Spanish "Indian summer", family lunch to celebrate Eladio's birthday, missing my mother on 1st October, a possible peace deal for Gaza, RIP Jane Goodall and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday, 5th October, 2025

On one of our morning walks this week with Pippa 

Good morning from home for once. We have been on the move since June and we are finally here with no short or long term travel plans for the moment.

We have been enjoying the Spanish "Indian summer" called the little summer of St. Michael which always falls at the end of September or beginning of October. It rained a lot in other parts but we have had and continue to have glorious weather here. 

Of course we went for our walk last Sunday as we did nearly every day of this week. Last Sunday was the highlight of the week when we celebrated Eladio's birthday with the family.  That was the 3rd and last of the September birthdays and it was lovely. For the occasion I made fish and chips which delighted everyone. Thankfully I had Tana to help serve and clear away. She is such a treasure and if she ever wanted to leave we wouldn't know what to do without her. 

Before we tucked in, we took photos which I always insist upon. So here are some of the delicious fish and chips made in Spain on a beautifully laid table with all our finery.

Fish and chips made in Spain - just look how crispy my beer battered cod is

And here is the group photo, without Elliot I should say, as at that moment he decided to play up. He was cross because his mother had taken her mobile away from him. Addiction at 6 is a bit over the top. I chose to ignore the behaviour as I didn't want it to spoil the moment. 

Family photo last Sunday 

Thankfully Elliot got over his tantrum in time for the cake moment. I hadn't had time to make one so ordered our favourite from Alverán. This was it.

The birthday cake

And here is Eladio with Juliet just before we cut the cake. 

Eladio with Juliet

We all got to make speeches. My favourite was Miguel's. He predicted that as a family they would be coming every year to celebrate Eladio's birthday but maybe when Elliot is a teenager he would have to dragged here. I reminded him that by that time he and Oli would be 50 and 60 respectively. Then Juliet made us a laugh as she said she wanted to make a speech. Here speech was to tell us over and over again that she loved us all. Bless her.

Before they left we assembled to the TV lounge where we played a Spanish game using mime (juego del Director de la Orquesta) and then charades. 

We were exhausted but happy by the time Oli and her little family left. I was pleased to see Suzy go to her choir rehearsal but suspect she probably won't continue as it is proving very stressful. 

Monday came and the sun shone as it did all week with temperatures reaching 30ºc. After our walk I took a leaf out of my friend Amanda's book and did some of the weekly shopping online; at least the heavy stuff. I told her about it when that afternoon we resumed our weekly Facetime calls. It was so good to see her again. I am hoping to see her in person and toying with the idea of flying to Bristol later in the autumn. 

Suzy went out to dinner that night invited by her friend Elena she went to University with and who is also a dietitian and nutritionist. This is news as Suzy had broken ties with all her friends during her illness. It's great to see her socialising again even though she is still not really herself but she has good days and that makes me happy. 

On Tuesday I woke up to the news of the meeting in The White House between Trump and Netanyahu. They announced a peace deal for Gaza. There were 20 points, the first being a total ceasefire and return of the hostages but also including Hamas disbanding and disarming. The only trouble is Hamas was not included in the negotiations.  So for the moment it was just a possible deal but it was the best news in a long time. Hamas had to accept it as Trump said "accept deal or face destruction". I honestly don't think there can be much more destruction. The whole of the Gaza Strip is in ruins, the people too who have no access even to the most basic necessities. Of all people to implement the deal, Trump has chosen Tony Blair, the UK' former Labour PM. Will he be up to the job? Maybe. The good thing is that most Arab countries in the region have agreed to the plan. And only yesterday, at the last minute, did we hear from the Palestinian terrorist group. They agree to the plan, including the release of all the hostages both dead and alive but won't disarm until Israel withdraws from  the area. The world is on tenterhooks as negotiators fly to Egypt for ceasefire talks tomorrow. I can't wait for this war to end. 

Meanwhile the people of Gaza are starving and aid is not getting through. This week a Gaza aid flotilla made up of 42 boats made its way across the seas trying to reach Gaza with humanitarian aid and break the Israeli blockade.  We all knew it would never make it as Israel controls the waters even if they are considered international. The Global Sumud Flotilla carrying Greta Thunberg and Nelson Mandela's grandson as well as other activists, was, as predicted, detained by the Israelis and all those on the boats are now  in jail awaiting expulsion or have already left the country.  But the flotilla achieved its primary objective, more visibility of the situation of the people of Gaza. I wonder if they believe in the peace plan. 

