Andalucia Diary 2017

Dora off to work at 8:15, working a 9-9 shift (24 hours) in Arcos. I loafed all day. Spaghetti for dinner. Out for a walk in early evening. Back still aching a little; took a Neobrufen. Dora home at 9:30, feeling okay. But soon we crashed back into bed, and Dora slept and slept. I went out in early afternoon to recharge her Lebara phone and go for a walk. Big dinner. Dora back to sleep. Up later. Out after 11:30. Up to Deutschebank. Loads of people out, lines at all the banks after the long holiday weekend. Dora paid rents on two apartments but third failed. Back home.

Hustled to catch 1300 bus to Sanlucar. Driver drove fast, too. To Sanlucar, bought a couple of bunches of flowers, to sister's house. No sister or niece, just Dora's parents there. Had a nice lunch with them. Talked for a while, but the house is cold, Dora's cough is acting up. Went outside to go to the bus station, and it's warmer outside than in the house. Caught 1610 bus back to Jerez, home by 1715. Dora up at 7, then checked with work and found she didn't have to go in until the afternoon.

Out with Dora at 12:45. Caught 1 PM bus to Arcos de la Frontera. Arrived there around 1:45. Immediately hopped onto a local bus and over near the health center where Dora will be working a 17-hour shift, 3 PM to 8 AM. Into a cafe and had coffees and snacks. Lots of time to kill, loafed and talked.

Out before 3, and Dora headed for work while I headed out to be a tourist. Confusing town, with old town up on cliff-tops, and I'm down low in the unfashionable end of low town. Someone had pointed us to where I could take a bus to the top, so I walked up a bit and found a bus stop. But it's for the wrong line, the "bajo" line instead of the "centro" line. But a guy waiting there assures me the centro bus will come here.

By the time a bus appears, he's gone, and it's the "bajo" bus, and the driver tells me no "centro" bus here, it's a short walk up to the top. So I start walking.

Yes, it's a fairly short walk, but about 120 meters of vertical, and I'm hot and puffing by the time I get to the top. And I'm coming into it from the far end, with no map.

I wander along, finding various plazas I saw mentioned on the internet when I researched this place. I'm here during siesta time, so lots of stuff is closed. And the main basilica has a "closed for repairs" sign on it anyway. Tourist Info is not in the basilica plaza as I thought it was supposed to me.

I stumble across Tourist Info and get a map. Retrace my steps and down to find a scenic overlook on the back side of town, but it's disappointing. Back up and through old town, and eventually emerge out to the proper entrance. My legs are beat by now.

Hard to take pictures in the narrow crowded streets of this town, but long views from the cliff-tops (150 meters high): pics.

Wander down, finally getting to a plaza with a "centro" bus stop by 4:50. But I've missed a bus by 5 minutes. Could wait 25 minutes for next one, and if anything goes wrong I'll miss the Jerez bus at 5:30 (but there's another at 6).

There's a Tourist Info kiosk in the plaza, so I ask directions to the bus station, and get a "down, left, right, it's easy" response. I set off, and get most of the way there on my own, but it's not nearly as easy as said. Arrive at station a few minutes after 5, and sit and doze and listen to my MP3 player.

Bus arrives on time, to Jerez, home by 6:15 or so. Spaghetti for dinner. Dora home after 9. To bed for a while. I'm up at 11 or so, and soon start cooking a chicken-mushroom casserole, no hurry. Dora out at 1 or so to banks, but soon back, one was closed.

The casserole was a success. Dora still feeling tired and sleepy. After a while, we napped. I went out to Mercadona at 4:30.

Then we went out before 5 and to the center; there's supposed to be a parade. No sign of it. We walked and went into a couple of stores, then into a cafe for coffee and churros. Still no sign of parade. Headed home, and near our apartment, at Plaza Las Angustias, police are clearing out parked cars. They say the parade will be here around 9. Home, and I see that the parade route does include this plaza. So I guess the parade started at the other end of town at 5.

I went out at 8:30, and should have gone earlier. Parade in full swing through Plaza Las Angustias, crowds of people, balloons of hippopotamus, gorilla and snake etc, lots of floats with people in costume throwing candy to the crowd. Hard to get any decent pictures: pics. Parade moving fairly slowly. I watched for about 40 minutes, then headed home.

Watched Barca play Atletico on TV. They struggled, as they have all season. Down 2-0 at the half, pulled back to 2-1, got a 2-man advantage with 10 minutes to go, and could manage only a couple of shots on goal even then. Lost 2-1. Around 9, Dora says her parents probably are coming over for dinner. I tell her to get the ham / pork shoulder we bought out of the freezer. Around 11, she's says they definitely are coming over today. I go out and buy a traditional Three Kings cake, called a Roscon de Reyes. But all the grocery stores are closed, so we're limited to the food we have on hand.

I go home, and Dora says she's never cooked a ham, so I look on the internet. Microwave the ham a bit to thaw it. Mix up some oil-garlic-seasoning glop, put it on top. Get it into the oven around 12:40, the recipe says it will cook for 4 hours. Ten minutes later, Dora says her parents and sister and niece have arrived downstairs, go bring them up !

So I go fetch them, and they're hungry. What to do ? I get out the leftover chicken-mushroom casserole from yesterday, we make rice, I make a salad. We have just enough chicken-mushroom for the six of us. Eat around 1:45, and then we all sit around and relax. The pork is starting to look good, and around 2 Dora says she thinks it's at risk of burning, let's take it out. So I turn off the heat and leave it in the oven, I think it's fine.

Around 3, we have a second round of food. The pork is okay (it's really roast pork, not ham), but a little bland. We eat lots of cake, and everyone is satisfied.

They leave around 4:30. I'm glad they came over, we had a nice time. And they left us a lot of nice food-gifts: a bottle of cava, the remainder of the roscon, some roast chicken and fries, a box of pannatone bread. Dora out at 7:45, to work a 24-shift at Arcos. I loafed all day, out for a walk in the evening. Headachey; took a paracetamol-plus. Dora didn't get a ride and missed one bus, got home at 11:15. I'm still headachey by 1; took a sumatriptan. Roast chicken and rice and cake and panettone for dinner. I went out for a late-evening walk; weather cool but not cold. NE Spain and much of Europe is having cold weather. Headachey; took a Neobrufen. We slept late. Up, then later suddenly Dora is asked to work a 2-8 shift today at a nearby health clinic. She's out at 1:40.

Still headachey in midafternoon; took a paracetamol-plus. Out to locutorio to recharge Dora's 912 number, then to Mercadona for groceries.

Started doing my Spanish ETE tax form, due the 20th. I made a big omelet for dinner. Dora home at 8:15, had some leftover roast pork for dinner. Dora out at 7:30, to work 8-2 in a clinic in town. I loafed, went out to ATM.

Dora messaged that clinic wants her to work into the evening. I'm glad that she's getting more and more hours, and in clinics here in town. But sometimes she isn't too happy about it when she has to get up before 7 to start going to work.

Out to Mercadona for groceries. Spaghetti for dinner. I went out for a long walk in the evening. Dora home before 8. Dora out at 7:30, to work 8-2 in a clinic in town. I loafed, did laundry. Dora home after 2. I started a pie, cooked dinner. We napped, I cooked the pie. Filed my ETE form with Banco de España. I went out for a walk around 9. Dora out to work at 9, late. She thought she didn't have to work today, but maybe she missed a message or call, or the clinic had a last-minute need. I'm headachey; took a paracetamol-plus.

Out after noon. To Tourist Info office in Plaza Arenal. Work crew outside picking all the oranges off the trees: pic. In the office, asked where there are any movie theaters in this town, and they say there is one, in the big Luz shopping center at the west edge of town. Asked about discotecas, and they came up with only one, Kapote, that I'd already heard about. To Mercadona for groceries.

Home, started cooking chicken soup from scratch, and Dora home suddenly after 2. Had chicken soup over rice, with salad, for dinner. Dora didn't like the chicken soup too much: bland, not enough chicken. But we'll doctor up the leftovers and see if we can make it better.

Out with Dora around 7. Long, slow bus struggling through traffic to Carrefour Norte. In and to the computer section, found a model we wanted, as usual it turns out to be a display model only. And then they couldn't change the password on it, so we'll have to come back in a few days to pay for it and pick it up. HP something, 15-inch screen and full keyboard, 4 GB RAM, 500 GB disk, 1-year warranty, €239 but with 21% IVA will cost about €289.

Bought a printer ink cartridge. Bus back was much faster: much less traffic. Home after 8:30. Hot drinks and pie and ice cream. Out with Dora at 11:30 or so. Over to Madre de Dios and caught number 1 bus down to Avenida del Puerta del Sur. Moderate walk to the padron office. Sign on door said it was closed, but just then a woman came out and tore the sign off and opened the office. Dora in and did her padron transaction very quickly.

Back to the bus stop. Street art: pics. Shortish wait for bus, winding trip back to near home. Into the Centro de Salud to see about Dora getting registered here. She has to go back next week with some photocopies. I need to find an INSS office and get a Social Security number, according to them. Home after 1.

Chicken-soup over rice for dinner. Later Dora not feeling well, crashed for a long nap. We're out at 12:45 to catch the 1:00 bus to Sanlucar. A bit cold today, and the bus is 10 minutes late. The driver is pedal-to-the-metal as we head out; he must be late for his dinner.

To Sanlucar, windy here, cold walk to sister's house. Sister is working in a clinic in Jerez today, but Dora's parents and niece are here. House is cold, as usual. We have a nice chicken-rice dinner, talk a bit, the niece finally comes downstairs for a little while, then we leave to catch the 4:10 bus back to Jerez.

We get off at the hospital, and barely find the bus stop and start looking at the schedule before the 9 bus is there. Perfect !

To Carrefour Norte, and after they search the back room for a while, we buy our laptop (or at least a box that feels like it has something inside it) and head out. Miss the 9 bus by 3-5 minutes. While we're waiting in the bus shelter, I open the box and confirm that indeed there is a laptop and charger inside.

Home after 6:15, tired and cold. Beef, rice, salad for dinner.

Set up the new laptop. Took off the McAfee and Avast stubs, connected to W-Fi, installed AVG and Malwarebytes. Installed Chrome and Firefox browsers. No problems, everything as advertised.

Headachey; took a paracetamol-plus.

Still headachey in middle of the night; took a Neobrufen. Dora hibernating today. I loaded up her new computer with more stuff. Spaghetti for dinner. Went out for a walk after 6; weather a bit cold but not bad. Headache in the middle of the night; took a paracetamol-plus. Dora out at 9 or so, to main hospital to do paperwork, and to see if she has work today. She's back home at 11:15, no work today.

After noon, we're out. To the National Police office, where they say my residency renewal is still in process (coming up on 4 months in process!), and say the online status will change when a letter is sent. To INSS office, where there's a long line and we don't have a cita, so we don't wait. Backtrack to Centro Salud near National Police, and ask several questions about getting me onto the state healthcare. Get a couple of answers that match what I thought (I can't attach myself to Dora's healthcare), but a couple of key questions still are open: do I have to get a Social Security number (I think only workers can get them) and can I do Convenio Especial while my residency still is being renewed ? Looks like the only way to find out is to fill out the application forms, get citas, try to apply, and see if they reject the applications.

To Mercadona for groceries, then home. A chunk of delicious hot bread from the supermercado to tide us over. Meat-rice-salad for dinner.

Online, tried to get a cita to go to the INSS office, and instead was able to get a Spanish Social Security number assigned to me ! Done, no need to go to the office.

Put together papers to apply for Convenio Especial to get healthcare in the Spanish NHS.

Headache; took a paracetamol-plus. Headache got worse; napped for a couple of hours. Still have headache; took a sumatriptan. Out to local Centro Salud around 11:30. Brief wait, then handed my stack of forms and papers to the man, to do Convenio Especial. He started typing away, and I started thinking "this is easy, he's going to say all done, great". But then he said "you're not alta on the Social Security rolls, you have to go to INSS, I don't know what Convenio Especial is, it's not for people outside EU, you have to stay on private insurance". I think he's wrong about all of it, but I'll have to go to INSS and see what they say. The Convenio Especial is for non-EU people, and the application form is a Salud form, not an INSS form. But I'll try it his way.

To a nearby cafe for coffees, then home.

Online, downloaded a big TGSS form, but stuck on filling out parts of it. We'll have to go to the office and ask. Got a cita, but it's for 8 days from now. Probably will just walk in tomorrow, wait in line.

Out at 5 for a walk and groceries. Decided not to do INSS/TGSS today; I'll wait for my cita next week, because my private medical insurance is paid up through July 1.

I went out at 11:30 or so. Slightly colder, and a stiff wind cutting right through you, feels very cold. To ATM, then to theater to pick up opera tickets.

At 12:15, walked Dora to her appointment at the employment office, but I didn't stay to wait with her because there was nowhere to sit.

Cold afternoon, even staying inside with heater running most of the time. It's very cold all over Spain today, electricity authority saying this is the highest demand day since 2012.

Online, I see that my residency renewal was marked "resuelto - favorable" yesterday ! Only took 4 months, and now I should get a letter and go for fingerprints and then wait for a new card. Slept late; hard to get out of a warm bed on these cold days. Thought of going out shopping around noon, but it's a lousy day to be wandering around looking for shops.

I put together a sort of scalloped-potato-ham-cheese casserole, somewhat winging it. Had a lot of potatoes that need to be used up. Dora didn't like it too much; she doesn't like potatoes.

Watched Barca play Real Sociedad on TV, and they won 1-0. Owners came by before noon, to pick up mail. Then we went out. Weather cold but not windy. To theater to verify that tickets are okay. To a clothing store to buy three shirts for Dora. To a couple more shops to look. To a cafe for coffees and sandwiches. Bought flowers. Bought lightbulbs for the bathroom. Loafed. Spaghetti for dinner. Out to Mercadona for groceries. Out later to walk in the center. Stopped in a cafe for coffees and to watch some of the Real MAdrid - Malaga game on TV, but the cafe was bit cool because the back door was open, and the TV signal was very jerky. To a shop and bought a new coat for Dora. Pried Dora out of bed at 12:20, showers, hustled to center to go to Mass at 1, mainly to see the church. Iglesia de San Dionisio: pics. Afterward, to a cafe for coffees. Dora out to a job interview in late morning. I went to Mercadona for groceries.

Headache just before bed. Took a paracetamol-plus in the middle of the night, and a Neobrufen before dawn. Headache. Not helped by the gas running out while I was halfway through my shower. Somehow this bottle lasted only 1 month, while previous one lasted about 3 months (but we were out of town for about 1 of those 3). Took a sumatriptan. Dora out to employment office for half an hour. I went back to bed, slept until before 3. Headache almost entirely gone. Switched to new gas bottle.

I went out in late afternoon for a walk to the center, then to Mercadona for groceries.

After midnight, again not sleeping well, sinus pain. Took a paracetamol-plus before 6 AM. Still headachey; took a sumatriptan.

Out with Dora at 10:30. Up to INSS office for my appointment there. Figured out the cita system, waited 5 minutes, in to see a lady about Convenio Especial. She didn't know what it was, tried to put me on Dora's insurance, but I already knew that was impossible, we're not married or legal partners. She called over a man, he knew a little about Convenio Especial, said it was not for Americans, but we have to go to TGSS anyway, it's not an INSS thing.

So, off to TGSS on Calle Ancha. On the way, ducked into an open church for a minute, because I've never seen it open before.

No wait at TGSS, in to see a man. Who tried to say it wasn't for Americans, consulted with someone else, then I showed him the royal decree number (576/2013) listed on a Salud form. He printed out the decree, and highlighted a part which says we have to apply at Salud, not TGSS. We've been there already, a week ago, and Salud said I have to get "alta" with INSS or TGSS first, and anyway Convenio Especial is not for Americans. But they're all wrong about that; the decree he just printed shows it's for anyone who is resident, on padron, and not covered by another SS system. I satisfy all three requirements. And the decree says nothing about what country you're from. This man also says you can't apply while your residency card is being renewed, and your padron has to be dated within last 3 months.

To a cafe for coffees. Down to Plaza Angustias, and ducked into a church for a minute, because I've never seen it open before. Then down to Centro de Salud.

No wait, right in to see a lady. Who again tried to say it's not for me, but we showed her the royal decree. Then she said there's no way to pay for it here. I said fine, we'll pay at TGSS or something, once I get on it. Then she said I have to go apply at the central hospital, not here. So I gave up for today, we'll have to go to the central hospital. Went home.

Spaghetti for dinner. Later, found a document online which clarified a lot of the Convenio Especial questions. Gas bottle refill will cost €15.39; price keeps going up. Dora out to the tax agency. I gave myself a haircut. Cooked turkey for dinner; it was okay, kind of bland. Grey, cold, damp afternoon outside. Received letter from government approving renewal of my residency for another 2 years !

Rainy and windy in early evening, then more windy in late evening. Thought of trying to find a bar to watch the Barca game on TV, but not worth going out in this weather, and we still haven't found a good game-watching bar here. Several huge rolling bursts of thunder and lots of heavy rain around 5:15 AM.

Dora called the hospital for me about Convenio Especial, and the lady who's supposed to be the one who knows about this is not too certain about it. Wants to send us back to INSS, but I think that's for an SS number, which I already have.

Out at 11:30 or so with Dora. Up to the banking area. She stopped at one ATM to update her bankbook. Into another bank to pay the tax man. To a third bank to do something.

Then we went to the National Police office to get my new residency card. Foolishly, I thought I'd just be exchanging old card for new. But no, I have to go pay €18.54 tasa at a bank, come back with 2 photos and a copy of my passport ID page. Picked a cita for 1000 on Monday.

To yet another bank to pay the tasa, and it was slow slow slow. Not a long line, but the first 2 or 3 customers were refinancing the nation debt or something. Finally got to the counter, paid my money, stamp stamp stamp, out of there. Home before 1:15, tired.

Leftover turkey and rice and salad for dinner. Waiting for the gas-refill guy. Out to a print shop to have photos printed for my residency card. Later out to Mercadona for groceries; cold out.

We're supposed to pick up the Sanlucar niece at the bus station at 8. SNAFU. I thought she would be spending the night here at our apartment. At 7:15 or so, we get a call, Dora's father is at the station now. I'm told he's taking the niece back to Sanlucar tonight, they're not staying at our apartment. We get together some stuff for him to take back to Sanlucar, and head to the station. I assumed he came in the car, but no, he came on the bus. And now we're told no one knows when the niece will arrive, she's at a movie with a bunch of other girls and out of contact. I look at the bus schedule, there's no 9 PM bus, father and niece will have to take the 10 PM bus to Sanlucar or spend the night at our apartment. We head to a cafe for chocolates and churros.

I hit an ATM. Back to the station by 8:30 or so. Still no definite word on the niece. We wait in the cold station. By 9:15, I decide there's no point in three of us being cold, and I go home.

Gas-refill guy never came.

Dora home at 9:50. Niece showed up, and father and niece will take the 10 PM bus to Sanlucar. Slept late. Then Dora in a frenzy of cleaning. I went out: recharged my Lycamobile number and Dora's Lebara number, printed brighter photos at print shop, bought drain-cleaner at Hiper Number One.

Out with Dora around 5:30 for a nice long walk down to the Alcazar and up through the center. Slept late. Chicken-rice for dinner. I went out for a walk at 4:30 or so.

Out with Dora after 5:30. Walked about 6 blocks down to Teatro Villamarta for a performance of La Traviata at 6. We didn't realize it was going to take 3.5 hours, but we stuck through it, and it was quite nice. Theater a bit plain compared to the Palau Musica in Barcelona, but then most places are. We had nosebleed seats, top row all the way on one end, and the place was full. Lovely music (Orquesta Filarmonica de Malaga) and singing, great acoustics. Singing in Italian, but an electronic board showing the lyrics in Spanish. I was teary during the death scene at the end. Pics. Home before 9:45. Out at 9:35, down to National Police, to Extranjeria office. Laid out all my papers, but they want a second copy of the top page they gave me last time. So out, across the street to a photo shop, one copy for 1/2 euro.

Back into Extranjeria. Handed everything over. Guy grumbled that I handed over copies of same photo I used 1.5 years ago, but accepted them. Lots of electronic fingerprinting of my index fingers, pressing them, then rolling them, several times. Finally done, but no new card yet. I couldn't quite understand what he was saying, but sounds like we'll get an automated phone call or SMS in a couple of weeks, come pick up the card somewhere. Out and home by 10:30.

Gas-refill man finally came in early afternoon. I went out for a walk with Dora later, then to Mercadona for groceries. Out in early afternoon to buy tomatoes at the central mercado, buy a power cord, and look for printer cartridges. Ribs, rice, salad for dinner. Waiting for someone to come pick up a TV, but apparently their call to Dora's phone failed, so they didn't come. I baked an apple-pineapple pie. Out for a walk. Later, out to Mercadona for groceries. Headache. Took a paracetamol-plus before dawn. Took a sumatriptan later. While Dora went out to the bank, I went back to bed. Up again after 1, feeling okay. Pork/rice/salad for dinner. Out for a walk with Dora. Guy came by to pick up a TV set at 6. I took down the outside Christmas lights; we still have tree and creche etc in the living room.

We went out at 8:45 to find a place to watch the Barca - Atletico game on TV. Tried on Porvenir, then over toward Estaciones. Found a decent place near the train station, and the game turned out to be on a channel we get at home ! Watched the first half, had fun cheering as Barca went up 2-0, had drinks and some food. Headed home at halftime. Watched the second half, pretty exciting, Barca won 2-1. Grey, windy, rainy morning. Spaghetti for dinner. Some sun around 5:30, so went out for a walk with Dora. To tinta shop but they were busy, to Hiper Number One for a few items, came out to find it grey and threatening rain again. Headed toward home, but stopped in a shop at the corner of our building and bought boots for Dora. Warmer day than usual, alternating sun and cloud. Out with Dora at noon or so. To one bank, then another, then a long session at the Post Office.

After dinner, out to Mercadona for groceries.

Dora is feeling down because she just can't find a job here. She had some work around the holidays filling in for people on vacation, but now there's nothing.

In the evening, thought of taking Dora out to a movie, but she didn't want to go, and then I got a headache anyway. Took a paracetamol-plus, and later a sumatriptan. Loafed all morning. Spaghetti for dinner. I went out for a long walk in late afternoon, checking out locations of a couple of discotecas. Got rained on as I neared home. Out with Dora after 3 for a walk.

Then I went out at 4. Walked down to the south of town to a Jerez Industrial CF football game at Juventud stadium.

A little confusion at the stadium, since there are two fields next to each other, and two games at same time. Got directed around to the right stadium, but then very confused at the door, and I thought they were directing me all way the back to the first stadium to buy a ticket, and my lousy Spanish language knowledge deserted me entirely. Then I saw that they were directing me to a little hole in the wall, with a little sign above it, and that was the ticket booth. It probably had someone standing in front of it when I walked past. €5 to get in. pics.

In and climbed up to a seat, and the game started right away. A fun game, lots of good play, plenty of shots on goal. Probably 300 people attending, and I did my best to try to help make some noise. Nice stadium, some interesting views of part of the city. Juventud 3-2 at halftime.

Decided it was a degree or two too cold, and breezy, to wait out the halftime and watch the second half, so I left. Uphill walk home. Some nice street art: pics. Turkey/rice/salad for dinner. I went out at 4:30 or so for a walk and then to Mercadona. Dora out to hairdresser for several hours, came back with very straight hair. Leftover turkey-rice and salad for dinner. I went out for a walk after 5; a bit cold out. Bought some epoxy.

Watched Barca play Atletico Madrid in the Copa del Rey final. A tense game, 1-1 in the final minutes, and Dora kept switching back to watch some of her telenovella. Game ended 1-1, and then she informed me it was the semi-final, not the final, and Barca advances because of the tie. In midafternoon, longish walk to Correos to pick up a letter to Dora, then to Mercadona for groceries. Gorgeous sunny cool day.

At 8:45, suddenly power went out, just in our apartment. A couple of breakers flipped, not sure why. Only one heater and TV and laptop and a couple of lights and maybe the fridge were running; not running the washer or microwave or stove or oven or second heater or lots of other lights. Flipped the breakers back on, and all is okay. Replaced batteries in the LED flashlight. Dora out at 7:30, off to Cadiz for job interview and medical association office. She was home by 11:15, the interview was quick and she didn't learn anything, and didn't go to the other office.

I started putting together a lasagna, but Dora's mother invited us to Sanlucar, so we'll go there instead. So I turned off the burner and put the stuff away.

Out at 12:45, rolling a big suitcase full of stuff. To bus station and caught 1 PM bus to Sanlucar. To sister's place, and had dinner (tuna-spaghetti, which I didn't like) with Dora's parents and sister. Waited while Dora talked to them for a while. House is too cold, as usual. Then caught 4:10 bus back to Jerez. Home at 5:15.

Had an interesting internet experience: While editing one of my web pages, I found a spot where I'd accidentally erased some text some unknown time in the past. Fired up my free IDrive backup utility, and found that restores actually do work, but all ten versions of the file going back two months had the problem. I guess free version of IDrive only keeps 10 latest versions of each file ? So I went to the Internet Archive, and found it had taken snapshots of my site about 20 times over the last 4 or 5 years. Went back about 8 months and found a good copy of that missing text, pasted it into latest version of the page source, problem fixed. Headachey; took a paracetamol-plus. Dora has a bit of sore throat. Grey, damp day outside. I made lasagna for dinner, and it got high praise from Dora. Out to Mercadona for groceries. Glued a pair of Dora's boots; glued the front parts a week or two ago, now the back parts have come loose. Watched football on TV. Headache; took a sumatriptan and slept late. Leftover lasagna for dinner, and it was better the second day. Out into cold grey and a little rain to hit the ATM, try ticket machine in train station, then Mercadona for groceries. Cold, grey day with plenty of rain. Cold clear day. To Mercadona for groceries. Dora's son arrived from Barcelona at 2:30. His hair is mostly grey, because he dyed it blue a while ago. Dinner of pork, rice, salad. I went for a walk with Dora, and to Carrefour for groceries and then a cafe for coffees. Walked her son to the 7 PM bus to Sanlucar. Bought airline tickets to fly to Barcelona next week, to empty out the apartment there and return it to the bank. This process has been dragging out for months, with us continuing to pay rent for an apartment we're mostly not using.

Made a nice chicken-veg-sweetpotato dinner. Out for a walk in late afternoon.

I offered to take Dora out to a restaurant for Valentine's Day, but she's cold and doesn't want to go. So I went out to Mercadona and bought a cheesecake, plus groceries.

Watched some of the Barca - PSG footbal game on TV, while drinking some cream sherry and eating some cheesecake. But Dora kept changing channels to her telenovella. And Barca got clobbered, 4-0. Headache; took a paracetamol.

We caught the 1 PM bus to Sanlucar. The driver backed straight out of the slot, instead of turning, and hit the wall. Otherwise uneventful trip. Walked to sister's house, buying some flowers on the way, and they were a big hit with Dora's mother. Loafed, talked, had some dinner, went for a walk along the beachfront. More loafing, niece came home from school and we had lit candles on birthday cake for Dora's mom. Then off with Dora and her son to the 6:15 bus back to Jerez.

Online, I bought plane and bus tickets for Dora's son to go back to medical school in Slovakia. Headache; took acetaminophen at 0630.

Took a sumatriptan after noon. Went for a walk. Cooked spaghetti and salad for dinner. Bought plane tickets to go to Barcelona in April for a football game. Went for a long walk with Dora.

Out to Mercadona for groceries in the evening. Dora's sister arrived around noon, to do something online with Dora and her son, about niece's schoolwork. I went for a walk. Pork and rice and salad for dinner. Then sister and son caught 3 PM bus to Sanlucar.

Out with Dora for a walk at 5, but it's cold and very grey and threatening rain.

Watched football on TV, but during one of the times Dora flipped to her telenovella, one of the teams scored 3 goals.

Headache in late evening; took a sumatriptan. About to go out the door, tightened my belt, and the buckle disintegrated. Looked everywhere for another belt, none to be found. Out the door to the bus station. Skipped the stores because we didn't want to miss the bus, then it was 13 minutes late anyway. To Sanlucar by 1:50 or so.

Out at an intermediate stop, called for a taxi, and went to La Abuela restaurant east out of town. Met Dora's parents and sister and niece and son there, for a small birthday celebration for Dora's mother. Nice place, but a bit noisy, and the menu is nothing but meat (well, some potatoes too). Had a nice time, then to sister's house in two shifts of the car.

We thought of taking an early bus back to Jerez, but then they all settled down to watch a Cantinflas video. I watched 15 minutes of it, then went out for a walk. Over to the riverfront, and did a long walk up the beach to the small town of Bonanza. This is where the fishing fleet docks, there's a huge haul-out facility that looks mostly rusted, lots of small fishing skiffs moored or pulled out onto the beach. Walked back along road and then beach, and home by 5:30, feeling tired and having a bit too much sun.

Drove to the station for the 6:15 bus, and it was 15 minutes late. Off at Jerez, stopped at locutorio to recharge Dora's Lebara SIM, home by 7:30 or so. I'm tired. Cold, grey, breezy day outside. I went out for a walk at 5.

Wanted to watch Barca game on TV, but too cold for Dora to go out to a bar that would have it live. Game was supposed to be repeated on our TV at 10:00, but they changed that to 10:45, and then only showed highlights. Since they repeated every play 8 times, that took 25 minutes. Grey and rainy.

Slow-motion train wreck: finding that Dora has been carrying fairly large balances on 3 credit cards (probably mostly from her Las Vegas - California trip last year), and not paying a fine from the Barcelona Metro last year. So about €2000 to pay to zero out the credit cards. Or less to pay, just to stop the huge bleeding from the interest payments and penalties for not paying anything at all each month.

On closer inspection, one of the credit cards has a zero balance, not €300 as we thought.

So, out with Dora. To my ATM to get a chunk of cash. Across the street into Caixa to pay the Barcelona Metro fine, and also a Barcelona apartment water bill. Also paid off half (€200) of a 4th credit card that I didn't know about. Also found out she has a couple of loans at other banks with balances totalling around €8000. I sort of knew about those, tried to get details out of her long ago, never got a straight story, she was afraid to tell me.

Long walk through center of town to another bank, and canceled €200/month life-insurance that Dora signed up for just a couple of months ago (I didn't know about that).

Back home, and made a chart for Dora to fill out, showing all the cards and loans and their balances and interest rates etc. She started calling banks.

So, we figured out where to start. Pay off one card that has a €1000 balance and a 53% (!) annual interest rate. Put enough money in her accounts so the monthly payments of the other cards and loans don't bounce, incurring penalties. Fortunately her biggest loan has an interest rate of only 8.3%, so we can let that one go for a while. And we're about to get rid of the Barcelona apartment, so that will kill another set of payments.

Wondered if she should file for bankruptcy, but doing that probably would take a year or more and cost as much as just paying off her debts. If the bank wasn't completely wiping out the mortgage on the Barcelona apartment, bankruptcy would have been a better avenue.

She still has a lot of medical professional fees and insurance she has to pay each month, even though she has no job. Some of those fees are in arrears.

In early evening, Dora feeling lousy, she took a pill and we crashed for a couple of hours.

Dora's son arrived at 7. Around 8, I went out to train station, and then to Mercadona for groceries.

Trip to Barcelona:
Out at 8 to try to buy groceries, but Mercadona is closed, as I thought it might be. Today is a holiday here, Andalucia Day. Out after noon. To National Police, where my new residency card STILL is not available, try again in 2-3 weeks. This is turning into a solid 6 months to renew the card.

To two banks and an ATM for Dora to do things. To Carrefour for a couple of groceries, then the Bazaar to buy a cheap landline phone. Home at 2.

Dinner. Later out to Mercadona for groceries. Did a load of laundry.

Barca game at 7:30. Wasn't sure if it would be on normal TV, and the Gol channel teased us with picture until the actual start of the game, then they switched to something else. So we headed for the door, but the downstairs buzzer sounded. Dora wanted to ignore it, but I had her answer, and it turned out to be Correos delivering our two boxes shipped from Barcelona ! Saved me having to buy a handcart and make two trips to the post office. And they came fast.

Out the door, over to the estaciones, and to the same cafe where we watched some Barca before. The place was empty, and we watched the last 30 minutes of the first half, drinking coffees and me eating a huge felafel (nice but a little bland). Barca up 3-1 at the half, and we went home. [Saw later, they won 6-1.] Water is off this morning, work being done on it in some apartment. Correos delivered a tax letter to Dora; I'm surprised they will come up in the elevator, they wouldn't do that in Barcelona.

Around 11:30, to BBVA bank, which is jammed, lines of people. I got cash out of the ATM, gave some to Dora, left her to pay a tax bill and something else, went back home. Stopped in Hiper Number One to buy a lightbulb, but they don't carry any.

Dora still out at bank, far longer than I expected. Apartment owners came at 12:45 to pick up mail and TV and stereo and pillows.

I went out before 1, to Mercadona for groceries. Dora home when I got back; she had to wait an eternity in the bank. Water still shut off. Spaghetti and salad for dinner.

Water didn't come on until around 6.

Out with Dora at 6:15, to bazaar to buy a lightbulb, and for a walk. Cool and breezy.

Online, did some work on my Spanish foreign assets declaration (form 720). Around noon, windy grey and raining. But at 1 I had to go to Mercadona for a few groceries.

I want to go to Cadiz for Carnaval this evening, but the weather may prevent it. Sunnier by 3, but cool and windy. Before 4, decided not to go. Thunder at 4:40. Very windy, grey and raining in the morning. Windy and grey after noon. Decided again not to go to Cadiz for Carnaval. And by 5 I was regretting the decision again. Cool and grey in all directions, but sunny right here.

Out with Dora at 6:30, for a little walk and to the bazaar. Exchanged the telephone for another one; the first doesn't send tone if you press a key during a call. Also bought an HDMI cable so we can watch movies from laptop on TV.

Got the HDMI from Dora's laptop to TV working pretty easily, but my laptop fought me. I think the connector is a bit rusty; eventually got connectivity.

So we watched a video of the original Star Wars movie; Dora hasn't seen it. Then on TV we watched highlights of the Barca and Real Madrid football games. Grey day, threatening rain. We didn't do anything except a walk in the late afternoon, and watch the first Batman movie via laptop and TV. Online, did some more of my Spanish tax form. Now that Carnaval season is over, the weather is clearing. Sunny today. Out to Mercadona for groceries. Started payment of medical school tuition to Slovakia.

Dragged Dora out for a long walk around 4, up north and over and then down into the center. Lovely sunny weather. Stands being put up for a parade. Sat in a cafe near some dodgy guys and had coffees, and watched people walking by. Some loud guy shouting across the plaza in another cafe, and street-cart vendors arguing about something. Some kind of first communion or something going on in the church at Plaza Esteve. Home after 5:30.

Headachey late at night; took acetaminophen. Gorgeous sunny day. Out to ATM, gave the cash to Dora, she paid off a credit-card and put the rest in an account to pay bills. To Mercadona for groceries.

Around 4:30, I went for a lovely long walk down to the SE of the train station, an area I've never seen before. Lovely weather, pleasant walk, found a nice park, got some good exercise.

Out with Dora before 8:45, to a bar near the train station to watch the Napoli - Real Madrid game on TV. Had coffees and watched the first half. Then to train station to check price of train to Sevilla; I want to do some touristing there.

I went out again after 11 for a walk into the center. Lovely still clear warmish evening.

Didn't sleep well. Out with Dora at 10:45. Across street to recharge her phone SIM, then to bus station. Onto 11 AM bus, to Sanlucar, but didn't get off and kept going to Chipiona. I haven't been here before, want to see it.

Followed signs to Tourist Info at the waterfront Castillo. Got nice maps, paid €4 for admission to the Castillo, but all the exhibits and video are a bit lame. The subject is terrific: Columbus departed from here on at least one voyage to the New World, maybe all of them.

Out and found a cafe. Service and food were a bit slow. I look at the paper we got from Tourist Info, and Dora confirms that the guy said the same thing: the two churches I want to see both are closed for the afternoon now, no chance of getting into them.

Food was a bit disappointing: salad and a shrimp-tortilla and garlic-chicken and limp french fries. Pic.

Out, found the Parroqueria, which looks nice from the outside. Around to the waterfront again, past the castillo, down to the lighthouse. Dora is starting to wilt; it's hot and sunny and she doesn't like to get a lot of sun. We walk halfway down to the cathedral, but Dora has had enough, and we turn and head for the bus station, walking mostly in shade. Street art: pics.

Catch the 3:30 bus, get off in Sanlucar, walk to sister's house. Have a little drink and snack, Dora chats with her mom and sister, but we're tired and a patient is coming soon, so we're sort of stuck in the kitchen.

Into the car at 5:30, to the bus station, niece arrives on school bus, we say hi. Dora's father and her niece go home, Dora and I wait for 6:15 bus.

Hot bus ride home, feeling headachey. Stop at locutorio again to see why her phone charge doesn't seem to have worked. Home a bit after 7. Took acetaminophen.

