Madrid, Easter Sunday, 20th April, 2025
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| Moments this week - Suzy with her father, Eladio and little Pippa |
It will be just Eladio, Suzy and I at home today but we shall celebrate and for the occasion I ordered a lovely Lindt Easter Egg. We decided to stay at home this Easter to avoid the crowds but also because we had just been away. In any case the weather was pretty awful nearly everywhere, except for the Alicante area. That's why Oli and Miguel decided at the last moment to spend the holidays at our apartment near Santa Pola rather than in Montrondo. They were lucky it wasn't booked but that's because of the floor which needs mending. I was very happy they were going and only wished we could be with them but they need their space. Thus I followed their adventures and enjoyed them vicariously.
Not only dapper I thought, he looked elegant and, although casual, well dressed. His style is very Spanish. If there is one thing the Spaniards do well, it is to dress in style and keep impeccably clean. I like that about them. Everyone here showers once a day or more; a far cry from the 60's in the UK when I remember my father having a bath once a week on a Sunday! He probably also only changed his shirt once a week as I did my school blouse - in fact I only owned one. Times have changed, of course, in the UK but it took a while to catch up with Spain in this aspect. But Eladio's life wasn't always like that. In Montrondo in the 40's, 50's and even 60's no one had a bathroom and he swears most people never bathed. Imagine! So when Fernando, a villager, asked me why our house which we had rebuilt had 4 bathrooms, I had to laugh. My answer was a bit naughty as I told him it's because I wee a lot (hahahaha). Spaniards are known for their good looks and even though my husband doesn't care much about his, I have always found him handsome. His features are even, he has all his hair, some of it still dark, good skin and good teeth. I think he has about 3 fillings if that. Of the three proverbial adjectives he is dark too but not tall although thankfully taller than me. He does actually read my blog but I suspect only skims through the photos so let's see if he blushes if he reads the above. Love you Eladio.
Once home, Suzy and Eladio set about planting while I managed the daily task of putting food on the table for lunch. The highlight of Sunday was a video call with Kathy and Phil, friends from my beloved Yorkshire.
I left off last Sunday. That was the day we went to buy flowers for around the pool to replace those that died in the winter. My husband was looking exceedingly dapper that morning so I had to catch him on camera.
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| This is Eladio, a handsome man. |
Suzy came with us that morning and it was an enjoyable outing for her who hardly gets out at all, bless her. Every year we go to a garden centre called Verdecora where we buy new geraniums and soil. This year we also got a tomato and some strawberry plants which Suzy planted in pots on the kitchen patio. Let's see if they thrive. And here is my handsome husband with our trolley full of the flowers, etc.
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| Eladio buying flowers last Sunday |
Monday was a difficult day. I had slept really badly, probably because we were taking Suzy to the second session with her therapist. She is always on my mind. We spent ages at the hospital, especially for the monthly injection.
We had a coffee date with Roberto and Mari Carmen at 12 but of course were late. My friend Mari Carmen, the pharmacist, had brought me my third Mounjaro injection pen which contains 4 doses. All in all, I will be on this new appetite suppressant drug for 4 months. So far I have lost around 6kg but there is more to go my friends. It may feel like cheating but why suffer if a drug exists to suppress your appetite? Not that it is the perfect drug as there are some side effects such as slight nausea and a bit of acid reflux. It's a bit of a contradiction that while taking Mounjaro you just don't enjoy your food as much.
In the afternoon, Oli, Miguel, Elliot and Juliet came to get the keys for Santa Pola. They came, they cheered us up and made me smile.
It was sad to hear that day of the death of Mario Vargas Llosa, aged 89, the Peruvian writer and one of the most important of his generation. Most significantly he holds the Nobel prize for literature. I only ever read one of his books at Nottingham when I studied Hispanic Studies. It was The City and the Dogs and I found it rather violent. In their obituary, The Times referred to him as the "Latin American Literary giant". The Peruvian novelist was of the stature of Gabriel García Márquz and although once friends, they fell out after the Peruvian slapped the Colombian's face. We will never know whey. He was also tall dark and handsome as you can see in the photos I have pinched from the obituary.