Tuesday was a complicated day. We had come back from our walk and were going to do the weekly shopping when Tana showed us that the door handle and the cistern in one of the rooms someone was coming to occupy later in the day needed fixing.  We immediately had to call the insurance company and then a locksmith. By the end of the day all was done, just an hour before my Mexican guest, Elena, arrived. Later in the week we had to change the kitchen sink tap which was leaking and another plumber had to come. I could just see my Airbnb income going up in smoke this week. There is always something to repair in a house.

While Eladio waited for the first plumber I went to do the shopping on my own and I managed a coffee at Alverán. I came home with a heavy load just after my online order had arrived.  There was no peace for the wicked that day as at 5 we had to pick up the kids and take Elliot to athletics, after which we brought Juliet home. We have to be on call while Oli goes to her French lessons on Tuesdays and Thursdays every week but the good news is that this year her timetable is from 3.30 to 6. That meant she was home to pick up Juliet quite early and we were relieved of our duties, hahaha. We love them but they are very tiring. 

The good sports news that day was that Alcáraz beat Fritz 6-4 6-4 to win the Japan Open. He has now won 8 ATP titles this year. For the record Sinner who is the number two seed has won just 3. Let's see how it turns out for them both in 2026 . 

Wednesday was 1st October, the start of a new month, yes, but for me the 1st October is forever the anniversary of the untimely death of my mother aged 79 in 1999. Oh how we have missed her over the years.  I just wish she could have met my grandchildren. That she missed and a lot more. It's been 26 years without her and  I often find it difficult to recall her face. Thankfully I have lots of photos, well not lots, but some. 

A particularly poignant photo of my mother taken unawares. She is watering the plants in the porch of 6 Heaton Grove. I well remember her turquoise coloured night gown which she wore to death. My mother preferred to be comfortably dressed rather than elegantly so. 

But she is forever in my heart and in Suzy and Oli's who adored her and she adored them. I was lucky to have my father with me for 16 years until his death at the grand old age of 102. He must have missed her dearly. He did but at the very end he started to forget her which broke my heart. For the moment I remember them all, George, Mummy, Aunty Masha, Aunty Gloria, Uncle Derek, my cousins, Jacqueline, Michael and Antony. They all went too early and I will miss them to the end of my days while I retain my sanity. I sigh and heave as I write that. God bless them all. 

The 1st October is also the anniversary of my start as the Communications Director of Yoigo, a Swedish owned Spanish mobile phone operator which I helped to create. I joined on 1st October 2006 and left in January 2017. I still have the photo of me on my first day which they used for my badge

My Yoigo badge photo - me on my first day on 1st October 2006

Gosh I was only 49 then and I'm now nearly 20 years older. I have aged.....

1st October was also Julie Andrew's 90th birthday. She was the wonderful actress of  the very popular films of my youth; Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music. She brought magic to me, my girls and millions of people with her amazing voice and looks. 

Sadly, another wonderful British woman, Jane Goodall (1934-2025) the famous primatologist, aged 91, died on 1st October too. Her story is amazing and too long to summarise here. With no prior experience or studies and aged only 23 she travelled to Africa to follow her dream of living among the wildlife, inspired by books like Tarzan!  Paleontologist Louis Leakey started her on her research of chimpanzees in 1960 and she went to live with her mother and a cook in Gombe, Tanzania. 

Jane Goodall living her dream in Africa among chimpanzees

Later she got a PhD in Ethology at Cambridge University, encouraged by Leakey as otherwise the scientific community rejected her findings. She was able to demonstrate that humans are not the only ones to use tools when she witnessed a chimpanzee making a stick to extract termites. She also documented that chimpanzees have  complex emotions, like us and a social life. She also documented that, again, like humans, they go to war with great ferocity.  I have to say I admire her for her courage and following her dream and for making a difference. 

Wednesday was a good day for bookings. All four rooms have been full since the beginning of September. More bookings arrived that day and all this week and I now have 15 or so upcoming reservations. 

I suppose the hotels and Airbnbs in Copenhagen this week were all fully booked too that day. This week the 27 members of the EU met in the Danish capital.  The  focus of this informal summit was on how to strengthen Ukraine. It was also on security and  how to defend the EU  from Russian drones which have been invading our airspace recently. It's frightening isn't it? 

Life carried on in El Bosque and that day Eladio took the car to be serviced to the Pereira garage in our town. Unbelievably, Pereira himself, drove my husband back meanwhile. The bill was very reasonable and it's great to be customers of an honest and efficient garage. Thank you Pereira. My highlight of the day was going to the hairdresser. My hair was nearly all white and too long and I was so happy to emerge with my "normal" colour and cut. A lady complimented my hairstyle as I left. That's quite funny as I have had the same hair style for at least the last 40 years. All this was in the afternoon and I came home to find that Oli and the kids had come for dinner. They were having a shower and a bath in our quarters while Tana was laying the table outside. Thankfully I had all their favourite food; "cocido" and "spag bol". It was wonderful to be together again this week and so pleasant to eat outside in the evening. Once again, 10 out of 10 to Tana for all her help. The only bad thing about this "Indian summer" is that the bloody midges are back with a vengeance. Both Juliet and I got bitten, after which I lathered myself in mosquito repellent, so much so Suzy said I stank. I prefer to stink than to be bitten haha.

