AI turning wedding photos into film star posters, a quiet and sunny week on our own with Suzy in Montrondo, Oli and family staying in El Cuetu and exploring Asturias, Juliet turns 5 and other stories of the week

Home again, Madrid, 6th September, 2026

Juliet turned 5 on Friday 4th September. Here celebrating in El Cuetu. 

Hi again everyone. 

It's all over. We are now into September and yet it feels like yesterday when we came to Montrondo on 14th July.  We are back for the second time from Montrondo where we went to the family wedding and stayed on to enjoy the peace, the quiet, nature and good weather with Suzy.  Olivia and family are returning from El Cuetu today and for them it's back to work and to school tomorrow. Actually, it is not really over for Eladio and I, as tomorrow we are flying to the UK for a week for my dear friend, Amanda's 70th. So, again I have something to look forward to. And there will be more to come, I don't doubt it.

Last Sunday the wedding was over too but oh how we enjoyed it. It was a tremendous family gathering full of joy and lots of fun. We spoke about it endlessly afterwards and we will remember it always. A bit too late for last week's blog, Oli sent me the photo I most wanted to see; the one of the 4 of us. I would have loved to include Miguel and the kids but they were running all over the place. 

The four of us at the wedding in León on 29th August

We haven't stopped talking about it and this week, inspired by my son-in-law who created a film poster using AI, I decided to do the same with some of the wedding photos. They are absolutely great. I sent them to the bride who agreed the wedding had been like a film. These are just some of them. Amazing what AI can do.

AI turning some of the wedding photos into film posters. Well, as the bride said, her wedding was like a film. Amazing what AI can do. 

While they were on their way to El Cuetu, our house in Asturias, we had a quiet day in Montrondo. We enjoyed our stay there but missed the family who had all left by then. First things first, I injected my weekly shot of Mounjaro and I am pleased to tell you I am down to 59.9 from 66.2kg. I have lost 6.3 kilos which is just under a stone and I am now below 9 and a half stone. Whoopee. I don't need to lose anymore weight but shall continue until the end of September at least, as I know I will be eating more than usual while in  the UK.

Suzy and I went to have a coffee in Senra as we did nearly everyday. On our way back we saw Lourdes who told us Mass which is every other Sunday in Montrondo, was being celebrated that day at 12.30. So we joined her and other villagers. I do love the church in the village. Afterwards we headed to the bar which was quite full even though lots of people have left. We came home to make lunch and found Eladio having hoovered all the floors and cleaned all the windows.Good for him! 

My siesta was interrupted by Oli's arrival in El Cuetu. Andrea, the cleaning lady had not left them some vital supplies such as loo roll and later had to drive there to give them the key to the attic which is where we store everything. They found a broken window and it has taken me a week to get my local handyman, Héctor, to fix it. What couldn't be fixed was the new television we gave Oli and Miguel to take to the house after the previous one had been fused by a blackout in the village. They later realised the new one had a broken screen which must have happened during the journey. Oh dear. Thankfully they got another one this week and it is now fixed on the wall and working.  I could have done without that crisis; one of the reasons we are selling the house although we are in no hurry and still hope to enjoy it ourselves this month and next while the weather is still good. They have had a grand time there with good weather and have made the best of their stay. I am so happy for them. The biggest advantage of the house we bought in 2020 is its location as you are spoiled for choice of where to go, what to see and do and wonderful places for meals. Asturias is a true paradise. 

Later I sat outside under the shade of the apple trees and enjoyed my book. Meanwhile, immigrants were arriving in dinghies at the beach in Santa Pola of all places. 

Oli and family went to a very unique beach after they had settled in. Called Gulpiyuri, it is said to be the smallest beach in Spain. I think it is also the only inland beach. However, to swim in it the tide must be in, otherwise there is no water to swim in. I remember swimming there with Eladio and we had it to ourselves. Look.

Eladio swimming in the Gulpiyuri beach in 2020 when we had it to ourselves.

And here are some photos Oli sent me at that very unique beach.

Oli and family at the Gulpiyuri beach last Sunday

In the early evening Eladio and I went on our walk to Murias.

On our walk to Murias on Sunday evening

I finally remembered to take the 2 apples I had bought to feed the donkey and the pony I so love. Well, we found them both lying on their backs and enjoying the sun. They wouldn't get up so we had to throw the apples at them. Even then they refused to get up. We watched for a while and then left them, assuming they would enjoy them later. They are obviously well fed. 

For entertainment that night, we watched an excellent Spanish film called La Buena Letra. It is set just after the Civil War and is a wonderful period drama which I think got a Goya cinema prize.

On Monday I was up at 7.22 after a good 6h sleep.  It was Eladio's sister, Pili's birthday. Much to the delight of Elliot, she turned "six seven" (67) that meme that became so popular this year. She celebrated it at home in León of course.

