Well, wherever you are reading this from, thank you and welcome. In
's post, you had me with a hemorrhage in my mouth which had lasted all night. It was after yet another dental appointment where I had surgery and it turned out the bleed was caused by one stupid aspirin I took. Will never do that again.
If you have been following my adventures recently, you will know I am undergoing serious and long term dental treatment. The bottom line is I want back the beautiful teeth I once had. This is what they looked like when I was 26. They were the whitest of the white, B1, according to my dentist and that is what I will get back too, one day soon, I hope.
Although I have tried to look after them, they have not aged well and 40 years later I am undergoing serious dental treatment to get them back. That includes 2 bridges and veneers on my front teeth. The process is awful and so far I have had more than 8 appointments. But just 4 to go until I get teeth better than Tom Cruise's, according to my wonderful and patient dentist, Dr. Garralda. I have told him if they are as good when he finishes I will invite him and all his staff to lunch. Hopefully, by then, I will be able to chew on both sides. My mother always said that to be beautiful you have to suffer - how right she was. She must have got that expression from her French as I don't think it is used much in English. In French they say "Il faut souffrir pour être belle". (Thank you Adele for telling me that).
So, yes I was suffering on Sunday last but not for long. I couldn't leave the house and didn't feel like it. Food was boring because it could only be soft and cold. Thus I ate mushed up muesli, orange juice and yoghurt which was like having 3 breakfasts instead of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
But what am I complaining about I thought to myself when I watched the
BBC Oscar winning documentary about Alexei Navalny, who needs no introduction, that afternoon? If you haven't seen it, I urge you to. I knew the main facts about him, his stand against Putin, his poisoning, his return to Russia and his imprisonment after conjured up accusations and now his death but not the whole story.
 |
| Alexei Navalny answering the question of what his message is to the world if he gets killed. What a brave man. |
When asked what message he wanted to leave to the world if he was killed, he first joked but at the end of the documentary which was made with his complete cooperation, this was his answer which I want to share with you: "We don't realise how strong we actually are. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing." He ends by saying "my message is very simple, don't give up". His wife Yulia has vowed to continue his fight. Long may she live. But she must take more care than her husband did. I often wonder whether he was wise to return to Russia after recovering from the novichok attack. Only this week was his body shown to his mother, with no more trace of the poison but she has been threatened. If the family hold a public funeral they will do something to his body. What else can they do I ask myself? They threatened that if she didn't agree to a secret burial they will bury Navalny at the prison. She refused and then amazingly they handed him over to her yesterday. RIP. Obviously Putin is doing his best to avoid a public funeral and a show of support to his greatest political opponent.
Navalny's death came to me as a big shock but not a surprise. More than anything I am sorry and sad for him and his family but also for Russia, my family's homeland they had to escape from. I can only end this by saying "Oh Russia"! Soon Putin will be reelected for another term as absolute President and most possibly Russia will win the war in Ukraine. Add to that, Trump coming to power again and we have a very sorry world to live in.
In Spain that day the big story centred on the results of the regional elections in Galicia, in North West Spain. I have to say I was happy that the PP, right wing party, got the majority of votes as I am sick and tired of the current government in power - a coalition of the worst kind. I am not against the socialist party, the PSOE, I am against the parties in the coalition that they rely on to get on with governing the country. These include communist parties as well as parties made up of ex members of the terrorist group; ETA, not to mention the far right Catalan party, JUNTS, headed by the scoundrel, Puigdemont, who unlawfully declared Catalonia independent. He then fled justice by escaping to Belgium and it is his party's 5 votes which made it possible for the PSOE leader, Pedro Sánchez, be reelected PM. This set of thugs he has gone to bed with must be giving him nightmares. So, yes, I was happy they won't govern up north, as they don't in Madrid, Andalusia and other big regions in Spain.
Monday came. I would have loved to go away for the week but had the dentist again and another medical appointment. We went for our walk like the good souls we are and then had a coffee to restore them. It was then time for some quick shopping before I upped and left, once again, for the dentist.