Thursday dawned and Facebook reminded me that on that day, 2nd October, 2021, we had lost Norah, our lovely beagle aged 12. She had cancer but died of a heart attack in front of us. She is sadly missed as are Elsa our lab and Phoebe our cat. 

We skipped our walk that day as we had to wait for the plumber to come and change the tap in the kitchen. We only left the house to pick up the serviced Volvo. Good old Volvo, my Nokia company car, now nearly 25 years old and still going strong,  

I was sad to hear that night of a terrorist attack on a Jewish synagogue in Manchester that day, one of the days of Yom Kippur, that most holy of Jewish festivals. 2 people were killed in an appalling antisemitic attack in the north of England. London of course has the largest Jewish community in England with 1500 synagogues I read, but there are many in the north too, probably because of the Cotton and Wool mills in Lancashire and Yorkshire during the Industrial Revolution.  When I grew up in Bradford in the 60's and 70's we knew many Jewish people. Our neighbours and friends, an offshoot of the Rothschild's family, used to invite George and I to their Sabbath dinners  on Friday nights. Their son, Walter, was my father's pupil at Bradford Grammar School and I remember my parents going to his Bar Mitzvah. I also remember having friends from very Orthodox families who, as they couldn't work on the Sabbath would ask me to switch their lights on or off or to pull their sledge up the hill hahaha. . Bradford and Manchester were and are very multicultural cities so this awful act saddened me. 

Friday was a red letter day for us.  That morning, just before lunch, Suzy surprised us very pleasantly. She had landed a job as a dietitian for a nearby hospital at the weekends. I had no idea she was applying for a job and she was lucky she didn't have to go through a face to face interview. It was all on the phone. The job is with Sodexo, the big French catering company and is very similar to her first job with Aramark, an American catering company, she worked for after graduating.  I think she was as surprised as us and her semblance changed and finally we saw her smile. She has been through hell and is not yet back but if she goes through with it, a job as a dietitian for which she studied, even on the lowest rung, would have her back in the system.  For the moment she wants to test herself and only work 15 hours a week. Good for her. I was so happy and proud of her. Well done Suzy! You can do it. We celebrated later that evening with wine and pistachios by the pool.

Friday was also a red letter day for Sarah Mullaly. The 63 year old former NHS chief nurse, was ordained in 2006, appointed Bishop of London in 2018 and this week was named as the new Archbishop of Canterbury, the first woman ever to be chosen for the top job in the Anglican Church. She takes over from Justin Welby who resigned over yet another abuse scandal. So it's good that a woman has been chosen.  Well done Sarah and well done for women. I do wish the Catholic church would follow suit. Women were first ordained priests in 1994 but the first woman bishop was only appointed in 2014. And now we have a woman at the helm of the C of E. That is a positive sign of our times and would have been impossible when I grew up. But not everyone agrees with me. Some in the more conservative sector of the Anglican Church would prefer the job to be given to a male bishop. Well, they must catch up with the times mustn't they. It's men like them who still want to keep women in their place; i.e. under their thumbs. 

Saturday came and while we were on our walk Suzy left for a party. It was to celebrate her great friend Copi's husband, Unai's 44th birthday. She was going with Olivia who no doubt enjoyed yesterday immensely as she had left the kids with Miguel. Suzy was going to tell her about the new job as she wanted to do so face to face. I'm sure Olivia is just as happy as we are. 

After our walk we drove to Villaviciosa for Eladio to get a much needed haircut. I always seem to have to drag him to the barbers. His usual barber wasn't answering the phone so I got him an appointment at Suzy's hairdresser while I had a coffee. I took a quick snapshot of him from my table. 

Eladio having a haircut this morning

I got another one as he came out looking like my husband and not like Puigdemont, that horrible Catalan politician who is a fugitive in Brussels. He has very similar hair to Eladio, who, btw, is much better looking, but his is longer and isn't nice. I think that comment did the trick and persuaded my husband he needed his locks cut off. Here is just coming out of the hairdresser.

Eladio looking himself again after a haircut yesterday morning.

