Well, it’s been awhile!

I had a bit of an adventure going up to Madrid to pick someone up from the airport – hope I never have to do that again!  It’s quite a long drive so I opted to stay at a hotel before making the pickup and returning back the next day.  I ended up getting help three times along the way – all at Repsol gas stations.  The first time was just outside Lorca when the dash display indicated that one of the tires was low, and the other two times when, despite using GPS, I got mixed up in the maze of motorways around Madrid.  I eventually made it and was very glad to book in and relax.

The drive back the next day was much better – at least I only got turned around once but basically knew where I was going.

Despite ongoing water issues, and another plumbing problem things were pretty good over the next couple of months.  The pellet burner was great, until it conked out with an ‘auger motor’ problem.  The weather is generally very lovely during the day – lots of sunshine and very little rain – but it does get very pretty cold at night so having a heat source is nice.  A couple of small electric heaters just doesn’t provide enough warmth for the whole house.

Colin picked up an adorable little rescue dog that came from North Macedonia and they arrived back at the house right before Christmas.  Max is wonderful – he seems very well trained and is fairly young with lots of energy.  He’s a good jumper so the walls around the back terrace don’t keep him in, and he can run like a greyhound when off the lead.

We headed back to France the third week of January and took it easy, making the journey in three days rather than two.  We chose a different route than usual since we both agree that the part between the border and Bordeaux is incredibly boring, and getting around Bordeaux is usually a pain.

The choice had mixed results – the countryside was more interesting but the road wasn’t as good.  As soon as you left Spain – going into a tunnel and coming out in France – the road deteriorated (might as well have been in Italy!).  Also we had to try to avoid road blocks from the farmers – they’re out in force with their tractors blocking every second motorway in protest.

They’ve also turned many of the road signs upside down.  We got diverted a couple of times, and always just said to each other ‘follow the big trucks – they always know an alternate route’.  We were delayed a bit, but made it back in the early afternoon.

Since our arrival we’ve had an excellent fish-and-chips lunch at the NutHouse and Colin has had a very positive blood test.  Max has settled in quite nicely and seems to know we are now his family.  I’m missing the weather in southern Spain – not much rain here but lots of low cloud and mist.

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