Girly time in Santa Pola, Villajoyosa revisited, a glorious morning on the beach, picnic by the pool, home again, swimming time with Elliot and Juliet, José Antonio and Dolores for lunch, Trump bombs Iranian nuclear sites and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 21st June 2025.

On our last day in Santa Pola

Dear friends and readers. I can't believe it's Sunday and my lovely girly time in Santa Pola with Adele and Sandra is over. What a wonderful time we had. Girlfriends are so good for me and I already miss my friends. 

Last Sunday we still had 4 days left together and made the most of it. It was like being back at University when the world was ours for the taking, except that now we are more mature and a bit better off, haha. I have very few close girlfriends, Amanda, Kathy, Sandra and Adele and I still miss my dearest Spanish friend Fátima. So this last week meant the world to. It was wonderful not to have to worry about putting food on the table at home at strict meal times and having very few responsibilities. We could do what we wanted and when we wanted. It was freedom to feel like a young girl again and oh how we laughed and had such a good time. It was a time for healing one's soul and spirit. Every day we decided together what to do and last Sunday we went to Villajoyosa, one of the prettiest towns on the Costa Blanca. I knew it well in the 70's when my parents had a house in the mountains in Callosa as the bus stopped there always. It was nothing special in those days, just a fishing village with rocky beaches. Today it has changed and the once rocky beach in the centre is now made of sand. I had visited it once with Eladio a few years ago and noticed the change for the better. Its biggest attraction are the coloured houses facing the beach. They were painted different colours so that fishermen returning home could spot theirs. Villajoysa which means "joyous town" lies in between Alicante and Benidorm and is now quite upmarket since it was spruced up and is a desired place to have a house by the sea. Let me show you a few photos of our visit there last week.

Pretty Villajoyosa

It was a hotter day than usual with a lot of haze which never went away during our stay and which apparently came all the way from Canada because of the wild fires there. It was a shame really as I have never experienced such cloudy and hazy weather in this region. Being hot, we chose somewhere in the main square for our morning coffee. I changed my choice for once and ordered an "horchata"- a delicious local cold drink made from tiger nuts which has  a very acquired taste. We first tasted it in Callosa all those years ago and I have loved it ever since. Here I took a beautiful photo of beautiful Adele who seems to have grown even more beautiful over the years with her thick curly red hair.

My beautiful Adele

We then wandered the streets to see the coloured houses up close and loved them. Here we took more photos like these:

Revisiting Villajoyosa last Sunday

We then walked along the coastal path towards another little beach; a pebbled one this time and it was so hot I nearly had a heat stroke. I needed water desperately and a rest from walking round in such heat. In any case it was time to go home as we were having lunch at the apartment. We stopped at good old Lidl to get some provisions and were sitting down to lunch by about 2.15.

We rested in the afternoon until about 6 when we drove down the beach, determined to get a good walk in. It was hazy and quite full but we still enjoyed it. As usual we walked to "my rock" and back. Once home and after our much needed showers, we ate just fruit and yoghurt for dinner. Then came more games of "sevens" and for once, I won three times in a row hahahah. We went to bed late and I tossed and turned and woke up with the same headache I went to bed with.

Monday came and we agreed to visit Alicante, the beautiful capital town of the area which claims to be the sunniest city in Europe.  We didn't go to see the beach or the beautiful Explanade. No, we were on a shopping mission and headed for the main commercial area. We parked at the Corte Inglés, Spain's flagship department store which is always bliss in the heat because it is air conditioned. Frankly we shopped till we dropped. I had to get a new toaster as ours went bust, then it was clothes shopping. I desperately needed a decent bathing costume which had to cover parts it should cover on a lady my age. My dear friends chose them for me and I am so glad  I have new ones. These are them.

My lovely new bathing costumes chosen by my dear friends

I will chuck away all my old ones now. Then we hit Zara (of course) where I got a whole load of mainly white t-shirts. We also got lovely lovely clothes from Zara Kids for our grandchildren. Lunch that day was at Bar Guillermo, recommended to us by a local on the beach. We got there by taxi which was not easy and on the way couldn't find a taxi and had to walk back, thus  and totting up more than 10000 steps that day. Bar Guillermo's potato salad was to die for but not much else. I nearly died from the noise it was so loud. We had made a wrong choice and I just wanted to get out. Once back in our car and exhausted we drove home to the quiet and cool of our apartment where we chilled out for the rest of the day and night. We played cards - sevens again and this time I won hands down.  We also went down memory lane with Sandra getting out photos of our time at Nottingham University. In the end we all agreed that we looked much better now we are older. Strange right? But true. 

While we were having a girly day shopping, playing cards, reminiscing, etc. on the world scene, Israel was bombarding Teheran' nuclear sites  and Iran was bombing Israel.  Israel who started the war wants to thwart Iranian military power - especially their possible nuclear bomb - but wow, the war with Gaza has now escalated and who knows what will happen. Many think this is a way to topple the Iranian government. Is that what is going to happen. Meanwhile at the G7, Trump walked out to,  supposedly, to monitor what is happening in the Middle East. It's a fine and dangerous mess. He has now told the people of Teheran to evacuate and it was touch and go this week as to whether the  US could  join the war which may not be popular at home after all his MAGA propaganda.

On a nicer note, Monday 16th was Olivia's 2nd wedding anniversary. What a quiet, small and wonderful wedding that was. When I congratulated her, I enclosed a lovely photo of the two of us; a Mother and daughter moment on her big day. This is it.

