To Montrondo to escape the heat, Spain reaches the World Cup final, Gibraltar border abolished, an encounter with a bull and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday 19th July, 2026

Me (and Pippa) happy to be back in Montrondo

Good morning from Montrondo, my husband's village in the north of Spain where we have come to escape the heat of Madrid.  It is way cooler here, so much so we have had to put the heating on. We are high up in the mountains which we hope, this year, will not burn like so much of the country which is plagued with wildfires as the climate gets hotter and hotter. They say that wildfires are put out in the winter; meaning that forestation has to be kept clear but it never happens. In the old days farm animals grazed and kept it clear. Today the percentage of farm animals is about 10% of what it was back in the day. It seems we never learn.

Last Sunday was boiling in Madrid and we had planned to leave for Montrondo but I was diagnosed with upper UTI on the Saturday  and I spent most of the day in bed in my air conditioned room trying to recover. I felt better after two antibiotics but exhausted. Later this week I got the results of the urine test for bacteria and, unsurprisingly, the culprit is Escherichia coli, a bacteria that lives in our colon. In the gut E coli is harmless but if it travels to the urethra and then to the kidneys, my case, it can be lethal. Thankfully, we caught it on time and after 10 days of antibiotics I am better but wondering if the bacteria has gone completely. I really hope so. 

Of note last Sunday, Sinner won Wimbledon, in the absence of Carlos Alcaraz, possibly. I am happy to hear he will be returning to play soon after a long recovery from a wrist injury.

I was happy too that day  when, very unexpectedly, David, a neighbour of Ickenham sent me a picture and a video of my Aunty Gloria's tombstone. If you know me well, you will know that my father's sister and my favourite aunt died along with her family, Uncle Derek and my cousins Jacqueline, Antony and Michael, in a terrible air crash on the Island of Krk in former Yugoslavia. It happened on 23rd May 1971 and is something that has never left me. I was 14 at the time, just 2 years older than Jacqueline. It was the worst that has ever happened to our family. Well, David surprised me that night when he sent me a picture of the tombstone which he had painted as the letters had faded completely. He did so with a indelible marker and I thank him for that. 

I was very touched to receive a photo from David in Ickenham of my Aunt's memorial stone with the letters now repainted. 

Monday was a sluggish day too but not quite so hot. I was pleased to see my French guests at Santa Pola had given me a 10 star review on Booking. The previous ones had also given me a 10 so now my rating is an excellent 9.6.  You can see it for yourself here. This week 4 teachers from England came. I hope they are equally happy. My afternoon FaceTime call with Amanda in the afternoon cheered me up a lot. I do love our weekly calls. I was so bored in my room nursing my infection but feeling slightly better I decided we should leave for Montrondo the next day, come what may and Eladio agreed.

Tuesday was 14th July, Bastille Day, and the day Spain was playing France in the semi finals of the World Cup which we would watch that night in Montrondo. We did a bit of shopping before we left and at the last moment I picked up a Spanish flag for Eladio who was just a bit amused. Here he is smiling for the camera and for his crazy English wife.

Shopping to come to Montrondo on Tuesday morning. I bought a Spanish flag to cheer during the match which Eladio thought was most amusing.

It was a long drive, mostly because we always stop so often; me for a cup of coffee and a piece of toast, another time to fill the tank and finally for lunch in La Magdalena, about an hour away from Montrondo.

The first thing we noticed when we got to the village was how much cooler it was; 25ºc vs 35ºc in Madrid and it would get cooler. Eladio's sister Pili was there to greet us and his  brother Toño and wife Dolores were also in the village as well as his other sister Adela and her husband Primo. So we would have company which I craved. But first we had to settle in which took some time. We had to clean a bit too before we stored the food as we hadn't been for a year. Oli and family were here at Easter but the house needs a deep clean which we haven't got round to yet I'm afraid. Unfortunately there is no Tana here nor anyone to hire. Later we had tea at Toño's and it felt great to be back. 

Soon it was dinner time and then the match time. I honestly didn't think Spain could beat the great France and neither did anyone else. Everyone considered Spain the underdogs (what underdogs?). They pummeled the French. It came as a surprise. But hadn't anyone noticed just how well the Spanish team had played to get to the semi final?  Spain beat France 2-0 and shattered the citizens of that country's hopes for a 3rd World Cup and to boot Spain did it on their National Day. That meant only one thing, Spain would either play Argentina or England in the final. I just couldn't imagine a final between England and Spain as I would feel so divided but as my Anglo French friend, Adele, said "Masha you can't lose" and she is right. Except that wasn't to be as you know now and tonight we play Argentina in the "finalissima" where the European champions face the winners of the American cup and with my whole heart I want my adopted country to win. It can be done but I am worried about the favouritism towards the Argies that has been displayed throughout this World Cup. Am I wrong? Has this been rigged? Some people say FIFA now stands for "Fixing it for Argentina". I certainly hope not otherwise we wont' have a chance.

Eladio watched the match on his own while I only looked at the TV over my shoulder as I get too nervous. 

