A quiet, cold and rainy week, first two groups of Israeli hostages released, Elliot and Juliet try tea for the first time, Trump sworn in as President again, a bit of pampering with Suzy, coffee with our Chinese friends and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday, 26th January, 2025

A coffee with Suzy after having my nails done on Blue Monday, supposedly the most depressing day of the year.

Good morning again friends and readers. How you are all doing? I'm as OK as I can be. For us it has been a quiet, cold and very rainy week. We are so used to the sun here that when it rains I find it depressing. In the UK, mostly in Ireland and Scotland, Storm Eowyn has leashed its wrath with what the press are calling a weather bomb. I read it was probably the strongest storm to hit the UK in 10 years. Wind speeds of up to 115 mph were recorded, over a 1000 flights were cancelled and many people were without electricity. So, I shouldn't be complaining about the weather here in comparison. If you read my blog post last week I'm happy to tell you my knee is better but I still have to rest it so no walks again for me this week either.

Last Sunday was not depressing. It was the day the Gaza ceasefire came into force. 3 young Israeli women hostages were released, Emily Damari, Romi Gonen and Doron Steinbrecher. They were the first small group of the 33 to be released in the first part of the ceasefire agreement. We saw their release organised by the Red Cross live on TV as did their mothers. I can't imagine the emotion and relief when they finally held their daughters in their arms 15 months after their kidnapping by the evil terrorist group Hamas. Very few details of their detainment have emerged but I'm sure they had a horrible time underground in filthy tunnels. I pray for their mental health and recovery. Another 4 women were to be released on Saturday. Their mothers and families will have awaited the moment with great anxiety. Imagine being in their shoes.  I keep wondering why they haven't released the youngest hostage, a baby aged just 10 months old only. 

Olivia and the kids were coming for lunch that day and I had everything prepared. We had a bit of a shock before their arrival as Juliet had to go hospital. It happened when she showed her mother a broken thermometer which she took out of her mouth. Had she swallowed the mercury? Was it dangerous? She seemed ok but you never know. It was 5 year old Elliot who told his mother they should go to the hospital, "just in case". Eladio joined them and found Juliet (3)  in high spirits. 

Juliet with her mother who was in high spirits at the hospital after giving Olivia a scare

It turned out the thermometer contained non toxic gallium and not mercury so this was a storm in a tea cup thankfully.

It was after lunch that my grandchildren tried tea for real for the first time; well decaf tea. Suzy had made some for herself and they wanted to try it. Would you believe they loved it and wanted more? I had to have a photo.

Elliot and Juliet trying tea for the first time with Suzy

With their tea they had some biscuits which they dunked in their drink, "just like Daddy". I thought that was very funny. Dunking biscuits, cake, croissants, etc is a very Spanish and French thing. When I was a child in England it was pretty faux pas. My penchant for dunking croissants in coffee began as a teenager at Gare du Nord station in Paris and I've loved it ever since, as have I croissants when they are good. 

Elliot and Juliet dunking biscuits in their tea which they tried for the first time this week

Monday came and it was a foul day. It's rather ironic that Trump's inauguration should fall on Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year. OMG. But Suzy and I braced ourselves and went out for a little pampering to have a nail manicure. We later went to have coffee at Alverán. I always have coffee outside in the sun in Spain but not this week. That day we had to go inside which was depressing. Suzy took the only photo I have of myself this week which I have used as today's feature photo. Not a great one but at least I have a smile on my face. You all know I hate going to the hairdresser but I love having my nails done. I always think a woman should take care of her hair and nails. She should take care of her body too; an area I rather fail at although I am now on a semi sort of diet to shed some of the  many kilos I put on this winter. 

Trump being sworn in as the 47th President, as he was the 45th 4 years ago, was frankly so depressing I didn't want to watch it. I can't stand the man and his crazy ideas.  However, I couldn't really avoid seeing some of it on the news that night. One picture did strike me though and it was taken when he tried to kiss his Slovenian born wife (an immigrant btw), Melania. She was wearing the oddest hat which completely covered her eyes. Maybe she didn't want to watch the ceremony either, or maybe she didn't want him to actually touch her face. Just look.  I bet underneath it all she hates him. But then, why did she marry him? Only she knows. I mean, imagine going to bed with the monster? Uggh.

The hat thwarted kiss at Trump's inaugural ceremony

He promised a new golden age for America. It looks like the dark ages to me.  As soon as he was sworn in, he began to sign hundreds of decrees previously prepared, all of them doing away with any good work Biden had done. In a nutshell, he  pulled out of the Paris climate agreement and the WHO, will put an end to diversity (he said there will be only two sexes; men and women), flout climate change (drill baby drill) and close the borders to new immigrants, as well as carry out mass deportations. He wants to stop the right to nationality for immigrants born in the US.  Later in the week, he pardoned all those far right criminals who stormed the Capitol 4 years ago causing death and destruction. He also told Putin to stop the war in Ukraine otherwise there will be more sanctions. I don't think that will work. Then to rock the boat even more, he gave his blessing to those radical Jewish settlers who continue to destroy, attack or take over areas and homes in Palestine. He probably doesn't even know where Spain is as he asked whether it belonged to the BRICS countries with their emerging economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa). That did not go down well down here at all.   He threatens huge taxes on imported goods from friendly and non friendly countries and  is generally behaving like a  bull in a China Shop. And he will carry on and the world will not be a better place because of him. I really mean it when I say God bless America. He will not make American great again. My husband did watch the ceremony and was awed by the pomp. He was also puzzled as to why the citizens of the US call their country America when it is a continent and not a country. He has a point there. He was also surprised at the religious aspects and the mention of God in the ceremony although the President forgot to put his hand on a bible which his wife had in her hands.  That would be impossible in Spain now a secular country. If a Spanish King or new President used a bible or said God Bless Spain, people would have their guts for garters. That's enough of the newly instated 47th US President for now. 

Tuesday came and it was another freezing cold and rainy day. Oli asked me to check an email she was sending to Narges Mohammadi, non other than the Iranian woman human rights activist, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for 2023. I was impressed and can't wait to see the interview. 

Despite the weather, we did go out that morning. We had a coffee date with our Chinese friends whose English names are Amanda and George. They and their 12 year old daughter were our Airbnb guests two years ago after they left China for Spain. Since then we have met occasionally and we admire them for their courage. It's funny as their daughter now goes to our daughters' old school, St. Michael's in Boadilla. And, just as we walked into the cafeteria (Manacor), sitting there were old friends from the school; Inés and her daughter Beatriz who was in Suzy's class. Inés and her husband live in a house right across the road from the school. We had bumped into her occasionally over the years but we had not seen Beatriz since she left school over 22 years ago. And there were our Chinese guests waiting for us and my attention was divided between them and our old friends. Here are two photos I took at Manacor that day. It was lovely to see our Chinese friends as well as Inés and Beatriz and her brother Fernando who joined them later. 