That morning the three of us drove to Villablino to do the shopping for the week. Meanwhile, Oli and family had lunch out and later bathed at another favourite beach of ours, perhaps the nearest to El Cuetu. It's called Playa de Barro and has featured in many Spanish films. If anyone was filming that day, they would have loved to see Juliet buried in sand, or almost. This photo is typical Juliet. Take a look. What a character she is becoming and a beautiful girl she is too. 

Playa de Barro, Llanes, Asturias

They weren't the only ones having lunch out that day. I had booked a table at El Campillo in Sosas de Laciana, not far from Villablino where we went after our shopping. It's the best restaurant in the area and after being closed for a couple of years, I am glad it has opened again. Here is a photo of Eladio and Suzy at our table and another one of the lovely view from inside the restaurant.

Lunch at El Campillo in Sosas de Laciana on Monday

It was great to share all this with my friend Amanda in our Facetime call that afternoon, just a week before flying to see her. She had lovingly made a programme for the whole week for us and I know we will have a whale of a time. 

She would have loved to join us on our walk that day. We went on a longer and different one. We call it "El camino valle" (the valley path) which takes you up above the river and overlooking Murias. Here are some photos of that wonderful walk where we encountered a large herd of cows. Suzy was a bit worried but not me, nor Eladio. After all, he used to be a shepherd boy in his youth in Montrondo. 

On our lovely and longer walk on Monday evening via "El camino valle".

That day my smart watch told me I had done over 12.000 steps!

Tuesday came and it was another sunny day and I had slept 6 hours again. It was also the beginning of a new month, 1st September. Again we went to Senra for coffee. We did so while my enormous shoulder of lamb was roasting slowly in the oven. I took advice from AI and roasted it slowly on both sides for 45 minutes at 1601c each time and then gave it a final blast of 20 minutes at 220ºc. I swear that this method would make any meat tender. We had it with divine roast potatoes cooked the same way. There was enough left over for lunch another day. 

Oli and family were in Pendueles that day; a place I want to discover too. They also found somewhere good for lunch. I gave them a sheet of information of things to do in the area and Miguel did his homework and added places we now want to go to also.

Oli and family in Pendueles on Tuesday

The rest of our day panned out similarly to all the other days we spent here after the wedding. We had a siesta,  I read outside, we went for a walk but that day neither of us had any dinner as the lamb had completely filled us up.

Wednesday 2nd September, was the Day of Ceuta, that Spanish enclave in North Africa which has never belonged to Morocco but which they claim and they invaded at the end of July. Still today there over 10.000 illegal immigrants which the authorities are processing too slowly. That day there were demonstrations in nearly every city in Spain in support of Cueta and what its inhabitants are having to put up with. It is scandalous. The Spanish government has consistently said that Morocco did not provoke the invasion. However, a report by the Spanish border police submitted to a Spanish judge, tells another story. From their investigations, talks to immigrants, photos and videos it is very clear that the Moroccan police guided the immigrants to Ceuta in an act of provocation. There is no denying that however much Pedro Sánchez says the opposite. But then he would as he is afraid of the information the Moroccan government have of him; over 3 years of his Whatsapp text messages. Meanwhile, chaos continues to rein in the Spanish city.

Far away in Montrondo, we went for our morning coffee and further away in Asturias, Oli and family were enjoying another beach, "Playa de la Franca", one I particularly like. Here is a photo my daughter sent me of them that day.

Miguel, Elliot and Juliet at Playa de la Franca on Wednesday

We had "cocido madrileño" for lunch that day. It is a dish made with chickpeas, meat and veg and is a favourite in our family. It takes all morning to make so while it was cooking, I went to see Lourdes. I had ordered some of her home made biscuits I had tried at Dolores' house.  I had one in the afternoon with my decaf tea and it was divine.

The day ended with another walk, not much dinner and watching the news which is so depressing. 

Thursday dawned and again I had slept well. I had told my friend Amanda that Montrondo is good for the soul, but also for the body and the mind. It is so therapeutic if you you are not looking for an exciting life. 

I did some ironing but no cooking as we had lots of leftovers. Again we went to the grumpy man's bar for our morning coffee.On our way home we stopped at the bakery in Murias to get some delicious fairy cakes they make there. 

Meanwhile, Oli and family were in Panes (Asturias) going kayaking on the River Deva which would take them to Unquera in Santander. I know they will have enjoyed themselves enormously and what luck they had with the weather. Here is a picture Oli sent to remember that day.

Oli and family about to go kayaking on the River Deva on Thursday

It was around that time I got a call from an estate agency about the house in El Cuetu. The estate agent thought his client was very interested in buying it. We shall see. I promised myself if it gets sold this autumn. we shall go as often as we can before it is no longer ours. Will we regret it? In a way yes, of course.