That day I finished the book, The Society of Snow, upon which the amazing new film about the Andes crash is based. I like it more than the others because the author interviews all 16 survivors. They are very special people because they went through something very special together. My next book was about Russia or rather a Russian Spy. It has been dubbed "the greatest espionage story of the Cold War".
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre, is the true story of the KGB spy who turned and worked for M16 in the 80's. What a brave man Oleg Gordievsky was. He began to doubt the goodness of the Soviet regime when the USSR invaded Prague to stop the uprising and when the Berlin wall was built. No wonder. He was very brave too. I wonder what Alexei Navalny thought of him.
Tuesday was very quiet. It started with our 1h long walk together with Pippa. Then I was alone for lunch as Eladio was out with his friends, Juanjo and Roberto to celebrate the latter's 80th birthday. 80! Oh my God. My own husband will become an octogenarian in September but honestly, he looks more like a sexagernarian!!
While he was out and he didn't come back till nearly 6 - celebration lunches go on forever in Spain - I watched the end of the original One Day film made in 2011. It was made by the author David Nicholls and I can't wait to read the book. If truth to tell I think the Netflix version is better. I far prefer the script and the actors. Anyone who graduated, like me in the 80's, will relate to it. Have you seen it yet?
Wednesday was more interesting. It took us to the churros cafe bar half an hour's walk away from home. Rest assured we just had coffee. There we bumped into our lovely Iraqi student lodger, Mohammad. He sat down with us and finally asked his burning question to my husband; how and when did he know I was the woman for him. That was lovely to witness. We all came to the conclusion it was probably a month after we met in Spain when he had to back to his job and I had to go back to England. The real truth is we both fell in love within the first week we met. That was in the summer of 1980, the year I graduated. My story is rather different to the characters in One Day as you will know if you have seen it. I always feel I won the marriage lottery and Eladio does too. Here's to true love my friends.
Just as I got home I received a booking for 4 people apparently from Slovenia, coming the next day for 4 nights. They wanted to come that night but I still had my Chinese guests who didn't leave until Thursday after 2 weeks with us. All of this was related to my dear friend Amanda in our weekly Skype call which is usually on Mondays but sometimes gets cancelled or changed. I always love pouring out my heart to her. Talking to her is much better than going to a shrink. Girlfriends are so important. Love you Amanda (who doesn't read this), Sandra, Adele and Kathy. Fátima used to be on that list but sadly she left us in 2019. She can never be forgotten.
I had to cut short the call though as I had a bone density scan that afternoon. I do one every two years. I think it's to check if I have osteoporosis which thankfully I don't. I made the appointment through my private insurance; Adeslas. In Spain private insurance if far cheaper than in most countries. Depending on your age it costs between 30 and 100 euros a month per person and covers nearly everything. Unlike the UK, you do not have to get an appointment with a specialist via your GP. You just ring the specialist of your choice or hospital. I usually go to Hospital Quirón or Montepríncipe. I didn't have to wait at all and the test was over and done in 10 minutes. The results will be in my Quirón app within a week. That was the last of the tests my gynecologist asked me to do. I have the results of all the others and all is good. So this year's MOT is now over, until next time. Now I am waiting for all my dental appointments to be over and we will be free to travel my friends; probably in April. Roll on April
Once home I got another booking, this time for the tail end of August for our house in Asturias. Wonderful I thought. It was a direct booking so no commission lost to Booking or Airbnb. I agreed to 7 people when normally the limit is 6. So I was furious the next day to hear from the guest that they would be a party of 10. I put my foot down and told them if they tired to enter the house with 10 guests they would not be allowed in. What a cheek. Let's see what happens in August. This hospitality lark has its benefits but also its complicated moments I can tell you.
Thursday dawned and that morning my Chinese guests, JZ and his parents left after two weeks with us. I wished them a pleasant journey back to China, a 12 hour flight to Beijing and then 1.5h to Shanghai. JZ works for a Spanish bank so comes here on and off. He and his wife have now bought 4 apartments in Madrid and have a golden visa. This golden visa attracts Chinese money as well as Russian money, as you can imagine.
