Sunday, 25th June, 2022
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| Dinner in a garden - at La Espiga on Friday night with my husband. A wonderful find |
Dear all,
Well, this week has been very different to last week. I now have behind me our amazing road trip and my beautiful daughter Olivia's wedding. But this week she brought us joy again in her performance as the MC for the prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurant awards on Tuesday. I had hoped to go with her to Valencia where it took place but the Palace of Arts was packed. However, we were able to watch her live as the event was streamed globally on YouTube.
But last Sunday we were still getting over the wedding and clearing away. We had a quiet day and I even managed a swim on my own. I actually took a skinny dip as it was just Eladio, Suzy and I in the house.
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| Skinny dipping in our pool |
At 6.30 I had a lovely Skype call with my dear Uni friends, Sandra and Adele. We had last spoken on the eve of our road trip. There was lots to catch up on. I think we spoke for at least an hour or until I heard noise below. Oli and co had arrived - for dinner - which Oli made but I did most of the clearing away as it was Tana's afternoon off.
A seed was planted in my head that day after posting my Sunday blog. I had mentioned I may print the 8 blogs posts of our road trip and turn them into a booklet. Well, a friend, Veronica, suggested I actually turn them into a proper book. Ah but that would require quite a lot of work. Will I do it? The seed is planted. I think I should. My friend Sandra got enthusiastic and suggested titles. I will have a think and see if I am inspired enough to write "Travels in our Mini from Madrid to Armenia" - any better suggestions? How about "An elderly couple's road trip in a Mini from Madrid to Armenia"? hahahaha. If anything it will be a travel diary/memoir. What do you think? I doubt it would sell but I could get my Spanish publishers to make a few hard copies for me and publish it on Amazon as an e-book.
Those were my thoughts on Monday morning. So I set about doing the background work and updated the final maps of both the outgoing and return journeys which came to a total o 12.500 km. We did more as we moved around off route at times. I then updated the itinerary so that I have all the information at my finger tips when I start properly on the book/diary.
Otherwise it was a quiet day. The catering people came to get their chairs and tables and glasses, etc which we had moved from the grass. More people came, this time, to buy 3 of the 4 the parasols Miguel bought for the wedding. It was a sort of after the event blues day if you know what I mean. Oli duly went off to Valencia, on her own, for the awards ceremony as there would be at least 2 rehearsals.
The highlight of Monday was my now restored weekly Skype call with Amanda. We hadn't spoken for a while so it was great to catch up. My news of course was the wedding, Oli's MC event and of course more memories of our road trip. I also asked her for ideas for the title of the diary as she helped me with my father's book.
We had one guest only that day. José Antonio comes nearly once a week for 2 or 3 nights and is now part of the furniture, so to speak.
It was dinner on the terrace alone with my wonderful husband before we retired to our quarters to watch the news and then a film which I don't recommend. The Son is very depressing.
Tuesday came and I began work in earnest on the diary after excited calls from my dear friend Sandra who is keen for me to write it, bless her. She caught me at the end of our early morning walk - another routine we have reincorporated into our lives and which is so necessary for our minds and bodies. We went at 8.15 as any time after that is too hot already. We are about to experience the first heatwave of this summer with temperatures reaching 40'ºc and I only wish I was writing from Montrondo. We had planned to go this week but have something on on 27th but will definitely go after that. Montrondo is in the north of the country and it always at least 10 degrees less than in Madrid.
We were out in the garden and I noticed just how heavy our plum tree is looking. The plums look nearly ripe to me and I hope we get to eat them before the birds do.
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| Just look at all the fruit on our plum tree - they are a sort of greengage and are delicious |
While in the garden we decided to put up Miguel's parasol on the back patio to see what it looks like and we left it up as it looks great. It's a wonderful place to work quietly from but not when there is too much sun so the parasol will come in handy. Very kindly they have given us one of the parasols, selling the other 3. The patio looks a lot better with it.
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| The back patio with Miguel's new parasol from the wedding |
Before dinner I had a quick chat with my cousin Zuka on my mother's side who lives in France. We shall be going together to a wedding at the end of August and between us we agreed on the arrangements. We shall be going to her lovely country house in La Teillée and from there will travel to the coast and stay near Talmont-sur-Gironde for one night as the wedding ceremony is in Talmont. The reception takes place about 75km away at the pretty village of
Mareuil which is in the Poitou-Charentes region somewhere between Cognac and Angouleme. I have booked a lovely place in Mareuil for one night after which we shall return to La Teillée (Saint-Sauvant). I have to be precise about where Mareuil and La Teillée are as there are more than one of each in France which is confusing for many. It's exciting to have a wedding in France to look forward to. It will of course also be another "Cousinade" (cousin reunion) which we haven't celebrated since before Covid. The Cousinade is made up of the descendants of my mother's first cousins on her mother's side: Maria, Olga and Natasha. It also includes Zuka her niece, the daughter of her youngest brother, Nicolai (Kolya) and of course me. Today the younger generations outnumber us and it is sad that the matriarch, Nicolai's wife, my Aunty Valya, won't be there as she passed away last autum. She always loved the Cousinades. It will be our second Cousinade wedding which will make it so much fun. Watch this space.
