The sun is
rising. Fists of light punch into  the sky from behind the horizon.   I'm on the  roof
terrace and can see on one side the mediteranean sea, on the other the mountains.
Between me and the mountains are orchards, rows and rows of  shoulder high lime trees and between me and
the sea is a perfectly manicure golf course. The smell of jasmine fills the
night air and of morning it is the  sea.  The sun rises here at about 7am when the golf
course grass cutters start their humming bird engines and sun sets at around
9pm. Throughout night sprinklers spray the course and in the morning a crop of
rainbows are in full bloom.  All this  surrounds a village called Oliva which is in
the Land of Valencia
home of the proud and strong Catalan peoples of Spain.  I’m from Wigan home of the brave-ish pie
eating people of Northern England..  

I am on
holiday for a week with the journalist and her family. We came here last year with her father
sister and brother and booked a villa on the mountainside. This year her pops
wanted a closer to the sea experience so we are in what is really a holiday
makers housing estate. Fortunately the Journalist has booked a nice fourth
floor apartment with a 360 view, a roof terrace, two bedrooms two showers four
balconies and a great  kitchen.  It’s not my thing. I much prefer the Spanish
Hacienda  with its winding staircases, 
terracotta tiles and swimming pool that looks from  the mountains towards the sea. Last year this
golf course wasn’t even built.

No doubt
there is a Golfers club here and no doubt it is imaginatively called Club
Golfer which seems to me more an instruction than the name of a club.  I can not stand golf. It’s been the English
preserve of the closed shop since its beginnings. It’s  class driven and racially devisive. It’s
perfect for the aspirational, deluded, 
middle class white male and it stinks.   

I am absolutely loving
this short break. It’s just what I needed.  I no
longer drink alcohol and life is so much better that I honestly wonder why I did it in the first place. 
For anyone whose trying to get in touch with me I can download your emails but can't reply.