We're too tired to go out to a bar and watch some of the Barca - PSG Champion's league game at 8:45. Too bad; it was a scorcher of a game, Barca needed to win by 5 to advance, since they previously lost to PSG 0-4, and they won 6-1. Watched the highlights on TV at 11. Out for a lovely walk and sit in Plaza Arenal in midafternoon, then to Mercadona for groceries. Out again for a longish walk with Dora at 6:30, around Alcazar and center. Weather is terrific. What the heck is this street sign about: pic ?

Watched "Casablanca" on video; Dora's never seen it. To train and bus stations, trying to figure out transport to Rota and to Gibraltar. Not easy.

Took down the Christmas tree; sad.

Out for a nice walk with Dora in the early evening, to the center. To a used-book store and bought a book. To the bazaar and bought a caulk gun and some caulk. Saw this on the side of the Post Office building, at first didn't realize what it is: pic.

Got home, caulked the main shower glass where it's leaking.

Watched "The Wizard of Oz" on video; Dora's never seen it. Out to the center to see a feria in Plaza Arenal, but it was disappointing. To Mercadona for groceries. Made a zucchini-lasagna for dinner.

In late afternoon, out with Dora for a walk and stop at a cafe for coffees. Gorgeous sunny warm weather.

In the evening, filed my 720 tax form online. Dora watching a video I'm not interested in. I went out for a brief very late walk; lovely outside, warm, still, full moon. To bus station by 1, but the 1 o'clock bus to Sanlucar was almost 20 minutes late. To Sanlucar, walked to sister's house. She's working, but we had a nice dinner with Dora's parents and niece.

I went for a walk along the beachfront. Street art: pic.

Back home, and joined Dora for an hour or so of helping the niece with her English homework. Out to the beach with Dora and niece for a quick walk, and by now it's very windy on the beach. Then home, into car, and to the bus station. Almost-full bus, and 10 minutes late. Home by 7:20 or so, a little tired. Weather starting to turn cooler again.

Watched "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on video; Dora's never seen it. Weather sunny and clear but cooler. After noon, to Mercadona for groceries. In late afternoon, out for a walk; colder and very grey and breezey. Late evening, watched "Men in Black" on video; Dora is not impressed by my taste in movies. Headachey; took an acetaminophen. Dora off to a job interview in El Puerto. I went to Mercadona for groceries. Weather cool, grey and occasionally rainy.

In the evening, watched Monty Python's "Life of Brian" on video, further bemusing Dora with my taste in movies. Out around noon. Walked across center and to National Police, and they had my new residency card ! It has taken almost 6 months to get it. And it was printed 45 days ago in Cadiz city; took that long to get to this office, 25 miles away.

Taxi to a medical office, where Dora got a certificate. Then a longish walk home. Lovely sunny day, just slightly cool and breezy.

Headache in the evening; took acetaminophen.

To Mercadona for groceries.

Dora gave me a muscle-relaxant, and maybe it helped. Slept well. Dora off to another job interview in El Puerto. Gas bottle ran empty halfway through my shower, but later after some shaking it gave some more service.

Ambulance service Dora interviewed wants to hire her, after some checking, and not starting until April. And of course this will put a kink in our planned trip to Barcelona in last week of April.

In the grey evening, out for a walk with Dora. Bought a cake-pan.

Started working on baking a cake, found we have no measuring cups or spoons. And found we have only no real mixing bowls, and each of the first three steps of the recipe start with "in another mixing bowl, ...". And what I thought was baking soda is something like another version of baking powder. Worked past all of that, kicked Dora out of the kitchen each time she came in and started telling me all the things I was doing wrong. It's a layer cake with cream filling, and we bought only one cake pan, so had to improvise past that too. Two pans into the oven. Made filling and frosting while they baked. Ran a little short of butter. Pans came out of oven looking okay. Don't have any wire racks for cooling them; tough.

Now Dora says let's wait and serve the cake to her parents and niece if/when they come here on Saturday. But later, she said she meant save SOME of it for them.

After a while, I lathered the cream filling over top of the bottom (square) layer, put the top (round) layer on top, and poured frosting on top. A very odd-looking cake, but there it is: pic.

Switched to new gas bottle. Out after noon. To ATM for cash, gave most of it to Dora, into another bank for her to pay some things. To Mercadona for groceries.

Still struggling to get a handle on Dora's financial situation. Her professional medical insurance makes no sense to me, she has to make some calls and figure it out. And in early evening, she found she has another debt we didn't know about at one of her banks.

Around 5:30, Dora went out, to go to a gestor's office we saw, in hope of getting financial and insurance advice. But soon she called and said they don't do that, they said she should go to an asesoria. So I went down and met her on the street, and we went walking into the center, looking for asesorias. We stopped and talked about insurance for a while, then she called someone in Barcelona, and they said she should go to the govt TGSS office, so we'll do that on Monday. More walking and looking at offices, then eventually home. Gas-refill guy came at 9:45. Cost was €15.95, but I accidentally short-paid him by 3 cents.

Dora's parents, niece and sister arrived around 2. Her mother brought a big pot of rice with meat, and Dora cooked some pork, and I made a salad. We ate, then spent some time doing an English lesson with the niece. Then I served the cake I baked, which was a bit heavy but tasted good. Then I showed them a lot of their family photos that I'd digitized, which they enjoyed very much. They left around 6:30.

I went walking into the center, and saw something fascinating in Plaza Arenal: practicing for the "carrying the virgin" parade. A bunch of beefy guys very slowly carrying a big rectangular frame. In the parade, there will be a statue on top and various curtains down the sides, but today they have the framework open and some cement blocks on top. It looked like hard work. They're packed in down there, walking very carefully, toes just about touching heel of guy ahead on each small stride, everything coordinated. And it's a long parade, at that speed. A couple of the guys were sweating and grimacing from the effort.

Out for a late-evening walk with Dora. We're talking about her pension/insurance situation, it makes no sense to me, she may have wasted many thousands of euros, she has a past-due bill of another 1500, it's making me upset. She has to get professional advice.

Home, and we watched "Cars" on video; got about halfway through before we ran out of energy and interest.

Didn't sleep so well. Headachey; took an acetaminophen.

To bus station and caught 1 PM bus to Sanlucar. Still have headache; took a sumatriptan. To sister's house, buying flowers along the way. Sister not here, and I brought my laptop so I could scan some photographs for her, but they're in cabinets buried under stuff, so I guess hauling the laptop here was a waste.

Had a nice dinner, with a little toast of cava in honor of Father's Day. Then sat the niece down to go over her English lessons, and found that the sister had accidentally taken most of the school materials to work with her. Connected to the ebook site through Dora's phone and started going through the same book we did yesterday. When we finished that and they started in on math, I went for a short walk on the beach. Back to apartment, did some watercoloring with the niece, then it was time to leave. Car to the 6:15 bus, which was 5 or 10 minutes late, home by 7:20. Tired.

Before bed, took a melatonin-zinc pill. Slept well. Out with Dora before noon, across town to the TGSS office to ask about pensions/autonomo/etc. She came out of there a little better informed. Into the center and to the asesoria next to the small church, and after a while she came out of there quite a bit more informed and relieved. Many of the bad things we'd thought were happening were not, but she does need to pay a back-bill on her private medical/social/working insurance.

Home to pick up papers, then out again. I went to the ATM and got cash, handed most of it to Dora, and she paid the insurance (with the cash and what was in her account). Home again, tired but a bit relieved about the situation.

Out for a walk in early evening; weather turning cooler.

Online, started working on my US income tax return.

Before bed, took a melatonin pill. Slept pretty well. Headache; took a sumatriptan. Dora out to a medical exam for work, then a training session for work. Turned out to be an overnight shift; she'll be back tomorrow morning.

Gave myself a haircut, and had a disaster. Was distracted, forgot to put the spacer-thing onto the clipper, and the first stroke shaved a nice bald streak on the right side of my head, behind and above the ear. Put the spacer on and tried to hide the damage by cutting the rest of my hair very short, but it's a pretty glaring error. Dora will scream when she sees it. Pic.

Spaghetti for dinner. Out for an early-evening walk; a baseball cap hides my haircut. Weather a bit grey and cold. Headache; took a Dolacatil. Dora home at 9:10, wiped out from working all night at the ambulance service in El Puerto. And she's not even sure she's going to be paid for it, and they want her to work a full 24-hour shift (this one was about 20 hours) tomorrow.

Soon we crashed to sleep, Dora because she was up all night, me because of my headache. I got up, took a sumatriptan, back to bed.

In late afternoon, Dora got a message from work that she's on contract now (don't have to wait until April, she's getting paid, etc). Terrific ! But she's not thrilled at the prospect of eight 24-hour shifts per month. The work was pretty constant in this last shift, and apparently they didn't even give her solid breaks for sleep or eating, which doesn't sound legal to me. And we'll have to see if she can schedule her shifts to let her travel to Barcelona in last week of April as planned (and ticketed).

Out in late afternoon to walk around the center and get groceries in Carrefour. Out again at 11:30 for a brief late-night walk. Dora out at 7:20 to catch train to El Puerto and work another 24-hour shift, 8 to 8. I loafed, went out in midafternoon for a walk and groceries. Sunny but cool weather. Online, did more work on my US income tax return, which is complicated this year because of money from my mother's estate. Watched a bit of Spain - Denmark football on TV. Dora home at 8:30, tired. Breakfast, talk, crash into bed for an hour or more, then up and out by 11:30.

To the bus station and caught the 11:45 bus to Algeciras. €10.76 one-way for each of us, a lot more expensive than I expected. But it's a long ride. Dora nodding off, I watched the slightly interesting countryside. Dark grey clouds, fair amount of rain as we neared Algeciras, and I forgot to bring an umbrella.

To the ferry port by 1, and to the final terminal by 1:15 or so. Cold and wet but no rain. Dora shivering; she's wearing a lab coat, and it's not thick enough. A few glimpses of Gibraltar, across the bay. Went a couple of blocks to Tourist Info, only to find it closed for renovations. Back past the bus terminal and up into the center, looking for the medical clinic Dora is going to, and looking for a restaurant. All the interesting Middle Eastern places were back by Tourist Info, and all the places up here are either closed now or closed permanently. Place looks half-empty.

But up past the clinic, there's more life, and we go into a cafe. Coffees warm us up, then plenty of hot food. Coffee, two courses, and dessert for €5 each, and we sit and relax.

Out before 3, head toward the clinic for our 3 PM meeting, then Dora's sister calls and says it's pushed back until 4. So we find a mall, but it turns out to be an outdoor mall. Into a cafe, sit and have coffees, not a bad place. Sister calls at 3:30, says she's here at the clinic, where are we ? So we go there, I settle down in the waiting room, Dora joins her sister in the examining room.

I sit and listen to MP3's and do driver's-license practice tests on my phone.

By 6:15 or so, they're done, and we trundle a machine and various other stuff to a side door, wait for the truck and driver. Only 3 seats for the 4 of us, so Dora's sister lies down in the back. Everything loaded and we head out after 6:30. Cold and raining now.

Onto the highway, but soon we're pulling off at a rest stop because Dora's sister is starving. Into the cafeteria, and we have coffees while she has Coke and a big sandwich.

Back into the truck, getting dark now, up to Jerez. Dropped off near our apartment. Home at 8:35, tired but hyped by 3 coffees I had from 3 to 8 today. Cold, grey, rainy, wet day. Slept late.

Caught the 1 PM bus to Sanlucar. Rained hard halfway there, but not raining when we arrived. To sister's house, and had dinner with Dora's parents and niece. Then spent a couple of hours teaching the niece lessons in English. Weather still cool and grey, and it's cool inside the house.

At 6, Dora and her father and the niece and I walked to the bus station (car is in the shop). Caught the 6:15 bus to Jerez. A little rain as we neared Jerez, but we didn't get rained on as we walked to our apartment. Home by 7:15.

Turned the heater on, put out drink and fruit, and connected up my computer to the TV so I could play videos. Played two whole movies on video, and the niece wanted more, but I wanted my computer back, it's getting late, and Dora wants to go over lessons with the niece. Sunny cool morning. Lost an hour to Daylight Savings. Dora's father and I up reasonably early, Dora and the niece later. Rush to teach the niece, and print out some more teaching materials for her to take home with her. Then I walked niece and her grandfather to the bus station and they went back to Sanlucar.

Dinner, loafing, eventually a nap, then I went out for a walk at 6:30. Cool but not cold, grey, but a strong wind whipping around at times. Went into a couple of small shops looking to buy a bottle of alcohol, but mostly they have just big-name whisky and rum, and anything at all Spanish that I might have been interested in was double the price I can find it in the supermarkets (which aren't open today).

Windy and rainy evening. Watched "Chicken Run" on video. Most of the WWII POW-camp references were lost on Dora; she hasn't seen "The Great Escape". Dora out at 7:20, to work a 24-hour shift at El Puerto ambulance service.

Last night, I ordered something from UK, hoping it might arrive in time for niece's birthday on April 12. Happy to see an email this morning that says it's shipped already, DHL Global Mail. Then saw estimated delivery date of April 25th !

Online, finished my US income tax returns. Cost $60 using TaxAct. Ended up paying about $1600 of income tax this year, because of money from my mother's estate. Usually my income tax is near zero.

Out in early evening, for a walk and to Carrefour for groceries. Cool, but not as cold as I thought, and no wind. Headache; took a Dolocatil. Dora home at 8:45. Soon we're into bed and slept until after noon. I took a paracetamol.

Out in the evening for a walk with Dora. To photo shop and had some photos printed. To ATM for cash. Roundabout walk ending up in Plaza Arenal, and had coffees and an ice cream; very nice. Into shops looking to buy a comforter, but bought a couple other items. Lovely warm weather.

After 8, we went out again, Dora to bank and store, me to Mercadona for groceries.

Out for a walk at 11:30; gorgeous, still, slightly cool evening. Up at 7:30. Out before 9, to bank so Dora can get a printed record of the fee she paid last night. To train station, and onto 9:17 MD to Sevilla. Dozing on the way; we only got about 7 hours of sleep last night.

Out at Sevilla's San Bernardo station, and a longish walk to the Peruvian consulate. Someone tried to give us wrong directions near the end, but I stuck to my map and it was right. In at 10:45 and relieved to find no line, Dora goes right to the counter and gets going.

I wait, and eventually she's out, and saying the photos I did for her are the wrong size, we have to go to a copy shop, and also to a bank to pay another fee. Moderately long walk up past the university to an area with shops. Takes a while to get the photos done, then another longish walk to her bank, a very long wait there. Back down and around and down to the consulate by 12:15 or so. Relieved to find no line again, she's right in. A long wait. The photos still are wrong, the background is not white. She comes out, we hit the bathrooms, I think we're off to the copy shop again, but then she's back in. More waiting, eventually she's out, and they decided she didn't need photos after all, they took her fingerprints, etc. She's renewed her passport and DNI and ordered a criminal record check, but we'll have to come back in 3 or 4 weeks to pick everything up. And later she tells me that her parents and son all have expired Peruvian passports etc, so they'll all have to do this at some point too !

Back up the shop area, and we're dragging from heat and sun and lack of water and food. To a nice outdoor cafe, good to get sodas and bread and order food. First course comes out, paella and salmejor, and we start eating. Then two large groups of people plop down right next to us, grab our extra chairs, start talking loudly, and half of them are smoking. Throws a pall over the rest of the meal. But there's lots of fun people-watching: we're on a main street in front of the university, tons of people walking or biking by, trams going by.

Up at 3 or so, and wander back a couple of blocks to go to the Alcazar. We're tired and the sun is fierce, and we didn't bring hats or sunblock. Get to the Alcazar and there's a long line, so we give up. A few random pictures: pics.

Walk to bus station, but we've missed a bus by 10 minutes or less, and there's a 90-minute gap to next one. Use the bathrooms, walk to train station, navigating some odd intersections. Buy a large bottle of cold water for €0.70 and start drinking it; lovely. Into train station, huge bank of 6 ticket machines, but they don't sell the tickets we need, we have to buy those at the counter. Buy tickets, soon downstairs, short wait for train, on.

Not a cheap day: €44 for train tickets, €20 for lunch, probably about €100 for fees etc for the Peruvian paperwork.

I'm headachey; take a Dolocatil. We doze and drink water all the way to Jerez. Off train, walk. Home at 5, tired and footsore.

I crash for a nap for an hour or so. Loaf in the evening, feeling tired. Acetaminophen and then to bed by 10:30. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. After a while I went back to bed, slept late, then loafed all day. Out in late afternoon for a walk. Out after 9 for another longish walk. Weather is lovely, clear and warm. But headachey later: took a sumatriptan. Dora home before 9. She worked hard until 2 AM but then got a chance to sleep, so she's feeling okay. [But an hour later she crashed into bed and slept until after 1.]

Turns out Dora's sister is in Barcelona taking a class, and would like us to spend all weekend teaching her daughter her English and science etc lessons.

Out to Mercadona for groceries.

Out with Dora around 6. To a couple of shops, bought a big comforter for one of the spare beds, home. Found out her father and niece are coming on the bus. Out again, to mobile shop to recharge Dora's Lobara SIM, then walked toward the center. Unplanned stop in a shop, bought a big pillow for our bed, home again. Headed for the bus station, and met Dora's father and niece coming toward us. Home with them.

Headachey; took a Dolocatil.

Dora taught the niece some English, then I took a turn, then we took a break to watch TV and video. I dashed out to Mercadona to buy a few things before they closed. Didn't sleep well. Headache in the middle of the night; took a Dolocatil. Then at dawn I took a sumatriptan.

Out at 10:15 or so for a long walk with Dora's father. Found a couple of churches open, and we went in them for a while. Through the central market, Plaza Arenal, then around the Alcazar and eventually home by 11:30. Nice.

Dora and then me teaching the niece until dinner time. After that, she rebelled and refused to do any more schoolwork.

Walked them to the bus station and they caught the 5 PM bus back to Sanlucar. Dora and I stopped home for a while, then out for a walk to the center and hit a couple of ATMs, shopped for eyeglasses for Dora. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8.

I caught the 11 AM bus to Sanlucar, which was almost full. Walked to sister's house, buying flowers on the way, got there at 11:45. Everyone's up but slow-moving.

Started teaching the niece some English around noon. But she'll only stand for 5 or 10 minutes of schoolwork, then she runs away or wants to play in the front patio. Did that cycle a couple of times, then dinner, then she wanted to do some bead-and-weaving jewelry. Taught her a few more times, more playing, finally she rebelled after 4 and disappeared upstairs to watch a video. Message and phone call from Dora, saying she just found out there's an ebook on the internet the niece needs to read and learn for tomorrow's school. But I have no Wi-Fi here. Dora wants me to take sister's laptop to a hotel bar and do a drink and Wi-Fi there, but I'm not up for it, and my bus leaves in 90 minutes anyway.

I leave the house after 5; no point in staying longer. I walk on the malecon, the beachfront promenade, which is fun. But it's very sunny and pretty windy, and I'm tired. To the bus station by 6, wait for my 6:15 bus, but it doesn't come until 6:30. Home by 7:15, tired.

Later, headachey; took a Dolacatil, to bed a little early.

Still headache after 2 AM; took a sumatriptan. Dora home around 8:45; I was sleeping solidly.

Out around noon with Dora. Down to the taxi rank and took a cab to the padron office. In and waited only a minute before we were served. Then updated my padron with new reseidency card, and got a new 3-month-valid paper for me. Also got Dora back onto the padron here, from Barcelona. Took quite a while, but no cost.

Over to the hospital, but no taxis there. Called one and it came and took us to Deutschebank. I waited while Dora paid rents, then she went to Caixa ATM, then BBVA ATM, then counter inside Popular. Stopped in a couple of eyeglass places, then post office, then home after 2:15.

Out at 7 or so, for a walk. To bazaar and bought envelopes. Through Plaza Arenal, and there was some anti-corporate demonstration going on. To Mercadona for groceries. Lovely warm evening. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8.

Out at 10:15 or so. A little trouble finding the bus stop I wanted, but then onto the 10 bus before 10:30. To the general hospital. Out and found the registry reception desk with no problem. Waited a couple of minutes, handed Convenio Especial application form to the receptionist guy, he showed it to one lady, then gave it to another lady and waved me to her desk.

I speak little Spanish, she apparently spoke no English. But my documents spoke for themselves, at least at first. A few difficulties with the Social Security number; she says I'm not in their system, but my document proves I'm in the master INSS system. More difficulties with documenting that I've been resident for more than a year, since no govt document really certifies that, and my time has been split between Barcelona and here. But I pulled up a Barcelona padron-application document that was stamped and seemed to satisfy her. She went into the back room a couple of times to consult with someone, made copies, was working from a handwritten set of instructions. But eventually she said something like "the application will be sent to Sevilla, you'll hear from them, if approved you'll pay €60 per month". She stamped a document showing that I'd applied, and gave it to me. I thanked her very much and was out after 11:30.

No problem finding the right bus stop, waited 5+ minutes, onto the 10 bus. Into the center, where it parked for a while before looping back out. So I jumped off when it parked, and started walking. Hit an ATM. To Plaza Arenal. Headed home. Stopped at the bus system office to recharge my card, but there's a long line. Home by 12:30.

Cooked spaghetti for dinner, then found a puddle of water in the middle of the kitchen floor. Something under the kitchen sink is leaking. Mopped it up several times, fiddled with the pipes under there, may have slowed it down. Finally got smart and put a pot under it to catch the water. Don't want to ring the alarms with Dora and the owner and a plumber until I see if it's been reduced to a drip. After another 20 minutes or so, I think it's minimal.

Online, did my US FBAR tax filing. Dora home at 8:30 or so, but she's "localizado", or on-call. And at 8:50 they called her and she has to be back at work within an hour. Then they called to say they'll pick her up instead of her taking the train. So she's out again before 9:20, to work until 8 tonight.

But then she was back at 10:35 ! She got to work and the job had been given to another group, so she's back home and back on-call.

After noon, I went to Mercadona for groceries.

Call from the health administration, they want more documents. I found a way to order one online, but the Barcelona govt site wants a specific version of Java, and refuses to agree that I have that version installed, no matter how many times I install the update. And it only works in IE browser. Eventually I give up on the computer and do a postal-mail form.

And it turns out that, despite me telling her N times to ship the filing system box of documents and bills from Barcelona to Jerez, instead Dora threw them away. Including some of her old govt documents which might solve my problem today.

Tried to fix the leak under the kitchen sink, but when I took off the hose, I couldn't find any problem with it. Maybe the leak is in the joint. Put the hose back on, and the leak is worse. Time to call the owner and let him send someone to deal with it.

Out at 8 or so to walk and go to a couple of shops, buying some envelopes.

Out with Dora after 9 for a nice walk. Lovely warm weather. Headachey in late morning; took a Dolocatil.

Post-woman delivered a package I ordered from Amazon UK; didn't expect it so early. She dropped it on the stone floor before handing it to me. It's prepared glass microscope slides, not well packed, and when I opened it I found half of them broken. Will deal with that later.

Out before 11. To Correos, and mailed a request to Barcelona for a document. Around the corner and recharged my bus card at a newsstand. To Plaza Esteve and had to wait 15 minutes for the 10 bus.

To hospital, short wait at reception, sat down in front of the same lady I had two days ago. Tried to give her a copy of our Jerez rental agreement; she wouldn't take it (I told Dora it proves nothing). Tried to give her a copy of a document showing I opened a bank account in Barcelona 6/2016; she didn't want it. Gave her a copy of my old/first residency card; she did take that. Told her I had ordered the historic padron from Barcelona, and got a lot of Spanish I didn't understand. She had me call Dora on the phone, and she talked to Dora for a while, and Dora says we have to wait for the document from Barcelona. No problem. Oh, and Dora says a lot of water came out from under the kitchen sink when she used it; I hope I'm not coming home to a flood.

Out and caught the 10 bus with 2 minutes to spare. Back into the center, got out, walked home, in by 12:45. Dora is out at an eyeglass appointment. Kitchen looks okay.

Dora home later, we had dinner, then I investigated the microscope slides. 16 broken, 34 okay: pics. 2 or 3 of the broken ones can be taped and used, I think. But after I taped 6 of them, Dora and I decided they were too dangerous, and I threw them away. I'm not sure glass slides for her niece are a good idea in the first place, but online people were saying the plastic slides are horrible.

Owners showed up at 5 or so, and the guy had tools and joint-tape, but couldn't fix the problem under the kitchen sink. I went to Mercadona for groceries. Plumber or someone will come on Monday, maybe just to look, maybe plumber will come later.

Out after 7 with Dora. Walk to center, around Alcazar, had coffees at Plaza Esteve, Dora bought a couple of cheap spring dresses at a shop, home before 8:30. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8.

Plumber arrived at 9:35, sink fixed by 9:55.

Around noon, out to ATM, bus station, and Mercadona.

Thought of taking the bus to Chipiona today to see the cathedral there, but the schedules just don't work. Cathedral opens at 5, last bus back to Jerez is at 6.

Out for a couple of walks in the afternoon. Sunny but very windy. Ceremonies in some of the churches for the start of Easter week. Dora home after 8:30. Debating when to go to Sanlucar. We slept. I woke up with a headache; took an acetaminophen. Off to catch the 1 PM bus.

To Sanlucar, and to sister's place, buying some flowers along the way. Dinner with them, then Dora and sister started talking business, niece was upstairs watching videos. I went for a walk to and on the beach. Back home, then out to a couple of stores looking for a TV cable part; no luck. Home again, various playing and talking, then Dora and I off to catch the 6:15 bus, carrying some heavy bundles of pamphlets, and some clothes etc. Home after 7, tired. Slept late. Out at 1. To Cathedral, hoping for a 1:30 mass, but unsurprised to find my info is wrong or they've changed for Easter Week, everyone was coming out when we got there, and they kicked everyone out after a couple more minutes. People were taking pictures with a bishop or cardinal (purple skullcap) outside the church.

To the church near the govt building, and they were in the middle of mass, but all seats and standing room were taken. We watched for 5 minutes, then left.

To Plaza Arenal and had coffees and ice cream and people-watched. Walked a little, then home, and cooked a big dinner.

I went out at 7:30 or so, into the center. A zillion people, and the Easter parading is on. Very slow parade of people in hoods ("capirotes"), Virgin being carried on a platform ("Paso") at snail's pace, and a band. Then repeat with a different color of hoods, different platform, etc. Hard to see anything, between the high seating platforms and the multitude of people. Pics.

I went out again to the parade at 9 or so, but too dark to take pictures, not much different than before, still crowded. Out at 11 to a couple of shops looking for little items: flashlight, memory card, wrapping paper, TV cable adapter. Got 3 out of 4, but ended up mainly frustrated with selection and price, and with my inability to remember most of the Spanish I've learned.

Out to Mercadona for groceries.

Made a zucchini-lasagna for dinner.

SD card I bought this morning only shows up as read-only on my laptop; works fine on Dora's laptop.

Walked Dora to the train station to catch train to Puerto, then I went for a walk to the center.

Dora home at 6:30. I put together the flashlight I bought this morning, and there's a piece missing. I'm struggling today.

Out to the store and exchange the flashlight for one that works. Into the center, and everyone's assembling for more parades.

Headachey; took an acetaminophen.

Out again around 8, and the parade is in full swing. Still hard to see, and the parade moves very slowly. When the big platforms make a turn successfully, the drums beat and the platform advances and the crowd cheers and applauds. Some nice bands with some of the platforms. Pics.

Late night, took a sumatriptan. Dora off to work two 24-hour shifts in a row, 8-8 today and tomorrow. And the day after that, she may be at home on-call, or she may be on a 12-hour shift, 8 AM to 8 PM. Much of this is because we're taking a week off to go to Barcelona ten days from now. So she has to do her hours for the month in 3+ weeks instead of the full 4+ weeks.

When I flushed the toilet, the loose little plastic button on top stuck to my finger just enough to hop off (it's done that before) and fall right into the toilet and disappear. I'll have to buy a new one.

I caught the 9 AM bus through Sanlucar to Chipiona. Walked to the big cathedral, which turned out to be nice but not great. Long walk on the malecon to the lighthouse and then past the castillo, looped around, and to the Parroquia church. Also nice, but also it had a couple of parade-floats ("Pasos") inside it. And across the street, a room displaying three more parade-floats. So that was interesting. Pics.

To bus station, and caught noon bus to Sanlucar. Arrived at Dora's sister's place around 12:30. Dora's parents are up, but her niece didn't get downstairs until after 1:15. We had lunch, then I played with the niece and tried to get her to speak as much English as possible. I brought an SD card loaded with music to put in her boom-box, and after a little trouble inserting the card, it worked perfectly.

But by the time to leave, I was tired and headachey. Took a Neobrufen. To bus station, caught 4:10 bus back to Jerez, getting home at 5:15. Started laundry and laid down in bed.

When the laundry finished, put it out, took a Dolocatil, ate a little, back to bed. Up again, had some soup, watched Barca get clobbered by Juventus. Took a sumatripan. Loafed all morning. Caught the 13:00 bus to Sanlucar. Lots of traffic, arrived at sister's house after 2. It's the niece's birthday, and although part of the reason I'm here is to teach her some English, she refuses to do any studying on her birthday. Frustrating; I'm not going to come here every day.

Out with the niece to buy roast chicken etc. Dora's sister home after 3. Dinner. Playing with the niece, trying to speak as much English as possible with her. They say let's go to a procession at 6 and then a cafe afterward, which will be a long day for me, but I agree. I go for a walk to the beachfront malecon. Lie back on the sofa for a while to close my eyes and rest, but soon I'm rousted out when a patient arrives.

Out after 6, walk to chapel, and the procession soon starts emerging. A slow business, and very crowded, not much of a view. Pics. I get out pen and paper and give them to the niece so she can occupy herself drawing pictures. Nice band behind the float in the procession. Eventually they're out and off to the suburbs, and we head for the center.

We find a table outside a cafe, then move to another, then order food. We've picked up a friend of the sister, so we're five at the table, a little awkward. Food comes (coffee and a very nice tarta for me), the crush of people eases, and I enjoy the people-watching and fairly warm weather. But eventually I'm counting down to the time for my bus. I chat a little with Dora's niece and mother and sister, getting my Spanish to work a bit.

The sister suggests I stay for another couple of hours, as the procession will be coming up this main street past us. Then I'd sleep at her house tonight. But no thanks, these processions are way too slow and crowded for me, and not very interesting. And I want to sleep in my own bed.

So I'm off to the bus station. I cut it a little close: got there, quickly used the bathroom, came out, there's the bus, waited in line for a minute, then the bus is off. Home by 10:10. Feeling good tonight; no headache, not too tired.

At 1 AM, I'm wakened by drumming. There's a huge Easter parade going right under our window, in fact turning and making a big U around the block of our apartment complex. I take a bunch of pictures out of our window. The current band is big and sounds great, too. And I can smell the incense, 6 floors up. But I'm not tempted to get dressed and go down there. And they're going at a snail's pace, as usual. Pics.

Next group coming past at 1:30. Another great-sounding marching band. Awesome sound, in fact, hearing an 80-piece marching band from 6 floors up in a concrete canyon.

By 2 AM, end of parade is past the balcony side of our building, but I can hear it from the other two sides.

Five minutes later, no more music. Maybe they have a time-limit on the noise from the parade. Back in bed, I laid there unable to sleep for another hour or more. Dora home after 8:30, but she's on call (localizado), and at 10 they called and said she has to come in to work again. So at 10:50 she's out again. At least they're picking her up, she doesn't have to do train and taxi.

I went back to bed; feeling tired. Out walking in late afternoon, but it's a holiday and most things are closed. Very little car-traffic, too.

Out again at 5:30 or so, mostly cafes and a few small Chinese shops open. Looks like there will be more parades tonight: people in robes etc heading for the center.

Dora home at 8:50. To my surprise, she wants to go out to see some Easter parades. So, soon we're walking down to the center. We watch two groups go by, not being able to see very well. Then we circle around to the middle, and get a great view as another group passes, with a nice band. Light terrible for photography.

Head for home, divert into a bar right across from our building. Watch football and have drinks and food. Home before 10:40, and into bed. Up at 7, so Dora can go to work. Looked outside at 7:15, saw a bunch of hooded guys walking out of the center. Have they been parading or vigiling or something all night ? Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8.

Loafed all day, out in early evening. Everyone heading to the center for more parades. All of the shops (except for cafes) STILL closed; I wanted to get groceries, the toilet part, etc.

Went out at 9:30 or so, to the center. Parade crowded and slow, not many bands. Waited long enough to hear one nice piece by one band, then went home. Very foggy outside. Dora home before 8:45, says she got some sleep at work, starts cleaning the apartment.

Dora thought of catching the 11 AM bus to Sanlucar, but we ran out of time, went to bed instead, and caught the 1 PM bus. Which was 23 minutes late. We're going to meet the others at a restaurant outside of town at 2:30, and we didn't reach the edge of town until after 2. So instead of walking to sister's house, we got out early, and called a taxi. Got to the restaurant at 2:20.

And waited. Called the others, and found the reservation was for 2:30 to 3, and they showed up after 3. While we waited, we ordered some salad and a mixed plate (egg, potato, ham). I tried to get them to pick a different restaurant, because this one serves almost nothing but meat, and we've been here two or three times before. But most of the group likes meat, so I got outvoted. I tried to explain the Monty Python "spam" skit to Dora while we waited, but it didn't translate well. Salad and some potatoes and egg and olives and drinks and desserts are the only non-meat things on the menu here.

Finally they arrived: Dora's parents, her sister and niece, her other sister and husband and twin 2-year-olds from the north, and a local guy who is a friend and handyman. So 11 of us at a long table. I sat at one end and mostly understood nothing that was said, but that's fine. We stuffed ourselves, and had a good time.

Into cars and to sister's house. Some milling about, should we have the big birthday party now, but then one kid crashed for a nap, Dora's father went for a nap, and Dora needed sleep. So we took a siesta for an hour or two.

Up, and birthday party for niece and Dora's father and one sister's husband. Sang a little and blew out candles, then the niece got shy and refused to come out to cut the cake. The two little kids entertained us for a while, then I went out in the front yard with them and played. After a while, cake was served, the niece appeared and played in the front yard, etc. Various little troubles with the little kids as they lost toys or shoes or tried to take toys from each other or the little girl lost a lens out of her eyeglasses. The niece trying to do gymnastics in the middle of the little kids, not a good idea.

Finally time to go. The visiting friends left, and then Dora and I were driven to the bus station by her father. No need; we had time to walk. But then the bus arrived 15 minutes early, and left exactly on time. The driver was in a hurry.

Slightly long, sleepy ride to Jerez, stopping at the hospital, but traffic was light and the driver drove fast. Home at 10. Soon to bed. Dora off to catch 8 AM bus to Sanlucar; she has a patient there at 11. I slept until 10. And found messages from Dora on my Whatsapp: 5 minutes after she got on the bus, the patient called to cancel because of some problem. So Dora will come back on the 1220 bus.

Dora back at 1:15, big dinner, crashed for a nap for a while.

Out with Dora in the evening for a nice walk and then Cokes at a cafe in Plaza Arenal. Lots of people, but many places still closed, town quiet now that the holy week has ended. Dora is on-call today, so we can't go to Sanlucar, she has to stay here.

Out with Dora at 11 or so, to the center. She picked up her new eyeglasses, and is nervous that they look terrible, but they look fine. To ATM for cash. Stopped in a couple of stores to look for toilet button, but no luck. Home.

To Mercadona for groceries. Online, ordered the toilet buttons from Amazon.es.

Dora out at 1:30, going to a sort of job interview at a medical clinic. I started creating a Facebook Page for her. Loafed for a while. Dora back at 4:30.

Out with Dora at 7:15 in search of printer ink cartridges, and found a great shop two blocks from here, near the bus station. Very warm weather tonight.

I went out for a walk later. Dora is on-call again today. I went out at 1 to walk and to Carrefour for groceries; warm day.

Work called Dora at 5:45 to come in, for a shift that would end at 8 tonight. Strange. I walked her to the train station to catch the 6:25 train, then went to sit in Plaza las Angustias. Too hot to walk to the center. Dora back from work after 9.

I went out for a walk after 11. Slightly cool out for a T-shirt, but a lovely evening. Windy today. After noon, out to Mercadona for groceries, and it's VERY windy and gusty, blowing dust and pollen everywhere.

Dora was going to go to a clinic today, we ran late, and it would have been nice to go to Sanlucar. But then the clinic cancelled, and so everything straightened out.

Windy. We caught the 5 PM bus to Sanlucar, got to sister's house around 5:45. Took a while to get any life out of the niece, and then she refused to study English. Watched TV with her, and Dora and sister and mother and I talked about hearing-aids for Dora's father. Played with the niece, then the twin almost-3-year-olds were up. Dora's father came home, sister made a brief appearance between work stints. Then it was time to go. Dora and I walked to the bus station and caught the 9:10 bus. Very windy, some tree-branches down. Home by 10:05.

Saw in a bar that Barca is playing, but it's 0-0 well after halftime, and Dora says they need to win by more than 3 to continue in the tournament. [Final score was 0-0.] Weather very windy. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. I loafed. Wind dying down a little by 3 or so. Had a message that a big glass window in a restaurant in Jerez got blown in by the wind, four people hurt, she was on the ambulance that responded. Out for a walk before 7, still pretty windy. TV news says there are hurricane-force winds SE of here, in Cadiz and Puerto Real. And high-wind wildfires in the NW of Spain. Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Dora home at 9:30, she had a busy shift at work. Still windy outside.