That day we did not go for a walk as Eladio had a doctor's appointment to do a blood test - just a routine one and get a vaccine for shingles which he does not want to get ever again. He got it on our trip to Armenia and suffered a lot. Meanwhile, it was all hands on deck when he came back to get the rooms ready for our next guests - the 4 from the Balkans and a Spanish girl coming that day. Once again one of the bathroom basins was leaking and once again the insurance people came, just on time, to fix it. There is always something, ......
I was in Majadahonda by 12, the town where my dentist has his practice. I was there early and went to have a coffee. With time on my hands, I wandered up and down the main street, called La Gran Vía - every town in Spain has one or nearly - and looked at the shops. I came across a very attractive boutique called Miya which seems to be a global women's clothes shop of Chinese origin. In less than 5 minutes I walked out with 2 t-shirts, a blouse and a jumper, all for just 45 euros. This is what I bought.
 |
| Lovely new clothes from a boutique called Miya of Chinese origin, I came across in Majadahonda on Thursday |
I haven't had new clothes for a long time and the feeling was good. The feeling was not so good at the dentist. It was the longest session so far and the worst. It was to take impressions for the moulds for 2 new bridges and veneers for the 5 top front teeth. I had no idea though that to fit the veneers, he had to reduce (drill/file down) my top teeth to about half their size. They were the best I had and I was so upset to feel them go. I could feel them with my tongue once he was finished and nearly cried. It was an awful feeling to lose them. Finally, about 2h later, he replaced them with a provisional sort of cover which is a supposed copy of my teeth but with no enamel. I walked out with a completely numb mouth feeling dreadful.
In case you are not familiar with veneers (carillas in Spanish) this is what they look like (I think).
 |
| Veneers |
They will eventually look great although the downside is that they only last about 10 years. Time will tell.
The next session is on 6th March to try on provisional bridges and veneers. If they are ok, my dentist will order the final ones which, if all goes fine, will be placed in my mouth on 14th March. Meanwhile, my bottom teeth will be whitened. I hope I am not boring you with the story of my dental ordeal but it's top of mind at the moment and the most major treatment I have ever had. If I hadn't embarked on it, eventually my teeth would have rotted. I am scandalised by the state of many people's teeth in the UK, simply because there are hardly any NHS dentists. I even read some people resort to pliers to remove rotten teeth. Many others go to Turkey for cheap dental jobs and there are so many horror stories from the health tourist industry there. Bottom line, is take care of your teeth always.
Anyway, enough of that. I spent a quiet afternoon waiting for our new guests. 4 strapping men dressed in worker overalls arrived promptly at 7 pm. Two are from Slovenia, one is from Bosnia - the Serbian part called Republika Srpska - and one from Serbia. They work for a company called Dorssen based in Slovenia which claims to to be a world leader in automated storage - conveyor belts and robots at warehouses to pick and pack products. They are nice guys but were not very careful with the doors and gates until we told them.
Finally when everyone was settled, including Ana from Bilbao who got lost, we were able to go to bed and watch the news. A horror story was emerging in Valencia where 2 blocks of modern flats were on fire. The fire started at around 5 pm and completely destroyed both buildings which were adjoined. It was a true towering inferno to watch live. The high rise blocks contained more than 130 apartments where 450 people lived. The victim toll so far is 14 people were injured and 10 died. More people did not die, thanks to Julián, the building concierge. As soon as he knew there was a fire he went from door to door of the 14 story buildings to make sure everyone left. The fire fighters took over when they arrived. I later heard a terrible story of a family with 2 small children. They tried to get out but were told by the firefighters to return to their flat and take refuge in the bathroom and put wet towels against the door except that by then there was no more running water. The firefighter imagined the fire would be put out shortly but it wasn't to be because of the wind and other factors. Others disobeyed his orders but this family didn't. With a new born baby they took his advice which although it adhered to protocol was wrong in this instance. Otherwise they would be alive today. I cannot imagine their suffering. Whoever he was, he will have to live with this all his life.
