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Ruta Bancos Gigantes or Huge Bench Route in Andalucia

A new rage is slowly spreading across Andalucia with its beginnings in the province of Malaga and that is huge benches are being installed in beauty spots across the region. The Huge Bench Route or  Ruta Bancos Gigantes #rutabancosgigantes can be found on Instagram  where they are more active with updates on the new installations of these enormous benches and they have a   Facebook  page too. Map of the Ruta Bancos Gigantes The initiative started by Forest Green an agrobroker company that supplies and works with treated wood to large construction and environmental companies in Spain. The huge bench route is steadily growing, with constant new installations spreading across Andalucia. The enormous handmade wooden benches are 4 metre long and 2.3 metre high, with the seat being 1.3 metres above ground and needing steps to get onto them, appearing in natural beauty spots hopes to encourage people out into and  enjoy the views and of course take photos to be ...
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Boob Squashing Mammograms and Thoughts

I was on time - a first for - my two- yearly appointment for a boob squashing in Spain. Arriving at 12pm I recognised many faces from my little town in the waiting area. Husbands had driven their (probably non-driving) wives to the nearby larger town to find themselves having a chinwag with mates in the corridor and the wives all knowing each and chatting while sitting in the waiting room.

I was greeted, asked the time of my appointment, grins all round then told that those with an appointed hour of 11.30 were still waiting. Joy.

Quickly establishing myself as not wanting to join the local village chit chat I stood by the entrance and got out my phone. Playing games, working a bit, doing Wordle, answering WhatsApps, the time dragged on. Waiting room numbers grew and dwindled, slowly.  It appeared that the same, nearing retirement age, nurse was doing boob scans and the X-rays in the adjacent salon. 

My time came. One hour 51 minutes late I entered the room, answered questions about my cancers in my family, my five minute alloted appointment time already six minutes in when boobs were womanhandled onto the slab of the open-jawed machine.

First one, then the other, then a different angle, one shot wasn´t good enough a profile so another take needed. I stepped out of my thoughts and began planning a trip away while holding one boob aside, keeping belly close but away from the machine, chin up as positioned and not daring to move as instructed. It´s amazing how the brain (or my brain) can detach itself from body at times. 

Then I had this very worrying thought. What would happen if the quite old nurse (my age or a bit more) suddenly keeled over or an earthquake hit or the fire alarm went off. How long would I spend with boob clamped, immovable until rescued. Squished in a machine with the controls on the other side of the room, dressed only dangly earringsa above my waist.  

Then it was over, the final release, the nod of the acceptance of the final photo - images I will never  see. Not that I like photos of me but these would definately be unrecognisable?

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