We may be old but we like to look good. I am not like a friend's husband who this week described him as "embracing old age". Never!!!! So when I got home I had an hour to kick my heels before lunch and decided to try on some clothes to decide what to wear for a lunch next week - another birthday lunch this time with some of Eladio's friends.

I tried on quite a few and took pictures in my mirror. I later posted them on my social media profiles to ask my friends which outfit they like best as I am undecided. These are them.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

The favourites are number 8, 5, 1 and 9 with most votes going to number 8. My favourites are numbers 1 and 9 but I also like number 5.  Some of these clothes are years old and it's lovely to be able to get into them again and also have the occasion to wear them - well only one occasion. Otherwise I wear shorts or jeans most days. Which are your favourites and why? Thank you. Eladio's favourite is number 8 (white top with flowers) but I think it's a little too informal. 

The house was very quiet yesterday despite having 6 guests. A French family from Pau had arrived late last night and we greeted them this morning but I haven't seen them since. They have come to see their son who is in his first year of physiotherapy  - a popular subject with French students at the UEM, Universidad Europea de Madrid. 

We had lunch on our own as Tana had gone into Madrid for the weekend as she always does when we are at home. And we would have dinner alone too as Suzy was away and won't be back until today. 

Today is Sunday and promises to be another sunny day. Oh how I am loving this Indian Summer. Now I am the end of the tales of this week, it is time to love you and leave you until next week.

Cheers everyone,

Masha

A week in El Cuetu, Asturias for work and play, beautiful Llanes, Jadoua's story, Eladio's birthday, Póo Beach and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, 28th September, 2025

In Asturias this week - Playa de Póo

Good morning again, this time from home in Madrid. 

Last Sunday found us in our house in El Cuetu in Asturias. We went there to check on the house and sort it out after another summer of renting it on Booking and Airbnb. As you probably know we had a lot of  trouble with our last cleaner but thankfully found another one and mainly went to sort out the bed linen and many other little tasks that were needed.

We decided, however, to go into Llanes in the morning as rain was only forecast in the afternoon and we had to make the most of the sun. Asturias is an area where it rains a lot and the weather can change by the hour. So off we went to the pretty and rather posh seaside town of Llanes. There was no one on the Sablón beach near where we parked but I still took a photo as I love it. One day we must bathe there. 

Playa del Sablón, Llanes

Llanes was once a walled city in medieval times and there are remnants of the castle. The Asturian architecture is unique to the area but similar to the rest of the north coast, stone houses with beautiful balconies and windows often painted different colours. Add the sea and the surrounding mountains and you get one of the pretties towns in Spain.  Here are some examples.

Typical Asturian architecture in Llanes as seen last Sunday

We walked the pretty streets lined with interesting shops and lots of people and made our way to the main square which numerous period dramas have used in Spanish cinema. Called Plaza Parres Sobrino we always have coffee at a bar called La Galerna. And here I am having coffee there that day.

Coffee in Llanes last Sunday

Right opposite is the lovely gourmet food shop, Aramburu which I can never resist and last Sunday was no different. I got some of their cured beef (cecina), home made meat pie, fresh eggs and some chocolate biscuits. We would have some of that for dinner that night.

We came home for lunch and as soon as I had finished my meal, I set about tackling all the linen that was there and which we had brought. I spent a good 2.5h organising and counting towels and sheets. I didn't finish the job the end of our stay.  I was not born to be a housewife, I can tell you but no one else could have done the job.

Monday came and brought more rain. We spent part of the morning in Posada, our nearest town. There I got Eladio's birthday present, more sun glasses - I don't know what he does with them all. We also visited the excellent ironmongers which is a bit like I imagine Aladdin's cave is. They have literally everything and every time we go we always seem to need more things from Ferretería La Plaza. We had coffee of course and then did the dreaded food shopping which included lots of household and bathroom products for ourselves and future guests.  Coming home we felt like birds taking twigs to their nests. It's a bit similar I think. Eladio says we were playing at houses. The afternoon was spent counting more linen and I counted 29 bath towels - more than enough. I ordered lots of stuff from Amazon which was all delivered before we left. I did try to buy some of the items locally but couldn't get them so had to carry on feeding the beast. Bless my husband, Eladio, he did some sewing in the afternoon and mended a pillow case while I made some vegetable soup for our evening meal. I always know the summer is over when we start eating winter soups boohoo. 

We were so engrossed in our tasks that I, at least, didn't pay much attention to the news but of course read the headlines so followed the big UN General Assembly. Did you know that there are 193 member states? That's the whole world except for the Vatican City and Palestine. Palestine was much on the agenda this week and it was good to see Emanuel Macron recognise the state of Palestine, following in the footsteps of many other big countries. There are now 157 countries that recognise Palestine. But from recognition to reality there is a huge stretch because of the firm opposition of Israel and of course the mighty US, with Trump at the helm. Israel continues to annihilate the Gaza strip, killing up to a hundred people a day and a death toll of more than 56.000 since October 2023, nearly 2 years ago. Did you see the photo of a young boy carrying his toddler brother running away from the bombs? This is it.