Eladio watching the match on Tuesday

Not for him sitting in a bar with lots of people to watch such an important match. He went to bed a satisfied man as did most of Spain I imagine.  That night we slept with pyjamas on and a duvet, a far cry from Madrid. I had Pippa in between my legs to keep me warm:-)

Wednesday was an historic day for Gibraltar, that Spanish enclave that by quirk of history belongs to my birth country, England. That day, and years after post Brexit negotiations, the land border between Gibraltar and Spain was abolished forever. That border came into being 118 years ago and when Franco was in power he closed it completely in 1969 and it was only re opened in 1982. Eladio and I experienced that in the summer of 1980 when we fell in love. We did a road trip to Morocco and stopped at the border hoping to be able to visit The Rock but there was no way possible. Many years later we visited it with my father when we did a tour of Andalusia. We stayed at The Rock Hotel which is quite famous and we loved it. What we didn't love was one of the monkeys landing on my poor father's shoulders. I am glad for Gibraltar and for the Spaniards who live near. It was about time. Now Gibraltar will have nearly all the benefits of the EU even though the UK left it. 

Our first full day in Montrondo began with a much needed morning walk. I was happy to be back here and  active again.  So this weeks' feature photo is of me beginning that lovely walk. It was on that walk that we encountered a bull in a field that was not fenced off. We saw it just as we left the old path for the road. This is Eladio pointing it out. 

Eladio pointing at the bull on our first walk

We carried on and just as we were walking back,  I spotted the bull walking towards us. It seemed a peaceful bull, not an aggressive one. Even so, my husband who was once a shepherd boy, made sure we stood well back to let it pass while he held Pipa tight. I watched that beautiful animal walking peacefully and was happy for it. That's how bulls should live. I hate bull fighting and I hate the bull run in Pamplona. I took a video which you can see here. 

Once back in the village, Pili and I drove to Senra for a nice morning coffee. I drove the T Roc and did so with great care.

The T Roc parked right outside our door. If Eladio could he would take it to bed with him:)

In the afternoon she made "rosquillas"; a ring shaped cross between a biscuit and a donut. Here she is with the plate piled high on her terrace with Toño. They were delicious. 

Pili and Toño and the plate full of "rosquillas"

Later Eladio and Dolores joined us and afternoon tea turned into an impromptu dinner outside including a wine and pistachio moment.  I have to add I was wearing jeans, a long sleeved t-shirt and my now iconic pink fleece bought in Hawes in Yorkshire. We all contributed. I brought out some "manzanilla" wine, a plate of ham and some left over Spanish omelette.  

It was a wonderful evening which finished just before England were playing Argentina. I desperately wanted my country to win for the second time since 1966. That summer I was 9 and was on holiday in Germany visiting my Aunty Masha with my family. I vaguely remember England was playing Germany in the final and someone called Bobby Charlton was very important but I was too young to understand the significance. England had reached its first semi final since then and had to go through to take the cup home. But it didn't work that way. After a wonderful early goal, England just tried to defend and the Argies weren't having it and became aggressive and in the final moments scored not one but two goals. That was England's hopes dashed, once again. There was a lot of political tension in the match because of the stupid Falklands War. With Spain it will be different. The press here are calling Argentina  a brother nation. Spain's 19 year old prodygy, Lamine Yamal will now face his great rival Messi who also played for Barcelona. This week Yamal's father unearthed a photo of Messi bathing baby Lamine for a Barcelona charity calendar. Fate would have it that 19 years later the baby Yamal of the Spanish squad will face the best footballer ever, Messi, the player who bathed him. Who would ever thought that they would be playing against each other nearly 20 years later. This is the now iconic photo.

This has to be the photo of the week. 19 years ago, Messi bathed Lamine Yamal for a charity calendar. Today the two face each other in the final. Delightful story.

But that won't stop Messi and his men from trying out dirty tricks. Holland did that in the 2010 final Spain won, so cross your fingers please for tonight. 

I woke up again on Thursday having slept a full 6 hours which is a huge improvement on back home. Eladio, Pippa and I went on our morning walk again but there was no sign of the bull which I had hoped to see again.  On our way back we always stop at the "pilo" for Pippa to drink some water. 

Coming back from our walk on Thursday and stopping for Pippa to quench her thirst. 

Meanwhile, back home the girls were together. Oli accompanied Suzy for a routine appointment and then they had lunch together. This is a photo of my beautiful girls together.

My beautiful girls having lunch together on Thursday

I made some chicken and rice concoction for our lunch and later Toño and Dolores came for tea/coffee and biscuits. It was a quiet day all round.

Friday came and we went to Villablino to do the weekly shopping. It is 20km away and the nearest place to buy food. It has an excellent supermarket called Gadis which I wish we had in Madrid. While there we had a coffee out and did other errands. We came home to put all the food away and which I hoped would last us a week. I bought a UTI tester at a chemist in the town and later did the test. I am still positive which worries me a little bit. 

While watching the news at 3pm, internet went. Last year I had a nightmare of getting a system up and working. I pay for it monthly and we only use it twice a year so I was rather upset it had gone. Later I knew why. My nephew Miguel and his family arrived that evening. They live in Riello abbout 30 minutes from here and he told us that the electricity had gone there which must have affected internet here. I cannot be here without it, mostly because of my rental business. So I was pleased it came back a few hours later. Miguel is Toño and Dolores' first born and I have known him since he was a tiny baby and I have to say he is one of the favourite of my nieces and nephews. It was good to see him and his Cuban born wife, Claudia and their children Luna (7) and little Camilo (4). Luna was donned out in various Spanish flags hahaha. 

