Sunday lunch Almunecar style

The card school continues with today's new games being clock patience and spit. My memory of the former was that it was a bit frustrating and usually involved more effort laying out than reward of actually playing. Either the kids are more patient than me or luckier and managed to play for longer but they both loved it. I loved rediscovering Spit, which I remembered that Carl and I used to play a lot in our pre-kids days when we would spend Sundays driving out to the countryside to find nice pubs for lunch and cards. J reckons we've played ten different card games since we've been in Spain.*

This morning saw Pool Boy doing his weekly hoover and more washing and sorting out of bedrooms for our friends arriving tomorrow. Our reward was a more successful than yesterday trip up the mountains to "Carl's spot", which, as predicted, remains unsold. After asking why we thought no-one has bought it J got himself an Economics 101 lesson as we drive back down into town. Mainly from me as Carl was concentrating on negotiating the very steep, bendy, narrow, next to a sheer drop roads, with him occasionally taking over when said roads left me so nauseous I couldn't speak for fear of hurling. Prompting J to return to normal 8 year old status and enquire whether I would hurl out of the window whilst moving or we would pull over somewhere. Needless to say we won't be going up the mountains for a while and we certainly won't be purchasing any unloved plots of land.

Recovery was swift at Sabina's, a new restaurant in town, owned and run by a former waitress from one of our favourite restaurants in the next town. Perfect location in view of the sea but shaded and right in the line of a breeze. Freshly caught fish all round, more cards and a cold beer and all was well with the world. (For clarity, Anna's drink is grape juice, not beer).

Back to the cortijo for an afternoon reading, in the pool and putting up the badminton net which also involved raking dead leaves and some digging up of weeds to create a playing area. Even doing this at 7.30pm I was pouring with sweat. It really is no wonder so little happens in southern Spain in August and really more of a wonder that anything does.

A very quick testing of the new badminton 'court' before dinner and another family movie. Tonight was Toy Story 3 which I have seen before and so thought I would be hardened and strong - I wasn't. I probably shouldn't watch it again. Everyone else enjoyed it though.

Then a late evening on the terrace sorting out our finances and doing some planning for the next year. Good to get done but really a good job our friends are coming tomorrow so we can return to late night norm of putting the world to rights.

Lesley x


*Bluff, Chase the Ace, Sevens, Military Rummy, Oh Heck, Solitaire, Clock Patience, Strip Jack Naked, Spit, Gin Rummy