After three consecutive weeks with travelling to Bulgaria, Poland and Germany, respectively, it was actually nice to have a week during which I stayed in Alicante and just engaged in the usual activities of working, cycling and being at home. The concept of “at home” is about to be re-defined, however, since on June 26th we signed the purchase of a house about 4 km from where we live now, and will be moving between now and mid-August. The house we bought is being painted and somewhat remodelled now, but the essential facilities for producing a gin and tonic are available and were used for the first time this week.
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I start with some pictures taken while cycling my usual routes. The central square in Aigües, a place where I usually stop for a break and a Coke, is an important centre for social interaction in the village. The bar on the right side of the image is in preparation for that afternoon’s World Cup match:
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Wo do not get much rain around here, and the landscape reflects that:
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Domestic mountain goats between Aigües and Busot:
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And a fellow mountain goat on two wheels:
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The Saturday morning market in Busot–yes, this is the entire market:
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A somewhat macabre but also amusing arrangement:
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Back home, another photo session with my orange visitor. He is a bit less shy than before, apparently beginning to associate me with food:
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But if I come too close, within a couple of meters, then he is off:
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The cactus babies continued to do their thing:
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A nice sunset over the golf course:
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One early evening, we stopped by the house we have just bought to look at what we wanted to change (or, more accurately, what my wife wanted to change…). Once done, I harvested my first lemon from our lemon tree (standard equipment in gardens around here):
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We had brought the appropriate supplies to make good use of that lemon right there, on our new front porch:
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On Friday, Lili from Tibi came by the office to deliver the goat cheese people had ordered (me included):
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The fish counter in the nearest supermarket to our new house, about 700 meters away:
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Parking, inside and outside:
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We ended the week with lunch at Hostal Maruja with Monica:
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Patatas bravas:
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Sepia a la plancha:
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Terrace and beach:
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Making his choice:
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And to make it all even nice, a little doggie under our table. He is a stray, adopted by the good people of Hostal Maruja, and now has shelter, food and water here:
Thus ended a quiet week.