The heat came, Roland Garros tribute to 14 times champion Rafa Nadal, retail therapy with my husband, a stop for wine and ham in Rueda, to Montrondo for 4 wonderful days, Eladio and his scythe, market day in Villablino and other stories of the week.

 Montrondo, Sunday 1st June, 2025 

Our first stop in Rueda for wine and ham since last September

Good morning friends and readers.

It's lovely to be writing this week's blog post from Montrondo, the village where my husband was born and which means so much to us all. We hadn't been back since the beginning of last September, so quite a while. We came, mainly, to spring clean and get the house ready for when Andy and Amanda come. But we had time to enjoy the village and of course the good weather.  

The heat came to Spain this week and in Seville the temperature reached 40ºc. I think it reached 37ºc in Madrid but in Montrondo it's always much cooler because of the mountains. The village lies at over 1000m high so you would never get 40ºc here. We have had a lousy and rainy winter so I am glad the good weather is here to stay, because it will, but I do not like the extreme temperatures. Who does? 

Last Sunday in Madrid it was a pleasant 28ºc. I had slept well, we went for our walk and wish now I had swum in the pool as we had it to ourselves. Soon I must take the plunge.

On that day the organisers of the French Open, better known as Roland Garros, organised an amazing celebration of Rafa Nadal's tennis performance there. In his career he won 22 grand slams and 14 of them were at Roland Garros. He didn't get much of a send off in Spain but I suppose it was much more fitting for it to take place on the Philippe Chatrier court. No other tennis player has ever won Roland Garros so many times - Bjorn Bjorg comes second with 6 titles - and possibly no other player will ever rival Rafael Nadal who is the King of Clay. There are 4 grand slams; Wimbledon, US Open, Australian Open and the French Open. The most prestigious is Wimbledon but they say the most difficult and tiring is the French Open because of playing on clay. Being a great fan, I had to watch the tribute. The place was packed with everyone wearing brown t-shirts (for clay) with Merci Rafa written on them.

The Roland Garros tribute to Rafa Nadal last Sunday

 

 

As the French Open had started that day the place was full of course but anyone who was anyone in tennis was also there, as well as all of Nadal's family including his two grandmothers, wife and baby Rafa. I loved his humble speech in halting French, in his native tongue and also in English which he had to learn on the circuit. The big moment was of course when the Big 4 were all together. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray were with him to celebrate his career. After all they were very much a part of it. It would never have been the same without them. I mostly loved the rivalry between Nadal and Federer and miss it dearly. And then the French surprised Rafa with a beautiful gesture, a tile on the very court he won on with his name, footprint and his 14 wins. This tile will be there as long as the French Open continues to exist. 

Rafa's footprint to be forever at Roland Garros - the Big 4 together.

 

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I think that was the most emotional moment for Rafa and for anyone watching.It was also very gallant of the French to put on such a ceremony for the Spaniard. Over the years the public came to love him, despite his not being French. In his speech he said he felt like an honorary Frenchman. Merci Rafa is all I can say.

Monday came and it was time to weigh myself - I do so every 2 weeks while taking Mounjaro. I was gutted to see I had put on 400 grammes but not surprised after 2 meals out, a birthday lunch and Oli's cake.  

For once that morning, Oli told me on time to watch her live on TV. I do wish she would always tell me and wouldn't be so blasé about it. Anyway, I was happy to watch her, not so the story which was about houses affected and ruined by works done on one of the Metro lines some years ago in San Fernando de Henares.   

Oli live on TV on Monday

The temperature reached 30ºc that day and when I was ready for our walk, wearing summer clothes, my husband said it was too hot for our walk boohoo. Instead we went to Manacor for coffee and made plans for coming here and to Santa Pola next week. 

Suzy was very down that day. She is going through a period where she is becoming aware of her condition and that is very, very hard. Oli came for lunch which helped. They later had a tête à tête which did her good and we had another one later. I felt so sorry for my eldest daughter and will do anything for her to be happy.

That was the day the crazy man in Liverpool drove into crowds celebrating the Premiere Cup. He is a 53 year old former Marine who used his car as a weapon and has been accused of injuring 70 people while taking drugs. It beggars belief.

What also beggared belief was the incident that day where Macron's 25 year older wife, Brigitte, slapped him viciuosly on the face as the couple were about to leave their plane upon landing in Vietnam. It was caught on camera and a lip reader later said she had used a four letter word and called him a loser. As they walked down the steps of the aircraft she refused to take his arm. Obviously their relationship is not all roses and sunshine. You don't often hear of women beating their husbands but it happens.  

We live in a crazy world. That was the word Trump used to describe Putin that day in frustration for the Russian leader not agreeing to a peace plan with Ukraine. Did he really ever believe he would?

Tuesday came and Eladio was up early to mow the lawn before it got too hot. That's one hell of a job but he still refuses to hire a man to do it for him. I wish he would. When he had finished I took him clothes shopping. He usually hates that but I insisted after having had a look at his shorts and summer trousers which are nearly all old, torn or stained. I was determined to get him some lovely slim fit white denims and white shorts. We bought all of them at Zara and Cortefiel. At the latter I even got myself a pair of denim shorts. I don't have great knees but need shorts for the summer. As Eladio said, "they are your knees", bless him. 

New denim shorts for me with my ugly knees

In the end it was retail therapy we both enjoyed and it did us good.

Meanhile, the King (aka King Charles III) was in Canada on an official state visit. He was there too to bolster relations with Canada which is part of the Commonwealth. Neither Canada nor the UK want Trump to claim the country as another state. I wonder what Trump was thinking if he watched which he probably did.

Amanda and I had a FaceTime call that afternoon - no more Skype calls - how odd. It was good to catch up as we hadn't spoken for about 2 weeks. I can't wait for her and Andy to come at the end of this month. We are going to have a blast. 

When we had finished, Suzy and I went out on errands together. She was a bit better that day thank goodness. Sometimes it's a step backwards and then a step forwards and you never know what the day will bring. 
 

Wednesday dawned, the day we were going to Montrondo. Sadly, Suzy didn't want to come with us. Hopefully she will one day. It's been a long time. 