Saturday came and although I had slept another 6 hours I was feeling so so. My kidneys were aching a bit more and so was my stomach. Thus I went through the motions. I managed our walk and made our lunch but it felt rather uphill. 

On our walk yesterday

I spent part of the afternoon writing this blog and only then could I join the others. When Eladio gets together with his siblings, talk is all about the past when they grew up here and their conversations with great bouts of laughter, are hard to follow but I love to watch them having a good time. They lived in very precarious times and practised subsistence farming. Eladio being the oldest and strongest was his father's work horse. But despite their semi poverty, they look back on that life fondly.

The day ended with a small dinner for me and leftovers for Eladio. For entertainment I continued watching the new remake of The Little House on the Prairie.

Last night England played France to determine the 3rd and 4th place in the World Cup. I am delighted to say England beat France 6-4.

Today is Sunday and I look forward to us all going to a morning market on the Magdalena mountain pass today.

Spain will face its hottest week of the summer with temperatures reaching up to 45c next week and I am so glad to escape it in cooler Montrondo.

I will leave you now to get on with my day.  It just remains for me to wish you a pleasant Sunday.

Cheers till next week. Masha.

A very hot and inactive week, Pippa undergoes anesthetic dental cleaning, Trump blasts Spain and more stories from the NATO summit in Ankara, wild fire in Almeria kills 12, time with Juliet and Elliot, Spain and England through to the World Cup semi finals and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday 12th July, 2026

A charming photo of Elliot with Pippa yesterday

Good morning everyone. 

How has your week been? Mine has been hot and I can't wait to get away from the heat again. We were going to Montrondo today but our plans have been thwarted. The heatwave continues and is unbearable. Just look at the forecast for Madrid for the week of 19th July. I have never seen such high temperatures where we live. 

The forecast for Madrid next week. Just look at those temperatures. They are frightening. 

I read this today and I believe it is true: "Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world, and Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service". The heat  is causing deaths and wild fires. The wild fires are the main news in Spain where they have come earlier than usual. The one in Almeria you will have read about is the most tragic with a death toll of 12 people and 23 missing.  Hopefully, we won't have another fire in Montrondo like the one last year. I am crossing my fingers here.

Despite the air conditioning in our room where I spend most of my time, I don't sleep well. Last Sunday, after only 4h sleep I was a wreck and spent most of the day in bed trying to reach the Land of Nod, to no avail. With this heat we don't get any exercise which I hope to rectify when we finally go to Montrondo with a daily evening walk  we so need. 

A  lovely new guest arrived. Called  Emma she is from Montpelier but lives in Biarritz. She is studying dentistry and her teeth were perfect. She looked like an angel. Later she said she had bleached them and they had veneers. Well, she would know. I had guests arriving at El Cuetu that afternoon for 2 weeks and I was very happy to get a message from them that all was ok. They seem to be having a grand time and good weather without the extreme heat we have in the rest of Spain. 

It was a good day for England when they beat Mexico. They met Norway last night who had eliminated Brazil (amazing).  Norway would be no walk in the park but the Red Lions beat them last night 2-1 and are through to the Semi Finals against, I'm afraid, the reigning champions, Argentina. Maybe England will get its revenge this time.

I woke up on Monday at around 6 am to 24ºc already. It seemed cool to me but I knew what was coming later. Oli was working afternoon shifts this week so she and Suzy spent time together in the mornings and having lunch. That gladdened my heart. 

Amanda and I had our weekly Facetime call that afternoon. My friend was complaining it was 28ºc and sweltering in Devon while it was 38ºc here. Oh no. You may wonder why we don't use the pool  more often when it is so hot. That's because even the tiles are warm and it feels so close. However, I did bathe that afternoon and maybe I should do so more often. 

The World Cup was hit by the news that Trump had got the FIFA to lift  a red car suspension for the US striker Balogun. With the red card, Balogun would not have been able to play in the QF with Belgium. Does the man have no limits? I am wondering. In the end Balogun played and the US team lost to Belgium to the delight of fans and non fans around the world. Spain played Portugal that night and the outcome could have gone either way. Ronaldo now aged 41 has never won the World Cup unlike his nemesis Messi. So when Spain beat Portugal 1 - 0 at the very end, he was the unhappiest person in the world. There is a rumour going round that the US wants Argentina to win because of Messi who is popular in the US where he plays for Miami. So will the final be rigged? I honestly hope not. What is the point of the sport if that is so?

On Tuesday I woke up after about 5 hours sleep which is becoming the norm. Suzy thinks that is the amount of sleep my body needs. I am not so sure. Pippa was having her teeth professionally cleaned to remove plaque and tartar  under general anesthetic that morning and the poor love did not understand why I didn't give her her breakfast. That day was all about Pippa. I'm afraid I have been so inactive this week I hardly have any photos. So here is one of her I took last week on our bed where she keeps me company and also enjoys the air conditioning.

Little Pippa who underwent general anesthetic on Monday to have her teeth completely cleaned and cleared of plaque. 

