November was a busy month for us with travel. We drove from Lake Garda in Italy back to the South of France and through to Benicassim, just above Valencia for the middle of the month, to take up our winter pitch. We stopped a few days in Cannes and Narbonne in France and a week in Vilanova in Spain en route, but pushed on through and got set up on a sunny corner pitch for the next few months.
December was supposed to be a slower and quieter month, but it wasn’t!
“Coming Home” to Bonterra Park
It was like “coming home” on our arrival at Bonterra Park, we were pitched on the same road as the year before, with familiar faces greeting us, instant inclusion into the social scene, and even regular weekly committments, in the form of a Quiz night, Choir practise and Jam sessions with the musicians on site.
On our first visit here, we met a couple called Hans and Helene from Switzerland. They were passing through, to warmer climes, to help Hans recover from an operation and illness; Helene was careful not to let Hans dance too much as he had had a hip replacement just a few weeks before!! We were thrilled to see them again after only a few days here, again they were passing through but we had a few more dances with them before they left!!
Each morning, I head down to the beach for half an hour of tai chi, starts the day off well, with some quiet contemplation and exercise in front of the waves…..
We have played several games of Mulkky, Finnish skittles, with David winning a trophy!!
We immersed ourselves in local life, one December evening I assisted in a nationwide Spanish event, collecting dry and non perishable goods at the local supermarkets for distribution by a charity to the less fortunate in the town. There are very few “down and outs” here thankfully, but it was nice to see the goodwill from old and young people towards those less fortunate.
One weekend we helped Mary and Chris to celebrate their 47th anniversary with a meal at a local restaurant.. Starters were barbequed leeks, complete with plastic gloves and a bib! Mains were a huge plate of BBQ meat, all washed down by local Spanish red wine.
David and Mike went out one weekend, on their scooters, only as far as Castellon, before David’s bike broke down!
Mike also performed as a DJ one night, some serious dancing went on….
I also became part of a choir, I didn’t realise I could actually sing but I can, and I’m up there with the sopranos! We practise every Monday morning, in December it was christmas carols mainly in English but several in German, Dutch and a few more in Spanish. We performed a few concerts, the first to the local old people’s home which was so lovely, the elderly ladies came up afterwards and told us we had “angelic voices”; there was a concert at the big department store in Castellon 10 miles away, we sung one Sunday evening in the town at the end of a local festival, another night in the site’s restaurant one evening and finally, on the afternoon before Christmas Eve, we wandered around the site, stopping and singing in the roads, aided by cakes, chocolates and warming drinks!!
I have become a “domestic goddess”, making homemade mincemeat, mince pies and sausage rolls for Christmas!
Mid December, we were hit by the “Bonterra Bug”, a flu type germ that spreads like wildfire and hangs around for weeks. Christmas Day was spent with 2 sets of friends, Keith and Jean and Chris and Mary. We all pitched in to make a lovely traditional roast dinner; Mary provided starters and desserts; David cooked several chicken breasts, pigs in blankets, stuffing and gravy and provided drinks, whilst Keith and Jean steamed all the veg and provided drinks plus the use of their awning in the sun. In the evening, we were joined by a few other couples and music, drinks, fun and games were had by all.
Then on Boxing Day the Bonterra Bug hit big time, and we spent the next week to 10 days nursing ourselves with homemade hot toddys, paracetamol and eventually, penicillin. We celebrated New Years Eve with a new box of menthol tissues, a warm duvet and hot water bottle, a medicinal brandy and some English TV! Very different for us!!! I even missed the end of year fireworks at midnight (for the Spanish) and at 1am (for the English!!).
New Years Day we were invited to a street lunch, organised by neighbours, chilli con carne or lasagne; David supplied Tequila Sunrises to keep the festivities going until the sun went down, then it was back to bed to recover some more!!
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