The one thing I love about the drive here which is over 400km is the stop at Palacio de Bornos, a wonderful winery in Rueda, the area which produces the best white in Spain in my opinion. We nearly always stop to have a glass of wine and a platter of fresly cut cured ham. I have to add that we also buy white chocolate with almonds which we have in the car afterwards.We were warmly welcomed by the staff and enjoyed our food and drink on the terrace outside so that Pippa could be with us. That is the photo I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Rueda is another of my happy places in this world. While there we got a box of 6 bottles of our favourite white wine, Palacio de Bornos (Verdejo) and three bottles of red - Lleiroso from nearby Ribera del Duero. 

Our stop was at around noon so I wasn't hungry for lunch when we arrived in the village. I love the house we built 10 years ago from the shell of Eladio's family home but I hate arriving with all that that entails. We have to open all the shutters and clean a lot of surfaces before unpacking and filling the fridge. But once it's done, I'm happy. 

We came to good weather. Both of Eladio's sisters were in the village and we spent some time with them. We all had coffee together (decaf) on Pili's terrace and caught up on each other's lives. I slept well that night as I nearly always do here apart from last night.

We woke up on Thursday knowing we had  a big job to do. We had to spring clean the house thoroughly. As I told Amanda in our call this week, Montrondo is the only house we don't have a cleaner for and I wish we did.  My main job was sorting out bedding, changing sheets in the upstairs bedrooms and then I got down to the nitty gritty. I cleaned 3 bathrooms and all the doors and windows on the top two floors while Eladio had the terrible job of removing pigeon excrament from the upper floor terrace. They are the bane of this house and he keeps coming up with solutions to ward them off but none have worked so far. I had a break for elevenses and went with Pili to Senra to have coffee at the grumpy man's bar. While there I spoke to Suzy and she then spoke to her aunt who she hasn't seen for so many years. It was an emotional moment. My daughter has promised to come this summer. I really hope she does come. 

After lunch Eladio got out the sun loungers and put them in the back garden where I spent some time reading while he slept - he can sleep anywhere. I had to take a photo to share with you. It was a very relaxing moment.  

A moment of relax in Montrondo

 We later convened at Pili's and had another decaf. Later we were joined by Manolita, one of the most important people in this village. I always love to see her. We talked about politics would you believe? While we talked Eladio was cutting the grass in the back garden which had grown enormously. He used the scythe he used as a boy and it's no mean task I can tell you. Here he is with his garden tool.

Eladio and his scythe

I then got him on video explaining what he was doing. It's a classic. Enjoy although it's in Spanish

 

Eladio cutting the grass with his very old fashioned scythe

Of course scythes have gone out of fashion and there are more advanced tools today but my husband prefers his scythe. Not many people know how to use them these days. It's quite an art and I love to see him using this old fashioned tool which I know brings him back so many memories and not all good as his father used to use him as a work horse in the summer holidays.

Suddenly it was Friday which is market day in the nearest town to here, Villablino.  It was once a rich mining town but today the population has dwindled. However, it does a roaring trade by serving all the surrounding villages like Montrondo. There are no other shops anywhere near here so we always go to Villablino to do our shopping and on a Friday so as to coincide with the weekly market.

We went to do the shopping at Gadis and to a couple of ironmongers and of course had our morning coffee.  Coffee in Villablino is a ritual. You get it served with a platter full of sweet pastries and tortilla, hardly any of which we could eat. But I loved the moment. 

Enjoying coffee in Villablino

We later went to the market which was nearly closed. But I managed to find a lovely denim jacket. I have never owned one and always wanted to and now that I am a bit slimmer I thought it looked good on me. This is it. 
 

My 20 euro denim jacket made in Italy which I bought at the market in Villablino

And guess what? I got more shorts for Eladio, this time denim ones. Now we both have denim shorts, except that Eladio's legs are pleasanter than mine, haha.

Knowing we would be home late and not wanting to make lunch late, I booked a table at La Bolera in Robles de Laciana on the outskirts of Villablino. There was a 15 euro menu of the day but I chose a platter of cecina and a salad. Cecina is similar to braseola and is a typical product of León. The cecina they serve at La Bolera is the best I have ever tried. I wish I knew where to buy the same one. Here I am enjoying the cecina and below is a photo of Eladio leaving the restaurant, one I rather like because of the surroundings - it's all green. 

Lunch at La Bolera in Robles

Once home we made a beeline for the sun loungers to lie under the shade of the apple trees, except that Pippa beat me to it. Just look at her in my place hahahaha.

Siesta time in Montrondo this week. Just look who is in my place, yes Pippa!

We had had a lovely day which ended with a light dinner of leftovers and falling asleep watching rubbish on Netflix.

Saturday came and there was more cleaning to do. This time I tackled the ground floor, the doors, windows, our bathroom and all the surfaces in our room. It was quite a job but I was pleased when I had finished. Eladio, meanwhile hoovered the whole house We also changed our sheets, sorted out more bedding and did loads of laundry. Everything dried quickly in the sun and by the end of the day our house was sparkling clean and ready for its next visitors. 

While cleaning I made "cocido" stew for lunch and to take leftovers home. We didn't finish our work until the late afternoon. Only then could I go out and read under the shade of the apple trees, my favourite place here and another happy place for me. I have many as you know.  We went to bed far too early, at around 10.15 which probably explains why I woke up ad 5 am this morning.

Today is Sunday and it's 1st June, the beginning of one of my favourite months. I love the long days with light until nearly 10 pm. We have to go home today but will be back  at the end of the month with our friends.  

We've had 4 wonderful days here, spent mostly cleaning but in peace. We didn't once go for a walk but will make up for that when we come back in a few weeks time. We shall be leaving here early so as to get home for lunch. I always love going home after a stay away but am not looking forward to the heat.

That's it from me for this week. Sending you all the best from Montrondo, cheers and thanks for reading this post,

Masha. 

A sunny week in May, news from St Giles Church in Ickenham, remembering Aunty Gloria, Olivia turns 40, birthday celebrations and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 25th May, 2025

My lovely girls Suzy and Oli with their father Eladio on Oli's birthday on Thursday at Tuareg restaurant

Dear all. How has your week been? This has been one of the best so far this year.

Last Sunday we left Santa Pola and drove home on time for lunch outside. We have had all our meals oudoors since we got back as the weather has improved dramatically. It really has been a sunny week and hopefully that's the end of the rain. It was 27ºc when we sat down to eat lunch made by dear Tana.