Inés and Beatriz, friends from the girls' school days

Amanda and George, our Chinese friends with whom we had coffee this week at Manacor

Our Chinese friends told us that it was the Chinese New Year at the end this month and that it's the Year of the Snake. We also learned they are both Sheep from the Chinese Zodiac horoscope. We looked up ours and I am a rooster and Eladio is a monkey. I later looked up the predictions for Roosters this year and  this is what I read: "The Rooster Chinese Horoscope 2025 promises to be highly favourable for Roosters in terms of employment, business ventures and entrepreneurial endeavours". If it refers to my renting business that is good news. Monkeys (Eladio) seem to be promised good fortune too. This is what  I read "They will enjoy a steady financial situation and not have to worry about their cash flow". I sincerely hope that is true. As we left, we wished them a very Happy New Year. 

Once again I braved the weather that day as I went for my afternoon hair cut appointment and the dyeing of my awful roots. I hate going but it is an important task. Conchi did her work speedily and well and I left with just 18 euros less in my pocket. Gosh, she is cheap. Now both my nails and my hair were in good condition, as I like them to be.

Wednesday dawned and as I didn't plan to go out, I showered and put my pyjamas on again. I love being in my pyjamas and dressing gown at home. Do you? I was certainly not one of those travelling anywhere that day. I was stunned to hear that 1.4 billion travelled abroad in 2024 and that 94 million of them came to Spain and some to my house too. Spain was the second most visited country after France with 100 million visitors. However, and this is big, tourists and visitors spent a whopping 126 billion euros here vs 71 billion in France. I got some of that and spent it too on our amazing road trip last year. I read that tourism accounts for about 13% of Spain's  GDP. I honestly thought it was more. So where does the other money come from? Agriculture? No, that's only 3% believe it or not. The main sources of revenue come from the car industry (Spain is a huge manufacturer mainly of French cars), medical technology (new one for me), chemicals (really?), ship building and the textile industry - of course, Zara and co I suppose. We are also supposedly a big exporter of professional services whatever that means. In any case, tourism is looking good unless our communist and socialist coalition government spoil things, especially with restrictions on Airbnb hosting and the purchasing of housing by non EU countries. Spain's economy is apparently booming although you wouldn't notice it on a day to day basis, but according to The Economist, "Spain deserves a fiesta". We do, we do. Pensioners also deserve an increase in their income which promised to be 2.8 this year in line with inflation. However, something happened to halt the increase. That day in the Spanish parliament a huge bucket list of decrees was voted on in one bill including pensions. It did not go through as the government didn't have enough support. You would think that all parties would agree to  pension increase and they do. What they didn't agree to were all the other decrees sneakily included in the one bill. I was furious at the news. I can only hope this can be revoked somehow. Of course it could if it went through Congress as a single bill or if the government issued a special decree. For now it's all about political games which is infuriating as it affects people's lives. Damn the government we have. That news was not a good end to the day. 

Thursday dawned and although it still rained, the sun came out a little and the temperatures went up a tiny bit. I can't wait for the good weather again.  I slept well and once again as I didn't go out, I just showered and put my pyjamas on again, hahahaha. At breakfast I did not see my latest guest, Cristiana, a 22 year old Romanian girl who came on Wednesday. She is studying in Utrecht and is here on an exchange programme. When I showed her the house, she said  it was so gorgeous, it felt as if she was in a film, bless her. We aim to please, of course. 2 more guests were arriving that day, Leonardo (a repeat guest) and Elena. I looked forward to greeting them. 

On Friday we were out and about. We went to pick up a traffic fine from the post office. We can no longer drive our old Volvo diesel car to the local train station damn it. I then stopped at the local clinic to pick up the instructions and some vile powder to be consumed for a dreaded colonoscopy on 3rd February. It's just preventative as my mother had bowel cancer but I am not looking forward to the horrid preparations to clear my gut hahahaha. We then went for coffee after which we did the weekly shopping. It was lovely to be out and about and to have the house full of healthy food. 

On Saturday, earlier than expected, the 4 Israeli women hostages were released as announced. The exchange rate was high; 200 Palestinians in their place. They were the second small group of the 33 to be released and they are Karina Ariev, Daniella Gilboa, Naama Levy and Liri Albag. They are soldiers and were members of the unit of observers posted around Gaza to watch for any signs of Hamas activity. They were supposed to be "Israel's eyes on the border" but their pleas went unheard. This was the night of the big debacle on 7th October 2023 which caught Israel unprepared. If only their pleas had been listened to. Now they are home but with scars; mostly mental of course. How on earth do you get over something like that? In contrast to last Saturday's huddled release, this time the terrorists displayed the women on stage in Gaza claiming victory from Israel. That was not popular and the Israeli government was disappointed a 5th hostage, civilian Arbel Yehud, had not been included as agreed. In retaliation Israel delayed allowing Palestinians to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip. This ceasefire agreement is very fragile. 

Life continued as normal here in the middle class bubble we live in on the outskirts of Madrid where life is generally safe. That morning I accompanied Suzy to the hairdresser in Villaviciosa and we had coffee together.  Here she is just after the bob cut. She doesn't like having her photo taken so I had to sneak this one.

To the hairdresser with Suzy on Saturday

The outing did us both good and I think she enjoyed a bit more pampering.  I suffer for my daughter but I suspect she suffers a lot more. If only she would agree to medication and therapy. For the sake of peace we often ignore the elephant in the room in our day to day relations. In any case, she prefers not to talk about the delusions when I carefully try to reach out to her and question them.

The rest of the day was quiet too. I watched a lot of The Night Agent - an excellent spy series. I have also re watched The Night Manager this week. Oh I do love spy stories don't you?

Today is Sunday and Oli and the kids will be here for lunch, so I must leave you now and get on with the day as it is already late and I have lots to do.

Cheers then my friends until next Sunday. All the best till then,

Masha

 

Not a good start to the new year. grounded again after my torn meniscus flared up, RIP Mr. Brierley, 11th hour peace treaty between Israel and Hamas goes into force, my Lazarus moment and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday, 19th January, 2025

Finally out and about again on Saturday after being grounded on Monday after my knee gave in on Monday

Good morning folks. 

