Bolnuevo - still

I've had hundreds of enquiries asking why the blog hasn't been updated for a few weeks, well one enquiry actually - thanks Catherine.

It's true I haven't posted anything for a while but the thing is I feel a bit of a fraud maintaining what is essentially a travel blog when we are not actually travelling. We arrived here in Bolnuevo just over a fortnight ago and will probably stay here until some time in January and whilst we are not technically Motorhoming we are having a great time. The site is large but so are the individual pitches, we have unlimited electricity, spotlessly clean toilets and showers and all for €12 a day. We are a hundred metres from the beach and the same distance from the village with half a dozen bars, restaurants and a couple of supermarkets. There is a large social room with events most days which we haven't as yet taken advantage of not being big bingo players or fans of what I would call oompah music. There is a great bar/restaurant/club at the far end of the village and we went there last Saturday and danced the night away to a live band and that looks like our regular Saturday night venue.

Last weekend was the village festival where the Madonna, who was apparently stolen many years ago, is returned to the village from the church in Mazarron, accompanied by a parade and plenty of caballeros. A big funfair ran for a couple of days on the beach together with lots of food stalls and other stalls selling the usual festival wares. Lots of impromptu tents and sound systems sprung up and the village was absolutely packed during the weekend of activities. The beach currently looks like a bombsite but I'm sure a clean up team will be along shortly.

We've made a few friends here, especially my NBF Clive, who is an accomplished ukulele player!! I spent the afternoon with him yesterday and he's lent me a couple of books and one of his nice ukuleles to practise with and the fingertips of my left hand are now pretty sore. Clive mentioned on Saturday night that he played tennis and table tennis and I said that I could do that too if he fancied a game sometime. The following day, after I learnt that he played both to a very, very high standard, I had to admit that I was rubbish at table tennis and hadn't held a tennis racquet for the best part of forty years. This has not discouraged Clive and today he called with racquets and balls and off we went to the courts. Fortunately there are a couple of outdoor squash type courts here and he was happy enough to knock up on one of them while I did the same next door, a good hour of cardio-vascular exercise for me. Then when the tennis courts were empty he gave me a thirty minute coaching session which was really enjoyable. I suspect they're looking for new blood amongst the tennis players here and Clive is attempting to get me up to a half decent standard before he unleashes me on the unsuspecting German team. What can possibly go wrong I ask myself. Clive has loaned me a racket and a few balls so I'll be getting some exercise and practice in the mornings before it gets too hot.

So life here is developing quite nicely, Phil has begun playing cards on a Monday afternoon with a group of women from the site and some local ex pats, of which there are plenty around here. In fact a village not so far away, Campasol, is, apparently almost exclusively occupied by folk from the UK. We catch the bus into Puerto de Mazarron a couple of days a week and have a mooch around and do a bit of shopping. Lunching or dining out is not expensive. Today we had three courses with coffee for €9.50 each and could hardly move from the table as the portions were so generous. Of course I deserved a hearty meal after all my exertions.

Whilst we miss the travelling and visiting new places we enjoy the life here for the time being. The weather has been glorious (24deg today) and if we do fancy a change it won't take long to pack the van and head for pastures new.

Pat.

 

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