As it was Saturday and the Doctor’s isn’t open at the weekend, I had no choice but to go to the emergency section of the medical centre, which is open 24 hours, every single day.

I arrived at about 10.30am and there were already loads of people waiting around to be seen by the doctor on duty. The lady behind the desk gave me a ticket with the number 55 on and I took the last remaining seat.

But the system is a little ridiculous as there’s nothing to tell anyone what number they’re up to, or who goes next. That’s achieved by having to ask everyone what number they have until you happen to find the number before yours. Then you must keep a close eye on that person before you to make sure they take their turn at the right time.

It really is a hugely confused method and a little too stone age for me!

When it comes to certain things Spain is still a little ‘behind’ the UK and many other European countries and I awwait the day when they catch up.

Eventually, after around two hours of waiting I was seen by the doctor, who looked into my eye with a torch, applied orange coloured eye drops, then gave me a prescription.

She diagnosed me with conjunctivitis and now I have to apply eye drops three times a day. It’s already clearing up so at least the drops are effective…!

We all know the Spanish people are passionate by nature, but…wow…this is enough passion to knock your socks off (and your shoes for that matter)

The World Cup result so far is a huge achievement for the Spanish people and it shines out in the atmosphere everywhere I go, especially for a few hours before and many hours after each Spain match kicks off.

The done thing is drivers beeping their horns as they pass anywhere that dons a Spanish flag, or where there are a group of people.

After their victorious match against Paraguay, which qualified them for the semi-finals, the beeping and screams of delight continued until the early hours of the morning. For a moment I thought they’d won the whole competition….I can’t wait to see what happens if they do. It’ll be a mammoth party for a good few days I’d imagine!

Since England were knocked out I changed sides and bought a Spanish flag to attach to the side of my car, just to make sure I fit in with the locals.

Now, I just have to hope I can keep the flag after Wednesday’s match against Germany, who won their last two games with four goals. Come on España…you can do it!

The middle of May and the weather in Spain has now improved ten-fold. The olive trees are in full bloom and flowers are opening left, right and centre. For allergy sufferers the combination of this sudden rise in temperature, coupled with the thriving foliage is a right pain in the jacksy!

For me, mornings are the worst time of day. From the moment I wake up until somewhere around midday the allergy doesn’t leave me alone. It constantly nags away at my eyes and nose. I wish it would get lost and never come back.

Sometimes, when it’s really bad I take an antihistimine, but the drawback is that I then feel groggy and tired for the rest of the day.

I also try to beat it by consuming a daily teaspoon of the local honey. Not only is honey great health-wise, but it’s also said to aid hayfever. I think it does help to some degree, but I’d need to turn into Winnie The Pooh and eat a jar a day for it to have a really notable effect.

Anyway I better dash as I’m in the midst of a sneezing fit and I need tissues!

Keidi x

In the UK I lived on the second and top floor of a block of flats. I had beige carpets and at least once a month I would see HUGE house spiders running across the floor. Absolutely petrified, I would then have to catch these spiders, usually by placing a glass over the top. Even this would take a great deal of courage as I have a serious phobia about spiders!

Often people would come to visit and I would have to explain why there were spiders sitting under glasses in the middle of the carpet…I was just waiting for someone else to pop by and dispose of them for me!

So living in Spain I thought my days of finding and catching spiders were long gone.

However, just recently I noticed a couple of spiders around my apartment. Only small ones compared to the giant house spiders in the UK, but spiders all the same!

Thing is, I have now discovered a few more little spiders lurking around, so I knew there must be a mummy and daddy spider too. Today was a real ‘Bingo’ moment, as I found the mummy spider in my bedroom. I’m too scared to do anything about it though, so it can stay there until my boyfriend is next over…

In the meantime, I’ll thank my lucky stars that at least even the mummy spider isn’t very big!

