We spent the three days since my last website post preparing for our trip to San Francisco, leaving Spain early on 31 March en route to Manchester. Following an overnight stay at our usual Clayton Hotel, we flew on to Heathrow.  A short wait before we boarded the 747 to San Francisco. Seated upstairs in business class, the journey was a pleasant mix of good food, watching current movies and sleeping, making our arrival in San Francisco, refreshed. A ´limo´ took us to The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Union Square where we checked in to our suite on the 24th floor. The accommodation and views were superb. 

We spent the first couple of days walking and riding the famous cable car system. A visit to the Cable Car Museum is a must for anyone visiting San Francisco. Our first visit to Fishermans Wharf, Pier 39, introduced us to clam chowder served in sourdough bread. It was excellent.

There was, of course, time to visit the Cartier shop in Union Square.........it was Margaret´s birthday, after all....

On the Wednesday morning we travelled by boat to visit the famous Alcatraz prison.  The place was interesting although, I have to admit, that I´ve worked in prisons where the conditions were not as good. The hotel concierge arranged for us to visit Muir Woods and Sausalito. Stunning scenery and real laid-back California.

On Wednesday afternoon our friends Steve and Marsha Glance arrived from Orange County. They were staying in a hotel close by, for a long weekend.  We visited The Ferry Building where Steve and Marsha savored fresh oysters. As much as we were intrigued, we didn´t have the taste to try one!

Next, a visit to the  Haight Ashbury district home to the ´Summer Of Love´  origins in 1967.  Steve and I were really excited (old hippies indeed),  because it was the place which introduced The Grateful Dead to the world. Visits to City Hall, the De Young museum and  Golden Gate Park ensured that we had a wonderful time. On 7 April the four of us found a lovely Italian restaurant near Union Square to celebrate Margaret´s birthday. Great evening.

A visit, twice in fact, was to the world famous City Lights Bookstore, co-founded by Lawrence Ferlinghetti ( pic below ), in North Beach. Controversial and famous for many poets and authors including Jack Kerouac, and home to where the Beat ´Beatnik´generation originated. We bought a couple of poetry books and a journal to record our time in San Francisco. 

Another great place to eat, was The Cats Head BBQ. They served great, unpretentious food, amazing brisket, ribs, biscuits with honey butter,  excellent.. 

We said an emotional goodbye to Steve and Marsha as they left for home on Sunday. 

The cherry Blossom Festival was in bloom in Japantown that weekend . Interesting  chatting with officers from the San Francisco Sheriffs Department, who have responsibility for the prisons in SF. The sheriff gave Margaret one of their shoulder badges. Nice guys. We went back to Fishermans Wharf and spent the next couple of days sightseeing and riding the cable cars. Amazing fun and great scenery, just like the movies.

On Tuesday 11 April we began our journey back to Spain. By this time I was nursing a cold so the comfortable flight was a bonus.  Full marks to British Airways.   Eventually arriving back in La Xara in the early hours of Thursday morning, tired but loaded with souvenirs, photo´s and great memories.

Since our return, two friends Lesley Sharrock and Bill Duff have passed away. Food for thought indeed.

It´s been 12 months since we arrived at our lovely house in La Xara. The village life, and people, suit us perfectly.

My fortnightly, Sunday afternoon Lock Down Blues Show on TotalFM 91.8 is going from strength to strength and it´s great fun selecting the music playing requests.

I´m working on putting together a selection of some of my 300 poems and Margaret is preparing her latest wall hanging, The Summer Of Love Guitar Trio. A work-in-progress pic is on the Artwork page.

This blog has been a joint effort by Margaret and me.