The year didn't get off to a great start for me but I didn't know that last Sunday. which was a quiet day. We went for our hour long walk with a stop at the churros bar for a coffee without churros. That is, my friends, because I have started eating sensibly after so much indulging at Christmas. No more chocolate or ice cream or wine for a while; well, until my birthday next month. It was a sunny day and I never met the guest who left that morning. Suzy has her ups and downs and that afternoon I heard her praying out loud in the garden rather agitatedly. She refers to God as Yahweh from the Old Testament, not a God I particularly like. I heard her shout out that those who are against him will be chastised. She has explained to us she is living a spiritual life but this is so wrong. 

Monday came and I had a blood test appointment at 8.30. I had to take a urine sample too and just as I got off the loo, my knee went and I just couldn't walk it hurt so much. About 2 and a half years ago I tore the main meniscus on my right knee. Bottom line was my surgeon didn't recommend surgery as it may not work. Ok I couldn't crouch nor flex my knee well but it didn't hurt so I continued life normally until the flare up on Monday. And OMG that did hurt. Maybe I should have gone straight to A&E but I decided to rest and take anti inflammatory tablets to see if it would get better on its own and if by Friday I still couldn't walk or put my weight on my leg, I would go to the hospital. So I was grounded. As it's not my first time, I know the drill. I lie in bed most of the time and move around my room and bathroom on a PC chair with wheels. I do not use crutches as I have no strength in my arms. As to going down two flights of stairs to the kitchen, I did  so on my bum with another PC chair waiting for me downstairs. 

Grounded but going up and down the stairs on my bum.

Facebook reminded me this morning that 10 years ago today I had an operation to repair the fibula which I broke when falling on ice on a snowy day in the mountains in Montrondo.So, of course I know the drill. 

10 years ago today I was operated on to repair the fibula after a fall in the snow. That had me grounded for  months!

 Then, as now, I felt sympathy towards anyone paralysed as this world is not made for immobile people. But thank God for Eladio, Tana and Suzy who helped me all week. Also thank God to Last Tango in Halifax and Call the Midwife. I skyped with both Sandra and Adele which cheered me up although I wasn't feeling down, just a bit frustrated at not being part of the land of those who can move on two legs. 

Tuesday came and I had slept quite well and my knee hurt a bit less but I still couldn't walk. Tana brought me up my vital morning coffee and Suzy made my breakfast. I didn't dare get in the shower but oh my, the bidet was the perfect thing for washing my face, body and  teeth as it's just at the right level of my PC chair. So, I was clean my friends, hahaha. 

It was on Tuesday we heard more about a possible truce between Israel and Hamas which deserves a chapter in itself in today's blog post as if it works out it will end this useless war that has now lasted 15 months and killed 46000 Palestinians .One of the main reasons for the Israelies' accepting the deal is to get the hostages back. I suppose Hamas don't want Gaza more decimated than it already is and if humanitarian aid doesn't get in soon there will be no country left.  It's called the Gaza ceasefire and seems to have been led by the US, with both Trump and Biden claiming the medal for victory. The other mediators are Qatar and Egypt. It is supposed to enter into force today January 19th.  Unfortunately, as I read this morning, Israel had delayed its start until Hamas issued the list of names of those hostages to be released. But just a few minutes ago, I saw on the BBC that the ceasefire has begun after Hamas issued the names of the first Israeli  hostages to be released. 3 are supposed to be handed over today if all goes to schedule. All women, they are 31 year old Doron Steinbrecher. 28 year old British Isreali Emily Damari and 24 year old Romi Gonen.  From what I have read there are 3 stages. The first is to last about 6 weeks and in which Hamas will release 33 hostages in stages. In exchange Israel is to release 50 Palestinan prisoners for every female Israeli soldier released by Hamas and 30 for other hostages. The ratio is weighted in favour of Hamas in my view. But then the Israelies have killed so many of their people. There are a lot more specifics in the deal which I won't go into as you are probably already following the news. For the record the other main clause is that Israel withdraws from Gaza. I sincerely hope it lasts unlike the one in November 2023, a month after the taking of 250 hostages in Israel. 100 were freed but the deal broke down just after a week. I have a feeling that Netanyahu's objective is to sign this agreement he does not like just to get all the hostages back, alive or dead and then will probably continue the war. Am I wrong? 

The other news this week, of course, is the continuation of the raging of fires in Los Angeles. Also the rockets sent into space by Amazon's Jeff Bezos and Twitter/Tesla/Trump's Elon Musk. I was gleeful to hear the latter's shattered as soon as it took off. He is the richest man in the world who bought Twitter and now wants to buy Tik Tok giving him him an even bigger audience for his diatribe and political meddling in the world. Tik Tok is about to be banned in the US but he's already won that audience. That man is a demon and a danger to humanity as is his partner in crime, Donald Trump who will be invested tomorrow. He wants Canada, the Panama Canal and Greenland, does not rule out force and is threatening to carry out a massive deportation of illegal immigrants which could happen already next week in Chicago. The world is doomed in his hands. He has also promised to sort out the war against Ukraine in 24 hours. I don't see that happening do you?

On Wednesday I still couldn't walk. But I just had to have a shower. I put a stool in the shower unit and sat on it showering myself with great care as I couldn't shut the doors. I felt so much better afterwards.  I worked that morning on more administrative stuff related to acquiring those elusive Property Registry number codes for listing my houses and rooms on Airbnb. Everyone is against the latter these days as if Airbnb was the sole culprit of the housing problem here in Spain and elsewhere. I can understand the frustration in saturated areas but blanket rules are not the right way to go. Our house in Asturias is in the middle of nowhere and the rooms in our house are in our own home. Can't we rent them hassle free? Well no we can't, not while we have a socialist/communist coalition government. The government also wants to limit the purchase of housing by people from outside the EU which, of course includes my home country, the UK by adding a purchase tax of 100%. Isn't that crazy? 

I Skyped with Amanda that afternoon as she wasn't able to on Monday. We had lots to talk about after the Christmas recess. A new guest arrived, a vet called Fabián from Mexico. As I couldn't walk, Eladio received him and, bless him, he took him to the wrong room hahaha. This was later rectified. 