Meanwhile, new guests were arriving at our apartment in Santa Pola where I want to go too this month if we have time. The house in Madrid was full of guests too and I would have loved to meet my guest Eliana who lives in Sarajevo but it was not to be. 

We had the rest of the roast lamb for lunch, followed by an hour's siesta after watching the news and I spent the rest of the afternoon reading in the shade in the back garden. What a joy.

Later we went for our walk while Suzy went jogging. As we approached Montrondo on our way back, I had to have a photo with a cow in a field which I dubbed the lonely cow. 

On our walk on Thursday evening

For once I was hungry for dinner and we had some of my cream of vegetable soup and the cecina (cured beef) from lunch at El Campillo. 

I did not sleep that well that night and was up at 7.15 on Friday  morning, our last full day here. It was Juliet's 5th birthday and Oli sent me pictures of her having a cake for breakfast, surrounded by balloons. We rang her to wish her a happy birthday and I hope we can celebrate it together when we are back from the UK. She is such a unique little person, full of energy and charisma and a lot of personality. You saw that in the photo of her in the sand. I must show you another one of her. It was at the wedding last week where she had an absolute blast. 

Just Juliet. 

We had a video call to wish her a happy birthday and her first question was "where is Pippa?", bless her. Later they went to my favourite beach, Playa de Poó and I got another photo to share with you here.

Oli and Miguel at Playa de Poó on Friday

Pili was coming from León to spend time with us before we leave and of course we invited her to lunch. I didn't have much food left but made a decent meal with what I could.

Eladio spent time giving our en suite bathroom a deep clean. Later Suzy and I went for our morning coffee to Senra and enjoyed our time together there while waiting for Pili to arrive from León. It was good to see her again and, as I told her at the wedding, Montrondo is not the same without her. It isn't. She is the heart and soul of Eladio's family. She was soon with us bringing joy as always. Once home I made lunch: grilled mushrooms, fresh asparagus, chickpea stew, followed by delicious melon. 

Of course it was siesta time after that but I couldn't sleep so went out into the garden to read. I was soon joined by Pili and then her sister Adela who arrived from León that afternoon. Soon we were all having coffee and biscuits outside and I had to have a last photo of one of our joyful moments in Montrondo, the last of many this summer.

Coffee with Eladio's sisters Pili and Adela on our last day in Montrondo

We had a good natter, mostly to comment on the wedding which we still talk about and will do for a long time.

The day progressed and it was soon time for our last walk to Murias for this time. Suzy went jogging and Eladio and I went at our own pace. Later I had quality time with Pili before I went in to start packing for our return.

And suddenly it was Saturday, the day of departure. I had had such a good and relaxing time this summer in Montrondo, I didn't want to leave but had to.  There is so much to do before leaving the house which we did between the three of us. By 11.30 or so, we were ready and there were Adela and Pili to see us off. We stopped at La Magdalena for churros and coffee which filled our stomachs long enough for a late lunch when we got home at just before 4pm. There were Tana and Pippa to greet us, the latter very enthusiastically. It was much hotter in Madrid than in Montrondo; always at least 10ºc more. I heard later that day was the hottest September dat on record. Thankfully, Tana had switched on the air conditioning in our room.We had a quick lunch and then retired to our rooms. It took me a while to unpack everything we had brought home but finally I had some rest time and actually slept a little bit. 

Later I met our new or not so new guests as they are all repeats: José (of José Pan fame), Elena who is Slovenian but lives in the Dominican Republic and her son Mark who is a student at the local Uni and who will be staying with us until the end of December. I didn't meet Fernando from Almeria. 

Our day ended watching the news - US Emissaries were in Moscow with Putin to discuss peace plans and the UN has come up with a new map of the world making Africa look its real larger size and Greenland its real smaller size. I will have to replace the old world map from the wall in our kitchen I suppose. After the news we continued watching a great Norwegian series set in WW2 about British and Norwegian troops trying to blow up a heavy water factory which was supplying the Germans in their quest to create the atom bomb. Called "The heavy water war" and also "The Saboteurs",  I was reminded of my father in Norway during the war where he learned to do cross country skiing and wondering if he wore the same sort of outfit. No doubt he would have lived through this most crucial moment in Norway's history. I went to sleep thinking my life, at the moment, is good.

Today is Sunday and one day before we go to the UK for Amanda's birthday. I will have to pack for cooler weather and rain, no doubt, but I am not complaining. I have got lots of things to do before we go, so I must sign off now and get this published.

Cheers then till next week. I wish you all a great day,

Masha

c

A lazy week at home, Facebook to pay 18 billion dollars in child social media addiction lawsuit, back to Montrondo, King of Norway dies, a family wedding in León and other stories of the week.

