Outings- no, not those kind of 'outings'...

This is going to play silly Bloggers with me again. I wanted the type to all align to the left, but it is not going to happen, since I have uploaded all the pics first.

On Sunday last, my Son B took me over to a beachside suburb, where there is a Market.

There were two Elvis lookalikes playing at the small stage in the Market. Sadly I did not take a photo of their extremely bad wigs, nor their white flared suits, complete with huge rhinestones~ and dark glasses.

I did, however take some pics of the Paradiso Resort. It has been here for many years, and has recently undergone a makeover, and I thought it is quite interesting, with murals, ornate doorways and wonderful stained glass windows.

 Excuse the poor photography, the sun was shining on my camera, and I could not see what I was snapping, so it was a hit and miss affair.

There were several murals painted on this upper wall, and it is a shame I did not catch them all, as they are rather good.

I am assuming the balconies are from the apartment part of the complex. Look at those massive doors.

It all has rather a nice Spanish style to it, and it would have been even better with some beautiful guitar music playing!

Stained glass again.

This is one of my Bromeliads, with it's pretty pale pink bract, which has blue flowers. When I lived in New Zealand I wished I owned one of these, but they were far too expensive. Over here, these are almost growing wild in my garden. In fact I am thinking of giving some away.

Here is dear little Honey, in her Please mode. She has done this since she was very small, and it never fails to appeal and tug on my heartstrings.

Here she was, at the top of the stairs, probably waiting to ambush Morty, as they seem to have a running battle with each other. Not really friends!

I think he is scheming on how he can ambush Honey, by leaping off this table, onto her head!

This is the Oregano flowering, before the rain dampened it all down, and the flowers got drowned. We seem to have one or two warm to hot days, then the rain and dull clouds roll over again.

To combat all this, Son B has talked me into going swimming at a pool, to try to improve my knee. I have just seen the Surgeon again, for a routine checkup, and he assures me all is excellent mechanically speaking. It is just the swelling and pain which are not so nice. He assures me this will all settle eventually. He also mentioned grief can affect healing markedly. I knew this, which is why I did not really want to have the surgery when I did. However I was more or less bullied into it, by the booking office at the Hospital. I was told if I cancelled, I would only get one more chance, and if I postponed or cancelled again, I would be off the list. GRRRR.

The good thing is, I am really enjoying my workouts in the lovely heated pool, and have chatted to several others having gentle exercise, for various ailments. Of course one has to listen to what ails them, then they have to enquire what ails me. I am not so keen on these chats, and do my best to head off on my walking laps.

It is win win, for myself and my son, as he does laps in the outdoor Olympic pool, and he really enjoys that.

To go for these swimming experiences, I had to go and shop for a swim suit, since it is ages since I owned one.

My goodness, what a traumatic affair it all turned out to be!

First of all, the selection proved to be nonexistant very very limited. Too late in the season. Of course it is!  Winter stock is all arriving in the shops, and normally, it would be around 30 degrees Celsius over here, at this time of year.

After looking in all the expensive shops, thinking no one would have bought their range, all I found were garments that one would not wish to be caught dead in, let alone still living!

Finally, in a more downmarket store, I found two bathing suits that I felt I bring myself to actually try on.

A most hideous, and traumatising experience, and what I now want to know is "Who stole my nice slim smooth thighs, and replaced them with dimples and cottage cheese??"

When I told my GP of this horrible fact, he actually laughed! All very well for him, he is only 50, and as slender as a Greyhound!

I find, as long as I dont look at myself in any mirrors, I can ignore myself in the bathers, and just get into the water as fast as I can, then slink out wrapped in a large towel, and wait until we are home again, to have a shower and dress in covering garments.

Because it has been so unseasonably chilly this week, I have arrived home shivering and have had to get out the woollies again, to warm myself.

I suspect this cold weather, and the exercise, are causing my appetite to go into horse mode, and the indecent craving for chocolate has really shocked me. I have never before been a chocolate lover.

All very curious!

Hot Chocolate seems appropriate.