11th November, the BBC in trouble, film Mr. Burton, celebrating Suzy's new job at Honest Greens, coffee is now good for you and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, 16th November, 2025

Celebrating Suzy's new job this week at Honest Greens

Good morning again everyone. 

How are you all? I hope well. 

Life has been good this week as we had something special to celebrate as a family. The girls took us to a place which is new for us called Honest Greens which they have been raving about recently and we were to finally discover. But more about that later.

Last Sunday Remembrance Day was celebrated even though it wasn't actually until 11th November. It came about after WW1 when armistice was declared on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month in 1918. Since then 11th November has been celebrated to include all wars. My father who fought in WW2 and died on 8th November 2021 aged 102, was very much in my mind this week. When he died it was a few days before Remembrance Day and at the time he was one of the very few veterans still alive.They are a dwindling group and soon there will be no more human witnesses to those terrible events. Ah, but their testimony will always live on. Facebook reminded me this week of photos I had posted on 11th November, 2021, including a photo of the front page of the Bradford paper, The Telegraph and Argus, which we used to get at home every afternoon . Fittingly they published it on 11th November. 

The front page of the Telegraph and Argus on 11th November 2021. Bless them, bless him. 

This was their obituary. 

In England everyone would have been wearing red poppies. We don't do that in Spain and I miss it. The origin of the poppy becoming a symbol of Remembrance Day goes back to a wonderful poem called Flanders Field written by a Canadian, Lt .Col. John McCrae. 

Remembrance Day poppies

I think most people know the opening lines "In Flanders fields the poppies blow, between the crosses, row on row ..." The poppy of course is red and represents the bloodshed but also hope for a peaceful future. 

Oli and family were coming for lunch and as it was a special Sunday I made a proper roast meal which was a bit like Christmas really. We had roast chicken with all the trimmings including sage and onion stuffing and cranberry sauce. It was divine. I honestly don't know how Eladio and I l had the energy later to play hide and seek with Elliot and Juliet but we did and it was lots of fun. Oli had to work on a piece she would be doing on Monday morning about the new candidate for regional head of Valencia after Carlos Mazon's resignation for handling the floods there so badly a year ago.

Monday came and I forgot to watch my daughter but I later saw her on Twitter as often her programme posts stuff they report on; not always though.  Here she is live on Monday.

Oli reporting live last Monday

You can see her piece here. I noted she was wearing my red coat without my permission. That is part of having two daughters who seem to like my clothes. Later in the week she wore a blue trouser suit of mine from Zara which I had given her with a blue coat I hadn't and didn't even remember I had. I suppose the girls taking my clothes is a compliment. I like to think so.

Monday was a good day for former French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, who was let out of jail after serving just 3 weeks of his 5 year sentence. I never understand why people get sentenced and then let out. He says he is not guilty of receiving campaign funding from the former Libyan dictator Gaddafi. He said of his time in prison where he was given special treatment that it had been a nightmare. I read that he only ate yoghurts, afraid there would be spit in his food. Imagine!!! 

It was not a good day for the British Broadcasting Corporation, aka the BBC or simply "The Beeb". The BBC is a national treasure in the UK and people pay a licence to watch it. I had or have great faith in this institution but am pretty appalled at the latest scandal - there have been many. This one is about Trump and the Capitol attack on January 6th 2021. An internal memo  by journalist Michael Prescott describing systematic bias in the BBC's news coverage was leaked to the Daily Telegraph. In it a documentary was mentioned about Trump broadcast over a year ago by the current affairs programme Panorama. The memo claims  Panorama deliberately edited words from  2 of  Trump's speeches to show him calling for violent action as if he was the orchestrator of what happened when actually he had called for people to demonstrate peacefully.  The BBC spliced together two quotes from Trump made on that day despite the comments being made an hour apart on different topics.  He really said "We're going to walk down to the Capitol and we're going to cheer on our brave senators and congressmen and women". However, in the edit it made it seem as if he had said "We're going to walk down to the Capitol .... and I'll be there with you. And we fight. We fight like hell". His fighting like hell actually referred to him (wrongly) arguing the election results were rigged and were not an incitement to attack the Capitol. That is where the BBC got it wrong; really wrong. 

There was more bias uncovered regarding  a documentary about Gaza where the narrator was the son of a member of Hamas. There has been more scandalous bias but the Panorama one was the straw that broke the camel's back. Trump was furious of course and wants to sue the BBC for up to 5 billion dollars. In London, the top management of the Corporation resigned this week  over pressure after the leaked memo alleged "serious and systematic biast in the BBC's news coverage". Well, I never. The BBC is in trouble but I have faith it will recover. It will have to change its tone and become the impartial broadcaster it is supposed to be, the gold standard of journalism. How they will do that I don't but I hope they do. 

The highlight of Monday was my weekly Facetime call with Amanda where of course we spoke about the BBC. My daughter Olivia who is a journalist, is most upset and cannot understand how the BBC actually edited or doctored Trump's words this way. She told that journalists learn that lesson in their first year. She is right. 