Actually I got another one of her yestereday with Elliot and I pounced on it for this weeks' feature photo. I love seeing Elliot and Juliet bonding with Pippa. Suzy and I took her  and she knew she was going to the vet and tried to protest but really she is a very submissive little dog who knows when there is nothing doing. Eladio and I picked her up just before lunch and wow her teeth were sparkling. We were told her teeth had so much plaque, one molar had to be removed. She underwent this same procedure about 2 or 3 years ago but we should do this once a year and not leave it as long.  I got some special anti plaque turkey flavoured tooth paste and she loves it. We had to feed her soft food and since Tuesday Pippa has been eating proper food; mainly chicken, rice and grated carrot. I think she thinks she is in heaven. 

I went to my hairdresser, Conchi, in the afternoon and braved the boiling hot air. Thankfully when I came out there was a thunderstorm, albeit a dry one, but the temperature went down a few degrees. I came home to bathe and enjoyed the pool. While I was out, the man from the garage brought our new T-Roc back which was looking gleaming as it should. Eladio had to drive him back but finally we have our new car again which we have missed. I admitted to my husband though this week, and he agrees,  that I far prefer driving the Mini as the VW is very high tech and there is so much we still don't know and I wonder if we ever will, hahaha.

While our mundane life was going on, the annual NATO summit took place that day and on Wednesday in Ankara, hosted by Erdogan. I couldn't believe my eyes when I read that he had given each leader a revolver with ammunition as a present. I think Erdogan lives in another world. Presidents and Prime Ministers don't own guns in Europe, at least. Sánchez, Spain's PM, also lives in another world, a corrupt bubble really. His wife who is facing a trial and has had her passport confiscated by the Judge, made a special request to join her husband in Turkey which was rejected. At the same time she asked to be present at her daughter's graduation at Bristol University which was allowed. If she was a normal citizen, there would be no allowances. Sánchez when greeted at the airport in Ankara did not quite know what to do with the flowers which were meant for his wife. Trump who we know lives in another world, was the main protagonist in Turkey. I imagine Sánchez was cringing when he blasted Spain for not contributing 5% of the GDP to NATO which has been an ongoing issue. He said we were a "terrible partner" and a "lost cause".  He said he didn't want to have anything to do with Spain and ordered his minions to cut off trade ties with Spain. 24 hours later he said Spain had been very generous and had redeemed itself. No one in Spain knows why. No one knows either why he referred to Iran as the Islamic Republic of Japan or why he referred to Zelensky as Putin. He also called Turkey a "company" rather than a "country".  I suspect these slips have a lot to do with his cognitive health and, of course, his age too. He is not fit to be President of the USA and that is obvious. He also caused a stir when once again he said the US should own Greenland. It makes me sick to watch Mark Rutte, the Dutch Secretary General of NATO be such a sycophant, sit next to him with a smile on his face and never challenge him.  However, Danish journalist Rasmus Svaneborg challenged the SC and I thought he was wonderful. This is what he said: "Mark, you sat next to Donald Trump in moments where he talks about conquering Greenland, talks about lashing out at allies like Spain, starting trade wars. Things that it doesn't seem like the old Mark Rutte would approve of. Does this have any effect on your self-respect when you sit next to him like that and say nothing? I was not so impressed with the Dutchman's evasive response. The NATO summit will also be remembered for the break up of the peace deal with Iran. They are once again at war and that is not good. 

The good news that day in the UK was that Nigel Farage resigned as MP.  The bad news is that he did it to avoid a Parliamentary investigation over millions of pounds of undeclared funding of his nasty party. I don't quite understand why, but now there will be a by election and he will try to get his seat back. 

Wednesday came and it was slightly cooler at 5.40 in the morning when I got up. The good news of the day for me was being Super Host again on Airbnb  for the period 1st July 2025 to 30th June 2026.  It's always good to see my efforts rewarded. We have had so many guests this year it is mind boggling and a lot of work. But what would I do with my time if I didn't have my little rental business? Not much.

Super host again. Thank you Airbnb

Suzy and I did the weekly shop together but there was no time for coffee as she was going to Oli's house again and I had an appointment with my psychologist, Graciela. I'm not really sure if it adds anything to my life but it can't be bad can it? It does make you reflect on some things which you probably had never thought of. 

Tana made us lentils for lunch which we had again on Friday. I can't be bothered to cook in this heat. Maybe we should install air conditioning in the kitchen. Maybe. I managed a 1.5h sleep during my usually sleepless siesta so that had me feeling great. What was great too was Arthur Fery, an Anglo French wild card at Wimbledon, who got through to the Semi Finals.Wow. Unfortunately he could not beat Zverev in the Semis. As Djokovic lost to Sinner in his Semi Finals too. the Final today will now  be between Alexander Zverev of Germany and of course Janik Sinner of Italy who is likely to win his first Wimbledon, in the absence of injured Carlos Alcaraz. 