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| Mario Vargas Llosa and his Patrician looks |
I liked the way the newspaper referred to him as having "Patrician looks". He certainly did look aristocratic and more European than South American. The Times also wrote what I already knew, that he had "a roving eye for women". Vargas Llosa married his own Aunt, "Julia" and then ditched her for her niece, his cousin, Patricia Llosa. Just after celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary and the year he won the Nobel Prize, he left her for the famous Spanish socialite, Isabel Preysler. That didn't last probably because Isabel has not much interest in literature and he was soon back in the arms of his cousin and wife of 50 years. I met him in 2006 when in between jobs I organised the ceremony for his Doctor Honoris Causa degree at the UEM University and have a photo with him and the Rector taken after the event. This is it.
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| With Mario Vargas Llosa (on my right) in 2006 |
I thought he was extremely charming if a little distant.
Those photos made my day. Of note on Tuesday, we had a new guest, Fernanda from Costa Rica. She is here to do a masters degree in Digital Marketing and to set up a company. Good for her She is a pleasure to host.
Tuesday came and I had slept well which is always good news for me. Reading at night usually helps and that night I finished a classic I had read many years ago. I thoroughly enjoyed rereading I capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. She is more famous as the author of 101 Dalmations but I Capture the Castle is a masterpiece of good reading. It's about an eccentric family living in poverty in a run down castle in England in the 30s. The story is told in the first person by Cassandra and is thoroughly entertaining.
That morning I dragged Eladio to a big shopping centre (Gran Plaza 2) in Majadahonda to buy him a new case for the phone he has inherited from Olivia with a pink case. If he is to look elegant his phone has to also, don't you think? While out we had our proverbial morning coffee at Starbucks. Yes, I know it's American and Spaniards make much better coffee but there is something about this coffee chain I like. Maybe its because they know exactly how to make the foam for my coffee. We did a bit of food shopping too that morning and went to get more flowers, this time giant daisies which I love. We got them in white and in yellow.
By the time we had finished our siesta, Olivia and family had arrived at our apartment which she told me was sparkling clean - thanks Gina. She also sent some lovely photos of the kids on the beach. One of them is of them with no clothes going into the sea which is wonderful but I just can't show it to you can I in these cancel culture and politically correct times? So here is one of them with their father before they got undressed.
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| Miguel, Juliet and Elliot on the beach on Tuesday afternoon |
That night we started watching a series we found on one of our streaming channels. Called Playing Nice, it is filmed in Cornwall and stars James Norton of Happy Valley fame. The plot is based on the story of two couples who discover their children were switched at birth. Wow, what a story and so well done. But what a nightmare this must be in reality. P.S. in the UK it's on ITV. .
On Wednesday I woke up to the news that the UK High Court says that the legal definition of a woman refers to her biological sex: "Only biological and not trans women meet the definition of a woman under equality laws". This was in response to whether trans women are protected from discrimination as a woman under the British Equality Act. With all respect to trans people, I could have said the same. Society goes too far sometimes to protect minorities to the detriment of majorities so I welcome this "landmark ruling"; I really do. I once read that the NHS had actually tried to scrap the word "mother" from their organisation. They didn't in the end but I when I read it I thought that was pure discrimination against women. Thank goodness for common sense. A woman is a woman and always will be and a man who transitions to being a woman is a trans person, not a woman, in my not so humble opinion.
Wednesday was a quiet day for us. While millions of Spaniards were on holiday either at the beach or in the mountains or in the cities and we were at home, many of my compatriots were living the dream of the Spanish Semana Santa (Holy Week) with its famous processions. Brotherhoods, many dressed as penitents, are pall bearers of huge processions with floats of religious images on the streets of almost every city in the country from Palm Suinday to Easter Monday. This is a huge tradition which is both religious historical and cultural as well as very colourful. The most popular perhaps come from Andalusia, especially Seville. Those in the north of the country are more solemn but just as glittering. They really are a sight. Most symbolic is the garb of the penitents called Nazarenes who wear a long robe with a hood and conical tip to demonstrate their penitence but conceal their identity. They may look like the Ku Klux Klan but remember their garments derive from medieval times so it is more likely the KKK copied them but I am not sure.
