Notes from abroad

I've been very, very lazy over the last three weeks (as my weight gain shows) I did, however, manage to write some things down, so here are my thoughts of 'abroad' (when home is Germany that is).

- Spain is hot & airless, especially in the morning, there is a breeze but you either have to go to the beach (which involves cycling or driving) or wait by the pool for the breeze that picks up in the afternoon.
- I have loved doing 40-50 minutes of yoga on the balcony first thing - well by first thing I mean 9.30 ish, any earlier & it's too early, any later and the sun is too high & burns my head and gets in my eyes. I find it sets me up for a day of doing...nothing, and sorts all the kinks out of my spine from the previous day's lying on the sun lounger.
- Si has been getting very cross about the crapness of the technology here (which amuses me no end), whilst on holiday, no 3G, the internet connection is shite etc etc etc - we're on holiday, so why is it such an insurmountable problem?
- Since we were here last year they've set up a paintball area just behnd the tennis courts (which are in front of our balcony) so instead of hearing the gentle thunking of ball on racket we get the rattle of machine gun fire from midday through to the evening, it's quite bizarre.
- Tried really hard not to get burnt to a cinder this year by applying factor 50 on both me and the kids (Si can take care of himseslf) but it bewilders me that Jas gets a better, deeper and more consistant tan than I do, when she spends all her time in the pool upside down doing handstands. Factor 50 is definitely the way to go though, no burning and no peeling - result!
- The beach is great for people watching, although sunglasses are a necessity. There are bodies of all shapes and sizes out there and clad in all manner of things too...sprayed on, bacofoil silver teeny trunks, not quite the brevity of speedos but they certainly had the budgie smuggler capability, then there are the young girls with just their bikini bottoms on, flaunting their perfect tans as much as their perfectly pert boobies (certainly an eye opener for the younger boys) the older matrons with their sensible one pieces, whose lycra is seriously stressed with the job of covering the ample girth. Younger boys, stylishly wearing their boxers under their (big 'n baggy) board shorts, making sure that the waist band and logo (of the boxers) is visible, and then there were the two girls sunbathing, I had to look twice before I spotted their teensy weensy thongs, clearly the only way to get an immaculate seamless tan (without trekking off to a nudist beach that is).
- Aren't beaches sandy? A little sea breeze on a scorching day is wonderful but I hadn't expected to get exfoliated at the same time, after a shower, a swim and another shower I was still finding sand in unexpected places.
- I worked hard at catching up on my chinese food intake. The one and only restaurant near us in Germany has seriously reduced its menu and was quite disappointing the last time we were there, but in the tiny little Spanish town where we stayed there is a very good chinese, is two visits in a 10 day period overdoing my MSG intake? Or just readjusting my yearly balance maybe?

Might manage to tell you about my week in England next time, we were in Spain Saturday through to a week on Wednesday then we had two nights at home (just enough time to unpack and repack) before flying off to England on the Friday before finally coming home six days later. I have caught up on the washing but somehow the ironing mountain just keeps growing...