Packing to get ready for trip.





Trip to Barcelona:
Dora soon out to Correos and banks to try to pay a couple of bills. I went out to Mercadona at 8:30 or so, and managed to time it to hit the rain and wind as I came out. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8, in a clinic in Jerez.

I was planning to go to Sanlucar to teach English to the niece, but then she wasn't going to be then, then she was, finally she wasn't again. So I went for a walk and then to Mercadona for groceries.

Headachey in late afternoon. Printed a science lesson the niece has to learn. Out to recharge Lebara SIM for Dora, go for a walk, and Mercadona again; I'm restocking after our week-long absence, and everyone's stocking up because Monday is a holiday and the stores will be closed. Took a sumatriptan. Dora is stuck working at the clinic: her replacement is sick and not coming in, and I guess it's a one-person clinic, and the boss isn't answering Dora's calls.

Dora home at 11:20; the sick doctor came in to work anyway. Soon to bed.

Dora dragged herself out of bed and we caught the 1 PM bus to Sanlucar. To sister's house, nice dinner with her parents and niece, but the afternoon was mostly a waste. We chased the niece around trying to teach her English, and she didn't want to. Watched some TV, chatted, caught the 6:15 bus (20 minutes late) back to Jerez. Home at 7:20, tired and headachey. Took a Dolocatil. Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8, at ambulance service in El Puerto. I loafed, slept late, out for a walk in midafternoon. It's a holiday, lots of people out in cafes, everything else closed. Headachey again in the evening, probably from too much time on the computer. Took a Dolocatil. Still headachey; took a sumatriptan. Dora home at 9, into bed. I go up before 11, showered, ate, went to central hospital to turn in the padron historico document for my convenio especial. Back home after 1, still headachey. Took some acetaminophen and into bed. We slept until 3:30 or so. Still have headache. Dinner.

Later, still have headache. Took more acetaminophen. Napped. Watched most of Real Madrid - Atletico Madrid game (UEFA Championship semi-final). Real Madrid dominated and won 3-0.

Took a sumatriptan and some melatonin, and to bed. Slept well. Headache mostly gone. Dora is on-call today.

Out, and hit an ATM. Did the long walk to the Correos where our packages are delivered, and picked up the new toilet parts. Got home, opened them up, and they're the wrong size.

Dora out to banks to pay rent and such.

I got a little headachey in the midafternoon. Took a Neobrufen. Dora called by work at 5:10, has to go in. I walked her to the 5:50 train, then went to Correos to mail the package back to Amazon. Correos not crowded, but extremely slow, and it took almost 25 minutes to get through there.

To Plaza Arenal to check out the high school scienc fair there, and it's jammed full of people. Saw the place and headed out, and got a call from Dora, she got to work and they didn't need her, so she's on her way back. Walked to the train station, and met her coming out. We stopped at a cafe for drinks, then home by 7:45.

At 8:45, out to Mercadona for groceries.

Couldn't sleep at all until after 3 AM. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8 at a clinic in Jerez. I loafed until midafternoon.

Out at 4:15 or so, and long walk up to Plaza Mamelon. Warm day. Hoped to see some Moto Gran Prix motorcycles; they're having some kind of opening fete here at 5 for the races that will take place this weekend outside town. But got to the plaza, and no motorcycles, just setting up a bandstand for a small concert. Looked in a Chinese store for a few items. Walked down to Plaza Arenal, too early for the science fair to resume. Sat near the mercado and listened to my MP3 player for a while.

Back up near Mamelon around 5:15, still not much happening. Down to Plaza Arenal, and the science fair is hopping. Wandered around that, then started heading home. Into the bazaar to look for a few items, but no luck. Home by 5:45, hot and a little tired.

I've been hearing military planes fly over several times today, don't know if they're for the science fair or the MotoGP or something else. Around 6:30, got a good look as seven flew over in formation pretty low, trailing colored smoke. I think it's for the MotoGP.

Out again, and Hiper Number One had a couple of the things I wanted to buy.

Headache in late evening; took Neobrufen and melatonin. Dora home at 8:15; rain by 8:45; sunny later. We slept until noon, then I went out for a walk to the center, and again to Mercadona for groceries.

Gave flowers and a music-player to Dora for her birthday. I'd like to buy jewelry for her, but she never finds anything she likes when we're looking.

Headache; took a Nolotil. Didn't work. Took a diazepam. That didn't work. Took a Neobrufen.

Took a melato-zinc and went to bed. After midnight, took a sumatriptan, and that knocked out my headache. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8, at ambulance service in El Puerto.

Trying to upgrade my smartphone from Android 5 to 7, and it's fiendishly complicated. Consulting with an expert online.

Went for a walk in the center. Tons of people, nice sunny day, but lots of motorcycle idiots revving engines everywhere. They've all come to town because of the MotoGP races taking place at the circuit outside town.

Cooked a big omelet for dinner.

Finally succeeded in upgrading my smartphone; now running (LineageOS) Android 7.1 ! Dora home before 9.

Caught the 11 AM bus to Sanlucar. To sister's place, tried to teach some English to the niece, but she's a little sick, and balky as usual. She wants to play or watch videos, not study. Had a big dinner, tried some more studying, finally caught the 4:10 bus (late, as usual). Home by 5:15, tired.

Out with Dora at 10:30 or so. Lovely slightly-cool night. Took a long walk through the center; lots of people out, jamming the cafes and bars. We sat at a cafe in Plaza Arenal and had coffee and cake and talked. Home by 12:10. Dora is on-call today, and at 9:35 they called her and she had to go in to El Puerto ambulance service.

Out at 11:45 to catch the noon bus to Rota, despite many last-minute msgs from Dora saying she might be home soon, we might go to Sanlucar, etc. Onto the bus, and had a nice chat with a couple from Oregon. They've been wandering around Europe for a couple of months, now are going to Rota to hang around until they can catch a military flight to USA (he's ex-Coast-Guard). They happened to be in Malaga a few ago when they took pictures of a ferry coming in, and then watched it crash into the dock (it was on the TV news, believed to be steering failure).

To Rota by 12:35, and the route in town was different than I expected, so no choice but to get out at the station, which is fairly far from the old town. Long, hot walk, hustling to see if I can get to the Castillo to catch the 1 PM tour. Got there with 4 minutes to spare, but the lady in Tourist Info said "no tour today". [Later I realized I was mistaken, the tours are only on weekends.] So all I could see was the ground-floor inner courtyard of the castillo, which was disappointing. Pics.

Out, around the corner, and of course the nearby parish church closed at 1. The bus schedule and attraction opening times here are not synchronized: I had a choice of an 8 AM bus or a noon bus, everything closes at 1 or 2, and the last bus out is at 5.

Wandered a bit, had soda and ice-cream at a place, wandered more, lovely Jesus Nazareno plaza, went on the beach and dipped my feet in the ocean. Pics. More wandering, bought pastries at a shop, sat in a plaza and got free Wi-Fi while I ate them.

More wandering, found another nice plaza (Plaza Pio XII) to sit for a while. Pics. Eventually to the bus station by 4:15. Waited, onto bus, back to Jerez, home by 5:45. Expected to find Dora home, but she's not here. Turns out she had to work all day, so I'm glad I went to Rota.

Dora home at 6:35.

Headachey; took a Neobrufen.

Out to Mercadona for groceries. Gas man showed up right on time, just before 9. Inspected the gas system (very simple, tank to water-heater), replaced the hose, checked for leaks. Done in less than 15 minutes. Paid him €60 (which is being paid by the owner, we deducted it from the rent).

Correos delivered from Amazon: another birthday present from me to Dora, an ionizing hair-straightening hairbrush.

Dora and I out after noon. To the center, and to a tourist-attraction I've been meaning to go to for a while: the Palacio del Virrey Laserna. Which turned out to be better than I expected, quite nice. But no photography allowed, bummer. It's a historic house/palace, still lived in by the current Count, and he gives the tours. So it's full of "here is a picture of my father with the old king, and a picture of me with the current king" and various other family history. As well as paintings, at least one by Rubens, some from the school of Goya, lots of others whose names I don't know. Lovely furniture, building, nice gardens, and a very personal experience. Fabulous !

Then we went around to the plaza in front of the government building and had a nice lunch in an outdoor cafe. Iberic ham, a Stilton-cheese-nut-honey dish that was nice, and roast beef cheeks (from the front end of the cow, not the back end). The only downside was getting solicited by a couple of beggars who came by several times. Stopped at Carrefour for groceries, then home by 3:30.

And then suddenly at 4:30, the plan is that we're going to Sanlucar again, to try to teach English to the niece. Sigh. I feel the tiniest bit of headache, so took a Neobrufen.

Onto the 5 PM bus, and to Sanlucar, and walked to sister's house. The niece still has a moderately bad cold, and hasn't been going to school this week. We sat her down at the kitchen table and started going through her lesson, a combination of science and English. At times it went well, other times she rebelled and we had to cajol and nag her to get her back to the studying. Later, some playing, and a tiny bit more of studying.

Dora wants to stay here overnight, but I don't want to stay. And the niece has tired me out with demands for piggyback rides and such, and managed to knock off my glasses and almost rip my shirt while doing it. So eventually we're onto the 9:10 bus, and home in our apartment in Jerez by 10:05. I think I'm catching the niece's cold, and I take a Dolocatil. Grey and raining, and we both have sore throats. We slept late.

Out in early evening, under very grey skies. To banks, then headed for Correos, but had to turn back halfway because Dora forgot something. Back out, to Correos, to center, sat for a while. Still feeling a little sore throat and headache, and a little weak. Home, and took a Dolocatil.

Out at 8:30, and down to the estaciones to watch the semi-finals of Champions League, Atletico Madrid vs Real Madrid. A little trouble finding a spot, but got a table at the edge of one bar. Fine, until it started pouring rain. And it turned out they didn't have coffee. But we drank Pepsi and ate roast chicken and watched the first half, and it was a good game. But then I'd had enough, and we went home through the rain. I'd foolishly brought only one umbrella, so we got a little wet at the edges. [Turns out there was no scoring in the second half; Atletico won the game 2-1 but lost the series 2-4 and Real goes on to the final.] Grey, wet morning. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. I'm achey; took a Neobrufen. Loafed all day.

Went for a walk in early evening. Home, and looks like football game coming on TV. But the channel did that thing where they show you every detail up through the coin toss, then surprise! we're not showing the actual game. Heavy rain and strong wind at 6:45 or so. Dora home at 8:40.

We're out at 10:15. Down to the taxi rank, and take a taxi to the Tributaria (tax) office. In for Dora's 10:30 appointment, and I wait as she takes about 45 minutes in there. She's out, but has form to fill out, then she's back in for 5 minutes. Out by 11:30 or so, and to a nearby bank, but she's forgotten to bring her bankbook. Back to the bus stop, and it appears we've missed a bus by 1 minute, but then it comes 10 minutes later.

A long, looping bus ride on the 9 bus. We should have taken a taxi instead. And just as it starts making progress toward home, it's hit on the side (scraped) by a car that failed to yield out of a side street. As we all pile out, an old lady feels faint, thinking someone had been killed. Dora and I start walking, then call a taxi, then see that another bus has picked up the people from our bus; we should have stayed there. Home before 1.

Out in the evening. To center, Dora tried to pay tax bill at ATM with no success, we wandered, into a pastry shop for coffees and pastry. Grey morning. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. Did laundry, and the sun came out.

Heavy rain at 9:45, slanting into the balcony and getting the laundry wet again. Oh, well.

Out for a walk in early afternoon. Lovely partly cloudy weather, lots of people out. Lovely purple flowers on trees next to the Alcazar: pics.

In late afternoon, two trips to Mercadona for groceries. Monday is a holiday.

Just before 10, some reasonably-nice fireworks from the horse-fair starting today and running for a week.

Out for a walk at 10:45 or so. Lovely slightly-cool night.

Slight headache/sorethroat/cough; took a Dolocatil. Beautiful sunny morning. Dora home at 8:30.

At 1 or so, met Dora's father and her niece at the Jerez bus station and brought them home. Dora and I cooked dinner. Napped.

In the evening, got ready to go to the Jerez Feria Del Caballo, and suddenly found out Dora's father has to go back to Sanlucar tonight, he has to pick up her sister in the car early tomorrow morning. We thought they were staying here overnight, so no hurry in getting to the feria. Suddenly we're in a rush.

So, out by 6:45 or so, down to bus stop on one side of our building, and wait for a feria-special bus. Dora wants to take a taxi, but we wait 5-10 minutes and a bus comes. On, get seats, into center and then up. Soon we're seeing horses on the streets. Feria is not where I expected it to be: it's in Jardines da la Rosaleda / Jardines del Bosque, near Plaza de Caballos [later figured out, it's so huge that the other end of it IS where I expected the whole feria to be].

Off the bus, into the park, and it's enormous. Huge avenues with restaurants down the sides, noisy and full of people and all blaring music trying to drown out the music from their neighbors. Very crowded. Pics.

We start walking down the main avenue, and it's slow going. Lots of women and girls in traditional Flamenco dresses, quite nice.

Niece is starting to get a bit anxious; she thought there would be amusement-park rides, and so far it's all restaurants. But then we see a ferris wheel in the distance, and head for it, and there turns out to be a huge amusement-park section, on the other side of the train tracks.

It's even more jammed over there, and noisier too. Rides about €4 per person, and lines. Dora, niece and I do the "Super Raton" roller-coaster first. A deceptively small roller-coaster that turns out to be a rough ride, especially when the cars start spinning sideways. Hard on the stomach, especially when the spin is added to the motion around a curve in the track. I do as much fake screaming as I can. Pics.

Stagger off that, and across to a haunted-house ride ("Casa del Miedo"). Dora's father goes with us for that one, and he and I get wedged into the back seat of the car, where there is legroom only for small Spanish people, and I have to twist sideways and put my knees almost on top of his. The ride is fairly gentle, with various monsters lighting up or popping out at us, and I fake-scream a lot and make my fingers act like spiders on the shoulders of Dora and her niece ahead of us.

Out, and soon onto a multi-armed rotating thing ("Maxi Kanguro") that yanks us up and down wildly while spinning around. I'm doing okay until it stops and then does all the same stuff backwards, and my stomach starts getting queasy. I make it through that one, and declare I've reached my limit.

We work our way down the main avenue of the amusement-ride area, stopping to watch people ride some of the wilder rides. Some of the music blaring is painful to my ears. Get to the end, a bathroom break for the niece, and it's 8:45 and time to start heading out if they want to catch the 10 PM bus to Sanlucar. It's still unclear whether 0, 1 or both of them will be taking that bus.

We work our way down a quieter shopping-type avenue of the fair, crowded but making decent progress. Out to the bus stop area, some confusion, find the right place to wait, and before long a usable bus comes. Onto it, wait another 5 minutes, then off. To the stop between our apartment and the bus station by 9:40.

It appears at least Dora's father will be taking the 10 PM bus, so we walk towards the station. Into a cafe for sodas, and then the niece is ordering food ! We don't have time for this. After much talking on the phone with the sister, it's decided both niece and father will return to Sanlucar tonight. By 9:55 the food has not come. Dora waits for it while niece, father and I go to the bus station. The bus is there already, I put them on it, and at 9:59 it closes doors and starts backing out. Niece is sad that she doesn't have her food.

I walk out to front door of station, and meet Dora coming in with the food. I say "too late", but she runs around to the road-exit, intercepts the bus as it's coming out, gets the driver to open the door, and gives the food to her father ! Amazing.

Home by 10:10, tired. We slept late. Out at 1 to the banks, but they're all closed, either because today is a holiday (we're not sure it is), or because they have short hours in feria week. Hot out. Fled back home. Loafed all afternoon and evening. Out at 9:30 for a walk with Dora. Dora is on call (localizado) today, so can't leave town.

I go out before 11:30, to pay Dora's tax bill at the bank, while she goes to the health center to register. I go to the bank, get the wrong kind of ticket, wait, they redirect me to the cashier, wait. Sign says you can pay these bills only from 0830 to 0930, but then I'm in front of the cashier with the form and cash, easier just to do it for me. Done.

Out, to health center, no Dora there. Come out, she calls me, turns out work called her right after I left the apartment, she has to go in. I go to the train station and meet her there, we sit for 10 minutes while she has an orange juice, then she's onto the 11:51 train.

I go to Mercadona for groceries, then home. Two minutes later, Correos is buzzing to deliver a certified letter to me from the central health administration. Perfect !

And I'm approved for the "Convenio Especial" way of getting onto the Spanish NHS. I'll pay €60 per month for it.

Out in midafternoon to try to break a €50 bill, and maybe recharge my bus card. But the Tabaco shops are closed, and the BBVA ATM will only give me more 50's. To Mercadona for groceries and to break the bill.

Out at 4:45, to pick up the niece from school. Down to the taxi rank at Hiper Number One, no taxis, waited 10 minutes. Gave up and went to the train station. Got into first taxi, guy wasn't too happy, probably had been hoping for 3 people plus luggage. But to the school by 5:10 or so, and he waited several minutes as I was guided to the niece and came out with her. Back into the taxi, home by 5:25.

Niece made a beeline for my stash of chocolate in the refrigerator, then for Dora's computer to watch videos. I made a sandwich for her, cooked a little ham-and-eggs, as usual she ate about 10% of everything given to her.

Dora's father and sister arrived at 8:45. Dora home at 9:05.

Some confusion: the whole point of them coming here was to go to the Jerez Feria Del Caballo, and now the niece doesn't want to go, doesn't want to wear her Flamenco dress, etc. That gets sorted out, then it's unclear if I'll be going with the sister and the niece. I'm willing, but then Dora says she'll go too. She has to work a 24-hour shift starting tomorrow at 8 AM ! I take a Neobrufen.

More confusion, more delay, eventually we're out the door at 10. Down to the taxi rank (pausing a couple of times), into a taxi, to the feria.

And it looks very beautiful, lit up at night. And the crowds are much more manageable than when Dora and I and the niece and father came here on Sunday evening. Pics. I have to pull Dora out of the clutches of a gypsy lady at the entrance trying to sell her a rose and a fortune-telling.

Down the main avenue, and into a place to have some drinks and food and dance. It's mostly Flamenco-type music, but I do my best to dance while Dora (who knows all the proper moves) does her thing.

Eventually out of there, and the niece wants to go on the rides. So down to the amusement-park area, and it turns out the niece wants to go on exactly the same rides we went on on Sunday ! Back onto the Super Raton, which I do, then she wants to do it again, and I skip that one. Over to the Kanguro, and I refuse to do that one, it's evil. They have to wait a long time for it to start, there are only about 8 people on it, and the operators try to wait for more, but eventually give up and run it. Then BACK to the Super Raton, and I get pulled onto it again.

Enough rides. Off to a stand for mini-donuts hot out of the deep-fat and slathered with toppings; I could eat nothing but these for a month and die happy.

Back out to the main avenue and looking for another place to dance. I want to go home. We find a place, do some dancing, enough. We buy drinks. Dora wants to dance more, I've had enough, so has the niece. Dora and sister do a little more dancing, eventually we're out. Walk out to the taxi area, no problem getting a taxi, home. Into bed by 1:30. Hard time getting to sleep. And I think my ears are ringing slightly from the loud music. Alarm at 6:40, Dora up at 6:45. I get up at 7 to check on things, expecting I'll have to get towels and breakfast and such for our three guests this morning after Dora leaves. But to my surprise, they're already gone ! Her sister has to work this morning.

Dora out at 7:20, to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. I feel tired just thinking about it, in addition to already feeling tired. I take a Dolocatil.

Laundry, breakfast, internet, then back to bed for about 3 hours. Still feeling lousy.

In early evening, took a Neobrufen and went for a walk.

Met Dora at 9 at the train station. Her shift got cut short, they'll call her and pick her up at home if there's a need during the night.

Online, I see that the dollar has been weakening against the Euro. Euro was about $1.06 a couple of months ago, now it's almost $1.12. Thank you, Donald Trump :-(

I took a melatonin before bed.

Dora doesn't get to bed until 11:45; I thought she would head right for bed when she got home. But she did get a shower and food and then some sleep, before they called her at 2:45. She's out at 3:20 AM. Out before 11:30. To ATM for cash, then to another bank to pay for first month of NHS. Very slow line, took 20 minutes or so to get to counter. Then my pretty simple payment took almost 5 minutes. Finally got it done, everything looks right.

Home after noon, and Dora is home ! I thought she said she had to work today, but it turns out she just worked the remainder of last night's shift, until 8 AM. Then she went to a hospital to drop off her CV and ask about work. And she learned some useful info about getting onto the government hospital list.

Headache in midafternoon; took a sumatriptan and napped.

Out with Dora before 5. To Correos, and sent healthcare paperwork to Sevilla. To govt building, but they're closed early for the feria, as I suspected. Walked around, looking in some shops, but I'm not feeling well. Home. Dora is on-call today, and at 10:40 they called her to come in. She dashes out the door after 11:10.

In midafternoon, I was out for a walk and groceries.

Dora home at 4:35, but they called her right back in to work just before she got home. So I walked her to the 5:25 train.

Message from Dora: work sending her home again, waste of a trip. So I met her at the train station, we're home by 7:05.

Dora made noises about going to the feria yet again, but I'm not up for it. In fact, I had a bit of a headache, took a Neobrufen. Out for a walk in midafternoon; very warm out. Later out for groceries. Out at 8:30 with Dora for a nice walk and to a cafe for coffees and pastry. Warm and breezy evening.

After midnight, strong and gusty wind most of the night. Strong and gusty wind. Dora out at 8:45 to work a 24-shift at a clinic here in Jerez.

Out at 12:45, caught the 1 PM bus to Sanlucar. Major feria being set up in many of the streets there. To sister's house. Put in a good 20+ minutes teaching the niece a story in English from her school, and she learned well. Then dinner, then the niece didn't want to study any more. She started watching a film on TV, I went for a walk on the malecon, then I went back and watched the film too. Got a tiny bit of studying in during one set of commercials. Caught the 6:15 bus (20 minutes late) back to Jerez, home by 7:20. Dora finished working a 24-hour shift at a clinic in Jerez, started working a 24-hour shift at an ambulance service in El Puerto. [Turns out, each month she's working eight 24-hour shifts and three or four 12-hour on-call shifts at the ambulance service, plus about three 24-hour shifts at the clinic. Her pay at the ambulance service is pretty low.]

I loafed all day, did internet, went for a couple of walks.

I had neck pain during the night; took a Neobrufen. Dora home before 8:30.

Out with Dora at 10:15, to gestor in the center to start her income tax return. She was in there for an hour, and came out a bit depressed. So on the way home, she had some retail therapy (two blouses, I believe) and then we went to a cafe for coffees. Home before 1.

Out again with Dora at 1:45. Back to the gestor to drop off more papers. To local centro de salud so Dora could register there, cutting one of her last ties with Barcelona. To fruit stand to buy fruit. Hot. Home by 2:30.

Out again at 4:45. Down to the central local govt building, where we've never gone before. In and waited a few minutes for our appointment to ask some questions about applying for pareja de hecho (civil union). Got useful answers, and learned several other useful things about operations we can do at this office. Out, asked a question and got some info at Tourist Info. To a bank to use the ATM, then home by 5:45. Hot.

After 8, out to ATM (broken) and then to Mercadona for groceries.

Didn't sleep well. Out at 8:45, to bus station, caught 9 AM bus to Sanlucar. Bus didn't go all way to the station; the route has been truncated because of the feria, so we had to walk an extra 4 blocks or so to the sister's house. Got there and rested for a while, before the sister got home from work.

Then soon we're all piling into the car and off to the mercadillo, a big flea-market. Dora and her sister go wild buying clothes and shoes and such, while her mother and I trail then and wait and I carry stuff. Fun to people-watch, but it's crowded and hot.

We shop until we're dropping, then across the street and have food and drinks in a cafe. Then back to the car, where Dora's father has been waiting this whole time. I think he spent a lot of the time in the nearby Burger King.

Into the center of town, Dora and sister and I get out, and we go to a notario. I wait 30-40 minutes in a reasonable air-conditioned lobby while they do stuff. Out, call a taxi, home after 2.

Some waiting, then we're having a simple dinner. Plans have changed three times; are we catching an early bus back to Jerez, staying for the feria tonight and catching 9 PM bus, or doing feria and staying here overnight ? Eventually Dora decides on early bus, and we hustle to the bus stop area through the afternoon heat, getting there with 3 or 4 minutes to spare for the 3:10 bus. Bus passes us and goes around a circle and stops on other side of street from where we're waiting, but we anticipated that might happen, and hustle across in time to catch it.

Driver has pedal to the metal, and despite stopping at hospital, we arrive well before 4, and home after 4. Hot and tired and achey. I take a Neobrufen.

Later, headache, took a sumatriptan. Glad we didn't stay in Sanlucar for the feria.

Still feeling pretty bad. Took melatonin and went to bed early. Slept well. Quiet morning. Gas bottle ran empty, after about 9 weeks of use, not bad. Switched to new bottle. Price for gas keeps going up; I think it's going to be almost €16 this time.

Out with Dora at 12:20 or so. Hot day. Down to the center, to the Alcazar (Moorish fortress) and in. Major tourist attraction, and we've never been in it. Interesting place, fortress with mosque inside, olive oil mill inside, then later someone built a Spanish palacio inside. Full of cisterns and aqueducts and water-handling stuff. Towers, parapets, nice views, some nice flower gardens. Pics. But very little art or decoration. Enjoyed it, but hot. The "camera oscura" seems to be closed; didn't get to see that. Web site with great pictures and a great narrative: Fun with Dick and Jane's "The Alcazar". Home by 2:15, hot.

Gas refill will cost €16.78, up almost a euro in 2 months.

At 3, we're sitting down to dinner, and the phone rings. Dora's sister is having a travel emergency, her bus tickets for tonight got charged but not confirmed, her father is on the local bus to come here to Jerez to see if he can pay at the bus office.

So at 3:35, I'm out. Hit the ATM, then to the bus station. Find that the relevant bus office closed half an hour ago and will be closed until 6:30. A few minutes later, Dora's father arrives. We look at the signs, call Dora, head to apartment. There, I try to buy the tickets online. Doesn't work on Dora's laptop, switch to mine. My browser is fighting me, finally get things right, have to pay with sister's credit card, no problem, I have all the info. Except the site insists on sending a code in SMS to her phone, and I will have to type it in to the web page, and now she's not answering either of her phones, and neither is Dora's mother. Finally get through to the mother, and the sister is with a patient. So can't buy the tickets.

Out at 6:15 with Dora and her father. To the bus station. Office isn't open quite yet, but Dora is first in line when it does open, and spends a good 15 minutes trying to straighten out the situation, with people fuming in line behind her. She comes out saying there are no tickets, the other people get served, then she's back at the window. I put her father on the bus to Sanlucar, come back, and suddenly Dora is calling my name and handing me tickets and receipts to take to her father. I hustle out and hand them to him on the bus, and a minute later it's going.

But we're going to be back here at 10 tonight to help her sister get on the bus to Madrid, so we could have held the tickets anyway. We head toward home, and sit in a cafe for 45 minutes sipping sodas and relaxing. Home at 8.

I'm out again at 9:30, to bus station to wait for sister and niece and help them. They arrived, I hauled heavy bundle and rolled a suitcase, then waited with them for 20 minutes or so until the bus came. Niece full of energy as usual. They were onto the bus and off to Madrid by 10:10, I went home. Dora out at 7:20 to work a 24-hour shift in El Puerto.

Waiting all morning for the gas refill man. No show, although someone buzzed after 9 but then didn't come up. But Correos did come after 11 with two certified letters. One is my NHS certification, which I can take to the local health center. Gas man came just after noon.

Went to local health center to try to register there and get my health card, but the not-very-friendly guy said I have to go to the central hospital. Maybe that's the only place they do new cards ?

Out at 7. To train station, and onto train to El Puerto de Santa Maria. Not sure where the feria is, but walked into the center. Fortunately got into Tourist Info a minute before they closed, and they set me straight: feria is at the edge of town. So up to Plaza España and onto a crowded feria-special bus. Got to the feria around 8:15.

And found that there's a special direct bus to/from Jerez ! So noted the times of that bus. Walked through the feria, which is smaller and not as nice as the Jerez feria, which is to be expected, this is a smaller city. Still plenty of pretty women, and some of the same rides from the Jerez feria. I think some of the rides they have here would not be legal in USA, rides where a bunch of kids get thrown around together in a moving platform, trying to keep their balance, falling all over each other.

Had some of the mini-donuts out of hot oil that I love; they're called "buñuelos". Not much to take pictures of, except the bull at the entrance, and even for that there's no good place to snap it from. Pic.

Saw everything, decided to catch the early bus. Found the 9:15 bus not exactly where I expected it, soon the driver opened up, and it turned out I was the only passenger.

To Jerez station by 9:45, home 10 minutes later. Dora home before 8:30.

Loafed all day, then out at 4:45 and caught 5 PM bus to Sanlucar. To sister's house, where Dora's parents are.

Out with Dora at 7 or so. Checked out some of the feria, then to Aldi's for groceries, and home.

Out at 8:45 with Dora and her parents. Several blocks down to a restaurant, where we ate and drank and watched the first half of the Copa del Rey football final, Barca versus Alave. Not the best game, but it was close for most of the half, until suddenly Barca went up 3-1. [And that ended up being the final score.]

We left at halftime, and wandered through the feria. First looking at clothing shops, then into the crowded main drag, then over to the amusement-park rides. Pics. I enjoyed it. Eventually we all were tired, especially Dora's parents, and we headed home. I was surprised to see it was 11:45 when we got there.

Rested for a while, then Dora and I went out again at 12:30 or so. To the feria, looking for places to dance. Tried a couple, but they were crowded and high-volume. Very crowded in the avenue near the bus station. Better out in the main drag. Dora watched some Flamenco singing that I didn't care about. I bought some buñuelos; yum. Down the main drag, stopping several times to dance outside of places, the best strategy in my opinion. Dora can dance ! I just do my best. We had fun.

Down to the malecon, strolled along it, nice and quiet and cool after the feria. Toward home, stopped in the clothes-shopping area of the feria for a little while, but I pulled Dora away from buying a dress, and we got home by 2. Into bed. Up at the crack of 11:20, out by noon, caught the 12:20 bus (about 10 minutes late) to Jerez. Home after 1. Tired, loafed all afternoon and evening, we both did lots of stuff online. Dora out at 7:20 to work a 24-hour shift in El Puerto.

I loafed all day. Then out in evening for a walk to the center, to a couple of shops, then Mercadona for groceries. My NHS card came in the mail ! Dora home at 10:15; she had a busy shift all night, got very little sleep, and her shift went late this morning.

Out with Dora at noon. To center, and she's into her gestor's office by 12:15 to do tax stuff. I went to an ATM, then loafed and waited for Dora. Hot, and few places to sit in the shade. She came out around 1:15. Over to the centro salud to hit the bathroom and ask some questions about my healthcare registration. Hot walk, and home by 1:50.

Dora's sister and niece are back from their trip to see their apartment in Benicassim, and it's the usual emergencies. The renter destroyed the apartment. And the niece has a school assignment due now that I have to help her do. Dora's father is coming here by bus to give me a thumb drive, I have to do a Powerpoint presentation, put it on there, and he'll take it back. We don't even have Powerpoint, we have a free supposedly-compatible application.

In late afternoon, headache, took a Dolocatil.

The school-assignment crisis went away; it's being handled in Sanlucar.

Went out at 8:30, to hit a shop and then Mercadona for groceries. Got home, only to have Dora announce she'd just eaten the last two oranges, and she wanted two more to take to work tomorrow. Out again, but the fruit stand was closed, instead bought a fan at another shop. Dora will have to survive on apples, peaches, bananas and grapes tomorrow. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift at a clinic here in Jerez. I loafed, spaghetti for dinner, went for a walk, hit some shops, got groceries at Mercadona.

At 9:30, message that the niece in Sanlucar needs some English translated and then taught to her. Sent the translation via email, then realized they don't have email only Whatsapp, struggled to copy it across, finally had to take a picture of it on the computer screen. Then on a phone call for 30 minutes or so with them, teaching the English sentences to the niece. And apparently she has some test on Friday, so probably we'll go there tomorrow to teach her more. Dora home before 8:30. She had a busy night at the clinic, with traffic-accident patients and kidney-stone patients etc. She's on-call for El Puerto today. Turns out the niece is at achool today (I asked about that yesterday, got wrong answer several times), so I won't go to Sanlucar until tonight.

Dora called by work at 11:11, she has to go in.

I went out before 1, to some shops and then groceries at Carrefour.

Dora home unexpectedly at 2:30; I missed a message from her saying she was coming home. Her trip to work was a waste of time.

We napped for a while. Then I was out at 4:45 and onto 5 PM bus to Sanlucar. Arrived about 5:35, waited with Dora's father until the niece's schoolbus arrived 5 minutes later, into car and went to sister's house.

Where the niece resisted being taught, as usual. She was getting home from a long day at school, so last thing she wanted to do was study more. Eventually got her to look at the Powerpoint presentation she has to do tomorrow. I fixed the English, we ran through it a couple of times, and then she'd had enough. So I loafed around, tried to get her to speak some English, had osme food, etc.

Onto the 9:10 bus back to Jerez. Arrived around 9:45, and Dora was waiting for me at the station. In honor of my birthday tomorrow, we went to a cafe and had coffees and some chocolate cake. Dora floated the idea of going to a disco, but it's well after 10 and she has to be up at 6:40 tomorrow morning to work a 24-hour shift. She could do it, but I'd rather she didn't. Home by 10:30. Dora out at 7:20 to work a 24-hour shift in El Puerto.

Loafed, did a little yoga, etc. Gave myself a haircut. Was standing in the bathroom with hair all over me when the downstairs buzzer sounded. I assumed it was Correos and ignored it, shaved, showered. Came out and found my phone exploding with Whatsapp messages, Dora's parents have arrived on a surprise visit for my birthday, and can't get in.

I went down and found her mother, then it took 5 minutes to round up her father. Brought them upstairs and turned on the air-conditioning and gave them sodas and fruit; it's hot today. We watched TV and I exercised my primitive Spanish-language skills to the max; they speak no English. 45 minutes later, walked them to the bus station and put them on a bus back to Sanlucar. I went to Mercadona for groceries. Home and started cooking dinner.

Realized later I should have offered them some of the birthday cake. But they had been saying they didn't want anything, the whole visit was rushed, I was off-balance.

The cake is delicious. Dora home at 8:30. I'm sleepy, and she crashes into bed. She's bought some shoes and clothing for me as a birthday present. I'm up before noon, she's up after noon. The relatives in Sanlucar want us to go there today, but we'll go tomorrow. I download an ebook for the niece's school and send it to them via email and Whatsapp.

Suddenly before 1:30, Dora decides we're going to dash out to pick up her new eyeglass frames. So without showers we're dressed and out and to the center. Get the frames, stop at a dentist office, hit an ATM unsuccessfully, out and past out apartment and to another ATM, I buy envelopes in a shop, home. Hot.

At 3, I'm cooking dinner, and Dora's sister calls and says they're coming in the car to pick us up and take us to a mall near Sanlucar for a birthday meal at a sandwich place. I put my foot down: no, we're staying here today, I'm cooking, Dora and I are going out tonight, we'll go to Sanlucar tomorrow. [Later, I find out that Dora is working tomorrow.]

So, at 8:30, we're out. Dora dressed to the nines, I'm dressed to about the threes. Slightly longish walk up to an area of Irish pubs, and we find the last decent table to watch the UEFA Champions League final, Real Madrid vs Juventus. I have a Guinness. Pics. The game is fun, the crowd in the bar goes wild at each goal. 1-1 at halftime, then 3-1 Madrid about 20 minutes into the second half.

We leave, and go around the corner to try to get into the Soho disco, to do some dancing. But it's closed, and maybe permanently closed. So we walk out to Avenida Domecq and up a couple of blocks, Dora twisting her ankle in a hole in the sidewalk, but she's okay.

Get to the other discos, Kapote and Tribecca, by about 10:30. Kapote has the game on, but we don't hear music anywhere. Into Tribecca to ask, and they say the music and dancing will start at 2 AM ! We call a taxi and we're home by 10:45.

As we walk to the discos and took the taxi home, several times we heard cheering, and we guessed Madrid had gone up 5-1. But the game actually ended 4-1. Dora out at 8:45, to work a 24-hour shift at a clinic in Jerez. At 10:30, I was getting ready to go to Sanlucar when she called and said don't go, the niece is at work with her mother, so I can't teach any English.

Out for a walk in early evening. Then back home and online to start my Spanish income tax filing for 2016. Got through most of it, stuck at section where you compensate for international double-taxation.

At 10:35, a bunch of fairly serious rocket fireworks launched from roof of an apartment building a block away. Is that legal ? Dora home around 9:30, having done some errands on the way home from work. I napped until 11:30, Dora slept until after 1.

I went out for a walk in late afternoon; hot but nice.