A Picture says more than a thousand words. This photo embodies the suffering of the people of Gaza

It has stayed in my mind; the total determination of such a young boy  to save his baby sibling and their desperate circumstances. That makes counting towels a stupid task while people in Gaza lack all basic needs. I read that the boy's name is Jadoua and that he and his brother have been rescued by an Egyptian NGO.  I am glad to know the siblings and their family are safe. But what about all the other people suffering like them. When will they be rescued?  And where will they all go if Gaza is destroyed and becomes Trump's new building project which he plans to turn into a resort. The world looks on aghast and accuses Israel of Genocide but doesn't or can't do anything to stop it. Madness. 

I slept quite well in El Cuetu which I can't explain as the room is tiny compared to ours at home and I don't like the pillows but I got more shut eye than usual which is great. 

Tuesday came and it was Eladio's birthday. Is he really 81? He doesn't look it. We met when he was 35 and I was 23 and we have been together now for 45 years, half a lifetime. I gave him his glasses hahaha and we went out to lunch as you will read. Today we are celebrating it with the family and I am making fish and chips; everyone's favourite.

The rain went away and the sun came out just on time for my husband's birthday. We went into Llanes again where I had booked a table at El Mirador de Toró by the beach of the same name. We enjoyed the walk there and I had to have a photo of the birthday boy. Notice the typical Asturian architecture of the lovely houses in the background. If I had my life again I would love to have bought one of them but they probably pass from generation to generation and are never on sale.

The birthday boy in Llanes on Tuesday

For the record he is wearing one of his three Marks and Spencer long sleeved rugby shirts. This one is years old and still going strong. When Eladio was born in 1944 in rural and poor Montrondo, he had never heard of Marks and Spencer; of course not. 

And here is the Playa de Toró, the other beach in Llanes which I love too and hope one day to bathe in.

Playa de Toró, Llanes

The restaurant overlooks the beach and has stunning views. Here are some photos of the birthday lunch which was splendid, especially as it was washed down with local cider which we both love. We are not beer drinkers but do like the occasional cider, especially in Asturias.

Photos from Eladio's birthday lunch in Llanes 

Eladio chose a bisque soup and fabada (local bean stew) and I chose clams in garlic followed by a divine lobster salad which my husband admitted he should have ordered too.

We walked back by the port through the town to the car park enjoying the views and the sunshine. Here is another photo of the birthday boy and it's by the port, another lovely place to visit in Llanes, pronounced "yah . ness" with the stress on the first syllable and not "lanes" as in streets as an English lady in the village pronounced it. She had her first lesson in Spanish when I told her it was "yah - ness", hahaha.

Eladio by the port in Llanes on his birthday

That day Trump and many other world leaders were at the UN in New York. Would you believe that Macron got stuck in traffic as roads were blocked off by the Presidential motorcade. The French president got out of his car to talk to the NY Police and even rang Trump on his mobile. In the end the roads remained blocked and he had to walk 30 minutes to the French Embassy. Funny story eh? Even funnier but not nice is the story of what happened to Donald Trump when he entered the UN. The escalator got stuck and then the teleprompter did not work. He is now saying it was all part of a plan to sabotage his visit. Really? 

I don't know how they slept with all the world's woes on their shoulders, but I slept well again and woke up on Wednesday to another sunny day in El Cuetu.  I carried on my task of counting and sorting the sheets and I finished it. We didn't know how to store everything until Eladio came up with the brilliant idea of putting planks across chairs in the attic, storing the linen, etc in storage bags (thank you Amazon) and covering it all with a big sheet of plastic. This is what the attic looked like when we had finished.

This is how we have stored all the bedding, linen etc. 

I did an inventory and sent it to the new cleaner along with lots of instructions on how to prepare the house for guests. There are now 29 bath towels, 11 hand towels and 22 sets of bedding; again more than enough.  

Pleased with ourselves, we spent the rest of the morning enjoying Póo beach, that lovely fjord like cove surrounded by mountains near Llanes. We had coffee at La Farola del Mar with views of the dry beach as the tide is always out in the morning. This is another of my happy places and I have chosen one of the photos we took for this week's feature photo. Here are some more.

Views from La Farola del Mar on Póo Beach

Believe it or not some people were bathing and I met a group of people from Ireland who had swum in the sea. It was 19ºc so not warm enough for me but for the Irish it must be. 