On Sunday lots of things happened on the international scene. It was the aftermath of the ridiculous Eurovision Song Contest which used to be a lovely event but no longer. Austria won with a stupid song and Spain came last but one with a useless song. Israel came second which stirred the political heat and would you believe Spain gave Israel 12 votes?  That's all due to the ridiculous voting rules where one person can vote 20 times.The whole system seems rigged. But no more about this silly event.  Much more dramatically a Mexicn naval ship lost power and barged into Brooklyn Bridge killing 2 people. How can that happen? In Rome, meanwhile, the new Pope Leo XIV was literally being enthroned in a far too sumptuous ceremony in front of more than 150 delegations. The happiest news for me though was hearing that Carlos Alcaraz had beaten Janik Sinner in Rome that very day and won the Italian Open. Let's see how the reigning champion gets on at Roland Garros starting soon. 

Monday came and I had slept better than usual.  With all the rain and sunshine our roses were running wild and many needed pruning. That's my only job in the garden - well, I also deadhead the geraniums when I remember - and I did it that morning. Eladio caught me on camera coming back with a splendid yellow rose. Oh, how I love our roses.

 

Returning from pruning the roses

As I write, I know they need more pruning so I shall do so straight after publishing today's post.

The news that day was mostly about elections in Portugal, Romania and Poland and that Trump was to have a phone call with Putin about peace for Ukraine. The former came away saying peace talks would begin immediately but it hasn't happened so far. 

We went shopping and then to Ikea to get  a desk for Suzy. Oli joined us for lunch and it was just the four of us that day. Suzy's mood had improved a lot since we got back from Santa Pola and I attribute it to her facing all the demons there. She has been in a better place since, thank goodness. Oh, how she worries me.

Eladio set about mounting the new desk - he is good at those things -and I caught him on camera to remember the moment. I love that my husband is good with his hands.

 

Eladio assembling Suzy's new desk from Ikea

I was doing something on my computer and it crashed. I could not login with my Microsoft pin and kept getting a message to say they couldn't load my profile. It was impossible to talk to a person and all online help was pretty useless. I resorted to their Twitter handle and although they were sympathetic they couldn't do anything. It was obvious this was a Windows issue and not an account issue. Thus I rang a PC wiz we know and he would come the next night. I was dreading having to buy a new PC but not worried about the content  as I have everything stored in the cloud hosted by One Drive (Microsoft). I learned that the hard way when my computer crashed during the pandemic and I lost everything. 

In England that day, some were celebrating a post Brexit deal signed with the EU which will probably bring some improvement but very little.  Oh bloody Brexit!

On Tuesday I was out with Suzy on errands which included coffee at Manacor. We bumped into our Russian neighbour Ekaterina and invited her to coffee. It was good to spend time with her. Katia is a volunteer with the Red Cross and she has promised to introduce Suzy there to see if she too can lend a helping hand. That would be just wonderful. Watch this space. We had lunch outside again and I have a photo to prove it.

 

One of our lunches outside this week

We babysat for our grandchildren Elliot (5) and Juliet (3) in the afternoon while Oli went to her French classes. They behaved so so and were best entertained when given their notebooks and crayons. Here are the little mites outside drawing. I have to say Elliot seems to be very talented at drawing. 

Elliot and Juliet drawing

Our grandchildren have such a wonderful upbringing with all their needs and more catered for, not so the poor children and babies of the Gaza Strip which Israel is destroying daily. Did you know that since the beginning of the Israeli Gazan war on 7th October, 16.503 children have been killed, 900 of them babies. That is a terrible average of 22 children killed a day. On top of that the Israeli government has stopped any aid getting into Gaza until the last few days after international pressure. I understand the Israelis need to counter attack the terrorist group Hamas, but not children and babies or the general population. The Jews underwent the Holocaust and yet they are the instigators of the genocide in Gaza. Dont' they see that? I can't stand it.

Later that night, Luis, the PC wiz, came to inspect my PC. Within the hour he had it up and running again. On the downside, he had to take out the battery which was bulging, in case it exploded (gosh) and I have ordered a new one. He only charged 20 euros. What a guy. Thank you Luis for saving my computer, the one I am writing on now and without which I would be lost.

On Wednesday we resumed our walks. The flora had grown so much that at times wewere knee deep in flowers or grass. But it was beautiful. I love this time of year when the temperatures rise, the days are long and everything is green. It is of course the gateway to the summer. Thus this week I have been able to wear summer clothes and have been happy to see myself fit into some I wouldn't have been able to wear last year but can now thanks to Mounjaro. What a discovery.

At 11.30 I had a coffee date with my friend and neighbour Elena. It was good to see her again and to catch up on each other's lives. I don't see a lot of her as she and her husband seem to spend their lives on cruises.

It was while I was with her that I got a message from the new Rector at St. Giles Church in Ickenham. That's the village outside London where my father's family lived. His sister Gloria and her husband Derek bought a house there on 18 Ivy House Road when they married and shortly afterwards his parents bought one too on 17 Hoylake Crescent when they retired so as to be near Gloria. Derek and Gloria had three children, my cousins, Jacqueline, Michael and Antony. We were very close to them, spending every Christmas in Ickenham and then on 23rd May 1971 they met their death in an air crash while landing at Rijeka airport in Croatia. You probably know the tragic story. They had met on the island of Krk and when my grandmother died and they inherited some money, they decided to take their children on holiday to "Mummy and Daddy's island", except that they met their death there. I was 14 at the time and the children, 12, 9 and 7 and when I was given the awful news by my mother, something died inside me. I was given a cross to bear that I shall carry to my grave. I knew this week was the 54th anniversary of their death so was surprised to hear from St. Giles. The Rector, a woman called Christine, wrote to tell me that the lovely Memorial window built for them had been damaged in a break in in 2024 but that they had lovingly restored it and that this Sunday they would be redidicating it. Oh my God, that brought it all back but at the same time, it was so comforting to know what the church was going to do after all these years. I wrote back immediately to send Christine some information of their story, a story that never left the village either. There are people who were children like me in 1971 and who all remember the event and who knew my little cousins very well. It is comforting to know that they have lived on in many other people's memories, not only mine. If only Christine had told me earlier, then maybe I would have gone to London to be at the church this Sunday. Dear Gloria, Derek and my little cousins, this is a beautiful event in your memory today. If you don't already know, I have carried you all in my heart ever since you left this earth, too early in life. It is my dear Aunty Gloria I mourn most. She was my father's youngest sister and they adored each other in a quiet English way. You were my own English aunty, a wonderful, jolly and sensible person who cared for everyone around you. I loved you and always regret never telling you so. God bless you all. 

