Walks around the neighbourhood part 2

Heading off on another walk of discovery this time with more views over our access road and the hills going up towards Bedar this shows the other side of our hillock structure.

Not all the roads around our area are tarmaced, this road comes away from a local rural bed and
breakfast place above out home. Lovely views of course!

Another view coming down from the rural B&B showing our main access road that snakes around the hills and valleys.

Stuart walking down the hill descent towards the proper road leading to our road to our house.

More views above showing our snaking, undulating access road! Visitors are warned!

Another view above showing our snaking, undulating access road! Some more of the enclaves of
houses near Bedar on the hills above! 

An unfinished house with already built approach road. A testament to the downturn in the Spanish housing market.

The full sized unfinished house with already built approach road. This is a huge plot with water piped in and nothing else done with it beyond the concrete shell. It's views are crappy though which might explain it not being finished!

Walks around the neighbourhood part 1....

Different views taken from walks around the area closest to our house. We are down a steep hill so it is all up hill to get up to walk around the area, then of course there are more climbs to take in some of the spectacular views from the peaks where other houses are built!

Showing some of the lovely vegetation and flowers at the top of our road. 

Looking more towards Mojácar Pueblo from the top of our road.

Looking back and showing our house in the centre

On the furthest point of this walk looking towards the coast and Mojácar Playa and the Med.

Stuart at the mid point of our walk.

Just after we'd seen two baby deer take off down the hill, we looked back across to our house and our neighbours' on the left.

The house in the centre of the picture gives our area's name, it is called Cortijo Curato.

A couple of the lower houses at the end of our first walk, nice properties but nowhere near as nice views
to the coast as from our home!

Looking towards our house with Cliff stood off to the side.

The House is coming together!

Well we are now two happy guys as both of us are now in possession of our shipped belongings and in Stuart's case a couple of "small" items of furniture!

This is the now complete second guest bedroom. Black & silver themed, we are pleased with the result!

This is the now complete second guest bedroom, looking to where Stuart also has his computer.

Very much work in progress but this is the HUGE American king size bed I inherited with Stuart! :)

More work in progress, but this is a Natuzzi Italian leather corner suite can seat 6 more than
comfortably and 8 cosily!

The main guest bedroom, basically ivory, white and cream accented with the duvet colours.

 

The main guest bedroom,alternate view showing the mirror. There are also built in wardrobes
to the left of this view.

John's visit, also known as wow we can relax!

He's landed!

John was due to arrive on Saturday June 2nd at Almeria Airport and was staying until the 5th as he had to take the time off for the Queen's Jubilee so he'd booked a flight to come out and deliver personally the things we had ordered plus some housewarming presents. 

Stuart checking the board!

We took the opportunity to go to Carrefour before his plane landed to buy some more things that we needed like an iron, an ironing board and some Blu ray discs as we wanted to see something in true HD and we also got a 3D one as well to test that side out too!


We got the airport in good time and were waiting to meet him when his plane landed. He had flown in from East Midlands Airport and the flight was on time.


I have known John since about 1982 and he is my best friend. He has a lovely personality and wouldn't do anyone any harm. I am so glad all these years later we are still as close friends as back then! 


We drove him back to Bedar via Mojácar Playa and a tapas lunch at our favourite cafe down on the seafront. Once we'd had our fill we came up to the house and it got the same reaction from John as when we first arrived here. He was in awe of the views, loved the house and said he couldn't wait to get out in the pool and into the sun!


I had elected to make Chili that night for us to eat so set about doing some preparation for that while John set about unpacking the stuff he had brought us and his small amount of clothes he'd need while here! John fully intended to take advantage of the sun and came packed accordingly - i.e. next to nothing!


Sunday we had breakfast then set off for Villaricos for John to see the  - now expanded for summer  - street market. Stuart and John bought various items there and we as usual stocked up on fruit and vegetables. After Villaricos we drove to Garrucha for lunch at El Almejero a well respected Fish restaurant there. Garrucha has a good fishing industry and these places serve the fresh catch of the day to eager diners! Even though the fish doesn't have far to travel it isn't a cheap meal and the service there is excellent also to go with it! We had Anchovies cooked like whitebait and some excellent locally caught red gambas (shrimp) to start. This was accompanied by bread with alioli - a beautiful locally made whipped mayonnaise with garlic that you smear on the crusty bread - beautiful! For main course Stuart and I went for John Dory and John had (I think!) Hake, it looked very nice anyway!


We headed back to the house for sun and the pool and to play with some pool flotation toys that John bought. For the first time this weekend since we got in the house we actually stopped and enjoyed the place for what it is, a lovely home and we all ended up in the pool at one time or another too! The temperature in the pool was at about 22.5C so it was initially a bit of shock going in but lovely once you did! 


Monday we had more time in the sun and the pool plus we took John up into Bedar for lunch and to see the amazing views and it's charming architecture. We ate in the Miramar where we'd been before and it was beautiful looking out over the valley towards the Playa beyond. We came back again for more time at the house so John could relax and Stuart prepared one of his specialties Garlic Shrimp pasta for dinner.

His arrival, he peeked through!

Bag collected he came out into the arrivals hall.

Myself and John in our favourite tapas place down on the playa

Bottom left of the bed is John's stuff, the rest was ours!

John got in the pool first!

closely followed by me, I "fell" in mind you!

I misjudged the step and it was a Candid Camera moment!

Saturday evening, enjoying the chili I made!

Stuart & John at Villaricos open air market

In El Almejero enjoying lunch

Stuart toasting in El Almejero

John, mid course break in El Almejero

I was designated driver and was only on water!

The pool lit up at night before John got in!

Stuart's first pool outing!

Fun with pool toys!

More fun with pool toys!

At the deepest end of the pool, about 6 foot deep.

The boys next to the miners memorial in Bedar.

Myself & John in Bedar.

A panorama showing the view from Bedar, the boys moved!

Fun in the pool!

Tuesday we did very little so John could get some more sun in before he flew back in the evening. He was flying at 9pm back to the UK so we set off after an early meal about 6 to get him there on time. We again took the opportunity to visit Carrefour to get yet more stuff we realised we needed! John loved being here and while he was here he checked and found some cheap flights for next month. So he is here again July 7th to 10th and will again bring out some things we'd like bringing from the UK!

The week leading up to John's arrival....

The daytime vista - beautiful!

The whole of our second week we carried on with pretty much more of the same as the first week with our usual trips to the gym on Monday, Wednesday & Friday interspersed with more deliveries, more shopping and getting ready for John’s visit.

It was a big thing to be welcoming our first visitor to our home. Not least because we hadn’t yet got all the furniture so we had to give thought to where John might sit if we watched TV together for instance!

I love this part of the house - GREAT for drying washing! LOL

We did a lot of cleaning as with all the moving of stuff with doors being left open the dry climate tends to let a lot of dust in so Stuart and I set to cleaning the floors throughout, plus the kitchen and bathrooms. 

Up to this point we hadn't really had chance or the opportunity to draw breath really, let alone actually enjoy our home as such, so John's visit would serve as an enforced break from our activities.

Various garden shots at dusk

We were lucky enough to inherit a lovely garden with our new home. I took them at dusk so please excuse the poor lighting. We have Palms, huge Yuccas, lemon, orange, fig, almond, pomegranate amongst many other plants growing in the garden.