We walked on the beach and then up to the cliffs, another happy place and took more photos.It is glorious up there and whoever comes with us to El Cuetu gets to see it too.

Views from the cliffs above Póo beach

We went home for lunch and spent part of the afternoon tackling the terrace - I cleaned all the outdoor furniture and covered it in the garage, Eladio did the weeding and pruned the plants. He also tackled the attic, the garage and the cupboard under the stairs; a job  we had never done since we bought the house 5 years ago. We chucked out so much junk and made two visits to the recycling centre in Póo. 

 I had a spare hour before dinner and went to see my neighbour Loli who used to clean the house before she got Parkinson's disease. She now has problems with the hip but is always in a good mood. We had a great chat together until it was time to say goodbye. Loli is a good neighbour and we are glad to have her looking out for us while we are not there. Gracias Loli!

On Thursday we spent part of the morning in Posada where I had my coffee that day in the sun. We made purchases at the ironmonger; this time a new parasol for the terrace and a portable barbecue. We took the old parasol to the recycling centre and we gave the iron barbecue to a rag and bone man who just happened to be passing. 

By the end of the day we had finished nearly all the jobs we had come to do. Next time we have to paint the radiators and no doubt there will be other tasks. We both spoke about keeping on the house or selling it with all the work it entails but we wouldn't know what to do with the money as we are not savvy about investing it in financial products. It all seems so risky to me. The house in Asturias and the apartment in Santa Pola might be hard work but they are also a modest investment and places we can stay  whenever we feel like it. We are blessed in that way. 

Friday came and just before we left, Héctor, my handyman from a nearby village, came to mend two of the blinds. Only when he finished his job could we leave for Madrid. Its a long journey home - 506km but it's all motorway. Just before we left, I took the last of the rubbish to the container up the road and while doing so spied snow on the mountains - the Peaks of Europe, or in Spanish "Los Picos de Europa" - with mountains around 2.500m high.  Until then I didn't realise we could actually see them from El Cuetu but we can. They are only 14km away. People love the location of our house because it is equidistant from the beautiful beaches of the Llanes are and the Peaks of Europe. It seems the snow came early this year. Just look.

The snow capped mountains of the Picos de Europa as seen from El Cuetu on Friday morning before we left. 

And here is my last photo of our trip. It is a view of our house from the top of the road. Notice the granery (hórreo) on one side and the pile of logs on the other and our house in the middle. 

La Casa del Cuetu - our house at the end of the road. 

We must have set off at around 10.30. Our first stop was for my coffee which when we are on the road is always accompanied by toast and butter, a treat for me which I love. I think toast and butter is the most delicious food which I don't usually eat for obvious reasons - my figure, hahaha. I'm quite happy at the moment with my figure, or rather my weight - my figure is awful - as I can get into lots of clothes and don't look fat at all. Thank you Mounjaro. You are the best thing since sliced bread, hahaha. 

The other stop was for lunch at Asador Siboney in the medieval town of Arévalo in the province of Segovia. We both had roast suckling lamb. Sorry if you are anti meat eaters but I love my meat, especially lamb. This was it. Divine again.

Roast suckling lamb for lunch in Arévalo on our way home on Friday 

We arrived home in the middle of the afternoon to much warmer weather. If it was 20ºc in El Cuetu it was 26ª at home. It was lovely to see Suzy and Pippa of course. I had missed them both. Suzy had been well accompanied for a few days by her bosom friend Copi and they had actually had a party at home in our absence. That was good to hear. It was not good to hear that my daughter was still feeling so depressed. She describes it as having "anhedonia" - a state where you feel no joy. She also has acute stress and missed both choir and her singing lessons while we were away. I hope she goes to her choir rehearsal today. How I long to see a smile on her face. She still thinks she has ADHD on top of everything else but to really know we need a diagnosis. It's so frustrating not being able to help and  of course I felt guilty for being away. 

Yesterday, Saturday was our first full day home and we resumed our daily walks. After our long journey I didn't want to go anywhere and just to chill out at home. The house was full of guests but none of them seem to use the kitchen so we hardly saw them. Thanks to them we can live in this splendid house. 

And today is Sunday and we shall be seeing our grandchildren for Eladio's birthday lunch. I look forward to that but must get on with the preparations. So I shall love you and leave you until next week.

Cheers once more,

Masha

Last days in Santa Pola with Phil and Kathy, a visit to Altea, all good things come to an end, home again, Elliot turns 6, on the road once more and other stories of the week.

 El Cuetu, Asturias, Sunday 21st September, 2025

Elliot and his family celebrating his 6th birthday this week

Good morning to you all this week from Asturias on this first day of  autumn. 