Dinner was a small affair as at 8.40 pm The World's 50 best restaurants awards were being streamed live on YouTube and being the parents of the Presenter we watched from beginning to end. Prior to the start of the ceremony, Olivia sent me photos after her hair and make up had been done in her own dressing room - isn't that nice? She looked amazing.
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| Olivia ready, except for the shoes - backstage |
These awards are probably as big as the Michelin star guide in the hospitality and restaurant business.
The World's 50 Best is owned and managed by William Reed and based in the UK. The dress was spectacular too, don't you think? BTW she wore different shoes to the ones in the picture hahaha.
The event was live streamed from the company's
YouTube TV channel and we made sure all was working properly so we could see it from our big smart TV in the comfort of our bedroom. If you didn't see it, you can still watch it on the link above. Olivia, the host, introduced by William Reed, comes on at about minute 37.10 and wow did she do a great job. It was practically all in English although they had looked for a Spanish English presenter. Here is a quick snippet of a video I took of her for you to get an idea and to remember her performance.
Olivia has been an MC at many events over the years, sporadically and for different industries but I think this was her real first global event. She handled it beautifully, with poise, some humour and didn't put one foot wrong. She told me later she felt in control and had fun. That came across while we watched her. She was natural too and I loved her entry speech when she said food was her favourite thing in life and that she had fallen in love in Valencia where the event took place. I took some stills, my friend Sandra did, as did her new husband Miguel who, as I you now know, she met in Valencia at RTVE - the national broadcaster they both work for.
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| Olivia on stage loving her job as the MC for the Worlds 50 best restaurants |
This is like the Oscars of food and 50 prizes can be slow and boring, but Olivia did it fast and made it fun. So apart from enjoying seeing my daughter, I actually enjoyed the show. My friend Amanda wrote later: "
I honestly thought I would watch it for a bit to see her but then couldn't stop, I had to watch it to the end, it was great".
I imagined the General Manager would announce the winner - the Peruvian restaurant from Lima,
Central, but, no, it was Olivia. I didn't capture that on camera but the Peru tourist Instagram site did and this is the
moment. Enjoy. That was great for Peru although I had hoped a Spanish or British restaurant would win. Spain did very well with 3 places in the top 5. So did Latin America all round and of course there were lots of representatives from France and Italy but not as many as usual.
After the show was over, it was a bit of an anti climax - we were left on a high and nothing from Netflix that night could beat what we had just seen. Wow, as a parent I was very, very proud of my professional and beautiful daughter who did a great job and was congratulated all round. It was her first time away from her babies - two whole nights. No doubt they missed her and she missed them but it must have been lovely to change roles for a while and be a star which is what she was.
So I didn't sleep well that night after all the excitement only getting about 5 and a half hours sleep - boohoo. I was up just before 7 am on Wednesday morning. It was food shopping day, again - after our morning walk I should add. Yes, again. We buy so much yet it all gets eaten. That was our most important job of the day. It's all part of running a huge house I suppose and we do love our food - as Oli said at the awards event, hahahahhaa.
On Thursday again we went on an early morning walk before the sun became to hot. We had errands again to do that morning. One was to inflate the tyres of the Mini - they were at 1.5 ,2.2, 2.2 and 2.2 when they should be at 24, 2.4, 2.2 and 2.2. - I am impressing myself with this knowledge which I learned on our road trip - oh I learned so much on that journey. The other was to go to an office in Boadilla to request a duplicate driving licence after I lost mine at some border in the Caucusus. But first we had to have coffee at Alverán. The tyres were soon inflated, I had about a 20 minute wait at the driving licence place and came out with a temporary one that lasts 6 months until they post me a duplicate.
Once home, we found Oli there with little Juliet who had a temperature that day so didn't go to nursery school. What a high she is on. On Monday they are taking their "honeymoon" and will spend a week at some fancy hotel by the beach in the Cádiz area. Good for them. They joined us for lunch which we had in harmony and basically alone. Our next guests, 3 guys from Sweden were not arriving until night time and our other guest had left early in the morning.