While they played, I spent my afternoon on Booking and Airbnb admin and reaching out to all my guests this month and some of next to send them the information for check in, etc. One of them, a guy called Janus from Canada booked our house in El Cuetu a year ago. He is coming with his family specially to witness the total eclipse on 12th August. Wow. We shall be seeing that too as Montrondo is on the direct path although we might have to drive a few kilometres away as we are surrounded by high mountains. This week I bought the special eclipse glasses for  when we are there. If  there are no clouds when it happens at 20.30 we might be in for something amazing. I have never seen a total sun eclipse. Have you?

Thursday dawned and I did actually cook. I made some vichyssoise  soup for the second time this week. We love it in this weather and it makes a change from gazpacho every day. Eladio and I went out on a few errands and I had a coffee in the shade at Alverán at about 11 am when it was already too hot. 

More guests arrived that day. Grecia and Mariana from Mexico who will be staying here for 10 days and Raul and his friend who came for 3 nights. Also staying with us were an Italian man Guiseppe and his son Tomas. Thus, that night we had 7 guests in the house. Amazing. 

For want of anything else to do, I started on our packing for Montrondo. When we finally go, we shall be away for a long time, staying there until the 20th August and then we shall be going to Biarritz for a week after which we shall be back in Montrondo for a family wedding on 29th August in León.  Thus I have to pack for three events, our time in the village, a week in France and for the wedding. Our car will be very full when we leave.

It was a very sad day to wake up to on Friday and learn about the   tragic wild fire in Los Gallardos, Almeria, in Southern Spain that claimed 12 lives. The origin seemed to be a fallen electricity cable but that has been ruled out. Whatever the origin, the fire was terrible and is still ongoing. The extreme heat, the low humidity and high winds triggered what the weather people call the critical rule of 30 which creates an unstoppable fire. The geography with its ravines and steep slopes hasn't helped either. It is a sparsely populated area so firefighters had to go from house to house to tell people to stay put or follow them to safety. Not everyone did that and made their own way only to be faced with flames and no way out. Thus they died; 4 in a car who it seems were British as the steering wheel was on the right and 9 who went on foot in the wrong direction. Tragic. No doubt there will be political repercussions here when the blame game begins, but the truth is this was unpreventable in my opinion

Friday for me was quiet and the highlight was having coffee in the morning with my friend and neighbour Elena. We haven't seen each other for a long time but then she is always away, mostly on long cruises all round the world. Good for her. She has  auto immune diabetes as well as severe osteoporosis but still lives a very full life. It was good to go out and meet a friend. That doesn't happen often. 

The highlight for most people in Spain and in Belgium that day was the Quarter Final match held in Los Angeles. It was very respectful to watch a minutes silence before the game for those who died in the wild fire. Happily, Spain beat Belgium 2-1; the last goal once again coming from Arsenal player, Merino who had come on minutes before. He did a repeat performance of his match with Portugal. Thus Spain, like England, goes through to the Semi Finals. It is for the second time in its history. The last time was in 2010 when Spain won the World Cup. Now Spain meets France next week on 14th July, Bastille Day, of all days. Do they have a chance? The bookies think not but take into account Spain beat France in the last Euro Cup which they won and the Euro Nation League cup too, so they can do it if they have a good day. Imagine a Spain England final! I would be so divided.

I couldn't sleep that night and went down to the pool terrace for a midnight "fag". I sat with my legs in the water and on the spur of the moment took off my clothes and had a skinny dip which was marvellous. I think I only slept 4h that night and woke up on Saturday a wreck again. I am hoping I will be able to sleep better in Montrondo. Keeping my fingers crossed here.

Suzy spent the day with Oli yesterday which again gladdens my heart. They were at a friends' birthday party and sent me this lovely photo. It is good to see Suzy so well these days. Both girls will be joining us in Montrondo and it will be great to be all together.

Suzy and Oli together today. 

I wasn't feeling well but had to make an effort and get up and make lunch as the children were coming  while Oli was at the party and Miguel at work. Their babysitters dropped them off at 2pm sharp. Lunch was on the table in the dining room and the air conditioning was on and it was a good meal although I did miss Tana's help. And here they are after lunch drawing in the new exercise books I had bought them.

Juliet and Elliot peacefully drawing after lunch yesterday

Later we had a semi siesta - well, Juliet and Eladio slept - while I tried to and Elliot watched some rubbish on Netflix. Their father Miguel came to pick them up after his shift ended and I tried to get some slumber but it escaped me. I didn't feel well at all yesterday and thought I had cystitis. After a very cursory dinner, Eladio drove me to A&E at the Montrpríncipe Hospital in Pozuelo. They did a urine sample and I came out with a rather scary diagnosis for which they nearly admitted me. It wasn't cystitis but a kidney infection called pyelonephritis. Gosh I wondered how I got that. I was immediately prescribed a 10 day course of antibiotics which I started last night. AI interpreted the urine test results and my levels are pretty high. Untreated, this illness could be deathly but thankfully it was caught on time. The doctor said no way could I travel anywhere for the next few days. I was gutted we can't go to Montrondo today but I have to give my body time to recover.

So here I am on Sunday morning feeling sorry for myself but hopeful I will feel better soon when the antibiotics begin to do their job.

Thus I have to put up with this awful heat for a few more days 

Wish me a swift recovery please while I wish you all a good Sunday and week ahead.