My dear friend Adele wrote to Sandra and I that afternoon to give us the very sad news that her father Neil, aged 92,  had died peacefully that morning at 7.30 with her and two siblings by his bedside. She knew the end was nearing and put forward her journey from France to be with him. She told us he had waited for her. He must have done. Dear Adele will now go through a horrible stage of grief that I am very familiar with. Thankfully she is surrounded by lots of family which will give her much comfort. RIP Mr. Brierley. I remember him well as he used to be my dentist having a clinic in Bradford. Adele lived in North Yorkshire in Boroughbridge and we both went to Uni together in Nottingham where she studied French and Spanish as a subsid and I studied Hispanic Studies. Thus we coincided. We also lived in the same residence the first year, Nightingale Hall and in our last year, lived together in a house with other people in Beeston. We had such fun together and seemed to be always organising parties. She loved cooking and made great pizzas and cheesecake. It was a laugh a minute living with Adele and still is. She had an old VW and we would often travel back to Yorkshire together where I met her parents in Boroughbridge and she met mine in Bradford. Her parents and whole family are lovely people. Now Mr. Brierley will join his dear wife in Heaven. God bless them. God bless my dear friend Adele too who I love so much.

On Thursday I still couldn't walk and decided I would go to A&E the next day. Meanwhile, Eladio and Suzy did the shopping after I gave them two exhaustive lists. The worlds' eyes were on Israel that day when the Israeli cabinet delayed voting on the ceasefire. It seemed to be a done deal but wasn't to be signed until the 11th hour of the Jewish sabbath. And then, as I wrote above, it was delayed until Hamas issued a list of the hostages to be released. 

 I slept really well that night and woke up on Friday early and was joined by Fabian the vet in the kitchen for breakfast. He is a charming man and owns 8 dogs, by the way. At 10.30 we went to the HM Hospital Monteprincipe in Pozuelo. I have both public and private health insurance so I can choose where to go. The latter costs about 100 euros a month and is well worth it as the waiting times are much shorter, plus you can chose your specialist and don't have to go through a GP as you do "back home". Eladio drove the car right up to the door and went to get a wheel chair. I was soon seeing a traumatologist. He examined my knee and sent me off for an X Ray. They couldn't find an orderly so Eladio took me. 5 minutes later I was back in the doctor's surgery. On the X Ray which only shows bones, he couldn't see the menisci but could tell what stage arthritis I have. According to him it's mild which is good. He gave me all sorts of prescriptions, including morphine which I have not used and told me to get an appointment for an MRI after which I am to see him again. He then got a nurse to give me an injection with cortisone and some anti inflammatory drug. I later read it is called Corticosteroid and is a long lasting drug giving relief for up to 3 or 4 months.  It turned out to be a miracle drug my friends because it worked immediately.  That was my Lazarus moment. 5 minutes later I could stand up and walk, stiffly and with a bit of pain but I could walk. Thank you Jesus. Amazingly I got a slot for the MRI for yesterday Saturday. The results take 10 days and I will be seeing the same doctor at the end of the month. It looks like I may not be having an operation if it can be avoided. When I first tore one of the menisci the doctor then explained that the popular arthtrhocospic knee surgery may not work in my case and could actually prove harmful. I also read and have found out that depending on the injury, you can still be fairly mobile without an operation. In any case  let's see what the MRI reveals.

Before heading home Eladio got all my meds including a knee bandage I won't be wearing and we were back before lunch. Neither Suzy nor Tana could believe I could walk. I am now on a menu of painkillers, anti inflammatory meds and ice on my knee a few times a day. I was absolutely thrilled to be able to walk again and not have to rely on the wheelie chair and my bum for going up and down the stairs.

Lunch was leftovers but who cares and I didn't have much of a siesta as I had to write this post which is all about me. I hope I haven't bored you stiff. We had a wonderful and very healthy dinner that night, made by me on my own two legs: cream of broccoli soup,  hake with chives baked in foil with fresh asparagus followed by yellow kiwis with raspberries, yoghurt and a medjoul date. It was delicious.I should have slept well after that except that I didn't. Before going to sleep we watched Pedro Almodóvar's latest film, his first in English, "The room next door". But of course we watched it in ´Spanish for Eladio. It's good in parts but rather tough watching as it's about a woman with terminal cancer. Afterwards I just could not sleep despite taking 3 sleeping tablets. I put that down to the steroid injection which seems to have made me feel full of beans. 

Saturday came and my knee felt almost normal, so normal I was raring to go out as I hadn't left the house in almost a week apart from going to the hospital. Over breakfast I read with relief that the Israeli government had finally signed the Gaza ceasefire treaty.  I had lots to do before going for my MRI at 13h. First I went to the BM supermarket to get mainly fish and some items Suzy and Eladio had forgotten. I then came home to prepare the fish for lunch  and then went out again this time with my husband. First we returned the stupid knee bandage, then went to have a coffee at Manacor in glorious sunshine. That was my sweetest moment of the week. I got Eladio to take a photo which is the one I have chosen for this week's feature photo. I honestly felt so liberated. We sat chatting for a long time and were nearly late for my appointment but got there on time. I didn't have to wait long. The test itself only took 15 minutes where I had to lie completely still. I spent the time going over in my head all the names of the towns we stayed at on last year's road trip in Europe. Once out, we drove home only stopping for a boring procedure of inflating the tyres of my Mini which had lost pressure. They seem to do so far too often. By 2.30 we were sitting down to a stupendous but healthy lunch with fish in bread crumbs, cauliflower with garlic and mashed potato and sweet potato. Lovely. 

In the afternoon I had another Skype call with my dear friend Amanda. Shortly afterwards I bought a ticket to visit her in Devon in February. I will be flying to Bristol on 12th and returning on 20th. We are going to have some serious and much wanted girly time together. What a wonderful thing to look forward to. 

Today is Sunday, the day  of the beginning of the peace treaty. We shall all be waiting with bated breath to see the first 3 hostages released.   I slept more than usual last night, totting up nearly 9h sleep albeit fractured sleep but it has really restored me. 

Today, 19th January would have been my dear cousin Jacqueline's 66th birthday. It's a date I can never forget, like the day she died aged just 12 on 21st May 1971. She and all her  family, died in an air crash in Rijeka, Croatia while flying from Gatwick for a holiday. She and her parents, my Aunty Gloria (my father's beloved sister), Uncle Derek and brothers Michael (9) and Antony (7) perished together and it was the greatest tragedy ever in our family. I was 14 when they died and have carried them in my heart ever since. I have a recurring dream about them surviving but my not finding out until years later. It happened last night too. I met Antony and Michael now old men, only to be told that my beloved Aunty Gloria had already died of old age. Dearest Jacqueline you were robbed of your life aged only 12 and I have been robbed of the comfort and company of the only British family I had left after you all perished apart from my own parents and George my brother of course but now all gone.  As my father told my mother after he received the dreaded phone call from Gatwick Airport "I only have you left". I have missed them every day since that tragic accident nearly 54 years ago. 