Montrondo, Sunday 30th August, 2026

Parents, aunts and uncles with the bride and groom yesterday at the wedding.

Good morning from Montrondo again. 

We left on 20th August after over a month here with the family and came back this week a few days before our goddaughter Alicia's wedding which was yesterday in León. 

Before I get to that, let me rewind to last Sunday and tell you about this week which has been quite a lazy one.  The heatwave in Madrid was finally over and we resumed our morning walks that day. The two of us and Pippa thoroughly enjoyed it. Later I spent time lazing by the pool and reading. It was sheer luxury to have it to myself. Eladio took a picture. This is it.

Lazing by the pool last Sunday

I lazed in the afternoon during which I slept a 2 hour long siesta I desperately needed.

On Monday two French girl guests  left after a great wedding in Madrid. That day I finally met our current guest, José who is from Colombia. He has quite a story if you look up the name of his company; a string of bakeries called "José Pan". He was a policeman in his home country and came to Spain in the 90's to escape the violence there. With very humble beginnings he is now a rather rich businessman. 

Monday too was Independence Day in the Ukraine. Many European leaders visited Kyiv, including the new Labour PM, Andy Burnham. It seems unbelievable that the war with Russia has lasted so long; since 22nd February 2022 and that neither side has won. I am on firmly on the side of Ukraine and just wish Putin would end this senseless war.

I went to the hairdresser in the morning for a much needed dye and cut. Tana was off for a well deserved couple of days rest so I made our lunch. Amanda was travelling this week so there was no Monday afternoon FaceTime call that day which I missed a lot. 

I slept badly that night and couldn't  fall asleep until past 2 pm. I missed Oli on the TV on Tuesday morning but she later sent me photos. She looked spectacular this week dressed up for her news desk reporting job.

Olivia looking good in the outfits she was given to wear for her job this week

While she was working, I was having a lazy week but I am happy to say she is now on holiday and this morning after the wedding they are driving to the house in Asturias. It is only the second time they have been there and it will be all very new for the kids. I rather wish we were with them but don't want to invade their space.

Wednesday saw Suzy and I doing the weekly shop which I hadn't done since before our long stay in Montrondo. It was good to have my daughter's help. It was good too, to have a coffee together at Alverán. I also went to the bank to withdraw money for the wedding. These days the bride and groom only want money and even include their bank account number on the invitation. The cost is to cover the food and help towards the honeymoon. In Spain the minimum you are expected to pay is 200 euros per person. Some people don't accept invitations because they can't afford it. It is not a practice I adhere to but you can't get out of it in this country.

We came home to unpack the food and put it away. Suzy made a wonderful gazpacho with water melon and I made the filling for perushkis (little Russian pies) Tana batch baked in the afternoon. 

I packed in the afternoon for Montrondo as we were leaving on Thursday and I made sure I took lots of warm clothes. It just wasn't going to be the same lovely weather as before. As I packed, I reflected on how many "necessities" we have when we travel, even if it is for only one night. That includes my pillow, pills, potions, lotions, decaf tea, God knows what else, food of course and then most importantly all our technology: 2 PCs with their chargers, headphones, our charging stations, my kindle and my iPad. Just that fills a suitcase I bought specially for this purpose. Suzy took lots too so she must have her own necessities, one of which is "mate", the famous Argentinian tea like drink. She and Tana both drink it religiously every day. I tasted it once and far prefer proper tea. Well, I am originally British aren't I? 

Oli and family arrived for dinner which was a splendid affair. The table was groaning with home made gazpacho, perushki, roast chicken and fresh fruit. We had dinner outside which is unthinkable of here in Montrondo although the weather should get better today and I still have hopes of some sunny walks to Murias.

We watched the news after they left. In Nepal and Tibet there were terrible flash floods caused by a glacier that had melted in the Himalayas. Over 500 have died and many more are missing. 596 foreigners from 33 countries are included in those missing. What a dreadful holiday for them. The images are pretty frightening. The stupidest piece of news I heard this week was that Trump wants to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America. He really is on a mission to obliterate his neighbour Canada. 

The main news here is the ongoing invasion of Ceuta where at least 10.000 illegal immigrants, mainly from Morocco but from Sub-Saharan Africa too, remain. A month ago some 80.000 crossed over into Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa which has a population of a similar number. Most of them returned but those remaining have to be processed, including about 1000 minors which the Spanish government is happy to welcome free into the country. They are living on the beaches and are being fed by the Red Cross. God knows where they go to the bathroom. They are not all peaceful souls hoping for a better life.  Many are convicts and known criminals and the local population is terrified. There have been 13 accounts of rape and quite a lot of violence. I ask myself why this Government has not dealt with the issue swiftly. The press say the PM, Sánchez is to blame as he flew to Ceuta, promised help which never came and then quickly went on holiday to the Canary Islands where he was guarded by nearly 100 armed police officers. The press also blame the Moroccan government who they accuse of causing the avalanche of their countrymen as political leverage against the Spanish government. The story gets uglier. Apparently the Moroccan Government has tapes of Sanchez' mobile phone the latter would prefer not to be published. Who knows? What I do know is that this cannot go on for much longer. 