Out with Dora at 8:30, for a walk and to a cafe for coffees. Lovely cool weather with a nice breeze.

Couldn't sleep at all at night; maybe slept for 1 hour all night. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. I dozed until noon.

In late afternoon, out to ATM and Mercadona.

Did some work on Spanish income tax; I'm stuck on international double-taxation. Did a little caulking on the showers. Not feeling well; tired and headachey. Took a Neobrufen.

Out for a walk at 9. Lovely weather.

Took a melatonin. Slept well. Dora home at 9. I'm a bit groggy from solid sleep last night.

We're out at 10:10. To train station, train to Puerto Real, taxi to the huge hospital outside town. Dora goes upstairs to do paperwork; I wait.

I'm not surprised to wait for quite a while; someone is helping her put her certificates into the medical system so she can be considered for government jobs, something that's she been struggling with for a while. I have a newspaper to translate and learn some Spanish, and I listen to my audio player. But this hospital is so noisy everywhere, marble and people talking loudly. Even outside, sometimes people come out and talk or talk on their phone next to me. Nice birds-nest out there with several baby birds being fed by their parents.

She's done at 12:50 or so, and happy: everything went well, the guy was super-helpful, now she understands the job-roster situation better. And it turns out today was some kind of deadline she didn't even know about; tomorrow would have been too late somehow.

Into taxi and back to the train station by 1:10. Next train not until 1:40, so we go across the street to a cafe for sodas and tapas. Then onto train, and home by 2:10.

Dora out for a 4 PM dental appointment. She has to wait, it takes a while, then at 5:45 she's sending messages saying they say she needs €3000 of work, and there's a 10% discount if she signs up for it right now. I tell her not to make any decision, come home. Then I head out and go to the dental office. Wait 15+ minutes for her, she comes out, and it turns out the problem is real. Ten years she had two teeth extracted in Peru, and it was wrong, and now she needs a couple of implants. This dental place (a chain) is supposed to be okay and fairly cheap. But this "sign right now or lose 10% discount" sounds wrong to me.

I convince her to look for a second opinion, and we head out towards home. Past home, into another dental chain place, but their doctor is in only on Mondays. To a private dental office right across the street from our apartment, but the doctor is busy, we get an appointment for tomorrow at 12:30. Home by 8:15. Out at 10:45 with Dora. To the cab rank, and took a taxi to Bodega Tradicion to see an art gallery. Trouble getting in; they didn't answer the doorbell for a while. Finally got in, and found at least two tour groups inside. Waited a little, then we were ushered into the art gallery, the only part we want to see. Nice 16th-century religious art and some later Spanish civil art. About 30-40 paintings total. Pics. Enjoyed it. Paid €10 for the two of us.

Out, and now we don't know how to catch a taxi; Dora forgot her phone, and I don't have the taxi number in mine. We head toward the center, but don't see a taxi stand anywhere. Come out near Deutschebank, and by then we're halfway home, so we keep walking. Hot, but we stick to the shady side of the street.

Home before 12:30, quick stop, then Dora's out to go to the dentist office across the street for a 12:30 appointment.

Dora home before 2, and this dentist agrees with the chain-store dentist. Dora is in for a lot of dental work (cleaning and implants).

I'm headachey; took a Neobrufen.

In early evening, trying to get Dora to go with me to chain-dentist to see if their discount offer still is available. She's tired and and hot and depressed and won't go. But I get her to call, and they say we can come in on Monday and still get it.

At 8:30, I'm out to Mercadona for groceries.

Puzzling through Spanish taxes some more, headache, take my blood pressure and find it's a bit high. Take a sumatriptan. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. I loafed, went for a walk in late afternoon. Worked on my Spanish income tax and found a way to make it come out acceptably. Headache; took a Neobrufen. Out for a walk in late evening. Headache after going to bed; took a sumatriptan. Dora home at 9.

Got to bus station 5 minutes early for the 1 PM bus, so of course it was 45 minutes late. Found out why: some serious mechanical problem, bus doesn't accelerate well, doesn't go over about 40 MPH. Slow trip to Sanlucar. Hot walk to sister's house, stopping on the way to buy some desserts.

Had some dinner, loafed with the family, watched TV, etc. A pleasant time.

In the car to the bus station, arrived 5 minutes early, and almost immediately the bus arrives (not the same one as the earlier trip). To Jerez, hot walk to apartment, home after 7.

Online, filed my Spanish income tax return. I owe them €0.53 (!), which will be taken out of my account on June 30 or so. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. I did laundry, loafed all through the heat of the day, felt a little headachey. Started doing my Spanish wealth tax return. Out at 8:30 and to a bar near the train station, and watched the first half of the Spain-Macedonia World Cup qualifying game. Still very warm out when I came home around 9:40. Out for a walk at midnight; very warm but some breeze. There have been heat-advisories over much of Spain for the last few days. Headache; took a Dolocatil. Dora home at 8:45. I have a long list of errands we have to do today, but she up-ends it by declaring we need to go to Sanlucar to go to the notary. I'm too headachey to go, but she's off at 9:45.

At 1, I'm still headachey; took a sumatriptan. Dora coming back on bus, and she's accomplished about 5 errands.

Out with Dora at 4:45, into the hottest part of the day. Down to the taxi rank, and of course there's no taxi. We watch as several go by, then call and one comes promptly. To the niece's school in the NW end of town.

Get there, meet Dora's mother, find out the music recital doesn't start until 5:30. Eventually we all go into the library, which is nicer than I expect, not full. And the music program chugs right along, no wasted time, each student playing one piece, most on piano, a few on guitar. Dora's niece is about 8th in the first half of the program. She plays passably.

We're out and into Dora's sister's car. We're going to head to an ice-cream place, start a roundabout trip around the outside of town, I'm lost. Then the niece wants Burger King instead. Then it turns out the driver has to get back to Sanlucar soon. So they drop us off near our house and they're off back to Sanlucar. We hit a fruit shop and home before 7.

Quick stop, and then we're out again. Walk to the center for Dora's 7:15 appointment at dental center to sign papers. She's in there for an hour, so I figure they must be doing a treatment too. But she comes out and says the amount of the papers was off by €5 (on a total of about €2800), they insist on re-doing them, they want her to come back in a few days to sign. Crazy !

We check the "Ilusionismo" installation in Plaza Arenal, but it's broken today. To a nearby cafe for ice cream and coffee. Then the dentist office calls and says come back, Dora can sign the papers now. So we go back there, she's in for 15 minutes or so, then done.

We stroll and go into several clothing shops, to the locutorio to buy calling-cards for Peru, and then home after 9:30. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift at a clinic in Jerez.

I catch the 11 AM bus to Sanlucar, going to help Dora's mother mail a bundle of legal documents to Peru ? Not clear on why I'm doing this. I arrive, find Dora's mother near the cafe where she said she'd be. Give her a couple of items from Dora, as we're walking to the Post Office.

In the Post Office, all is confusing. I get a number, we're trying to find out what kind of envelope to buy, a sign over the big envelopes say sending outside EU will cost €55;, and it turns out I have €60 and small change in my pocket. I can't get them to give me the form to fill in; they think I'm asking for a pen or something. We talk to Dora, first on her mother's phone, then on my phone, I can't hear half of what she's saying. I can't understand anything Dora's mother is saying.

Our turn gets close, and then suddenly Dora's mother is leaving ! I need her to handle the language. But she forgot her glasses. I start to follow her, and she tells me to stay here, I have to do this. She's gone.

A minute later, my number is called, I go up to the counter, get the form and envelope I need. Move aside for a while, write all the addresses and stuff, which are not simple. Back to counter, price turns out to be around €13, not the €55 on the sign. Certified, need a factura, ask if it will be there in 5 days or 8 days or what, we tried to ask that before. Can't understand, keep getting yes, yes, finally it's done, I'm out.

Try to call Dora, and I think my phone is saying the SIM is empty, add money. Give up, go to bus station. Eventually Dora calls, where am I, her mother is back at the Post Office. We agree that probably I sent the envelope normal-mail instead of air-mail or whatever. Which is bad, because this whole deal was somewhat urgent. I feel bad. [It took about 2.5 weeks to arrive in Peru, not too bad.]

Onto the bus at 1, home by 1:50.

Omelet for dinner. To Mercadona for groceries. Later to the locutorio to recharge a couple of phone SIMs. Online, finished and filed my Spanish wealth tax return. Out for a walk at 10:30 or so; nicely cool out tonight. Dora home after 8. We slept for a while, dinner, loafed, napped.

I went out after 8. To Plaza Arenal, and into "Ilusionismo", a free science-museum type thing they've installed there. Fairly nice, lots of optical illusions and science-stuff and some history of cinema. Crowded at this hour, lots of families.

To Mercadona for groceries, then home. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift at a clinic in Jerez. I loafed all day.

Dora called to say her niece was the only one in her class to earn a certificate in English this year. Still have to confirm that, but great !

Out in evening for a walk, and to "Ilusionismo" again. Dora home at 8:30.

Headachey. Took a Dolocatil.

Out with Dora before 11. To INEM, where they agreed with her and not me: her employment contract that doesn't specify pay rate is legal, and making her work 24-hour shifts is legal. To Centro Salud, where they say I have to wait 3 months since starting on the NHS, before I can change centers. But somehow they calculate the end of 3 months to be June 24, a week from now. That's 1 month since I got onto the NHS. Home.

Out after 8 with Dora. To the "Ilusionismo" in Plaza Arenal, then walked, bought a blouse in a clothing store, had drinks and a sandwich at a cafe. Warm, humid evening. Dora out to work TWO 24-hour shifts back-to-back. I'm a little headachey; took a Neobrufen.

I'm out into the heat at 12:45. Caught the 1300 bus to Sanlucar, and it's the white one that was having major problems. They've fixed it a bit, but first gear still is bad. To Sanlucar, and hot walk to sister's house. Everyone is home, and staying in front of the air-conditioner and fan. I give plane boarding-passes to Dora's mother, my main reason for coming today.

Not much else for me to do here; the niece is flighty and her school-year is finished, the attempt to take the father to the hearing-aid place this morning failed because it was closed. We had lunch, watched some TV, chatted a little, then I walked to the station and caught the 1610 bus back to Jerez. To Mercadona for groceries and home by 5:20. Hot.

Headachey in late evening; took a Neobrufen. Stayed in all day; looks hot out there.

Out for a walk around 8:30 in the evening. Lots of people out. Looks like there has been some parading in the center; they've put down some of those colored-stone pathways, and there are some religious platforms and displays sitting around, one with "second prize" tagged on it.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Breezy; maybe the heat-wave is starting to break. Dora home before 8:30, and she was able to get some decent sleep last night, she's in good shape. But we still crash for a long nap, and once Dora is down, she sleeps and sleeps.

Dora in a cleaning-frenzy in later afternoon.

I went out to ATM (broken) and Mercadona after 8. Hot, and Dora says it's supposed to be hotter tomorrow.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Didn't sleep much at all, all night. Out at 8:45, hit an ATM, and then caught the 9 AM bus to Sanlucar. Hot walk to the sister's house. She has patients, so we had to wait until they left. Then I went out with Dora's parents, to a hearing-aid place near the center of town.

Where it's SNAFU. I've been telling them for months that her father needed hearing-aids, and they've left it until 2 days before her parents fly away to the north for the summer. I'm carrying cash to pay the first €500, but we have to sign up for an installment plan to pay the rest, even though I intend to pay it off in a lump-sum a few weeks from now.

But as I'm waiting in the lobby while Dora's mother and the office agent do the details, I hear a bad word, "hipoteca" (mortgage). And they're getting Dora's Barcelona info; why do they need that ? Turns out that when they say "pay in easy installments", really they mean "we'll call your bank and try to take out a loan in your name, so we get our money right away". And the numbers they told Dora that amount to a low interest rate are bogus; the bank will set the interest rate itself.

Dora's credit rating is in the pits, so neither of her banks that they call will do the loan. No hearing-aids today, and there's no way to get money over from USA by tomorrow. What do we do ? I'm calling Dora every 5 minutes, saying things to her, handing phone to her mother or the agent, getting it back, more talking with Dora. Finally they decide: pay the 500 today, pay remainder in a week or so, hearing-aids will be mailed to the north in 3 weeks or so, father will have to go to an office in Bilbao for a fitting. A hassle for them.

Out, and home after 12. Wait a while for lunch, watching TV and chatting with the niece. My phone SIM has run out; need to recharge it; glad it did't run out at the hearing-aid place. Finally eat, and soon I'm off to catch the 2:10 bus. Which is in a hurry for some reason; the driver blows through a red light early on, and drives pedal-to-the-metal all the way. But we hit some heavy traffic getting out of Sanlucar.

Home after 3, tired and hot. Shower. Go online, and start the transfer of hearing-aid money from my USA account to Dora's Spanish account.

Headache; took a sumatriptan. Napped.

Felt okay in the evening. Took melatonin before bed. Slept pretty well. At 8:30, suddenly Dora is up and saying we should catch the 9 AM bus to Sanlucar, we can do the hearing-aid thing today. I say that it's pointless, the money probably won't arrive in her bank account today. But I go online while she showers, and the money has arrived ! But I'm not going on that bus; I'll go later.

She doesn't want to go without me, and she's probably going to be late for the bus anyway. So she goes to the bank, and we'll take the 10 AM bus together.

She's back at 9:15, the money has not appeared in her account. We're out at 9:45, onto the 10 AM bus. Into center of Sanlucar, go to ATM, money still is not in her account. Have breakfast at a cafe. Back to ATM, money still not there. To hearing-aid place. To a shop to recharge the SIM in my phone. Then to sister's house.

We chat with the family, parents go out shopping for a while, they're back, we have lunch, watch TV. I find out that the hearing-aid place has agreed to provide the hearing-aids tonight, if they arrive from another place today, which they probably won't. So the money is not an obstacle any more, supposedly.

Parents take niece out to join her mother at the hospital, but bring her right back, the mother was busy. I thought we're staying through 8 tonight to see if the hearing-aids come through, but suddenly before 4 Dora says let's catch the 4:10 bus home. So we do that.

Walking home at 5, we stop at an ATM and find the money finally has arrived in Dora's account. Took almost exactly 24 hours from USA, not bad. Home by 5:10, hot.

Out after 7, to Hiper Number One for printer paper. Then out again to Mercadona for groceries. Loafed all day. Dora out to dentist at 11, and on a liquid diet in the afternoon.

Out in mid-evening for a walk with Dora. To the Ilusionismo for a little while, into several clothing-shops, home. Dora out to work TWO 24-hour shifts back-to-back, although she might be home briefly between them, since one is at the ambulance service and the other is at the clinic.

Defrosted the freezer, a big job involving lots of time and lots of mopping.

Out in early evening to bus station and then into center for a while. Later out to Mercadona for groceries. Loafed all day. Out in the evening for a walk in the center. Hot, humid, fairly grey and very windy. Dora home at 9. She's tired, slept all morning, woke up feeling more tired.

Out in mid-evening for Dora. Walked into the center, sat, wandered around. Eventually to a bar we haven't tried before. Nice big Guinness sign etched into the woodwork, but they don't have Guinness. I had a Paulaner, Dora had a mojito. A rare time of Dora drinking alcohol, and it was fun. Home before 10:30. Out with Dora at 8:50. To train station, onto 0905 train, to Puerto Real. Out of train station, to cafe for refreshments, then taxi to university hospital. Dora in to Administration, while I checked out the bus stops and schedules (totally useless), then waited for her. She's out after 11, taxi to train station, next train is at 1150. So back to cafe for a soda, then onto train, home by 12:20.

Around 12:45, I went out to the local health center. Wanted to change my registration to here, but there was confusion about whether I have to wait another 2 months before I can do that. Finally the boss in the back room approved the change, and it's done.

Dora gave notice to her ambulance job in El Puerto, going to a new hospital job in Puerto Real. The boss of the old job is not happy. But new job is almost twice the pay, better conditions, no 48-hour shifts.

Dora out at 3:45 to a medical class, 4-9. I'm out to Mercadona for groceries.

I went out for a walk in the center around 7. Dora home at 8:30. Loafed much of the day. Dora out at 4:15 to class. I went to Mercadona for groceries. Out again in the evening for a walk. Dora home at 8:45. Weather has turned cooler; nice. Out in midafternoon for a walk in the center, and to Mercadona for groceries. Dora out at 4:15 to class, back before 8. I'm headachey; took a sumatriptan.

After 11, lots of fire-trucks and police going past. There's a building fire maybe 6 blocks down Calle Medina from us, maybe across from Correos. I saw orange glow on the top floor for a few seconds, then just lots of smoke.

Took a melatonin before bed. Dora out all morning to take papers to hospital for new job.

Online, made appointments for Dora and I to see the NHS doctor next week. His time is assigned in 6-minute slots, as was Dora's time when she was doing this kind of job in Barcelona.

Out with Dora in early evening. To the center, strolled, clothing-shopped. Then into Carrefour for groceries. Home by 7.

Bummer: exchange rate has jumped to $1.14/€. Dora out to work two 24-hour shifts back-to-back at the ambulance service in El Puerto.

I went out to BBVA ATM for cash, then to Bankia to straighten out an internet-only account I'm trying to open. It's been stuck at the same error on a web page for 4 days now. Account-manager lady typed a lot, seemed to fix everything, I signed several times for contracts etc, gave ID, deposited €100. I left thinking everything was good, but at home I see that she created a new account number. Logged in online, no longer have the error, but it looks like I'm still in the old account. Signed contracts online, now it says "wait a while so we can verify your identity".

Went for a couple of walks in the center, in early evening and late evening. Lovely weather. Surprise, Dora home at 9 ! Her schedule was changed, no double-shift.

Out at 2 with Dora, into the center, and tried a cafe we haven't been to before. Nice lunch.

Out with Dora around 8. Half a block away, and a strap pulled out on her shoe. To a couple of Chinese shops for various things, then Mercadona for groceries. Back home, and glued the shoe. Loafed all day. I went out in late evening for a walk in the center. Dora out to work 8-3 at hospital in Puerto Real. I loafed. Out for a walk (hot) in the center, and to Mercadona for groceries. Home at 3:45, Dora home about 5 minutes later.

Headachey; took a dolacatil.

Out with Dora in mid-evening, to stores and an ATM in center. Nice breezey weather, lots of people out. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift at the hospital in Puerto Real.

Out before noon. To bank to try to straighten out creation of my account. Got a senior guy who seemed to know what he was doing, but even he sweated and puffed as he worked on it. Had me sign out a US tax form, which I figured had to be done at some point. At the end, he said "give me 2 days to get this all working", which is fine.

To bus station, and bought an overnight bus ticket to Madrid for my trip to USA. €27 for an 8-hour trip on what should be a nice bus and straight to the airport; not bad. The train schedule and train station location/connections are much less convenient, and more expensive, but the train would be faster.

Scanning lots of old pictures for Dora: Peru, Japan, Italy.

Out for a walk in mid-evening. Dora home at 8:45, tired. Her shift was busy all night, she only slept from 5 to 7 or so.

Out with Dora at 10:15. To center, and I waited while she met with her lawyer. Then back past the apartment and to a print shop to ask about ordering a signature-stamp. Then a block over to the medical center.

Met with our new family doctor. I handed him three pages of my medical history and requests, translated into Spanish. He and Dora exchanged rapid-fire Spanish, most off which I didn't understand. Eventually out, and downstairs to make appointments for blood tests. Home by 12:15.

Dinner, then Dora napped for several hours.

Out to Mercadona for groceries.

Out with Dora after 10 for a late-evening walk in the center. Grey and rainy. First rain we've had in a long time. Dora out to work 8-3 at the Puerto Real hospital.

Out for a walk in early afternoon. Day turned sunny a little later. Dora home before 4.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan.

Out with Dora at 5:30 to key shop and print shop. Then Dora out at 6:45 to go to Sanlucar to chat with her sister, and she wanted me to tag along but I said no.

Out at 9:30 to bus station, to meet Dora. Hauled a couple heavy bags of fruit home. Not surprised to hear that her sister was busy, Dora only had about 10 minutes to chat with her. Out with Dora after 11, and caught train to Puerto Real. She caught a taxi to the hospital to work 12-10, I walked into town to see it. Down to the waterfront and there was a big mercadillo (clothing market) going on. Not much of a beach here. Found Tourist Info and got maps. Some nice pedestrian streets and plazas. Wandered, loafed. Eventually back to train station and onto train. Hit an ATM near home, and bummed to find out my usual bank now has a 1% fee on my cash withdrawals [but later found, it gets reimbursed by my USA bank]. Home by 2:45.

Out for a walk around 9; lots of people out, lovely weather.

Dora home after 11. Dora out before 9 to work two 24-hour shifts back to back, one at the clinic and then one at the hospital. I loafed all day.

Out in mid-evening for a walk in the center, then Mercadona.

Out again at 10 or so, for a walk in the center. A concert going on in the Alcazar, and some kind of flea-market closing down outside it. Out for a long walk in late afternoon; hot.

Out for a walk at 10:30. Dora home at 8:15, very tired, she got only about 1.5 hours of sleep last night.

Out with Dora at 9. To local Centro de Salud, to turn in urine samples and have blood taken for tests. I had no problem, but the nurses had to try three times before getting a suitable stick on Dora, she has small veins. Afterward, Dora realized I'd eaten breakfast this morning, which we weren't supposed to do. I'd read the instructions looking specifically for that, and they said nothing about fasting. I joked to Dora that they'll diagnose me as diabetic, and her as dead.

Across the street into the bank to try to get my new account going. Turned into 45 minutes of sitting and signing things, as the guy opened a third account number, but at the end he said everything is working now.

Out and to a cafe for coffees and a little breakfast for Dora. Then to print shop to see if the stamp is ready. Home by 11:15. Online, my bank account is working.

Nap, dinner. Online, trying to book tickets for Dora and I to go to Peru for the whole month of October.

Out with Dora to Mercadona for groceries.

Out with Dora at 11 for a walk in the center. Dora out to work 8-3, forgetting to take her phone with her.

I got the Peru tickets paid for and confirmed, and somehow the total price went down €70 in the process. About €1650 (about $1890) roundtrip for the two of us Madrid-Lima in October.

Out for a walk in midafternoon; hot.

Dora home at 4:15. Dinner. Out with her before 7, to go to bank and several shops within 2 blocks of our building. Hot.

Online, ordered something from EBay.es, but accidentally chose wrong address. Cancel, have to wait for vendor to respond, argh ! Loafed, dinner, out to Mercadona in late afternoon (hot).

Out with Dora at 7:30. Hot. To Correos to send a box, only to find they've changed to summer hours, now they close at 14:30. Into center, to a cafe, had sodas and a montadito. Heading home, into a shoe shop, bought a pair of shoes for Dora.

Didn't sleep well at all. Dora out to work 8-3.

I went out at noon. Hot. To Correos and sent package. To center and sat for a little while. Hot. To Carrefour for some groceries.

Dora home around 4. Air-conditioning, and dinner.

Hot evening; stayed in. Melatonin before bed. But Dora tells me I've been taking it the wrong way: you're supposed to get into bed, into the dark and quiet, and then take the pill. Dora out to work two 24-hour shifts back-to-back, at the hospital in Puerto Real and then the hospital-clinic in Jerez.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan.

Loafed all day. Out for a late-night walk. Headachey; took a sumatriptan.

Out at 8:30, to train station to meet Dora in transit. Gave her some stuff, she gave me dirty clothes and the melon I cut up for her yesterday morning, now spoiled from sitting unrefrigerated for 24 hours. She didn't even have time to drink her coffee, just grabbed it and off to a taxi. Weather getting hot already; it's supposed to be very hot this weekend, I think.

Loafed all day, to Mercadona in midafternoon, late-night walk in center. Headachey; took a Dolacatil. Dora home at 9:10, and very tired. Crashed into bed. I'm still headachey; took a sumatripan. Dinner, loafed.

Finding out more about Dora's house in Lima Peru, and like the rest of her financial affairs, it's a disaster. Title unregistered and requires a $3000+ payment to settle. Three-way ownership with her two sisters, neither of which has the money to pay their share of anything. Top floor, owned by one sister, is virtually non-existent, just stubs of a few outside walls. And also Dora has a small personal loan outstanding with a cooperative in Peru that she forgot to tell me about. Dora hopes to rent or sell just her floor of the house, but is unwilling to consult with a real-estate agent until the title is settled. I want her to get estimates for fixup and rental or sale before paying the title registration, but she won't. SNAFU.

Out with Dora for a late-night walk in the center. Lots of people out. Warm but comfortable. Home at midnight. Dora out to work 12-10.

Correos delivered pulse-oximeter I bought for Dora. I went out in midafternoon. To bank and my new ATM card works. To Mercadona for groceries. Home, and Dora's home, someone wanted to change shifts with her, so she did.

Out with Dora for a late-night walk; still and humid and warm out. Home a little after midnight. Out with Dora before noon. To ATM at on bank, then to another bank. Where I waited for half an hour as she did various stuff about the old mortgage on her apartment in Barcelona. Finally I got bored and went to Mercadona for groceries. Good thing I went home, because later Dora called me from Correos and needed an account number out of the papers at home.

Out with Dora for a late-night walk; breeze and humid and nice out. Home a little after midnight. Cool, grey morning. Nice. But starting Saturday, we're going to have heat.

Dora out to bank before noon, and SNAFU. Lots of bogus charges on her credit card going back to late March, and she didn't know. Can't log in on the internet; I've been nagging her to get login info for a week now, and it would really come in handy right now. I'm out with her soon, and thought we were going to police station, but we go back to the bank to get a full list of charges. A couple of them may be legit charges from her son; we're not sure. Bank is a zoo, as usual. We get a list, go back home. Still don't have the internet login info.

Dinner, rest.

Dora calls bank, gets internet access working. We look at charges, and more of them are coming back to her son. I get her onto text-chat with Skype support to figure out those charges. And finally we find out what's going on: somehow her son's debit card has been charging to her credit card, and he's been spending some money he shouldn't have (and some that was okay).

Out before 7, to center. Dora to dentist, and I wandered and sat for a while. We're both home around 8:30.

Figured out the last of the charges on the credit card; more stuff Dora's son bought. So all of the charges are legit; no one has stolen Dora's number. Dora out to work 8-3. I loafed, out for a walk, to Mercadona for groceries.

Dora home at 4. Dinner.

Out with Dora at 6:15, to local health center, for appointments at 6:30. Short wait, in, and it's a substitute doctor. He evaluates the results of our blood and urine tests, and says my results are perfect, better than Dora's and his. (But he's being generous; my cholesterol values are just about at the limits of normal.)

Out, and we have coffee (Dora) and ice cream (me) in a cafe next to the health center. Then a walk into the center, sit for a while, a little shopping, home by 9. Dora out to work 8-3. I loafed, walked, to Mercadona for groceries. Started cooking dinner at 4, but no Dora, and she doesn't answer my message on WhatsApp. Finally I ate at 5:45. Headachey; took a sumatriptan.

I called Dora at 8:15, she answered right away, her shift got changed so she has to work until 10.

Went out for a late evening walk. Actually fairly cool tonight; nice.

Dora home at 11:15. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, 9-9 at the hospital, followed by a 9-2 shift at the clinic. I loafed, did laundry, went for walks. Fairly sudden headache at 5 AM; took a sumatriptan.

Dora home at 9. She had a bit of stomachache from a sandwich during her shift last night. Changed her shift today to be 3-N instead of 9-3. But then I find her shift today is going to go overnight: 3 until 9 tomorrow morning.

Sleep. Then up, and fed Dora, and she's out to work 2 today to 9 tomorrow. I ate, went for a walk, headachey, took acetaminophen, went for a late-night walk. Headache; took a sumatriptan.

Dora home at 8. Then we're out together at 9. To train station, and caught train to Sevilla with about 1 minute to spare, because of line at ticket-counter.

To Sevilla by 10:15, taxi to Peruvian consulate by 10:30. Dora out with new passport and DNI by 11:05.

Walked up through the university, to the Alcazar, and decided to go next door to the cathedral. Admission €9 each, pretty steep. Huge place, lots of art, much of it behind bars. Interesting, but not the nicest cathedral I've seen. Up, up, up a tower to get nice views over the city. Down, down, down again. Pics.

Out and looked at some shops, then found a cafe for lunch. Pics. Water spraying down from the edges of the umbrellas to cool everyone off. What's the point of a "menu del dia" sign if half the things on it aren't available today ?

After lunch, tried to cut across to a different train station than the one where we arrived, but everyone says it is far away. We emerge to a big plaza, and I realize I've been reading the map wrong. Head for taxi, and we get in, and then I realize I've been reading the map REALLY wrong, the place I was heading is a bus station, not a train station. Take the taxi to our original station.

Dash in and buy tickets with 5 minutes to spare, but then the ticket-gate won't let us in. Turns out the train in 5 minutes is full, and we just bought tickets for the next train, an hour from now. So into the cafe to kill an hour. Pic.

Onto train, doze, off at Jerez, home after 5.

At 8, out to Mercadona for groceries. Dora out to work 8-3. Forgot her phone.

Out at noon. Hot. To ATM, then walk in the center. Hot.

Dora home after 4. Dinner. Loafed. Out to Mercadona at 8:30.

Took melatonin at bedtime. Dora out to work 8-3. I loafed, went for a walk in the center.

Dora home at 4. Dinner, then we're off to catch the 5 PM bus to Sanlucar. Got to her sister's place, and as I predicted, her sister is busy with patients. We napped upstairs for a while, then came down when the patients were gone. Chatted with her sister, and I took lots of pictures of a new English book for the niece to study.

We all were about to go to the center, when suddenly a new batch of patients showed up unexpectedly, and Dora and I relocated to the kitchen. The table was loaded with stuff and balanced on one edge, so when I put down 2 kilos of rice, the whole thing started flipping over, and we barely averted disaster.

Looked around the kitchen, and found various food spoiling (sister is here by herself, her parents and daughter have relocated to the north for the summer). I found lots of ice and water at the bottom of the refrigerator, and a sheet of ice at the top of the freezer, and cleaned all that out. Threw out bad food and various garbage. Watered the mother's plants that badly needed it.

Patients left, and soon we were piling into a taxi. Dropped the sister in the center to do an errand, then Dora and me at bus station 25 minutes early. No problem, nice evening, lots of people out.

Bus on time at 9:10, made a lot of stops in Jerez, home by 10:10. Dora out to work 8-3.

I'm heading out at 11:15 when the building power goes out. Down 6 stories on the stairs; hope it's back on when I come back, carrying groceries. To the health center and get a cita for Dora. Walk and sit in the center. Hot. To Mercadona for groceries. Home, and the power is back on.

Start to cook my dinner, but at 12:55 the semi-main circuit-breaker flips, and something is seriously wrong, I can't get it to come back on. I turn off everything, unplug things, play with the fuse-box. I can get several breakers back on, but not the final one, that causes the semi-main to flip. Try for a while, no go. Eventually call Dora, but she's busy. She calls me back later, electricity still out, she'll send a message to the owners.

I keep trying the breakers every now and then. Dora says the owners will come at 5:30. Just before she gets home at 4, I find a combination of breakers that will let us have lights and TV and such. But the refrigerator and stove still are dead, and any time I flip a final breaker, the semi-main flips and I have to start all over again.

Dora home at 3:45, and we're out after 4, into center for a dental appointment for her. Hot. Back home by 5.

Owners show up around 6:30. We unplug everything from sockets, no go. Finally he slides out the clotheswasher and unplugs the refrigerator, and now everything else works. It appears the refrigerator has died, shorted. And apparently this is the second time this has happened; the motor was killed previously by electrical work, and replaced.

So, spent the evening trying to salvage what we could from the freezer and refrigerator. Ate a lot of melting ice cream; pleasant. Cooked up lots of chicken and pork from the freezer.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Dora out to work a 24-hour shift, about 9-9. Took a big container of fried chicken with her. I joked to her that I'll be having pork for breakfast, sausage for lunch, and pork for dinner today.

Refrigerator guy came around 1:15, worked for about 20 minutes, left, refrigerator still dead. He got some life out of the controls, maybe by disconnecting the motor.

Ate lots of food, took a couple of walks. Dora home after 8.

Sounds like it could be a week before we have a new refrigerator ? The owners want the electric company to come and determine if the damage was due to the building electrical work.

Out at 1245 to catch 1300 bus to Sanlucar, taking some refrigeratable items with us. Walked to sister's house. Hot.

I get bored listening Dora and her sister talk in high-volume high-speed Spanish. Problems at sister's work, and the sister needs to vent. Then trying to see if Dora and I will go to Bilbao area for a short visit in August, trying to see if some or all of us will go to Port Aventura or Benicassim. I want to teach English to the niece over the phone, but the textbook hasn't been sent to her, the files I emailed haven't been printed, and the sister wants me to teach the sister who will then teach the niece; madness.

But the major thing to talk about is the sister's financial troubles, which I later find out are more dire than we knew, she's missed a bunch of court notices and is about to have various judgements taken against her. Well, at least that will resolve part of the situation; she's been unwilling to give up anything, insists on keeping two apartments she owns (as well as the one she rents, here) and keeping her daughter in a very expensive school. Now a court will decide about the apartments. But she'll still have crushing mortgage debt, zero savings, big payments on medical equipment, expensive school payments, and a daughter who will need to start university in about 7 years.

I go for a nice but hot walk on the malecon, and down to the water to dip my toes in.

There's talk of staying to go to a movie, but I don't want to. Had been talk of going to a concert at 10 and staying overnight, but it's too expensive, and then Dora gets a call that she's needed to work a 24-hour shift starting early tomorrow morning.

Catch the 6:15 bus back to Jerez, home by 7:10. Hot.

Dora crashes into bed around 9. I go out for a walk in the center around 10:30. Dora out to work, I think a 24-hour shift 9-9, and then she's not sure if she'll work 9-3 tomorrow.

Loafed all day. Tried to call the north to teach English to the niece, but the phone number doesn't work. Out for a walk in early evening. Got the phone number corrected, but no answer. Out for a walk at midnight. Dora home at 8.

After noon, Dora wanted to go out to buy a pair of shoes at the corner shop. I said no, and instead brought out every pair of her shoes, slippers, boots etc that I could find in the apartment, and spread them out on the living-room floor: pic. I counted 63.5 pairs, although I might be off by maybe 2 in either direction. She's wearing a pair of flip-flops now, so add 1.

Still no progress with teaching English to the niece. She's been sick, they're not sure if she has a copy of the book, they're busy doing other things this afternoon.

Dinner. Out to Mercadona for groceries. Later got Dora to designate about 3 pairs of shoes to go to the donation bin, and another 6 or 8 pairs to go to her relatives in Peru when we go there.

Finally got connected to the niece in the north, and did 2 pages of her English book. 30+ minutes on the phone, I think.

Out for a walk in the center; lovely slightly-cool evening. Dora out to work 8-3.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Out for a quick walk in the center, keeping an eye on my phone; refrigerator guy is supposed to come sometime today. Taught English to the niece over the phone for 20 minutes. Out to Mercadona for groceries.

Dora home after 4. Dinner. Then half an hour on the phone teaching English to a reluctant niece.

So, no refrigerator repairman today. Now the owners say they're going to buy a new refrigerator tomorrow.

Out with Dora after 9. Wandered in the center, sat at a cafe and had coffees and pastries. They closed, so we sat on a bench for a while. Lovely weather, lots of people out. Then around the Alcazar, and back into Plaza Arenal, and to a cafe for bathroom, beer and coffee. Home by 11:20. Dora out to work 8-3.

Out to local heatlh center to get a particular form, but they don't have it. To a liquor store to buy a bottle to take to USA.

Called the niece at 1 and taught her some English, but the 3-year-old twins kept charging into the room and she kept putting them on the phone and trying to get them to say "hello, uncle Bill" to me.

Called the niece again at 3 and did some more English, but she was very reluctant, got through only one page of her book instead of the usual 2.

Out to Mercadona for groceries. Home just before Dora. Dinner.

Trip to USA:
To Mercadona for groceries.

Took a melatonin and to bed at 10:30. Slept well. Woke at 7 feeling headachey; took a sumatriptan. Dora home at 8:30 or so.

Out with Dora after 11. To main post office, then to a cafe for coffees and toast.

Dinner, nap, loafed.

Out to Mercadona at 8:45 with Dora, which is much more stressful than just going by myself. Brought back a ton of stuff.

Took a melatonin and to bed. Slept not so well. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8, followed by a normal shift, 8-3. I told Dora if we won the Powerball lottery last night, she didn't have to go to work today. But we didn't win. No one did.

Loafed. Did one short page of English with the niece. Spaghetti for dinner.

Out in midevening. To ATM. Bought Peru calling card for Dora. Walked in the center.

Online, bought plane and bus tickets for Dora's son to go back to medical school in Slovakia.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Out for walk just before midnight.

Took a melatonin and to bed. Didn't sleep well for a while. Up at the crack of 10, to find Dora is home ! Schedule changed or something.

Out with Dora around 11:30, into center. To main govt office, to ask about solteria certificate. She's told we have to get a cita for the pareja de hecho, it might be hard to get an appointment. So we wait for almost half an hour, go in, and are told no cita needed, just come any time you have the documents.

Out, bathroom stop, and to a bank. Lines incredibly slow, took almost half an hour there.