Here are some of the images of this towering inferno.
 |
| Image from the towering inferno in Valencia on Thursday |
Oh God I feel so sorry for the victims and owners who have lost everything, especially this family. As I watched I couldn't help thinking of the dreadful Grenfell Tower fire in London and wondered if the fire in Valencia was also made worse by the cladding. And it seems so. I'm not sure it's the same material. Designed to keep out the heat and the cold, at the same time it was very inflammable. Now we have our own Grenfell Tower but in Valencia. None of the occupants who escaped the fire will have slept that night. This is their worst nightmare coming true. I wonder whether they will ever get back in money the cost of their apartment and content. I read the flats were relatively new and cost upward of half a million euros each approx. How absolutely dreadful. It was the biggest news in Spain this week - no wonder.
We went to bed watching Viven (Alive), the original film about the Andes crash. Eladio thinks it's better than the Society of Snow. I am obsessed, you must think. Maybe I am but what a story of suffering and survival in the most extreme circumstances possible. That is what fascinates me.
I didn't sleep well and was up at about 7 on Friday morning, hoping the kitchen was free and it was. We didn't do much that day. I dressed for a walk which we didn't go on and tried on the various tops I had bought and took a photo of one of me in pink and white stripes - very me of course - That's the one I have chosen for this week's feature photo.
We had coffee that morning at home, sitting in the sun by the old wood cabin which needs restoring. Here I am, in pink again, hahahaha, enjoying the moment.
 |
| Coffee at home on Friday morning - in the pink hahaha |
Who was probably not having a good moment was the person who took a video I want to share with you. It's of a bear in a village called Villaseca - near Villablino and not so far from Eladio's village, Montrondo. The poor bear had probably come out of hibernation and couldn't find any food so it rummaged in someone's dustbin, albeit unsuccessfully. This is it.
 |
| A bear spotted near Montrondo this week |
I reposted the video on
Tiktok and on my
YouTube channel. In the late 70's there were just 90 bears left in Spain, mainly living in the Asturias area with some in Leon, Galicia and Palencia. Today there are over 450 of them and the largest population of bears in Spain today is in the Villablino area of León - the town nearest Montrondo where we do our shopping. The news has reached New York as you can see in
this article I read about the new bear patrol set up to monitor the bears and protect the people living in the area. The villagers are none too happy as the bears enter their gardens, kill their chickens and rummage in their bins. Some people are afraid of taking a walk while others are keen to spot bears which has an affect on increasing tourism in an otherwise very remote area of Spain. So, yes, yet another bear was spotted near Montrondo this week.
We haven't been back there since the summer and hopefully we will be able to go once all my dental work is finished and before our "big trip". These were the things we talked about over coffee in the garden that day.
The rest of the day was quiet. We followed the news of the blaze in Valencia which made headlines all over the world. Again, I am so sorry for the victims and for those who have lost everything.
Saturday came and out we went to have coffee together, go to the chemist and get more yoghurts for me - I am surviving on them at the moment with the state my teeth are in. At Manacor we were surprised to be greeted by a young woman who seemed to know us. I couldn't for the life of me think who she was. It turns out she is Bea (Beatriz) who was in Olivia's class at St. Michael's school. I remember her well because her family lived and still lives in Parque Boadilla near where our old house was in Río Tajo. Her mother owned a haberdashery and many an afternoon was spent at either their house or ours after school. I had to take a photo to remember the moment.
 |
| Eladio wtih Bea yesterday in Boadilla |
What a lovely coincidence to bump into her after all these years. I think we hadn't seen her since she was about 14 or 15 and now she must be 38 like Olivia. Very sweetly she told us we hadn't changed. But we have, hahahahaq. Bea totally agreed when I remarked what a happy childhood she, her siblings and our girls had had, being brought up in the quiet Urbanization of Parque Boadilla and going to a lovely bilingual school, St. Michael's. Their schooldays were so happy as was our life in our old house. Oli and Suzy were very lucky to live there and go to that school which I remember very fondly.
We came home and I had to rustle something up for lunch which would be easy on my teeth (aarrrgh), then it was our quiet time watching the news, sleeping, reading, etc.
Today is Sunday and I think it will be another quiet day with not much to tell. So, let me leave you now till next week.
Cheers till then,
Masha
No comments:
Post a Comment