Voting in the Spanish general elections, goodbye Matteo and Simona, a breakdown on our way to Montrondo, joined by Olivia and family, village life with Elliot and Juliet, Santa Marta fiestas and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday, 30th July, 2023

Posing for a picture after voting at our  polling station, the superb UEM (Universidad Europea de Madrid) campus where so many of our guests come and where our daughter Oli studied. 

Good morning from our village where we came on Monday, the day after the Spanish General Elections, the first time I was able to vote after acquiring Spanish nationality because of Brexit as many of you will know. Here is a picture to prove it and also a picture of my dear husband voting too.

Voting on Sunday

It was a big day for me and a big day for Spain. Since 2019, the Socialist party (PSOE) led by "Mr Handsome" - Pedro Sánchez in a coalition government with the communist party and support of the ex terrorist group ETA as well as Catalan separatists, was forecast to lose to the right wing. The right wing consists of the opposition party PP (People's party) and the extreme right wing party Vox. That's what all the polls said but they were wrong. Despite the date - late July, with many people on holiday, 70% voted, we learned later.

But first to celebrate and after voting at the UEM, off we went to have a coffee with churros. Then we had a quiet day at home. Our Italian guests - Matteo and his lovely wife Simona and their little girls were visiting Toledo - phew it must have been hot.

Where it was not only hot but raging with fire was on the island of Rhodes in Greece. The pictures we saw were Dantesque. The British press was full of stories of their compatriots on holiday there being evacuated. 

35ºc in Madrid was nothing in comparison but still too hot to eat outside. Thus we had my freshly made boeuf stroganof in the dining room after which we retired to our air conditioned quarters. My dear friends Sandra, in Brussels, and Adele at a family wedding in Yorkshire, complained of the cold and rain!

Polling stations closed at 8 pm - elections are always on a Sunday and voting takes place from 9 am to 8 pm. By 9 pm we were glued to the TV anxious, as many people were, to know what the result would be. From the very start it looked like there would be a tie. To govern, each side need 176 seats. By the time we went to sleep it looked like stale mate.

I woke up on Monday morning and what we had learned the night before was confirmed. Basically we have a hung parliament. This is what the picture looks like.

The outcome of the General Elections

PP  got 136 seats and with 32 from Vox they would obtain 169 seats. The PSOE got 122 and with the support of their previous supporters would obtain about 171 or 172 seats. So neither side has enough to govern which is a hung parliament. The only key, or rather kingmaker,  here is the PDCAT party - the right wing and radical Catalan independence party - the fugitive Carlos Puigdemont's old party. They have 7 seats. So they are the key but at a hefty price. I wouldn't put it past them asking for a referendum in exchange for their support. The last resort will of course be new elections. These results were in the Congress - the lower house (house of commons). However, to make things even more difficult, the right wing PP party obtained more than a majority in the Senado (upper house). That's the house that usually passes laws, so if Sánchez governs again, this could be a big obstacle.  Later in the week the plot thickened when the PP got one more seat from overseas voters, tying the two parties to 171 each. Now the PSOE needs Puigdemont not only to abstain but to vote for the new government. Let's see how all this pans out.

I couldn't think too much about the elections as we had to get ready to go to Montrondo. Meanwhile, our lovely Italian family from Piacenza, were leaving and wanted a photo with us. We wanted one with them too. They were lovely people; the perfect family with perfect daughters. They told us we were "special people". All people are special but it was nice to hear that. They are also a family of travelers like us and it was good to exchange experiences. We spoke to them mostly in English with a bit of Italian and a bit of Spanish. Eladio later exclaimed in Spanish "manda cojones" - needs no translation .- that a Spaniard and an Italian had to speak English to each other, hahaha. This is the photo by the way. Goodbye Matteo and Simona, we hope you come again.

A goodbye photo with our lovely Italian family who booked rooms on Airbnb at our home. 

We had hoped to leaver early but that was not to be as we had to pick up the Volvo from the garage where they had repaired a petrol leak. We picked it up at around 12.30, came home, packed it to the full with lots of food and off we went at around 1.30. We had planned to have lunch at Palacio de Bornos in Rueda but unfortunately we had a breakdown just after having driven 80km. The car shuddered to a stop, the accelerator wouldn't respond and somehow Eladio managed to swerve it onto the hard shoulder which wasn't a safe place to be on the busy AP6 motorway that leads to La Coruña from Madrid. We rang our insurance company who sent us both a taxi and a tow truck but we had to wait about 40 minutes. We stood outside the car and Eladio put on a yellow reflector vest so as to be seen from afar. This is him and this was the unpleasant moment.