Tuesday came, the real 11th November and I kept thinking of my father. He would have been fascinated to know the latest population figures of my adopted country, Spain, that were published that day. If in 1981 when I came to live here the population was 37.7 million, today it is 49.4 million. Most of the growth in Spain comes from immigration as the birth rate here is one of the lowest in the world.  Interestingly, in 1981, the immigration population of Spain was just 0.52% while today that figure stands at around 14% with some 6.9 million people from abroad. So where do they all come from? Mainly neighbouring Morocco, then Romania, Colombia and Venezuela. And, by the way, I think the UK is in fifth or sixth place.  Immigration is a hot topic in many places. We have our issues too, but less I think, at least in my milieu. However, it is immigration that is driving Spain's economic growth. That sounds great but it can't be so great if another study this week published the poverty figures. A whopping 12.5 million people, 25% of the population, are at risk of poverty or social exclusion and 4 million of them live in severe poverty. Young people, even those with a job,  have it worst as  either they can't afford  getting on the property ladder or paying for rent. Many, of course, carry on living with their parents. Another option is living in a  caravan which is not unheard of here. On a last note and out of curiosity, when  I left the UK in 1981, the population then was 55 million, today it has jumped to 69.7.  

The BBC maybe in trouble but their content is still popular and long may that live. This week I discovered a film called Mr. Burton on the iPlayer which I watched thanks to a VPN (VPN Express) that masks my internet origin as you can't watch the BBC outside the UK. Mr. Burton is the story of how Richard Burton from Pontrhydyfen near Port Talbot in Wales became an actor. 

The BBC film, Mr. Burton about how Richard Burton from a mining village in Wales became an actor. 

He came from a numerous family with a drunken mining father - he himself later went on to drink himself to death. Born Richard Jenkins, his teacher, Mr. Philip Burton, saw something in him and when he left school early to work, he took him under his wing. He acted in a local play and his talent was even obvious then. The film is a real story of rags to riches done in a magnificent way. The biggest job his teacher had was to change his Welsh accent to Received Pronunciation. He went on to be famous for his wonderful baritone voice, despite smoking 4 packets of cigarettes a day, but there still remained a beautiful Welsh lilt.  When I was young, Richard Burton was one of the most famous actors in the world. He first became famous for his acclaimed performances in Shakespeare's plays. Sadly he became more famous for his role as Mark Antony in Cleopatra, mostly because he fell in love with Elizabeth Taylor. They became known for their passionate and dramatic relationship. It seems they both loved and hated each other as they married twice from 1964 to 1974 and from 1975 to  1976. They spent money as they lived with passion and excess. Most famous was the diamond called the Taylor-Burton diamond which cost 1.1 million dollars in 1969! I watched Michael Parkinson's interview with the Welsh actor broadcast in 1974 where Burton chain smoked throughout. In it he spoke of his battle with alcoholism which brought him to near death and of his depression and dark moments but there was also time for laughter. I especially loved his stories of returning to his home town and encounters with his drunken father in the local pub. It remains today as Parkinson's best interview. The famous Yorkshire presenter died in 2023 but I'm sure he would have loved the film Mr. Burton. Here is the link to the interview by the way if you want to watch it as well as an article from the BBC about the teacher and pupil which makes for great reading if you are interested of course. 

Wednesday came and we managed our walk. Nothing interesting happened that day. What didn't please me though, on Wednesday, was to receive a bad review from a recent guest in the best room in the house because she said the house was too big for her liking. Honestly!! I have to say I do actually dread American guests who can be very picky. Maybe they are all lovely but I just seem to get the picky ones. As they say in my beloved Yorkshire, "there is nowt so queer as folk". Maybe they no longer use as these days you can't use the word queer or can you? A final thing about Wednesday. Unbelievably, for November, the temperature reached 24ºc that day which had us enjoying our wine and pistachios on the terrace by the pool. Not so the rest of the week which has been foul.

Thursday was foul and we didn't go out at all. Importantly that day, at least for me and other tennis fans in Spain, Carlos Alcaraz returned to the number one stop after reaching the semi finals in the ATP finals. He might beat his rival Sinner in the final today but, despite whoever wins, the Spaniard will remain the number one player at least until the end of this year. I think he deserves it as he has had 70 wins this year. He also beat Sinner in 7 of their past 8 matches, albeit that 1 being Wimbledon. He is probably the better player of the two but not as consistent. That's what he has to work on. But we love him, maybe because of his inconsistency. He makes us suffer so we love him even more when he wins. Sinner doesn't make us suffer; that is the difference in my opinion. 

Olivia was busy that day and Friday. This week saw her emceeing at some big conference organised by the NHS anti fraud department. Oli later reported she hates conferences and finds them boring, even if the Spanish Minister of Health attended. I totally agree with her; company conferences are nearly always boring. I'm so glad I am retired and no longer work in the corporate world. As a PR person I always tried to make my speakers' content more interesting. When I worked at Yoigo and had to make both the brand famous and the CEO, I was inspired by Virgin's Richard Branson and it worked. It's obvious the NHS and the Spanish Ministry of Health don't have a good Communications Director, hahaha. 

If Olivia had been at home that afternoon, she would have been delighted to meet and greet my new guests as they are from Lyon in France as Oli loves to practice  her French which she is very good at. Mine is still my limited school French and is rusty but I bring it out of the archive, so to speak, when I have to and I had to when I met Sandrine and Philippe. They are lovely guests and in general I love my guests from France - I get a lot of them and they are the best.