On Olivia's wedding day two years ago this week

Congratulations darling. That day and on Thursday I think Oli had her final exams for her B1 course in French at the local School of languages. She has worked hard on it and of course passed. That meant both Suzy and Eladio had to babysit while she was taking her exams. I got to see some lovely pictures of them with Juliet and Elliot which I want to reproduce here for memory's sake. One day Juliet and Elliot will read this blog and we shall only be memories by then I suppose.

Suzy and Eladio picking the kids up from school and Eladio in the watet with them this week. 

Eladio hardly ever goes in the pool so this week was something of an occasion hahaha.

Tuesday came, our last full day but one together and we decided not to make any plans. We could either go on a trip somewhere, spend the morning on the beach or laze by the pool. The choice was ours. We decided what to do while having breakfast. Here are my dear friends breaking their fast in our lovely, sunny apartment. I had to have that photo.

Sandra and Adele having breakfast at the flat on Tuesday morning

 Beach it was to be followed by the pool and oh what a glorious morning we had. By then, the sun was out fully and all the horrible haze had gone. Sandra and I were wearing the same blue and white beach dress we bought at the local market when we were last here and we just had to have a photo entitled twins!

Sandra and I in the same outfits (even our sandals) ready to to the beach

There were very few people on the beach so it was easy to find a spot for the car by the walkway we always go down (number 4) and here are my friends posing for me on the walkway by the dunes; a lovely place.

Walking down to the beach

As soon as we had chosen our spot, in we went into the calm water where we enjoyed a swim in the sunshine. Don't worry we lathered ourselves with factor 50. Here are Adele and Sandra coming out.

Sandra and Adele on the beach on Tuesday

We met the young man from Senegal selling more beach cloths like the one I bought as a bed spreader. I wanted 2 more for the other rooms and he had just the colours I wanted. My girls also got one each. He sells them as beach cloths to lie down on but they are great for covering beds or sofas. Here is my man with his wares; a very nice chap. I dread to think how he arrived in Spain; probably on a makeshift boat. I admire people like him.

Our Senegalese man with his wares

I was wearing my new red bathing costume. I finally had a decent costume and felt good in it. We walked to the end of the beach, to my rock and dear Sandra took some  photos which she liked. I'm not too sure. I do look old:-(

In my new red bathing costume on "my rock" at the beach on Tuesday morning

The treat after the walk was another bathe and then coffee at the"chirringuito" (beach bar) next to us; a splendid place to have mid morning coffee.

We stayed until about 1pm and then made our way to the swimming pool which belongs to our apartments. It's a beautiful spot and we had it mostly to our own. Here are a couple of photos to remember the moment.

Pool time on Tuesday after the beach

By 2 we were hungry and went up to make lunch. My friends made tuna salad while I showered and washed my hair and oh my how I had caught the sun, despite the factor 50 sun screen I put on.

We spent the rest of the day lazing in the apartment. I had some work to do but mostly read on the terrace until it was time for our favourite card game; Sevens. I love it because it is so relaxing. I think on Tuesday I was the most relaxed I have been in a very long time. This break has done me so much good.

We were in bed early and I was up even earlier on Wednesday morning - at 05.30 damn! We had a long and pleasurable day ahead of us. At 10 am we had an appointment at a local salon to have our nails done. That's such a girly thing isn't it? It was run by a Chinese man who did Adele's nails. Mine were done by a young South American boy and Sandra's by a buxom black lady. I have to say they were very good as were the prices. Mine cost only 8 euros!

We then wandered round the main street looking at more clothes shops. I took the opportunity to call in on our electrician who had done the rewiring here. I needed a certificate from them to give to our electricity supplier to increase the voltage here.Well he wasn't there and I was told they would send it to me during the day. I didn't hear anything more until very late in the day.Bottom line was I had to get out cash to pay him before I got the certificate. Blimey I thought.He came the next day for his money. They did a good job but were very slow.

With the electrician out of my mind, I joined my girlies and bought myself a pretty white dress and some pink and white striped shorts for Oli, We had coffee by the port and for lack of a photo of the three of us for this blog, I got the waitress to take photos. Waiters never take good photos do they? I chose one for this week's feature photo and here is one I took of my dearest friends on their last day with me.

Coffee at the port on our last day together

From there we drove to Mercadona to get some last provisions, mainly Spanish ibérico ham for my friends to take back and stuff for sandwiches as we had decided to have a picnic lunch by the pool. What a very good idea that was too. We loved it.Here is a photo to remember the moment.

Sandwiches for lunch on our last day - picnic by the pool

We were there for a good three hours in complete peace and I wondered why I had never had a picnic there before. At around 5.30 we came up to shower, pack and play our last games of 

Sevens with a new pack of cards I got that morning. I am throwing away the sticky, old ones. By about 7 we were out, all dressed up for a walk and dinner. I took my friends to my happy place walk at the end of the old coastal road from our place to Santa Pola. I parked the car at the end and we walked on the Promenade called Vice Admiral Blanco García. We took more photos there and thoroughly enjoyed the views of the sea and the Island of Tabarca. 

On our walk along the promenade on our last night together

We also loved looking at all the beach front houses. Unfortunately  Pacorro, the bar at the end of the promenade was closed. Thus we walked back and I booked a table at Atipico, the place we loved and went to last week.They were waiting for us with open arms.

Last dinner together - again at Atipico

It was a great end to our stay together.Later we convened on the terrace and chatted about rather existential things until it was time for bed.

