63. Two weeks without Lorni.....!

This has been the longest two weeks in history to be honest, there have been things that have gone wrong and stuff that I don't understand and there is still a lot of outstanding things still to be sorted that only Lorni can do because of the language, more no that a little later. First and foremost I miss my wife, the saying "you don't know what you have till it's gone" has never rung so true I know this is temporary but still it doesn't feel like it at times. I love Lorni far more than I realised.

OK so James and John the builders came round yesterday morning (Monday) to try and find and stop the leak that has caused so much damage, the dogs were playing up something rotten so after ten minutes I took them out for a long walk before I got back James rang me to tell me that had found the cause and fixed it... On the outside wall of the upstairs bathroom there is a tap with a hose attached to it for the terrace it was leaking from the back of the tread and had been dripping away probably for years but not on the outside of the wall oh no! on the inside which is why I couldn't find the cause, these guys know what they are doing they turned the water off...something I couldn't do as I didn't know where the stop cock was. Removed the tap and blanked it off after just one day the smell has nearly gone, Not going to sort the ceiling out just yet going to wait until completely dried out.

One problem just about fixed next problem...the air con packed up so once again James is going to find some one to come and repair and fix both units as one to the units hasn't worked since we got here.

The one thing that has hit me hard is the lack if language on my part yes I know a few words but that, as I am finding out, is not enough!  A couple of years back I was watching a series in the UK called "bargain loving Brits in the sun" based mainly in Benidorm ti showed the lives of some retired ex pats and their  world of trailer parks and flats etc the one over-riding theme was their complete lack of even trying to learn the language it was such a problem that is has caused a "them and us" situation in the town between  the resident Brits and locals. I am trying very hard to get a grip withe language now that Lorni is not here and was so proud of myself yesterday when using the local shop I managed to as for  few things and was understood.

 I am using two different courses..Rosetta Stone and an on-line course call "Jump Start" what I have found is: the trick to learning this language is not to do too much in one go take small bite size chinks, go away learn it then go to the next part. Give me three months and I should be able to hold a conversation with a local...I hope.

62.Could only happen when Lorni is not here...

Saturday today Lorni went early Tuesday morning so this is the longest we have been apart  since my bike trip back to the  UK, and yes I am an old sentimental fool and as one of my old friends mentioned on Facebook the other day I don't do being on my own very well, in fact I hate it, Last night it all got to me a bit and I admit to breaking down in tears, I am trying very hard to discipline myself to learn the language but with Lorni here nagging me to keep at it I am finding it easy to just get distracted, Ill get there in the end.

Next problem and it is a biggie I have been moaning for some time about a smell in the kitchen a sort of dampish smell well when I looked up at the ceiling I found the source of the smell, It looks very much like we have a leak in the upstairs bathroom.

Luckily we have some English builder friends so I sent out an SOS for James who cam round that afternoon, took a look upstairs and realised it would be far easier to go through the false kitchen ceiling than to break up the concrete and marble floor of the bathroom I agreed so he made a smallish hole int he ceiling to see where it was coming from and it looks like it's the waste side of the supply so I have left the upstairs bathroom alone for now they are coming around mid week to put things right for me,,,great lads.

So on top of everything I have had to put with the problem of the leak and the bloody awful smell which now that we have a hole in the ceiling is so much worse than before. On the up-side the weather has been good although we have some wet stuff coming tomorrow and the dogs have behaved brilliantly I hope they still will when they are locked in my study with me while the boys remove the ceiling and sort out the leak, And along with my new bright coloured trainers I have went for a little jog today much surprised so I was.

I have spoken to Lorni on numerous occasions over the last 5 days and she is settling in well and is back at the Hospital on Monday. Dam I miss that woman so much and because of the stupidity of the British Public I don't know when she will ab able to come back for a long weekend or holiday I might even have to wait the full 6 months till then end of November, will be completely and utterly bonkers by then if that happens.

61. Lorni, work and Spain on my own

It has been some time since I last updated this blog we have had three months of lock-down thanks to this Coronavirus on which subject I still don't believe anything we are being told about it, anyway a lot has happened since the last update. We have been eased down slowly from the emergency measure of the Virus and we are now about halfway to getting back to normal we have had some terrible weather over the last three months which has made staying in a lot less of a problem that it could have been. We still have a lot of work to do on the house and now we seem to have yet another leak this time from the upstairs bathroom which is slowly changing the colour of the kitchen ceiling. Another job to add to the growing list we are still waiting to hear from the insurance company once that is settled one way or another I will start on the repairs.

The biggest news of course has to do with my wonderful Lorni getting the sack just before her knee replacement Op was just the most low down thing anyone should have to put up with, it seem that something or someone is still determined to try and make our life hell but we had a plan "B" and "C" as always, Lorni has fought this case and after three months of meetings and constant phone calls to the nurses union, human resources and solicitors she has won her case in fact she won it last month and has been re-instated.

The only problem has been because of the lock-down travel restrictions so she has had to wait to go back to the UK, After weeks of dread and forbidding the day of Lorni's departure got nearer and nearer. Yesterday I got up really early made sure Lorni was up and ready as she had a train to catch she was flying from Madrid so had to go from here via Valencia to Madrid and catch a flight to Heathrow. by 8pm yesterday evening she was at her temporary home near Kings sipping a glass of wine.

Lorn will probably dump that suitcase as it caused problems with the airline...it was rather big! so yesterday was a great and also very sad day for me, Great as it means that Lorni can finish off her full time work by the beginning of December and take full retirement instead of having to wait another 5 years. Sad as it meant I am now on my own in Country where I still don't know the language so frightening as well.

I got back home from taking Lorni to the station in tears I love that woman so much and I was missing her already thankfully I had a delivery which took my mind of things for a few hours and gave me a sore wrist, neck and back LOL.

A frame and 16 bloody drawers made I must remember not to ask Lorni for more storage in the future. After finishing the IKEA project and making dinner (re-heat yesterdays) it dawned on me the immensity of the situation that I now find myself in, Most people that know me know I am not very good at being on my own, ad indifferent Country, no language skills and not many friend that I can talk to..only two come to mind and you can see why i started to become a withering mess in the corner of the living room, I am not only responsible for myself but for two dogs as well which rather confines me to the house I can't go too far for too long. I now have to worry about shopping paying bills etc all in a Language that I don't understand.....frightening yes!

So to get around this and stop myself going insane I have to put in to practice a routine and stick to it something to do every day sot hat I am not left moping around, Mornings are pretty well set up as it is, I get up every morning go to the bathroom get dressed and take the dogs out on the first 2 1/2 mile walk get home feed and water the dogs  do the washing up empty bins make my breakfast finish that and the dogs need to go the toilet so take them down to the park get back and its nearly 10:30 then 11:00-1200 second dog walk of the day and again at around 6:30 in the evening. now starting next Monday I am going to have to extend this list to something like. Friday go shopping, Saturday will be washing day Monday will be clean house day, I also have to fit in a couple of hours a day for Language learning and some time for my photography course and to use my mini gym upstairs Thursday evening make shopping list and weekly mean plan. So fingers crossed by Monday I will have some sort of itinerary that will help me fill my days keep me busy and my mind off missing my Lorni and hopefully the time will pass quickly ...we will see...next update Monday, lets see how this works out.