Friday came and was the highlight of the week. It was the day we were going to celebrate Suzy's new job and general mental welfare. I'm so proud of her. But first she and I did the food shopping and I appreciated her help as I can't carry heavy loads after my operation. Suzy chose a restaurant called Honest Greens and I had my doubts as I thought it would be all vegetarian which it mostly is but I was bowled over.  I loved the place instantly. It felt like being in London or New York. 

Honest Greens in Pozuelo. Wonderful place

The food is marvelous because it is all fresh and it's creative and tasty and also affordable. Little did I know there are already 30 restaurants in Spain, two in Portugal and that it is expanding to both Paris and London. Obviously Honest Greens is going places. I was intrigued to know who runs and owns it. Turns out it's a famous French chef Benjamin Bensoussan. I read that he had worked, many years ago, at the famous Ladurée in Paris where I was privileged to have afternoon tea with my cousin Marie and her husband Anas this summer. When I posted photos of our experience on Instagram, I was surprised and pleased to get a comment directly from Benjoussan who, by the way, featured in The Final Table on Netflix. I had complained about the loud music and he promised to do something about it. I loved the avocado salad and beef platter but what I loved most were the desserts, especially the pecan pie. I later looked up how to make it and it's simple but I think my family are not keen. Suzy went for the falafel and Oli for the tofu. Miguel had meat and salmon and Eladio had the same as me. Miguel took photos of us as we left, one of which I have chosen as this week's feature photo as Friday's lunch was the best moment of the week. It was wonderful and I will be going back to Honest Greens. In fact both Oli and Suzy are going again today. Before I move on, here is another photo of the four of us. I love these photos as we don't get many taken of us together.

A great moment this week - the four of us together outside Honest Greens, a real find for me.

We came back to a house full of guests but hardly saw any of them. My day ended with a lovely video call with my friend Kathy. She has  bronchitis and a terrible, terrible cough. I really felt for her; I did. She is so unwell, she couldn't go to our school reunion yesterday. I hope they had a lovely time. I would loved to have gone as it's now 50 years since we started at St. Joseph's College, but with my operation being so recent, I couldn't go. Nothing is stopping me going next year.

On Saturday it poured with rain. When there was a lull, we donned our wet weather clothes and I put Pippa's jumper on but it got too bad and we had to return home. Instead, we went to do some errands and to have a coffee at Alverán. It was yesterday that The Times published an article on the health benefits of coffee from a recent study. So, contrary to being bad for your health, it is now deemed extremely good. The English flagship newspaper went as far as calling it the "new wellness drink" but Eladio wasn't convinced. I, as a coffee lover, was delighted to read the benefits. The properties found are: antioxidant and anti inflammatory, good for your gut health, lowers the risk of heart attacks as well as of diabetes, Parkinson's disease and even certain cancers. It even contributes to longevity and being in a good mood. The article which you probably can't read as you can't get past the paywall is full of quotes from eminent sources so it has to be believed in my opinion. However, if this is true why isn't the whole world talking about it? I hope they will soon. Anyway back to my coffee at Alveran. We sat outside so I could smoke and it was cozy thanks to the outdoor gas heater. I have always wanted one of those but I won't be getting one.  I took a photo of my dear husband who won't drink coffee and still has a nasty cold but he looks great doesn't he? This is it.

Eladio at Alverán yesterday. Who would believe his age?

On our way home we stopped at Carrefour to buy the new obligatory beacon or whatever it is called. It's like the alarm the police put on their cars and will be connected to the traffic authorities so they know where you are. I had no idea they were replacing the old warning triangles. It was Miguel who told me during our lunch on Friday. So I got two for the Mini and the Volvo. 

I came home to cook which I love doing when it's bad weather and I have time on my hands. I made a leak and potato stew followed by a sort of lamb hot pot/casserole. It was a dish I invented years ago but hadn't made for ages. Suzy, who only ate the potatoes, said it reminded her of the past. This was it.

The lamb casserole I made yesterday

I prepared more food yesterday afternoon as we had invited Olivia, Miguel, Elliot and Juliet for dinner. They braved the foul weather caused by Storm Claudia and we were soon sitting down for a cozy family meal. We had cold roast chicken, giant prawns and a Waldorf salad but the kids didn't eat anything. They never do but seem very healthy haha. It was good to have them and it was a nice end to the week.

Today, Sunday, we shall be driving to stay at our modest apartment near Santa Pola on the coast. We are escaping the rain and hoping for some sunshine as well as a change of scenery.

Now I must get going with all the preparations necessary for our stay there.

Till next time my friends. Have a good Sunday, cheers Masha 

A quiet week in November, Spain's political soap opera, shopping in Madrid with Suzy, remembering my father and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 9th November, 2025

Out and about with Suzy in Madrid centre this week

Good morning all. 

I don't like November. Do you? November is when summer is finally over here, the leaves cover the garden, it gets dark early and usually rains. In short, miserable. 

My week hasn't been miserable. It's just been quiet while I have been recovering after my operation two weeks ago. I am feeling a lot better but still have some brain fog and, sometimes, it still hurts. But I am sure it's for the greater good.

