Well, I guess if you ask some friends if they'd like to house-sit for you while you're away, you'd expect them to leave it as they find it. I mean, that's the idea, right? So where to begin? The pool is green, half the plants in the garden look parched and the car has a flat tyre which has perished beyond repair. The bathroom shutter is down and the strap to haul it up has snapped. The ceramic hob is cracked in two. Oh, and where's the remote for the kitchen air-conditioner?? Bloody hell, we'll not ask them back.Dear Kate and Andy,
Thank you so much for letting us house-sit for you for a month whilst you were away in the Caucasus. We hope you had a good time and caught some of the Cricket World Cup on tv. We've had a lovely rest here and enjoyed having guests from England to stay.
Mel and Andy came for a few days and we did a couple of the nice hikes you suggested and explored the old town of nearby Peniscola. We also did a nice drive inland to Morella which was pretty, scenic and quiet - a million miles from the tourist hub-bub of Peniscola.
Thanks for all the information about Benicarlo. It was fine cycling to and from the town until the heatwave struck. It's noticeable how you catch the breeze up at the house, set back from the artichoke fields that surround the town. The forestry people were working hard to thin out the pine forest next to the house - clearing all the scrub and brush. Quite reassuring what with the forest fires springing up just north of here.
You know about the blowout we had on the highway. Luckily it wasn't too far out of town. I didn't realise the Saab ran on tubeless tyres. Anyway, we couldn't get the electric pump to work but it would have made no difference. When the mechanic arrived he took the wheel off and the tyre was shredded. I went back to the garage and he put a temporary tyre on. I went back the next day and they'd got a replacement, which they put on. In the end I thought 100 euros wasn't too much considering it wasn't covered on the breakdown cover. I'm disappointeded the tyre was flat when you got home - it mustn't have been fitted properly. And perished too? Out of their guarantee period? The crooks.
It was Suzi and Dino who pointed out that perhaps the pool was a little low. The water jets were above the water line when we arrived. I guess the woman who was supposed to maintain the pool had too much other work on. Anyway, we eventually got it back to normal. The chlorine tablets helped turn the green to blue and we managed with the pump and filters and vac to clean out the algae that had gathered. Our friend in France, who also has a pool, told us the once the temperatures reach 30 C the pump has to run constantly to keep the water clear, but we didn't learn that until later. Our friends from West Sussex came at the last minute after we wrote and they realised that their planned bike trip to Wales would be a washout. Of course, it was perfect weather here. Dino tried out the old brick barbecue and it works okay if you don't mind a bit of smoke in your eyes.
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| like all true antipodeans, Dino loves a barbecue |
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| losing track of time |
It was also great that in our last week here Gayle's sister and her youngest came for a quick visit. We visited Peniscola again but it was soooo hot. Happily the pool was clean by then. Having them here was a surprising bonus.
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| okay Kate, now we know why you love the convertible |
It would be great to catch up with you when you're here next time,
love
Gayle & John
xxxx
ps thanks for the wine - it kept us hydrated.
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| Benicarlo's tribute to its artichoke heritage |
"Mmm, do you think they'd want us back?"