Cheers for now, Masha 

Our special correspondent in Venezuela, home from Asturias, hot so hot in Madrid and most of Europe, reunited with Elliot and Juliet, Playa de Poó voted best beach in Spain, Olivia is home, Irene's 60th birthday party and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 5th July, 2026

Olivia reporting on the earthquake from Venezuela, perhaps her most important  assignment ever as a TV reporter. Just look at her face and the dust on her microphone. She was our special correspondent in Caracas. 

Good morning everyone. Well, what a week it has been for our daughter Olivia who was sent as a special correspondent last Saturday by TVE to report on the horrific twin earthquake in Venezuela. It was, for sure, her most important assignment ever as a TV journalist. We are extremely proud of the sterling job she did, never losing her nerve while surrounded by death and destruction. She told me yesterday  she was not traumatised. I am not sure that is true as she  admitted she burst into tears on Friday after reporting on people sleeping  in tents on the street when she saw babies and children the age of Juliet and Elliot lying on wet blankets. No doubt the experience will have been very tough and it will leave a mark on her. She will never forget Venezuela and the suffering she saw. It was also very tough for her physically as the day she left her voice was hoarse. The only way to recover was to rest but she didn't get the rest. I told her to buy a miracle spray my dear friend Mari Carmen, who is a pharmacist, recommended me. It helped but took some time to kick in. At one point on the flight out she lost her voice completely. I was worried she wouldn't be able to work but thank the Lord she recovered it partially and was able to do her job well despite the physical handicap. 

Her first day there was last Sunday, 4 days after the freak 7.2 and 7.9 magnitude main shocks in an area called La Guaira a relatively affluent seaside town north of Caracas.  She had time to explore the terrain and see the destruction caused by the earthquakes with her own eyes. The scenes are similar to those of Aleppo. That is the only way I can describe it. Today as I write, the official death toll is 2595  and the number of missing is between 30 and 50.000.  About 6400 have been rescued alive from the rubble but many have not.  59.000 or more buildings have been damaged or destroyed and one wonders when those who are now homeless - in their thousands, will get their lives back again. The country was already in  dire straits with 8 million Venezuelans reliant on humanitarian aid. For now the rescue operations continue and the seeking of bodies under so much rubble. Many of the buildings were multi story and it is difficult even with the right means to recover bodies or rescue people from under tons and tons of rubble. This is the first photo Oli sent and it says a lot. 

Oli on arrival on the ground where the earthquake hit the hardest in La Guaira

This one of a woman with her head against a wall says just as much.

A desperate woman in Venezuela

Services of all types are crippled - water, electricity, hospitals, morgues -  you name it; nothing works. Our neighbour in Santa Pola, Lucy, who is from Venezuela is devastated. She said she thought her country could not get worse but the earthquake proved her wrong. Meanwhile, Donald Trump, the de facto leader of Venezuela, said that apart from the earthquake, the Venezuelans were happy and were dancing on the street. He should see the photo above. Lucy added it will take years for her country to recover if it ever does I wonder. Poor people. They were already in dire straits and now this had to happen.

Meanwhile, last Sunday, Eladio and I were leaving quiet El Cuetu where we had been to get the house ready for the summer and had had such a lovely time. Here is Eladio loading the car.

About to leave quiet and cool El Cuetu in Asturias last Sunday

It was 20ºc there when we left and about 36ª when we got home.  I only wished we could turn back and stay in the north of Spain, the only cooler part of the country. Thank God for air conditioning. We stopped for coffee, petrol and lunch which we had at Asador Siboney in Arévalo (Segovia). Famous for its suckling lamb and pork we chose the former and it was divine. Lamb is my favourite meat.

Roast suckling lamb at Asador Siboney in Arévalo on our way home from Asturias

We got home in the early evening to a very hot Madrid. The garden, despite the irrigation, looked dry as did the flowers. It was good to see Suzy, Tana and little Pippa. 

We were able to sleep thanks to the air conditioning in our room. But that was not the case for many people trying to sleep in the rest of Europe and the USA which are undergoing perhaps their severest heatwaves ever. Spain and France are the hardest hit in Europe but  records have been broken everywhere with temperatures reaching 37 and 38  in the UK and Switzerland and 41 in Germany, Slovakia and The Czech Republic to mention just a few. Most of these countries are not prepared for extreme heat as we are in Spain and there have been 1300 or so heat related fatalities. I read of people fighting to get their hands on fans at Lidl in France. Most of these countries are going to have to start preparing for future heatwaves. I may be used to the heat here but I hate it. The mornings are bearable but I mostly stay in my air conditioned room where I am now, in the afternoons. I long to go to Montrondo to get away from the heat of Madrid but we cannot go yet, probably not till the middle of the month, damn it. At least there the nights are cool and luxury of luxuries, you can sleep under a duvet. 

Even so, I slept fitfully that night. I was up early, as usual on Monday morning. Thus I was able to watch Olivia report live on the ground from Venezuela. Because of the dust and stench she often had to wear a mask and even glasses and a helmet. She was reporting for the early morning news,  her own programme, La Hora de la 1, another programme  called Mañaneros as well as the 24h channel which meant she was on several times most mornings. Morning for her was the night as it is 6 hours behind in Caracas and she had to be live at 7 am in Spain. That meant she kept to Spanish hours and slept during the day, getting up to work at midnight. That is when she would have her morning coffee - small and black, not the luxury of a cappuccino which we take for granted here.

