Now that we have put the changeable weather behind us and my sisters are still here for a few weeks before they have to go back to Switzerland again, it is high time to prepare the garden for summer. With the little money we have left from the winter season in Switzerland, we take stock. What do we really need and what can wait?
A new coffee maker? The suitcase racks for the rooms? A second dryer? That can wait a while. Folding tables to serve breakfast outside? Sunbeds so that our guests can enjoy the Spanish sun? Parasols to protect them from that sun at the same time? We better buy that as soon as possible. But to avoid spending too much of our hard-earned money, I not only research where to get these items for the best price, but I also make sure that we combine this shopping spree with a ride to the airport. After we waved our friends goodbye (and hugged their children extensively), we immediately head to Finestrat. The day is short and our list is long.
Although we try to keep the amount of stores to a minimum, we really can’t ignore Makro, Action, Jysk, Casa and Leroy Merlin. Just because we have been able to carefully weigh the intended purchases in the last three stores in Finestrat, we can ultimately purchase or order a large part of them in Ondara. But not before we make our obligatory stop at Bon Patata in Albir. It goes without saying that we have to deny stopping here at all times, because we cannot disappoint our father for missing out on Dutch fries. But although this guilty pleasure gives us enough energy to complete the entire list, we are extremely happy when we can park the car in front of our house again at the end of this long day. I gladly accept that I will then have to remain glued to my phone for a few days because half of the purchases still have to be delivered to our home. Only when even SEUR has managed to find us can I breathe a sigh of relief.
But because our hallway currently looks suspiciously like a (small) garden center, we have to rid it of all new purchases as quickly as possible. So while one of my sisters tidies the rooms and the other the garden, I am writing all of this down. My camera ready to capture the end result. The fact that I have to use the large lens for this because the small one broke down a few weeks ago is typical of the situation we are currently in. Statements such as “Whoever thought building a Bed & Breakfast was a good plan?!”, “We have to make do with what we don’t have” and “When we have money again, then…” have become an indispensable part of our vocabulary. We will probably see all of those sayings again on one of the Old Dutch tiles that we have put up in our bar. When we have money to order them, that is.