A crop of Rainbows in Valencia.

The sun isrising. Fists of light punch into  the sky from behind the horizon.   I'm on the  roofterrace 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 andthe sea is a perfectly manicure golf course. The smell of jasmine fills thenight air and of morning it is the  sea.  The sun rises here at about 7am when the golfcourse grass cutters start their humming bird engines and sun sets at around9pm. Throughout night sprinklers spray the course and in the morning a crop ofrainbows are in full bloom.  All this  surrounds a village called Oliva which is inthe Land of Valenciahome of the proud and strong Catalan peoples of Spain.  I’m from Wigan home of the brave-ish pieeating people of Northern England..  

I am onholiday for a week with the journalist and her family. We came here last year with her fathersister and brother and booked a villa on the mountainside. This year her popswanted a closer to the sea experience so we are in what is really a holidaymakers housing estate. Fortunately the Journalist has booked a nice fourthfloor apartment with a 360 view, a roof terrace, two bedrooms two showers fourbalconies and a great  kitchen.  It’s not my thing. I much prefer the SpanishHacienda  with its winding staircases, terracotta tiles and swimming pool that looks from  the mountains towards the sea. Last year thisgolf course wasn’t even built.

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

I am absolutely lovingthis short break. It’s just what I needed.  I nolonger 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.