A cow in the garden, home from Montrondo, R.I.P. Geoffrey Brindley, a girly week, a new toy for Pippa, TV journalists shot dead during a live report in Virginia, this week’s new books, dinner with the cousins, a migrant tragedy in Austria, missing Eladio, and other tales.

Sunday 30^th August 2015

A selfie with the girls and the dogs on our walk this week

Hello again

I am writing from home this morning from the table on the terrace by the pool watching the girls in the water with Elsa and Pippa.  It’s great to be with both girlies although I am missing Eladio but more about that later.

I left off last Sunday in Montrondo where it rained all day.  Whilst I wrote my blog there, Eladio and his beloved brother José Antonio spent their time trying to install the beds in our miniscule bedrooms as well as other fixtures around the house.  Both of them are good with their hands and they got congratulations from all of us when they got the TV working - no mean feat in Montrondo where the signal is weak – with no need for the  the antenna man whose service the next day was cancelled when they finished the job successfully.

On Monday morning I woke up to rain again.  This is what beautiful Montrondo looked like on the walk that morning.

Montrondo in the rain on Monday morning this week

I went with Adela, José Antonio, Dolores but left Pippa behind as it was cold and raining.  I made note to buy her a dog raincoat for successive trips to our village.

Adela, Dolores and Toño on the wet Monday morning walk in Montrondo

Just as I was having my last breakfast in Montrondo that morning after our walk I was surprised to spy a cow in our garden.  Pippa was ambling around and didn’t even notice it!  I suppose it’s a normal thing to happen in the village but to me it looked like a Milka advert and I just had to take a photo to share with you.  I love the countryside and it’s not every morning you find a cow in your garden is it?

The cow in our garden

Suzy and I had decided to leave for better weather in Madrid and to be here for her post-operation doctor appointment on Wednesday. Eladio had to stay behind as the carpenters, electrician and other contractors were coming to put the final touches on the house.  He would be getting a lift home with José Antonio and Dolores the following week.

We left just after 11 and stopped at Senra to buy bread to take home; a special request from Olivia.

Suzy buying bread for Olivia at the old fashioned bakery in Senra as we left Montrondo

We also had to stop at a chemist shop in Riello to buy car sick tablets for little Pippa who seemed uncomfortable the whole way.  I bought children’s tablets and gave her half a tablet which I coaxed her to eat with a bit of cheese from Suzy’s sandwich.  It helped although she remained awake the whole journey.  Next time I shall give her the tablet an hour before we leave.

We stopped at Rueda for lunch where I indulged in a half platter of ham with a glass of delicious verdejo Rueda wine.  We ate outside so that Pippa could be with us and I fed her tiny bits of ham and bread which she polished down in a jiffy.  She is generally not a good eater; or rather she is not fond of her dry dog food and is a very slow eater.  Later in the week I went to a pet shop in Majadahonda to find pet food she might like better and came away with Royal Canin especially for dachshunds.  She loves it!  They didn’t stock rain coats for dogs unfortunately as it’s still the summer here.

Lunch in Rueda, outside this time

As we were driving home I spied photos of Suzy’s friends from “la manada” who had gone to Thailand unfortunately without her.  Rocío, Anita, Elena, Chati and Carolina are missing her and they send her messages every day.  I feel so sorry for Suzy missing the trip and losing all the money for the ticket and hotels but she is taking it very well.  Her attitude is laudable.

4 of Suzy's friends in Thailand, from left to right: Carolina, Ana, Elena and Rocio (pink shorts)

We were home at about 4.30 in the afternoon and Oli was here waiting for us, as were my Father, Salud, our home-help and our dogs Elsa and Norah.  Leaving Eladio in Montrondo was strange for me but on the bright side I had a real girly week ahead to look forward to.  As I said to them; whilst the cat’s away the mice will play.  Eladio is the one who runs the safety of this house and he always checks the doors and windows before going to bed and when we have all taken to our bedrooms he puts the alarm on.  I realized just as I was going to bed that perhaps we had to do this job and asked Suzy to check the doors and windows and to make sure Phoebe our cat was outside (otherwise the alarm goes off at night).  She remarked that whilst Eladio was away I was the captain.  I laughingly agreed and went off to do the job as I have done every night during his absence.