The car broke down on our way to Montrondo on Monday - not a pleasant moment

Eventually we were picked up and taken home and the car was taken to the garage which it had just left that morning. We sat down to have lunch at 4 pm - rather late for us  - and half an hour later were on our way again, this time in the Mini. The garage rang us while we were driving to tell us that when the Volvo arrived the start engine worked fine. The garage did all sorts of tests but couldn't find anything wrong. How strange. Our drive took us from the heat of Madrid to the cool of the mountains in Montrondo. We arrived to just 14ºc, believe it or not. We even had to switch on the central heating. So, as you see, not all of Spain is undergoing a heat wave. 

Oli and family were supposed to have come on Monday with us but they had a bad day and wouldn't join us until Tuesday morning. We settled in, had a simple dinner of some soup I had brought and then sat down to watch the news which, of course was all about the aftermath of the elections. That's all we are going to hear about in the next 2 months I suppose. 

I slept well but woke up at 6.30 am on Tuesday. We had lots to do to prepare for Oli and her family's arrival. I spent most of the morning cooking quietly - making chicken curry for lunch and tortilla for dinner. Eladio got out all the outdoor furniture and at about midday we had our first morning coffee on the front terrace. Here is my husband enjoying the moment.

Coffee time on Tuesday morning

We had lunch on our own as Oli and family had set off too late to join us. They arrived just after 4 pm. It was wonderful to greet them. Here they are getting stuff out of the car. That day there were only 4 or 5 cars. By yesterday, the day of the village fiestas, there would be many more. 

Oli and family arriving

Elliot who will be 4 in September was ecstatic to be back. Little Juliet who will be 2 in September, did not remember the village. My grandson had hoped all his little cousins would be here but unfortunately only one was here; Andres aged nearly 3. But they played well together. It was fun to watch them.

Later I went for a little walk with Elliot to see how much he remembered of the village. Soon we were joined by his parents and Juliet. The pond in the middle of the village green called El Campo (the field) is always a pull for children. It used to be where people got their water and for cows to drink from. Now it is clean but the water is very cold. Elliot insisted in putting his feet in, so I joined him as did Juliet. Oli took some photos of us having fun together. 

With my grandchildren with our feet in the water

Dinner was a joy. My tortillas were most popular and we laid a veritable spread. Later I went out with the kids to the trampoline. Their parents went for an evening walk - it gets dark here at 10 pm, and I remained alone with Juliet and Elliot. The latter insisted I got onto the trampoline with them and I did so and it was such fun. They were a little worried about their parents' absence so I asked my grandson if he was ok to be with me and if he loved me. He said he did and that he loved "Booboo" (his word for abuelo (grandfather) in Spanish) too. They then insisted on going back into the house to "play" with Booboo and we had more quality time and fun with them until their parents were back. I was happy to have given them a break.

We got into bed, exhausted, at just after 11 pm. That night I slept like a baby and didn't get up until 8.30 on Wednesday morning. I got up at the same time as Juliet and Elliot and of course spent the day with them. They are adorable but exhausting. The highlight of the day was walking to Murias and back, seeing a pony on the way and above all coffee while they were asleep at Hotel Rural La Carcél. Here they are setting off.

Family walk to Murias

And here is the lovely pony which the children didn't see as they were asleep when we reached it.

My favourite pony

I was glad to see it had a horse for company. It was a beautiful moment I wanted to share with you so here is the video I took which you can see on my YouTube channel here. Once in Murias we made our way to the old prison which Eladio remembers well from his childhood. Today it is a holiday home where we have eaten occasionally. We sat in the garden under a beautiful gazebo and enjoyed elevenses in peace while the children slept. Here we are - except me. 

Coffee in Murias on Wednesday

Lunch was all my leftovers. There was a choice of cream of pumpkin soup, bean stew, chicken curry and boeuf stroganof. It was a blessing not to have to cook that morning which gave me the freedom to walk with the family to Murias and back and to have coffee there. It's such a pleasant place.

