Another day in school and another five hours of meetings.  In Spanish.

The first couple of hours were spent in a lecture on stuff which was old fashioned years ago in the UK but which is cutting edge educational theory here.  So, not only did I have to listen to half-baked, but breathlessly delivered and tediously presented dated ideas, but I also had to listen to them in a foreign language.  Educational theory gains nothing by being translated into another language, especially one that you speak, to put it mildly, imperfectly.

The horror was compounded when in the second interminable torture session we were divided up into groups where I was placed with a French teacher and the Latin teacher.  We then had to write rubrics and statements of achievement during which my colleagues displayed the faces that I know so well: interested, sympathetic and showing just a tinge of pain as they tried to decipher my enthusiastic Spanish!

Eventually it was over and I was able to flee home and suggest that we visit the blue and white hotel for lunch.  This hotel, whose name we do not know, has been highlighted for us by our “favourite” waiter who has become so because we saw him in a restaurant with which we did not associate him.  He is one of the regulars in our local restaurant and so we were surprised to see him in a little visited restaurant in town.  He explained that he had two jobs and because he recognized us he gave us a glass of Cava.

This tradition was transferred to the other restaurant and a relationship was established.  We now shake hands when we arrive, which is a degree of intimacy we do not share with any other!

He was in the blue and white hotel restaurant when we got there and we were met with his customary warmth.  The meal was excellent; three types of pasta with cheese followed by scrambled egg with cod, black pudding and mushrooms.  He engineered by usual whisky tart – this time a very tasty chocolate mousse cake with a dash of the hard stuff!  Delicious!

Later today the arrival of The Boys will take away the unsavoury memory of the two wasted days in school.

The evening meal was delightful – in every way too much in just the right quantities!

We were looked after royally by the restaurant owner and were plied with food whose taste was excellent.  The wine lubricated everything smoothly and a siesta today has rectified the energy deficiencies that such indulgence involved!

A little light shopping today has seen me replaced the shorts which have disintegrated through over-use this summer and I am now prepared to go into autumn defiantly baring my legs!

I am confident that we will be able to do some of the remaining establishments on the ruta de tapas which should make the possibility of completing the list by the end date of the 15^th of September.

Yesterday saw us complete one of the more “difficult restaurants on the ruta as it is nowhere near anywhere else and halfway up a mountain.  When we got there the place was totally empty and we were apprehensive about what to expect.

When it came the tapa was delightfully presented and tasted delicious.  So delicious indeed that we decided to stay and have dinner there.  Justification for the ruta in itself!

We had a selection of Indonesian food which, from the number of times it was ordered by the people who soon filled up the place, must be the signature dish of the restaurant.

Alas the coconut and curry ice cream was not available for sweet but I made do with a confection of white chocolate and dark chocolate syrup which was more than satisfactory.  An excellent meal to end the day.

The sun is still shining and so an expedition to the beach has been arranged.  And I am trying to forget that tomorrow is the start of another week in which meetings will predominate.