Predictable enough

Lots of people have asked me if I'm OK living alone. I'm fine and surprisingly I'm having no problem feeding myself. Being alone has lots of disadvantages but there are advantages too. More space in the bed, complete control of the telly remote and no need to go around the house turning off uselessly burning lights. I'm having no problem at all filling my time, in fact I am short of time. I've always been a list writer and my current lists are full; household things to do, books to read, work to prepare alongside the ongoing and time consuming task of trying to crack Spanish even though, as Maggie unkindly reminded me in one of our Skype conversations, I never will.

Work is an obvious routine. As well as trying to correct the same errors in all of my students over and over again - "Can you please repeat that?" rather than "Can you repeat?" or the constant battle with some sounds; shhhhe not sea, shhhhow not sew - there is the simple time routine. Get up at such and such a time, start work with this group at whatever o clock.

Being alone does make some things a bit pointless. It's fine walking around exhibitions, getting a coffee in a bar or checking Facebook but setting out on an expedition to an event or to visit a place loses a lot of its lustre when you're alone.

I've always liked the pictures - sitting there in the dark with the screen filling your imagination seems to me to offer the possibility of something extraordinary but it is always a personal experience even when you're in a group. I went to the pictures yesterday, and the day before come to that. I was about to ask for a seat close to the screen when the ticket seller pre-empted me. "Close to the screen?," she asked. I only had to nod.

They made me work yesterday, my first ever working Saturday in Spain. So instead of following the usual routine of going to Culebrón I stayed here in el Garbanzal. I'm actually writing this first draft - yes, I edit and re-edit these blogs - in a bar of a restaurant in the centre of el Garbanzal. The paper shop behind me is doing a brisk trade, the trendiest of our local bars is over my right shoulder, the bread shop cum bar is in front of me and Bar Valle II, which I have not yet graced with my custom, is in front and a little to the right. Life on a comfortable scale. I was in this same bar last Sunday morning so was the owner who has already called me Dearie again this morning. Over by the closed ice cream kiosk is the same group of Britons who surprised me by their presence last Sunday morning. "Americano?," asked the owner. I only had to nod.

Yesterday evening, after speaking to Maggie I popped out for a drink at the trendier bar. I lighted up the Kindle, set fire to a cigar and waited for someone to take my order. When the waitress appeared she had a bottle of beer in one hand and a tumbler of whisky in the other. "Correct?," she asked. I only had to nod.

You see. Predictable but entertaining enough.