It seems like we have been on the road all summer. Last Sunday we were still in Santa Pola with our friends Kathy and Phil. On Tuesday returned home to Madrid and yesterday we drove to Asturias. We haven't come on holiday though as you will read later.

This time last week we were probably on our way to the beach where we spent another lovely morning getting tanned, swimming in the sea, walking to "our rock" and having a little something at the "chirringuito" bar before returning home for a shower and lunch. In the evening, we took our friends to dinner to Tutti's which had been recommended to us and is across the road. Tutti's has the same owners as Atípico but we far preferred the latter. That's not to say we didn't have a good time or a good meal as the food was rather good. 

Dinner at Tutti's last Sunday night

Monday, our last day with Phil and Kath, was reserved for visiting Altea, perhaps the most beautiful town in the province of Alicante and always in the top ten in Spain. Altea is very near Callosa where my parents bought a town house in the early 70's. In the summer of 1980 when Eladio and I met and fell in love our first date was dinner in Altea. I think the restaurant was called El Caballo Blanco which no longer exists I am afraid. Altea has two parts, the old town and the new town by the beach. We visited the old town which is the place to go with its lovely white houses and cobbled streets, blue skies and vibrant atmosphere. Here are some photos of our visit to share with you.

Pretty and charming Altea 

We had lunch at La Capella recommended to me by Ignacio, a Motorola colleague, who has a house in Altea - lucky him. And here we are round the table on their beautiful terrace.

Lunch in La Capella in Altea last Monday

Phil, Eladio and I shared the most delicious "fideua" (like paella but made with vermicelli noodles instead of rice). This was it.

The Fideua at La Capella in Altea last Monday

Dessert was an ice cream in the street and coffee for Phil and Kathy in the main square. On our way back to the car we looked in lots of the enticing boutiques and I fell for a gorgeous light turquoise linen shirt for Eladio which he wore when we got home.  On our way back from Altea, we stopped at the Russian Orthodox Church of Archangel St. Michael which is a replica 17th century Russian church with materials brought from the Urals. 

The Russian Orthodox  church in Altea

It was finished in 2007 so a bit late for my mother who was Orthodox to see it. But I lit my candle for her and prayed for all those I have lost. Both Kathy and I donned head scarves at the entrance before we went in. I think it was our friends' first visit to an Orthodox church and I am sure they were impressed. For once I did not cry as we went out. 

Tuesday came, the day of our departure. As I said to my friends, "all good things come to an end". They always do don't they? I am not complaining though as we had a very relaxing and enjoyable time together with amazing weather. Unfortunately it's horrible here in the north of Spain with lots of drizzle which makes me want to go back to Santa Pola boohoo. The Asturian word "orballu" describes well the very light mist like drizzle so typical of the area.

We left the apartment at around 9.30 and dropped our friends off at the airport. They of course were going back to bad weather in Yorkshire. I do love Yorkshire but hate the weather there. We had a smooth drive and were home in time for lunch which had been organised by Suzy and Tana - thank you. It was great to see them and Pippa too. Waiting for us too was our dear friend and ex lodger, Mohammad who we had seen briefly at the beginning of the summer. It was great to have him in the house again. He is like a son to me and always lends a hand. He helped a new student lodger from Jordan who would have been absolutely lost without him. 

Tuesday was also the day Robert Redford, the Hollywood actor, died aged 89. He was my favourite actor of these times and I will always remember him in Out of Africa, one of my favourite films. RIP.

Wednesday was a big day for my grandson Elliot who turned 6 this week. Where did the years go? In all the photos of us with him when he was born we all look so much younger. Turning 6 reminded me of AA Milne's famous poem about his son who is also Christopher Robbin in his Winnie the Pooh books which all children should read. This is the lovely poem, one of the few I know off by heart: 

When I was One,

I had just begun.

When I was Two,

I was nearly new.

When I was Three

I was hardly me.

When I was Four,

I was not much more.

When I was Five,

I was just alive.

But now I am Six,

I'm as clever as clever,

So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.

Isn't it lovely? I must remember to tell it to Elliot but I am not sure he will want to be six forever, haha.

Wednesday was also a big day for Donald Trump who was in England for his second state visit. The Brits went all out with their pomp and lavish royal welcome.Why on earth would my country want to host the worst US President of all time I asked myself?  Apparently the idea behind it was money of course. The British government led by Starmer was hoping for a 150 billion pound investment and the price to pay was going all out with this incredible royal pageant. I can only imagine the Queen cringing in her grave and I bet her son King Charles was feeling the same but had to put on a show to get US money. Isn't that pathetic? 

