No water! It came on yesterday in the morning, then went off. Hasn't reappeared, though we were hopeful it would during the period (roughly 8am to midday) when the company (in theory) pumps water in from the mains. By the empty look of our 'aljibe' (water tank - its origin in Spanish clearly Arabic, from the Moorish occupation) it may not have been doing it as much as it should this week. Maybe we should blame the fiesta.

Last time we were left dry, after the extreme heat wave in late July, it turned out that no water had been pumped in for a week. Reasons for this: either a) that water co's electrical system had been burned out by heat; or b) because electricity company claimed water company had not paid its bill so turned off its power supply. (Truth still not forthcoming.) Even when this was remedied problems persisted because of resulting airlocks in system. Problem is that with no natural water here, all water supplies come from desalination plants and whatever we can manage to store from rainfall - of which virtually none between May and November. Increasing tourism doesn't help - system doesn't get upgraded to cope with it. (Same applies to electricity and phone supply. Our advisor on bureaucracy who has set up new office on the other side of the island has still not been given a phone line after a year. )

So we are dirty. Use water from jacuzzi for essential washing, and bottled water for cooking and drinking.

And I have some bug and am semi-grounded. Last night, mild feverishness resulted in dream that long-dead mother (over 40 years ago) was alive and well after all - and that I had never succeeded in separating from her. Woke up crying because of realisation that her being alive was only a dream.... Who says the force of loss ever truly wanes with time. (My mother would be 95 by now. She died aged 53 when I was 23.)
Granny p