More next time.
​

6 January 2017

​2016 started with me waiting to go back into hospital to have a hernia repaired. Fortunately, the operation would be carried out at the Institute of Valencian Oncology (IVO) where I´d had surgery the previous year. Towards the end of January I had the operation, the standard of care as excellent as I´d previously experienced.
We had long admired a small urbanization of white Spanish houses in La Xara, a small village near Denia. Margaret heard that one of the houses was available for rental so we went for a look. We quickly decided that, all circumstances considered, it would be a good time to move. The house has proved to be excellent, old Spanish style with all the mod cons.
After Margaret´s birthday, in April, we set off for New York for the most fantastic experience. The Big Apple was everything we had been told about and more. The New Yorkers we spoke to were incredibly helpful and polite. We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria which was a real experience. The place radiated history and the service was incredible. We visited many of the famous places we had heard about, notably Ground Zero which was a humbling experience. The Dakota Building on the north side of Central Park, where John Lennon was killed, was a place for a few moments of quiet reflection. We walked and walked and used the great subway system. We will be returning their sometime soon.

​When we got back to Spain the summer was with us and, as usual, wall to wall sunshine. We are lucky to be able to live in such a beautiful and healthy environment. People who complain that it´s too hot should experience the usual UK weather.
The week leading up to my birthday in July saw me, once again, receiving treatment coutesy of the Spanish Health system after I fell and cracked my head. The treatment was, once again, exemplary. Friends wondered if the accident had nocked any sense into me. The answer is, probably, no.

​The summer also saw the ludicrous situation in the UK known as Brexit. People we know who voted to leave the EU are now not so sure. Still, democracy is still in place and long may it be so.

Victor and Bettina are great friends and we enjoy their company. Steve and Marsh came to Denia from America for their second holiday. Marsha knows the area well. They are now firm friends and great fun. Our friendship with David and Eileen from Pedreguer has gone from strength to strength and we enjoy hearing about their lives and travels.

As you will have read on the Home Page, I´m now back on the TotalFM presenting staff. Chris and Wendy Williams, Mr & Mrs TotaFM, have been incredibly supportive and I´ve now settled on two shows a month. The New Years Day one was an extra.

We had planned to visit America, again, to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary but we changed our mind and headed to Japan instead! We based ourselves in Osaka and spent an incredible ten days soaking up the culture and enjoying the people. Visits to Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara, Hiroshima and more, using the Japan Rail system. It is marvellous. The country is so clean and peaceful, the people are truly delightful. We definately plan to return for a longer time. So much more to experience.

Various trips back to the UK, mainly to London´s Hatton Gardens to choose Margarets anniversary gifts, throughout the year. It culminated in us visiting our pal Hilary and family in the North East of England in mid December. We had a great time, a trip down memory lane, some retail in Newcastle, and experiencing the traffic nightmares that are now in the UK. We hope she will be visiting us in the near future.

We enjoyed a quiet Christmas and New Year with friends at home.

As I´m typing this we have just finalised bookings for a ten day stay in San Francisco in April.

More next time........   

11 November 2016

​This has been a time of sharing great meals and having fun with friends. Margaret really does pull the stops out when we have a BBQ. The weather has continued to be a surprise for this time of the year. We are now into our eleventh year in this beautiful country and we can´t remember a year as hot or as dry as 2016.

We have enjoyed great days out, and meals, with Victor and Bettina and long may it continue. Steve and Marsha have been enjoying their visit to these shores from Orange County in America. They are lovely people and we enjoy their company. We hope to visit them early next year. Steve is a massive music fan and we share a love of the Grateful Dead. David and Eileen, who live on Monte Solana in Pedreguer, enjoy great food as we do.

After chats with Chris and Wendy Williams, Mr & Mrs TotalFM, I´ve now returned as an occasional presenter of The Lock Down Blues Show. My first show was from 4-6 on Sunday 30 October. Everything seemed to go well and when the five o´clock news failed to materialise, it was definitely not my fault! My second show was last Sunday, 6 November. Margaret came to the studio and we had three hours of great music. We´ve had some great feedback and it was good to know that Steve and Marsha, Penny and Steve and Hillary were listening. At the moment, my next shows are on Sunday 4 December and Sunday 8 January. Thank you for your comments and support. I´m always happy to play your requests. If you take the time to contact me then
I´ll play them.