When I told my family, Olivia remarked "The Brits are so good at this". She is right. What other church would bother to restore a memorial window built more than 50 years ago? Thank you Christine, thank you St. Giles and the people of Ickenham from the bottom of my heart. 

While this was going on a terrible shooting took place in nearby Pozuelo. Andriy Portnov, a famous Ukrainian ex politician who sided with Russia and was embroiled in corruption in Kiev, had just dropped off his children at the American school when he was fired at and killed in a question of minutes. This took place as children were entering the school. Olivia commented how close the mafia or whoever did this, is to where we live. It seems like a story from the US and not from Spain so rather shocked the country. Who did it? The Russians, the Ukrainians or was it a revenge killing. Whatever it was it was rather too close to our home for our liking. Olivia who covered the case told me the fees at the American school are 2800 euros a month so the man must have been pretty rich.

This killing followed the killing of 2 Israeli Embassy workers in Washington the day before. 

In our FaceTime call that afternoon, Amanda and I talked about this and of course got up to speed on each other's lives as we like to do. I can't wait to see her and Andy when they come for 12 days at the end of June. Oh what fun we are going to have. 

Thursday 22nd May came and it was Olivia's 40th birthday. Gosh, where have the years gone?  How can my happy and hard working little girl be 40. She is now a mother and wife in her own right and I am so proud of her. She brings us so much joy. 

Suzy and I went out for coffee and to get cake for her lunch which we would have at El Tuareg, a Moroccan restaurant nearby, just the four of us. Saturday would be the official birthday lunch with our grandchildren but on her actual birthday it was just the four of us. How lovely. As soon  as we got to El Tuareg I took a photo of my girls and Eladio and have chosen it as this week's feature photo. Suzy looks so much better in it I think. This week she started group therapy and I hope it helps. She seems to be in such a better place this week bless her. 

Apart from the little cakes we got, I also took a bunch of yellow tulips (bought at the petrol station I am afraid) and a tiara and band for her to wear. I had to have a photo of that too. Look

 

Olivia at 40

Her present was a restaurant voucher for her and Miguel to enjoy a night out on their own while we babysit the kids. We had such a lovely time that when I got home and bumped into a young girl in the kitchen, I had forgotten a guest was coming that day. Thank God I had told Tana who had checked her in.

The rest of the day was quiet, a rest, The Good Doctor, a light dinner on the terrace, followed by the news. I was appalled to hear that Trump has forbidden the University of Harvard from accepting foreign students, including those who are already there. This comes after accusations of anti semitism, links with China and inclusion practices. Does the man have limits? I guess not and he interferes everywhere damn the man. I have heard  that immigration officials look at people's social media profiles when they enter US soil so I can only conclude I will probably never be let in again; not that the US is on my bucket list anymore, having been many times and having always hated the way I was treated by border officials.  What has America come to I ask myself? Not a land of freedom, but an autocratic state, reminiscent of fascist or communist countries of the past. And yet half the population voted for him. I don't get it, I really don't.

Friday came and would be busy thus I was up at the crack of dawn at 5.30 am. I wanted to write most of this blog as I wouldn't have time at the weekend. Then we had to do the shopping and Suzy had to take a medical test to renew her driving licence, or rather change her UK one back to a Spanish one. Meanwhile, she shouldn't be driving but she does. Suzy helped with the shopping until she had to go off to for her first group therapy session. She was rather nervous and didn't want to talk about it later. Oh dear. Anything can trigger her ups and downs. 

Meanwhile, Eladio and I went out for lunch to redeem a voucher Olivia had bought us for Christmas. Her choice was a seafood place called El Barco de Aparicio in Pozuelo and was full so is obviously very popular. We were spoiled for choice and I went for seafood, small scallops, delicious shrimp fritters and large prawns in garlic. I also ordered razor clams but had to send them back as they smelled strange. I couldn't finish half of my food (thank you Mounjaro) but neither could Eladio who had ordered a fish and bean stew followed by grilled turbot. Niether of these would have been my choices. It was lovely to sit outside in the good weather and be wined and dined with excellent seafood. Here are some pics to remember our outing that day.

 

Lunch at El Barco de Aparicio in Pozuelo yesterday courtesy of Olivia

I was even busy when I got back as I was waiting to receive 2 new guests, one of who didn't get here until 10 pm that night. I also had to make Oli's Victoria sponge cake with Suzy. I used a trusted recipe but it came out rather lopsided and took a lot longer than the recommended 20 minutes. This was it as I took it out of the cake tin.

 

Our rather lopsided Victoria sponge cake

We left it in the fridge overnight and on Saturday morning I sliced it with difficulty but managed. I then made the whipped cream and icing. Suzy filled the sponge with the jam and cream and iced the top. Later we would decorate it with blueberries and raspberries. It wasn't very professional as some of the cream will spilled out but I knew it would taste delicious. We made it because it's Oli's favourite.

And this was the result my friends. 

 

Oli's sui generis Victoria sponge cake for her birthday

Only then could I join Eladio and Pippa on our walk. Once home I set about making the beer batter for the fish and the mushy peas. Tana did the chips. Oli, Elliot and Juliet arrived soon and by about 2pm (our lunchtime) we were sitting at the table about to dig into home made fish and chips. I had to have a photo before everyone started eating. 

Yesterday's birthday lunch; fish and chips of course

The kids loved the cake moment as do we all and we had to do our very best to stop them sticking their fingers in the cake before it was served hahahahha. And here is Oli with Elliot and Juliet while we all sang  Happy Birthday to you which Juliet wanted ro repeat over and over again.

 

The birthday cake moment

Oli is nor very happy at turning 40. I told her to worry about her age until she turns 60 or 70 but not 40 which is the age in which she is in her prime. 

We later adjoined to the swimming pool which we had to our own as all our guests were out doing exams. We had a fun afernoon trying often hopelessly to get the kids to behave and not hit eachother. Here is a moment when they were both at peace.