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| Spanish Holy Week - an example of the Penitents and a procession |
Spain may now be a secular country but no one is asking to do away with these religious processions which are so rooted in the culture.
On Thursday it was sunny all day for a change and Suzy took advantage by sitting out in the sun with Pippa. I had just picked up my Amazon Easter egg (yes, feeding the giant) and wanted to show it to her. By then she had been joined by her father who she was teaching to do "grounding" (bare feet on the ground) and had to have a photo. It's the one I have chosen for this week's feature photo and I entitled it moments meaning there are good moments in life and this was one of them. I can't wait to dig into it after lunch today and no doubt Suzy too but would you believe that Eladio is not a great chocolate fan? That must have to do with his early life in Montrondo where the biggest sweet treat was honey which he loves.
We went for our walk that day but on the road rather than in the woods where the path would have been full of mud owing to all the rain we have had. Thus I had coffee at home. Meanwhile, Oli and family were following in our footsteps that day by visiting the Island of Tabarca. It must have been very exciting for the kids as it was their first time on a boat. Here is a video Oli sent me to mark the moment.
Elliot and Juliet on the boat to Tabarca, the island their father swam from to Santa Pola 10 times.
Like us, they also had lunch at Casa Gloria where they ordered a paella type dish; "arroz a banda" which is typical of Alicante and one of my favourite dishes. This is it.
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| Elliot and Juliet at Casa Gloria, Tabarca with their "arroz a banda". |
While they were on the island, the Italian PM, Giorgia Meloni, was in Washington to meet Trump. She was there to talk about trade, of course, not only for Italy but for the EU too. It went well and she got a lot of praise but only came away with words. Meanwhile, the orange faced mad President has said that if there is no progress on the Ukraine war they may abandon their efforts. Didn't he famously say he could make it go away in 24 hours? Not so easy. Meanwhile too Putin, the Russian madman, announced an Easter truce until today which doesn't look like it has happened. When will the war be over and what will it mean for Ukraine?
Saturday was quiet too. Suzy joined us on our weekly shop and we had coffee at Manacor, as usual. It was yesterday that Oli and family once again followed in our footsteps when they visited the Saturday weekly market in Santa Pola. They went to get local oranges and mandarins but also bought little Juliet her second Flamenco dress and shoes. She had grown out of the outfit I bought her there a few years ago. She looks very pleased in the photo Oli sent me.
Good Friday came and I dug out 2 frozen and very old hot cross buns, one for Suzy and one for me. I also got out some old crumpets. Thus my breakfast was different and delicious. We went for a walk again - good - but otherwise our day was very quiet, despite 2 new sets of guests arriving.We had guests in Asturias too so were at 90% occupancy.
In Alicante, meanwhile, Oli and family met up with Merce and her family. The girls met Merce (Mercedes) in Santa Pola when we first bought the place and when they spent their teen summers there. Merce married her childhood sweetheart, José, who, like her, is from the area. Today they have three small children which is quite a lot for our times. We got a photo of them together and I gather they all had a great time and were not home until midnight.
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| Oli and family with Merce and family in Alicante on Good Friday |
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| Juliet, my Spanish granddaughter in the Flamenco outfit her mother got at the local market in Santa Pola yesterday |
As I commented to my friend Amanda, who would have ever have guessed in my youth that one day I would have Spanish born grandchildren? Later Oli sent me an audio from 3 year old Juliet telling us they were having a good time at the apartment.
The highlight of yesterday was a Skype call with my friend Amanda who I had last seen nearly 2 weeks ago in Santa Pola. We had lots to catch up on and chin wagged for about 2 hours. I do wish we lived nearer. The good news is that we will be seeing our friends again in June.
Today is Easter Sunday, the day of the Resurrection and Christians from all around the world will be celebrating. Russian Orthodox coincides too this year. So now I have told you all the tales of this week, it just remains for me to wish you a Happy Easter again.
Cheers everyone until next Sunday,
Masha
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