Thursday came, the day of our departure and I was up again at 5.30. We were all packed and first I had to take Sandra to the airport as her flight was at 08.30. Adele's wasn't till 1 pm. On my way back I had to get the tires pumped at the garage and get out another 1000 euros for Sandro, the electrician who was coming to get his money before he left. Only then would he give us the coveted electricity certificate enabling us to increase the capacity in the flat. He was a blessing in a way as he and his nephew mended the mosquito net on one of the windows and helped us bring down all our luggage. I left dear Adele at the airport and was off by 10. I wasn't looking forward to the long drive home with so many lorries to overtake on the various motorways. I stopped a few times and was finally home by just after 3pm. There waiting for me were Suzy, Eladio, Pips and Tana. There were 3 Colombian guests but I only met Daniela. It was great to be home but oh so hot at over 34ºc so thank God for air con. I gave out my presents to Suzy and Eladio. She got some short pyjamas from Women's Secret and a note book from Ale Hope (love that shop). Eladio got some new summer espadrilles. It took me over an hour to unpack and settle in but I couldn't sleep.

Oli and the kids joined us at around 5.15 and I gave them their pressies. Elliot got swimming trunks from Zara and a drawing pad from Ale Hop - he is so good at drawing. Juliet got a pretty matching top and shorts and there were pink and cream striped shorts for Oli. I must add the talking parrot from Ale Hop hahahaha; how I love those things.

Soon we were in the pool, the only place to be in that weather. I went in for once and wore my new red bathing costume. My darling husband kept taking photos of me in it and said it was very sexy. It isn't or maybe it is but I'm not hahaha. But bless him. Oli had brought back a giant floating Unicorn for the pool from Copi's hen party which added to the fun. Here are some pics to remember Thursday afternoon with our grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet soon to be 4 and 6.

Fun swimming time with the family on Thursday after I got back from Santa Pola

Would you believe that Adele also arrived home to 34ºc in Brittany in Northern France? 

Oli and family stayed for dinner and it was a makeshift meal, part of it being my sandwiches for the journey which I never ate and which went down well.

Damn it by the way as I left my Kindle in SP. Thank you Olivia for lending me yours. Without it I cannot fall asleep at night. It's the best way for me.

I slept so so with the air con nearly all the night and was up around 6.30 I think. Friday was busy. I went shopping with Eladio to fill our cupboards which had emptied in my absence. While out we also had our usual coffee at Manacor. Suzy did not join us for lunch that day as she had to go to her weekly group therapy session. She was very down when I got back from SP but since then has perked up just a little bit. Once again we were joined by Oli and the kids for a swim in the afternoon after which they joined us for a scrumptious dinner.  Oh boy I slept really badly that night and got just under 4.5h sleep which had me feeling like a zombie on Saturday. 

Saturday was the highlight of the week; José Antonio and Dolores were coming for lunch and Suzy and I went out bikini shopping in the morning. Before I left I made sure lunch was in order with Tana's help. I prepared home made salmorejo for our first course. The second course was roast chicken thighs with roast red peppers and Tana's wonderful rice. Dessert was figs with thick black cherries.

Suzy and I went to Centro Oeste to buy her two bikinis. She found one at Etam and a beautiful red one at Calzadonia. She looked stunning in both. From there we went to my health centre to get a prescription and then to have a coffee at Alverán, like old times. We had a bit of a tête a tête and Suzy told me she wants to take up her career in Nutrition and Dietetics again - thankfully she will not be doing the course to become a massage therapist. Her idea is to do a Masters in Nutritional Coaching. That would be just great. Later she thanked me for a wonderful day. It was wonderful also thanks to Oli who took her for lunch to a veggie restaurant while Miguel took the kids to his mother's place for lunch.

While Tana and I were finishing preparing lunch, Eladio went to fetch his brother and sister-in-law at the local metro station. They arrived by 1, an hour before lunch, which we spent by the pool. Of note I was the only one to go in the water. It was so hot yesterday I could have spent the whole day in the pool. Lunch was magnificent; a bit too much for me. I think that the Mounjaro drug I am taking is not really reducing my appetite as much as at the beginning. I ate and felt rather full.Later I had hardly any dinner to compensate.

We spent the whole afternoon by the pool and were joined later by Suzy dressed in her new red bikini. She spent quite a lot of time with us which is a good sign she is retreating from her hermit like existence.  We all had one of the many ice creams I had bought for Juliet and Elliot which I think everyone appreciated. Here are the two brothers enjoying theirs haha.

Ice cream time in the heat. Two brothers enjoying theirs while Pippa looks on.

Yesterday, of course, was the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year and the beginning of summer. That meant it got dark at around 10.30 pm - wow. Toño and Dolores left around 8.30 after which we had a very scanty dinner before retiring to our quarters to watch the news and fall asleep.

Today Sunday, I woke up the terrifying news that Trump had bombarded three or 4 Iranian nuclear plants. This came as a terrible and very worrying surprise. He had said he would take a decision whether to intervene on the side of Israel who was the first to attack Iranian nuclear plants.  But he went and did it in secret and surprised the world. Iran will be furious. I hate to think of the repercussions. I wonder too what Trump's voters will think as he promised peace and MAGA. He hasn't kept his promise. Of course, Netanyahu is delighted to have him as an ally to destroy the Iranian capability to build nuclear weapons. 

On a brighter note, Carlos Alcaraz, the amazing Spanish tennis player from Murcia, is through to the finals at Queens, the precursor to Wimbledon. He won the latter in both 2023 and 2024. Can he do it again and make a hat trick? With the permission of Djokovic and Sinner and if he is on good form, no doubt he can. We will see.

I shall leave you now to get on with the day, most of which I shall spend in the pool to cool off as today promises to be yet another scorcher with the temperature rising to 35ºc, just one degree  less than yesterday. 