Thankfully I have my only family now and today look forward to Oli and the children coming to lunch. That will surely cheer me up.

Cheers then everyone from me for this week until next Sunday,

Masha

Breakfast with the kids, a watered down Kings' Day; chocolate with churros and present opening, snow in Yorkshire, Los Angeles is burning, Trump wants Greenland, the Panama Canal and even Canada, and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 12th January, 2025.

Ready for a rather washed out Kings' Day last Monday

Good morning again everyone. Have you got the January blues? I think I might have. In Spain this month is referred to as "la cuesta de enero" meaning it's uphill financially after all the excess spending at Christmas. But last Sunday Christmas wasn't over in Spain. There was still Kings' Day to come on Monday, the celebration of the Epiphany when children await their presents from the 3 Kings although these days they  get them from Father Christmas too.

That morning we had our grandchildren, Elliot (5) and Juliet (3) who had slept the night here with Olivia in Suzy's old room. Here are the little rascals having their toast after a not a very good night's sleep for any ot them, hahaha.

Breakfast with the kids last Sunday

When they left we had a row with Suzy who asked for money for cigarettes which we now know she was also spending on dope. For once we said no and from now on we will no longer be financing her addiction. That put her in a foul mood and we could hear shouting from her room. She didn't leave it until later and then did not join us for Kings' Day. She dampened our spirits of course but you have to be cruel to be kind. 

It rained that day and I felt sorry for the team of South American gardeners who had come to trim our enormous garden. It was a huge task but a necessary one. We wrapped up the few presents we had bought for Kings' Day and put them under the tree as you can see here.

Kings' Day presents which we put under the tree last Sunday

We had  the leftovers from our meal in Madrid with Julio for our lunch that day which we had alone while Suzy fumed in her room. I spent the afternoon on Airbnb admin work which was pleasantly interrupted by a call from my dear friend Adele who lives in France. I also carried on watching The Split which I adored and binge watched this week. It is British television at its best. I do love the actress who plays Hannah, Nicola Walker. I was to see her again this week on the BBC iPlayer when they added a series I love called Last Tango in Halifas. She is splendid and so is Sarah Lancaster of course. 

Monday came and it was Kings' Day which was the most diluted one ever. In the old days we celebrated it here with my father and Oli and al her family and Suzy of course. But these days Oli and co do it at their house and then go for lunch with her in-laws but they did stop by for the exchange of presents. However, we did do something different which was to go and have breakfast our, just the two of us, to have chocolate and churros at the local churros bar. Most people have the typical Kings' cake called "Roscón de Reyes" but I'm not that keen and neither is Eladio. So we gorged on Spain's most famous breakfast choice to celebrate. Here is a picture taken to share with you here.

Gorging on chocolate con churros on Kings' Day for breakfast

We then came back to wait for Oli and the family to come and exchange presents. And here I am next  to the tree wearing my festive Primark cardigan.

Me and Pippa on Kings' Day by the tree

They were soon here and excited to be opening their second set of presents - their third would be with their other grandmother. 

Our grandchildren opening their presents here on Kings' Day

I had bought them some glittery tattoos from FAO Schwarz in New York and clothes. When we had finished I tried to get a photo of Oli and family with a new Christmas hat which had arrived late from Amazon.

Olivia, Miguel, Elliot and Juliet on Kings' Day at our house  on Monday

Normally on Kings' Day I make a roast but this year  didn't make an effort as no one was coming for lunch.  However, later Suzy joined us for dinner although she was very quiet.  Monday, by the way, was the day Justin Trudeau stepped down as President of Canada. My own piece of news was that once again I was super host for a whole year on Airbnb. That is now 8 years of being a super host which is not easy to achieve. I want to thank both my guests and the company for this amazing journey I embarked on at the beginning of 2017, 8 years ago. Another amazing journey is my blog. This week, just out of curiosity I looked at the statistics. I started writing it in September 2005 and can't believe how many people read it. All time it's just under one million. The top ten countries in order of readership are USA, Russia, Spain, Singapore, UK, Hong Kong!, Germany and France. 

Tuesday 7th January was Russian Christmas which we used to celebrate thanks to my Russian mother when we were kids. Sadly, no more. But actually Christmas has felt longer than usual for me and my heart wasn't in it as much this year. That day it snowed in the UK and in my beloved Yorkshire.  My father's old school posted a photo of the school grounds covered in snow on social media announcing the school was closed because of the snow. 

Snow in Yorkshire and at BGS which closed down on Monday

That brought back memories of snow days as a child and teenager at my own school in Bradford, St. Joseph's college. Oh how we loved those snow days when we didn't have to go to school and could go out sledging. Once it snowed and we were at school wondering whether it would be closed and told to go home. I was very naughty and started spreading the rumour that it was to be closed. The whole school started walking up Cunliffe Hill to the sound of Mrs. Plunket Jones shouting at us; "girls come back, the school is not closed". No one listened. I wonder if anyone ever found out it was me who had spread the rumour. What a naughty girl I was and how proud I was of what I had achieved, hahaha. 

While it was snowing in Yorkshire and other parts of the UK, Los Angeles was burning as it has been all week. More than 150.000 people have been evacuated, 11 have died  and  more than 10.000 have lost their homes, many of them celebrities who will have no problems buying another one. But what about those who can't afford it? 

Lots of news is from the America this week, Trudeau steeping down in Canada, the dictator Maduro proclaiming himself the newly elected President of Venezuela when facts show he did not win the elections, and of course Donald Trump saying all the wrong things. He has his eye on Canada saying wouldn't it wonderful if it could be state number 51, he wants  the Panama canal and now Greenland which belongs to Denmark. The man is crackers. Equally crackers is his right hand man, Elon Musk of Tesla and Twitter fame who is now his top advisor. Musk is interfering with European politics with a lot of his attacks going towards Kier Starmer. I wouldn't be surprised if he was voted the next President after Trump. Watch this space. As old people used to say in my day and  I am repeating them: "what is the world coming to?". 

All of this was discussed with my dearest friend Amanda in our Skype call that afternoon which we resumed after Christmas. 

By lunch that day Suzy was calmer and we gave her her Kings' Day presents. We later took the Christmas decorations down which is always a very depressing task. On the bright side, it's much faster to take them down than to put up. So on Tuesday Christmas was officially over for us and we are now nearly in the middle of January of  a new year, 2025. It takes some getting used to.