Monday was a quiet day spent catching up with my work whilst accompanied by Suzy who was applying for jobs online.  That day Geoffrey Brindley died in hospital on Monday, 11 days after suffering a stroke at home in Baildon. He was the Bradford Jesus man I wrote about last week had.  He was aged 88 and the whole of Bradford is in mourning for his death.  RIP the robe and sandal Jesus man I will never forget.  I hope you get the sendoff you deserve in Bradford and I wish I could be there.  Thanks for all those times you waved to me and smiled at me as you walked along Manningham Lane.

The Bradford Jesus Man.  R.I.P.

On Tuesday, I accompanied Suzy to the dentist, determined to spend as much time as possible with her whilst she is recovering from the operation.  She went to a new clinic run by two boys (men I suppose is the right word now) she went to school with who are now experienced dentists: Alex and Santiago.  I think her first kiss was to Alex but only she would know.  It was amazing to see him after all these years.  He is so tall and of course a grown man.  Before setting up the clinic with his brother he studied and worked in New York where he met his wife a girl from Taiwan.  He refused to charge Suzy for his services!  Afterwards we went to have a cup of coffee at a place called Atuel in Majadahonda and here I indulged in a superb fresh fruit covered pastry which you can see in the photo below.  Thankfully Suzy shared it with me otherwise I would not have had any appetite for lunch that day.

Coffee and cake with Suzy at Atuel in Majadahonda this week

We did some food shopping that day too as our cupboards were pretty bare and then went home for lunch with my Father.  Suzy had some of the sushi she bought at Carrefour.  I am glad to see her heeding the doctors’ advice to skip her vegan diet and get stronger by eating animal protein.  She was very weak a month ago with low red blood cells and iron which are a consequence of the vegan diet. 

It was that morning that we went to the pet shop, Petuluku, too where I bought the pet food for Pippa.  I also bought her a new toy.  She loved it as you can see in the photo below.  However I later regretted it as it was full of nylon threads which she got out with her teeth and ended up being strewn all over the carpets and floors.

Pippa and the new toy

On Wednesday I went with Suzy to the hospital for her appointment.  Once again thanks to Juan, Rocío’s father, who has been a brick opening all the doors for us and treating us like his family.  We were so glad to hear that in the biopsy there was nothing malignant.  They were a bit worried about the inflammation and are still looking for the cause.  Suzy was also warned about her red blood count which is very low (3 million vs a normal 5m) and which could have affected her immune system.  The doctor told her to stick to a proper diet, including animal protein – until at least December when he will be seeing her again. 

I went home to catch up on lots of work; mostly to do with my current big project, the Yoigo summer party for 250 people in El Rocío in South West Spain in September.  In the afternoon Suzy and I did a girly thing and went to have a pedicure and manicure respectively.  Meanwhile in Montrondo, Eladio was supervising the installation of the wooden staircase which he had insisted was to be made of chestnut, quite an expensive wood.  I would have been happy enough with pinewood but not so Eladio.  Here is the photo he sent me.  

The staircase was put in the house in Montrondo this week

Now all that remains to be done is to put in the interior doors and install the kitchen which hopefully should happen towards the middle of September. 

The three dogs are very happy that all three “girls” are at home, i.e, Suzy, Oli and I.  I observed them that day playing together with one of their blankets and the new toy, a plastic orange grenade.  Later I posted a photo of Pippa who had won it over for herself.  She is a bit bossy and a friend of mine said on Facebook that she was beginning to feel sorry for Norah and Elsa.  She is right, I must pay more attention to them and a little less to Pippa, at least in front of them.