There is not much to report about this week but let me try. Last Sunday we went on our walk, as we usually do. I was happy later to read a 5 star review from my Belgian family guests. Thank you Peter and I hope to host you again. I met my other Belgian guest, Simon, finally that day. It turned out he is from Paris but studying in Brussels. He was a great guest and we hardly ever saw him. Suzy was at work and from there went straight to see George, her beau. They seem to be happy but I don't think I will be meeting him anytime soon as he is the sort of chap who is not to keen on meeting the mother of his girlfriend. I told Suzy to tell him that I don't bite. 

Suzy confessed to me that day that she had stopped her medication two whole months ago. I was astonished, mainly because she seems so much better and there have been no symptoms. So she hasn't taken her meds for 2 months yet seems fine. I keep wondering if maybe she is not bipolar or all the things she was diagnosed with and that her psychotic incidents were drug induced. And now she is off cannabis, she is back to normal. I looked it up on AI and I could be right. It could be she was wrongly diagnosed and it was all down to marijuana because the symptoms of drug psychosis and bipolar condition mimic each other. I honestly hope I am right. It may just be a state of remission, I don't know.  But there she is doing things, meeting people, going to work, socialising, smiling; yes smiling and doesn't seem at all ill. She herself admits it and told me she is happy again while she thought she never would be. Eladio thinks her best medication is the new job and the beau. For the moment we are happy that she is happy and that's enough for me. I can't ask for more. Only time will tell.

I finished The Long Shadow - that very good series about the Yorkshire Ripper and then went onto the biography of Andrew and Sarah; Entitled, the Rise and Fall of the House of York. Andrew Lownie's damning book about the ex Duke and Duchess'  abominable behaviour won't do much for their popularity. 

This damning book couldn't have come at a worse time for Andrew and Sarah

It is all about money and sex. Andrew according to Epstein was an even heavier addict than him, and money was everything to them both. It's outrageous how they exploited their royalty for their own benefit.  Honestly, I don't know how they got away with it for all those years when everyone around them knew what was going on. Shame on the Royal family and I was a fan. I no longer am and that is saying a lot.

I was a bit upset this week by friends' insensitive behaviour which I still can't understand and don't want to go into here.   Dear Kathy cheered me up that evening when we had a long overdue video call. We had one later in the week too. 

On Monday things came to a head in Spain's political soap opera which is basically a ferocious battle between the left wing government, the PSOE, led by Pedro Sánchez and propped up by all sorts of dubious parties, and the right wing opposition, the People's Party (PP). That morning Carlos Mazón the regional head of the Autonomy of Valencia and from the PP  finally resigned after accusations of mismanaging the flash floods last year. Now we have to see who replaces him or whether there will be local elections. All this fuels the ongoing political battle between the right and the left.  Amazingly too this week, Spain's Attorney General, Alvaro García Ortiz, who was appointed by Pedro Sánchez, appeared at the Supreme Court to face trial  for allegedly disclosing confidential information. The information pertained to the boyfriend of the Regional head of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, from the PP party and Sánchez' arch enemy. An Attorney General has never been seen in the dock before and I still don't understand why he hasn't resigned. I also don't understand why Sánchez himself hasn't.  This week his Catalan extremist supporters, Junts, led by the fugitive Carlos Puigdemont, cut off ties with the PSOE party. They had 7 deputies in Congress so now the PSOE will have their hands completely tied. In normal circumstances a government without a majority has to call elections but Pedro prefers to ignore all this noise and stay in his palace without being able to govern.  That on top of the court cases where both Sánchez' wife, Begoña and brother, David, are also facing trial. And then there is the trial of his former Minister of Transport and Secretary general who is in prison. They are accused of taking kick backs from public construction contracts. Their trial is peppered with stories of payments to call girls and gifts of expensive flats and holidays. When will this end? Not for a long time. Eladio is loving the whole farce but I am getting tired of it. 

I did some retail therapy and went to a shopping centre where I was not at all inspired. But I did enjoy the expensive coffee at Starbucks. I never know whether I love or hate that brand, especially living in a coffee country like Spain. Since when was a cappuccino a Spanish thing? It's not, it's a "café con leche" just with a bit more foam. 

The afternoon was  another groundhog afternoon with me mostly watching the telly. Not good. What is good is when we adjoin for wine and pistachios by the pool just before dinner at around 7 pm. Or maybe it isn't good for my body but good for my morale. 

Tuesday came and as usual I got about 5.5h sleep which is just not enough and that is despite a cocktail of sleeping pills. Oh dear. 

I did something good that morning and made a 2026 desk calendar using a website called Vistaprint. I used to make them every year until about 3 years ago, until our life went pear shape.  This is what it looks like. 

My 2026 desk calendar in the making

I have ordered 15 and hope to be able to take one with me to Devon in December for Amanda and Andy.

I got my flu jab that morning but not my Covid jab as it's for over 70's in Spain, or so I was told. As soon as I got back we went on our walk. Suzy was home for lunch which was curry again which I had made industrial amounts of. Later she and I went to pick the kids up from school and took Elliot to athletics. I left her to look after Juliet as at 6.15 as I had a scheduled Facetime call with my dear friend Amanda. She always cheers me up and I was so happy to give her good news for once; all about Suzy, of course. 