Thursday came and I was up early. Before leaving I was able to watch Olivia on TV. She was reporting on the Meta (owner of FB, Instagram and Whatsapp) settlement with US states of 18 billion dollars. Meta was rightly accused of adding and including features that cause social media addiction to children and young people and mental health issues. Meta pays this money to the government but also faces hundreds of private lawsuits. That probably won't hurt Mark Zuckerberg too much. What will hurt more probably are the changes his company will have to make to his platforms to make them less addictive. I would love to see the end of infinite scrolling but I don't know how they will implement that. They have also promised to limit the use of their platforms to 2 hours a day and include a night time black out for under 18's. Best of all they have to hide the "Like" counts which are so addictive.  It sounds good. Will it happen? I hope so. One article I read likened this lawsuit to the tobacco companies years ago. Hopefully, things will get stricter and stricter. It is hoped too that the other major social media platforms such as YouTube and Tik Tok will follow suit.

When we were ready, we left for Montrondo in our lovely new car. It was sad to leave Pippa behind but she couldn't go to the wedding and we didn't want to leave here here for a whole day. Tana remained to hold the fort and look after both the house and the guests.

Suzy and Eladio drove and we only stopped once for a coffee. It was pouring with rain when we arrived and freezing cold and the village seemed deserted. But it wasn't entirely. Pili, Eladio's sister was still here although she left later. We had coffee here with her and Toño and Dolores who are leaving today after two and a half months here. Later Pili and I went to get eggs from Manolo and then were joined by Dolores to buy Christmas lottery tickets at the bar. By evening we were alone in our house warmed by central heating. How different to the weather in Madrid. It was too wet for a walk so we stayed in. Eladio had Manolo's eggs for dinner of course. I had my usual: some fruit, a coconut yoghurt and a medjoul date.

We watched the news again about Ceuta mostly and went to bed early. I slept 5.5h and was up at 6,30 am on Friday morning.  At 7.50 I was watching Oli's programme; all about Ceuta too. She came on later and for me gave the most important news of the day. King Harald V of Norway, aged 89, died at 6.35 am that morning, 5 minutes after I woke up. He died peacefully of a rare blood infection surrounded by his family. I will always be grateful to him for sending my father a birthday card when he turned 100. This is it.

The birthday card to my father from the King of Norway who died this week

If you follow this blog or have read my father's book, you will know that he was involved in the Liberation of Norway at the end of WW2. For this he was awarded the Freedom Medal from King Harald's grandfather, King Haakon VII for his outstanding contribution to the Liberation of Norway. King Harald was the most popular member of the current Norwegian Royal Family but I wonder how popular his heir, King Haakon VIII will be. His wife, now the Queen Consort, Mette-Marit is known for her links with Epstein and her son, Marius from her previous marriage is a convicted sex criminal. Hardly a good start. I imagine both his great grandfather and my own father would have been appalled. 

It was cold and raining here and at mid morning I went to have coffee with Toño and Dolores our wonderful companions here who have now sadly left. Eladio joined us but didn't drink any coffee as he doesn't like it. He put on his wooden clogs, called "madreñas" because of the rain. They are worn in Asturias, León and Cantabria and were largely used by country folk and farmers not to get their shoes or boots dirty and to keep their feet warm and dry. You wear them over slippers and they have three "legs" so that you walk above mud, water or snow. But my they are difficult to wear if you haven't been brought up on them. Here is a photo of my husband wearing traditional "madreñas".

Eladio wearing his wooden clogs over his slippers so as to keep his feet warm and dry in the rain.

I made soup for lunch thanks to Dolores who gave me some locally sourced courgettes and potatoes to which I added one of her onions and some carrots. It was delicious. The second course was chicken Waldorf Salad which we all love.

I had a bit of a siesta and then invited my brother and sister-in-law for tea and coffee (and some delicious biscuits). Later the rain stopped and we were able to go on our walk to Murias. It was glorious and I was happy to see my donkey, pony and horses but again forgot to take them apples, blast.

I came home to a task I wasn't looking forward to. I had to iron Eladio's suit and shirt for the wedding. He hadn't worn it since he left it in France about 3 years ago. That was a very difficult job I somehow managed to do.

Saturday came, the day of the wedding and Suzy, Eladio and I dressed up in our finest. We took some photos which I am happy to share here.