Next week our dear friends Amanda and Andy will be coming to stay and we shall be taking them north to both Montrondo and our other house in Asturias, to get away from the heat and for them to see the real Spain. We are going to have so much fun which you will read about in next Sunday's blog post.

Meanwhile I wish you all the best for this week. Happy Sunday everyone, cheers

Masha

To Santa Pola with Suzy and Eladio, Carlos Alcaraz Prince of clay at Roland Garros, alone in the apartment, Elliot graduates from infant school, Air India crash, Spanish government corruption scandal, time out with Sandra and Adele and other stories of the week.

 Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, Sunday 15th June, 2025

The three of us together in Santa Pola

Good morning everyone. How are you all? I'm in fine fettle her in Santa Pola with my dear University friends, Sandra and Adele.

I came here last Sunday in two cars with Suzy and Eladio who were staying until they arrived on Thusday. 

 While we were driving down through sunny Spain, two young men were preparing for the final of the most gruelling of the grands slams at Roland Garros in Paris. Roland Garros is a French aviation hero after which the tennis stadium was named. Its slogan is "Victory is for the most tenacious" quoted by the hero but actually first used by Napoleon. Victory is for the most tenacious is what that final match turned out to be about between the world number 1, the Italian Jannik Sinner and the world number 2, Spain's Carlos Alcaraz. The match was the longest in the history of the tournament; just under 5 and a half hours. The Italian led at the beginning by two sets and I, for one, never thought "Carlitos" had it in him to make an historic comeback. But he did, once he overcame Sinner's 3 match points. I think the most surprised player was the latter who although he has won 3 grand slams, had never met Carlitos in a grand slam final nor played a match longer than 4 hours. Many people say that Alcaraz is Nadal's successor. Nadal won 14 times at Roland Garros and holds 22 grand slam titles and is considered the King of Clay.  They both won their first Roland Garros at the same age (22). This is now Alcaraz's second French Open (plus a US Open and Wimbledon in 2023 and 2024) and for now he is the Prince of Clay. For the moment his career seems to be on the same path as his compatriot. But there the comparison ends. Carlos Alcaraz loves tennis and wants to be the best player ever but in his own way and always tries to point out that even though Nadal is his idol, he is his own man. That comes through very strongly in the Netflix documentary about him. Carlos insists he needs to party as well as work whereas the big three, Federer, Djokovic and Nadal, sacrificed their youths for tennis. So far, his plan seems to work and on Sunday he showed the world that "victory is for the most tenacious" because his tenacity and mental strength are what helped him win, as well as the public I should add. I have to confess that even though both Eladio and I were on tenterhooks during that very long match, I was unable to watch it because it made me just too tense. I remember having the same feeling watching Bjorn Bjorg and John McEnroe play Wimbledon finals. Perhaps it is more intense when watching Carlos because he is Spanish and this is my adopted country. It was the same when I watched Nadal play Federer or Djokovic, I just couldn't watch but was delighted when he won afterwards. Carlos is a boy who still lives with his family and of all the photos I saw after his second win, the one with his parents and two brothers is my favourite. BTW I also love the one of him with the ball boys and girls. How sweet of him to remember them.

Carlos with his brothers and parents celebrating his victory last Sunday

I cannot begin to imagine their pride or how they must have suffered during the match. Of course Sinner and his family will have suffered just as much but never touched the glory because after all, no one ever remembers who was number 2 and there is only ever one winner in the Men's singles in tennis. That is sad because he played brilliantly. I know, though, that he will savour the taste of success in many more Grand Slams and no doubt he will, on occasion, beat the Spaniard. If you are reading this and are not into tennis; I am sorry if I have bored you. For me watching important Grand Slams is a bit of a passion which was instilled in me as a child in England when the whole country stopped while Wimbledon was being played. 

I did not instill this in our daughters as Wimbledon was never televised in Spain - not even when Spaniards were playing in the final (boohoo), so Suzy was a bit astonished when she saw us so stressed about the match and so happy when the Spaniard won. She was in her own little world but I think it was good that she came with us to get a bit of sun on the beach.

Last Sunday was all about tennis so let me move on to Monday. In the morning I enjoyed all the news clippings of Alcaraz's win in Paris but I soon had to turn my attention to more mundane matters. We had come a few days before my friends arrived with one mission, to check that everything was ok in the flat after we had had it rewired. We turned up at the electrician's "Sandro" in Santa Pola because we had not been able to get through to them on the phone which was very frustrating. To cut a long story short, we needed them to come back to the flat to put more sockets in, the details of which I won't bore you with.

After talking to the electricians and making sure they would come the next day, we went to have a coffee at my favourite cafe in town, Choco & Latte, in the main square. It's one of my happy places and here is a photo of my handsome husband with little Pippa while were enjoying our time there.

Eladio and Pippa  - coffee time in Santa Pola on Monday

We then had to do some food shopping which included a quick visit to Quicksave, the British supermarket across the road from the apartment. Out of interest, there I got some Yorkshire tea, some polos and bars of Imperial leather soap which I adore. 

In the afternoon or rather early evening, while Suzy was down at the pool, we went for a long walk to the Santa Pola lighthouse which takes at least an hour there and back.  Before leaving I got Eladio to take a photo of me in the gardens belonging to the complex. I fell in love with those gardens when we    bought the apartment as long ago as 1999. Here I am with Pippa, of course. 

Setting off on our walk on Monday afternoon

The cliff by the lighthouse  is another of my happy places and that day we were greeted with a spectacle of people paragliding. It's beautiful to watch and the nearest thing there is to flying for humans, as my husband pointed out, but I could never do it because I don't like heights. Here are some photos to remember that day and that walk.