On Wednesday we had something to look forward to; a post Christmas lunch with Eladio's two friends, Juanjo and Roberto and their partners, Justi and Mari Carmen. Eladio had booked a table at El Jardín de la Máquina where we had a splendid and very long lunch. We were among the last to leave and wren't home until 6.30 pm! I must have been having such a good time I forgot to take any photos. Sorry. I love this restaurant where I have been going to for more than 25 years when it was first called La Leyenda. I remember Motorola Christmas lunches there, St. Valentine's dinners, my farewell Nokia dinner, my Nokia girls 50th birthday lunch and many more times at this restaurant which always serves great food in fabulous surroundings. 

Thursday morning was spent entirely on bureaucracy. The Spanish socialist and communist coalition government wants even more control on rental businesses and guest registration. The latest requirement for short term rentals is to acquire a reference code from the Property Registration Offices from your local Town Hall. The problem is the system is not working properly and is damned difficult to navigate. I won't go into the details but the whole thing is rather Kafkian. I was filling out the form online for our house in Asturias and put in the number of my tourist licence only for the words "wrong number" to pop up. I rang the Tourist office to make sure the number was right. Then I rang the Property office in Llanes to tell them my problem. They told me they couldn't help as they didn't know how and to ring the College of Property Registration offices in Madrid. My case is now being escalated. Bureaucracy in this country is a nightmare and this stupid government doesn't make it easy with their ridicuous new laws which are so difficult to comply with. Damn it. For the rooms we rent in Madrid I managed to fill out the forms and decided to print them out and take them the next day to the Property Registration Office at my local town hall. Would you believe they didn't know what to do with them and asked to keep them and ring me later? I wonder if they ever will.  See what I mean by Kafkian? I do thank Airbnb for my journey but not the Spanish administration. 

I spoke to Kathy (and Phil) that afternoon and explained my dilemma. Theirs is bigger. After their house was destroyed by flooding  a year ago in Yorkshire, they are still living in rented accommodation. They had been snowed in and had had visits from two foxes they were feeding on nuts. 

It was on Friday morning that my dear husband gently asked me if I had weighed myself recently. Not a chance. He should know me by now. I only ever weigh myself as I have a deep aversion to scales, two or three weeks after I have started a diet. I am mulling over whether to start one tomorrow Monday 13th. I know I should but I do have the will power at the moment? Oh, the flesh is weak my friends. 

After our unsuccessful visit to the Property Registration Office at our local town hall, we drove to the local shopping centre in Majadahonda called Centro Oeste. The pretext was to change the slippers we had bought for Suzy but it was also time for my mid morning coffee. From there we went to Eladio's favourite store, the DIY place called LM to get some bulbs and batteries. 

Saturday was  a quiet day and for once we managed a walk. In contrast to Yorkshire it was sunny and the temperature reached 18ºc yesterday. But sadly it was yesterday we discovered that Suzy's delusions are back. They had probably never left but we didn't know. She still thinks she is the secret sister of Prince Harry and daughter to Lady Diana and King Charles who she announced yesterday on her YouTube channel had died of a heart attack. Later she removed the video. I think she has also been dabbling in exorcism. What are we to do if she refuses therapy and medication? Our hands are tied. Thankfully, though she is now living with us and not alone in Santa Pola. That rather upset us but as I always say, we have to carry on, despite her illness. We just cannot help our daughter. We can only be there for her. 

Today is Sunday 12th 2025. 8 years ago today saw me entering the local Unemployment office. That was a dour moment. I had to pick myself up and start again aged nearly 60. And you know what? I did it. I did it and am not at all bitter about losing my job at Yoigo. I only wish I had started our rental business earlier. It might have its problems but I am my  own boss and answer just to myself and my guests of course. And Eladio is with me for every part of the way bless him.

That's it now from me friends and readers for this week. Cheers till next Sunday,

Masha

Recap of last year. Goodbye 2024, welcome 2025. Our New Year celebrations, lunch in Madrid with Julio and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Kings's Night, Sunday 5th January 2025

Happy New Year to you all. I was blessed to celebrate it with all my family. 

Good morning and Happy New Year once again. I'm still getting used to it being 2025. It always takes me time to get into the swing of it on 1st January. But before I tell you about this week, just let me look back on 2024 before I say hello to 2025.

It was a year of ups and downs both on the world scene and at home. Two things remained the same; the ongoing wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine. My Airbnb business went as well in 2024 as in 2023. My official stats were 541 stays but there were many more thanks to direct bookings. My favourite guest was Mohammad who became part of the family.

In January Brits living outside the UK for more than 15 years finally regained their suffrage rights.That means I can now vote in the UK.  That month saw us visit Suzy in SP which we did on a regular basis this year while she was living there alone.  In February  the King of England announced he had cancer and in Russia, Putin's opposer, Navalny was killed in prison. In March the Princess of Wales announced she also had cancer. That month saw us spend time both in Asturias and in Santa Pola where each time we went we found Suzy to be in a worse mental state. Eladio gave me a shock that month when he fell and lost consciousness and had to be taken to hospital. Happily it came to nothing. In April Suzy turned 40 and she spent it with us alone in Santa Pola. 

From May 4th to 28th June we went on our second road trip. As I wrote in June "It’s hard to believe our road trip is over. Did we really drive over 10.500 kilometres and visit France, Italy, Albania, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Greece and Turkey without forgetting little San Marino in 55 days?". Well we did and had a grand time and are already planning this year's road trip from here to the Nordic countries via central Europe and the Baltics. Watch this space. 

We came back to extreme heat in the Spain where the highest temperatures ever were recorded. That didn't matter in July in El Cuetu, Asturias where we went to prepare the house for the influx of guests coming in the summer. I have just read that Spain received over 88 million visitors from abroad from January to November 2024 and will no doubt keep its second place in the ranking of countries most visited. France is number one but not by much. July was the month Kier Starmer won a landslide victory for Labour and became PM. However, I'm not sure he is very popular anymore. Time will tell. It was also the month that Carlos Alcaraz won Wimbledon beating Djokovic. He also won the French Open in May. What a man. It was lovely to see Kate Middleton hand him the winner's cup in her first public appearance since it was announced she had cancer. Spain did well too by winning the Euro Cup but it was bitter sweet for me as they played England in the final. France did well  in the Olympics which took place in Paris. I saw the opening ceremony which I found radical. Did you like it? In parts I would answer "like the curate's egg". 