On Wednesday Suzy and I went into the centre of Madrid for some retail therapy and a splendid lunch. We left early and parked the car at Plaza de España. From there I took Suzy to the rooftop bar, called The Sky Bar. It really is a great place to take people. This week's feature photo is of the two of us having coffee there and enjoying the views. It is only really from a rooftop that you appreciate that most of Madrid's roofs are red. As I write the plural of the word roof I remember being taught by our English teacher, Miss Speak, back in the 60's that the correct spelling was "rooves". It seems since I left England in 1981 many things have changed.  Anyway, back to the rooftop. Here is a lovely photo of Suzy who, like me, could not cross the glass walkway so high up. 

Suzy on Wednesday at the Sky Bar rooftop in Madrid

From there we walked to Primark on Gran Via to get some basics we both needed. I had only ever been to our local Primark and wasn't prepared to enter the second largest in the world. It measures over 12.000 square metres and has 5 floors. There is so much on offer at good prices. Its only downfall is that the queues for paying are so long. It was a bit overwhelming that's for sure but we came out  happy with our purchases. I got some 5 euro leggings, as good as Marks and Spencer's, a lovely white knitted jumper dress and a pastel pink fleece jacket. Suzy got jeans, leggings, tops and other basics.

I came out feeling I had overdone it and needed a little sit down. Next on our agenda was lunch at the lovely El Cüenco de Pepa, a very upmarket restaurant near the Bernabeu stadium on the other side of Madrid. The restaurant  is famous mostly for its tomatoes and its chef and owner, Pepa Muñoz who, I was happy to read, collaborates with World Central Kitchen run by fellow Spanish chef, José Andrés. Pepa has her own orchard in Avila not far from Madrid and the whole restaurant is decorated with gigantic tomatoes and pumpkins. She even has a shop where we later bought 3 enormous tomatoes at 8 euros each.

Lunch was splendid and Suzy says it's now her favourite restaurant. The place was full of important looking Madrileño businessmen as always but then as always the food is splendid and it's worth going back to over and over again, as I have. All in all Suzy and I had had a wonderful time. There is nothing better than retail therapy, spending time with your offspring in harmony and having a good lunch out, to raise your spirits and mine were raised on Wednesday.

Wednesday, of course was 5th November, Guy Fawke's night aka Bonfire Night. I tried to describe to Suzy my memories as a child of that magical night. My dear father would light fireworks in our garden and sometimes in our street  in Heaton Grove at the Pond in the middle of it, where we used to play as kids,  there would be a bonfire. That is a very British celebration. The only thing I don't like now as an adult is the harm the fireworks do to animals. 

On the other side of THE pond that day, something historical happened in New York. A 34 year man called Zohran Mamdani, representing the Democrat Party was voted Mayor of the city, the capital of the world for some. It's funny but this time last year Oli and I were there and we stayed at the famed Carlyle. Anyway, back to Mamdani, who Trump is of course furious about. Born in Uganda to Indian parents he is the first Muslim Mayor of New York. His political promises seem very attractive but whether he can carry them all out is another thing. His win is a breath of fresh air for the increasingly autocratic United States and I wish him luck in his new mandate. 

That night, Omar from Tunisia arrived. He is young and surely a Muslim too and so polite. He keeps calling me Madame. He came bringing a book written in French by his grandfather who was a philosopher. It was his grandmother's dedication I liked. You see she was a former teacher of English and had lived for a year in Yorkshire in 1970. 

Thursday was the first really cold day of the month. But we still went on our walk. Suzy was out in Madrid with Copi and we picked up the kids again while Oli was giving a presentation at a workshop - something to do with PR and communication. 

Oli ready for her workshop on Thursday afternoon while we picked up the kids

How she juggles her life, I do not know. She is up at 5 am and manages to include her French lessons and go to they gym with Suzy. With Miguel away in Pamplona, she needed our help so we came to her rescue. They later stayed for dinner made by dear Tana and had their baths in our room, bless them. Just after they left, I touched base with Kathy again. It seems both she and Phil have come down with flu or a cold.

While all that was happening, Suzy was having a great time with Copi who did both her makeup and her hair. Here are some pics. I don't like the piercing but if she does what can I say?

Suzy all dressed up to go out with Copi on Thursday night

I was up at 6 am on Friday morning and not out of choice. I do wish I could sleep more. Oli had told me she was nervous as that morning she had to cover the People Party's news and opinion - all part of Spain's soap opera. She might have been nervous but I would never have noticed as she did an excellent job. Here she is outside the PP party HQ in Génova. She came on quite a few times and, as always, I watched her in awe.

Oli live on TV various times on Friday morning covering the news from the opposition party, the PP

We went for our walk on Friday morning and then to do the shopping I don't order online. We were supposed to go out for lunch to celebrate Suzy's new job but Oli was exhausted so we have postponed it.  Later in the evening we met Raúl, a young engineer from Alicante who is a repeat guest. He asked if he could play our piano. Well, of course. The piano which belonged to my grandmother who was a pianist was played by her, my Aunty Gloria, my cousin Jacqueline and of course my brother George. It's always nostalgic but pleasing to hear a guest who knows how to play, to use her over 100 year old piano. Thank you Raúl. 

Saturday came and saw Suzy at work again in her new role as a hospital dietitian for the French catering company Sodexho. I had asked her for a photo and got this.

So proud Suzy is working again. 