 

The kids by the pool yesterday

I enjoyed being with Oli and Suzy alone and with the kids. At one stage their friend Copi rang about her wedding and hen party. She is getting married in July and they will be her bridesmaids. I think this is somehing which Suzy is now looking forward to. I love to see her talking enthusiastically with Copi, something we couldn't have dreamed of a year ago. She has even reconnected with another friend from the past. Piano piano my friends. And here are both girls talking to their oldest friend Copi.

 

Suzy and Oli on the phone to Copi yesterday

With us of course was Pippa, all afternoon. Everything looked splendid. The flowers around the pool were in bloom and the vegetation could not have been greener. I caught Pips on camera surrounded by flowers. Here she is, our little dacschund who is an integral part of the family.

 

Pippa always with us

The afternoon did not end well when Elliot pushed Juliet into the deep end. I didn't see him do it as I was in the kitchen with Suzy. We heard screams and rushed to see Oli coming out of the pool fully dressed with a very shocked Juliet. Elliot swore he didn't do it but Juliet said he did. What a fright. Thank God Oli and Eladio were there. This is how pool deaths occur and there are many recorded in Spain every year. It was a rather shocking end to a lovely day together but thankfully all's well that ends well. 

When they left to go out to dinner, none of of us was hungry so after eating just a bit of fruit and yoghurt we retired to our quarters.

I slept relatively well last night and look forward to a quiet Sunday at home. This time next week I shall probably be writing to you from Montrondo where we haven't been since last August. We need to clean the house and get it ready for Amanda and Andy's visit in June. The weather promises to be good there too so I am looking forward to our trip to Eladio's village. 

That's it from me now for this week so let me just wish you all a great Sunday. Cheers till next week,

All the best Masha

c

A postcard from my mother to Olivia, my new Samsung Galaxy S25+, to Santa Pola for the week with Suzy, work and play, happy moments and places and other stories of this week.

 Gran Alacant, Sunday 18th May, 2025

 

A happy moment this week in Santa Pola -happy too with the camera on my new phone, the Samsung S25+

Good morning everyone from our pad in Gran Alacant, near Santa Pola where we came on Tuesday with Suzy for a few days. We came for work and for play as you will read.

Last Sunday we were stilll at home The highlight of the day was our morning walk; firstly because it was our first in a while and secondly because it was so beautiful because of all the wild flowers blooming at this time of year. Everything looks so green owing to all the  rain we have had and which is highly unusual for Madrid. I had to take a photo of Eladio surrounded by the flowers to share with you. This is it.

 

Eladio surrounded by some of the wild flowers on our walk last Sunday with Pippa

The grass in the garden had grown so much Eladio had to mow it again and that is a huge job as the plot is 2500m2. I keep urging my husband to get a gardener to do the job but he refuses. Meanwhile, Suzy did a big job of making her room which used to be Oli's, more hers, something her sister wouldn't like. But, of course she had to do it. Gone forever is the poster of Audrey Hepburn. But found was a lovely post card from my Mother to Olivia dated 7th November 1998. In it she advises Oli to tell Suzy to be nicer to her hahaha. It was such a treasure to find that I have to share it with you in today's blog post. 

Found, a postcard written by my mother to Olivia dated 7th November 1998.

In 1998 my mother was 78, 10 years older than I am today and Olivia was 13. Olivia had written to my mother telling her to get better but sadly she died just under a year after writing to her granddaughter. Our girls adored my mother as she adored them. If only she had met her great grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet. 

On Sunday there was news of peace talks between Russia and Ukraine to be held in Istanbul on 15th May but they didn't come to much as Putin never went, sending some of his minions instead. Trump now says he and Putin have to meet for peace to happen. I wonder....

On Monday morning I weighed myself as I do every fortnight since I started "on the pen" - i.e. taking Mounjaro. I was pleased to see I had lost another 1.3kg. In total I have lost 7.8 kilos which is over a stone and I don't have much more to lose. There is a lot of misconception  about these new weight loss drugs which were first developed for diabetes. There is a lot of news too and new discoveries of other benefits from these new drugs. This week The Times published an article suggesting they hold the key to longer life. It was the leading article in Tuesday's edition which you can read here if you can get past the paywall. In it I read "Research suggests drugs such as Mounjaro could delay age related illnesses and halve heart attack deaths, even in those who are not obese". That's fabulous but how long can you be on it and what happens when you come off it I would like to know?

We were out of the house early that morning to accompany Suzy to see her therapist, something that always makes her anxious as she says she does not believe in the system. But it actually went quite well and hopefully soon she will be going to the outpatient hospital and also to group therapy. She needs all the help she can get. 

While that was happening, the new Pope, Leo XIV, was giving his first press conference. I was very disappointed that it was a press conference where the press couldn't ask questions. I am not happy either to see him wearing a great big gold cross and debating whether to return to the opulent Papal quarters. Today is his inaugural mass which will be attended by world leaders. It seems he likes the pomp which I wish he didn't. They say he is following in the footsteps of Pope Francis but it doesn't seem so when to comes to the trappings. Of course he is his own man and there never will be another Jorge Bergoglio I'm afraid. 

On our way home from the hospital we went for a coffee to Manacor. That was when I decided I needed to get a new mobile phone. My 4 year old Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was running out of juice with battery power at 35% at 11 in the morning.  So off I went to El Corte Inglés and invested in the Samsung Galaxy S25+. I chose the new Samsung Galaxy because of the capacity (512gigas) and long life battery. In the afternoon I had a new toy to play with and so far I am delighted with it. I specially love the camera but the best thing is the battery lasts a whole day and I am an intensive user. I am now the proud owner of a new iPad and a new mobile phone. When I worked in the industry all my phones came free. Maybe I should have appreciated that more at the time.

Tuesday was the day we set off but first I had a routine appointment with the dermatologist in Pozuelo which meant we couldn't leave until about 11.30. The car was full with most of the space taken up by a 50 inch TV we got free from Movistar. It's a JVC, so not great but will do nicely here.  It was to be Suzy's first time back since she left in October to come and live with us so I knew she would be facing a lot of demons. But we had a nice lunch in the  cafeteria of the Parador near Albacete and a smooth drive here. While having lunch I took one of my first pictures on my new phone. I tried the portrait mode on Eladio and this was the result.

