Why can't the weather make its mind up?

No dawn just a gradual lightening until once again darkness descended but that was just the street lights being rested for the daylight hours. It wasn't cold but there was no evidence of yesterday's rain. A good day to cross the river and explore the South Side. Could be a line from a western but The Searchers was on the other night. To see John Wayne not sounding like John Wayne was one thing but to hear 'Ol Mose sounding less like he should than you could conceive just made me smile and press a button. South Side, then. We'll go after another coffee and we'd better visit the Orange/Vodaphone/Movistar/Youigo shops to sort out some internet for next week. No hurry but
now we won't need coats and we'll not bother with bags, either.

Out onto the prom and hang a left and left again and we need to ascend a slope, you wouldn't call it a hill but we felt that we ought to ensure that we didn't become totally dependent on escalators for our daily bread.

In the short walk to the top the Farmacia said 14. The traffic lights at the crossroads were casting shadows. Forget the phone shops. Up to the railway, cross the new bridge and it was hotter and blue. Entirely blue. The Farmacia, or one of them as there seem to be loads, on the other side said 16. There is a very large supermercado opposite a school. It's playtime. It always seems to be playtime so we hasten past aware that it is getting hotter.

Ahead of us we glimpse a spangly sea between the low rise apartimentos and that becomes our goal. To the right a modern development requires occupiers as do all of them it seems but as we walk briskly past, a hill hives into view. We walked under it last week, I think. Its gentle slopes, stony paths and the anticipation of what lay over it encouraged us to begin our ascent. If it was strenuous
we'd not have bothered but it posed no difficulty and was a very pleasant unintended walk.

The summit proved well worth the insignificant effort we'd made and the vista was splendid. The eastern hemisphere was full of the spangly sea which had provided us with our initial impulse. To the south a long way off and barely distinguisable high rise melted into the haze, to the west barren hills, mountains by our standards, summits topped with aerial arrays but, thankfully, not a horizon
destroying windmill in sight. To the north a spread of lowish rise edificios and apartimentos were laid over the gently shelving coastal strip with only Voldemort's towers appearing as fangs assaulting the distant view. In the mid foreground some Lego inspired Ikea influenced blocks stood out like a sore thumb but overall we were pleased to see what we saw.

Essentially just what you'd expect, nothing to attract the casual admirer, nothing to drive them away, but we knew that down there, between us and the harbours arms there was just that hint of colour and in that hint was a tiny area of tall narrow brightly painted houses making a warren of narrower canyons that were a cool joy to wander about in. Whichever way we looked that tiny area in which we are temporarily domiciled was the only one we felt that we'd like to be in.

Sitting on a rock basking in smugness was easy but we were basking in sunshine. Hot shelterless sunshine. It was getting hotter all the time and after longer than we ought to have stayed we noticed a youthful couple skimpily attired sitting about 50m away and far below. Stout shoes, jeans and a thick shirt was not optimal.

Our return was slow and dust rose behind us but along the foreshore it was very pleasant until quite near our goal. We had already begun thinking of cold sugary refreshing drinks when we were overwhelmed with a smell that verged on the nauseating. We had to pass over the lowest bridge on the little river which wasn't so little, nor was the flood covering the road and surrounding area. The river was a grey opaque minestrone of sewage. In the road and to each side of it manhole covers were hydraulically lifted enough to release the pressure below allowing much unpleasantness to billow forth.

We billowed forth, too. More briskness than two tired and hot people ought to be able to summon but we passed over as opposed to through. A few moments later as the drama was left behind I was instructed to photograph all the houses in order capturing them and, it was stressed, their house numbers. That bodes well, I thought.

Moments later and we're back. I made straight for the fridge. The second place we both went for was the balcony. I failed to get the favoured spot but at least I was able to provide refreshment. I was also nearest indoors, so I was further instructed to provide pan y allioli y olives. Olives were not available so it was almonds instead. I wouldn't mind but I'm instructed to do a carbonara later. I guess we all need a day off every fortnight.

Thus began the hottest two hours I've had since we've been here. Alas, the clear sky meant that once the sun had passed over the temperature fell swiftly to a more manageable number. What it was I've no idea but it was up there. It'll get warmer again after 1900, it always seems to when I take a glass of whatever when I get the balcony to myself.

The South Side can be explored another day but we'd better do something about 3G. Dreckly.

I have to keep reminding myself that it's January.


A tree and a torre.