Saturday was of significance as 8th November is the anniversary of the passing away of my dear, dear father who died with me by his bedside 4 years ago now. It's hard to believe that 4 years have passed since he left us. He left a gaping hole no one can fill. It was a pleasure and privilege to have him living with us from 2005 to 2021. If you know me, you will know I revere my father for so many reasons. My greatest gift to him was a biography of his life when he turned 100. It made me so happy to see his smiling and surprised face as I presented it to him. He read it countless times. If you haven't read it, you can find it on Amazon. Here is the Amazon UK link although you can get it on any Amazon country site. And when he died I organised a funeral fit for a general. He would probably have said to me "what is all the fuss about?". He never ever blew his own trumpet so I had to do that for him. For his funeral in Bradford the local paper, The Telegraph and Argus, the one he used to receive daily alongside The Times for more than 40 years, published a fitting tribute with lots of photos of his life. These are just some of the photos in that article.

It was the 4th anniversary yesterday of my father's death yesterday 

He lived with us for 16 years and I still miss him everyday. I miss his smiling and appreciative face and I miss sharing things with him. Love you Daddy.

I miss him at meals too and I know he would have loved the vegetable soup I made yesterday for lunch for Eladio and me. He would not have been quite so keen on my divine stuffed roast shoulder of lamb as he was no great meat eater. But we enjoyed it. 

Today, Sunday, we shall enjoy having Oli and the kids here while Miguel is still in Pamplona for TVE. Thankfully Tana is back and will help me make a traditional Sunday roast for our lunch.  It looks like another sunny but cold day and we shall enjoy our walk before I don my apron and prepare the lunch.

That is it from me apart from a special message to my school friend Geraldine to congratulate her on the birth of her grandson. I know how she will be feeling as having a grandchild is an emotional and wonderful thing to happen to parents.

Till next week, cheers for now,

Masha

On the way to recovery, 1st anniversary of the floods in Valencia, Andrew no longer prince, Elliot and Juliet enjoy Halloween, remembering Bradford in 1975 and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, 2nd November, 2025

Coffee at home this week - on the way to recovery.

Good morning all. 

What can I say about this week? Nearly every day has felt like Groundhog day because I have not been out and about. If you read last week's post, you will know that on 24th October I had major surgery on my pelvic floor organs which is not nice at all to recover from. But just one week later, I can report I am feeling a lot better. I still have a very foggy brain and am lacking my usual energy. Right now I can't wait to feel 100% and be on the road again. We are planning a mini break for when I feel much better so watch this space.

Last Sunday I was beginning my journey of recovery and hardly noticed the clocks went back except in the evening. I don't like it being dark so early on. It's also got colder and there has been some rain and this week the heating went on for the first time since the spring. It's nice and cozy now.  There was no walk that day as there wouldn't be a proper one until yesterday.  Oli came for lunch which, amazingly, we had outside and probably for the last time. 

Monday was, as I said, like groundhog day and I was in quite a bit of pain. My dear friend Amanda cheered me up as she always does in our weekly Facetime calls. Here she is this week looking lovely.

My dear friend Amanda

A new guest came that day, Marjorie from the French Riviera. She was a journalist and is now a teacher in Monaco. She describes some of the super rich Monegasque pupils who sit side by side with French children from not so rich nearby villages. Marjorie and her daughter Chiara were most welcome here and I hope to see them again. So too Elena from Slovenia who also came this week and  lives in the Dominican Republic, owning at least 12 sausage dogs. She and Pippa got on famously. I enjoyed my conversations with both of them. This weekend we have a family from Antwerp and another solo guest from Belgium whom I haven't seen yet. I can't believe the house is still full in November. That's a good thing.

On Tuesday I felt a bit better and was determined to do things. I walked 11 laps of the garden and got down to some of my rental admin work which I cannot let pile up and generally don't. I already have my calendar for 2026 and  24 bookings for next year. Tana was having a late weekend off and we were alone for our meals as Suzy was out socialising. I'm so happy for her. She now has a reason to wake up in the mornings.  What was not good about Tuesday was to hear that Israel had resumed bombing Gaza and breaking the ceasefire. Both sides have and until the mediators can negotiate the next part of the peace plan, the Gazan population will continue to suffer. 

On Wednesday it rained non stop which is pretty unusual for Madrid. We went out shopping for fresh food. It was nice to go out but I felt exhausted when I got home. Once again Suzy was out, this time having lunch with Olivia and her great friend Copi. Copi has done her a lot of good and it all started with her wedding this summer where the girls were her bridesmaids. I have a lot to thank her  for. Gracias Copi. Gradually, since then, she has reintegrated into society. She now has a job and even a beau. 

Wednesday was also the day that Category 5 Hurricane Melissa landed in Jamaica causing widespread damage and loss of lives also in the Domincan Republic and Haiti. It was rather fitting that it rained in most of Spain on that day which was the 1st anniversary of the terrible flash floods in Valencia last year, the worst natural disaster that has ever hit Spain. It resulted in the death of 237 people, mostly in the Valencia region. 60.000 homes were lost, as were 105.000 cars and 10.000 shops. 

 It's impossible to describe the damage done and how it has affected those who survived, many of whom are still waiting for promised financial help. I have seen many images on the TV, especially of cars piled up like this and the whole thing looks like the aftermath of a tsunami. 