 

One of the first photos I took with my new phone - the Samsung Galaxy S25+

We got here to find out the lift was not working after the blackout on 28th April last. It was the same with internet which was a problem of course. 

I woke up to rain on Wednesday and wondered how to fix the internet which we shared with our neighbour Lucy. A techie friend of hers had set it up a few years ago but he wasnt' here to fix it. In any case it was unstable and I was determined to get our own internet which I did in a record 2 days. I found a local fiber operator called Fibernet. They had an offer of 600mb at 20 euros a month and could come on Thursday morning at 7 am to install it. I was a bit wary of such a good price and the offer to come at 7 in the morning the next day. But they did and a 9 am it was working. Brilliant!

I had more work scheduled that morning. An authorised electrician was coming to inspect our electric installation as we need more capacity for all the new stuff we have bought; air con, electric water heater, etc, etc. He came and we found out our installation was about 40 years old and the whole apartment needs rewiring. We got the estimate the next day and it's expensive but absolutely needs doing. They will do the job on Wednesday in our absence. So you see our time in Santa Pola was divided between work and play. After his visit, we were able to enjoy the rest of the morning and went to have coffee by the beach in Santa Pola, near ther port. I got Suzy to take pictures of us by the tourist sign. This is one of them.

 

A silly picture in Santa Pola on Wednesday

We then went to Lidl to get a few items to top up on provisions and had a quiet lunch and a very relaxing afternoon. The weather was so so, but got better as the week progressed.

Thursday 15th was the anniversary of the passing away of my dear brother George who died of malanoma aged 46 in 2001. He is forever in my heart. Bless you George. I think of you often and miss you. Life was cruel to you and that hurts. 

15th May is a holiday in Madrid in honour of the city's patron saint, San Isidro. Our grandchildren were dressed up for the occasion in the traditional "chulapo" costumes. Women wear embroidered shawls, dresses with polka dots and men wear checked caps and waistcoats. Chulapo apparently means people from the popular classes or probably working class. And here are Elliot and Juliet dressed so. 

 

Juliet and Elliot dressed up for San Isidro on 15th May which is a holiday in Madrid

After the internet installers had left, we went to print out the QR code for guests coming and then drove down to the beach to have coffee at La Milla on the promenade. That was one of my happy moments of the week. I think you can see it from my face in this week's feature photo. Here is another one.

 

A happy moment, coffee on Thursday at La Milla by our beach

It was bliss to be in the sun by the beach and I took more photos as we left La Milla. I particularly like this one of Eladio with Pippa who he is holding a bit dangerously, hahaha.

 

By our beach on Thursday, another great photo taken with my new phone.

It was the perfect moment for a walk on the beach while the sun was out. We walked to the very end, to what I call "our rock", one of my happy places in this world. Whilst there we ordered fuel for the boiler at home - there is no rest for the wicked hahaha. On our way back it began to rain which is highly unusual for this area. It wasn't very pleasant but thankfully it wasn't cold. We came home to dry off and to wash Pippa who was covered in sand, hahaha.

Friday came and the weather was much better with the temperature rising to 24ºc. We did a bit of shopping and went for coffee to La Milla again. This time our walk on the beach was more pleasant and I got a photo by our rock to share with you. 

 

On our rock, one of my happy places

Ah and here is one of the beach which was probably full of "madrileños" enjoying their "puente" or bank holiday.

 

Our beach on Friday morning

I had a quiet afternoon until I had to ring Booking because of a glitch on their Extranet. That took me over an hour. Gosh Booking is so much more difficult to navigate than Airbnb for hosts. I will not bore you with the details. I rewarded myself afterwards with wine and pistachios on our terrace, another of my happy places. This is the view after the large tree was felled. Finally we can see a bit more of the sea and the pool.

 

The view of our garden, the pool and the sea from our terrace, another of my happy places

Wine and pistachios with my husband always make for happy moments too. 

Just before dinner, I took the first of my last 4 jabs of Mounjaro which I am going to space out now, taking one every fortnight instead of every week, so as to wean myself off the drug slowly. Apparently, you can't do cold turkey. 

Saturday came all too quickly and it was another sunny day. Suzy did her own thing and walked down tot the beach while we went to the weekly market in Santa Pola to stock up on fruit and  veg to take home.  I love that place too. We bought huge oranges, mandarins, strawberries, cherries, apricots, mango, mini melons, lettuce, amazing tomatoes, lettuce, broccoli and I can't remember what else. To remember the moment I took a photo of Eladio by the stall where we got the oranges.

 

At the weekly market in Santa Pola yesterday

Once we had bought all we could carry to the car, we drove out of the town towards the old coastal road. We parked at the beginning of it and walked along another happy place of mine, a promenade by the sea which leads to a bar called Ca Pacorro where we often go for coffee. I forget to take a photo I'm afraid. At around 1 pm we drove to pick up Suzy and come home to have lunch. 

The afternoon was quiet and I took the time to write most of this week's blog post which I hope you don't find boring as not much has happened really this week.

And today, Sunday, we are driving home. Next week will be quite exciting as on Thursday 22nd May, Olivia turns 40 which I can't quite believe.  

So that's it from me for this week. Wishing you all a great Sunday, cheers for now,

Masha.

 

Flowers for Mothers' Day, retail therapy, the Conclave , Habemus papam, Robert Prevost - Leo XIV - first North American Pope, VE Day, special dinner with my Spanish family and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 11th May, 2025

 

All spruced up and ready to go out for a very special dinner this week.

Good morning all. How have you been? I have to say this week has been a great improvement on last week and there is lots to tell you.

Last Sunday was a year ago since we set off on our last road trip all the way to Turkey which had us talking about it and remembering it fondly on our walk that morning. Unfortunately, there will be no road trip this year. 

 It was also Mothers' Day. Remember when I wrote last week that I didn't think my daughters would remember? Well  Oli did. She came with the kids bearing a beautiful bunch of flowers. Here is little Juliet, in her Flamenco outfit, giving them to me. 

Flowers for me on Mothers' Day

I was very pleasantly surprised. Thanks Oli. At home in England we never celebrated any of these days so I suppose I didn't bring up our girls to do so either. 