Photos from our walk to the lighthouse - amazing. 

On Tuesday the electricians came at around 09.30. They took all morning so we had to stay in the flat, apart from a quick coffee across the road with Suzy. But they did a good job and that was what we had come for. 

So we were only really free in the afternoon to go the beach. We got there at nearly 7 pm but enjoyed a swim and a bracing walk to the end where, as always, we sat on "our rock" and contemplated our surroundings. I came home to have a shower, wash my hair and enjoy a glass of fresh white wine with Suzy on the terrace. We had a tête à tête which is always good for both of us. 

Wednesday came, the day of their departure. They left at around 10 am and I felt strange in the apartment by myself. It was the first time ever since we bought the flat. But I had to plenty to do to fill my time and spent the whole morning on practical errands. However, it did feel strange to be doing them on my own and not with Eladio. I even had coffee on my own which was served by a very nice man from Persia he said. His coffee was good; not so his country - his words, not mine. 

I had company at lunchtime though when Gina, the lady who cleans the flat came. I had put on 3 washing loads to ease her work but I did feel a bit uncomfortable eating my left over "spag bol" on the terrace while she cleaned. She does a good job, far better than I could ever do, for sure.

I spent the afternoon reading on my Kindle and writing this blog. I ate a little something while watching the news which was pretty dire this week - Greta Thunberg having to return from Israel after trying to take aid to Palestine, crack down on anti Trump protests in LA- and the awful Austrian school shooting. In Santa Pola I felt very far away from the worlds' crises and was looking forward to my friends arriving the next day.

On Thursday I was up early as usual but was out much earlier than usual. I had to pick up Sandra from the airport off her flight from Brussels arriving at 8.30 in the morning. We would later go back to pick up Adele in the afternoon who was arriving from Nantes. Luckily the airport is a short drive from here. She was well on time and soon we were in our apartment. She was soon unpacking and handing me tantalising Belgian chocolates. 

While we were beginning our day, my 5 year old grandson, Elliot, was graduating from infant school. He was even wearing a gown and mortar board. It's funny how kids graduate with ceremonies these days at different stages of their school lives. In my day, we only graduated from University. I know, though, that it was  a very proud day for him and his parents. Here is just 1 of the photos Oli sent to us. Isn't he gorgeous?

Elliot graduated from infant school

Next term he will start at junior school and will begin homework which I'm sure he will take very seriously as he is quite competitive.

While Sandra and I were having a cup of tea on the terrace we heard about a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner that crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabab on its way to Gatwick in London. On board were 242 people people  when the plane crashed into a medical student residency.  1 man amazingly survived. He has a huge tale to tell. More people died on the ground and they are still looking for bodies. It was horrific and while I watched a video taken by a bystander, I could not help but remember the crash my father's family died in on landing at Rijeka airport in May 1971. 

But the big news in Spain was the unfolding of a big corruption scandal in the government that many had suspected but it was audios revealed by the Police unit investigating the case that proved beyond a doubt what happened. 3 men; an aide, Koldo, a former Minister of Transport, Abalos and Spain's number three in the cabinet, Santos Cerdán, had been taking kickbacks in exchange for awarding public contracts for a sum up to over 600.000 euros. Abalos is already been investigated as will Cerdán who stepped down yesterday. Koldos was the middle man who, cleverly I suppose, had taped all their conversations detailing the amounts of money they shared between themselves. The PM, Pedro Sánchez who had denied the allegations so far had no option now but to face the music. He did so in a press conference where he apologised profusely. He is in a shaky position and knows it. Part of his cabinet have been taking side kicks, his wife is being investigated for corruption and influence peddling and his brother is accused of using the PM's influence to get a public sector job and collecting a salary without going to work. Any of these corruption cases should be enough to bring the government down but it's not going to happen. Sanchez did not win the last elections and is propped up by a coalition government made up of separatist and communist parties. For every move he makes, he needs their approval which comes at a cost. It is said in this country that he doesn't rule, but Puigdemont, the Catalan separatist, does with his 7 votes which is a very sad state of affairs. So,  I wonder, if what happened this week will be enough to provoke his downfall? I don't think so which is absolutely unacceptable. 

Life continued, of course, in Santa Pola and at around 11.30 Sandra and I drove there to have a coffee, look at the boutiques and have lunch by the port at La Sal. Here is the only photo I have of that day; a selfie of us by the port.

Sandra and I by the port of Santa Pola the morning she arrived

We duly had our coffee at my happy place; Choco & Latte where we sat for ages catching up. We then hit the shops my friends had loved last they were here in October 2023. I was the only one in luck when I found some lovely blue and white cotton long trousers and some summer shoes for Eladio.

Lunch at La Sal was enjoyable. We ate our favourite things, little green grilled peppers, prawns in garlic oil and mini scallops. Dessert - thick black cherries, was at home. I also had one of the amazing chocolates.

Adele's flight was delayed by just under an hour and at around 6 we set off the airport to pick her up. It was a lovely reunion and we came back to the flat for her to unpack and for us to have our first drink of wine; actually Prosecco. Both my friends came baring gifts. Adele gave us a beautiful Indian scarf and Sandra little cotton shoulder bags which are so in fashion. Mine is yellow and I love it.

My yellow cotton shoulder bag

It was then that my Doctor, Elena, rang me with the blood test results  I did last week after a few months of Mounjaro, especially to see if my cholesterol had gone down. And it had, so hurray for Mounjaro my friends, even if it does take the joy out of eating, hahahaha. 

