Madrid, Sunday 28th December, 2025
 |
| Christmas Day with our grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet and of course Pippa. |
2025 is coming to a close and on the whole it has been a good year for us. It's incredible to think that a quarter of a century has already passed. 25 years ago I was not much older than my daughters Suzy (41) and Oli (40) and in 2027 I will be 70! Time flies and old age creeps up on you. Old age is cruel but thankfully both Eladio and I are still in relatively good health. Thus we have enjoyed 2025 as much as we could. Most of our trips this year have been on home terrain apart from my two journeys to Devon to spend quality time with Andy and Amanda and our wonderful visit to Paris in July. We have been many times to Santa Pola to enjoy the sun, do work on the apartment or to take friends, as well as to El Cuetu and to Montrondo as is normal. This summer we chose Galicia to celebrate our wedding anniversary but we did not go on a road trip this year. We didn't want to leave Suzy alone. Her journey has been better than I could have envisaged a year ago today. March was the most awful moment of the year when she was taken into hospital for mental health reasons. And the highlight of the year was a family lunch at Honest Greens to celebrate her getting a job as a nutritionist with Sodexho, the French food service management company. Her sister Olivia has been by her side all the time. Bravo darling, bravo darlings. Olivia has to juggle her life as a TV reporter getting up at the crack of dawn and at the same time look after Elliot and Juliet who are still so young (6 and 4). She is exhausted but is doing a sterling job. 25 years ago I was in a similar position and know just how difficult it is. As our grandchildren grow, we get older but it is a joy to watch them develop and become little human beings themselves with their own quirks and personalities. What I love most about them is their enthusiasm. When my dear departed father met Elliot for the first time, he told us he hoped he would have a productive life. I wish that for both of them. I do hope we are still around to find out just how productive they become.
On the world scene, 2025 has been dominated by the Gaza and Ukraine wars. Peace in Gaza is on hold and I don't see much hope for Ukraine. I hope I am proved wrong. 2025 was the year Andrew Mountbatten Windsor was stripped of all his royal titles owing to his connections with the paedophile Jeffry Epstein. One young woman, Virginia Guiffre, who took her life this year, brought the former Prince down after accusing him of being sexually trafficked by Epstein. The Epstein files are now being released and even after heavy redactions, it is obvious there were many more like Andrew who abused young victims just because they could. It makes me sick.
The most significant event for me in Spain this year was the day of the blackout which coincided with Suzy's birthday in April. Never did we realise just how dependent we were on electricity until that day. The other was perhaps the fire in Montrondo, one of so many forest fires this summer which was the hottest on record. I doubt 2026 will be any better but I do hope we are more prepared for such catastrophes. Personally for me I think I did quite a good job with my Airbnb and Booking business which has its headaches but keeps me busy. My big news this year was the successful operation on my bladder which I am so glad I did. It was also taking Mounjaro to lose weight which I did successfully but of course am putting it all back on this Christmas with so much overeating. Christmas is all about food but then food is glorious so I can't win. I shall have to go on it again in 2026 I suppose if I can persuade my GP to prescribe it.
We had such a good time I voted it THE dinner of the year. It's not often we host dinners and I wish we did it more often. We shall be seeing Julio again on 2nd Jan when he invites us out for lunch. I love these Christmas traditions we created so long ago.
Before I think about the new year let me rewind to last Sunday. It was 21st December, the Winter Solstice and the shortest day of the year. That was the day I caught a cold from Eladio who caught it from Tana but it's not a bad one, thank goodness.
I was busy cooking that day as Julio was coming for our annual Christmas dinner. I went all out and tried my hand at Beef Wellington which is actually one of my favourite dishes. I made coleslaw to go with it and dessert was a Kings' Day "roscón" filled with whipped cream.
I created magic that night for our dear friend Julio who has been coming for dinner every Christmas since we first met at Nokia in 2001. Our other friend Fátima used to come too until her untimely death on 5th December 2019 and we always miss her. The lounges and dining room looked so festive with all the lights and candles on and Christmas carols playing in the background. Here is a photo of the dinner to show you.
 |
| With Julio who came to dinner last Sunday |
Monday 22nd was the day of the draw of El Gordo - the Spanish Christmas lottery on which Eladio had spent so much money. Oli was in Palma de Mallorca to cover the news if anyone won there. They didn't but she brought us back a lovely "ensaimada" pastry. She was the one to tell us it had been won mainly in villages in León, the province Eladio is from, and some winning tickets had been sold in Villablino where we do our shopping. I had one ticket from there I bought this summer from Manolita in a group village purchase. But I only got the 20 euros back. On the bright side we won 100 euros from a ticket Miguel and Oli gave us. Eladio wants to spend it on the next lottery - El Niño which is drawn on 5th January. It was all big news in Spain and many humble people won a lot of money. Good for them.
