Life update: visits, friends and Audrey
- Raffik Homsy
- Feb 13, 2020
- 6 min read
Well hello.
A flurry of friends visiting, storm Gloria and a poorly Audrey have curtailed our blogs of late so this one is by way of an update from December to now. Get a cuppa or your favourite tipple, sit back and enjoy the read.
Storm Gloria ripped it's way along the southern coast of Spain and left a trail of havoc in its wake. Sea fronts have been decimated and board walks ripped up by the wind. Our awning held fast but others were not so fortunate - our neighbour was outside in the pouring rain, being battered by wind taking his awning down at 3:00 am on the night of the storm.
My mum came out to see us on the 13 January - her birthday - and it was lovely to be able to enjoy her special day with her. She stayed in one of the resort villas on Villa Sol - these two bedroom cabins are beautifully fitted out and are perfect for those visiting friends or family on site or just for taking a break if you don't have a motorhome or caravan. We were able to get the key to Mum's villa before they arrived so we decorated it with some balloons, and provided fresh fruit from the market with some other essentials for when they arrived, milk, coffee etc. Whilst mum was here we visited Altea, Guadalest, Albir and further afield Cartagena in Murcia. I don't get to see my mum often enough in the UK so I really appreciated the time we had together. Storm Gloria sadly impacted her departure. Her flight was rerouted to Valencia as Alicante Airport was closed. We took her to the airport and she borded her plane for an 11:00 am departure. They waited and waited for the wind to calm so they could take off but at 4:00 pm the passengers were disembarked and advised the next plane would be 3:00 pm the following day so unfortunately she spent a very uncomfortable day and a half at the airport. Thankfully she arrived home safe and sound tired and travel weary.
As mum departed, our gorgeous friends Robyn and Dave with Jasper of course, Troy and Andy arrived. Whilst we'd not met Troy and Andy face to face I'd met them through a Facebook group and enjoyed reading about their travel adventures online. Robyn and Dave met them whilst skiing in Italy last year. Somehow my name cropped up - there is after all only one Raffik Homsy - and they realised that I was who I was! Troy and Andy were wintering in Spain so it was a great opportunity for Robyn and Dave to meet up with them again and us to meet face to face for the first time. We went to the Bamboo asian buffet restaurant and enjoyed a very good meal, freshly prepared to order with drinks included in the price. We're unsure how the business model works but we were all very happy to partake! Andy and Troy moved on the following day and got caught up in Storm Gloria as they neared Valencia - driving wind, hailstones and snow - not nice travelling weather!
We had a number of day trips with Robyn, Dave and Jasper. I think Jasper enjoyed Guadalest the most, he was able to run and run, he certainly looked like one happy boy, I'm sure he had a smile on his face. We really appreciated Robyn and Dave's visit, whilst they were with us we caught up on travel plans. Our original intention was to leave Villa Sol at the end of February and travel on towards Portugal, occasionally meeting with with Robyn and Dave when our paths crossed. Dave is in the middle of rebuilding his MG Midget and they've decided to dedicate March to complete the rebuild and complete other life stuff so are now wending their way back to the UK.
Audrey
Three days after they departed, two events coincided. Firstly, Audrey became rather unwell.
We didn't know what was wrong with her initially, but she seemed to be having trouble going to the toilet. So, we took her to a vet who diagnosed a bladder infection. This took around 3 trips, an ultrasound which meant Audrey needed her tummy shaving. It was undignified and rather unsettling, but we were told she would soon be better. It was not easy to get her to take the antibiotics but we did our best!
Unfortunately, over the weekend, she seemed to become very unwell and we took her to an emergency vet (in a neighbouring town). She had her blood taken and we were told that her kidneys were in very bad condition. She was very weak and it was really distressing.
She was admitted for two days and put on an IV drip.
At the same time, our friend Robin was arriving from the UK so we were very much torn between entertaining him and worrying about Audrey (it was lovely of Robin to visit, and we loved his company but my mind was always on Audrey and it was difficult to fully enjoy myself.)
The vet told us that she could come home as she was doing better. It was great to have her back and she spent a happy week with us. Unfortunately her kidney function declined slightly in the week she was back with us (and off the IV drip) and her appetite has decreased. We are hoping that this is a kidney problem we can treat with the medication the vet has given us and diet, but we shall see. Her welfare has always been the most important thing to both of us making sure she is happy, healthy and enjoying her life. She still enjoys being stroked, snuggling up to us, jumping on us in bed at 5am, weaving between my ankles when I am in the kitchen (in the hope of some food!) So, this is the situation with Audrey. She is getting the absolute best care - from us and from the fantastic veterinary staff in Alfas del Pi.
Future Plans
What are our future plans for travel?
Well, we were originally due to leave Benidorm at the end of February and the plan was to travel down to Portugal with Robyn and Dave. We would then spend a few months traveling up the Portuguese coast in to northern Spain. The beauty of our life is we can adjust as we go along. Robyn and Dave are returning to the UK and have made travel plans for May/June to travel to Italy so we've re-evaluated our plans for that period.
As we are having a really good time in Benidorm we have extended our stay until the end of March (at the earliest). This suits us as the weather here has been absolutely beautiful - venture 30 or so miles in any direction and that changes considerably. There is a sense of community here, which is something we have missed and something you do not get when you are constantly traveling, unable to put down any roots, establish any friendships or getting in to any proper routine.
Traveling constantly can be quite unsettling and tiring. It is something we are going to cover in a longer blog post in the future, but for us, we have found that parking up and setting up a base and becoming a part of the community has been really refreshing. Instead of being a visitor for 24 hours in a place, we actually feel as if we "live" here.
We have our favourite bars, supermarkets, we know the best stalls on the fruit and vegetable market, which beach to go to when we want to read and chill out or where to go for a walk in the countryside. Having the car has been infinitely useful and has allowed us to see so much of this part of Spain without having to move the motorhome. So, our plans are to remain in Spain until at least June and after that we will either head back to the UK or continue our travels.
Thank you all for your patience and not to mention love and support. For those of you who have made the journey to Spain to visit us, we have enjoyed having you! It has been wonderful to see our lovely friends and family and show them around a place which certainly feels like home to us. Stay tuned for future blog posts. They will be back on their weekly schedule!
Comments