This image of the flash floods is the one that will stay in my head forever

This week we watched a documentary on Prime Video called Riadas (Flash Floods) which goes much deeper into what really happened. Here is the trailer. The people affected are still very angry, and rightly so, as they were not warned in advance. The warning came at 8.15 in the evening when most of the deaths had already occurred. They blame the local President, Carlos Mazon who happens to be from the right wing opposition party, the PP. He still has to account for where he was when all this happened. The whole thing has become so politicised and the central left wing government, the PSOE, led by Pedro Sánchez, uses the tragedy to undermine the Opposition. They were never to agree and nor were they coordinated and it was up to volunteers to clear up the mess initially before the Army stepped in. It took too long. Mazón was having lunch with a journalist and Sánchez was in India. Wednesday was the day of the state funeral of the 1st anniversary and it was a very somber affair, held in the City of Arts. Many of the victims strongly protested at the presence of Mazon who has become the scapegoat. He has to resign and resign soon but the government has to keep its word and make the funding it promised in the first few days, available for people who still haven't regained their homes or businesses. To think that in some of the blocks of flats the lifts are still not working after one year with all that that means to people with reduced mobility, seems a crime to me. The "Dana" was the main news this week. What a terrible tragedy. There was a similar flood in 1957 but since then only one proper measure was put in place to avoid flooding and since then homes have been built in flood risk areas. There was a plan made in 2010 which would have saved many lives but it was never put into action. 

I had invited Oli and family round for an early dinner that day so missed watching the funeral. Eladio couldn't take his eyes off the TV and when he came down there were tears in them. I have hardly ever  seen my husband cry. That says something.

We had a crazy time with the kids as usual. They never eat properly and run round taking off their clothes and causing chaos but I love them. They are so enthusiastic. Elliot's obsession that day was for his parents to get him a new costume for Halloween as if money grew on trees. I suggested he watch some of the images of children in Gaza before crying over a Halloween costume. That's the way kids are brought up today, at least in my milieu. They have everything and sometimes I think it is too much. It's not just my grandchildren; it's their generation; those lucky enough to live in comfort. I witnessed them being given  some new pyjamas from Primark which didn't seem to impress them.  It brought back a memory of my mother buying George and I new pyjamas from Marks and Spencer in Lincoln, when we lived in Ruskington. We hardly ever had anything new so I remember us jumping up and down on the bed we were so happy to have them. My mother used to make our birthday presents and I remember being given a rag doll I was delighted with. Unfortunately George buried it in the garden where it was found a year later or so. Anyway, maybe it's better to have lots than to have little. I don't know. 

Thursday came and I was delighted to hear from Oli that Juliet was ok after a routine scan. Here they are together

Mother and daughter on Thursday morning

I got dressed up in winter clothes to go out and have coffee with Eladio but we didn't and ended up having it at home. My dear husband who hardly every drinks coffee but often joins me, took photos of me and told me I was looking good. I was dressed in green and looked like I was going out hunting but of course I wasn't. For want of another photo I chose one of them to illustrate this week's post. Here is another one to remember the moment.

Coffee at home this week

5 new suspects were arrested in connection with the Louvre robbery that day.  So far they have caught 3 of the 4 thieves but there is still no sign of the jewels. Amanda and I Facetimed again that afternoon and planned my trip in December to see her. Shortly after, I booked my flights to Bristol. It will be lovely to see her and Andy and to be in England again. I hope we can do some Christmas shopping, talk lots, play Sevens and Ludo (Parchis) and I hope to get the opportunity to eat fish and chips and if there is time I would love to have a posh afternoon tea somewhere. After all, Devon is famous for its wonderful clotted cream. Roll on December. 

It was very shortly after our call that bombshell news came from Buckingham Palace. If a couple of weeks ago, King Charles stripped his shamed brother Andrew of his Dukedom and other titles, this time he defenestrated him by removing his title of Prince and the style of HRH and all other titles and styles that remained. His shunned brother, known as Randy Andy and Air Miles Andy and more recently embroiled in the Epstein scandal, accused by Virginia Guiffre of being raped by him, something he denies, will also have to move out of the 30 room Royal Lodge in Windsor where he was paying what they call "Peppercorn rent". He will be sent to Sandringham so don't worry; he will still live in luxury. This was the statement.

The bombshell statement from Buckingham Palace.

The Queen's supposed favourite son, Andrew who is 3 years my junior, will now be known as plain Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Well, he had it coming to him. From all accounts and purposes the once hailed hero pilot in the Falklands war, was a very demanding and entitled person, known for his expensive tastes and demands of those who served him. I had heard about his teddy bears and need for them to be placed in a certain order. This is what I got from IA: "Prince Andrew has a well-documented and extensive collection of teddy bears and other stuffed animals which, according to former royal staff, had to be arranged in a very specific order every day. Staff even received a day's training and used a laminated diagram to ensure the precise placement of the toys". And woe betide if they get it wrong as he is known for shouting and screaming at his staff. You can even read too the precise instructions on how he likes his 4 poster bed made with bows hanging in the right place as well as pillows. What an entitled idiot. He has fed on his royal status so this will really hurt. And so it should.