All ready for the wedding

The wedding to be held at El Caserío in León, was starting at 12.45 so we set off well in time as it takes about an hour and a quarter to reach León. Once there we picked up Toño and Dolores from their daughter, Sara's flat and drove to the venue on the outskirts of the city. Many other members of the family were arriving too. You may know Eladio is the oldest of 6 siblings and it was his youngest brother, Isidro who is 17 years younger, whose youngest daughter, Alicia, aged 34, who was getting married that day. The sun shone for Alicia and Luisme, now her husband. She is a nurse and he is a doctor and we later heard they fell in love in the hospital theatre where they work. Oli and Miguel and the kids had driven from Madrid and got there well on time. 

The first part was a ceremony of the marriage of the bride and groom, although they had been wed the day before in a Registry Office. Here we are watching the ceremony.

Watching the ceremony

The kids got bored as it lasted over an hour and soon escaped to run around and get a better look. And here are the bride and groom when it was over.

The bride and groom

As they walked out, they were feted by the Tuna group. That is a traditional University group of minstrels who play and sing popular music. They wear traditional clothing and are well known in Spain. Luisme is the Director of this group which featured rather heavily throughout the wedding.

The bride and groom being feted by the Tuna minstrel group

From there we were all ushered through to a patio where we were to partake of the cocktail part of the wedding which went on for at least 2 hours. Here are some pics taken during that part.

Some of my pics taken during the cocktail party. Here with Toño and Dolores

We were then called to have our pictures taken with the bride and groom. I have chosen the one of the older generation with the bride and groom as this week's feature photo. And here is one of the younger generation, mostly the cousins and their offspring.

The bride and groom with all the cousins

The cocktail party went on for hours and we were well fed. But we still had to have a formal sit down lunch which didn't start until 4.30 pm and it went on till nearly 8 pm. By then I was not hungry.

We sat on Table 2 with all of Eladio's brothers and sisters and their spouses as well as Alicia's maternal grandparents. The cousins were all together on one big table and happily for their parents, the kids sat on a table just for them. Later they were entertained by two monitors and had a grand time. Everyone had a grand time and it was a very happy wedding. My last photos have to be of Juliet and Elliot with the big bag of sweets and sundry they were given. The size was a bit over the top but they were delighted, hahaha.

The kids had a grand time at the wedding

We left before the dancing began as well as the drinking as we had a long way to go home and we were tired. It was sad to say goodbye to Oli and the kids.Juliet commented: "you always go away" with a sad look on her face. But it had been a happy wedding and a lovely celebration on a beautiful sunny day at a marvellous venue.  I wish the bride and groom every happiness and thank them from these pages for a splendid wedding and for bringing all the family together. 

Suzy drove us home and we were here at about 9.30. All we wanted to do was take all our finery off. I especially wanted to remove my heels, makeup and take off my jewelry. Thank God I don't have to dress up everyday. But for Alicia's wedding it was a pleasure.

I slept marvellously last night and woke up this morning at 7.45 after 7 hours of sleep. The wedding obviously did me good. 

Today is Sunday and the sun is shining. Our only plans this morning are to enjoy Montrondo, go and have a coffee to Senra, make lunch, have a siesta and go on a walk. Montrondo is a very resting place and good for the soul.

Now I shall leave you to get on with the day. Cheers till next week and I hope you have a wonderful day,

Masha

Last week in our beloved house in Montrondo, finally got our car back, cancelled our trip to Biarritz, home again, our 43rd wedding anniversary, big family barbecue and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday 23rd August 2026

Visiting "La Moncloa", the new village landmark. 

Good morning everyone. 

We are home which was not in our plans. From Montrondo we were going to drive to Biarritz, the place we had chosen to celebrate this year's wedding anniversary. I had been looking forward to it so much but had to cancel when the weather forecast changed completely for the worse. Biarritz in the rain is not much fun. I did look for alternatives but didn't find any. Instead, I am devising a plan for a mini road trip at the end of September or maybe October. The idea is to visit Gibraltar, Tarifa and cross over the sea to Tangiers in Morocco. Let's see if it happens.

A week ago today was our last Sunday in Montrondo where we had been for over a month; the longest we have ever stayed. I enjoyed every minute. Honestly it was a lovely slow paced and quiet holiday with good walks, good company, good food and good weather in general. We managed too to escape the heat of the rest of most of Spain. We had such a good time I think we will go for at least as long next year or more. 

That day we went for our walk to Murias in the morning as we knew it would rain in the afternoon. I came home to make boeuf stroganof and made far too much. It is made with fillet steak and is my favourite Russian dish. I also made too much soup for Eladio's dinners and we ended up chucking it out. I should add I hate wasting food. 

It did rain in the afternoon but soon the sun came back and out came a rainbow. 

