Thick fog & duff fridge.

I knew there was a 'certain death' drop to the right of me but for once I was quite happy to throw caution aside and fling Sadie as near to the edge as possible. I really did not expect to meet a f**king large tourist coach on such a high and narrow mountain road. Especially not this morning when damp and clinging white-out mountain fog had rendered visibility down to ten metres. We lurched past each other with inches to spare and nothing to the left of Sadie except swirling white mist. A blessing in disguise as if the weather had been clear and I could see the bottomless drop to my left I may not have been so keen to fling Sadie to the very edge of the tarmac and her tyres ability to remain upon it. Mind you if it had been good visibility we would have seen each other much earlier and I would not have shit myself as I was suddenly and unexpectedly confronted with a pair of big fuzzy and very far apart headlights moving at terrifying speed straight toward me.

It was the second day of High Alpujarras. The scenery was stunning with day one being dullish but with OK vision. After an overnight stop next to a viewpoint we set off hoping the worsening mist and fog would lift. It did'nt. As we got higher the visibility deteriorated. The bus incident did it.

"We're not here for this Tan. We stop!" 

I said. 'Pampaneira' was about 5k further on. The fog was now also rain but worse it prevented me from seeing any place where I could safely perch Sadie. In the end we persevered to 'Pampaneira' where I temporarily squeezed Sadie onto a hotel car park and walked to the village. Thankfully, once there. I located a good safe and level car park. We soon had Sadie hunkered down and there we waited for skies to clear and sunshine to return.

Meanwhile Mr Fridge was becoming extremely huffy about working on gas. I was having to manually operate it whenever we stopped. Even then it was taking me two or three goes before he got the message and fired up. Hmmm! Not good when combined with a driving scare and miserable weather. It was getting me down.

A day can certainly change things. Next morning I sleepily opened Sadie's front blinds. WOW!   Blue sky above. The  whitewashed houses of 'Pampeneira' just below clinging to the steep sides of this the magnificent 'Poquera' gorge. In between the brilliant white and sun kissed snowy peak of 'Mulhacen' with 'Bubion' and 'Capileira', two more higher still mountainside villages, beckoning me on to re-visit and re-call the weeks walking holiday Kate and I enjoyed back in 2006.

A good dose of Swearing at Mr Fridge miraculously seemed to also wake him up to the fact this was a good day. He fired up reluctantly and for once kept going. We spent the morning in the high villages where fond memories were re-called. June it was. Warm sunny June was the month Kate and I were there. This however; was Februrary, high in the mountains virtually on the snow line. Enough. It was time to drop to lower levels and some warmth.

'Orgiva'. Ahhhh! Sitting in the main Plaza with coffee and a musician originally from Northumberland whom I'd met ten minutes earlier. One of his neighbours then arrived, a Swiss guy with a twelve string guitar. They were both soon jamming together to everyones delight. The day was definitely improving. I debated whether to stay but in the end decided to move on. A little too much 'in your face' evidence of booze, drugs and skint drifters. I expect it would have been fine but after several days out in the contemplative wild I was not ready for this lively, busy, artisian and youthful town. We ended up west of Granada on a huge empty, 'someone made a packet out of stitching up the E U', industrial estate at 'Escuzar'. Beautiful level road, not a soul in site and a view of the snow covered Sierra Nevada to die for. Only one thing wrong. Mr Fridge stubbornly and with finality, refused to operate on gas. I tried several times to coax him into action but in that part of brain that just always bloody well knows I knew, with certainty, the day of fridge doom had arrived. A glumness returned.

"There's only one thing we can do Tan", I said. "Lets make a cup of tea, feed you and then have a think about how much of the freezer content we can eat in one night!"

The day however; ended well. Yes, well. Listen and I'll tell all.

A cup of tea. A think. Toolbox out and back of fridge to bits. A good dose of TLC plus clean everything scrupulously before careful re-assembly. Then, and this is the important bit, a few moments of deep, silent reverence with a muttered sincere apology to Mr Fridge for earlier calling into question with loud unsavoury language his impeccable line of ancestry. With breath held and heart racing fingers finally reached out and pressed the start button. Mr Fridge, now highly appreciative of me finally getting the TLC and thorough clean message, fired up with a healthy clunk and has been working faultlessly ever since. Cool huh!
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'Nerja'. Not the most solubrious of stops being a dusty car park between the back of Mercradona supermarket and an elevated section of a busy main road. But it's warm, five minutes from the sea, in among the shops, cafes etc plus several other motorhomes are here too. This will do for tonight. Tanya loves it too. Lots of other dogs plus owners walking by and it is safe enough to leave Sadie's door open for her to scamper off and investigate the newcomers. One of them brought a very attractive and sociable young lady along this morning. We were soon watching both dogs, then chatting and then both laughing our heads off as she could speak not a word of English and I was the same with Spanish. Mind you I think she did say, "Manyana camino perro mi amigo?" With gestures that indicated both of us walking and both dogs walking. Hmmmm... I wonder? Maybe I'll just hang around for another day or so. I mean, the sun is out, the beach is good and I fancy another swim .... after the dog walk that is!!

Kaden my Grandson and first, long time wanted, son of son Keith and his lovely wife Justine was Christened a few days ago. It was good to benefit from the wonders of t'internet, courtesy of son Mark, and receive some beautiful piccys of the event from up there in the cold and wet Co Kerry, Ireland.

May his wee smile stay for life.