Whoopee, with the able assistance of Paracetamol and Ibuprofen I managed to get almost eight hours, fever free sleep. Bliss, and I feel so much better for it. I am still suffering some post poisoning symptoms, they will take ages to clear, but with judicious drug dosages they should settle down in a week or so.
On the positive side it is a salutary reminder that the gluten intolerance is severe and not my imagination as some people imply and even tell me from their position of verbal diarrhoea, non expertise. It beats me a) why would I want to imagine such severe reactions and b) who gives these shits the right to make such a judgement? These are the same kind of people who tell me that I can always have a banana instead of a meal (do I look like a chimpanzee? No don’t answer that!) Or they tell me that a little bit won’t matter, that I can take a day off now and again, that I am being difficult, or worse still give me a lecture about what I should eat. If ever you read a newspaper report about me committing murder or a serious assault, you will understand why!
The new restaurant didn’t poison me so we know we have a safe haven there, though they could use the lesson in desserts that Annette suggested I give them. I might just push my luck and do so.
We have decided that next time we go we will walk there. It will take about half an hour, then I can have wine with the meal, then we can perambulate back, call in at a few bar restaurants on the way to check out eating possibilities there then totter home having made a day of it. That will be fun.
We spent a very pleasant evening with our Dutch friends and neighbours last night. It was the kind of evening where revelations about our four equally traumatic pasts were shared because we have learned to trust each other and have made the next move in bonding. Robert and Marijke are both very interesting and Rob is a good raconteur. He is 75, Marijke is 77, and she is a living testament to the fact that that old age does not preclude glamour.
Robert was born in Indonesia when it was still the Dutch East Indies and he spent most of his adult life working all over the world. In fact he has only spent eight years of his entire life in The Netherlands. Thus he has an endless supply of fascinating stories to tell. Especially fascinating are the stories of when he was stationed in Burma at a time when it was still a closed country, so the only way officials could ensure that he was accepted was to make him a commissioned officer in the Burmese Army.
Robert’s house testifies to his love of the Far East, for it is full of Far Eastern antiquities. Marijke’s apartment testifies to her love of Dutch antique furniture and ornaments, all these in spite of the fact that she hates The Netherlands. Both their accommodation and their experiences help to make them interesting to spend time with. Their gardens evidence their Dutch heritage. They are lush and beautifully tended. We had a lovely, bonding evening there, one that we will no doubt repeat before the end of our stay.
Today we had lunch with our English friends and neighbours, Keith and Audrey. They come from Keighley, the town in England that I used to represent as a District Councillor, so that is always a good conversation starter. Keith is President of AFPO, The Association Of Foreign Property Owners, and he and his AFPO colleagues do a sterling job representing their members. There are always a whole host of anecdotes that come out of that every time we meet.
Keith, bless him, offered to do the driving and I gratefully accepted. They took us to a restaurant in Teulada via a route that I will never be able to replicate and because we have only ever been to Teulada via a more conventional main road route, I have no idea where in Teulada it is located. Thank goodness Garrath got one of their cards so that we can use satnav to locate it.
The people at the restaurant had been checked out by Keith & Audrey before to see if they could cater for me. They were true to their word, fully understood my needs and catered very well indeed. Patatas Fritas (French Fries) are a no-no for me when they fry battered and other floury things in the same fryer so when other people has Patatas Fritas with their main course, I had grilled vegetables. Even though I would sell my soul for an uncontaminated plate of Patats Fritas, I was content with the healthy alternative – well, sort of! Joy of joys, I actually got a dessert for a change, and a very nice dessert it was too, a light and very flavourful, home made chocolate mousse. I consider that part of my five a day. After all, chocolate is made of beans.
After lunch we returned to Keith & Audrey’s house for coffee, tea and liqueurs, and to catch up on the gossip. Keith and Audrey are from the opposite side of the political spectrum to us so there is always a very lively political debate, invariable conducted on their terrace. Unfortunately their terrace is a much favoured location for every possible variety of snickety, snackety, horrible bitey thing in Spain so the lively debate was punctuated by frequent applications of Fenergan, the magic cream that subdues the ferocity of insect bites.
We terminated the visit at 19.45, made our way back to the house and settled in for a quiet evening of blog writing and planning for tomorrow. Garrath has promised to sort a computer problem for Keith, I have to negotiate with the builder’s front man, Abdellah, to get some lighting improvements done and I have chutney to prepare. Lunch will be at the local cheapie that caters for me very well, again with grilled vegetables instead of Patatas Fritas, then who knows? Well actually I do, a jaunt down to the local watering hole. After all we haven’t been there for two days. Their profits must be well down!