I know it has been a little while since the last report of our escapades but our stay here at Camping Torre del Mar does not lend itself to subjects that would be interesting to be included in a blog. Elaine and I are enjoying our stay here and it is nice for us to settle in the one place for the while because even when we returned to England after our last trip, we travelled over England visiting friends and family. We seem to be alternating between healthy exercise one day and sunbathing on the beach the next. The other day we cycled all the way to the lighthouse at Torrox Costa and there and back we had covered just over twenty miles. Admittedly, we were cycling all along the front so the terrain was fairly flat, but even so,it was done at quite a good pace so we both felt well exercised by the time we got back.
The next day we spent the day on the beach so I decided to take my fishing rod along to see if I could catch our tea whilst catching the rays on that glorious, sunny day. Lucky for us Elaine had anticipated the results of my fishing so we did eat that night. She had popped out earlier on and had bought a couple of fish from the local Mercadonna.
The weather has changed a little and the temperature during the day is now down to around 21 degrees and it is getting a little chillier in the evening. When we first arrived here I had positioned the van so we could sit outside during the day in the welcome shade it provided. Now the temperature has dropped a little I have reversed the van over to the other side of our pitch and moved the wind-brake to give us as much sun as possible so the sunbathing can be done here instead of us having to go down to the beach.
I do not want to give the impression that we are living a totally lazy existence
I am sure that those of you that get to see Elaine’s Facebook postings will have seen me on the roof of our motorhome giving the top of it a thorough wash and brush up. I had already done a proper job cleaning all the traffic film and the dead flies from the body of the van so I waited until Elaine was elsewhere before climbing up onto the top to complete the job. She did get a little excited when she got back and saw me up there and then proceeded to tell anyone who would listen about my accident when I fell from the bungalow roof.
Good news!!! Elaine has found a hairdresser that she likes and despite the language barrier has returned there to get a cut that she is happy about. She liked the way she cut her hair a couple of weeks ago but she just wasn’t happy that she had left the sides too long. I did offer my assistance with the kitchen scissors but to my surprise she insisted that the Spanish lady would do it much better.
We certainly should be learning lessons about thrift from our new, temporary neighbours. As I explained before, this site gives generous discounts for those campers staying long term but there is a standard charge for electricity use which is at the same rate however long you stay. At the toilet blocks there is a copious supply of very hot water always on tap so I have even seen people filling their electric kettles with it before returning to their vans to get a hot drink. I watched a lady lug a full sized twin tub washing machine down to the block on a sack barrow so she can use the free hot water and the free electricity supply there. She certainly won’t be wasting 3 euros a time using the camp’s automatic washing machines.
Today we took the bus to Velez Malaga and and had a wander around the busy city. Although there were lots of shops to see it was quite disappointing that it was not a place to go sightseeing. Probably the most noteworthy thing we saw there were the magnificent Ficus trees and there were two each end of a long promenade near the centre of the city. 
Despite their size, trees like these are known to blow down in very high winds and people have been killed because, despite their size, they have a very shallow rooting system. We didn’t stay long and we were soon at the bus station waiting for the return journey. However, before returning we went to a bar / restaurant for lunch and I do not think my understanding of Spanish menus is up to much.
explained what I wanted and this is what the waiter brought me. I did manage to eat it all but tomorrow I think I will have to cycle there and back to Torrox a couple of times to make up for it.