Olivia beginning work at midnight Venezuelan time and 6 am our time. 

And here she is about to go live one morning this week, ready with her camera. You can see it is dark - midnight for her and 7 am for us or about.

Olivia about to go live - just look at the rubble around her. 

Just look at the rubble behind her. It was a tower block like the one just about still standing behind it, before the quake. 

Everywhere the international journalists, like her, were shuttled to La Guaira or elsewhere by the Government and were made to wear pink bracelets for identification. They were very much in the hands of the authorities but often had to fend for themselves in difficult circumstances. Even though they stayed at the Melia hotel one of the best in the city, food was scarce or rather good food was scarce. Also on the ground were rescue teams from all over the world. She travelled with Spanish rescue teams and their dogs on her way out and back again. Here are just some pictures of her on TV. I took loads and filmed her too which she said wasn't necessary. But I am a proud mother aren't I?

Olivia reporting live from Venezuela, living the harrowing moment in history as a TV journalist. 

This is one I particularly like as you can see her in the thick of it, not thinking about herself but about the job she was doing. It says a lot too.

Oliva on the ground in Venezuela this week.

Ah, and here is just one of her reports which I filmed on TV and uploaded to my YouTube channel and which you can see here. I was bursting with pride as you can imagine but I was also worried about the aftershocks. However,  I had to get on with my day which started with a  third appointment with my psychologist. Is it helping? I can't really say. She asks questions and I answer and soon the hour is over. I suppose it is doing me good to get any worries off my chest.

We were reunited with Elliot and Juliet in the afternoon whom we hadn't seen since before we left for Asturias. Not really wanting to, but at the same time, trying to cheer us all up, I got Eladio to bathe and bathed myself too. It was our first time this summer and Miguel caught us on camera.

Reunited with Juliet and Elliot and we bathed in our pool for the first time thanks to them.

We then had a lovely dinner together which was a great end to the day.

On Tuesday I weighed myself to see I had put on 300 grammes in Asturias. It's not a lot but made me understand that the 5mg dose of Mounjaro wasn't working as well as last year. The food noise was still there and my appetites was less suppressed. Thus I decided to ask my GP for the 7.5 mg dose. It costs a lot at about 350 euros for one month's dose but I wanted to try it. The day had not started well. Then came the Inland Revenue people who deducted 10.000 euros from our bank account, damn them. Now Pedro Sánchez wants to slap on 21%VAT on Airbnb and Booking rental earnings. So damn him too. For you to get an idea, if a guests pays let's say 100 euros, Airbnb already takes about 15% of that and then another 15 or 20% goes to the Inland Revenue. Add another 21% and what is left for the host who already has other expenses to incur for running the rental; not much I am afraid.   Try explaining that to guests who already think they are paying too much. They don't realise where their money is going to.

I was cheered up watching Olivia live on TV, but not from what she was telling the audience, just seeing her do  her dream job; special correspondent in the world's biggest news this week. Good for her. I did the food shopping with Suzy that day who seems to be quite stable at the moment. We had coffee together at Alverán in the shade, of course. 

I came home to make lunch, a spaghetti and prawn concoction which we all love. In the early afternoon Amanda and I had our weekly Facetime call which is always good for both of us. After that I went to see my GP in the afternoon. I asked her for one month of the 7.5mg dose of Mounjaro and she gave me it for 4 months. I am not sure I need 4 months or whether I want to pay so much. We shall see at the end of this month. I had a quick dinner with Eladio and then went to pick up Suzy who was with Copi in Bonanza where she used to live. We only had one car this week as the T Cross is at the garage waiting for the part that Eladio scratched to be repainted. Thus I found myself reliving the past, picking up my daughter at Copi's, as we used to do so often when they were children. I used to know my way backwards but there has been so much new building I got a bit lost but finally made it. It was good to see the two friends together. 

I had a bad, bad night and got up on Wednesday morning at 5.15. I watched Oli until at least 9.30 and was so proud of her. That morning I went out with Suzy on several errands, including taking Pippa to the vet as she has a funny lump next to one of her ribs. Thankfully it turned out to be fat; so not dangerous. However, after looking at her teeth, Lola, the vet, recommended we get her teeth cleaned again. This entails a general anesthetic. So we went again on Friday for her pre-op and on Tuesday she will undergo the operation which should leave her with clean, white teeth and a nicer smelling mouth, hahaha.  While out, we also went to the El Corte Inglés to get a present for Irene, a dear friend who celebrated her 60th birthday last night with her family and friends. I consider her family too. I lived with her family in 1978 for one year when I was a student in Madrid. I gave her and her brother Gerardo English lessons in return for board and lodgings. The parents, Pili and Gerardo,  and their children, Gerardo, Irene, Julieta and Toti became my Spanish family and were a big presence at my wedding. At the time I was 21 and Gerardo and Irene were about 13 and 11.  Later in 1984 when I was pregnant with Suzy, Pili became pregnant too and Lucia was born just after Suzy. Sadly, Pili lost her sight shortly afterwards. I was so looking forward to seeing my Spanish family again last night but gutted when I was told Pili was on holiday in Galicia and I wouldn't see her. Here are some photos of Irene, myself, Toti and Juliet in the summer of 1978.