If he is like this with his staff, I wonder how he treated people like Virginia Guiffre, who sadly took her own life this year after publishing her book which I am trying to read but finding uphill as it is so awful.  Mr. Mountbatten Windsor may deny her allegations but they are surely documented somewhere as it is known that the paedophile Epstein filmed his friends. Hopefully more will come out when the Epstein files are fully released.  Hopefully too, one day, his former wife and cohabitant at Royal Lodge, Sarah Ferguson, will spill the beans. Meanwhile, Guiffre's family were delighted with the news of the former Prince being stripped of his royal status, styles and titles. But they suggest that he be put behind bars. I totally agree with them. 

Friday was Halloween and I didn't care. I do not like this new wave of the celebration of death. I was not brought up on it. Neither was Spain but oh boy how the Spaniards have embraced it. Oli sent photos of our grandchildren dressed up for the occasion. I was happy to see they hadn't given into any demands for new costumes. As last year, Elliot was dressed as Edward Scissor Hands and Juliet as a beautiful witch as you can see below.

Elliot and Juliet off to school in their Halloween outfits. They look smashing

That photo put me to shame really as when our girls were small we also had to dress them up for Halloween. But in those days there was no Amazon or online shopping and it was difficult to buy outfits. I remember how a neighbour, Inés, the mother of their friend Beatriz, kindly made both Suzy and Oli a simple witch costume which they wore year after year and always complained about. I should have made more of an effort. 

I had news for Elliot on Friday. He is obsessed with the tallest buildings in the world so when I read that the Sagrada Familia cathedral, designed by the famous architect, Gaudi, and which is still being built, is now the tallest church in the world, I wanted him to know. After a part of its central tower was lifted into place it now measures 162.9 metres, which overtakes Ulm Minster in Germany (161.53). In 2026 it should be completed and will then reach 172m. 

I only ever saw it inside once and that was many, many years ago but it is a church, or cathedral of wonder.

This week I watched a lot of television as you can imagine. It's a coincidence really but when Oli told me of a TV series called The Long Shadow (again on Prime Video) that she recommended I was intrigued as it is about the Yorkshire Ripper. You see, this week is the 50th anniversary of his first awful killing; well the first we know of and I was living in Bradford then where he was from. I lived in Bradford from 1964 to 1981 bar the academic years spent at Uni. So, my formative years there made a huge mark on me. 

In 1975 the Labour Government was led by Yorkshire man, Harold Wilson. It was a year of high inflation, many strikes and also the first ever national referendum which was to join the EU. I voted for that as I had just turned 18. It was also the year Margaret Thatcher was appointed leader of the Conservative party. Bradford, a big industrial city in central northern England and once the capital of the wool industry was in decline with factories closing and it showed. Immigration from Pakistan mostly was at its height. It was a grim city with some saving graces - mostly the outskirts; Bronte Country, The Dales and some beautiful places such as Ilkley, Harrogate and York. I didn't like the city and couldn't wait to leave which I did when I went to Nottingham University from 1976 to 1980 and in 1981 I moved to Spain permanently. Today I don't hate it; I just feel nostalgic about Bradford and Yorkshire which I do love.

I lived at home again from 1980 to 1981, the year the monster was caught so lived through the horrible period. In 1975, I was only 18 and remember well those 5 years he was on the rampage and wasn't caught while he killed so many women. One of the last women he killed was a student of French at Leeds University where my mother taught Russian. I remember very well the fear and the newspapers warning women not to trust even their fathers, their husbands or their brothers. But I trusted my father who would pick me up always from the bus stop. I also remember when Peter Sutcliffe was caught and it turned out he lived a mile or so up the road in the Heaton area. It was my Aunty Masha who took my mother and I to see his house. That was both macabre but memorable. To think he lived so close. I am still watching the series which has transported me back to that frightening period. But it has also transported me back to the Bradford and Yorkshire of 1975. Everything is so familiar; the way people dress, the way they speak, the buildings, the weather, the police uniforms, the cars. So, yes it was 50 years ago this week and may he rot in hell. My heart goes out to those victims and their families who have suffered ever since. What a horrible time it was. I can never forget. Meanwhile I am transfixed and taken back in time.

Saturday came, 1st November and All Saints' Day but most importantly for us, Suzy's first day at work on her own without training. She was scared I think but well prepared as she has been having training all of last week and on Thursday and Friday. I am happy to report she came home feeling triumphant when everything went well yesterday and she knew she could do the job - she is working as a dietitian for Sodexho, in charge of menus and meals for hospital patients and will be working only on weekends and holidays which is enough for her at the moment. For the first time in many months I saw a huge smile on her face. She has come a long way and I am proud of her. We shall be celebrating next week so watch this space. 

Yesterday was the first day I dared go on our hour long morning walk and it felt good. For lunch I made masses of curry, chicken for us and prawn for Suzy. We convened again later for wine time at around 7.30. It was by the pool but with our dressing gowns on, hahaha.

Today is Sunday and I woke up to the most awful news  - also hailing, in a way from my beloved Yorkshire. A train from Doncaster in Yorkshire travelling to London Kings Cross underwent the madness of multiple stabbing by a man or two men on board wielding a knife. He was subsequently caught but by then he had injured 9 people. So far no fatalities have been reported. I know that train. I have been on it countless times going from Yorkshire to London. How awful! How can this happen? I find it deeply concerning.  It's not nice news to wake up to. 

Today will be a quiet and sunny day; another Groundhog day but I'm not complaining. That's it from me for this week. Cheers till next time, Masha