​We enjoyed watching the three fascinating programs about Japan, narrated by Joanna Lumley. We will be based in Osaka, which is central for many of the places which interest us.
Margaret finished another stunning quilt which now adorns the wall in our bedroom. We are using a large room in the basement as a studio. It gives Margaret the room to design and work on her quilts and allows me to practice and play both acoustic and electric guitar.

We spent a few days in the UK doing work on our place in Warrington. On the Sunday we went to the Trafford Centre, in Manchester, to se the Cirque du Soleil. The show was absolutely stunning, as was the music which was provided be a live rock band. The incredible acrobats, and effects, were something I have never seen before. If you haven´t seen the show, go if you have the chance.

On Monday 7 November, we flew into Manchester and it gave me great pleasure to get the other half of Margaret´s present to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary on 22 November. We flew back to Spain early the following morning after seeing the car windscreens covered in ice. Haven´t seen that for years.

And, finally, I have succumbed to pressure and am now the proud owner of an iPhone. I won´t admit it but I should have done it before....

More next time.

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The beautiful weather continues to bake this part of Spain. It RAINED last Wednesday but, unfortunately, didn't make a scrap of difference. But, despite these hardships, we love it. The picture is Jonah Roth, sorry if it's a bit grainy. 

We've enjoyed some great times over the past few weeks plus one notable trauma. Sunday 10 July started out nice and easy. We had a lie in and then got up to enjoy a lazy breakfast out on the terrace.
We were meeting Victor and Bettina in Denia that evening so we planned to have a quiet afternoon and a swim.

About 4.30 we decided that it was a dip in the pool time. It was lovely, the perfect way to cool off.
I was the first out and ran across the artificial grass to the terrace because it was burn-your-toes hot.
As I stepped on the terrace I slipped and down I went. I remember banging my head and then, nothing. The next thing I knew was Margaret stroking my face telling me to wake up. I'd been unconscious for a couple of minutes. I laid there, not moving as instructed.

​Next thing I knew was that Victor and Bettina arrived. Then the paramedics arrived. All still a bit of a blur. The paramedics took me to the ambulance and off we went to Denia Hospital, happily only five minutes away.
Over the next eight hours I had blood tests, a full neurological examination, two sets of x-rays and an ECG. Just before midnight The doctor put six sutures in my head wound. They had explained that I would be there for a long time to observe me for signs of unusual behavior ( A number of you good people have offered the opinion that they should have been looking for signs of USUAL behavior. THANKS).

A seriously big thanks to the paramedics, nurses and doctors at Denia Hospital. I've had my fair share of time in Accident & Emergency Departments and Denia Hospital are at the top of the list for care and professionalism. Closer to home, a big thanks to Victor and Bettina and, of course, to Margaret for looking after me and not sneaking a look at the life insurance policy ( I think!).

The following Sunday we celebrated my birthday with a lovely BBQ attended by Victor & Bettina and Piers and Adele. Great food and company. Also during these busy few weeks we have enjoyed the company of David and Eileen ( our very own Hans & Lotte Hass ) and Mandy. We are lucky to have got to know such a great bunch of people, who have led such different and interesting lives. Long may it continue.

A couple of Fridays back, we were introduced to Jonah Roth, aged 16, who is Bettina's nephew on holiday from the USA. As well as being a great character, Jonah is a phenomenal musician. I was lucky enough to spend a couple of hours with him, playing guitar. I played some passable rhythm guitar whilst Jonah did the lead work. He really is a very special talent and his natural abilities should be nurtured. I predict a great future for him.

Over the past few days we have been planning a holiday to coincide with our 30th wedding anniversary. Initially it was going to be San Francisco and Washington but, as we are prone to do, we changed our minds, so we will be heading for Japan. Wow!