We didn't spend long on the terrace after dinner that night as we were all exhausted, especially Sandra who had got up at 3.30 to catch her flight from Brussels. I went to bed early and started rewatching a film we saw recently and that I loved. Called "El Maestro que prometió el mar" - the Teacher who promised the sea (to his pupils), it's the unknown story of Antonio Benaiges, a forward looking teacher who enamours all his pupils but enfuriates the authorities with his modern methods. This takes place in 1935 or 36 just before the Civil War. He was tortured brutally in front of his pupils and people in the village and later killed. Still today his body has not been found. It may sound gruesome but his story has to be known. It's on Netflix and I highly recommend it. 

Friday came, another warm but hazy day and it was ours for the taking.  After breakfast and the news - a bit dire again as Israel has invaded Iranian nuclear installations and who knows what the retaliation will be - we went down to the beach. 

It has been hazy all week and is apparently due to forest fires in Canada. We  took  three chairs and as soon as were down, I was the first into the water which was divine; neither cold nor warm. What a lovely time of year to be here. We walked to the end to "our rock" where, of course we took photos like this one.

"Our rock"

Once back to our space on the pretty empty beach we had coffee at the beach bar which was a joy in itself. Before it got too hot we made our way home to the pool where there were hardly any people. I was keen to shower after being in the sea to get rid of all the sand before entering our pristine apartment. We all had a shower and then drove to Lidl for wine and more provisions. Lunch was a small affair after which we retired to our lovely terrace. The terrace gets the sun in the morning and the shade in the afternoon which is a blessing in the hot weather. There we played a card game called Sevens - similar to Pontoon and Adele beat us hands down.

Friday evening was time for my weekly Mounjaro injection which my friends watched with awe and a little trepidation as they don't like needles but honestly the needle is tiny. 

We had booked a table at a restaurant across the road called Atipico which people rave about and I have never managed to go to. We loved it with a capital L I can tell you. Before going in some Italian tourists took our photos, one of which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Here is another.

Ready to go out for dinner on Friday night to Atipico

We loved the place, especially the food, sort of fusion come Asian. These were the duck nems. Just look.

And below the tacos which we ordered twice

Duck nems and the taco at Atipico

Normally when I am on Mounjaro I have a very small appetite, especially for dinner, but this food was so unique and tasty I ate much more than my stomach would have permitted. We loved the place too which was absolutely full and does not surprise me. We shall be going back on our last night.

We waddled home, all full and tired and my friends carried on with the wine which I didn't take a sip of for fear of a headache. But I couldn't resist some of Sandra's divine Belgian chocolates. As we got ready for bed we kept telling each other about funny memories we had of our time at University and were in hysterics. Some of it is not for writing about here I am afraid as none of us were Goody two shoes so our memories will be kept to ourselves hahaha - I will admit to one though; Cadbury creme egg eating competitions for one. Hahahahahaha.

I slept so so that night and was up at 5 when I took another sleeping tablet and woke again at 7.15. Again today, Saturday is for the taking and we haven't planned it yet apart from Sandy's birthday dinner tonight at La Masía de Chenchu. 

In the morning we went down to the beach again and enjoyed both a bathe and a walk. Then I bought a large beach cloth type thing which I wanted for our bed and loved. This is the moment after buying it and then a photo of it on our bed. I want to get more for the other bedrooms. 

Fun buying a bed cover from an immigrant from Senegal on the beach yesterday

What it looks like on our bed

We came home to shower and then went out again to Santa Pola at around 1.30 - the wrong time of day to be out in the sun in Spain. We had a tiny lunch at Choco & Latte and then wandered round the shops, most of which were closed. Again I got more shoes and so did my friends at the boutique where I got the pretty long trousers. I then took my friends to the very attractive shop, Ale Hop at the end of the port and the walk was  hot. They loved Ale Hop and we all came out armed with gifts for our grandchildren and nieces. Here's a photo to prove it.

My friends loved Ale Hop

We came home at around 5 and spent the time resting and playing cards until it was time to go out again. I had booked a table at La Masía de Chencho, a place we love, to celebrate Sandra's birthday which was on 10th June. 

La Masía de Chencho

It was a fabulous dinner although my friends thought service was too fast. I wasn't complaining as I like that. Otherwise I lose my appetite in between dishes. The food was, as always, divine. We left feeling very, very full. Before leaving we took some photos to remember the night.

Dinner last night at La Masía de Chencho

The drive home was a bit scary in the dark as the restaurant is out in the sticks but I got us all home in one piece. Once home we were very tired and without much ado, retired to bed.

I was up at 6 am this morning and will now have to leave you to have breakfast with my lovely girlfriends. What a wonderful time we are having. It's a total break from my routine life. 

I hope you have enjoyed the read. Cheers now and happy Sunday,

All the best, Masha

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Home from Montrondo, warm weather, 3.5 months on Mounjaro, my first bathe of the year, lunch at Filandón with Julio, Elon Musk and Trump at war on social media, a reunion with Mohammad and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 8th June, 2025

Highlight of the week - going out for lunch with Julio

Good morning everyone. I hope you find you all well. 

This time last Sunday we were on our way back from Montrondo and today we are off to Santa Pola. We've had a lovely week at home now that the warm weather is here to stay and the pool has been the main attraction for our grandchildren, Elliot and Juliet. So let me tell you all about it.

I was up at 05.30 in Montrondo which was far too early but it meant we set off early for Madrid. We left the house sparkling clean and I hope it remains so until we go at the end of this month with our friends Amanda and Andy.  We aimed to be home for lunch but the journey took longer than anticipated because of roadworks on the A6. We were rerouted many times and I was desperate for a coffee which we didn't find anywhere until 12.30. By then I was famished and had a large piece of toast which meant that once home I was not hungry for lunch which dear Suzy had prepared for us. It was good to see her again but I could tell immediately she was a bit down. I think she was lonely poor soul. This weekend she went to Copi's hen party with Oli; her first proper social engagement in many years and I hoped it would go well.