August was the most difficult month of the year for us. If you follow my blog you will know Suzy was admitted into a psychiatric ward and diagnosed with Chronic delusional disorder. For a while she took her meds, quit weed and went to see a psychiatrist. The bottom line is that this type of psychosis is most probably brought on by her drug addiction. We had high hopes for her. Since then she has quit the meds and the therapy and we suspect she is still smoking dope but at least she is calm and her delusions seem to have gone away for the most part. It got as bad as her believing we were not her parents and that she was the secret twin sister of Prince Harry and her parents Lady Diana and King Charles! We did, however, manage to celebrate our 41st wedding anniversary at La Finca in Elche. Life continues; it has to. 

Lots of things happened in September. Juliet and Elliot turned 3 and 5 which we missed because we had to go to Santa Pola to rescue Suzy after another crisis. We left her settled or so we thought. Eladio turned 80 and we celebrated by staying 2 nights at the wonderful Hotel Landa near Burgos. No one, just no one would believe my husband's age. We also spent some time in Montrondo where we haven't been back since. I'm missing it. Sadly in September, my dear friend Grainne from school who moved to Spain like me (but to Badalona) died suddenly of blood cancer. I can't believe she has gone. On the bright side I spent 4 glorious nights with Olivia in London in great weather. She was to be the presenter of the 50 World's best hotels prize ceremony at the Guildhall and I was to accompany her. We stayed at one of the city's best hotels, Rosewood in High Holborn. Fate had it we met the Rosewood group President who invited us to stay for free at the Carlyle in New York in November where Oli was hosting another event and I was accompanying her once again. Without a doubt my three highlights of 2024 were my road trip with Eladio and my trips with Oli to London and New York. I consider myself very lucky. 

In October Suzy left Santa Pola and came to live with us permanently. She was just too lonely there and frightened too I think. She has had her moments since coming in October but on the whole is quite stable and seems to have enjoyed Christmas. She is back in the fold of her family for now and I hope forever. It was that month I met my friend Geraldine in Madrid in her stop off from the US to Malaga. What a wonderful day we had together, despite the rain. October was the 25th anniversary of the passing away of my dear mother who lives on in my heart as does my father although I miss them every day. Of note Eladio had his cataracts operated on which worked to some extent but he still complains he can see the odd spider. The end of October brought the dreadful flash floods to Valencia where more than 230 people died. The destruction was so massive the area is nowhere near recovered. It was Spain's worst natural disaster ever at least in modern times. 

Not unexpectedly, in November, Spain's number one ambassador, Rafa Nadal retired. We have so much to thank him for. Not unexpectedly too and very frighteningly so, Trump won the US Presidential Elections and he is back again. Can't stand the man. Can't stand that horrible Frenchman, Dominique Pelicot either who drugged and had his wife raped by more than 55 men for years. I was glad to see him sentenced to 25 years jail that month. The highlight of November was our trip to New York which if you read my blog you will already know about it. What an amazing place it is but not somewhere I could ever live. However I could have happily moved into the luxurious suite we were assigned at the Carlyle for free when it costs over 7000 dollars a night. The suite we stayed in was where Roger Federer stayed for the US Open. I have experienced luxury many times in my 67 years on this earth but never at that level. 

The best news of the year on the international scene was the toppling of Syrian dictator, Bashar Al-Assad in December. We have still to see what the future brings for Syria but it cannot be worse than under the sadist Assad. That month I mourned the 5th anniversary of the death of my best friend Fátima Sánchez Martin. She would have been happy to know we met with her daughter (also Fátima) in New York the month before and very proud that she works for an NGO for widowed women  associated to the UN. And Christmas was good as you read in last week's post. But for some reason, my heart wasn't in it as much as usual and I don't really know why. Maybe I'm just becoming an old codger. 

I hope I haven't bored you with my recap. So yes it is now goodbye to 2024 and welcome 2025 which I sincerely hope doesn't bring nasty things like a virus, more wars or more family problems. 

As this is a weekly blog, now I come to this week after leaving off on Sunday 29th December. That was the day of the crash of an airplane in South Korea. I always hate hearing about air crashes as my father's sister, husband and children all died in one in May 1971 in Croatia. That was the worst tragedy of our life. 

On Monday I was in a rush to get ready for New Year - I had not done anything and also to get presents for King's Day tomorrow 6th January. That day Jimmy Carter aged 100 died. I shall always remember him as President at the White House in the 70's wearing a track suit and jogging. To think he was a peanut farmer before. I remember him most though for the US Embassy siege in Iran. The 52 hostages were only released on the day he handed over the baton to Ronald Reagan. Carter went on to win the Nobel Peace prize.He always struck me as the US' most decent President in my lifetime. RIP.  We did the food and present shopping that day and had the kids both for lunch and for dinner. They always bring chaos, fun and some tantrums. Thankfully Suzy and Oli took them out cycling and gave us a rest in the afternoon. 

Tuesday 31st was the last day of the year. I don't really like the New Year's celebrations but go along with them. Frankly I would have preferred a quiet dinner and going to bed before midnight but that would have spoiled Oli and family's plans so I went along with them. The girls made most of the dinner and before I even had time to take a photo of us by our Happy New Year banner and make a toast, everyone was already digging in. I did get a photo when I got out the sparklers to the delight of our grandchildren though.

The sparkler moment on New Year's Eve

I reflected how lucky I was to have all my family together that night even if I was feeling a little like Grinch or Scrooge and would have preferred to be in bed hahaha. After a late dinner we moved to the TV room to wait for midnight to welcome in the new year. For this, as in most Spanish homes, I had a box of 12 grapes per person to be eaten one by one on each chime at midnight. This is a very Spanish habit and one I go along with. They say it brings luck. Suzy took a video of us munching with the chimes but Juliet photo bombed it or rather pushed the phone off the shelf just before the end. Here it is.

Munching gapes video which was cut short by my 3 year old granddaughter Juliet, haha.

As soon as it was over and we had all hugged, Oli and family departed and we went to bed. But that is when the fireworks began from neighbours in the area. They went on until well past 2 in the morning frightening poor Pippa stiff. I only wish people would realise how fireworks affect dogs. She was terrified and I had to  hold her in my arms until at least 3 in the morning. 

Wednesday was 1st January, the first day of the year and for the record I don't have any New Year's resolutions. Sorry.  It's a day I am never fond of. Maybe it's because I don't like new beginnings. I really don't know. What I did know was that before making our roast beef and Yorkshire pud, I was in desperate need of a walk. It was just the 4 of us for New Year's Day lunch and we had a splendid time although we all ate far too much. Miguel was working and Oli had taken the kids to his mother's. We missed them but didn't miss their chaos. I was very proud of my Yorkshire pudding. Just look.