​More next time.....

Shortly after the last web post, I was admitted to the Institute of Valencian Oncology (IVO) to have a cancerous prostate removed. Earlier, when the diagnosis had been confirmed, Margaret set about getting second opinions, six in fact. One was with Dr Henk Landa. He advised us to seek advice from IVO and got the process going. I owe my life to him and the magnificent medical and nursing team at IVO. The care I received was incredible and I will never forget what they did for me.

The only fly in the ointment was that I developed a hernia after the operation, quite a common occurrence. As a friend said, because it was free I had to have one. Mmmmmm.

In November our gorgeous Siamese Giorgio passed away. He´d reached the magnificent age of eighteen and a half. We were devastated and still are.

We needed to get away and went for a short break to Madrid. This was the week after the atrocity in Paris. Christmas was a quiet affair and we spent New Years Eve with Victor and Bettina. The glitter can still be seen next to their path near the swimming pool.

The process was interrupted, late in January, when I was admitted to IVO to have the hernia repaired. Being an existing patient at IVO allowed me to have it fixed there. Once again, they were magnificent. I do sincerely hope that the recent decision made by 52% of the well informed (?) UK population does not prevent us having access to Spanish health care in the years to come.

In April it was 12 months since our dear friend Wilf passed away. Also in April, Margaret and I went to New York. We had a fantastic time and found New Yorkers to be kind and considerate. We stayed at the magnificent Waldorf Astoria, managed to visit most of the places on our wish list and walked the streets of Manhattan in the Spring sunshine. British Airways were superb and put the budget airlines to shame.

Since April we have been to the UK, London in particular a number of times, to source a present for Margaret to celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary in November. The quest came to a very satisfactory conclusion last Thursday and she is very happy.

Throughout this period I had been pecking away at the sequel to Lock-Down Blues. Much of it was half-hearted because concentration was not at a premium. However, as we moved into 2016 I decided to concentrate on it. I finished the first manuscript towards the end of May and, as is required, sent the first three chapters and synopsis to the publishers. I´m pleased to report that after a week they emailed to say that they wanted to read the entire manuscript. Fingers crossed.

To conclude this post I want to thank all our friends, near and far, for their love and support over what has been a trying and difficult period in our lives. And, most importantly, Margaret who makes all things possible.

More next time.

As you can see, we have Giorgio celebrating his 18th birthday on 7 May. A big thank you for the cards and emails. Giorgio would have typed this himself but he's still working his way through the beautiful cake Margaret baked for him. Long may he reign over Casa Muneca.

 It's been a few weeks since my last Blog, so I'll bring you up to date.

On Sunday 12 April I presented my Lock Down Blues Show as a tribute to Wilf Brown. Wilf was such an important part in the development of the show, I'm sure that he would be happy with my first attempts at flying solo. The show will continue to reflect our tastes in the genre which is blues music and I will do my best to do my best. I've had the three members of local blues/rock band Hangover Tuesday, on the show and it was great to hear about their wildly different musical backgrounds. Margaret and I went to see them at Emilios Bar in Llosa and they have come a long way since we saw their first gig three years ago.

On 14 April I attended a meeting of The Royal British Legion, at the El Cid restaurant in Benidolieg. I spoke about my career in HM Prison Service and my novel Lock-Down Blues. It seemed to go down well with plenty of interest in the novel.

I am now the proud owner of two new tattoos, I'll think they will be the last ones.

We are back at the Tonus gym in Vergel and working hard. The weather has been changeable, definitely not what we would expect at this time of the year. Last week, in particular, we went from scalding heat to pouring, chilly rain in a couple of days. Weird.

I'm now getting back into working on the sequel to Lock-Down Blues. The working title is Fresh Start. You will have read an excerpt, in Short Stories, a couple of months ago. There will be more in the coming months.

Speak soon.