It was so hot in Madrid compared to Montrondo that we had to put the air conditioning on in our room for the first time this year.  We also removed the duvet. At 5 pm, our IT handyman, Luis, came round to change the battery in my 5 year old HP PC.  He fixed other things too in both mine and Suzy's PC. He was with us for at least 1.5h and only charged 20 euros. Thank you Luis

Oli and family came after he left to make use of the pool as their community pool doesn't open until the middle of June. They came many times this week and it was a joy to have them. Here are the four of them taking their first bathe together this year.

Oli and family in the pool last Sunday

Monday was another hot day and was the day I took the plunge myself and had my first bathe of the year. When we are alone I skinny dip. Suzy caught me on camera hahahaha.

Recorded - my first bathe of the year

I later washed my hair under the shower by the pool; something I love doing and can only do when there are no guests around. We have had plenty this week; Anne from the Ivory Coast and Lucila from Argentina as well as repeat guests, Elena, Leonardo and Julen as well as Javier and Diana.  Thankfully they were mostly out during the day.

Oli joined us for lunch which of course we had outside as we have all our meals now when it is not too hot.  When she left I had a surprise video call from my cousin Zuka who I haven't spoken to for far too long. This summer we shall be going to see her in France. How lovely to have plans for the summer. 

It was on Monday that the volcano on Mount Etna in Sicily erupted. It was big news but not for locals. My friend Joanne was on holiday in Sicily and saw the plumes of smoke close up. Wow!

On Tuesday Oli and family came again to use the pool and it was during their visit I was alerted to the fact that there was and is a water issue in our neighbourhood where the water comes from wells and not the Madrid Canal de Isabel II. I'm not really sure what happened. I think one of the wells was leaking and needed mending but it meant the water was cut off that night and we were told not to irrigate our gardens. We didn't know for how long. El Bosque where we live seems to suffer from all sorts of power cuts, water issues, telco problems, etc and that's because all the infrastructure is very old and the town hall we belong to doesn't think that El Bosque (a gated community) is their top priority. Anyway, by the end of the week the pipes were all fixed. 

I have nothing to complain about when you think of the starving population in Gaza or the war in Ukraine. There is no sign of peace between Russia and Ukraine but this week they at least exchanged prisoners. This came after a daring military operation planned by the Ukrainian secret service when hundreds of drones attacked Russian military sites, bombing at least 40 planes. It was 18 months in the planning and must have made Putin furious. 

In the afternoon I had an appointment with my GP, a young doctor called Elena, the one who prescribed me the weight loss drug first patented for diabetics. I have been on Mounjaro for 3.5 months now,   since 21st February and so far have lost 8 kilos. I persuaded her to prescribe it to me for 2 more months and then taper off with the lowest dose; 2.5mg. It's expensive but really worth it as it takes the suffering out of trying to lose weight. Basically you can eat what you want within reason but you tend not to eat much because appetite is suppressed as Mounjaro slows down digestion leaving you feeling full for longer. Elena had initially agreed to prescribe it not so much for weight loss but to reduce my level of cholesterol. Worried about any side affects on my pancreas, she arranged for me to have a blood test the next day and she will be ringing me on 12th with the results. Many more people would benefit from Mounjaro if it was covered by the health service  which it isn't for weight loss; only for diabetics. Honestly it could resolve obesity in the world. The only thing we don't know is what happens when you come off it. Time will tell. Meanwhile, I am delighted to have lost so much weight and to be under 10 stone again. 

It was prawn night that evening for dinner, as we call it and Suzy joined us as she loves them as much as me. I make them in a salad with lettuce and avocado which is divine. 

I was happy that night to see Carlos Alcaraz, the reigning champion get through to the Semi Finals at Roland Garros. He then played  Musetti   and won after the Italian sadly had to quit.  But the semi final to watch was Djokovich vs Sinner; the match of the tournament, until then,  I suppose. Sinner was on fire and beat him in 3 difficult sets. And now Sinner (23)  and Alcaraz (22) meet in the final today.  Alcaraz has played amazingly but I think Sinner is playing better at the moment. The final is  at 14.30 and I shall miss the match. May the best man win which I hope is the Spaniard. In any case, if it's not this time it will be another. They are the future of the Big 3 and will excite tennis fans for years to come. If Sinner wins it will he his 4th grand slam and if  "Carlitos" beats him, it will be his 5th. Exciting tennis is being played at Roland Garros despite the end of the Big 3. 

Wednesday saw me at the local health centre for my blood test.  One is supposed to go on an empty stomach but I never do as I just have to have a cup of coffee after waking up. Otherwise I would probably faint. In any case I don't really think a cup of coffee (with milk) will affect the results much or at least I hope not. 

Wednesday was the best day of the week, the highlight being lunch out with Julio at El Filandón, one of our favourite restaurants. It was to celebrate our friend becoming a University Professor ("catedrático"). He's so clever and I'm so happy for him. We got dressed up for the occasion, something we don't get to do often so I got Suzy to take a couple of photos of us. Note we are both wearing our white denim jeans. Eladio said he looked like a painter or plumber, hahaha. He didn't. I chose one of them for this week's feature photo and here is the other.

Dressed up and ready to go out for lunch midweek

It's not often we go out during the week which made Wednesday's outing quite special. 