Even this week it has been difficult for me to adjust to "normal life" and our home routine; my mind straying to places like Sarajevo, Sofia or Yerevan. I told Eladio at lunchtime that day that what I would really love to do next year is take the same route with different stops and visit the other countries that border with Turkey; i.e. Iran, Iraq and Syria. Am I crazy? Is it doable? That would be really off the tourist track wouldn't it. I have always been fascinated by these countries which are a bit taboo for European folk like us. Who knows? The very idea of a package tour or cruise to over touristy destinations puts me off completely. To tell the truth I have never been on either. Maybe it's the Aquarian in me, I like to do things my way, independently and in my own time. That's why retirement is wonderful, at least this first stage when I not to old to take on an "edgy" road trip.
The only news I have really followed this week is the ironic loss of a submarine type vessel (Titan Sub) with 5 people on board that went down to see the most famous ship that ever sunk, the Titanic. It cost them 250.000 dollars each and in the end cost them their lives.
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| The Titan mini submarine that went missing and imploded while visiting the remains of the Titanic. |
Run by a company called Ocean Gate, when the sub lost contact, its navigation and communication systems failing at the same time, a disaster was suspected. But nobody knew what had happened. James Cameron, the director of the film, Titanic, did though. He said he "felt it in his bones". Only on Thursday night did we hear that debris had been found consistent with what is thought to have been a "catastrophic implosion" probably caused by a sudden lack of pressure in the vessel. What a horrible way to die. Even before Cameron likened this tragedy to the tragedy of the Titanic, I had already thought likewise. His words could have been mine except that his are better. He told the media "I think there's a great, almost surreal irony here, which is the Titanic sank because the captain took it full steam into an ice field after he had been repeatedly warned. We are seeing a parallel here, unheeded warnings about a sub that was not certified".
I am very sorry for the passengers but they were warned even as early as in 2018. Ocean Gate was warned of the dangers of the vessel and that an accident like this could happen any time. . I also echo the words of a letter to The Times on Saturday from Angela Galbraith. She wrote "Sir. Although our utmost sympathies will lie with the families of those have been lost in the submersible, perhaps it is time to remember the more than 1500 people who died when their ship, the Titanic, sank, and to leave that graveyard in peace". There is a huge fascination with the greatest sea tragedy ever, yet she is right. It is better to leave its graveyard in peace.
Very rich people don't know how to get fun anymore for their money if it isn't doing extreme things that cost a million and that "normal" folk can't do. The whole world has been focused on their rescue. Why then, I wonder, isn't the whole world focused on the rescue of all the poor immigrants who attempt to reach the west in rickety boats. The Times, again, questioned this with a fabulous cartoon which I would like to reproduce here.
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| All out rescue for the Titan and less interest in rescuing immigrants - from The Times Saturday 24th June, 2023 |
The bottom line is because no one wants them in their countries. Sad isn't it? If only the super wealthy could spend their money helping them rather than spending it on bizarre tourist stunts. Just my humble opinion.
I like to go where other tourists don't - hence our trip to Yerevan - but I am not into extreme adventurer. My little hospitality business is very very modest in comparison. That night my 3 new guests from Sweden arrived, late at night, past 10 pm. They have come to see their sons who are studying at the La Liga and the NBA football and basketball school, just 1km from us. They looked like great guests but I was a bit worried when they asked if they could bring friends; other parents of boys at the school. Guests bringing guests is not allowed so I gently told them so. The last thing I want is a large group of guests swigging alcohol by the pool hahahaha.
Friday came. I was thinking about our trip to France, a mini road trip. Last time we went to La Teillée, we stopped for lunch at the coastal town of St-Jean-de-Luz near Biarritz. We had been there in the 80's too but only for a stop off. So I swore then that next time we would stay there. True to my promise, I booked 2 nights. I look forward also to revisiting Biarritz where I used to go on holiday with my parents when we stay at my Uncle Kolya's apartment. Uncle Kolya was Zuka's father. And then I did another crazy thing and extended our trip to France in August by addeng 2 nights in Ars-en-Ré, the last village in the lovely peninsula of Île-de-Ré. We had a cousinade there a few years ago and I swore I would come back one day and bring Eladio. Our trip to France which coincides with our 40th wedding anniversary is going to be another road trip, albeit a small one and in just one country but I love France, love St-Jean-de-Luz and Île-de-Ré. That is something to look forward to and I love having something to look forward to, don't you?