On Tuesday I invited Oli, Miguel and the kids for lunch and made it extra special as they wouldn't be with on us Christmas Eve. For Oliva it would be the first time ever not spending "Nochebuena" with her parents at home. In Spain the Christmas Eve dinner is the most important of all the festive meals. So I knew she would be missing us and wanted to make it up to her. Elliot came bearing his chess set and immediately got me sitting on the carpet in the lounge to play with him. I haven't played chess since I was taught it as St. Joseph's College Bradford probably when I was about 10; so 58 years ago. I managed after a few basic questions. What a moment. The other great moment of the day was a make up session with Juliet in my bathroom which we both enjoyed. I have to say I really loved the company of my grandchildren that day and at Christmas. They add so much fun to everything, despite their odd tantrum. In our pre Christmas Facetime session with friends Kathy and Phil I told them all about it. It was good to catch up and I know they will be having a great Christmas in my beloved Yorkshire.
Wednesday was Christmas Eve and the day our last guest of the year left and thank you Guillermo, father of Joaquín from Perú, for your 5 star review. After cleaning his room and making lentils for lunch as well as doing the preparations for our star dish that night, my grandfather's potato salad, Tana left too. That meant we were alone finally and will be until tomorrow when Tana gets back. It has been glorious.
I got a Christmas card that day from a former pupil of my father's. In it he included a letter my father had written to him in 2002 from Bradford and a Christmas card dated November 2006, shortly after we had moved to this house from Río Tajo in Boadilla. I read both the letter and the card over and over again and so loved reading them. I especially loved the bit where my father wrote: "Life is very comfortable and the family make me feel really at home". He adds " I am not missing life in England all that much and I'm lucky at my age to be in a reasonable state of health. So roll on 2007". My father loved Christmas as we do and all my traditions come from spending Christmas at my English grandmother's house in Ickenham when I was a child. So he would have loved dinner that night. It was only Suzy, Eladio and I so when I walked down the stairs after my siesta to finish preparing the dinner, I knew I had to perform magic again and said so to Suzy. And we did it between the two of us. Eladio also took part when he lit the fire in the library lounge. My father used to love it when he lit the fire at Christmas time.
 |
| Eladio always lights the fire at Christmas and it creates a lovely atmosphere |
And here we are about to dig into the lovely food we prepared; just 3 dishes: potato salad, bacon rolls and perushki pies followed by too much chocolate, most of it from M&S.
 |
| Christmas Eve dinner with Suzy |
Of course I was up early on Christmas Day which fell on a Thursday this year. As a special treat I had crumpets with Golden Lyle Syrup both purchased at Quick Save in Santa Pola. Because Suzy was at work we changed the order of present giving and decided to give the kids' theirs when they got here and the adults' after lunch. I had plenty of time to prepare the big lunch and we didn't have turkey this year either as we don't really like it. I did a chicken to which I added 3 thighs as everyone here prefers the brown meat. I had all the trimmings thanks to my purchases at M& S where I got the sage and onion stuffing, cranberry sauce and Christmas pudding.
When Oli and family came everything was ready for them. I loved watching the kids opening their presents. But they get so many I think they only really actually like tearing the wrapping off. We had to stop them opening ours after lunch and show them that you open one at a time and not all at once. By the time they got to our house, they had already opened theirs at their house and there would be more on Boxing day at their Grandmother Merche's house. On top of that they have Kings' Day presents on 6th January, so it's all a bit too much.
 |
| The children opening their presents on Christmas Day |
 |
| Some of this year's official Christmas Day photos. |
Lunch was divine as it always is on Christmas Day. Here is a photo of just the food.
 |
| Christmas Day lunch |
I could have done with a siesta afterwards but didn't want to spend my afternoon in bed on Christmas Day so made the effort. We had given Juliet face paints of all things and I had to give in to having my face painted by her and Suzy by Elliot. Imagine.
 |
| Having our faces painted on Christmas Day |
Friday was Boxing Day and Oli came to join us after work while Miguel and the kids were at his mother's house. It was wonderful to spend Boxing Day just the 4 of us. Unfortunately I forgot to take photos. We all enjoyed the leftovers of which there are still some as I always make too much.
Saturday was very quiet. We enjoyed our morning walk together and lunch with Suzy when she came back from work. Today, Sunday, will also be quiet with not much to report. But often no news is good news.
All that remains now is for me to wish you all a very Happy New Year. I hope 2026 is at least as good as 2025 and that we all maintain our health. That is the most important thing at any age. So I wish you all a very healthy 2026.
Thank you for reading my blog and all the best until next year.
Masha
No comments:
Post a Comment