"I can see a rainbow"

We went out too and found some of Eladio's family picking plums and we joined in. From there we walked to the end of the village to a place known as "La Moncloa". It is named after the Spanish Presidential palace for fun I suppose and was designed as a  place to rest, meet and maybe debate. It is a relatively new village landmark built in 2013 with the help of Javi, a very smart local carpenter. We took some pictures. I chose one for this week's blog post and here is another one of Eladio.

Visiting La Moncloa last Sunday

I was not hungry for dinner and had my usual; a piece of fruit, a yoghurt and a medjoul date. That's all I need while I am on the pen (Monjauro). 

We tried to watch TV but the signal was pretty bad that night. Just before we went to bed, my sister-in-law, very kindly brought us a bag of locally sourced vegetables including a lettuce, runner beans and courgettes. Thank you Dolores.

Monday came and I got on the scales. I was delighted to be down to 60.5 kilos. I weighed 66.2 on 15th May and have lost just under 6 kilos. For you Brits and Americans that is 12.5 lbs, nearly a stone. I have reached my target weight and now have to maintain it. While I am on Monjauro that is well and good. Let's see what happens afterwards. You know what? If I do put on weight  I shall just go on the pen again. No more stupid diets for me. A dietitian friend of Suzy's asked me if I had any side effects. I don't. On the contrary, my blood pressure and cholesterol are at excellent levels and I feel good.  It is wonderful to fit into what were once tight trousers or dresses. The battle of the bulge has been the bane of my existence but not anymore.

As if to celebrate I made a cake.  It wasn't for me but for Eladio's sister, Adela whose birthday it was the next day. I wanted to surprise her so made that most British of cakes, Victoria Sponge. I put jam and whipped cream in the middle and cover the top with proper icing. But that I would do the next day. I used AI for the recipe and both layers turned out divine with no caving in the middle. 

I wasn't celebrating the fact we had no news from Volkswagen about our new T-Roc which had been a whole week in the garage in León. We had to ring every day to find out what was happening and when we would get it back and things were not looking good. I do not recommend Volkswagen Customer Care, especially not in August when everything is practically closed in Spain. 

I ran out of eggs making the cake so walked to the farmer Manolo's house at the end of the village in the hope he had some. He had just one dozen, fine for me. There is a huge difference between eating supermarket and locally produced eggs, the latter being far superior. 

I had more washing of towels and sheets to do and finally the top floor was ready for the next visitors. As I inspected the rooms I took photos to share here for you to see the top floor bedrooms and bathrooms which I still love. We built the house or rather finished it in 2015 and it still looks brand new. We really love it and it is the first and last brand new house that we have inhabited. Here are some of them including the kids' bedroom which was my study before but now has bunk beds.

The top floor bedrooms and bathrooms in our house in Montrondo

Monday's highlight, as always, was my weekly FaceTime video call with Amanda. It's only a few weeks until we set off for Devon where we will be celebrating her 70th birthday. I am really looking forward to that. Apart from seeing my friend, I always love going to Blighty!

It was on Tuesday that I cancelled our trip to Biarritz because of the weather. I had been checking the weather there every day since we arrived in Montrondo. It looked like it would rain heavily for most of our stay from 20th to 27th August and as I said at the beginning, Biarritz is no fun in the rain. I rather regret the decision now as as the week came to a close, the forecast got better. Oh well, Biarritz will have to wait for another time.

I finished making Adela's cake and went to see Lourdes from the village, famed for her baking, to ask for a candle and something to decorate the cake with. She had both a  candle and some coloured sprinklers, just the thing. This was what the cake looked like.

The birthday cake I made for Adela, Eladio's sister, the elder of the two.

It was just before lunch that we finally heard from Volkswagen. The car was ready and mended. They provided a taxi for us to pick it up in León on Wednesday. Finally, after 12 days we would have our car back.

We all gathered at Adela and Primo's house in the afternoon to celebrate her 77th birthday. She did not expect the present from Dolores, Toño, Eladio and I; a bottle of Eua de Rochas, nor did she expect the cake. I was so glad it made her happy. Here she is blowing out Lourdes' candle. It had to be a question mark as we couldn't find two 7s.

Adela blowing out the candle of her birthday cake

We had a grand afternoon and after a thick slice of Victoria sponge cake, I was not hungry for dinner. That evening we went on our last but one walk to Murias. I was glad to see my equestrian friends again but never got the chance to give them the apples I had bought especially for them.

Sadly, Wednesday was our last day in Montrondo. I was up early as usual and was glad to receive a photo from Olivia of her about to go live and report from the news desk. I haven't mentioned it but I watched her every morning.

