became more economically  minded!

I have a few ideas of how to cut down on buying bin liners or paying for the shopping bags:

1.   How about those small clear plastic bags for fruit and veggies?

2.   Use empty cereal packets in which to put rubbish before putting it into the dustbin.

3.   Wash out soup tins etc and us them for recycling.

I'm sure you can think of other items that can be used instead of bin liners and expensive plastic shopping bags.  Do remember to DRY OFF wet things before putting them into cardboard cartons!

If the plastic bag manufacturers were really concerned about the ecology rather than their profits they would make all plastic bags biodegradable.

In Memory of Wartime Fathers

William Bothwell (RAF) off duty in Italy

On Monday the Eleventh day of the Eleventh Month at Eleven Hundred Hours I will, like thousands of others, congregate at the local War Memorial to remember those who lost their lives in War.  As well as those whose lives changed due to their injuries.

But during that minute’s silence I will also remember my darling father.  He wasn’t killed or injured but he (like other fathers) did miss my early years – those important bonding years.

My memories of the war include seeing him occasionally when he was home on leave, especially one day standing in the garden with him watching a Dog Fight in the sky above.  I wasn’t scared – he was my Daddy and he was invincible.  Then he was sent to Italy.  By the time he was demobbed I was nearly seven years old.  Yes, I was excited that he was coming home but, as he was a comparative stranger I was shy with him.

It wasn’t until the 1960s when my marriage broke up that the glass wall finally broke.

Dad was terrific with children, including me – except on the occasions when we were alone together.  Then we barely spoke as we didn’t know what to say.  He was an artist and I so longed to emulate him.  Nope, I can’t paint for toffee.  My sister can but doesn’t very often do so – no self discipline!

My sister?  She was the post war baby – my real live baby doll.  I remember during the early 1950s that on Saturday mornings Mum often wanted to go to the shops and always took me with her.  My sister had to stay at home with Dad.  Ironically she wanted to go to the shops and I wanted to stay home with Dad.

I often wonder whether my dislike of shopping and my sister being a bit of a shopaholic has anything to do with that!

I’m sure that those of us who lived through the war years look back and regret not having had the opportunity to bond with our fathers.

Here’s looking at ya, Dad!

How I Saved by NOT having an Annual Season Ticket

I first published this blog a year or so ago and with the Southern Rail problems it seems appropriate to re-publish it. 

When I began commuting to the City of London I was encouraged to buy an Annual Season Ticket.  So that it wouldn’t be such a big expense the following year I opened a savings account and put the appropriate amount into it each month. 

THEN I had a brain storm.  I was only using the ticket 5 days a week.  I never used trains to go anywhere else.  I also realised that the ticket didn’t get used when I was holiday nor on bank holidays.  Working out how many days a year I used that ticket and dividing its cost by the number of days I found that it was more expensive than using a monthly/weekly season ticket.

For reasons that I won’t bore you with I ended up buying daily tickets – the amount saved over the cost of the Annual Season Ticket paid for a holiday!  Yes, with the advent of ticket machines I succumbed to the daily ticket and for those of you who say you don’t have time…..  Work it out!

Am I glad I no longer commute.  Soon it won’t be worth the expense of working, will it?

Antiques in the Attic - an Excerpt

Sarah's and Zelda's holiday in Torremolinos seems to be heading into trouble:

Later in the afternoon as they lay on sunbeds on the beach, Zelda told Sarah, "That guy is beginning to creep me out."

"Jason?"

"Yeah.  He's still hanging around.  I'm sure if there was another sunbed near us he'd be on it instead of at the bar."  She was referring to the bar across the road from the beach where the man was drinking a beer.

"I know what you mean.  D'you reckon he's stalking us?"

"Could be.  I know he's in the next door apartment but even when we've crept out and avoided passing that side of the building he still turns up."

"He does, doesn't he?  Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"  The women exchanged a look.  "No, that's too far fetched.  We're not in a spy film."

Zelda laughed.  "Shades of James Bond.  No, he looks more like an English version of the Pink Panther."

"Zel, I don't want to be a scaredy cat, but he does make me nervous.  I'd suggest we check our bags but if he's looking he'll see."

Her friend looked at her closely.  "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Wouldn't you be?  Actually, after all that's happened and the reason why we're here, you should be worried too."

"True.  Sorry, but an unexpected free holiday has gone to my head.  Look, I'll go to the bar and get a couple of beers.  And get chatting to him.  You check our bags."

...................

As well as being available on Amazon (via the link), this book is also available on Kobo and for other readers via Smashwords.

Lavender is Good for You

Not only does lavender smell delicious, it has many useful properties.  My mother taught me about it in two ways:  small sachets of the flower heads tucked into the drawers and hung on hangers to keep our clothes smelling fresh.  And to keep the moths away.  The other thing I learned was the drops of lavender on the pillow.  At the time I didn’t understand why. 

Whenever I have a cold or my sinuses are playing up a few drops of the oil on my pillow help with breathing.  The fumes do a magical job of clearing the nasal passages.

If I’m having difficulty getting to sleep because my brain won’t switch off, the relaxant in the oil on the pillow is a miracle.  As all writers know, when you’re in the middle of creation there are many nights when your brain is on the hamster wheel.

Got a headache?  A few drops on a tissue held to the nose and/or a few drops on the temples.  That reminds me – Eau de Cologne is also good on the temples.

Lavender oil is also a bug repellent and good to massage into the aches and pains.

Did you know that lavender is also good in cooking?  My favourites are lavender scones.  There are lots of recipes online as well as web sites explaining the healthful properties of lavender. [www.organicafacts.net]

Lucky you if you have a garden in which to grow the bushes!

Lavender beds at Ham House