Thanks for reading
Keidi x

There are four main supermarkets all within a few minutes drive of my apartment, which is great as I have a choice and I never get bored with the same old food. There’s a Mercadonna, a Supersol, an Eroski and a Lidl.

I go supermarket shopping once a week. This usually always occurs on a different day, as I’m opposed to routine. My whole life in the UK revolved around routine, so now that I’m out of it, I want to stay out!

The supermarkets here in Spain are quite unvaried compared to those in the UK, and the choice on the shelves is fairly limited, but then again there are some wonderful olive variations and incredibly cheap wine

The price of the food isn’t a whole lot different here than in the UK. My supermarket bill here comes to around 40€ a week (for one as a I live alone) and I always remember that in the UK it came to about 30 pounds.

Most of the supermarkets have no English range, but Supersol and Eroski do have a small international section.

The items of food I miss most from the UK are pickled onion monster munch, ambrosia custard and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, but there are English foodshops around where these kind of items can be purchased.

Now you’re probably still wondering how I managed to make my shopping expedition fun today…Well, I played ‘race’ with someone who entered at the same time as me, AND I won; they were way too slow bagging their mandarines!

Welcome to my world…:)

Keidi x

Admittedly, it’s a little on the large side and it takes up a sizeable portion of my kitchen worktop, but I’ve created some delicious juices from it already. My favourite so far is apple and carrot, because it’s orange and as it’s half vegetable, I can’t help but feel healthy after drinking it.

This morning I made a purple grape juice, which certainly woke up my sleepy tastebuds, at 8am! I’m having great fun at Mercadona, choosing the fruit and vegetables to juice in the coming week. Today I bought a punnet of strawberries, a bag of pears and even some celery. There’s no need to buy oranges as my boyfriend’s dad grows them in the campo, so there’s always plenty going!

If anyone happens to know some nice juices to make please let me know so I can give them a go. Now for me it’s back to the juicer… !

Thanks for reading

Keidi

X

Mind Body Spirit Festival in Puerto Banus

Another action-packed weekend, this time at the Mind Body Spirit festival, in Puerto Banus.

Not so much a festival I wouldn’t say, but more like a room full of stall-holders all associated with topics I find hugely interesting.

Every half an hour someone well respected and knowledgeable in their field offered a talk to whoever wished to listen.

My favourite was the demonstration of mediumship by Jennifer Mackenzie. She picked up a number of spirits all associated with those in the room, including my grandad Tom, who seems to crop up at any chance he can get, God bless! She could even tell one of the audience members that she had been gardening the other day and had pricked her finger on the thorn of a rose bush. A little too accurate wouldn’t you say?!

I couldn’t resist having my aura photographed using the latest state of the art technology. My aura is completely red, which signals focus and business acumen. My boyfriend’s was a myriad of colours – orange, green and yellow and the light by his side represented a spirit, perhaps his grandad who passed away eight years ago.

I met some great people at the event and picked up lots of leaflets and business cards, belonging to people whose services I will certainly be using.

The Law of Attraction is one of my fave topics and there’s a great website here by my friend and mentor Lara. http://www.lawofattraction.es  I recommend you check it out.

So creative, in fact, that I decided to learn how to draw and paint after seeing an advert for such classes in The Sentinella.

So I contacted the teacher, Heather Harman, and turned up the next week equipped with paper, pencils and all the rest…

While the rest of the group knuckled down to elaborate looking drawings, oozing with colour and flair, Heather set a small glass in front of me to draw using a bland pencil.

“We all have to start somewhere,” she said, noticing my disappointed expression. “Believe me when you’ve mastered glasses you move on to far more exciting things.”

And so I slogged on. By the end of the two hour session I had managed to draw four different shaped glasses, each a slight improvement on the last. However, I wasn’t exactly wowed by my efforts. Far from it.

But I’m not a giver-uper. Next week I’ll be attending my second art class, fully equipped and ready to draw, even if it’s glasses again!