The afternoon was quiet. Elliot played with his little cousin Andrés again with Juliet butting in but poor mite she wasn't allowed to join in very much hahahahaha.

All in all Wednesday was a lovely family day in our village. Thursday came and was another family day where we spent quality time with our grandchildren. Here is Eladio playing with them both. They look angelic. I promise you they aren't haha. 

Eladio playing with his grandchildren

Their favourite activity here is to jump up and down on the trampoline. All the children love it. Here are Oli and family jumping up and down together. I had a couple of tries too and it tired me out but my grandchildren seem to have boundless energy.

The family enjoying the trampoline

Our morning was slow so there was no time for a walk. Instead we took the car to Senra to have a coffee at the grumpy man's bar. That was the highlight of the day. Oli and Miguel went to Villablino to get lettuce and loads more food which hardly fit in the fridge while we took Elliot in our car back to Montrondo. On the way I showed him the pony, the big horse and a herd of cows with a small bullock. He was most interested and wanted to know what a horse produces. We told him horses are mostly for riding and that their meat is not eaten much these days, although I'm not so sure about that. 

 Lunch was embarrassingly more leftovers again. But no worries the next day we would have a barbecue when Eladio would be the chef and on Saturday we had booked a table at the Cárcel (The prison). 

 More members of the family arrived bringing more small cousins for Juliet and Elliot to play with. I was especially pleased to see José Antonio and Dolores arrive (Eladio's brother and wife). They were alone that night before all their family descended so we had some quality time with them too.

 

I didn't sleep well and woke up at 6 am on Friday morning with a splitting headache. I had a coffee but didn't finish it as I suddenly felt sick. It was a minor migraine. I used to suffer from them a lot but not so much anymore so Friday was not a good day. I had a hot shower and went back to bed and my dear husband gave me a massage. I also rubbed in some old tiger balm in the most painful spots and shortly afterwards I was feeling better. I was feeling well enough to accompany Dolores for our Friday weekly shopping escapade to Villablino which is also Market Day there.I think we got there at about 10 am but didn't leave till 13.30. That's because my sister-in-law shops at about 5 different places hahaha. The highlight was coffee together. 

I bought meat for a barbecue so as not to have to cook. That day Eladio would be the chef and here he is grilling the lamb chops, fillet steak and sausages. Would you believe the sausages were the most popular?

Eladio grilling the meat on the barbecue

My migraine which was better had me feeling a bit zombie most of the day. I perked up in the afternoon and decided cooking would be a calming activity. I made spaghetti bolognese for the children. They eat so badly but I know that's their favourite dish. It seemed to be popular with everyone as the whole family had it for dinner.

This weekend are the village fiestas in honour of Saint Marta. That's when the village is at its most populated but not how I like it best. But I was happy for our grandchildren who had plenty of playmates in their cousins. There are so many of them; I have lost count. 

I slept a lot better on Friday night - a whole 7.5h and woke up on Saturday morning at 8 am headache free, thank goodness. Yesterday were the Santa Marta fiestas and to celebrate we went to have lunch at the Prison (haha), La Cárcel, in Murias. Of course we walked there. This was the view of the village as we left. Isn't it beautiful?

Montrondo on Saturday

Both children were asleep by the time we arrived which made for a quiet and peaceful lunch. The food was good and portions abundant. I had a very strong sangria with my meal so the walk back felt more uphill than usual. I caught Eladio and Oli walking with Juliet and I had to have a photo. Sweet isn't it?

Walking back from Murias after our lunch at La Cárcel

We went straight to bed for our siesta but Oli and family went to the party for children and adults - a so-called foam and colour party. This is what Oli and Juliet looked like when they came back.

Post foam and colour party

Later we joined the villagers on the village green where traditional games were taking place like the egg and spoon race. My favourite is the tug of war; married men against bachelors, married women against spinsters, etc. Unfortunately the rope which must be decades old tore in the middle. Miguel caught Oli and me (right at the back) in the middle of the action.

Tug of war at the fiestas

 

The next item on the fiesta programme was a dance but it didn't start till midnight. So you can imagine that Eladio and I skipped on it. Besides, we are not dancers. W both seem to have left feet hahahah.

 

I slept well again last night and look forward to another family day with our grandchildren in our village, the best place to be right now in hot Spain.

 

Cheers then till next Sunday,

 

Masha