Irene aged 11 when I lived with her and her family for a year in 1978 in Madrid

The Gonzálezs, my Spanish family at our wedding. Irene second to the right was my bridesmaid with her sister Julieta. 

Suzy and I were home for lunch and in the afternoon I went to have my nails done. Leaving the house in the middle of the afternoon right now is like walking into an outdoor sauna, it is so hot. 

I had a better night that night and so did England who beat Congo 2-1 to move onto the Last 16 of the World Cup. Spain would play Austria on Friday and thankfully both are through now, for the moment. England will play Mexico, the host country and no walk in the park and Spain will play Portugal which will not be easy either. I would love to see England or Spain in the final; I really would.

On Thursday I was up early, of course, and enjoyed the cool of the early morning - a blessed 17ºc.  Eladio and I went out on a few errands. It was while enjoying a coffee at Starbucks I read that my favourite beach in Asturias where we had bathed so many times last week, Play de Poó had been voted best beach in Spain by Conde Nast Travel readers. I couldn't agree more. Readers voted for it because of its "amazing transformation into a wave free lagoon at high tide and because of its dramatic backdrop of the Peaks of Europe mountain range".  I have been singing its praises ever since we first visited in 2020 so I was happy to read this news. Just to refresh your memory, here is a photo I took last week of my favourite beach which no doubt  will be become even more popular after this accolade.

I was delighted to hear that my favourite beach, Playa de Poó, was voted best beach in Spain by Conde Nast Travel readers this week. 

I immediately shared the news with our new guests who are arriving today and staying for a fortnight. 

Miguel and the kids came again in the afternoon and I went in the pool again to join them for a short time as I never stay in for long. We had a good dinner together but all of us missed Olivia. They left on time for the Spain Austria match which Elliot told me Spain would win (hahaha). Well, he was right. 

Friday came and it turned out to be Oli's last day of reporting in Venezuela. She was coming home yesterday after being asked whether she wanted to stay or not. I think she did but admitted she was needed at home to look after the kids while Miguel works this week. Also, and very sadly, the news from Venezuela is no longer breaking news. It is always the same with natural disasters. When they happen, the press flock there but people get tired of the same news and broadcasters have to think of their audiences. Sad but true, I am afraid. 

That morning I took my first dose of 7.5mg (Mounjaro) and waited the whole day to feel any side effects. I did get a big headache and my tummy felt a bit off. My appetite was still there though but not as strong. Suzy and I took Pippa to the vet for her pre op and I came home to rest as I had had a terrible night's sleep. Our guest Clemente from France but who works and lives in Switzerland left that morning after two weeks with us. He had finished his master in physiotherapy. Two French ladies came that morning, a mother and a daughter to see her accommodation for next year. Then in the afternoon a very strange guest came. I think he is a computer nerd and has hardly left his room since he got here which is weird.

I spent the afternoon quietly writing this blog post but also messaging with Oli. She rang me from the airport in Valencia (Caracas airport closed) and told me they had to fly via the Dominican Republic to refuel; another repercussion of the quakes. She had a long journey ahead of her and I only hoped she would be able to sleep.

She arrived on Saturday morning at around 9.30 am Spanish time and we would see her for lunch. Despite the guests and Tana not being here, I just wanted to have her near and be all together again. 

Saturday was 4th July, Independence Day in the USA and this year is the 250th anniversary, not that I care too much. I was not interested either in the much announced wedding of singer Tyler Swift. 

Eladio and I went out to get more provisions for lunch and came back to lay the table. We were all together at about 1.30 but I must have been too busy to take any photos. I managed to make  a decent lunch with the help of Suzy - thank you darling and I have to say the kids ate quite well. Later they left for Centro Oeste to take the kids to somewhere cool and probably drive the mini cars they have there. Thus we retired to our air conditioned quarters to rest.

Last night we went to Irene's 60th birthday party.  It was so hot when we left; about 39ºc. Suzy took a picture of us just before we left.

Ready to go out to the party last night

The birthday party was at the family home in Colmenarejo, not far from where they had a country house in Galapagar where I often went with them so many years ago. It's about a 45 minute drive and we got there in good time. The party was in full swing and Tomas, Irene's husband, was sweating away at the barbecue making delicious food of which I hardly ate thanks to Mounjaro. It was good to be reunited with the 5 siblings and I had to have a photo. It's not a great one but will suffice.

Me last night with the 5 González Gálvez siblings, from left to right and from oldest to youngest: Gerardo, Irene, (me), Julieta, Toti and Lucía. 

It was a splendid party with lots of food and drink and even though we don't know many people, we managed fine. We left at around 11 pm, which is way past our bedtime and left quietly while a musician was playing music. It is always awkward to leave a party without saying goodbye but I didn't want to interrupt the performance.  It was unusual for us to go out on a Saturday night but we had fun. 

Today is Sunday and I have guests leaving and arriving. Thankfully, Tana is back. I doubt we will be doing anything interesting today which will be another scorcher. 

I shall leave you now to get on with the day. Wishing you all the best, cheers

Masha

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