Into a taxi, to Juzgados (Jusitica) building to get solteria certificate. But they closed at 1. Into HiperAsia market, bought a little stuff, looked around. Out and tried to find a bus, but none of them here go where we want. Called a taxi and home by 2, hot and tired.

Almost finished cooking dinner at 2:30, and the niece calls, wondering why I didn't call at 1. So I called her back and we did a page of English.

Laundry, dinner, crashed for a long nap.

Headachey in late evening; took a sumatriptan. A little concerned that this is becoming necessary most days. Maybe I still have some jet-lag, maybe it's the heat, don't know.

Took a melatonin and a muscle-relaxer and to bed. Took a while to get to sleep. Dora off to work 8-3.

Gave myself a haircut.

Out to the bank after 11, to deal with three problems with my account. Had to wait a while, and the lady didn't speak any English, but I think she took care of the problems. Back home, logged in, looks like she did two out of three, and one of the two has a detail wrong that I'd like to fix. I'll try that tomorrow.

Online, sent scans and payment to a translation service, to translate my birth certificate and no-marriage documents from NJ. Total cost €66.37.

Out after 2. Hot. Tried to scope out restaurants for tonight, but the one that is open has no sign about hours. To big store to look for envelopes, but came away empty.

Dora home at 4 or so. Salad for dinner. Loafed.

Out at 9:30 or so with Dora, to a semi-fancy restaurant about 2 blocks away, Restaurante Meson Alcazaba. Nice meal, good soup and nice meats and wine, nice conversation, pleasant waiter. Pics. Dora off to medical tests at 9 and then work 10-10.

Loafed all day. Called the niece at 1, but they're out. Got busy with messages for Dora about buses and such, forgot to call the niece back later. Spaghetti for dinner.

Out at 6:30, trundling an empty suitcase. To bus station. Tried to buy a ticket for Dora to go to Bilbao and back, but the return schedule isn't what the web site said, so I didn't buy the tickets.

Onto the 7 PM bus to Sanlucar. Got there, to sister's house, called caretaker guy, he showed up and gave me the keys. Hauled a baby-car and an electronic keyboard up from the basement and out into the front yard. Tried to find notepads and coloring books and other kids-books I was asked to fetch, but only found a handfful of them. And then realized I can only bring back 2 out 3 items anyway, since I'll have to carry them from bus station to apartment in Jerez. Left the suitcase with about half a dozen coloring books in it.

Caretaker guy showed up a bit late, hauled the stuff down the block to the car, to the bus station with about 5 minutes to spare. No storage compartment underneath on this bus, but no problem putting the stuff inside in the middle. To Jerez, and then a slow slog home lugging the heavy, bulky items. Home after 10:20, and now exchanging messages with Dora.

Out again at 10:45, to train station, Dora arrived at 11. She's tired, and I'm a bit tired too. Over to the bus station. This time I've brought a web page printout showing the bus coming back from Bilbao that Dora would want. At first, the lady again denies it exists, then it turns out it's not a direct bus, and she makes it sound like you're likely to get stranded in Cordoba and Dora would miss her work shift on the next day. Sounds bogus to me. We ask about other options, such as sending just the cargo (baby car and keyboard), but that's fairly expensive.

Dora spends a long time on the phone discussing it with one of her sisters, and finally decides not to go. Which is what I'd been advocating all along, and I'd been refusing to go myself. 2 days of travel in order to spend 2.5 days there, and half the people are going to be somewhere else anyway, and in 2 weeks some of those people will be back home down here anyway. And it turns out the person who would have to shuttle her between Bilbao and the town is working, so she might lose another half-day on each end. Dora really wants to see the 3-year-old twins, but it's not to be. We give up and get home by 11:50.

Shower, food, bed. Headachey; took a sumatriptan.

Out at 10:30 or so with Dora. Into a taxi, to Juzgados office to get her solteria certificate. She was out in 15 minutes or so, got a certificiate or it will come in the mail, I'm not sure. Into nearby shopping center, soon into a bakery for coffees and pastry.

And then Dora tells me that the Pareja de Hecho process we're in the middle of, that I thought we had all the instructions for, has a whole second procedure that has to be done at this office. I may need a second set of documents from USA. I can't believe it; I thought we had this under control. We've spent $350 for documents and translations, and now they may expire before we can get all the way through it. I'm upset.

I force Dora to go back into the office and ask for a copy of instructions, and ask about the fee. She comes out with the answer that's there's no fee, but had no chance to ask for instructions. Crap !

Taxi back home. Buy fruit at stand nearby. Home after 1.

Sure enough, translation service has sent email saying good news, we're mailing your translations today. Emailed them to ask for two sets of each. Had to pay another €24.

Didn't win last night's Powerball lottery.

Dinner, loaf. Then found a hotel near Gibraltar and made a reservation for Sunday night. €79 at Ohtels Campo De Gibraltar (actually in La Linea). One major drawing card is the pool; it's hot here today.

Out at 9:30 or so with Dora. Wandered to center, around Alcazar, up to upper plaza, then to an outdoor cafe we've never tried before. I ordered a sweet Vermouth, expecting a shotglass, and got a big drink with ice and cherry etc: pic, pic2. Dora had a red wine. We sat and talked for a long time, lots of people out tonight, very warm evening. Wobbled out and walked home, in by 11:30. Out at 10:45 or so with Dora. To her bank, and a long wait. I ducked out and went to the bus station to get some info, back to the bank, still waiting. Finally she got in and then through, and got a lot done.

To my bank, where they removed a charge from my account, then I tried to show them that their web page for creating transfers was broken. And of course it worked fine on their computer, so I felt like an idiot.

Into the center, to post office, mailed a letter to USA. Then Dora bought lingerie in a couple of shops, and took so long that I gave up waiting and went home. Dropped off stuff, back out to Mercadona for groceries, back home, and there's Dora just getting home. In by 2:15, hot and tired.

Dinner, nap, loaf. Glued shoes: Dora pulled a strap out of one of her shoes yesterday, and the tip is peeling off one of my (fairly old) shoes.

Dora out in the evening to have her hair done. Later I went out to ATM and then Mercadona. Hot, humid out.

Dora home, her hair very straight and nice. But another pair of shoes has broken; a strap pulled out, as usual.

Tried to arrange a BlaBlaCar for going to Gibraltar, but someone snagged the seats while I was messaging the driver. Out with Dora after noon. Hot. To a clothing-store, where prices were low but she made up for it with quantity. To a bazaar for a phone-charger, to central mercado for various foods, to a flower stand to buy a basil plant.

Dinner, TV, loaf, nap. Lining up what to see on our 2-day trip to Gibraltar, I see that Monday is a bank holiday there. Probably won't affect us much.

Dora out to work 7 PM to 2 AM at a motorcycle race in Medina-Sedona.

Out for a walk in the center after 9. Warm and absolutely still, no breeze. Lots of people out, as usual.

Dora home at 2:30. Raining at 7 AM.

Trip to Gibraltar:
Slightly rainy morning. Dora off to work a 24-hour shift, 8-8. Despite me asking her at the door, she forgets to take her phone, a minor disster (more so than usual: we're supposed to meet in Cadiz tomorrow at 0900, and now we have no way to coordinate).

I spend a couple of hours copying and sorting and labeling pictures from our trip, from three phones.

Put out laundry, loafed. Before 8, out for a walk in the center, then to Mercadona. Lovely cool weather. Out again for another walk at 11 or so. Up at 7. Out at 7:45, to train station, caught 0805 train to Cadiz. Hoped to see Dora getting on in Puerto Real, but she wasn't there. She was waiting in the station at Cadiz when I arrived at 0850; I should have taken the earlier train. Gave her phone to her, and we're out.

Two blocks, and into the Vaccination Center for International Travelers, for 0900 appointment. Soon talking to a doctor. Dora is spinning a tale about us planning to go to the jungle in Peru, so we can get Yellow Fever vaccinations; I expected that part. But she's also BSing about us going to India; I didn't expect that. Turns out she wanted us to get meningitis vaccinations too, but that's not happening.

Takes a while, but finally we're done with the doctor, and we have prescriptions for various vaccinations. For me, tetanus, Yellow Fever, typhoid, and malaria pills. Plus blood test to see if I need Hepatits B and measles vaccinations.

To the nurse's office, and I get my Yellow Fever vaccination. Dora gets Yellow Fever and Hepatitis A vaccinations. I'm amazed that she doesn't already have these, and doesn't have a vaccination "passport" recording her vaccinations. She worked in the Peruvian jungle, traveled to Gaza, other places, and she doesn't have these ? [Found out later, she has a vaccination passport, somewhere in her "filing system", but forgot to bring it, and wanted to kick me for mentioning it in front of the doctor.] My yellow vaccination records from USA are rejected; I get an international "passport" now.

We pay €19 for each vaccination, a bargain. Out at 1025, just late enough to miss the train.

Around the corner and into the ferry terminal, and have coffees and toast etc. Dora makes phone calls and checks messages.

Catch the 1125 train, to Jerez by 1215. Stop at locutorio, then I leave Dora at the butcher shop, and I'm home by 12:30.

Dora home after 12:45, and I'm out to Mercadona for groceries.

Nice dinner of ribs, rice, salad. Then crash for a big nap.

Out at 6:15 with Dora. To center, and I loafed while she was in a dentist appointment. She came out with braces on her upper teeth. Walked a bit, into several shops, eventually to a pastisseria near our apartment. Coffee for her, ice cream for me, and we lingered for a while. Home by 9:30. Dora out to work 8-3.

I went to local health center for 0900 appointment with doctor. He did my vaccination-related paperwork, but since I hadn't also made an appointment for Dora, he was unable to do Dora's paperwork. Went back home, got online, tried to make an appointment for her, and something is going wrong with the digital certificates. Eventually got a cita another way.

Went back at 1120, the doctor did paperwork for Dora, then I took both sets down to Administration and got citas to have our blood taken.

Received translated documents for PdH.

Headache; took a sumatriptan.

Dora home at 4, and she cooked a big pesto dinner.

Getting our documents together to do PdH. Dora thought she needed to wait for a document from Peru, but I think we're ready to go.

Out at 9 for a walk in the center; warm and humid. Dora out to work 8-3.

Called the niece and did two pages of English with her, but I think her English textbook got left behind when they came back from vacation.

Out at 2, to ATM and walk and then Mercadona.

Dora home after 4. Dinner.

Out with Dora in the evening. To ATM, to farmacia for a big load of stuff, back home to dump it, back out, to another farmacia for more stuff, then clothing store. Then into center to a cafe. Lots of people out tonight. Home by 9:30 or so.

Glued one of Dora's shoes.

Dora stayed up until 5 AM or so, typing some paper for an online congress, and maybe another paper for her sister ? Dora out to work two 24-hour shifts back-to-back.

Headachey, but didn't take anything.

Did one page of English with the niece, but she was reluctant and the phone line dropped several times.

Spaghetti for dinner.

Out at 8:45. To a bar for a beer and to watch 20 minutes of Spain vs Italy game. Walked, then home, and watched a little more of the game on TV.

Out before midnight, for a walk in the center and to sit around there for a while. Loafed. Couldn't get niece on the phone. Walked at 3; hot. Out again for a walk before 9, and again at 11 or so. Dora home after 8. We're out at 8:15. To local health center, to have blood taken. Lots of people waiting, but we have appointments, and Dora bulldozes through everything to make sure we're taken ahead of people with later times. No problem taking the blood. Then she jumps the line at administration to get citas for our vaccinations, something I was going to do another time, I didn't bring the papers.

Out, and walked to the center. Into the city hall government office, short wait, then we're in to do Pareja de Hecho (civil union, sort of). Lots of forms and handing over papers and signing and stamping stuff. Good news: we have everything needed. Bad news: the man is taking all of our originals, and we're going to need a second set of originals for the registro central. Charge here is only €2.50, but we've paid about $300 to get these original documents from USA and Barcelona, and we're going to have to get another complete set. Mayor has to sign our certificate here, so we'll receive that in about 2 months.

Out, and to a cafe for coffees and toast and ham.

Out, and to bank so Dora can send some money to the north, then a slow walk home with Dora talking nonstop on the phone. Home by 10:15.

Dora in a whirlwind of activity, paying rents on the computer, then typing a paper for a congress. I make a nice dinner and she doesn't have time to take a bite of it. Then she's mad at me for not helping her sort paperwork. She rushes out the door after 1:15, in a rush to make it to the train to work 2 to whenever. Insanity.

Out at 7 for a walk and sit in the center. Nice breeze.

To train station and met Dora as she arrived at 11. We walked into the center and found a bar, Cafe Canela, which turned out to be very nice. Gin-and-tonic for me, local red wine for Dora, and we relaxed and chatted. Home at 12:50. Dora out at 11 or so, to bank and gestor. She came home, then a little later we went out, her to a clothing store and central mercado, me to Mercadona for groceries.

Dinner, then we're out at 3:30. Hustled to heath center for a 3:40 appointment, but it's a mess there. The doctor is running behind because of an emergency, and some other people are trying to get in with supposedly urgent problems. We wait about 15 minutes, and plow in.

The doctor and Dora disagree about whether we need prescriptions to have vaccinations done, but he starts writing them for us. Eventually we're out, and to administration. Where Dora butts heads with the nurse who does vaccinations. Dora wants to get them today, administrator is willing, even though we have an appointment to do that tomorrow. But the nurse refuses. Then tells us they only have two doses of the tetanus vaccine, which they're saving for babies and pregnant women. Dora tells me later she's sure the nurse is lying. Nurse goes back in to the doctor a couple of times, we get nowhere, we're out of there.

To a nearby cafe to have coffees and let Dora calm down.

Out after 5, and to nearby farmacia. Dora goes through a long list of vaccines with the pharmacist, but they don't have 2/3 of them in stock. He agrees that the health center is supposed to do the tetanus vaccination for free, and says none of the pharmacies have the tetanus vaccine for that reason. Dora has a friend who specializes in vaccinations at the clinic where she works, and he has most vaccines (but not tetanus-only), so we could go there. About all the pharmacy has in stock is meningitis B and C vaccines, and neither is cheap. No hepatitis B, no measles, no tetanus, no shingles, no pneumococcus.

Finally out of there, and home before 6.

Dora's parents and niece are almost home, after flying back from the north on tickets I bought. I'm glad their trip went okay.

And now we're getting roped into fixing some of her sister's paperwork problems. She never bothered to update the padron when she moved, her parent's healthcare cards were never updated when they got citizenship, I'm sure they never updated their addresses, the parents need family doctor appointments that I should arrange and Dora will have to attend.

Dora out in the evening to get a factura at a store, and she was out forever. I watched 30 minutes of first half of España - Lichtenstein game, and it was 4-0 España at the half.

Before 10, I dressed and went out to find Dora. She was down in the building courtyard finishing a phone call. Back up to the apartment. And online I made doctor's appointments for her parents.

Then out with Dora, for a walk in the center. No breeze at all. Home by 10:45 and turn on the air-conditioner. Dora burning the candle at both ends again. She went to bed a bit before 1 AM, and was up before 6 AM. Then out to work 8-3.

I went out around noon. To health center to cancel appointments. To ATM for cash. Walked in the center. Hot.

Dora home at 4. Rush to cook and eat dinner. Out at 4:45 to catch the 5 PM bus to Sanlucar.

Met her parents in the bus station. Walked to the health center there. Saw a doctor pretty promptly, but the doctor wouldn't do much because her mother's illness isn't urgent enough. Did get a list of medicines.

To the "cow" cafe, and had smoothies (not so good) and ice cream. Then we all had Cokes, which we enjoyed more. Dora's sister and niece showed up, and we chatted for a while.

Then into the center, and down to the father's hearing-aid place. Dora comes out saying the model delivered to her father is not the model they promised we were buying, but a knock-off. I think the paperwork is screwed up, so we can't prove it. I hope he can just have them adjusted a couple of times; they seem to work semi-okay for him.

Out, I thought we'd go to sister's house, but it turns out patients arrived there and the sister dashed off to them, so we can't go there. Back around to a cafe and sat for a while, drinking some more Cokes. Eventually niece and father left for home.

Dora and I to bus station, and caught the 9:10 bus with 30 seconds to spare. Home after 10, tired and hot. Shower made me feel better.

I went to bed at midnight. Dora still up, working. Dora did the "bed at 1 AM, up before 6 AM" thing again.

Up at 7, rushed, out with Dora at 7:50, caught train and taxi to her work in Puerto Real. She took me upstairs to arrange vaccinations, then down to cafeteria for a bite. She went to work, I went back up for vaccinations.

The nurse put 3 shots (2 Hepatitis B baby doses to make 1 adult dose, and a measles/rubeola/parotiditis dose) into me, and the 3rd was a long one where she pumped in a lot of juice. After that, I felt dizzy, had to lie down, doctor and another nurse came in. Probably mostly a psychological reaction; I've fainted or felt dizzy in doctor's offices before. But also I didn't really eat breakfast this morning. Dora came up, and they all had a chuckle at my expense. Put off a 4th injection to be done when I come back in a week, for 2 or 3 more shots.

Down to see Dora's office in Trauma, and chat for a little while. Pic. Then I'm out, taxi to train station. I've missed a train by 2 minutes, next one is in 50 minutes. So I walk into town, find Correos, mail a letter to USA to get more documents. Stroll around a bit, eventually back to train station, home before 11:30.

Dora home from work at 4:15 or so, but with bad news: her mother in Sanlucar is feeling weak and having difficulty breathing, has been in bed all day, yet refuses to accept a taxi to the hospital or an ambulance. Dora has heard of this only through her son in Slovakia. Her sister is working, Dora calls to get a neighbor to check on her mother.

Feeling better after dinner. Napped a bit.

Dora to bed before 9. I went out at 9:30 or so for a walk in the center, sat for a while. Humid but a nice breeze. Dora up around 6; I groaned out of bed at 9. Apparently Dora's mother is okay; yesterday she might have had some low blood pressure and maybe some dehydration.

I thought Dora was working 10-10 today, then she said 12-12, then 3-12 and she may sleep at the hospital.

I went out at 12:30 or so, long hot walk to university-area post office to pick up an international package for Dora.

Now Dora says she has to start work at 2:30. She's out.

Pesto-spaghetti for dinner.

Out to Mercadona twice for groceries.

Headachey; took a Dolocatil.

Out for a late-night walk and sit in the center. Home at midnight. Dora home after 12:30. I'm still headachey; took a muscle-relaxant. Headache at 6 AM; took a sumatriptan.

Out with Dora at 10. Headed for the center to buy some clothing for her sister, but got the job done in a store halfway. Reversed course and to farmacia in Madre de Dios. To bus station and caught the 11 AM bus to Sanlucar. Picked up by her father in the car, which is a surprise, I thought the insurance had lapsed and they weren't going to let him drive any more anyway. To sister's house.

Vodafone guy is here, installing Wi-Fi and phone and cable TV. I test the Wi-Fi and connect it on various phones and laptops.

Dinner with 6 of us crammed around the table in the small kitchen.

A while later, 6 of us cram into the car, and we're off to the big shopping center on the west side of Jerez. Lots of back-seat driving and shouted instructions as we navigate lots of tricky turns near the shopping center. Finally we arrive in one piece.

In, to Vodafone store, and their computer is down, sister can't get the SIM card she needs. Various shopping in shoe-stores, eventually to a cafe for a long session. The niece is accumulating more toys. I thought we were here to buy a laptop, but no. Out of cafe, eventually back to Vodafone, computer is working. Many delays, finally out to the car, home in Sanlucar around 6:15.

Loaf, the women doing various cosmetic things or something. I go for a walk on the malecon, but the wind is 20-25 knots and blasting some sand off the beach. Back home, and I lie down and listen to my MP3 players.

Eventually 5 of us into the car, drive us to the bus station with a heavy suitcase and a smaller one, and we catch the 9:10 bus to Jerez. Home before 10:15, tired and headachey. Take a sumatriptan and have a shower.

Took a small melatonin at bedtime. Dora up at 5 or so, out at 8 to work a 24-hour shift. I'm headachey; took a sumtriptan. Morning weather pretty cool.

Out at 12:45, caught the crowded 1300 bus to Sanlucar. Walked to sister's house, and found that niece is not there, she's at the hospital where her mother works. Dora's father went in the car to fetch her. Watched cable TV for a while, started to have lunch with Dora's mother. Father and niece got home after 3, had lunch.

Then I taught English to the niece, interrupted by bouts of her playing in the front yard. We got through about 5 pages before she'd had enough. To the park for a little while. Tried to go to a store, forgetting that they're all closed on Sunday afternoon.

Caught the crowded 6:15 bus back to Jerez, home by 7:10.

Took a late-night walk in the center. Lovely cool evening. Dora home at 10:15 or so.

At 10:45, we're out, and catch the 1100 bus to Sanlucar, me carrying a heavy bag that turns out to contain Dora's centrifuge, her laptop, various notebooks, etc.

We walk to the local health center, meeting Dora's mother on the sidewalk. The elevator has a long line, and of course the doctor's office is on the third floor, back corner. It's a strain for Dora's mother, going up all the stairs. I go right back down and soon up again, looking for Dora's father, but somehow he slipped past me and is with them now.

We wait 15 minutes, then the three of them go in, and I wait. And wait. They're in for about 30 minutes, and four more people are waiting by the time her father comes out and goes past saying he's going home. Later Dora tells me the doctor started telling her father "no salt, no sugar, no alcohol, no ..." and her father got up and said "I'm going home, good-bye" and left !

Dora and her mother are in for another 10 minutes; her mother has some alarming problems, but has been refusing to get tests or get admitted to the hospital. Finally they're out, and later Dora says her mother has agreed to a test that involves a scope down into the lungs, and I assume a biopsy or several.

As we're downstairs waiting at Administration so tests can be scheduled, Dora's sister joins us. Ten minutes there, then we're out and to a nearby cafe for Cokes and pastry and coffee. We sit for quite a while, then catch a taxi to the house.

Soon a patient arrives for the sister, so we retreat upstairs and nap for a while. Down around 4, and have a meal.

At 5:15, Dora and I and her father out and to the hearing-aid place for a 5:30 appointment. I wait there for an hour or so. They come out, and her father has had a complete new fitting and now can hear.

Home (stopping to buy a bike-tire pump), and the niece is home from school. Can't get her to study any English, she just wants to eat junk and do cartwheels and ride her bike. We go to a park for the bike-riding, but I see that her bike seat is far too low. Home, I adjust it, but she doesn't want to ride any more today.

Kill some time, niece refuses to do any English, then it's 8:45. Dora has been doing some big injection-treatment to her face, and she's too swollen to go on the bus right now. I could sleep over here tonight, but I don't want to. So Dora stays, and I head to the bus station.

Onto the 9:10 bus, and home by 10:05. Headachey at 6 AM or so; took a sumatriptan. At noon, took a Neobrufen. Out for a walk at 2, and then to Mercadona.

Dora home at 4:15. Dinner. Down for a long nap. Still headachey by 8:45; took a sumatriptan.

Out for a late-night walk in the center. Then took a melatonin and to bed. Headache at 7 AM; took a sumatriptan.

Out for a walk at 2:30 or so, then to Mercadona for groceries.

Dora home by 4:30 or so. Dinner, then we had to hustle to make it to a 6 PM appointment at the optician's. Afterward, to a cafe for coffee and ice cream. Headed to the farmacia, but then made a U-turn and headed for Correos, which turned out to be closed. Back again, to farmacia, home after 8:15.

I'm dragging; can't get rid of this headache. Shower and then tea. Dora gives me a couple of muscle-relaxers and then I take a Neobrufen. To bed before 10. Headache at 5:30 AM; took a sumatriptan.

Dora out at 6:45 to work.

Out at 11 or so. To center, to ATM and then to Correos. Sent money to Peru for Dora. Went for a walk, then bought lightbulbs, then home.

Searched the closets and pulled out every purse I could fine. The count is 20, plus the one she's carrying at work today. Pic.

Dora home at 4:15. Dinner. Then she's called and asked to do a night-shift tonight, 10-8. The one clinic has been shorthanded because one doctor is in critical care with some cancer or something, and another doctor has a wife with appendicitis who had to be taken care of.

We slept from about 6 to 9:15. Then Dora out to work, and I went out for a walk in the center. Up at 7. To train station before 8, met Dora between jobs, we took the 0805 train to Puerto Real. Taxi to the hospital. Waited for Dora to check in with work, then we went to cafeteria, then up to the vaccination department. Had to wait for a while, as they were having a staff meeting.

Then I got vaccinated for Tetanus and Meningitis C. Didn't feel faint this time. No vaccinations for Dora, for some reason.

Dora off to work, I caught a taxi back to the train station. Arrived just after the 1000 train, as before. So walked 5 blocks or so to Correos, and mailed a letter to USA. Back to train station and caught the 1050 train back to Jerez. Home before 1130.

Dora wants to go to a medical conference in Athens next week, so suddenly I'm trying to research flights and AirBNB for that. But my main air-ticket site, Expedia, is having technical problems, maybe because of overloading after hurricane Irma.

Out to Mercadona for groceries.

Out at 2:30, to bus station to pick up Dora's parents from the 2:10 bus from Sanlucar. Bus arrived before 3, but no parents, only about 4 people got off it. Waited another 10 minutes, and there comes Dora's mother walking into the station from outside. No father. I can't understand what she's trying to say.

We start walking to the apartment, and finally I get Dora on the phone. The story is that Dora's father got to the Sanlucar bus station and jumped onto some bus, apparently the wrong one, so who knows where he is now. Her mother missed the 1410 bus and talked her way onto another, which dropped her somewhere else in Jerez, and she walked to the bus station. So she and I are home now (3:20 or so), her father will reappear somewhere someday, and Dora will be home around 4:15.

I start cooking, Dora home at 4:15, we start eating. I was told we have to pick up the niece from school at 5, so I eat quickly, but then Dora says no hurry, the teacher will wait. So we finally leave before 5:30. And find her father waiting on the street outside; he forgot our apartment number, and has been waiting for an hour or more. [Later, I find out he went to the Sanlucar bus station, didn't see his wife, and went back to the house. Meanwhile, she hopped on some bus. Later, he went back to the bus station and got a later bus. So he was never lost.]

The four of us pile into a taxi. To the hospital clinic where Dora works part of the time. We start signing up for vaccinations, and then Dora is back into the taxi and off to pick up the niece from school. When they arrive, Dora leads us downstairs, we wait 5 minutes, then we're in and all five of us are getting flu vaccinations (nasally, no injections). Total cost is €125. These are supposed to be special year-long vaccinations, not the normal one that lasts only a few months.

Finally out of there, and I'm surprised that Dora wants to walk home instead of taking a taxi. It's not a long walk, really, but maybe longer than her mother would like. We start going, and halfway there, the niece wants to play on a playground. So she and I stop there, and Dora and parents go ahead to find a cafe.

The niece does various gymnastics on the playground, until I've had enough. We head towards home, and find the others in a pastisseria pretty close to our apartment. In and sit for a little while. Then home by 7:20.

I thought they might catch the 8 PM bus back to Sanlucar, but then Dora is cooking, and they're going to take the 10 PM bus. They have a big meal, but I'm still full from dinner.

Suddenly before 9:30 they're going. I go out with them, and to the bus station. Lovely cool evening. We wait, the 10 PM bus comes, I use my card to pay for their tickets, ciao. Home by 10:15.

Plane tickets to Athens too expensive, and as usual Dora has only a 4-day window free and 2 days would be taken by travel. I think we're not going.

To bed before 11. Dora up more than 1.5 hours early, and still managed to get out too late to catch her train, so took a long taxi-ride to work. She's working 24 hours at one place, then 12 at the other.

Out in late afternoon for a walk in the center, hit an ATM, buy a few things in the bazaar. Outside the Alcazar, the usual flea-market going on, and I happened to spot a book in English I hadn't read yet by one of my favorite authors, and bought it for €1 !

Out in early evening to Hiper Number One for a couple of items.

Out later for a walk in the center.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Out at 10:45, caught 1100 bus to Sanlucar. Something wrong with the bus's suspension, probably shock-absorbers, and it's swaying all over the place. No air-conditioning either.

To sister's house, and soon teaching English to the niece. We get through a good deal of it during the afternoon, among some bouts of playing, lunch, riding her bike in the park, etc.

To bus station by 6:10, but the 6:15 bus is 20-25 minutes late. And right near home, it takes us about 10 minutes to go the last 300 yards. Home at 7:35. Tired.

Online, found a way to make the trip to Athens work, flying out of Malaga. Would cost us about €420 for airfare, €150 for trains and cars, €150 for an apartment, be there for 3 days and nights. Dora wants to do it to attend a medical conference which will help her on the job rolls here. Conference would cost another €500. And about 5 days after we got back, we'd be leaving for Peru. Blech.

A little headachey; took a sumatriptan.

Dora sending messages after midnight. Sounds like she had a very tough shift today, won't get home until 12:45, yet she's saying she wants to go dancing at a disco ? I want to go to sleep.

Dora finally arrives about 12:50, I go down to give her money to pay the taxi, we're inside by 12:55.

She wants to go dancing, to work off her anger about work, but I'm not interested, and she hasn't been drinking water and eating properly, and she's a bit unsteady. We're not going out.

And her work schedule has changed, negating much of the Athens trip info I compiled. Will deal with it tomorrow. After noon, I'm out for a walk in the center and then to Mercadona for groceries. Dora out to a bank.

Dora home after 2:30. Afterward, we both take Neobrufen: I'm having some pain when I chew, and Dora has some muscle pain.

Forecasts have Hurricane Maria coming close to my sailboat in Puerto Rico. But weather forecast is for max of 50-55 knots of wind from the W near my boat. I think it will be okay.

Dora has decided we ARE going to Athens. So online I bought airline tickets (total €412). Submitted AirBNB reservation (total €135 for 3 nights), but AirBNB wouldn't take either of our mobile numbers, had to use that of my brother in USA, and get code from him. Got BlaBlaCar to Malaga (€43.50). Got BlaBlaCar back from Malaga to Cadiz (€51). Then the AirBNB guy said those dates are not available; have to find another apartment. Found one (€157 /$187.70 for 3 nights).

Out after 8 with Dora. Into taxi, up to Demalaser clinic. Supposedly to see why her sister's echography machine isn't working, but instead I wait while Dora talks to the director, and we never get to the machine. Which her sister bought at great expense, put here a year ago, and then never used. So Dora is smoothing things over with the director, and we'll have to come here again some other day to look at the machine.

Walk a few blocks toward home, then into a cafe for coffees and tapas. And Dora spends 30+ minutes on the phone with her sister.

Out of the cafe, head towards home, make a slight wrong turn, then Dora wants to go into an Irish bar we've been to before. So we go there, and I have a Guinness and Dora has a gin-and-tonic. Pic. Pleasant place, we sit for a while, but Dora is talking to her sister again on the phone interminably. Finally she finishes, we chat, she's impressed that I can name most of the 1970's-era rock music they're playing. Eventually we get ready to leave, then Dora finds that my Guinness comes with a lottery entry. She "wins" a free cheap bag, then spends another €2 on another small Guinness so she gets another entry. I don't want the drink, but drink it anyway. So we stay a while longer.

Finally out of there, and a longish walk home through empty back streets. Home at 1:40. Blech.

And there's an email saying the SECOND AirBNB apartment I reserved in Athens is not available, it's a new listing and not ready yet ! Found a third apartment ($165.62 for 3 nights) and reserved it.

Dora stayed up until 2:30 or later, for some reason. She sleeps harder and recharges faster than I do; I need my regular sleep schedule. SNAFU. Dora rushing to go to work 8-3, but now she's telling me I have to do stuff online to finish registering her sister at a medical conference. She wants me to find out if an old bank account she had in Peru still exists. And we told the niece we would take her to a circus tonight, but it looks like no tickets are available. Dora late for the train, late for next train, then it turns out she's working in Jerez so taking the local taxi, not the train. Why the heck did we stay out until 1:30 last night if she knew she had to do this stuff ? She's out the door. Finally I manage to get the medical conference registration done.

Good news: the third apartment in Athens is solid, I'm talking to the owner and I found it on the map.

Out after noon to center for a walk and sit, then to Mercadona for groceries.

To bus station at 2:30 to meet Dora's father and bring him to the apartment.

Dora home at 4. Dinner.

At 5, it's time to go pick up the niece from school and take her to a circus. I've looked online, and I think all the tickets for the circus are gone. But Dora says try anyway. But she's falling asleep at the table, and needs to sleep before starting work again at 8 tonight.

So her father and I head down and get a taxi. To the niece's school, where kids and parents are pouring out. Fortunately the niece spots us right away, and soon we're out and back into the taxi.

But on the way to the circus, the niece tells me she was sick today and didn't really eat anything, and just wants to go to our apartment. So back to the apartment. And I was right about the circus "tickets"; what she has is a flyer about "kids get in free with an adult", not free tickets for adults.

For the next couple of hours, I cook for the niece, heating turkey-rice leftovers, then cooking an egg with ham, then more leftovers. For some reason she likes broccoli, so I steam a couple of small plates of that for her. She wants chocolate, and gets a little, but I try to divert her into grapes.

Dora up and groggy at 7:30. At 7:45, I walk her father and niece to the bus station and put them on the 8 PM bus to Sanlucar. Back home, and Dora's work has changed from starting at 8 to starting at 10.

Online, bad news: Hurricane Maria's forecast track has shifted slightly SW, bringing it closer to my boat in Puerto Rico. Now gusts of up to 66 knots from WSW forecast in my boat's harbor tomorrow.

Walked Dora down to the taxi before 10. She's tired (got about 5 hours of sleep last night), and starting a 10-hour shift. I'm tired (got about 6 hours of sleep last night), but I'm not working. Went for a walk in the center.

Dora home unexpectedly at 2 or 3 or something. Schedule changed. Up around 9:30, and suddenly Dora announces we have to go to the registro central for some things, and she's meeting a pharmaceutical rep at 11, then working 12-12. Scramble to shower and eat and start laundry and get documents and such, then out. To taxi rank, up to registro, waited 5-10 minutes, in. I soon get banished back to the waiting room, and Dora negotiates with the officials. Fine with me.

Out at 11:15 or so, into another taxi, and to train station. Dora goes to have breakfast with the rep and then be driven to the hospital, I'm home by 11:35.

Early afternoon: worst of Hurricane Maria should be hitting my boat right now. WindGuru says NW wind gusting to 71 knots in Ponce PR, not far from my boat in Playa Salinas. My boat should be okay, but we'll see.

Dora's sister calling with some emergency request to do business cards, but I can't quite understand what she wants, and Dora is too busy at work to answer our messages.

Out in midafternoon for a walk in the center. Out again in the evening to do the same, and to Mercadona for groceries.

I went to bed at midnight. Dora home at 1:30, but she didn't go to bed until 3.



Dora up at 8; I'm up at 8:30.

Out at 11 or so. To town hall. Glanced for a friend of Dora's waiting in a bar nearby, but didn't see him. Into town hall, took numbers, and there's a long wait. I didn't realize we were going to do three things here, so I didn't bring all of the documents. In for first thing, and Dora talks the guy into referring us upstairs. In for second thing, bad news, the padron-switch Dora did last November while giving her Barcelona apartment back to the bank is coming back to bite her. Upstairs, and guy did compulsados for us, something we were told they couldn't do, last time we were here.

Out by 12:30 or so, and found Dora's friend. Sat and had drinks and nibbles and chatted with him for almost two hours. Nice guy, retired, former patient of Dora's.

Tried to go to farmacia, but they're closed in midafternoon.

Home by 2:40. Dinner. Niece was laughing about my baby shoes versus current shoes the other day, and Dora is laughing about them now: pic.

I was going to do a quick there-and-back trip at 5 to Sanlucar to pick up a number of things, but the most important item isn't going to be ready, so it's off.

Dora out to talk to some diet-product sales rep.

Scrounging to find manuals online for a very complicated echography machine that I have to try to diagnose/fix tonight at a clinic.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan. Dora home with rep at 7:15.

Out before 7:30. Down to the parking garage, into the rep's car, out. Up to the dermatology clinic. But the room with the echography machine is in use; I have to wait. Dora waits then goes in for some minor aesthetic treatment.

Then the room is free, and I go to see the machine. Plug it in, flip a set of circuit-breakers, and it starts powering up (I had been told it was dead). The monitor shows a "no boot device" message, and there is no CD-ROM to put in the CD drive. So either it needs a CD-ROM to start up, or the internal hard disk is damaged. It won't power off, so I have to throw the circuit-breakers to shut it off. Back downstairs.

Soon Dora comes out, I tell her about the machine, she calls her sister to ask about the normal booting of the machine, and it sounds like the hard disk has failed. Soon we're out of there, and walking home.

And Dora tells me that her sister has been up to her typical tricks. She bought this machine used, so no warranty. She showed another, better machine to this clinic, but then installed this older, less-capable one, which doesn't work, so they're mad at her. And she's let it sit there, not fixing it or using it, so they're not making any money from her or it.

Home by 9:30. Dora up at 5; I'm up at 7. Good news: her work schedule has changed from 8-8 (24 hours) to 2-8 (18 hours). Gives her more time to prepare for the trip: we're leaving for Athens tomorrow morning.

