Michael Parker's Ramblings

Had a good weekend down at our friends place in Almeria. They live in a small pueblo just inside the Andalucian Province set among the hills. The local town has a large ex-pat population with the inevitable mix of languages around the markets. We had dinner at a Spanish restaurant overlooking the hills. The view was terrific even if a little dampened by the heavy rain clouds. There was a family of Spaniards who were having a confirmation party. Lots of music, lots of children and lots of noise. The dining room had to be cleared before the evening diners could sit down. The meal wasn’t exceptional, but I’m not a fan of Spanish cuisine anyway. The following day we went down to the coast to a small place called Villaricos. It’s along the coast form Mojacar. Lovely setting and not too lively. There is a small marina there, some bars and a lovely walk along the sea front where a great deal of money has been spent. Sunday is market day, but it seems to be less obtrusive than some of the markets we’ve been to out here. Me and my mate sit and have a coffee while the ladies wander through the stalls. My wife said she would have a holiday home there if we could afford one. I know we don’t need one because we live in Spain. But if we didn’t, and we wanted a home in a little gem of a place, then Villaricos would be it. Had a very smooth journey home on roads that were practically empty. Motorway almost all of the way. Not having been on the computer since Friday meant I had a lot to catch up on. One piece of good news was that Createspace, who publish for Amazon in USA will now be publishing for them in UK as well. This is good news for us at Acclaimed Books. More later.