Merry Christmas!

After the early morning church service...

...it's time for a photo session. Well, it's not every day I get to wear my black hat.

And while the turkey cooks, it's time for a walk up the camino.

I built this cairn!

Behind us in the distance, the Ports de Beceite, the mountains between us and the Mediterranean.

It's present opening time! (With a bottle of Cava of course!)

And then it is time for Christmas dinner with sprouts! (And the special bottle of wine we bought in Galicia in July.)

Hona gets her teeth into her Christmas present from Aunty Eileen.

Christmas pudding, a Christmas candle table decoration and a Pointsettia - could this be any other day?

Note my change of jumper, a special Christmas jumper from Eileen and then the crackers, a present from Sara,...

...and another present from Sara, a piece of Cornish Serpentine - what a brilliant gift!

But just like any other day it must end. Pity, it was so good.

My best Christmas present ever!

Last March, just before we visited Rome, I noticed that the vision in my left eye had deteriorated so I popped into our optician who took a look and suggested I visit my doctor. The doctor conducted his eye test by asking me how many fingers he was holding up just to make sure I wasn't totally blind. However, he referred me to the local hospital which I visited in June and they confirmed I had a cataract and I was put on the waiting list.

A month ago I was given the choice of having the operation carried out at our local hospital sometime next summer or at a hospital in Zaragoza in around 1 month.

The Hospital Nuestra Señora de Gracia is like no other hospital I have ever seen. It is in the very heart of Zaragoza and resembles a Parador, the exclusive state run hotels, rather than a normal hospital.

The staff are very friendly and efficient and are certainly not stressed or harassed as you often find in ordinary hospitals.

The operation yesterday morning went very smoothly and I had a checkup this morning just to make sure everything was OK. The procedure involved replacing the lens so when everything settles down I shall have virtually perfect sight in my left eye.

However, I was told that within 6 weeks I am due to have the same operation on my right eye so that I won't need to wear spectacles for the first time for 55 years. Now that is a great Christmas present! I give all the doctors, nurses and staff at the hospital my most grateful thanks, every Christmas blessing and wish them continued success in the future with the wonderful work they are performing.

The photo above is of the inside of the Parroquia de Santiago el Mayor and the 2 above that are of the Christmas Crib on display. The first 3 photos are of the hospital.

We stayed at the Hotel Melía Zaragoza just around the corner from the hospital for the 2 nights. Can't wait to return in a few weeks time!

Archery for beginners!

Years ago archery was quite an expensive hobby, a bow and set of arrows would cost a lot. However, now they are much cheaper and just as good, if not better, for the beginner so I thought I would give it a go.

I even made the frame for the target which I put in front of the woodpile - stray arrows can easily be recovered!

I have only had a couple of attempts at this new 'hobby' as you can tell by the holes in the target above. You can see my efforts by clicking HERE.

My greenhouse

When we had the hail storm on the 31st August, my greenhouse was one of the casualties in our garden. 

The panels had been smashed and the aluminium frame had actually been bent where it had been struck by the hail stones. It was beyond repair!

A few weeks later, the new greenhouse arrived and I started to construct it which took 3 days.

It was similar to my previous greenhouse, which had lasted several years, the main differences being that this one was actually 'green',...

...it had polycarbonate panels which slotted into the framework rather than plastic panels held in with plastic strips...

 ...and had double doors.

So, a couple weeks ago we put all the tender plants inside for protection against the low temperatures and wind which were forecast...

...and on the 21st November the wind was so strong the doors blew off and 5 of the panels were blown out! 2 of these panels were blown out of the garden and were lost into the surrounding countryside. We bought 2 panels to replace them but were not able to fit them as it was still quite windy. However, I was able to reinforce some of the remaining panels by fixing them with nuts, bolts and washers onto the frame.

But then it became very windy again and with missing panels the greenhouse collapsed with many of the parts of the frame being bent and most of the panels being blown away.

The replacement for this greenhouse should arrive this week! Just hope the plants can survive.