The drums of war sounded in Israel that day as Yemen struck Tel Aviv airport. I wonder if it was worth their while given the Israelis' capacity for retaliation?

 Monday came and brought me a little obstacle to overcome.  A window had broken in El Cuetu and it was my job to find a glazier to mend it. We know very few tradespeople in the area so I rang the local ironmonger who gave me the contact of a local man who does general repairs. Héctor went to the house in the afteroon and by Tuesday afternoon all was well. I shall be keeping his contact details.

Suzy was rather down that day, despite her medication which is not really a panacea for her problems but she was cheered up when Oli joined us for lunch. I went to the hairdresser that afternoon for the first time since the beginning of February and I must say I had so much white hair I looked like a witch. Thankully within 1 hour Conchi had me sorted for just 16 euros! Meanwhile my grandchildren were having their hair cut and here is a picture that Oli sent to remember the moment.

 

Elliot and Juliet having their hair cut this week

As I came out of the hairdressers it was pouring heavily with rain. This week we've had what felt like tropicl rain or monsoon weather most afternoons which is very strange.Roll on sunny and rain free days I say.

Tuesday 6th May was the third anniversary of the wonderful funeral I organised for my father at Bradford Cathedral. He was much in my thoughts this week because of that and, of course, VE Day.

My father would have been appalled to hear Trump say to the new Canadian Premiere, Mark Carney, that he wants Canada to become the 51st state. In a similar set up to the meeting with Zelensky, with the two leaders surrounded by press, Carney clearly replied "Canada is not for sale". Honestly!!

I had more house maintenance work to do that day. We need to increase the electricity voltage in our apartment in Santa Pola. With all the new devices we have invested in, if too many of them are in use, the electricity goes off and that is not acceptable for renting. Thus I had to find an authorised electricity company which I did. The good new is they can do it and the bad news is that they wil have to renovate the whole electrical installation. Damn it. On the bright side, that day the Estonian and Ukrainian workers finished the floor in the lounge. They did a good job but we have yet to see it. 

I had a big job myself that day when I started gathering all the invoices for this year's income tax returns. What a job my friends but I was fnished, with the help of my husband, by Friday. 

Wednesday 7th came and it was the date marked for the start of the Conclave. I, meanwhile, had an appointment at the Apple Store in Majadahonda. It was to restore my Apple account and set up my new iPad. The girl called Yuli, was wonderful. When she had everything set up, just as I had it on my old iPad, I gave her a hug in gratitude. I am loving my new 13 inch iPad Air M3 which I use  mostly for watching TV, reading the news and  video calls. The quality and battery life are excellent, not like the battery life of my 4 or 5 year old Samsung S20fe. It hardly lasts a morning and I am thinking very seriously of investing in a new phone, probably the latest Samsung. We'll see.

I left the very smug Apple store and headed for Primark. I wanted new jeans, especially white ones and got both types in a style I had never used before, the so-called Mum style. I also got 2 pairs of jeans for Eladio and some beige chinos and for Suzy white shorts and a pair of black lounge trousers. That was my retail therapy that ended in Zara, which is Spain's biggest brand. This year is the 50th anniversary of the opening of its first shop in Corunna. Who would have known what a success it would become? I remember my first Zara shopping experience was in León in the early 80's. As I walked into their lovely and not smug store, I spied an embroidered long sleeved white tunic dress which I just couldn't resist. I had hoped to wear it for our dinner out on Friday but it was too cold. This is it and by the way it is nowhere near as short on me as on the model.

 

From Zara

I was having a wonderful time. The retail therapy was doing me the world of good, not to mention that everything fitted me, for once. Before heading home, I had a coffee and pop cake at Starbucks feeling happy. Yeah, that's how I felt and I haven't felt it for a while. I came home to give Eladio and Suzy their new clothes which they did not expect. Both were delighted and so was I.

Once home, I concentrated on the Conclave which fascinated me so much. The Vatican is so good at pomp and mystique as the process is hundreds of years old and hasn't changed much over the years. Olivia did a small piece on the history of the Conclave that morning which you can see here. Clever girl.

 I watched the BBC coverage in the late afternoon and got a good close up of the 133 Cardinal electers while they swore an oath of secrecy in Latin before the Conclave began. They come from 70 countries. This is where they come from.

 

Where the cardinals are from

The oldest was 79 and the youngest just 45. They came up to swear in order of seniority, the first being the Vatican's Secretary of State, Pietro Parolin who was at the top of the polls. Everyone expected him to enter cardinal and come out as Pope. They were wrong and the old adage saying cardinals who go in to be pope, come out as a cardinal. I also watched as the doors of the Sistine Chapel were closed, after the words "Extra Omnes" (everyone out in Latin). 

 

The doors of the Sistine chapel closed after the words "Exra Omnes"

During the whole process, the Conclave was held in complete secrecy with no contact with the outside world. The Vatican even shut down the mobile signal in the tiny country which I am sure was rather a hindrance to the press, of which there were 7000. It was a world event, waiting for the election of a new Pope, who would become the world's moral leader. Would we get someone like Francis or like Ratzinger? I hoped and prayed it would be a forward thinking man who would follow in Bergoglio's footsteps. It took more than 3 hours for black smoke to come from the chimney which, of course, was to be expected. Most people thought the Conclave would take days to decide as there were so many cardinals who hardly knew each other. We were wrong.

Thursday 8th May was the 80th anniversary of VE day and events were going on all round Europe, even in Germany. However, Russa did its own thing the next day.  And there was Trump wanting to rename it and call it Victory Day for WW2. Doesn't he know that WW2 did not end until the US bombed Japan?

 My father and Aunty Gloria were both in WW2, my father as a Lietenant with the Royal Navy and his younger sister a corporal in the Army who drove the big wigs. I have a wonderful piece of memorabilia, his letter dated 13th May to her about VE Day in Lyness, Orkney where the RN had its base in the Atlantic and probably still does. For the sake of history, let me reproduce what he writes of his experience which makes interesting reading.

 "Your remarks about VE day celebrations and the way it affected various people correspond very much to the incidents that took place up here. There were hundreds and hundreds of drunkards reeling about the place from lunchtime to well on into the next morning. Service cars were swiped and taken for joy rides and then trashed and left in a damaged state. We were all privileged to "splice the main brace" whereby all and sundry including officers were allowed to have an extra tot of rum on the navy. All the ships in the harbour sounded their sirens at midnight and really the noise was tremendous for a place which is normally so quiet".