To ATM and then bus station, and I catch the 8 AM bus to Sanlucar. Walk to sister's house. Her mother gives me a couple of documents and ID cards, but says there's a fatal flaw in the key document we're taking to Peru: the address of the house is missing one digit. This is a notarized power-of-attorney signed by Dora's two sister's in the north of Spain a month ago, and apparently they didn't proofread it. Later I find another, smaller problem: they used the Sanlucar address as Dora's home address.

As I wait for the sister to get home, I collect some things: two big suitcases, documents. Finally she arrives, closely followed by patients.

The mother and I go out. She goes to a print shop and asks if they can add a digit in the notarized document, but no way they can do that. To a notary here, and we get compulsados of the ID cards. To a shoe store to exchange some shoes. To a church for a minute to look inside. Back home.

I get the sister to collect echography machine manual and some jewelry for me, items to take to Jerez. Soon the sister and mother are going out somewhere. I wait a bit, then it's time to start walking to the bus. Dora's father says he'll drive me, so we load the suitcases into the car. But then the sister calls and says wait, she'll come home and we'll drive to Jerez.

So I wait. And wait. She calls again, says the father won't drive, a friend will drive. Wait more.

Finally friend arrives in a car, we transfer suitcases. Wait another 10 minutes while the sister does various things. Finally into the car, and it turns out the sister is trying to hit a 1 PM bus out of Jerez to Algeciras. Not a chance we'll make it in time. Bit of an anxious ride, feeling a little queasy and missing lunch.

They dump me out of the car a couple of blocks from our apartment at 1:05. No chance Dora's sister will catch her 1:00 bus to Algeciras, but they're going to the bus station on the off-chance. I trundle the two suitcases to our apartment, in by 1:15 or so.

My phone lights up with messages as I get Wi-Fi, and it turns out Dora is here, feeling sick, in bed. I go in, and she's feeling flu symptoms, and has taken pills and wants a massage and she sleeps for a while.

But then she has to get up around 2:05. A struggle, but we get out the door and make it to the 2:38 train with about 2 minutes to spare. I'm back home by 2:45, tired and hot and needing food and drink.

By 4:30, I'm feeling headachey and a little feverish. Took a sumatriptan. Hope I haven't caught whatever Dora caught. Had a bit of a lie-down.

After 6, on Facebook, saw that I had a message from a cousin of mine. She's here in Jerez, but only until about 7 tonight. I think she sent the message at 1 AM last night. Too bad, we just don't have time to meet.

Out before 7 to recharge my phone SIM, and to Mercadona for a couple of items.

Took about half an hour, with various mysterious web site errors and Adobe Acrobat errors, but I was able to enter all of our ID info, check in for our flights tomorrow, download boarding passes, and print them.

A screwup: Dora didn't tell me she had placed a big order at a farmacia, and I wasn't near my phone tonight for a while. Suddenly at 8:30 she messaged and called to get me to go pick up the order, but I didn't hear and didn't see the message until after 9:30. Went out and it's closed, and not even a sign on the door saying when they open tomorrow morning. Dora home at 7:20, which is great (plenty of time to pack for our trip, we'd been worried that her shift might run late), and she's in pretty good shape (the magic of strong drugs, she took about four types of medicine yesterday when she got to the hospital to start her shift).

Out after 9 to farmacia, but they're closed. Out again after 9:30, and they're open, bought the stuff.

Trip to Athens:
Cold shower; the gas bottle has run empty. Switched to a new bottle. Food. Alarm goes off at 7:45, and immediately the day is a disaster. Dora says her parents are coming at 8:45, not 9. Not too bad. But Dora is supposed to meet with a pharma rep at 9. Our appointment at Registro is at 10, not 11. Okay, bad, we need to gather papers etc. Dora's main mobile phone has been lost. Catastrophe. She last used it near the parking garage at Malaga airport yesterday.

Dora sends me out right away to look for her phone on the ground between here and the train station. I go, look everywhere, ask all of the information offices and police and sanitary workers, no phone. Sit in the bus station and wait for her parents to arrive from Sanlucar. They arrive around 9:15, and we go to the apartment.

Shower, dress, eat some cereal, out at 10. Raining lightly, so I run back upstairs for umbrellas. Down, into taxi, off to the Registro Civil. In and soon the four of us are in the office with a lady. We hand over a mound of documents and forms and ID cards. It seems to be sufficient, even though a couple of our documents have defects (no originals of my US documents, since we handed them in at ayuntamiento, and Dora's padron has a 4-month gap in it, so she shows utility bills).

Dora's parents hand over their IDs and sign a form attesting that we're honest people and not running a scam. Then the three of them clear out of the office and the lady talks to me to write up a document. Takes about 15 minutes, and stretches my Spanish language abilities. It's an interview/quiz, and I have to tell her things such as the names of Dora's parents and son, how we met, how long we've lived together, etc. She prints up the document, I correct it, she prints it again, I sign it, then I'm out and Dora is in.

Dora's interview takes even longer than mine, which surprises me, since she knows the language. Turns out she was bonding with the lady, they chatted about all kinds of things.

Finally out around 12:15 or so. I thought we were going to have a big lunch, celebrate a bit, and led them to a nice-ish restaurant around the corner. Pics. But all they wanted was some tapas and soda. Dora's sister is calling, but our communications are a mess: Dora's phone is lost, mine receives calls but I'm not sure it will originate them, her mother's mobile has very little charge in the battery.

I ask about the pharma rep Dora was supposed to meet at 9, and she says fortunately the rep called and tried to reschedule for 10, and Dora was able to say she was busy.

And then we're into a taxi and off to the general hospital so Dora can see someone there who is in an urgent situation.

Out of the hospital at 2, into yet another taxi, and horrible traffic as schools are letting out. Finally home by 2:20 or so.

Out at 2:45 to walk the parents to the bus station in the hot sun. To Mercadona for groceries, home after 3:20, and now I want to stay right here for about 2 days.

Turns out Dora's dental appointment today is at 5, not 6 as she said. We've been wrong-footed all day.

Dora out before 5. I dozed and listened to MP3s.

Online, I login and find that Dora's phone was saving photos automatically onto Google, so she hasn't lost them. But her phone can't be located, so it's out of battery or SIM is removed or something.

Out at 7 or so. To locutorio to check on my phone charge and add €10 to Dora's Lebara phone. Then into the center to try to find Dora.

Found her in the Vodafone store. And they've sold her a new top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S8+ 64 GB phone. I think she should get something cheaper, but it's too late now. And the deal she tells me sounds too good to be true. We're paying about €60 monthly for internet, fixed line, and mobile line. She's getting this new phone for an additional €10 per month for 2 years. A brand-new top-of-the-line phone for €240 ? That sounds wrong. Her old phone (a pretty nice model, too) was paid off already, so at least she's not still making payments on a lost phone.

I wait 15 minutes, and she's out. To a cafe for bathroom and drinks and pastries. Dora says all of her Contact info and Whatsapp contacts have been restored into her new phone; I'm not sure how that was done, from Vodafone or from Google. So she hasn't lost much data, apparently.

Home at 9:45.

Sales receipt from Vodafone says 24 payments of €35.5 each (total €852), so we'll see what the next monthly bill says. And the receipt shows the wrong phone, a black one that they were going to sell to her, instead of the orchid-grey one she received. She has to go back tomorrow to straighten out that, and I'm talking her into questioning the total price, and maybe switching to a cheaper phone.

To bed at 12:30 or so, but Dora stayed up, working. Up after 8. I want to sleep in, but Dora needs me to take cash to Correos and send it to Peru.

I thought Dora was going to rush this morning to get to the bank first thing, then to a congress in Cadiz. But she's not out the door until 10:15. I went out 5 minutes later and caught up with her at the bank. Wait a few minutes, she got to the ATM, gave me €1000 to send to Peru. She headed for the train to Cadiz, and I went to Correos and sent the money. Sat in the center for a little while, then home before 11:30.

Loafed all afternoon. Before 4, Dora trying to rope me into some kind of "let's all meet at niece's school" thing. No, not interested.

At 4:40 or so, I go out for a walk to the center, then to the train station. Meet Dora arriving at 5:20. Home by 5:40. And she wants to go to Sanlucar tonight, so I can try to fix her sister's laptop, and she can talk to her sister about business.

Start cooking dinner. Dora looks at the receipt I got for sending the money this morning, and the destination name is wrong. It's one of these 4-part Spanish names plus a "del town-name", and one of the 4 is missing. So I dash out, back to Correos. Fortunately, they're open and there's not much of a line. Guy corrects the name, I'm back home by 6:15.

Then Dora looks at the new receipt, and "Valasque" has a "z" instead of an "s" in the middle of it. Argh !

Dora contacted Vodafone today and found I was right, she's paying €35.5 per month, not €10 per month, for this new phone. But she's decided to keep it, she's willing to pay €850 for a phone.

Hustle and catch 1900 bus. Picked up by car in Sanlucar. To the sister's house. The usual SNAFU: an anti-oxidant salesman arrives to give a long sales pitch to Dora and her sister, tying up the main living room. I start working on the broken laptop, which is a real mess, Windows 7 and broken links on the desktop and updates failing and error messages. Over the evening, I manage to fix much of that, but the laptop still hangs solid after 10 or 20 minutes of use, maybe a heat-related hardware problem.

To bed around midnight, feeling hot and tired and uncomfortable in a cramped bed in a cramped room. Dora is sick: feeling cold and trembling and weak. She takes Neobrufen and finally sleeps solidly. Up at 10, but the household didn't really get moving until noon. Dora not feeling well enough to go to her congress in Cadiz, and from here it would take her 2 hours to get there. As usual, the niece doesn't want to learn English, we can't find her English textbook, etc.

We're supposed to go out to a mall in the afternoon, but we're delayed as Dora finds a notice that the sister's car insurance payment didn't happen. We log onto the insurance company web site, and it takes a while to find a message saying "well, we said you didn't pay, but then maybe we did get the money, so if you don't get another message saying you didn't pay, you're okay". And later the bank account shows the payment was made.

Headachey; took a sumatriptan.

So we pile into the car before 4, and off to Las Dunas shopping mall. Upstairs to the montaditos place, and we pig out on sodas and sandwiches and chicken-wings and onion-rings and french fries, etc. But Dora talks and talks on the phone, and we have to pry her away from it.

Then to the big Al Campo store in the mall, and I find out we're here to buy a laptop for the niece. I thought we were coming for mobile-phone stuff. We pick a laptop, then Dora sits down with a rep and tries to arrange payment, paying in three installments, and paying through her business-registration so she gets a tax deduction. This takes forever, and finally I find out the sticking point is that Dora's credit-rating is still at the "shoot on sight" level. I'm willing to supply cash, but it turns out this huge shopping mall has zero ATMs, none at all ! Finally everything (laptop, two flash-drives, and a TV-channel-box) gets put on my credit card, to the tune of €323. Not surprised.

Back into the car (after a long bathroom stop), back into town. I thought we were going home, and then Dora and I would go out to a mobile-phone shop. Instead, the others drop us off in the center and wait for us. We go to a shop, but it's closed. To another, fancier shop, and Dora takes almost half an hour to get a phone-case, sort out two flip-phones, and give people a sales pitch about medical services. Finally I prod her out of there, we find the car, and home by 8:40.

Start setting up niece's new laptop, but as soon as it goes live, she elbows me away from it and starts playing videos and such on it.

We're sleeping here again tonight, and I guess Dora isn't going to the congress tomorrow (I think it just would be a short morning session anyway). We'll catch a bus to Jerez tomorrow, and have about 1.5 days before our flight to Peru.

Backed up one laptop to flash drive. Updated niece's laptop a bit. Couldn't get TV box to work with upstairs TV, because of problems with the TV.

To bed at midnight-thirty. Up at 8:30. Dora stayed up later than me last night and was up at 6 this morning. And then she's out with her father in the car, to pick up her sister from work.

I do some stuff on my laptop, then some more on the niece's new laptop. Niece up after 10. I reminded her to put her name on a sticker on the outside of her laptop, and she started doing stickers, with this result (but no name so far): pic.

Dora not back until 11:30 or so, and she's been arguing with her sister about various things, they're mad at each other.

Father is at church, so no car to take us to bus station, so we have to walk. Out of the house at noon, hustle to bus station with two big heavy suitcases and various other bags etc. Get the 1220 bus with about 4 minutes to spare. Fast ride to Jerez; the driver was in a hurry. Fine with me; I want to get home and out of clothes and shower and eat.

But Dora is feeling weak and sick, so we have to perch in a cafe for half an hour, sipping sodas. Turns out she wasted most of her morning waiting for her sister to be done working, didn't eat any breakfast, etc. Finally home after 1:45.

Did the dishes from two days ago. Unpacked a bit and did laundry. Showers. Dinner, with Dora regaling me with stories of how dangerous Peru is. Then she says her parents want to come here and say good-bye for our trip, but I had hoped we left that behind in Sanlucar, we need time to ourselves here to pack etc. Tell them no. Did the dishes again. Rested for a while.

Online, did check-in and tickets for flights to Madrid and Peru. Had to pay an additional €100 to add 4 big pieces of luggage to our Jerez-to-Madrid flight.

Dora slipped out at 7:30 or so, I guessed to have her hair done [but I was wrong, she went to the locuturio]. I'm sitting around in my undershorts at 8:30, cooking a little sandwich, when there's a phone call and her sister and niece and parents are downstairs, come let them in ! So I dress and go down and bring them up, send msgs to Dora, and start serving them soda and ice cream.

Dora calls at 9, and I go to meet her in the locutorio across the street and get a bag of groceries she's bought. Take them up to the apartment, and she's home by 9:10.

Dora insists on cooking, so we have a meal of chicken and quinoa and some kind of Peruvian corn. Nice.

They left after 10:30. Dora starting to pack four huge suitcases for Peru. And somehow Dora has ANOTHER new phone ! Somehow her sister got it for free, and Dora got it, and gave her older phone to her mother. More information to record, another phone to tweak settings, etc.

Dora out at 11:30 or so to do errands. I went out to Correos to mail a package to the north for her, and hit an ATM. Back home, and printing info about Peru trip. Dora home in a rush at 2, she had no success at all at INEM or Vodafone. She will leave her expensive shiny new phone here while she goes to Peru.

Turns out Dora's strategy is to leave most of the packing to the last half-hour. I'm pulling my hair out. She wants me to help, but everything I do is wrong. Pic.

The packing is done by 4, and the taxi arrives downstairs by 4. I make a couple of trips, hauling the four heavy suitcases down. Then before 4:15, Dora is in the shower ! I'm sure the meter is ticking on the taxi. I haul down a couple of smaller bags.

Trip to Peru:
Caught 1700 bus to Sanlucar. Met by Dora's parents. Waited 5 minutes for niece's schoolbus to arrive, drove to house.

Usual situation in Sanlucar; niece wants to rest, not study. Dora and I hustled out to ATMs, where I got €700, then to Correos, where Dora sent it all to Peru to pay for work on the house. Got groceries, then to house.

Later a little studying, but we don't have the web password needed for her assignment. Then patients arrived for the sister, and we're all kicked upstairs or into the kitchen. Niece went to sleep, so I dozed too. Later Dora woke her up, a little studying, ate some food. Then some decent studying, of science and English, about forces and friction and such. I'm running out of energy. Later her mother took over the studying.

Niece models one of her Halloween costumes, Annabelle or something.

To bed at 11:30. We slept solidly. Badly needed sleep.

I'm up at 3 AM or so for a bathroom visit. Dora up at 4 AM, she's having trouble closing the bedroom door, I tell her just leave it open. Then a scream from her. I sit up, and her mother and niece and sister (the doctor) are in the hallway helping her. I figure she bashed a toe into one of the many cabinets in the hallway; this house is a minefield. I go back to sleep.

She comes back to bed later, and I find out it was much more serious. She was going down the stairs in the dark, maybe distracted by what I said, and fell 3 steps on her tailbone or lower back. She's hurting badly, and furious that I didn't come to see if she was okay. Up after 7:30. Dora is mad at the world, arguing on the phone with the airline about the complaint she filed, mad that the niece is late for the schoolbus and stressing her parents, mad at me for not getting up in the night.

We get out of the house at 8, walking to the bus station through fog. Stop at a cafe for coffees and toast, and then Dora is dawdling as it's time to go to the bus. I leave, go to bus station, final boarding of the 0830 bus, no Dora behind me. Bus starts to leave, I see Dora, I flag down the bus, and the driver stops and opens the door for us. I get a scowl from him, apologize, but really we've only delayed everyone 30 seconds. I've seen people hold this bus for 2 minutes until their friend arrives.

To Jerez, out of bus. Dora says she's hurting, and going to the health center. I say I'll go with her, and she changes her mind and instead goes into the Hiper Number One store to do some shopping. I wait 10-15 minutes outside, see she's dawdling and taking her time inside. I decide life's too short for this nonsense, and go home. Maybe she's going to shop until time for her 10:35 appointment at INEM.

Home by 9:40. Haircut, shower.

Missing suitcase delivered after 10:15.

Dora home at 11:15, with someone carrying packages for her. She hasn't been to INEM. And she's still mad at me.

Before noon, Dora still fuming. All she will say is that she feels bad, and any suggestion from me just draws vitriol. Take a long hot shower, eat something, drink something, lie down. No, she says she needs to go to the doctor to be examined. Well, [I don't say] then why did she spend the morning shopping instead of going to the health clinic 3 blocks away ? [Later, I realize they don't do exams there, she has to go to the central hospital.]

I'm out at noon. Nice walk into the center and around the Alcazar. Lovely weather, lots of people out, wonderful to be back in Spain. To Mercadona for groceries, and home by 12:45. Dora is out.

By 3:30, still no Dora. Her son (in Slovakia) has heard from her, she's being examined in the general hospital.

Dora home at 5:45. She's still mad, but now at least she's talking to me (and I get to tell my side of the stories). She has bad bruising (hematomas) on her lower back and sides, from falling down the stairs last night. She says she fell 6 steps instead of the 3 I had thought. She says she was sleeping, heard someone calling her name, got up thinking she still was in the Peru house, and walked straight off the top step of the stairs.

She's mad that at the hospital emergency room today, some doctor glanced at her and said she must be faking pain to get out of going to work, until she showed them the bruises (hematomas). Then they took it seriously. Nothing is broken.

She says that in the airplane yesterday, the attendants and pilot refused to let her have oxygen, saying she wasn't cyanotic (blue) or having breathing difficulty, saying the oxygen is only for heart attack cases. She said a passenger threatened to sue her if the plane turned around and went back to Lima, and that passenger and others said she was faking. I agree that she wasn't having breathing difficulties. But at the time, I didn't understand anything that was being said. I did hear the attendant ask her if she wanted the plane to return to Lima, and I did see a passenger yelling at her. But she yelled right back at all of them.

Anyway, now at least I manage to get a cup of tea into her, and then coax her to take a hot shower. She hasn't eaten or drunk anything all day, I think, adding to her stress and pain. Then another cup of tea, with Dolacatil, but instead of drinking she's searching through the latest suitcase and getting paranoid about things again.

Took lots of pictures of her hematomas, to document them. I think of saying it's Halloween, she should go out and show her bruises to scare people, but I don't say it.

By 9, she's taken a shower and eaten some decent food, and I'm watching Barca play on TV (a dull game). But Dora is ranting to someone over the phone, about her treatment on the plane and in the hospital and my faults etc.

Things starting to calm down by 10.

I go to bed before midnight, taking 5 mg of melatonin.

Dora wakes me up at 2 AM, she has some urgent bill to pay and her phone isn't working, I have to switch SIMs, log in to Vodafone and try to see what's wrong, etc. For some reason, her SIM is saying "permanently blocked". And today (11/1) is a national holiday, probably the phone store will be closed.

To bed. Up again at 3:30, to find Dora asleep over her computer and phones. Woke her and pointed her at bed. Took a sumatriptan. I'm up at 10; Dora was up earlier. She's feeling better, physically.

Flying to Vienna tomorrow, so printing boarding passes and info for that. Dora's sister and niece and parents will stay here tonight, so Dora is cleaning and putting away the debris from our Peru trip.

Trying to get her out the door, but we're not out until 11:15 or so. Sunny, breezy day. To bank ATM so Dora can pay emergency bills. I go to ATM to get cash. Wanted to go to local health center, but it's closed, today is a national holiday. To another ATM so Dora can put money into another account. Walked to center. Vodafone store is closed. To a cafe for coffees and snacks. Home by 1:30.

Various craziness: now Dora is saying she absolutely has to see her family doctor tomorrow morning to get a "can't work because injured" paper. So she will miss the flight to Vienna tomorrow morning. She tried to convince the airline to change her ticket; no luck. I'm not going to find or buy a new ticket for her. I'm trying to get her to calm down and go forward, let go of what has happened so far, but she's mad at everyone (not just me) and not in a mood to be reasonable.

Out for a walk in the center in early evening; nice.

No sign of the relatives by 10. I try to get Dora to buy a new plane ticket now, instead of waiting until tomorrow when the prices will be higher and maybe the seats will be gone, and she blows up at me.

Finally they arrive after 10:15, with tons of luggage. I cook a sandwich and egg for the niece.

I went to bed at midnight, but I don't think I slept a wink. Dora stayed up all night, ironing and packing.



Trip to Vienna:
Up at 6:45. Out at 7:45, caught 8 AM bus to Sanlucar, to sister's house after 8:45.

Niece sleeping until noon. Then some food, then some math (fractions), then some English spelling. Niece hopping around on a badly sprained ankle, which is why she's home from school.

Dinner, then niece refuses to study any more. Went to copy pictures from Dora's camera, found it had been in "automatic mode" for a while, so 20 copies of each picture. Copied about 10 GB of this to my laptop, and extracted 40 or so keepers from it.

Some more studying in the evening, then a big screaming fight when Dora tells the niece to go to bed. But they were in bed at a reasonable hour.

I put together a rough draft of a Powerpoint show-and-tell for the niece to give at school on Friday, about the trip to Vienna. Up at 7. Niece awoke fairly easily, complained when her bad ankle is wrapped.

Taxi arrived at 8, niece and I soon got in, took her to bus station, put her on the schoolbus to her school in Jerez. Went past Tourist Info to see what hours they're open, hit an ATM, no supermarkets open yet, home.

I just want to stay home and go back to bed for a while, but Dora is heading out to the hospital and I have to go along. So into a taxi after 9 or so, and to the hospital. Meet her sister there, the doctor Dora needs to see was called into surgery, we have to wait. We have breakfast, meet some pharma rep for a while, then Dora and sister go to doctor and I go out and wait and wait, sleeping and listening to my MP3 player.

Eventually Dora re-appears, the verdict is a hematoma in her lower back, no fracture. Unable to see throat doctor today, because HIS wife just fell down stairs.

Wait more for sister to appear, eventually find out she didn't see us, and she went home. We get a ride home with a friend of Dora's, home after 2.

Out at 5 with Dora and sister, into a taxi. I got out near Tourist Info; they went on to some medical association. I bought groceries at Dia, stopped in Tourist Info to ask about classes for the niece, then to bus station. She arrived on schoolbus at 5:40. No sign of Dora and sister. We waited 5 minutes or so to see if they'd show up, then took a taxi home.

Heated or cooked various foods for the niece; she tends to order things and then not eat most of them.

Patients arrived at 7. Sent message to sister. She didn't arrive until 8.

Worked on Powerpoint presentation with niece, for her Show-and-Tell about her trip to Vienna. She took what I roughed out last night and removed most of the good stuff, put it in her own words, etc.

Dora home at 9:30, with bad back pain, tired, walked home from somewhere after her sister left her there.

Sister finally gets done with patients etc, sees presentation we've made for niece in school. We've done a "my trip to Vienna" talk; she informs us teacher wants a generic "facts about Vienna" talk. So I paste a couple of generic climate and festivals slides onto the end of it.

Shave and shower; feel better. Up at 7. Sister is here, turns out she'll take niece to schoolbus. But she called the taxi late, they got out the door late, they'll have to chase the schoolbus.

Dora said all morning that we were going out to do errands, but we didn't go out until 2, when most shops are closed. To Correos to buy stamps. To the center to hit a couple of ATMs. Vodafone store is open, so we went there and they put a new SIM in Dora's expensive phone, and now her main phone number works again. To a cafe for drinks and sandwich.

At 5:30, I headed to bus station to pick up the niece, and Dora headed off to do errands. Niece arrived, into taxi, home.

Made cup-of-soup for her, then fiddled with the Powerpoint presentation she has to give tomorrow. She wants music, but the software wants to record absolute filenames, which won't work. Converted the slides to three different file formats, and none of them work well on my laptop, worried that my software is not truly compatible with what the teacher will use tomorrow. Copied the files to her mother's laptop, and first file runs fine there. Niece in a snit that I won't remove one last slide from the show, but I've had enough, I don't want to have to do file conversions again.

Sister supposed to be home at 8, but no sign of her, and a patient showed up at 8:15. Sister and Dora home at 8:30. Up at 7. I thought Dora and I would catch 8:30 bus to Jerez, then she says we're not, I relax. Taxi comes for niece before 8, scramble, suddenly Dora is saying we're taking this taxi. I say no, I'll go to bus station later, she says we're not going to Jerez today. I say I am going to Jerez. She leaves early in the taxi with niece, abandoning her sister who had planned to get in the taxi too.

Then she calls before 8:30, says let's go on the 9 AM bus. Tells me to pack a dozen things, but the big suitcase already is half-full. I pack, head out at 8:40 with big suitcase, smaller suitcase, grey bag, my computer bag. Haul it to bus station. Put it on bus, get on bus, bus leaves at 9 AM, no Dora. Not surprised to see her 5 blocks later, flagging down the bus, even though it's not a bus stop. She gets on, accompanied by grumbling from the driver.

Arrive at Jerez, want to stop at a cafe, but they're all full. Home by 10:10.

Did laundry. After noon, Dora out to INEM, I went out to Mercadona.

Cooked dinner, but Dora not home, I ate without her. Finally heard from Dora around 3:30. Her new phone SIM has stopped working.

I went to the center, met Dora in a cafe. She spent an hour waiting in INEM, then an hour talking to them. And she's a bit sick again. After a while, I took most of her bags and luggage, went to Correos to pick up a letter, then home. She went to pick up the niece at school here in Jerez. I went out to Mercadona again for more groceries.

Dora and niece home at 5:10 or so. Niece says her presentation about Vienna went fine.

I went out to recharge my phone SIM, and to buy a calling-card for Dora.

Printer color ink cartridge ran out; put in a new one.

Dora out at 8 or so, to Vodafone store to see why her phone SIM keeps dying.

Niece slept like a rock on the sofa.

Dora home at 10:15, far later than I expected. She had a long wait, then no joy at the phone store. They say wait for a technician on Monday. I say, demand money back and then buy a much cheaper phone. Up at 9:15. Dora cleaning the apartment, niece wanting attention, I did some exercise for the first time in a long time.

Out at 12:45, to train station, train to airport to pick up Dora's parents arriving back from Vienna and Kosice. I guess I was 10 minutes late, went to Arrivals, no one there. Flight arrival is on the board. I waited 5-10 minutes, asked around, found out people had already come out. Found her parents had walked down to the opposite end, outside Departures, and were waiting there. Got them into a taxi and took them home. No Dora; I guess she and the niece went to Correos.

Headache; took a Migripac. Started cooking. Heard from Dora at 2:30; she's on her way home. Niece arrived first, Dora went to a church for 5 or 10 minutes. Then dinner.

At 4:20, SNAFU. Dora tells me her parents want to go to Sanlucar now, on the 5 PM bus. I thought they were going to stay here overnight. They pack, then the niece wants to stay here with us tonight. Finally it's decided they'll all go, but Dora needs to give her mother an injection at the last minute. I get the father and niece out the door early, because the niece is on crutches and will be slow. I'm towing the two big suitcases, the father has a knapsack and smaller suitcase.

We make good time to the bus station, arrive 5-8 minutes early. Bus appears, but mother and Dora don't. Her mother has all the keys to the Sanlucar house; father and niece can't go without her. I go back into the street to see if they're approaching, but no sign of them. Back to the bus, to find that father and niece have loaded everything on the bus and gotten aboard. I try to communicate the problem with the keys, but the bus is ready to go. I step off and it goes.

I go home, Dora and mother are not here, maybe they're chasing the bus in a taxi ? Sent message to her sister in Sanlucar, she will send someone with car and keys to pick up father and niece at the bus station.

Dora home before 6, says her mother is at the bus station waiting for 7 PM bus to Sanlucar.

Dora has found there's a symphony concert tonight, at the opera house down the street, and tickets are available. So at 6:15 we go out and buy tickets. Dora goes on to the phone store yet again.

Took a paracetamol and out at 7:45, and met Dora at the opera house. In, and upstairs to the middle tier. But it's empty except for us and two other people. A minute before the conductor came out, an usher came up and told all of us we're in the wrong place, this area is closed. Downstairs, and we got decent seats at end of next-to-last row, 30 seconds before the music started.

The music was nice but uninspiring, very string-heavy compositions. First half featured a violin soloist who was a valkyrie. Dora slept about 50% of the time. Out and home shortly after 10. We're both tired. I'm still headachey.

Peru has qualified (barely) for the World Cup in Russia next year. Dora wants to go. I looked at the ticketing process, and it's very complicated. Have to wait until Dec 1 to find out where they're going to play.

Took a sumatriptan. Up at 11.

Dora wanted to catch 1 PM bus to Sanlucar (I said I was staying here), but despite me warning her at the 90, 30, 15 and 5-minute marks, she ran out of time and was too late to go to it. Then blamed me for not being dressed so I could run to the bus station with two suitcases for her.

At 2:45, hauled Dora's suitcases to the bus station, she showed up behind me, bus arrived, put her on it. Went for a walk in the center. Big flea-market closing down outside the Alcazar. Home by 3:30. Spaghetti for dinner.

In the evening, headache, took a Migrapac, later an ibuprofen. Dora staying in Sanlucar tonight. Dora home at 6:15; she got a ride from someone driving from Sanlucar to Sevilla. I'm up at 9.

After noon, out for a walk in the center. Later, gave up waiting for Dora, ate dinner by myself. Out again, to Mercadona for groceries. Lots of stores closed today, maybe it's some kind of holiday, but Mercadona is open.

Dora home after 7. At 7:45, we went out, and hustled to Correos to send a burofax (to renters of sister's apartment in Barcelona) before they closed at 8. To Vodafone store, but guy she needed wasn't there. To worker's association. Home after 9. Late dinner. We were going to get an early start, do some errands, then go to Sanlucar. But we didn't get going until around 11:30. I dashed out to an ATM and back.

Then we went out, and to INEM. Dora spent about 20 minutes there. Out and into a taxi, around the corner, and someone called Dora. It was a sacristry (word ?) from the local church, he saw Dora going past and wanted to talk to her. So we stopped the taxi, Dora went and fetched him, and we continued together on to Juzgados. Where his time was wasted: Dora went in to drop off papers, and stayed in for about an hour. He gave up waiting and left. Dora and I didn't get out until almost 1:30. Taxi to bus station area, quick coffees and nibbles in a cafe, and onto the 2 PM bus to Sanlucar. Arrived after 2:30.

Walking to her sister's house, Dora was doing the usual slow walk while texting on her phone, and I went ahead. But then I couldn't see her at all behind me. I kept going to the house, and found her relatives from the north (sister, husband, twin 3-year-olds) with Dora's parents. A loud scene. Dora didn't arrive for a long time, maybe another 15 minutes.

Around 4 or so, Dora is going out the door with her sister who lives in Sanlucar. They're gone too fast for me to ask where she's going. Found out later they were going to the sister's hospital for Dora to see an ENT doctor. Who turned out to be not working today.

I played with the twins, watched TV, loafed. Soon after Dora left, one of the twins waved around a bottle of yogurt-drink, getting it all over my pants as well as the floor and some of the sister's medical brochures.

Out in a taxi at 5:35 with Dora's mother to pick up the niece at the bus station, returning from school. Soon after she got home, the twins were all over her.

Dora not responding to messages, or giving cryptic responses that tell me little. She's still at the hospital. We're not going to make the 1815 bus back to Jerez.

More play with the twins. They're pretty exhausting.

Time approaches for the last bus to Jerez, at 2110. Dora sent messages an hour ago that she was at some shoe-repair shop near the post office, not far away. At 8:40, I go out to try to find her, but no luck. Hustle back to the house by 2055, and find Dora coming out with sister's husband, heading to the car and wondering where I am. We get in the car and get to the bus station with 5 minutes to spare.

Now Dora tells me, after finding the ENT was not at the hospital, she said to her sister "I haven't had any feeling in the toes of my right foot for 4 days now" (news to me). She thinks it's a result of the fall she had and the damage to her back, maybe the hematoma is pressing on spinal nerves. Her sister says don't wait for a referral to a traumatology doctor, go to the ER. Where they do another X-ray, but don't even probe her foot to determine the extent of the problem. They say the way to get an MRI soon is to be admitted to the hospital, but then find they don't have a bed for her. So they say come back first thing tomorrow morning. (I found this out on the way to the bus station, and suggested she sleep in Sanlucar tonight, but she insisted on staying with me, and I don't want to stay in Sanlucar tonight.)

We arrive in Jerez, and she doesn't have any trouble walking, she's slower than me but not by much. But she has no feeling in those toes, and can't move them as well as the toes on the other foot.

Home at 10:20.

I just want a sandwich and ice-cream, but Dora makes a huge dinner, rice and eggs and fried bananas and Peruvian corn with cheese.

To bed around midnight-thirty. But I don't think I slept a wink all night. Dora up at 4:45 or so, then her usual panic and countdown and rush to get out the door to catch the 0700 bus to Sanlucar.

I thought she was going straight to the hospital, but she went to a bank. Hospital by 10, her message says. But then she just waited there, no action.

Middle of the day, Dora still not getting any action at the hospital. And it seems all the children at the Sanlucar house are sick.

Early evening, out for a walk in the center, then to bazaar for several items. Home, then to computer shop for printer cartridges, then another shop, then Mercadona for groceries.

At 7 PM, heard that Dora finally got admitted into the hospital in Sanlucar. She needed that to happen so they can do an MRI, which I assume will happen tomorrow.

Before 8, had a phone call from Dora. Around 9, out for a walk in the center. No news from Dora; she doesn't answer my messages.

Around 12:15, put chicken on to cook. But then a flurry of messages and phone calls from Dora's sisters: she's in pain and upset in the hospital, she wants me there with her, and her mother is going to her. So I turned off the heat on the stove, took a shower, put chicken back in the freezer, gathered some things for Dora, and out at 12:45. Caught 1:00 bus to Sanlucar, got out at 2nd stop, walked to hospital.

Found Dora's room. Her mother is there, Dora is glad to see me. Gave her the things, unlocked her phone for her, asked her what was going on.

She says the traumatologist took one look at the way she walks and said "spinal damage, you need an MRI". So now she's waiting for that to happen. She says she was taking corticosteroids after the injury, and that masked the damage, but she stopped taking them 4 or 5 days ago, and thus felt worse.

Also, she was seen by an ENT for her throat problems, and the breathing problem she had on the plane back from Peru. His diagnosis is that it was an infection plus some swelling. She had a scope down into her throat and her tonsils are a bit adnormal, but nothing else found.

She seems normal, a bit tired and aching, she's on about 3 drugs plus taking 2 or 3 more on her own. I tried to make sure she tells the staff about the extra medicines she's taking.

Her mother is tired and hungry; sister's house is full of semi-sick children. After 80 minutes or so I've had enough, I'm hungry and doing nothing useful here. Dora is mad that we're looking to leave; she seems to want me to stay with her day and night until this is over. What's the purpose ? And she wants me to do a banking errand, which I can't do here.

We're saved by a phone call from one sister: her husband is in the car outside the hospital, here to pick us up. So we go, pursued by scowls from Dora.

To sister's house. Say hi to the kids and play with them a little. Niece scowls at any suggestion that she do some studying, although she has a bunch of exams this week.

Eat a little food, then have to leave. To bus station, carrying a jar of homemade peach preserves from sister's in-laws in the north. Onto 1610 bus (late) to Jerez.

Out in Jerez. To ATM for cash. Home at 5:10. Headache; took a Migrapac. Started cooking the chicken again.

Out 15 minutes later, and to Correos. Send money to Dora's son at medical school. Back home.

Tried to do some mass-editing of my web site, and the editor munched half a dozen files. I think I recovered them all okay. Sent msgs to Dora, no response for a while, then a flood of messages. Mostly about stuff she wants me to bring to her in the hospital. They've made her stop taking some extra drugs, and she's in more pain. She says it might be 5 or 6 days before she can get an MRI !

Dora's sister from Sanlucar supposed to come here this morning to search for her belongings, but she didn't show up. Later found out she's sick, ended up in the same hospital as Dora.

As yesterday, out at 12:45, caught 1:00 bus to Sanlucar, walked to hospital, with Dora until before 4, caught the 4:10 bus to Jerez, home by 5:10. Met Dora's youngest sister coming out from visiting Dora; most people at the Sanlucar house are sick.

