A walk in the cold and snow on the day after Boxing Day. Bekie and I froze but managed to work off some of the Christmas calories. The picture is of the cooling towers on Pegwell Bay which lies between Sandwich and Ramsgate. 

Ramsgate - back in England

Parkes and I are now back in the UK and living in Scott's spare bedroom in Ramsgate (Scott is Bekie's brother). We both found work really quickly and although my contract has now ended Parkes is still doing well. We are in the process of buying a house in Ramsgate and hopefully by the end of January 2006 we will be living there.

A merry Christmas to anyone reading this and the Blog updates will now be much more regular than in the past months!

Oviedo and Asturias

A big thank you to Bal, Dean, Kirsty and Keith for coming to meet us for our last weekend in Spain - the weekend wouldn't have been the same without you. It was a fairly drunken affair but the tuna pies were delicious, the people warm and friendly and the countryside absolutely breathtaking. The bears were also on top form. Parkes and I will be there again in March 2006 to continue our exploration...

Don't fill up on bread Homer! 

Bal: classic catalogue pose. 

From left to right: Deano, a bottle of cider and Edward Prawnhands. 

The cathedral in Oviedo. Somehow it looks better under brooding, leaden skies. 

Parkes on the Cokes. 

Three wise primates: K, Bal and me. 

Happy days: in a bar enjoying Mahou Cinco Estrella and other assorted beverages. 

Blue Steel part one. 

Blue Steel part two. 

Blue Steel part three. 

Kirsty being glared at by a bloke with a silly hat.

Bal and Bex ordering more cider. The cider was poured from a great height and drank in the same manner as a shot. 

Afternoon in a Oviedo bar following our bear trek. Outside this particular bar a wedding was taking place. 

Dean raises an Asturian toast. No cider this time around. 

The streets of Oviedo. 

Kirsty, Dean and Bal outside the entrance to our hotel/bar in Oviedo. Each expression tells a different story. 

The cathedral in Toledo. The city is a wonderful place - it remains pretty much as it must have looked four hundred years ago. Bex and I enjoyed lovely food and good beer but unless you wish to investigate the various buildings in the city (of which there are many) then a two-night stay is sufficient. 

Three kings: Mark, Yannis and Dimitri. Last night in Iguanas with these great guys before departing Nerja. 

Emmerdale

The cast and crew of this soap are in Nerja filming a special Dingle-plot. Ivan, Parkes and I saw Zak Dingle in the flesh and other members of the Dingle familly. Watch out for it coming soon to a TV near you.

Calm before the storm. We have had quite a few rainy days this week. Here is Ivan and Parkes waiting for another shower to clear. However these rainy days were followed by heavy nights of partying at the Nerja feria.

The end of this particular adventure...

Parkes and I are kicking-back and enjoying our final weeks in Spain. My mother was here over the last week and we had a lovely time exploring Granada and Malaga and gulping large amounts of food and grog. Ivan will be with us in the coming days for some sunny delight. Pictures will be available on the Blog.

On Friday 14th October we venture back to the UK for Bekie's dad's 60th birthday in Herne Bay - should be enjoyable. We then return to Nerja in Spain on Tuesday 18th October to hand-in our apartment keys. On Wednesday 19th we drive to Toledo for some sightseeing. On Friday 21st we drive from Toledo to Oviedo in northern Spain. There we will be meeting Keith, Bal, Dean and Kirsty for a weekend of nonsense and poking bears. We all fly back to the UK on Sunday 23th October. Again I will be snap-happy and any incriminating pictures will be emblazened on the Blog.

And there it is. The end of this particular adventure. We achieved every objective we set ourselves. Unfortunately we couldn't find jobs which would have allowed us to settle down. But we have loved our time in Spain and who knows how the cards will be dealt in the future. As for the remainder our time in Nerja we will savour every moment.

The Alcazaba on a hill in the city of Malaga. Where the Moors used to hang out and shoot at passing ships etc.

East of Malaga with the bullring in the middle of the photograph.

The port of Malaga. Taken from the Alcazaba.

Parkes on top of a tower at the Alhambra in Granada.

Parkes was director of photography in Granada. Here is a beautiful shot taken in the Generalife gardens at the Alhambra.

My mother surveys Granada from the Alhambra. It was ruddy warm in the midday sun.

Inside the Nasrid Palace at the Alhambra, Granada. The place was awesome. Lots of tourists but this is to be expected.

Mum and Parkes on the Balcon de Europa in Nerja.

Visitors to Nerja

Sorry for the lack of action on the Blog. This is due to laziness on my part which I apologise for. It won't happen again.

Last night we picked my mother up from the airport and brought her back to our place in Nerja. She is here for a week and we will be making trips to Granada and Malaga. Next week Ivan arrives for a weeks stay. Pictures will be posted in due course.

Bekie bowling in Velez-Malaga.

Bekie P and Mel C. We spent a lovely couple of days with Mel who arrived on Tuesday night and left late Thursday afternoon. The time was spent sunbathing, eating and chatting.

Haircut

The hairdresser was a psycho but fortunately we managed to leave the premises with some hair left.

Tuesday - lots going on...

Both Bekie and I are having haircuts at the same hairdresser at 11am on Tuesday morning. These will be our first haircuts since arriving in Nerja. Could be interesting. Also Mel C arrives on Tuesday night to stay with us and relax for a few days. Finally the mighty Spurs take on the Haddocks on Tuesday night. Should be a cracker!

Parkes and Strings' Bogus Journey

We had been told that just outside Nerja lies a waterfall and we thought we would follow the river and try and find it. Seemed like a nice thing to do on a Monday afternoon. We took a big bottle of water and some comfortable footwear and set off in the afternoon sunshine. The walk lasted just under three and a half hours. This is what we saw.

Parkes at one with nature. Always stretch to warm the muscles prior to a serious trek. The journey begins...