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February already, where does the time go. The weather is still dry but we are now experiencing very low temperatures. Log fires are great and our is on the go every day.

On Saturday 3 January, we went ice skating on a temporary rink which had been constructed in the new ferry terminal in Denia. Both Margaret and I struggled and I was notable for my regular Joe Cocker impersonations. Unfortunately, Robin captured our dodgy performances on camera and he took great delight in sending them to us. Swine.

We are back to being regular gym rats, with Margaret enjoying yoga and pilates and yours truly working the rowing machines and weights.

Our beautiful Siamese, Lord Giorgio of Pedreguer, continues to rule this casa and enjoy early morning conversations with me. Bless him.

Our intercambio sessions continues to be a joy and we look forward to meeting the girls.

This weather doesn't really encourage us to venture far from home so we've had to put up with delicious meals that Margaret knocks up. Lovely.

I'm beavering away on the new book, working title 'Fresh Start'. I'm going to set myself a realistic deadline and hope to meet it. More news as ithappens.

There is a charity event coming up at the end of March which should be busy and enjoyable. At the Los Arcos restaurant on the N332 in Pedreguer, I will be signing copies of the book in the company of three other local authors. SCAN 'Society for the Care of Animals in Need', will also have a stand.  More info nearer the time.

This beautiful guitar was made by Dawn Howlett. Talent like this should be nurtured.

It's been a busy month getting ready for the festivities. Giorgio has been on good form and now wants to venture outside. We have to be careful because we are, once again, plagued with feral cats. The empty plot next to ours is certainly busy at 5.30 in the morning!

On Saturday 20th,  I was fortunate to be a guest on Gill Henry's show on a relatively new radio station for these parts called Total FM. They can be found at 96.5 on the dial. They are rapidly expanding their network coverage so, if they haven't reached your area yet, find them on your computers. I thoroughly enjoyed the interview and I hope, with their permission, to be able to attach it to this website in the coming weeks. I met Chris and Wendy, the owners, and they are bursting with enthusiasm and ideas. This is refreshing because the other local stations have sunk into a pit of mediocrity.  

We've enjoyed a lovely Christmas Day, with Giorgio taking his place, as usual, at the table. We had a great time chatting, via the iPad on Facetime, with Victor & Bettina in California, Ray, Pam and the family in Warrington and Hilary, Steven and family in Ashington.   

We went out for lunch, on Boxing Day, with Wilf and Sheila. Great food with great friends.

Allow me to introduce Inma and Pasquala, our Spanish friends with whom we do intercambio, improving our Spanish and English. We meet for one hour plus, every week, and really enjoy ourselves. 

For Margaret and I, the 22nd was very special. On that day 30 years ago “our eyes met across a crowded room” in the Hospital at HM Prison Brixton. That was exactly what happened. I was posted there as a Hospital Senior Officer, Margaret was on a two-day secondment as part of her induction programme when she joined the Service as a nurse. Twelve months later we got engaged and twelve months after that we got married. The best day of my life. We celebrated, two weeks ago, by going out for dinner at a restaurant called Cal Blanc, in Pedreguer. A great place and superb food. 

Giorgio continues to soldier on, keeping us on our toes. The other evening he went for a run up and across the garden at the back of the villa. Yours truly had to to be quick to catch him because he's not as steady on his paws as he used to be. Bless him.

We continue to be gym rats, going three or four times a week. The gym, Tonus, is great value for money and gives us the opportunity to swim as often as we want now the winter months are upon us. Margaret concentrates on pilates and yoga and I frequent the rowing machines and exercise bikes. Good fun and keeps us in shape.

As I've said, the nights are closing in and, finally, a couple of days ago the rain came. Unfortunately, we need more because the ground is still rock hard. 

The interview I did with Hannah Murray of Talk Radio Europe, a few weeks ago, was broadcast last Thursday evening and again on Sunday morning. I've had some great feedback and it was a very enjoyable experience.

More next time.