Very proud of my Yorkshire pudding

Roast beef (sirloin) and Yorkshire pudding is one of my favourite meals and it's my family's too. Even Suzy ate the meat that day which surprised us all pleasantly. Here is a photo of the table and a very bad one of my husband and girlies by said banner.

Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding for our festive New Year's Day lunch 

I had a long siesta and later binge watched more of The Split, that legal drama TV series starring Nicola Walker who I loved from Last Tango in Halifax. I was hoping she was a Yorkshire woman but she  is in fact from Stepney, East London. I was incapable of eating dinner that night after such a copious lunch. Later in the day Oli sent a message to say she was having a great Christmas thanks to me. If only she knew I hadn't put my heart into it and was only going through the motions at times. I have to count my blessings. Far away that day or night, in New Orleans, Louisiana in the US, a terrorist with ISIS leanings,  drove into a crowd killing 15. So what am I complaining about? Nothing.

I spent most of Thursday not leaving my chair. I was registering the properties we rent on the new Government website and then adding them to an app called Partee. All this is to comply with the new Spanish laws of registering guests at hotels and any sort of lodging. What a nightmare. But by the end of the day I had done it and sent my first app link to my first new official guest who is coming this week from Mexico. The guest receives the message and has to fill out 13 fields and then resend  after which Partee uploads the information on the Government site. I read somewhere that Spain is the only country that requires lodgings/hotels to share guest information with the government. It's very draconian and off putting. You have to be quite computer savvy to comply with these new rules and no doubt some people will no longer rent on Airbnb because it has become too difficult to manage. But I did it and am proud of myself.  Once it was done it felt like a huge weight off my shoulders as it had been worrying me for weeks, ever since the new law came into force.

Friday came and we went to El Corte Inglés to get the last Kings' Day present. It was for my dear friend Julio who invited us out for lunch yesterday for our annual Christmas reciprocal festive reunion. At the Corte Inglés (Spain's flagship department store) I always have a cappuccino at Starbucks. I love the store, especially the perfume section and fell in love with it when I was a young student living in Madrid for my year in Spain (part of my degree in Hispanic Studies) in 1978/1979. I worked as a teacher assistant earning 20.000 pesetas a month which I supplemented with income from teaching English privately. At the end of the month I would always buy myself something from El Corte Inglés and spray myself with perfume for free. I loved it too in the summer months because of the air conditioning. While at the store we bumped into old friends, Ana (ex Nokia colleague) and Tommy. We haven't seen each other for years and it was a pleasure to stop to talk and catch up.

We came home to a full house; Oli and the children were here for lunch and to spend the rest of the day. Thank God for Tana's help and Suzy's making dinner. Despite their presence we had our siesta or rather I took time off to write this week's post. We had a fun dinner as Juliet was asleep and Elliot was on top form and had us giggling when he made funny voices. I did not sleep well that night. Oh dear. A new year has come but that hasn't changed.

On Saturday we were going into Madrid for lunch with Julio but first to the Retiro Park for a walk and coffee with our sister-in-law Dolores. We left at around 11 and went by car and metro, arriving at the Retiro just under an hour later. We never drive into the city these days as there are so many restrictions. It was a cold and grey day, such a contrast to the wonderful crisp and sunny days we have enjoyed over Christmas. We both wished we had brought our gloves and scarves. Dolores was waiting for us and soon we were enjoying a cup of coffee served by a Venezuelan waiter at a bar overlooking the artificial lake in the very heart of this once royal park. It is Madrid's equivalent to Hyde Park or Central Park and is every bit as good if not better. You could hear all the languages in the world as Spain's capital has become so popular with the tourists and Spanish of course.  We read recently that over a million Latin Americans live in Madrid which I find hard to believe if the overall population is 3.7 million. Our waiter told us how grateful he was to this country after leaving poverty behind in Venezuela. He was happy to tell us he had finally got a flat, having lived in a room with his family until now. Housing is a big issue here. We were soon walking along the main promenade as we have done countless times over the years and took photos with the amazing monument to Alfonso XII on the other side of the lake like this one.

In the Retiro park with the monument to Alfonso XII behind us on Saturday

On our walk in the beautiful park we bumped into another ex Nokia colleague of mine. It was quite a coincidence to see Guillermo. I was very embarrassed I couldn't place him but later when I spoke to Julio I remembered him very well. He is a very good looking chap and I told him so. I was happy to hear he now works for Vodafone in Luxembourg. Good for him. Nice to see you again Guille and sorry I didn't remember you at first. I do now.

It was so cold (for us at least), we decided not to walk to the restaurant and took the metro instead. On the way I passed a Balbisiana cake shop and bakery and I couldn't resist going in to get some cakes to take home. Eladio remarked it looked a bit like Betty's in Yorkshire - not quite but it's lovely. Here I am with my cakes.

Buying cakes yesterday in Madrid at Balbisiana.

Julio had booked a table at Restaurante El Huerto Floren Domenzain (quite a name). It is very much in vogue and has gained popularity thanks to its home grown vegetables, especially lettuce and tomatoes. We were able to buy the latter at 12 euros a kilo. The tomato we got weighed well over a kilo. We would taste it later. Lunch was spectacular and it was great to see Julio again after he came here for dinner on 27th December. We gave him his presents, a shirt and jumper by Timberland a brand I hope he likes. If not he can always change them at El Corte Inglés. Just before we left we had a photo taken inside the restaurant by some of the amazing tomatoes. 

Lunch with Julio yesterday in Madrid

We parted promising to see each other again soon and not leave it until next Christmas. No way. 

We were home by about 5 and I was dead, just wanting my bed. I managed to sleep for 1.5h and woke up feeling like a zombie.  I knew the kids were in the house but needed my peace and also felt guilty for not going down earlier to join them. They were here for their first sleepover at our house but with their mother. I joined them just as they were about to have dinner but neither Eladio nor I had any appetite at all. We go bed early at around 9pm and so does Suzy. The kids were hoping for a bit of a bed party but we needed our peace, hahaha. I slept quite well last night and have my batteries recharged for a day to be spent again with our grandchildren who apparently kept Oli up most of the night, poor girl.

So let's see how today goes. We must do something different to entertain our grandchildren but the weather is not looking too good. 

That's it now friends and readers for this week. All that remains is to wish you all a Happy New Year once again. Cheers now until next Sunday,

Masha