Dora still in pain, waiting for MRI. But she's starting to enjoy some peace and quiet, she has her phones, I brought her a lot of goodies such as her creams and various pieces of clothing etc. Also bought her a TV card, so she can watch TV in her room. As yesterday, out at 12:45, caught 1:00 bus to Sanlucar, walked to hospital. Her doctor-sister is on duty, manning the front desk of the hospitalization area. To Dora's room, and her father is there. Dora is mad at everyone again, especially mad at her other sister for losing Dora's important papers. I try to calm her down.

Around 3:45, car arrives and father and leave, and go to sister's house. I talk to the youngest sister and Dora's mother, and they think Dora never gave them the papers. We're all thinking she has an emotional problem or something, preceding but aggravated by her spinal injury.

Eat some food, play with the kids. But the niece refuses to do any studying with me, either English or French. I mention to the father that I'm discouraged that the 3.5-year-old twins already speak much better Spanish than I do, and he says "they speak Euskara (the Basque language) too". Great.

Finally I leave to catch the 6:15 bus back to Jerez, which is late.

Dora needs internet access in the hospital, and they don't have Wi-Fi. So I need to look for some USB device she can plug in to get internet, maybe using the SIM from her telephone ?

Off bus in Jerez a little after 7. To home, used bathroom, grabbed Vodafone papers, hustled to Vodafone store to see if we can get mobile-data internet access on Dora's laptop. Store is closed. Hit an ATM. Tried a phone store, the bazaar, and the locutorio. No one knew what I was talking about, and the locutorio guy understaood but said it doesn't exist.

To Mercadona for groceries. Home by 8:15.

Later, it occurs to me that we could turn her phone into a Wi-Fi hot-spot so her laptop can do internet through the phone. I've never done that, but I think it's possible. As usual, day starts with a flood of messages from Dora, telling me lots of things to bring to the hospital for her. But her messages are full of typos, and she has 4x as many clothes and bathroom items as she should, and I can't find half the stuff she specifies.

Out at 10:45, trundling a medium-sized suitcase, caught 11:00 bus to Sanlucar, walked to hospital. Dora sobbing heavily as she talks non-stop to someone on the phone, and refuses to be comforted by me. I think it's a doctor-friend in Barcelona. Dora is afraid she has spinal damage, she'll end up in a wheelchair. But when I ask, she says she's started taking corticosteroids again to counter the swelling. Eventually she's off the phone, eventually she calms down. I give her all the stuff I brought from the apartment, then set up her laptop and the hot-spot on her phone, and it all works.

Talking about lots of stuff, her sister and family maybe moving to our apartment in Jerez, later to Barcelona. Dora and I moving soon to Barcelona, maybe her first and me later. Not sure where everyone is today, will we get a chance to teach the niece (I find out she's failed her recent tests), etc.

Caught the 4:10 bus to Jerez, home by 5:10. Headache; took a sumatriptan. Spaghetti for dinner. This morning, Dora calm at first, then a flurry of messages asking me to bring her entire filing system and all documents to her in the hospital; I'm not doing that. Then I think she's crying again, worried about her injury, no one is helping her, etc. But good news: her MRI is scheduled for tomorrow.

I was thinking of going at 1, but Dora needs me, so I hustle and get out at 10:45. Buy a calling-card at the locutorio. Catch the 11 AM bus to Sanlucar. Walk to hospital.

Dora is on the phone, mostly ignores me. I lay out the documents and food I've brought, and settle down to listen to my MP3 player. We chat a bit. She hasn't done anything I asked her to do this morning, and refuses any suggestion I make now. After a while, a couple of nuns and someone else (maybe a social worker ?) come in and she talks at them for a while.

Dora's parents arrive. Dora on phone and with lots of documents laid out. Senior nurse comes in with paperwork for Dora to sign for transport to her MRI tomorrow, and Dora says she's busy, come back later. The two of them get into a shouting match. She's done everything she can to antagonize the staff here, and now she's going to end up delaying her MRI. She says she's going to Barcelona anyway to have an MRI. Her mother and I can't get her to go sign the d*mn paper. I decide I'm wasting my time here, and I leave.

Catch the 1 PM bus to Jerez. Home by 1:50. Chicken-rice-zucchini for dinner.

Call from Dora at 7:30, she wants me to sleep at the hospital with her tonight, so I can go in the ambulance with her at 0700 tomorrow morning, so I can hand a piece of paper and some money to a secretary at the MRI place to get an early copy of the results. She refuses to consider any other way of doing it. Maybe she's right, maybe she's wrong. But I'm not going.

Around 9:30, Dora begging to go to Barcelona ASAP. She's convinced she needs spinal surgery, and the best is in Barcelona, and she knows people there who will expedite things. So I look for flight and AirBNB starting on Wed 29th. Gather some information, tell Dora some specifics, ask if I should book, and she says wait, she needs to call some people in Barcelona. No news from Dora by 10. She should have had the MRI by now. Finally heard at 10:30, she had the MRI and is waiting for the ambulance back to Sanlucar.

Start laundry, take a shower. Then Dora is saying, we have to go to Barcelona ASAP. Online, flights are disappearing as I search, and suddenly the price of tomorrow's decent flight has jumped from $100 to $350 per-person one-way. Browser fighting me, web sites fighting me, but finally I get good flights for Thursday afternoon for about $80 per-person one-way.

On AirBNB, looking at rooms and apartments, but I'm running out of time. Finally pick a room right next to the hospital, seems not available for 2 weeks, so I get it for only 1 week. Can move to another place after a week.

Out at 12:45, caught 1 PM bus to Sanlucar, to the hospital. Saw Dora's parents in the hospital, but I guess they left, because they never came to the room.

Went to the room and met Dora. the MRI results are somewhat good. No lesion on the spinal cord, no hemorrhage. She calls it a "hernia", but it sounds to me like a "slipped disc": a disc (or vertebra, I'm not clear) has been pushed out of position and is pressing against the cord, or pressing against things that press against the cord. [Well, now I'm confused: Wikipedia says a "slipped disc" is same as a ruptured disc. Maybe what she has is Lumbar Disc Displacement ? ] Dora is scared and tearful when she thinks about back surgery, but at least now the way forward is clear, and the news could have been much worse.

I thought we would check her out of the hospital now, but she wants the record to show no gap in her hospitalization. So I'll come to get her out first thing tomorrow morning, she'll do errands in Jerez tomorrow, then we fly to Barcelona the afternoon of the next day.

She's on the phone constantly, we only talk a little, and after a while I've had enough. We pack a suitcase and I take it to the 3:10 bus, which is 10 or 15 minutes late. Home by 4:15.

Started cooking pesto-spaghetti for dinner. Out to Mercadona for groceries. Finished cooking and ate. Moderate rain (and lightning and thunder) starting at 5:30 and lasting for about an hour. Badly needed. Electric power flickering a few times.

Up at 7, and internet access is down. It's working by 8.

I was going to go to the hospital early and bring Dora home, but now they're saying they'll do an "echodoppler" today, so I don't know what the schedule is. If she stays here and the Barcelona arrangements are wasted, I'm going to be a little irritated. I'd rather stay here, but I'd rather not waste the money too.

After 9:30, Dora is saying the "echodoppler" will be done this afternoon, and then she'll leave the hospital and we will go to Barcelona tomorrow.

Cold, damp, grey morning. And fairly heavy rain starting at 10. Glad I'm not out there, on my way to or from the hospital.

Around noon, talking and messaging with Dora. I thought she was going to be admitted right away in Barcelona, but she says she's going to walk into the Emergency dept and present her case and see what happens.

Out at 12:45, trundling a mostly-empty suitcase, and carrying an umbrella. Caught the 1 PM bus to Sanlucar. Weather getting sunny.

To hospital after 1:30, and Dora's parents are in the room with her, and she's all packed-up to leave. But we have to wait an hour or more as she needs a document signed and then stamped. Dora seems to be walking okay, and has managed to get her feet into her boots (she had some edema/swelling of the legs and feet). Finally we're out and into the car and to the sister's house.

Gather some of Dora's things that were left here, and her mother gives her more. Great, now we have several bags to carry as well as the two suitcases.

Eat a quick dinner. Dora's eye closing at the table; she didn't get much sleep in the hospital. Now Dora is saying she expects in Barcelona she won't be admitted into the hospital, they won't do surgery, they'll prescribe rest and maybe some manipulation and later some physiotherapy. She just wants to move back to Barcelona ASAP.

We want her sister and niece and parents to move to Barcelona too, for a number of financial reasons, but her sister keeps changing her mind, probably won't move until June, if ever. By then her financial troubles will be so bad that courts probably will make the decisions for her. If she moves now into the apartment she owns in Barcelona, it will be her primary residence, and almost certainly the court wouldn't kick her out of it. And she needs to put the niece into a cheaper school. But sister and niece both are dragging their heels, and sister has been denying financial reality for about a year now.

Both sisters have some fantasy of moving to Vienna, now that we've visited it. I think it's madness, no one in the family speaks German, few of them speak any English.

Tearful parting with her mother. Her father drives us to the bus station for the 4:10 bus. I talk to Dora, and decide we should give notice tomorrow on our nice apartment in Jerez, which means we'll be out at end of January. I'll miss this apartment.

Onto the bus, Dora dozes most of the way. Out at Jerez, she's walking slowly but okay. She stops in a store as I go home with the luggage. Home at about 5:15.

I thought we'd have a quiet evening, doing some chores before getting ready to pack for tomorrow's trip, and Dora getting to bed early. But as she was going out the door to a couple of stores at 6:45, she mentioned that her family is coming over from Sanlucar !

I started cooking. Chicken. Salad. Later rice.

After 8:30, Dora's mother and niece arrived. I settled the niece down with watercolors and music, in the kitchen. Around 9, Dora. Cooked broccoli, served dinner.

Later, I tried my hand at the watercoloring: pic. Up after 7. Dora up earlier to do stuff. But then she's yakking to her mother, won't focus on important things. And ends up blowing through the 8:35 time for her family doctor appointment; she's already had a huge argument with him, this will just add to the problem.

I'm out at 8:40 with the niece (on crutches). Two-block walk to the taxi rank through a somewhat-cold morning. Taxi to her school, walk her to the entrance through streams of students and parents, say good-bye. Back into the taxi and home by 9:20 or so. Dora still not dressed.

Dora and mother finally out at 9:55 to go to her doctor a few blocks away. I tell her to be calm and pleasant, but I doubt it will be a fun encounter. She's trying to get him to change her paperwork from "chronic illness" to "accident", which apparently affects the amount of unemployment benefit she can collect. But she's already had a big argument with him, and the situation is complicated by the fact that we went to Vienna after she had her accident.

We have to go around 12:30, and Dora hasn't packed anything yet.

Finally they're home at 11:10.

Mother left at 11:30, to stop at store and then catch 1200 bus to Sanlucar. So one complication removed.

Out at 12:30. Into taxi, and immediately a crisis: Dora is crying, has upper-back and abdominal pain. We go, and she cries and tells her tale of woe to the taxi driver all the way to the airport.

We check in okay at the airport, a little last-minute shifting of weight from one suitcase to another to stay under the limits. Dora still having a lot of pain. Bathroom stop, through Security, to a cafe. She's talking to her sister on the phone, ignoring the coffee I bought her and the pills I gave her, alternately crying at her sister and yelling at her.

Plane starts boarding, and we jump the huge line and get on. Dora asks for two empty seats together so she can sit a bit sideways. I get to our normal seats and she's up front, so I think she's succeeded. But after everyone's on, she comes back, then the attendant leads her to a seat further back. So I get two seats for myself, hers and mine.

Land and into the airport a bit after 4. Slow, slow walk down to baggage claim, with a stop for bathrooms. Dora talking and messaging on the phone as usual, but her foot making her walk much more slowly and carefully than usual.

Get the luggage, out, to the taxi area. Into a van-taxi, where Dora can sit leaning forward. And again she cry-talks all the way, telling the taxi driver all her problems.

To the building for our AirBNB room, and we can't find the apartment, no one answers the buzzer, the numbers don't quite match the apartment number we were given. Building has an elevator, which is wrong, so I think we're in the wrong building. Eventually establish contact with the guy waiting for us, and he confirms we were given the wrong address. He comes and gets us, right building is only a block away.

Haul heavy suitcases up two floors of stairs, with the guy doing half of the carrying, very nice of him.

Into the apartment by 5:50. Unpacking a bit, connecting to Wi-Fi, etc.

After a while, Dora is making phone calls. Lawyer she planned to go to for eviction from her sister's apartment says he doesn't do that kind of work.

Out at 7:45 or so. Cold. Down the street, across, to a small supermarket. Dora grabbing more and more stuff to buy, until I had to stop her. Out with a full bag. Down a few doors and into a restaurant, the only restaurant within several blocks. Turned out to be okay, a lot of food and two drinks for €14 total. We lingered for a while. Dora is planning to go to the nearby Emergency Room. She had been saying it will be crowded in the evening, we need to go at 1 AM or 4 AM ! Now she's saying 7 AM, which is a lot more acceptable to me.

Out of the restaurant and a cold walk home. Into room by 9:15.

Later, Dora says lawyer first tomorrow, which means we can sleep later.

Slept well. Apartment is extremely quiet. A little cold, so we were running an electic-oil heater all night. Up after 7. Tiny bathroom, good hot water. Finally met our landlady. I think she came in at 3 AM, and she's out again at 8 AM.

I thought we'd be going out at 8:30 or so, but Dora isn't moving much, then she's sorting papers to take to a lawyer, then she's making phone calls and talking about going to a medical association. At 10:15, she's heading into the shower.

Out at 10:45 or so. Down to the hospital front entrance, and into a taxi. To the medical association building. Spent 1.5 hours in there, going among 3 or 4 different floors, and Dora came out in tears because no one will do anything for her, despite years of paying large dues. They say if she has complaints about treatment in Andalucia, she has to go back to Andalucia and file papers there.

To a cafe for coffees and pastries. Into a taxi, and down to the CGT offices on Via Laietana. Dora bent the ear of the reception guy for half an hour or more, but the lawyer won't be in until Thursday, so this stop was a waste.

Down a block or two to a vegetarian restaurant, "The Street". Quite nice Middle Eastern food.

We're both pretty happy to be back in Barcelona, despite the cold weather. Nice restaurants, good people-watching, a nice city with lots of stuff going on.

Into a taxi, up to Fabra i Puig, and into a law office. Dora went in for an hour or so. Out and into a cafe, and I think she did everything wrong with the lawyer. I thought getting the renters evicted from her sister's apartment here was priority 1, but she left it to the end and the lawyer said "I'm out of time, send me papers by email". She didn't ask how much the eviction, or anything, will cost. She says her health was priority 1 with the lawyer, but her health will be dealt with at the hospital, she spent most of the time with the lawyer crying to him about how badly people in Andalucia treated her (and she did receive bad care; no one even tested her numb foot, for example). I think she hopes she can win a judgement against her family doctor and hospital there.

I hope the eviction will go okay, because the renters have said they will leave Dec 31, but they've violated the contract by refusing to pay rent for the last 2 months. So the eviction really shouldn't be contested, except that apparently the contract contains big penalties for stopping the rent payments.

Then she starts furiously handwriting a couple of legal documents, to give notice that we're leaving our rented apartment in Jerez, and her sister is leaving her rented townhouse in Sanlucar. I've been pushing her for a week to write these on the computer, and now she's scribbling them at the last minute (really should have sent them yesterday), filling pages to the edges, writing up the sides. And why does it take 2 pages of writing to say "per the contract, we're giving 2 months notice, we'll be out on Jan 30" ? But it's progress; her sister has been dithering for months about this decision, and apparently finally has agreed to move to Barcelona.

I also find out that her parents and niece have been staying in our apartment since we left, since it's far safer for the parents (no stairs) and much closer to niece's school (saving all of them a lot of hassle and time each day).

Out of the cafe, and a cold walk up and across Meridiana and to El Corte Ingles. Down to the Correos counter, and Dora takes about an hour to send the burofaxes (legal notices) to the two landlords and the two rental agencies. At first, the counter lady says "the burofax system is down, all over Spain", but then says "we can send burofaxes but not print receipts until tomorrow", but in the end the whole system is working, no problem. The counter lady knows Dora, and straightens her out a bit on the rental-termination process and who to send to. I fork over €120 to pay for it.

Out of El Corte Ingles, and we end up making a long, cold walk almost completely around Heron City Center to find a taxi. Finally into one, and off to the hospital near our AirBNB room.

Into the emergency room / traumatology section around 9 PM. Fortunately no waiting. A no-nonsense triage nurse interrogates Dora, and barks at her when she starts crying. Talk with nurse and doctor, eventually into X-ray, wait, examination room, wait, some examining, wait more. Eventually I go back in and find Dora in pain; I help her take some pills.

More and more waiting. [Later, Dora says she guesses they were calling Andalucia to check her records.] I'm using the time to draw up a to-do list and timetable for the apartment moves. Lots of moving pieces and people, and we all want to go to the North for Christmas. Niece has to start in a new school, Dora's parents are starting to falter and have to be supervised through the big changes, etc.

Finally around midnight, a traumatology doctor shows up to give the verdict, they're not going to admit Dora into the hospital, she'll be out-patient and see family doctor. Then more waiting, then a sort-of prescription, some more questions, then we're out at 12:45. The place still is mostly empty and quiet, a bit strange on a Friday night after midnight in a big hospital.

We walk home, about 5-6 cold blocks. Dora tells me they gave her no joy in terms of the paperwork, terming her problems chronic, which seems strange since they were precipitated by a fall down stairs. And everything is complicated by her records and registration being in transit from Andalucia to Barcelona, and us not officially living here yet (not on the padron). The traumatology doctor wrote up a list of medications she should/could get, but it's not a formal prescription, and she'd have to pay full price for them. And none of them are as strong as the pain medicine she's already taking.

Home by 1 AM. I figure I spent about €70 on taxis today. But at least we got the apartment-moving in motion, and clarified some legal and medical issues. I just want to sleep and sleep, but Dora's up at 6 or so with pain, turns on the light so I can't sleep, and starts typing a huge letter on her computer.

Later, I want to sleep, but she announces she has a 9 AM appointment at the beauty parlor, then wants to go grocery-shopping in the big supermarket next to it. But I refuse to go. And I think she told me right about at 9 AM anyway; not a chance of making the appointment.

She cooks breakfast and I'm forced to drag out of bed at 9:45 or so to eat it.

She's spread my clothes all around the room, despite me telling her 5 times to leave all of my stuff in one place. Same with my computer and phone stuff. Living in one room with her is driving me nuts, as it did in Peru. There's a chance she might go on disability and stop working, and I don't know if I can tolerate the resulting "togetherness".

Finally she's out a bit before 11, to the beauty parlor and who knows where else. But 5 minutes later she's calling from 1 block away, she can't walk while carrying her (heavy) purse and also a bag of other stuff I told her not to take. She wants me to come out and go with her, but I'm not showered and I'm going back to bed soon. I told her to come home, and she's going to stop in the pharmacy and then come home. But she got a little lost and didn't get home until 12:30 or so.

Online, I'm messaging the sister in Sanlucar and doing research for the moves from the southwest to Barcelona. Trying to find dates for school start/stop, look for AirBNB and apartment, etc.

Out before 1 with Dora. Cold out. To local restaurant, where the Barca - Celta game is on the TV. Had lunch, but I ordered badly and the food was not so good anyway. A good game, but I got a headache (took a Dolocatil) and ran out of energy at minute 7 with score 2-2. Out and home by 3.

Napped, still headache, took a Migrapac. Looking at plane flights for everyone involved in the moving. Got a key piece of info: niece's last day of school in Jerez. Now looking at plane or bus tickets to get everyone to Bilbao for Christmas.

Online, bought plane tickets for parents and niece to fly Jerez to Bilbao on 18th. €324 total.

Before 8, out to local small supermarket to buy groceries. Cold out.

Online, bought bus tickets for Dora and I to go Bilbao on 17th and back on 1st. €200 total.

Online, bought plane tickets for parents and niece to fly Bilbao to Barcelona on Jan 4. €294 total.

Took melatonin and to bed. Dora up at 3 or so with pain, turns on the light, and working on her computer. Later back to bed, then up, then back to bed, with pain.

I'm up at 10:20. Headache; took sumatriptan.

Out at 12:30, bickering about why Dora always is late, and which church to go to. Catch Metro, to church at Diagonal, and Dora was right. We get there halfway through Mass, and it's the right thing to do, we see all the holy bits and 20 minutes of Mass is enough. Altar boy (about 16 years old) is wearing a grey hoodie with some kind of lettering on it, probably a high school or college name.

Out and to Tourist Info, where we perch for a while. Down Passeig de Gracia, turn on a side street, and into an Italian restaurant. Nice place, but the food is just good, not great, and slightly pricey for what we get.

Out, down to P-d-G Metro, onto L4, up to Llumajor. Walk to a friend's apartment by 5:30 or so. Dora says we'll stay just half an hour, but the friend brings out lots of food and drink, and we stay until 9:15 or so.

Out, and it's cold and windy. Dora insists on bus instead of Metro, we miss our bus by about 30 seconds. We wait 10-15 minutes for next one, but it's having some problem, instead of showing bus in 5 minutes, it's saying 55 minutes. At the last minute, we figure out we can take another bus, which turns out to be even better, lets us out right at our street. Home after 10. Dora up from 1 to 6 or so, for some reason.

Up at 9 or so. Took an ibuprofen-plus.

Out at 11 or so. Bus a short distance to school that Dora's son used to go to. In and she found out the priest who promised her a place for her niece is not there any more, there are no places available starting in mid-year, and a waiting list of 50 or more for the normal annual start.

This is a big setback. We want to keep the niece in an "American" school (as she has in Jerez), but we can't afford / won't pay for a private school (€1000 per month). The religious school would cost more like €200 per month. Public schools are free, but don't teach a curriculum that would lead to a university in USA.

Lawyer won't see her today, send documents and come in next week.

Bus another short distance to another religious school, no space there.

Walked half a mile to another religious school, have to come back later for the secretary.

Went to a restaurant for lunch.

Out, and decided to go to the central education office, instead of school by school. Metro at Horta, connect at La Sagrera, out at Urquinaona, into the office. Where Dora is upset that they make her get a cita for tomorrow morning, they won't see her now.

Out and into a cafe.

Out and into a copy-shop, where Dora makes a thorough pain of herself with the lady, making more than 200 copies, arguing about whether the right things were done, moaning every time another customer came in and she had to wait 2 minutes for a photo to be taken. When we left, I gave the lady a couple of extra euros for putting up with Dora.

Out, and Dora's furious at me and in pain, and insists on taking a taxi home instead of the Metro. Home before 7:30.

Booked another AirBNB room, near Sagrada Familia, to start when this one ends. They have a cat, which Dora really doesn't like, but I talked her into it.

I'm out at 8:45 to get a few groceries; cold out. Dora up from midnight to 3 or so, working on the computer.

Up at 6:30. Dora had said we should be at the health center by 8. Then she says after 8, and at 8:40 we're still not out of the apartment.

Out at 9 or so. Dora mad at me and wants a taxi, but there are none and we're standing in the cold. Then the H4 bus comes, we get on, soon we're at the health center on Rio de Janeiro.

In, and Dora's friend puts her on the registration, then we're in to a waiting room. She sees a doctor, and comes out made again, the doctor wouldn't really examine her, just dismissed her problems as chronic. Gave her a shot of painkiller but refused to give her a shot of corticosteroids or a prescription.

Now we're late for the next appointment. Into a taxi, to Urquinaona, arrived to Consorci Education at 11 for 10:40 cita. But they took her, and looked at the list of school vacancies. But the first step is to get the niece onto the padron here.

Into another taxi, and to Placa Miguel. But first we have to do photocopies, and it takes a while to find a place, then a while to make the copies. Then into the govt office to try to get on the padron, and Dora manages to jump a slow line. Soon we're talking to a clerk, but we're missing a couple of key pieces. Eventually they concede that they don't need a death certificate for the niece's father, but we don't have a copy of the front of the niece's DNI, the sister didn't give us that (probably deliberately). Dora and I get onto the padron at sister's apartment address, but that's the easy part, we need to get the niece onto it so she can register for school.

Out, back to copy shop briefly, then found a kebab-shop and had lunch.

Out, and Dora stopped in a store, I went a block away, then couldn't find her. Later found she went somewhere to find a bathroom. Eventually we connected again.

Over to La Rambla, into Liceu Metro station, and a disaster. Train at the platform as we come out of the lift, Dora yells at me to come on and dashes for the ticket gate. I'm slower, since I'm towing a suitcase and bag, and I have to wait for the gate to close behind her before I can put my ticket in. I get through, and there's Dora holding the train doors open, with security guards yelling at her. And the train is full; I don't think I could get in. I don't run, and they're yelling back and forth at each other, and finally Dora gets back onto the platform and the train goes. Next train in 1.5 minutes.

But the guards are mad, and they're going to write a ticket. Dora is arguing with them, then calling the police. I'm sitting there wishing she would say sorry and shut up and somehow get out of it.

But we wait for the police, Dora presents her case, they tell her to calm down, most of the security guards go away. She ends up with a Metro fine of €500 (!). She says the guards wanted to hit her with 3 fines of €500 each, and they were telling lies such as she didn't have identification, etc. Later she may try to go before a judge and contest the fine. Great.

Onto a train, out at Vall d'Hebron, home at 4:15.

Out briefly to supermarket, then dinner cooked by Dora, then loafed all evening. Dora bought socks for us today: pic. Wi-Fi down in the late evening, bummer. Then up again. Dora up most of the AM hours with pain, and also working on the computer.

Today is a holiday. and I just wanted to sleep in. But at 7:30 we're out, and walking several blocks to the emergency room. Where we wait from 7:45 to 10 or so, being seen by some clerks and triage, but mostly waiting, Dora often in tears from pain and frustration. Then Dora disappears, and later I find her in an examining room. She's still in tears, the doctors here won't do anything for her, she hasn't even had a pain shot. I go into the hall and start flagging down attendants, and soon one of them comes in and gives Dora a painkiller shot. A doctor comes in and gives Dora a paper and says he can't do anything else, she has to go to her family doctor for a prescription. Dora and I both are frustrated.

Out, walk home, I go to the apartment, she goes to a nearby pharmacy to see if she can get some stuff without a prescription. I'm home after 11.

Wi-Fi still having problems, mostly on Dora's laptop.

At 12:45 or so, Dora calls and I go pick her up from the pharmacy, carrying her stuff because she can't. She succeeded in buying IV equipment, syringes, corticosteroids, painkillers, by promising to come back later with prescriptions.

Home, and she gets a call back from a doctor friend who will do prescriptions for her tomorrow. So things are looking up.

Out at 5:30 or so. Hit an ATM. Metro to Passeig de Gracia. Wandered a bit, eventually went to the restaurants in El Nacional (pics), but didn't see anything we liked (either too expensive, or seats not good for Dora). Out, down towards Placa Catalunya, but then onto side street and down. Pic. Settled for an Italian place. Nice food (pics), a little pricey, but everything down here is pricey.

Out, down to Placa Catalunya, wandered down La Rambla. Into a church for a while. Dora wants to keep going down to the harbor, but I'm cold and tired. Into Metro.

Home at 9:20. Up at 6:30. Thought we were leaving at 7:30 to be somewhere by 8, but no. Dora continuing to work on computer and phone, and it becomes clear we're not going anywhere this morning until we check out of this apartment at 11. Finally at 10:40 she's into the shower.

Out of the apartment by 11:15. Out the front door of the building, Dora announces we'll go by taxi not Metro, then she goes off to a farmacia to see if they have the syringes she ordered. Back in 20 minutes or so.

We head down to the main road and find a taxi. Slow ride to the new apartment. There by 12:20 or so, too early, and no answer to the buzzer. We walk 100 feet to a cafe and have food and coffees. Dora has been on the phone with her sister since we got out of the taxi, and the whole time in the cafe.

By 1:05, I pay the bill and go to the apartment, leaving Dora and suitcases in the cafe. Buzzer is answered, I go up and meet the landlady and another guest, get keys, etc. Back to cafe to fetch Dora and suitcases. Get everything into the building, but Dora stays downstairs continuing her phone call. I get everything upstairs by 1:30. Finally Dora comes up by 1:40.

New apartment is nice (pics), but new room is small, not much closet space, smallish double bed, nowhere for laptop. Much better internet than the last place. A cat, and Dora is scared of cats.

We're out at 5 or so. Dora is excited, saying the current renters are moving out in February and would rent this apartment to us furnished for €900 per month. First, that's more than we hoped to spend. Second, I think this place would rent furnished for more like €1300 per month. The only downsides are that there's only one bathroom [later found I'm wrong, there are 2.5 bathrooms], and the stove is gas. But the apartment is big, kitchen and bathroom are big, location is pretty good. The furnishings and decorations are terrific. Dora is enchanted with it. [But later she found that the owners are selling the place, so no opportunity to rent it.]

To Metro, and a long, slow walk in the station. It's a long way to our platform, and Dora is walking very slowly as she types on the phone, and stopping at a vending machine (which steals her money, I think). Eventually there, onto a train, ride to Virrei Amat, our old stomping ground. To the building where Dora used to own an apartment and we used to live, and we meet the first-floor lady, her friend. Get Dora's mail from the lady, and Dora gets the latest news. Only 10 minutes with that lady, but then Dora meets another lady coming in, and bends her ear for another 10 minutes.

Out, down toward Meridiana, and Dora needs to take pills, which means food and drink too. Into a cafe, and soon I'm having her open the mail. Good thing, too, because the urgent package that was the whole point of this stop is wrong: 3 photocopies of a document when she needs the original, and no copies of ID cards of niece and others. Dora is livid. She feels her sister is sabotaging the move to Barcelona, deliberately obstructing attempts to move the niece to a new school. She calls her sister and yells at her. Loafs for a while, fuming.

Eventually, Dora finds she already has copies of the ID cards, so we could go to one office and do more padrons tonight. And she wants to forge the other document she needs. Out, and up to a shop on Arnau D'Oms to buy White-Out. I wait and wait outside, maybe 20-25 minutes. Eventually Dora comes out, and I find she's bought about 15 items. More stuff to lug around.

Down F-i-P, slowly as Dora is texting and walking very slowly. And she's saying that the sister swears she sent the right documents, and Dora is saying someone must have intercepted her mail and altered it. I think that's extremely unlikely.

Down to Meridiana without finding a copy shop, around and back up a couple of blocks, find a locutorio. I wait while Dora copies and prints documents. It's getting toward 7:15 and she's not quite finished. I say give up for tonight, little chance of getting to the govt office in the center before it closes at 8 for the 3-day holiday weekend. But she wants a taxi instead of Metro, now that she's wasted time. I refuse, and I head home by myself, leaving her to dash around if she wishes. I go to Virrei Amat Metro, L5 to Sagrada Familia, home before 8.

Right out again, to a supermarket next door for groceries.

Later, message from Dora saying she arrived at the office in time, but had left a key document in the suitcase I trundled home, so she couldn't do anything. So taxi money wasted, I'm sure.

Dora still not home by 11:40.

She messages me at 12:10. She's in a cafe not far from the govt office she went to before 8. I guess she's been sitting there for 4 hours. She's in pain, says she can't walk, she's been crying, she's out of money. She wants me to bring medicine and syringe to her. Probably means a taxi each way. I've had enough, I tell her to take the Metro to get home.

She does, and I meet her at Sagrada Familia metro station. I found medicine to bring to her, but couldn't find the syringes. She seems to be walking reasonably, not crying, etc. But she is in pain. And she's still mad about the missing documents. We go home fairly easily.

She injects pain medicine into herself. I'm into bed by 12:45 or so, but she wants to eat, watch TV, etc. I think we finally turn out the light at 1:30 or so. Can't figure out how to turn off the TV, so I unplug it. Dora up at 6 or so, with some pain. She keeps prodding me to get up, but I want to sleep. I'm up at 10:45, as she's going out the door, late (as usual) to an important meeting with a doctor-friend who will write prescriptions for her, and has called asking where she is.

I breakfast, shower, do computer. Still can't figure out how to turn off the TV; still unplug it. By 1, Dora not answering messages, I don't know where she is. I go out at 1:30 and bump into her around the corner, coming home. We stop for groceries, go home.

Soon out again, and we walk down Valencia looking at shops etc. Eventually to Sagrada Familia park, where they're having a big Christmas fair. We get separated, I wait for her, look for her, finally give up and go home by 3:15. And she's home already.

Online, tried to US-notarize a document, and ran into roadblocks.

Dora cooked a nice beef-and-gnocchi dinner.

Out at 6:45 or so, late for Dora to meet someone about doing esthetic medicine. Into Metro, connect at Verdaguer, and as Dora is getting onto the train, she manages to spill all of the credit cards and business cards and whatever out of her wallet onto the platform. We let the train go, people help her pick up everything, and then we spot her Visa card on the trackbed down below. Dora goes off to fetch official help, and within 15 minutes a guy has gone down and retrieved it, very efficient. I was afraid they'd have to call a maintenance crew or wait until the trains stopped running on Sunday night or something.

To Jaume I metro station, through Placa Jaume trundling two most-empty suitcases, one small and one huge. To a shop, and Dora goes in, and I kill some time walking around.

Half an hour later, she's out. We stop for bathroom and coffees and then salad in a coffee-shop. Then wander around La Rambla and old town for a while. Street art: pics. Finally into Drassanes metro and head home. Outside Sagrada Familia, into a cafe for tapas and a coffee. Home by 11:30 or so. After saying yesterday she wanted to get an early start today, now it's 11:15 and Dora's still not going out the door. And she's started laundry, which by 11:35 still hasn't finished.

Finally out after noon. The critical package of documents (2nd try) hasn't been delivered to her old naighbor, the delivery service says they couldn't find the address. Metro to Virrei Amat and to see the neighbor. By then Dora has found address of delivery service office, and we grab the neighbor (an old lady) and into a taxi. Get a KM away and find the lady has forgotten to bring her ID. We keep going anyway. Office is way down near Marina metro. Get there a couple of minutes before 1, when they close.

Dora plows in and gets the new envelope, and then gives them a 30-minute tirade about how someone stole documents from the previous envelope. Nothing anyone can say will stop her. Old lady ducks out after 10 minutes or so, into Metro and back home.

Finally we're out at 1:30 or so. Search for a bathroom for Dora, then to Metro, then she needs another bathroom. Then into Metro and to Jaume I.

Find a nice restaurant "Wok Bao" and have a good, long lunch. Dora sorting through lots of documents. Then another 10-minute bathroom stop.

Out, over to govt building in Placa Sant Miguel. She gets all the padrons done, but not her digital certificate. That makes her furious, and she scrawls a big angry complaint and stamps the form 6 times with her doctor's stamp.

Out, and through crowded streets. Find "Travelers Bar", and have coffees and tapas.

Out, and through VERY crowded streets, a bit lost. Into Pi church, and Dora wants holy water but there is none. Up jammed streets, and she disappears into a store. I wait and wait, no sign of her. Eventually I call, she says she's in the church, I go there, no sign of her. Call again, she meant a different church half a mile away on La Rambla. Go to La Rambla, takes us 10 minutes to find each other. Now I'm furious. I'm not going to spend all my life waiting for her and trundling her suitcases full of documents.

Into Metro, we're both furious, she won't sit near me. Same walking home on the streets. Home by 8:45.

Before 10, I'm out for a walk, and I stop in a store to buy one grocery item. Home later, things a bit better between Dora and me. Up after 9:30. Dora out at 11 or so. I went out around 12:45. Long walk down to Parc Cuitadella and Estacio Franca and Born CC, then back. Street art: pics. Home by 3. Out briefly before 4 to grocery store for a few items.

Dora is at some all-day church thing, trying to get in good with the priest so they'll pull some strings about the niece's school. I cooked chicken and pasta for my dinner. Dora home at 8:10, and I'm irritated that she took a taxi instead of the Metro.

Out at 8:55 or so, a little late to see the Barca game starting at 8:45. But within a couple of blocks we found a bar where we could sit at a table just below the huge TV screen. I had to look up a little awkwardly, but otherwise it was fine. Beer for me, coffee for Dora, two plates of tapas, and it was a fun game. Barca won 2-0. Out, hit an ATM, home by 10:50, tired. Up at 8. Dora in a hurry to go out, says we have to go to lawyer at 9. So I'm ready before 9, then she's not in a hurry any more, eating breakfast, making phone calls, not dressed. And then it turns out the lawyer is on vacation, and Consorci won't see her without a cita, so we really don't have to be anywhere until 12:30.

Raining. I'm out to supermarket for groceries, then home, then to Metro. To office to try to pay the fine she incurred last week, but they say it's been filed as a civil offense, can't pay it at the Metro office. I don't know if that means go to a police station or a court, and the notice is going to an address where we can no longer retrieve the mail, so that's a problem. Home after 11.

Finally out before 11:45. Rainy. Metro, and when we connect at Verdaguer, something interesting happens. A ticket-checking stop, and Dora smartly takes the opportunity to show the fine-form to one of the inspectors. He says it's not a fine, it's just something (a complaint, maybe) that the security guard wrote on a Metro form. We shouldn't hear anything more about it. That would be nice; I'll have to double-check this.