Friday was a family day again. Oli had to handle both kids and they came for lunch. Thankfully I had lots of leftovers. Poor Juliet has some sort of infection so couldn't go to the nursery and Elliot's school broke up for the summer. They left just before a new guest arrived which was a bit of a panic moment with cars having to be moved, etc. Then there was peace and we had something to look forward to that night, dinner out together. You may have noticed we have more or less stopped our Friday night dinners out but this week I thought we should resume them. Oli had recommended a new place to me;
Finca La Espiga on the road from Boadilla to Brunete. It's actually like an estate in huge grounds and we found ourselves having dinner in a garden. It was stunning. Eladio took this week's feature photo of me feeling relaxed at La Espiga about to enjoy a romantic and delicious dinner. Here are some other pics of the place which I'm sure we will go back to.
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| Finca La Espiga grounds |
It wasn't cheap but the food was delicious. We could have had a first and second course but the starters were so enticing, we ordered 4 between us. But, oh, my, they were too big we had to take more than half home. This is what we had, for the record: tripe (Eladio - not me), croquettes, artichokes and small squid. We couldn't even fit in a small dessert but no worries. I had the the rest of a nearly empty tub of Magnum ice cream when I got home, hahaha. Can't resist ice cream but then you know that.
We were in bed by 10.30 or so and it was so hot we had to put the air con on. I got a decent night's sleep and was awake at 6.40 on Saturday morning. We went for our morning walk at 8.30 and were sweating by the time we got home. Here are Eladio and Pippa at the end of our walk with our house in the background. We have to go under a fence to reach the path.
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| Coming back from our walk on Saturday morning |
Our Swedes, meanwhile, were cooling off in the pool but later went out for the whole day and we didn't see them again. Suzy strained her ankle that day so was served lunch on a tray in her bedroom. The restaurant doggy bag came in handy for lunch after which Tana went out to get a change of scenery. She was going to see Lucy who we haven't heard from since she upped and left our house in mysterious circumstances. I really don't know why she left. With no one in the house, we grabbed the pool for ourselves and frankly there was nowhere else to be on a Saturday afternoon in June with 35ºc - so hot. This week Midsummer came. It was the summer solstice this week and the days are now so long, it is my favourite time of the year, if only it wasn't so hot. I kipped one of the sun loungers in the shade and this was my view.
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| By the pool yesterday |
It was so hot, even Eladio couldn't resist going in and he hardly ever does. When he did go in, I sent a photo to the girls saying a miracle had occurred hahahaha. We then enjoyed a cool swim together.
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| Eladio cooling off by the pool yesterday when he took his first bathe of the season |
While we were cooling off, trouble was brewing in Moscow. There have been some extraordinary developments since Friday which may well be the catalyst of Putin's downfall, if that is ever to occur. It started with his henchman and ex chef, the oligarch Prigozhin who heads up the Wagner group - a sort of private army - made up of prisoners and other thugs and merceneraies - blasting against Putin's army chiefs. This has been long going on from the Ukrainian front with Prigozhin blaming the Russian army for not supplying it with the munition it needs and for its incompetence which has sent many of his men to death needlessly . On Friday he went on to accuse Russia of having attacked a group of his men and that is when he launched his insurrection. He took over the big city of Rostov in Russia which looked like a coup and then started marching his forces to Moscow. Putin responded on TV with strong threats and then seemed to disappear. No one knows where he is at the moment. Meanwhile the Russian capital prepared for an attack in unprecedented developments of the war against Ukraine. It was an extraordinary day with extraordinary events. But last night, just 150km from Moscow, Prigozhin called off his troops saying he wanted to avoid bloodshed. I think that is a volte face which came about as the Belarus President - Livashinko - mediated - not the nicest person to do so. It seems they reached a pact whereby Wagner stopped his convoy and in exchange would be freed of mutiny charges and be allowed to live in exile in Belarus. Do you believe any of this? What happened really? What will happen now? Where is Putin? How will this affect the war with Ukraine? All these questions rose last night after the coup was aborted. It doesn't make sense to me that Prigozhin who was on his way to shed blood then turned back to avoid bloodshed. What did the pact include? We don't know. All we do know is that in some way this will benefit Ukraine and will certainly affect the credibility of Russia's dictator. That is my analysis for the moment but who knows what will happen today or in the short and midterm future. My only hope is that Putin falls and that the war ends.
The headlines this morning were full of the story which I read over my early breakfast.
So guys, I must leave you now to publish this and then go on our walk before it gets too hot - 39º is the forecast for today - boohoo.
Cheers then till next Sunday when I hope we will be in cooler Montrondo.
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