Olivia ready to go live on TVE one morning this week

The taxi to drive us to León arrived on time. It's about 1.15h to the city but this driver went a long way round and took at least 15 minutes longer. It didn't matter. What did matter was that we were about to get our new car back. So what was wrong with it? It apparently had a software glitch with the brake pads. Thankfully it was a glitch only. It was great to drive it again. While in León, I wanted to see if I could buy a dress for this week's wedding. On Saturday, Alicia, our niece and Goddaughter is getting married to Luismi in León and we shall all be together again. I had worried all summer about what to wear. I had decided on a white embroidered tunic top from Zara to be worn with black trousers, lent to me by Pili. But I knew I would be the ugly duckling again at a wedding. We went to El Corté Inglés but I found nothing. I wanted a dress with sleeves and to go just below the knees, thus hiding my legs and arms. So, of course I found nothing. It was once I was home I came across an outfit I think will do. It's a simple black dress with a transparent long blouse like garment with coloured flowers. I last wore it on my 35th wedding anniversary which we shared with Phil and Kathy when we went to La Finca near Santa Pola. I dug out the photo to show to Pili, my fashion stylist and she approved. This is the outfit.

The outfit I shall probably be wearing for Alicia's wedding next Saturday

It was late by then and we had nothing planned for lunch so bought ready made food at El Corte Inglés to eat in Montrondo. And there was Pili waiting for us with more food and locally picked greengages, bless her. I went with her to pick more in the afternoon and we ended up in the bar having a drink with lots of other women. It was a good end to the day and to our stay.

We went on our last walk with Toño and Dolores. We watched the TV afterwards and I was very happy to hear of a promising vaccine for patients with Melanoma, that terrible skin cancer my brother died of. Also this week we heard that Harry and Meghan will be returning to the UK. Well, good luck to them. I don't really care. 

 That night I went to bed with mixed feelings. I would miss our house in Montrondo and our peaceful life there and didn't really want to go home.

Thursday did come, the day of our return and I was reminded, as always, by a phrase taught to me by my father; "all good things come to an end". How true.

After saying our goodbyes, we set off at about 10.30 with a heavy heart I should add. We only stopped once for a coffee and were home on time for lunch. We were greeted sweetly by Pippa first, always her first, then by Suzy. It was great to see them both. It was much hotter in Madrid but not sweltering. I had to put the air con in our room. What a difference from Montrondo where we slept with the heating on, pyjamas and a duvet.

It took forever to unpack and I spent the rest of the afternoon/evening, lounging in our room and not doing much. I missed our evening walk as it is too hot to go for walks here. But it was good to be home and to sleep in our more usual bed. For dinner we treated ourselves to scrambled eggs I got from Manolo and we all agreed they are superior to anything bought. 

Friday was our 43rd wedding anniversary and we were to celebrate it at home rather than in Biarritz which was a bit sad really. Eladio and I went shopping and of course I had a coffee at Alverán. We talked about our wedding and all these years together. I wonder if we will make it to our 50th wedding anniversary when we will both be rather gaga. So we agreed to celebrate together as often as possible. Thus the possible upcoming road trip to Morocco. Watch this space.

Oli and the kids joined us for lunch and stayed until late in the afternoon. It was good to see them and the kids behaved quite well. We had a late siesta when they went and at about 7ish I had a shower and got changed and made up to go out for our anniversary dinner. I am afraid there is no anniversary picture this year of the two of us  as the light at La Roca restaurant in Pozuelo was not flattering. Eladio took one of me where I look like my mother when she was old. I don't like it but it's what it is.

Photo of me at our anniversary dinner on Friday night. I don't particularly like it. 

I have to say the dinner was very good. I had delicious itsy bitsy things and Eladio went for lubina, a sort of sea bass. We dame home feeling good and not too full. I didn't sleep well that night and was up early as usual on Saturday morning. 

Yesterday Oli was coming with the kids and three of the girls' friends for a barbecue - Elena, Chati and Juli.  We hadn't bought enough burgers so Suzy and I went to get more. We also went for a coffee together at Manacor. She is looking good and I hope she is enjoying her new job. She was promised 10 days training which didn't happen and she says she is doing her best although it is very stressful. I wish her all the best in her new job.

Tana was back on Saturday and without her the lunch would not have been the same. I got everything out and Suzy laid the table. Eladio grilled the burgers and sausages and Tana did the rest. Just before we dug in, we had some photos taken. Here is the best one out of about 10. In the rest Elliot is making silly faces:-)

Yesterday's barbecue

We were exhausted afterwards and retired to our room while the young ones spent the afternoon by the pool. 

Today is Sunday and we have no plans but that is a good thing isn't it?  It's quite fresh at the moment so when I publish this post, maybe we will go for a walk. We certainly need one.

That's it from me for this week. I didn't have much to recount but hoped you enjoyed the read. Cheers till next week,

Masha.

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