Life continued in El Bosque and we went for our much needed walk and then to do the shopping for Elliot's birthday dinner. And here is a photo to prove we went on our walk that day and to show you the beautiful shirt I bought for Eladio in Altea. There you go:

Eladio's new shirt

We managed a siesta in the afternoon to recharge our batteries although I got up early to prepare the dinner which was tiring but a huge success.  Oli and family including Miguel's mother Merche, his brother Alberto and his son Ruben arrived bringing a huge cake made by Merche. While Tana and I were preparing the dinner, they were all outside playing cards. I love this photo I took of Elliot with his grandfather.

Eladio with Elliot on his birthday

We were 10 around the table and it was literally groaning with good food. Just look.

Birthday dinner

Before we dug in, we managed a few photos and I have chosen one of them as this week's feature photo.  I look ghastly with my white hair - must go to the hairdresser soon:(

Of course the cake moment was the most awaited moment of the day and it didn't disappoint. Just look at little Elliot's happy face. 

Photo of the day on Elliot's birthday

We helped Tana clear everything away and I have to say she did a stellar job. She is such a treasure. 

We went to bed happy but rather exhausted. No doubt Elliot too.

Thursday came and we did our usual thing, go for our morning walk and out for coffee and some errands which I love doing with Eladio. Unfortunately Suzy cancelled her job interview which she said she just wasn't up to. She is pretty down these days and I don't know how to help her, poor love. 

Mohammad left that morning and it was sad to see him go and I just hope he comes back soon. We had to pick the kids up in the afternoon and take Elliot to athletics which we just about managed to do. I then had an appointment at my local nail bar which was the highlight of the day. 

I was waiting for my English guests who were arriving late but arrived even later as their flight coincided with Trump on Air Force 1 leaving the UK - damn the man. Thus you had us greeting them at midnight. But it is part of my job and English guests always get special treatment.

 It was lovely to have a chat over a cup of coffee and tea with Emma on Friday morning. She came to help her daughter Eris find accommodation for her year in Spain as a language assistant at a local school. I told her I did the same in 1978 when I was studying Spanish at Nottingham University and came to Madrid to work at a school in Moratalaz. That is where I met Dolores and later my dear husband Eladio but that's another story. Who knows, Eris may fall in love with a Spaniard like me? When I was 20 or 21 I never envisaged living in Spain. Life is full of surprises. 

Friday was quiet and still hot so we went for our walk in the morning.  Suzy was looking forward to Copi coming to stay with her this weekend. If you follow my blog you will know they have been friends since  they met at St. Michael's school when they were only 4. It was lovely to have Copi for lunch and we congratulated her on her wedding and she told us all about her honeymoon in the US and Antigua and Barbuda of all places. We didn't see them again until yesterday morning just before we left for Asturias. They were planning a little party for friends around the pool which is big progress for Suzy who had distanced herself so much from her friends for so long. 

I was up at 7 am on Saturday morning and had breakfast and read the news alone with Pippa who we left at home with Suzy and Tana.  By 10 o'clock we were ready to leave but before our long drive we had to buy food to take here. It's a long journey broken only by coffee at Area in Villacastin where Eladio left his phone on our trip to Galicia. He held on to it tight yesterday though hahahah. We also broke it for lunch at Alar del Rei in Palencia which was so-so. By about 4 we arrived to "orballo" rain at our house. We had brought along so much stuff, a table for the entrance as well as lots of bedding the house needs for all the guests who come and go. Thankfully we now have a new cleaner, Andrea, to replace our nightmare cleaner Rosa who made such a mess of things this summer. Our main mission here is to sort it all out and store it properly. I started on the job and got into such a state I was sweating (and swearing) that Eladio made me leave it for later. Nothing was in its place so I put everything where we like it. I even had to sign out of a Prime Video account set in German by one of our guests which was a bit of a challenge, hahahaha.

I stopped working at around 7 pm to write today's blog and at 8.30 or so we sat down to dinner; a chicken salad and fruit. I carried on writing until I was so tired I had to go to bed. Once in bed I continued watching one of my favourite Spanish series, La Señora, on Prime Video. It tells the tale of a rich girl falling in love with a poor boy who are not allowed to continue their relationship and the boy "Angel" is made to become a priest. Sounds familiar right? It was cold in the house and would you believe we had to put the central heating on? You wouldn't believe this was Spain but the north coast is like that and reminds me of my home country.

Thankfully, today, Sunday, the sun has come out and rain is only forecast for the afternoon. I am going to suggest to Eladio we make the most of the morning and start on all  the sheets and towels this afternoon when it rains. We have a huge task ahead of us but we shall do it, come what may. 

Wishing we were still in Santa Pola and heading to the beach, I send you all greetings and good wishes until next week,

Cheers Masha