We left early to stop and buy him a belated birthday present. We chose a blue polo shirt from Massimo Duti. While at Centro Oeste I got two lovely short sleeved polo shirts for Eladio as well as a set of gorgeous wine glasses from Zara Home. I don't really need wine glasses but they are so beautiful. These are them.

Our new wine glasses from Zara Home

I was attracted by the style and the different coloured stems. They are very, very light, they almost feel like plastic. I read the are made of a very resistant glass called borosilicate. Have you heard of it? I hadn't. 

We got to El Filandón half an hour early so enjoyed the surroundings before we went in and we took some more photos like this one of me.

At El Filandón on Wednesday

And here is one of Eladio at our table while we waited for Julio to arrive.

Eladio at El Filandón

We enjoyed a glass of wine while we waited and I ate a whole roll of bread with butter. It was great so see Julio again, the last time being 3rd January. He was looking good and happy with life. We had lots to catch up on while we ate some delicious food. The men had fish and I had the hamburger. Dessert was pancakes and lemon pie which we shared. I was so full when we left. Dear Juli treated us as he always does and we promised to see him again in July at ours for lunch. He always wants me to make him "cocido" which I will. 

We were home late and hit the sack immediately and would you believe I slept from 5.30 to 7pm? Neither of us were hungry for dinner as you can imagine.

Thursday started with a video call to New Zealand to talk to my dear cousin Katty, Zuka's daughter. It was good to catch up with her news but sad not to see her this summer. The time difference couldn't be greater. While I was having breakfast she was about to make their dinner, hahahaha. 

We went out mid morning that day for coffee with our friends Roberto and Mari Carmen who had brought me my Mounjaro as she is a pharmacist, bless her. It's always good to catch up with them. I hope they can join us in July for a few days in Montrondo. 

In the afternoon I continued watching the excellent series about the Lockerbie plane crash which happened in 1988 and which I remember well. It's called The Bombing of Pan Am 103 and is on the BBC iPlayer. What a tragedy all round. Later Oli and family joined us again and swam in the pool. Wanting to use our lovely new glasses I brought them out on a tray with wine and pistachios and orange juice for the kids. I drank too much of the lovely Marqués de Riscal verdejo wine from Rueda which gave me a huge headache that night. Thus I couldn't continue watching the Pan Am Bombing series.

Eladio was watching Spain play France in the semi final of the League of Nations. Would you believe Spain was leading 4-0 and the final result was 5-4? My God it was close. Now Spain plays Portugal in the final today in Munich. May the best team win and may it be Spain. 2 of the 5 goals were scored by 17 year old wonder kid, Lamine Yamal for whom the sky is the limit when it comes to his future. He may even win this year's "Ballon D'or   and if it's not this year it will be another one. Even I found the match exciting although football is not really my thing.

Suddenly it was Friday, the end of the week and it was another lovely sunny day. We went for a walk, our first in a long time after which I skinny dipped and showered by the pool. Thankfully no guests were around. 

The main news on my iPad seemed to be the all out war on social media between the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, and the most powerful man in the world, Donald Trump. The Tesla guru helped him win the elections and then worked for him cutting costs everywhere until their relationship went sour which I predicted from the very beginning. Musk is furious with Trump's latest internal budget but I'm sure there is more to it than that. Two such big egos could never work side by side smoothly could they? 

We were on our own for lunch as Suzy went to the hen party. Later we heard she had felt a bit overwhelmed but it was good for her to socialise. I spent the afternoon by the pool with my lovely new iPad. I had a Facetime call with my dear friend Amanda who is coming soon and I can't wait. Later we watched Alcaraz beat Museti but the most thrilling match was between the Serb Novak Djokovic and Jannik Sinner, the past and future of tennis. I think it was the only time I wanted the Serb to win but it wasn't to be. 

Saturday was 7th June, my dear mother's birthday. To think she died so long ago, in 1999 but I still miss her dearly. She went far too early in life. She would have loved to have met Elliot and Juliet. Oli brought them in the morning so she could to day 2 of the hen party but this Suzy didn't join her. Who brightened up my day was Mohammad who came for lunch.  Remember my Iraqi guest who lived with us all of last year? He has come back to Spain and will be working in Murcia and wanted to see us while in Madrid. That was a lovely reunion. I had made "spag bol" for lunch and here is the picture I took and which I am not in, I'm afraid. 

Lunch with the kids and Mohammad

While Eladio looked after the kids, Mohammad and I had a good catch up. Although his visit was short, it was sweet and I hope we see him again soon.  It's unfortunate he couldn't stay here but there was no room in the inn I'm afraid this weekend. I took him back to his accommodation and as I returned, new guests were arriving, a Franco Spanish couple from France coming to visit their daughter who is studying here. Shortly afterwards the kids' father picked them up and I felt awful telling they couldn't use the pool as the guests would be using it. That's one of the drawbacks of renting rooms here at times. 

Our day had been pretty hectic so it was good to rest afterwards but for me there is no rest for the wicked. I spent part of the late afternoon on guest related activity. I have a lovely English family coming to stay in Santa Pola next month. Bless them, it is their first time abroad and they would end up in our house. Of course I am helping them with everything they need. Their latest request was whether there would be any milk in the apartment when they arrived. What can I say?

And today is Sunday and we are off again this time joined by Suzy and Pippa.  But of course you will hear all about it if you read my blog next week. They will return on Wednesday and from Thursday I am going to spend 8 whole days with my Nottingham Uni besties, Sandra and Adele in Santa Pola and we are going to have wonderful girly time, that's for sure. 

I shall leave you now and get on with all that's needed for our trip and journey. Wishing you a happy Sunday, cheers from Masha

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