Friday Smiles 2024 # Week 24

Our visitors' week went by so quickly. Little Aisling has grown up so much since I saw her last year. She is three now, very articulate and chatters all day.  So I had a new little fish in our 'pond'. Chris has done his best to keep it clean ready for their visit, even though he is not allowed to hoover it as that sends the water to waste. I think she would have jumped into it whatever it was like. I could do with it being a bit warmer but she loved it. Her parents take her swimming regularly at home and she was very confident in the water. 

She wanted daddy to throw her up high. She thinks she can fly too. My first attempts to photograph her I only caught her toes in the top of the picture, but I did eventually get a full one.

She wasn't the only one visiting the pool this week. One morning we found this little fellow sitting on one of the chlorine floaters. I zoomed in to take this but he was no more than two inches long, so I guess a real baby. Aisling insisted it was a frog, but of course it is actually a toad. I relocated him under some bushes in the green zone.

They had a morning at the beach, and another day they went to the local water park. One afternoon we went up to Mojacar pueblo for a wander around the trendy shops, and then went for a meal at one of the open air restaurants. From the railings around the plaza there, you can see all of the surrounding town, beach and fields. It is a favourite place for photos.

Sitting on the wall to take a breather after walking up the hill.

On Sunday afternoon I took them to Vera Laguna. Sadly there were not many water birds there, and those that were, did not seem very interested in the oat flakes we took for them. So we had a walk along the prom. What little one can resist a wall to walk on?

On their last afternoon I told Aisling I needed a new photo of her for my family clock, as the one I had was when she was a baby. Surprisingly she sat still while took this one, and she was delighted when I quickly printed it off and added it to my clock.

After a very dry winter and everyone praying for rain, just as my visitors arrived, it rained!! Fortunately the main storm came late in the evening, but it brought lots of desert sand with it so everywhere needed a good clean the next morning. We have had a few more showers, but nothing very significant, but the surrounding towns have been badly flooded. No-one is complaining too much as we all know how much it is needed. The rest of the time was very hot, in the upper twenties and into the thirties, so the fans and air-con had their first work-out, and the rain brought some light relief. It has remained cloudy with the odd shower all week, but I think after today it will be clear again. I hope so as I have a lot of bed linen and towels to wash. Hopefully some of the flood water will raise the level of the reservoirs a bit too.

Tomorrow I will be at Almeria hospital for much of the day. I have to have an X-ray, and ECG and an interview with the anaesthetist to make sure I am well enough to have my hand operation. Here's hoping I am given the all clear.

I will link this up with Annie's Friday Smilesnull and try to get it published before I go out.