 In the UK, King Charles and the official members of the Royal family (no Andrew or Harry) celebrated VE Day with a handful of WW2 veterans whose numbers have dwindled so much. God bless them. For the record here are photos of my father and aunt in the War, bless them too.

 

Aunty Gloria, a corporal in the Army, probably aged 18 or 19 with a colleague. Gloria is the dark haired lady.

I couldn't follow events much as I had 2 appointments at the Quirón hospital in Pozuelo in the morning. They were a mammogram and a breast scan which I do every year. The mammogram is always most unpleasant but vital to prevent breast cancer. 

I came home to the news of black smoke again after rounds 2 and 3 of voting in the Conclave which confirmed my thoughts it would take a few days. So I couldn't believe it when I casually consulted the BBC at just after 6 pm for news to see that White Smoke was being emited. To think the Vatican still uses this ancient system of communication. What a moment. 

White smoke

White smoke appeared after 24 hours and after the 4th session which is much faster than predicted. After the white smoke, we had to wait for just over an hour for his appointment to be announced with the famous words "Habemus Papam". Whoever he was, was getting ready in the Room of Tears - I mean what a responsibility. It was so dramatic for us, imagine for the person in question who was to become a major global leader not only of 1.4 billion Roman catholics but a moral voice for the world. I think I was stunned when Robert Francis Prevost appeared on the famous balcony in front of 100.000 people for his first Urbi et Orbi. No one expected a North American because tradition has it the cardinals want to avoid giving more power to a super power. However, I think they voted for the man rather than his nationality. When I learned more about him, I realised he seems very un American, having lived for decades in Peru and holding Peruvian nationality too. This was his moment on the world stage.

 

What a moment

As I learned more about him and watched him speak both in Italian and Spanish, I was relieved to understand that he will follow in the footsteps of Pope Francis who apppointed him Cardinal. I also think though that he will be his own man. This 69 year old Augustine, an austere order with values of truth, love and charity, chose the Papal name of Leo meaning Lion which Eladio thought was quite daring. A Pope's new name is a signal of his papacy. In his case I have read he chose it after Leo XIII the champion of workers rights at the beginning of the last century. As the new Pope addressed the world he was visibly emotional which probably has something to do with his Italian, French and Spanish roots. He spoke of peace and of building bridges and helping those who suffer. He also gave thanks to Pope Francis with whom I think he was very close. At the end of his speech I was convinced we had the right man for the job. But I was a little cross when all the English spoken media referred to  him as the "First American Pope". Correction, the first American pope was Jorge Bergoglio from Argentina. Robert Prevost is the first Pope from the USA. 

Eladio and I continued watching more coverage of the outcome of the Conclave until late at night. I think Pope Francis has contribued to such interest beyond the Catholic world, because of how he reached out to those marginalised in society and because of his untradional way of being a Pope, his simple way of living and his charisma. Let's see how Pope Leo carries his torch while being his own man. He has a huge responsibility. I give him my first vote of confidence and can only hope he deals well with the sexual abuse scandals, the Vatican finances and that he can really make a difference when it comes to the role of women and treatment of homosexuals in the church. Pope Francis opened these doors; someone needs to make proper changes.  

Friday came and I'm not sure how the new Pope slept. I saw clips of an interview with his 2 brothers in Chicago, his home town. I was happy to know the new Pope plays Wordle like me, hahahah. 

We had errands to do that morning and something to look forward to that night. We were going out to dinner with Gerardo and Irene and their spouses Vicky and Tomas. I have written countless times in this blog about my "Spanish family". I lived with Gerardo and Irene and their family as their live in English teacher when I was just 21 in my 3rd year at Nottingham University where I studied Spanish and Portuguese. Gerardo and Irene were just 13 and 11 and I loved them immediately as they loved me. It was mutual with all their family, their parents, Pili and Gerardo and younger siblings Julieta and Toti. We hadn't seen them since September 2022 when Amanda, who they know well, was here. So the dinner was going to be something special. 

We went out that morning on various errands and at 12 met at Manacor for a coffee with our friends Roberto and Mari Carmen. Mari Carmen who is a pharmacist had brought my last Mounjaro pen that contains 4 doses. I took the last dose of pen three just before we left for dinner. Before we left Suzy took photos of the two of us spruced up on a Friday night, something rather unusual these days. We live in such a bubble that Friday was quite the exception. 

 

Ready to leave on Friday night

Dinner was at La Colina on the road from Mirasierra to El Pardo, so quite a way from our home. It's a great place, serving excellent food the only drawback being the dirt track leading to it from the main road that is full of potholes which reminded us of the roads in Armenia or Georgia! But we made it and it was worth it. It was so good to see our friends; my Spanish family waiting for us. We talked and ate all night as we had so much to catch up on and when I looked at my watch it was well past midnight. Gosh we had to go and hadn't taken any photos so we asked a passerby to take some, even though the night light wouldn't make for good photos. This is one of them.

 

With our lovely friends, Gerardo, Vicky, Tomas and Irene

We parted with lots of hugs and the next day agreed to have dinner again when Amanda and Andy come at the end of June. Irene suggested we go Quënco, the restaurant where we had our wedding dinner; a wedding they were very much part of. Irene and her sister were my bridesmaids and Gerardo was my chauffer. What lovely memories. 

We didn't get home till around 1am so I didn't get much sleep that night. But a good time had been had by all. It was so good to do something different and to be with people we love. 

Saturday came and we had another dinner to look forward to. Oli and family were coming for dinner. So off we went to do the weekly shop and Suzy came with us.  It was a quiet day while we waited for them to come. We had guests all weekend but I only ever saw Raúl from Valencia who comes once a month. Suzy helped me prepare the dinner and when we were all seated I had to have a photo. This is it.

 

Dinner with the family last night.

They didn't stay very long but the dinner and their visit were short but sweet. Later I had a long heart to heart with Suzy who was very down yesterday. If only I knew how to make her better. 

And today is Sunday which will be a very quiet day with no visits or dinners out but that's ok. I have come to the end of the tales of this week, so shall leave you now to publish this post and get on with the day.

Wishing you all a good Sunday and week ahead, cheers

Masha

 

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