To Jaume I, and along the way Dora discovers her cita is for 12:15, not 12:30 as she told me. So we arrive at the govt office about 8 minutes late, but soon we're in. And then Dora has to scramble for her papers; you'd think she'd have them ready after lounging all morning. The clerk gives her some well-deserved grief for not following procedures; she should have applied online before coming here. But she gets her digital certificate application in; should get notified in a week or so.

Out, and we should be on time to her family-doctor appointment at 1:30. But then she takes a 15-20 minute bathroom break, then dawdles outside the building talking on the phone. Eventually to the Metro, to Llucmajor, and longish walk down to the health center.

Where it's SNAFU. Up to her family doctor, no luck there, back downstairs, they say her cita was for this morning, not now. To another doctor, who can't or won't do anything. Back down to reception, then up to see the director. Up to her family doctor again, she gets in to him, but no luck, he won't do anything. Down to reception, then to some administrator, who is helpful but says the paperwork might take a month. So she comes out mad and in pain and with no new prescriptions. It's late and we're tired and hungry.

Up the street to a kebab shop for lunch/dinner. Food is good but my Chicken Tikka Massala is about 1/3 as big as shown on the menu.

Out, and in search of a copy shop. Down to mail counter in El Corte Ingles, but their copier is giving terrible results. Out and along the street, and stumble upon a new shop, part machine-shop and part copy-shop.

Where Dora goes nuts, making 3-4 copies of every document she has, every ID card she has, half of the files on her pen-drive. Takes well over an hour, and costs me €101. And the suitcase and bag I've been lugging are 50% heavier now.

Two doors down to a farmacia, and Dora has good luck, coming away with a big haul of medicines and stuff for €53 of my money.

Down the street a block, and into a nice coffee shop. Coffees and pastries and cookies and relaxation.

Eventually out, longish walk up to Virrei Amat metro, take it to Sagrada Familia. Home after 9:45.

Online, I get a cita for Dora's family doctor in Jerez, for her sister to go and get an important paper. Then Dora tells me the paper has to go to INEM afterward, and miraculously I get a cita for INEM 40 minutes after the doctor cita.

Late dinner of chicken and pasta.

To bed around 1 AM. Found that during the night, Dora had set up shop in the bathroom, with knitting, and computer, and lit candles around a small statue of the Virgin Mary.

Out by 9:45, late for our 10 AM cita at Consorci. Got there by 10:10, had to wait 15+ minutes, then Dora talked about schools with the lady. No spots left at the good private-religious schools, so she didn't make any decision about the niece.

Out, and stopped in a nice cafe for a while. Then walked quite a ways, including into a law office for a while, to find a notary which was close to where we started. [Along the way, Dora dropped her €750 phone, and it landed on the face, but the €15 protector she bought a week ago took the force and cracked badly, saving the phone.] In there for a while, and they said the power-of-attorney usually takes 3 days, but they'll have it for us by 3 this afternoon.

Out, and after some wandering found a nice Indian restaurant, Surfa. Nice lunch/dinner there.

To the notary, and had to wait 30+ minutes. Paid €60 and got the document.

Back to the placa, and into a copy shop for a while.

Into Metro, and to Marina stop, and to MRW shipping store, same one where Dora complained bitterly a couple of days ago. We're in a little after 5, and I figure we'll make it to our 6 PM lawyer appointment comfortably.

But Dora has a meltdown, standing at the counter and writing about 15 pages of complaints, I think [later, she told me I was wrong, she was writing cover-letters to various officials in Jerez about the medical documents]. A solid 90 minutes and she still hasn't sent the documents which have to be in Sanlucar tomorrow. Any time I ask what she's doing or ask her to finish, she bites my head off. Eventually she sends the package of documents. She's into the bathroom, then comes out to announce she forgot to send a couple of documents, which she has to fill out first. So another 45 minutes or so. We're in there for 2 hours and 45 minutes ! Out before 9. I've had enough of this. I'm stuck with her for the next 6 weeks or so as we go to the north for Christmas and then back to Barcelona to get her sister's apartment then to Jerez to move out there, but then something has to change.

Now that she wasted time, she wants to take a taxi to the lawyer, but I insist on the Metro. To F-i-P, walk to lawyer's office, and in. By the time we get there, she's furious again, from talking to her mother on the phone, they're flip-flopping again about moving to Barcelona, complaining about everything Dora has done. She wants to chuck it all out the window, but we have only one more cita to go to for the move, picking a school for the niece.

Lawyer is busy with another client, but Dora starts laying out all the photocopies she made last night, they all have to be sorted. She 3/4-fills his waiting room with papers all over the floor.

Eventually the other client leaves, and Dora starts handing documents to the lawyer. Although she berated me for asking her to do the eviction papers first, the lawyer asks for them first, so that's good.

But he ends up taking only 1/20th or so of all the copies we made. Some others are for hospital, some for Dora. Finally he's done for the day, we have to get out. Remaining papers back into suitcase, and out.

Dora wants a cafe and a farmacia, but in the end gets just a bathroom stop and buys an apple in a cafe. Home after 10:30.

Online, reserved a cheap hotel room for Dora's son for one night as he comes through Barcelona on the 21st. Dora spent half the night in the bathroom again.

Up after 9:45. Online, hotel reservation I made got cancelled for some reason. Made another reservation with different hotel. Out to Consum for groceries.

Long list of errands we could do today, but somehow Dora is not moving. Eventually we're out around 3 to get more groceries, but instead we go to a kebab shop for dinner. Dora falling asleep at the table. To supermarket and home before 4.

And the laundry, which I told Dora not to overload, has failed to spin and dry, and the landlady is mad at us for doing lauindry twice in one week. A big mop-up job to get it onto the lines.

Dora going out at 5:30, to look at an apartment, and to go to a pharmacy. Didn't get to the school or the hospital today.

I went out after Dora, to try to catch up with her at the apartment. But missed her, she went back home, I went back home too. Then we went out. Stopped at a longerie shop for Dora, and I went into the locutorio next door and printed a document. To Metro, and to Vall d'Hebron. To a farmacia, and I parked in the bar next door and had a beer and watched the last 30+ minutes of a Real Madrid game, while Dora did her pharmacy business. She came to fetch me and I gave her another €30 to go with the €70 I gave her earlier.

Out of there, and the pharmacy closed as we left. To ATM for more cash. To other pharmacy, where Dora got more stuff [but later found out it was wrong]. To restaurant for coffees and tapas.

Eventually out, long Metro ride home with Dora sleeping. Home by 10:40.

Dora on late-night call to Sanitas private insurance company, and scheduled tests for tomorrow. I thought Dora had an important medical appointment at 10, but at 10:20 she's still in the bathroom and just starting to shower. I've given up trying to get her out the door on time to anything; it just results in her getting mad at me.

Dora finally ready to go at 10:50, and now we're ina hurry, she wants to take a taxi instead of Metro, and she's mad at me for wanting 2 minutes to shut down my computer. She goes out, and I barely catch up to her on the street. Taxi to Sanitas medical clinic. In and wait about 40 minutes to see a doctor.

She told me she had another medical appointment today at 1:15, but now she says that's for tomorrow.

Dora sorting through a heap of documents, wanting to give things to the doctor, not finding what she wants, he doesn't want most of it. I leave the room while she's examined. Then she's out, and soon to X-ray.

We're out at 12:55. Up the street to a radiology clinic to see about getting an MRI, €500 and they can't do it today. Dora has a friend in another radiology place that might be able to do it today and for cheaper.

To a shop for stationery, then to a Peruvian restaurant for lunch. Out after 3, and Metro to home. Home by 3:30.

Out after 4:30. Long Metro ride to Vall d'Hebron, then I got us off at wrong stop for the school. Back on, off, school is letting out, loads of students and parents. To the front reception desk, and they won't let Dora see the director, they say he's not there and they don't know if he'll be in tomorrow, but she doesn't believe it.

Back to Metro station cafe, and Dora is messaging about getting an MRI tonight. Her friend say there's a discount available through a web site, but it takes us 3 or 4 credit cards before one will work. MRI scheduled for midnight (!). [Later, Dora said really scheduled for midnight-20.]

Out of cafe, need an emergecy bathroom stop, eventually find another cafe with a bathroom. Coffee and a sandwich there.

Into Metro, 2 stops to Vall d'Hebron. First to one farmacia, then to another where they won't take back the wrong thing they gave us yesterday (some back tomorrow morning when the owner is here !), back to first farmacia, buy another €70 of stuff.

Into Metro, long ride home, home by 9. Tired.

Out around 11:40. To Metro, L5 to Sants Estacio. Connected to L3, and we might have gotten the last train before the line closed for the night. To Maria Cristina, and longish walk up to the Sanitas clinic. In, downstairs, eventually found Reception.

Dora into the imaging area at 12:50. I lounged and listened to MP3s and felt tired. Dora out again at 1:55. She had a dorsal MRI and a lumbar MRI for €300 total.

Somewhere in here, I find out that not only did Dora reactivate her old private (Sanitas) insurance that had been lapsed for 2 years, but she has put me and her son on it too. For a total of €280 per month. Would have been nice for her to ask me first. If I stay in the NHS too, I'll be paying another €60 per month for that. Seems like a lot of money to me, but I guess by USA standards it's not.

Walked back down to Avinguda Diagonal. Debated taking a taxi, but the N12 bus came in 5 minutes and we took it. Reasonable ride to Placa Catalunya, then a tough time finding the stop for the N9 bus, and we got unlucky and had to wait 15+ minutes for it.

Home by 3:30 AM. To bed by 4. Up at 8. Too much stuff to do today.

Out at 9:30 or so, but then Dora stopped in the Metro station for a coffee and a long conversation with someone on the phone. So we were 10 minutes late for our cita at Consorci, and had to wait half an hour to be seen. Then it took an hour at the counter, surprising to me. Somehow we found out a new rule on our 3rd or 4th visit to here: you have to live or work near the school to enroll children in it, so the fancy school Dora wanted in Sarria is out of bounds. She signed up the niece for a school pretty close to the sister's apartment here. Now we have to go there and put down a deposit and do paperwork and hope everything is okay. They probably won't like it that we didn't talk to them first.

We take the Metro to F-i-P, and I thought medical paperwork and then medical blood test for Dora were the key items. But she goes into a bank and spends almost 2.5 hours there. Okay, her ATM card PIN needed to be reset or something. But then she found out the guy would change her pension/insurance funds, which she'd been trying to do for years, so she did that and just spent hours doing it, wrecking the plans for the day.

Out, and to lunch in Heron City Center. We're starved and cold and falling asleep. First course is good, second course just okay, desserts are terrific. Dora's eyes keep closing, and I'm tired. I start taking pictures when she falls asleep in mid-writing. Pics. To be fair, her sleepiness is aided by medicines. But when I try to get her out and to the medical clinic, she wants to sit and write Christmas cards ! This is our last weekday here before Christmas, we have lot of important errands to do.

Finally we get out, and next door to the mailing counter. Slow line, I want to skip it, but Dora jumps it and tries to hand in 6 or 8 stamped Christmas cards. She finds out all the stamps are wrong. We leave.

To medical clinic, and we spend about 2.5 hours there. Dora gets her whole family registered on the health system, and my paperwork to transfer my registration is started, apparently. Eventually Dora gets seen by a family doctor, and gets a bunch of prescriptions that will let her get money back on stuff she already bought. But a key piece of paper that will qualify her for unemployment payments is stuck in limbo between Andalucia and Catalunya, maybe sabotaged by her doctor back in Andalucia.

Out, and it's a struggle to get home. To mailing counter in El Corte Ingles, send a bunch of cards, with me correcting addresses and gluing flaps and the lady correcting postage and Dora trying to write more cards on the spot. Out, and heading for Metro, but Dora stops twice to talk with friends, stops in a phone shop for new case and protector for her phone, wants to stop in a cafe, wants to go into stores. Sole falls off her right shoe, but she says she can walk fine without it. I keep pushing her along; we need to get home. Finally into the Metro at Virrei Amat.

Home before 9:30. Took a Migrapac. Dora starts cooking up a storm, when all she should do is heat up the big pot of quinoa and meat she cooked yeaterday.

Dora is pleased with our progress today, but we failed to: get to the school to register, get to the pharmacy, get her MRI report, get her blood test done. Up at 8:30.

Dora out before 11:30, mad at me for not going with her. Seems she's mainly going to the beauty parlor, although for some reason she's trundling a whole suitcase of documents with her. And then I think she's going to some religious meeting/dinner, which certainly I do not want to go to.

I loafed, did internet, napped, enjoyed the peace and quiet. Dora back before 2:30.

Big dinner of quinoa, rice, chicken, kiwi fruit.

Out with Dora at 5:40 or so. Metro, connect, out at Liceu on La Rambla. Up 3 or 4 blocks to church, she's going to some dinner nearby associated with the church. Dinner with some couple and nuns and priests. She wants me to go, but no thanks.

I wander down La Rambla to the harbor, but it's too cold to really enjoy. Up past Museu Maritim and towards Rambla Raval, and then there are lots of police and fire trucks etc. Something burned at upper end of Rambla Raval. More trucks arriving as I got back to Liceu. Into metro and home.

Right back out, and looking for a place to print tomorrow's bus tickets. Took a while to find a place. Home by 8:05.

Found a bunch of malware on the USB drive I took to the printing place.

Dora still not home by midnight-thirty. She finally arrived at 1:45. She had a good time at the church-thing, lots of interesting people she could relate to. She chatters away and we don't get to sleep until about 2:30. Up at 8. Dora out at 8:45, to health clinic to try to pick up papers.

And she's gone all morning. We're supposed to be out by noon at the latest; the landlady would like us out sooner, but we have to kill 10+ hours until our bus to the north, so we want to stay here as long as possible.

I get antsy as the time gets to 11, then 11:30. Dora not responding to messages. And I've been warning her for days that our stuff will not fit into our suitcases; she's been buying coats and other stuff here in Barcelona, and our already-too-much stuff has grown by 50%.

Before noon, I start piling stuff into suitcases and bags, and move it out into the entranceway. Surrender the keys to the landlady's husband. Out of the room by 12:10 or so. Still no Dora.

No Dora until 1:10. And instantly she's mad at me for not packing properly or something, and maybe because some other stuff didn't go well this morning, I don't know. She packs, while fuming at me, and she's packing some stuff I would just abandon here, food and shampoo and such.

Finally we're out of the apartment by 1:45 or so. We have so much stuff that it has to be moved in relays, once person guarding the keys bags holding our money and documents and such while the other person shuttles the big suitcases and bags.

Down through the elevator and out to the sidewalk. Hail a taxi pretty easily. Load it up and off to her church association near Liceu on La Rambla. Takes 5 or 10 minutes to get someone to come out and open up, but we're able to move our stuff into their entranceway and leave it there for the afternoon.

Down a block or two, and into "365" restaurant. Settle into comfy chairs and start buying food. Plug in the chargers, start using the Wi-Fi, use the bathrooms. We're in no hurry to go anywhere.

But Dora has an appointment to meet a priest at 4, so she's off to that. I sit in the restaurant, guarding a couple of bags of our stuff, using the Wi-Fi, dozing a bit.

Around 5:30, she calls, and I go to meet her at the church association. She has our stuff out in the street already. But it takes us a good 45 minutes to get a taxi, especially because we need a big one. Finally off to the bus station.

Taxi dumps us out across the street from the station, and we have to relay the stuff across and down an elevator and into a cafe inside the station. I'm not hungry, but Dora is.

We sit in there until the place closes at 9. More waiting, until bus arrives and starts loading at 10:30. Dora furious at me again; I'm not loading the luggage the way she wants, but she can't tell me how she wants it, etc. Finally onto the bus and it departs at about 10:50.

Free Wi-Fi on board, but the lighting and charging systems aren't working, so can't use the Wi-Fi much. Through the city to Sants Estacio, then out of the city. Brief stop at Lleida. Pretty comfortable trip, except the people in front of us recline their systems as far as possible, forcing us to do the same. Half-hour stop at Zaragoza; Dora orders a bunch of drinks, too much.

Change of driver, and the new one gets the AV system working. Now we have USB power for charging phones, and I can use the Wi-Fi. Bus makes a brief stop at Vitoria, then at Bilbao, then to Laredo. We get off there. 20-minute wait in cold weather.

Onto a bus to Ampuero, and it drops us off 15-20 minutes later. We're about 4-5 blocks from our destination, it turns out, but half of it is uphill, and we have to relay all this heavy stuff. No taxis available. So I do most of the relaying, and we get there and a neighbor lets us into the house.

Everything into the house by 9:25.

Nice house, but Dora says there is no internet here (major bummer). And can't get the heat turned on; have to send a message to Dora's sister to find out how. Fiddled with a thermostat and got the radiators heating up, but the house is dead cold, so it will take a while to warm up.

Dora made an egg-toast-hotdog breakfast.

Now I'm told there IS internet. Found a Jazztel box, powered it on, got connected.

Out around 1:30. Long walk into town of Ampuero. We're between towns here, and really need a car for most things, especially in this cold, damp, slightly windy weather. Apparently bull-fighting is big here: pics. To Correos, and stuck behind one woman whose operation took a long time. Mailed Christmas cards.

To a shop to buy more cards, then a cafe for bathrooms and coffees and sandwiches. Dora falling asleep as she writes cards, and I'm having trouble keeping my eyes open too.

To Dia for groceries. Out, and decided to wait for a bus instead of walking. Waited 10+ minutes for the bus, got on, and found it took us only about 1/2 of the way before dumping us off. There's a govt stop right at our turnoff, but apparently this bus doesn't stop there. Home by 3:45, hauling the groceries, Dora home before 4, talking on the phone.

She's on the phone to the niece's new school in Barcelona, and the news is good. We're getting a bunch of questions answered, the school is cooperative, tuition is low, etc.

I take a shower and crash for a nap.

Up at 6:30, to find bad news: Dora's parents and niece are traveling from Sanlucar to here today, and missed their connection in Barcelona because her father wandered off and got lost in the airport. They're arriving only a couple of hours later, but that blows up the arrangements to meet them at Bilbao airport and get them to here in Ampuero, because they have to go Bilbao-Laredo-Ampuero, and buses stop running after a certain time, and people have to work tomorrow morning, etc. I bought the airline tickets for them, and marked everything as "they need assistance in the airport", but maybe I should have said that forcefully to Dora's sister, or maybe the airline dropped the ball, or maybe they refused help, I don't know.

And Dora is wiped out, falling asleep, unable to monitor the situation very well. Her sister and brother-in-law in Bilbao will have to fix it.

Then suddenly everything is fine: brother-in-law arrives at 8:55 with car full of people and luggage. He has sacrificed his sleeping time before working a shift early tomorrow.

Greetings, food, talk, food, talk. Up at 10:15, feeling headachey and a bit of a cold. Took an ibuprofen-codeine packet.

Suddenly the four other people (Dora, parents, niece) are in the kitchen as I'm getting my cereal, and they're talking loudly. I'm grumpy in the morning; I like a quiet munch while I do computer and slowly wake up. Here we have a whole house, but in Barcelona we're (all plus sister) planning to stay in sister's apartment together for at least a month or two. I don't know if I can survive that.

Out at 1 or so, Dora and her father and niece and I. Long walk down to Ampuero. To a bank, to open an account for Dora's father, and I used the ATM. To Correos, where Dora kept us waiting almost 45 minutes as she filled out Christmas cards and mailed them. Pic. To a cafe, where the niece consumed a huge amount of sweets and drinks. To Dia for groceries. Hauled them home by 4:40. Dora stayed in town, in a beauty parlor.

Headachey again; took an ibuprofen-codeine packet.

Dora not home until 8:40. Now she has straight straight straight hair.

Took a sumatriptan. Before bed, took a Nolotil and a vitamin C. Up at 10. Dora had some big argument with her parents about a pair of shoes they can't find.

Much more serious: renters in Barcelona are saying they might not get out on Dec 31. We're arriving Jan 2 and 4, niece starts school Jan 8, so this would be a major problem. Dora trying to call the lawyer, furious that he isn't answering. The renters also are threatening to terminate the utilities, and it might take us weeks to get them turned on again. I half-expected this to happen. AirBNB for a month would cost us $1700 or more.

Dora gave me some anti-flu pill. Then she and I and her father walked to town. To bank, to Correos, to sewing shop, father bought groceries. Pics. I hauled everything home, while they stayed in town (probably to hit a cafe).

Headachey again; took an ibuprofen-codeine packet.

Ribs and rice for dinner. Then Dora out in car to visit someone in a psychiatric hospital. I took paracetamol-plus, and laid down for a nap. Still have headache later; took Nolotil.

Dora home after 8:30. I'm feeling lousy; she gives me a bunch of pills and a hot drink, I go to bed, and eventually start feeling a little better.

Then a mess. Heat is not working, and as I get up to ask Dora about it again, she's cooking in the kitchen and has managed to fill the kitchen with choking smoke, and the smoke-alarms go off. She thinks it's funny, but no one else does. Open doors to clear the smoke, house is colder than ever, and eventually the alarms stop.

Finally figure out the lack of heat. The water-heater in the kitchen provides hot water for both sinks/showers and the radiators, and it's stopped working. Fiddle around, and find that the electric wall-switch near it is bizarre: flipped one way, the stove fan works; flipped the other way, the water-heater works. We flipped it to "fan" during dinner today, and never flipped it back. Why in the world the switch is wired this way, shared between the two, is a mystery. House starts heating up, and I start feeling a bit better with the heat.

Still have a headache later. I take a sumatriptan, and 6 more pills that Dora gives me. Up after 9. No wonder this house is cold: someone keeps opening the bathroom windows and leaving them open. Dora arguing with her father about not taking his medicines.

Finally got Dora to call the lawyer in Barcelona repeatedly until she got through. We need the renters out of the apartment there by Jan 2 when we arrive, less than 2 weeks from now. And apparently the lawyer hasn't been doing anything. Now he says, send €1500 today and he'll do the eviction. So we have to scramble to get the money and send it. Lovely.

Out before noon, Dora and I and father and niece. I'm amazed that Dora plans to walk to Ampuero, do stuff there, then catch a bus to Bilbao. We're starting way too late in the day to do all of that.

We walk into Ampuero, I get cash at ATM, we send €1000 to the lawyer (turns out Dora said the amount wrong because her mother was listening; don't ask). To sewing shop, then to Dia to pick up the turkey we ordered, and her father headed home with it. To sewing shop again, then to bus stop, and it's clear the bus to Laredo runs every 90 minutes or so, not every 30 as Dora said, and we missed one 12-20 minutes ago. Into bank and the cafe, get Wi-Fi, find out many buses to/from Bilbao today are full. We decide to go tomorrow, not today. Lounge in the cafe, then hurry to Correos to mail several Christmas cards (the last, I hope). Home just after 3.

Around 3:30, a total power failure in the house. I'm pretty sure the guys working on the power on the house next door have caused it. None of our breakers have tripped. One of the guys comes in to look. Later I find out he said the humidity did it, he just turned the breakers off and back on and everything worked. But Dora said she was running washing machine, microwave and oven at the same time. So maybe that did it, without tripping breakers ? Weird. Or maybe there's another breaker-box somewhere that I don't know about ?

Headache and feeling bad in the evening. Various pills, capped with Nolotil late in the night. Up at 6:30. Struggle to get the gas-heater working. Out with Dora and niece around 7:30. Down to bus-workshop, and waited for bus to Laredo. Fortunately it came to where we expected; if we'd missed it, that would have knocked a hole in the day. A bit of awkwardness with the tickets on the mobile; they didn't display well, and the driver was grumpy. But, off to Laredo.

Arrived there, 20 minutes in coffee shop and bathrooms, then bus to Bilbao. Arrived around 9:15. Soon hooked up with Dora's son (who flew in from Barcelona) and her middle sister (who came by bus from Jerez). We weren't sure if they were going to head to Ampuero, but they decided to put their luggage in storage and spend the day with us in Bilbao.

So, after food and bathrooms, to the Metro. Two stops, and up and into El Corte Ingles. Then about 2 hours of mostly-waiting while we ordered school uniforms for the niece, to be picked up at their store near our apartment in a week or more. I paid €290; hope they are good for a couple of years.

Out and down the street to another half of the Corte Ingles, this time to order books for the niece for school. Long wait, lots of delay getting the book-list from the school. Most of our group bailed and went to the Starbucks on the ground floor. Dora and I stayed until it was confirmed that most of the books are not available, we'll have to try bookstores in Barcelona. Down to Starbucks.

Eventually the third/youngest sister showed up, from work nearby. Out onto the street, and it's like herding cats. I expected son and youngest sister to head off to Ampuero in the car, but instead we're going into shops, looking for a restaurant, no one sure what we're doing. And all the restaurants are full at this hour. Finally Dora and I peel off and go our own way.

Several blocks down toward the old town, looking into 6 or 8 restaurants. Eventually find one with a basement area that is mostly empty. Decent food, not too pricey, and we can relax a little.

Out before 5, and into a nearby arts/cultural center (Azkuna Zentroa) that's pretty interesting-looking, but all concrete and quite cold. Bathroom stop, some pictures, then it's time to head for the Metro. I'm tired and falling asleep.

To Metro, two stops to bus station, find niece and middle sister right away. Soon onto the bus. I try to sleep most of the way to Laredo. Quick connect, onto bus to Ampuero. Off that bus near home, leave the sisters with the heavy luggage to be picked up by car, and niece and I walk home, getting there before the car. Home before 7:30. Tired.

And the house is a bit of a madhouse, with the two 3.5-year-old twins in residence now, with their parents too. Now 11 of us here. And two enormous turkeys in the fridge.

Still slightly headachey; took a paracetamol-plus. To bed early, partly to get some peace. Up at 9:30 or so. Bathrooms busy. And no heat; they don't believe in running the heat here, partly to save money. No muesli, so tea and a sandwich for breakfast. Grey and raining outside. But we're okay.

3/4 of the way through my breakfast, and suddenly Dora says they're waiting for us outside in the car. Head out, into car, off to a big mall near Santander. Do some Christmas shopping, home by 1:15 or so.

Watched first half of El Clasico football game (Barca vs Real Madrid) on a laptop, with various pauses and freezes.

I crashed for a nap, missed the second half of the game. Just as well; sister's husband here is a serious Madrid fan, I'm a Barca fan, and Barca scored 3 goals to win 3-0, he's not happy.

Dinner, and various frictions. We ate the bread the sister's husband wanted, niece arguing with Dora about something, people getting on each other's nerves. Finally things quieted down, niece went out, sister agreed to turn on the heat in the house, twins went to sleep.

Out after 6 with Dora. Walked into Ampuero, through grey and wet and foggy and still streets. To sewing shop and picked up a couple of coats that had new buttons sewn onto them. To a supermercado; eye-catching advertisement there: pic. To a panderia for bread. Tried to find anywhere to buy Christmas cards and/or a charger for a laptop, failed. Sat in a bus stop until I got tired of waiting for Dora to move, and started walking home. Intercepted by sister and husband in car, declined a ride, then they picked up Dora, then intercepted again and got in and we went home before 7:30. I stayed, Dora and other sister went out with them in the car again.

At home, watching TV with the twins, dancing with the twins, etc. They say I talk funny, because my Spanish is pathetic.

Online, reserved hotel room in Barcelona for 2 days. Not sure what situation we're going to find when we arrive there, in terms of occupying the sister's apartment. So we'd better have somewhere to stash the luggage and sleep, while we're trying to sort out the apartment. Out around noon, walking to center of Ampuero with the twins in a double-stroller. To some shops, eventually we all ended up in a cafe: Dora, me, niece, son, twins, one sister. Lots of unhealthy sweets consumed. The other left before 3 to get the twins home for lunch; Dora and I later.

Some dinner at 5 or so.

Pic. Dinner starting around 11:30. Many people eating different things: Dora and I each got a huge turkey drumstick, and most of the southern crew eating some turkey, but the northerners seem to go for pork or something else. A couple of plates of big grilled shrimp; delicious. We drank a couple of bottles of sparkling wine.

To bed by 2 or so. Up at 10 or so. Major present-opening started at 10:30 or so, with the three children in the middle, a screen of women around them, and most of us men sitting on the outside and watching and eating a little. Lots of presents. The twins got rocking-horses that were fine until the father installed batteries and the horses played some loud cowboy-song every time they were used. Chocolate and churros for a late breakfast, yum. Pics. Up at 10 or so. Headache; took ibuprofen and later paracetamol.

Out around noon with Dora and niece and sister. Walked to Ampuero. Into Santander bank. Then to a cafe. Took another paracetamol. Then to sewing shop. Then Dia for groceries. I hauled them home while Dora went to Correos. Dora home an hour later; everything was closed.

Gas repairman came, and found something wrong with the heater. Needs a new part, maybe fixed in 2 days.

Middle sister left around 5, taking buses back to Sanlucar.

Out at 10 to meet Dora coming home in the rain from Ampuero.

Windy outside before midnight. Very windy outside.

Before 11, Dora comes out of shower and suddenly announces she's late to meet someone in town. If she'd told me earlier, I could have showered first and gone with her to carry her bags.

Before noon, raining and a pretty good clap of thunder.

Before 2, Dora finally answers my messages, says she's in town and forgot to take the important legal documents she needs to send. So I suit up and head out. No rain for first 1/2 KM, then some rain. Cold.

To Correos, Dora is there, I wait while she sends things, we pay €82. Out after closing, to cafe in center. Dora wants to dawdle, but I want to head home before it starts raining again. We go fairly soon, but get caught in hail and heavy rain. I'm soaked to the knees by the time I get home, at 3:30 or so.

Dora and I forgot about an appointment she had in Laredo at 5. She had to do it by phone instead, I think.

Horsing around and helping the niece to do some gymnastics, she manages to fall on my chest and I think I may have a small crack in a rib or two.

Dora finally got through to the lawyer in Barcelona, he has filed some eviction papers, but I doubt the renters will be out when we arrive on Jan 2. We have a hotel for 2 nights, but then niece and Dora's parents arrive on Jan 4. Might have to scramble to find somewhere to stay. Up at 9:15, to find that the water-heater is dead, the gauge is saying zero, nothing I do revives it. So no heat or hot water. And when Dora starts heating three pots of water on the stove, the electric breakers start flipping, the system can't handle that load.

Then Dora announces she has a nail appointment at 10, and by 10:10 she's still not out the door. She has to be in Laredo by 12 or 12:30, which means catching the 11 AM bus.

Weather grey, cold and raining.

Dora out around 10:20. I shave with hot water from the stove, skip the shower. Shoes still fairly wet from yesterday. Out around 10:50. Down to bus stop at car workshop, through rain. Bus arrives after 11, fortunately Dora is on it, we're off to Laredo.

Sit in Laredo bus station and have coffees and nibbles while Dora does some paperwork. Then to doctor's office around 12:20, and she's out at 1.

To Correos next door, and I fork over €160 to pay off a six-year-old debt that Dora has on her record. [But later she shows me another one for €322 that she can't even find out who she owes it to.] To a nail salon, they're busy, come back later. To farmacia through rain and wind.

Look for restaurant, most are closed, find one, go upstairs. Menu del dia comes with an entire bottle of red wine for the two of us. Good food, and I drink well more than half the bottle of wine, which is a lot for me. Pics. We wobble out after 2:45, and to nail salon.

I wait and snooze while Dora has her nails done, and pay €20 for it. Hustle to bus station through wind and rain, and get the 4 PM bus with 4-5 minutes to spare. Not raining in Ampuero; home by 4:30. Up at 7:15 or so, to find the usual SNAFU. Dora wants to take the 7:45 bus to Laredo with her son to catch a bus to Bilbao, but she's not in the shower yet and her son is not up yet. I don't want to go. I give her my remaining €60 of cash; someone else will have to pay the gas-repairman this morning.

I get online and find buses to Bilbao are sold out until 11:40. Dora says okay, do that. I buy tickets for them on the 11:40 bus, Dora into shower, I guess they're going to take the 9:30 bus out of Ampuero. Also buy connector tickets for Dora and I to leave on Monday. Also do bank-transfer of €200 to pay for niece's schoolbooks.

Gas repairman showed up at 8:15 as promised. Heater seems to be working by 8:35.

At last minute, Dora has me buy more bus tickets, back from Bilbao tonight. Then at VERY last minute at 9:25, Dora and son dash out to the 9:30 bus to Laredo, they might miss it. But by 10 they weren't back, so I guess they caught it.

I go back to bed at 10:30, up at noon. Some hot water for the shower, but it's still not working well, lots of cold water too.

Walked into Ampuero around 1, to hit ATM and then get groceries at Dia. Nice day.

Playing with the twins in the street and yard. Exhausting, and they like to pick up the most dangerous things they can find and bash them into other things.

Heat not working at all by evening. Need the repairman again. And later I found windows open in both bathrooms; no wonder we're cold.

Out at 9:15, met bus from Laredo at 9:20. Dora and Bryan got off, with not much lugagge. Her sister stayed late in Bilbao; not sure if or how she's going to get home tonight. And their day in Laredo and Bilbao was a fiasco, like many of my days with Dora: stayed late in beauty parlor, so missed bus to Bilbao, got tickets changed for little money, but the government office that was their main reason for going was closed by the time they got there. More time wasted as they went back and forth in Bilbao, and Dora spending more money and time in a pharmacy buying stuff. Her son is exasperated, waste of his day. Welcome to my life.

And despite my messages to Dora, son and sister at 6:30, no one called the gas repairman, the sister will call tomorrow. Argh !

Dora cooked food for us, and between cooking and hair-dryers upstairs, the breakers tripped again.

Sister arrived home around 10:15. I think she didn't call the gas repair earlier because she assumed we weren't operating the heater properly. But soon she realized it's faulty. Called the company. Dora up with a bad coughing fit at 3 AM. I got up, bathroom, tea, went back to bed. Dora manages to trip the house breakers several times, heating water and such, and I have to get up and reset them.

Then she's calling me to breakfast at 5:30 ! I get up at 5:45, eat the breakfast, find out she expects me and her and sister and son to catch 7:45 bus to Laredo and then a train to Santander to do shopping for the New Year's Holiday ! No, I'm not going, and I'll be amazed if the son goes. I do the dishes and go back to bed.

Dora comes in every hour or so to try to get me up, and to announce that plans have slipped, plans have changed. And she says the gas repairman won't come until Tuesday; if he came earlier, we'd have to pay another €45 for an emergency call. Eventually Dora is going out by herself at 9 or so, to the center of Ampuero.

Ribs still protesting a bit if I lie on my stomach in bed. Have to haul a lot of heavy luggage on Monday and Tuesday; hope it's not a problem.

I get up at 9:30. Somehow the heat is working, and there's a bucket of warm water in the shower. I shave and sponge-shower.

I find out that a gas repairman came this morning, replaced something, didn't charge for the service call.

In the afternoon, low batteries in the thermostat, heat not working again because of that.

Around 1:45, played with the twins, then went for a walk down to Limpias. As I got back at 2:30, Dora was getting into a taxi to Laredo; the afternoon buses don't run today because it's Saturday.

Dora coming back around 7:20, but it took me 3 trips to the bus stop area and lots of waiting before we finally connected and got home by 8:30 or so. She missed her stop on the way in, then took the next bus back out, but stood in the shadows so I didn't find her.

Played videogames with the niece, then she wanted some yoga/gymnastics, and the muscles on my hurt ribs went "ping" when I lifted her, she's too heavy and I'm too old for that. Took an ibuprofen; I had a headache anyway.

Online, bought plane tickets for Dora and I to go back to Jerez in second half of January, to close out our apartment there. Up at 10. Hot water still not quite right, keeps cutting out as I shower. But there's enough hot water to make it tolerable.

Out after noon with Dora, walked into Ampuero. I thought we were going to just two places, but she kept adding to the list as we went. Stopped at Caixa ATM, picked up coats at sewing shop, Dia is closed, groceries at Lupa, hauled them home by 1:45.

Very good news from the lawyer in Barcelona: the renters there have surrendered the keys to him. So the 5 of us arriving there this week (in two stages) will have an apartment to live in. Now to arrange the utilities and furniture.

Headache, and ribs aching: took an ibuprofen. Dinner. Nap.

Long wait for the big dinner at 11 or so. Finally we cheated and several of us started filling plates and eating. Five minutes later the rest came down from upstairs and we all had dinner. Mostly chicken and pork and a potato salad and deviled eggs.

At midnight, watched a countdown on TV, hugs all around, sparkling wine, wishes for a good new year. Lots of loud bangs outside, none right in our street, but certainly lots within a mile or two.

Then gathering suitcases and going outside for a walk, in a wish for traveling in the coming year. I've had enough of traveling for a while (Peru, Vienna, Jerez, Barcelona, Ampuero, soon Barcelona, Jerez, back to Barcelona). So as a joke I carried the smallest bag I could find, my little toiletries kit, in hopes of "not much traveling this year". Dora and sister and niece and me. Cold outside. Some nice aerial fireworks in the direction of Ampuero as we neared the top of the street. To the main street corner and back.

Then Dora wants to walk into the center of Ampuero to join some festivities, but I'm getting into bed. I thought she went out with her sister, but an hour later she comes into the room and says she didn't go anywhere, no one was willing to go with her.