The three dogs playing together

It was on Wednesday when the world went into shock after seeing live footage of two American TV journalists in Virginia being shot dead whilst doing a live TV report. A disgruntled former employee, Flanagan, who had felt he had been a victim of racism, shot 17 rounds from a glock pistol at reporter Alison Parker and cameraman Adam Ward during a live interview.  They died immediately.  Flanagan ran off to his car, uploaded the video of the killing which he had filmed himself on to You Tube and subsequently took his own life. The woman being interviewed was the only survivor of the shooting.  Once again the argument for and against the possession of weapons in the US is being questioned the world around.  It’s a pretty mad world isn’t it?  My daughter Olivia who is a TV reporter was especially shocked as you can imagine.

The live TV interview in Virginia this week when the TV reporter and cameraman were shot and killed

That night Suzy and I had dinner at a new fish restaurant in Majadahonda called Panorama.  Oli who came home late was too tired to join us.  We loved the décor but the service was rather slow and I was not that keen with the items on the menu.  However other people must have been as the place was packed.

On Thursday whilst I had breakfast my preordered kindle edition of Ingrid Seward’s new book, The Queen’s Speech, arrived.  I love reading royal biographies probably because I was brought up in England when the Royal Family was so popular – not so much these days. I am no longer a royalist but am still fascinated with books about the behind the doors stories of the Queen and her family.

One of this week's new books

That morning too, after recommendations from my friend Sandra, I bought another kindle book, The Girl on the Train, a very different genre indeed but one I like too.  It is apparently one of this year’s bestsellers and is being compared to Gone Girl. It is a psychological thriller by the British author Paula Hawkins and I am looking forward to reading it.  Being a British thriller and not an American one I expect a lot more from it and look forward to reading it after The Queen’s Speech.

The other book I bought for my kindle this week

That morning I was busy working on the last minute details of the programme and invitation, as well as the registration website for the Yoigo summer party in El Rocío.  The worst part, the guest list, always falls to me and it’s a job I hate.  But finally the list was ready and I sent the invitation and programme with the link to the website that morning.  I heaved a sigh of relief as soon as I had finished.

When I had finished I set upon making potato salad for lunch and to take to the dinner with the girls’ cousins that night. The recipe comes from my grandfather and was passed on to me.  He was Russian and potato salad in Spanish is called Russian salad funnily enough.  If you are interested it is made of chopped up boiled potatoes, carrots, peas, spring onion, boiled eggs and tuna fish.  The mayonnaise is also home made and the final result is always delicious.  I didn’t decorate it this time but it does look better if it is.

The potato salad I made this week from my Grandfather's recipe.

It went down very well at the dinner with the cousins that night.  The girls’ cousins who live in Madrid, Sara, Juan, his partner Cris and their baby Gael, Paula, her  boyfriend Pedro who are to be married next year and Alicia, my goddaughter were meeting together to see Suzy and celebrate the success of her operation.  We were also celebrating the future birth of another baby in the family. Needless to say I invited myself along and was the only “Aunt” there.  We had dinner at José Antonio and Dolores’ house in the block of flats in Madrid where we used to live many years ago.  Whenever I go there it is a like a trip down memory lane.  The girls probably won’t remember much as we moved out when they were 3 and 4.  It was a lovely reunion dinner and a chance for the cousins to see each other which doesn’t happen too often, especially as this year both Suzy and Oli missed the annual family gathering in Montrondo.  Here is a photo of all of us taken by Ali and for which I have permission from them to publish in my blog post this week hahaha.

Dinner with the cousins on Thursday night in Madrid

Whilst we were having a lovely time at the flat a dreadful tragedy was unfolding in Austria when a lorry was found with 71 dead migrants inside who had suffocated inside the unventilated and cramped vehicle.  Rather than migrants these poor people who are mostly from Syria or Afghanistan should be seen as refugees fleeing warzones or conflict of some sort rather than illegal immigrants.   They don't want to leave their countries but circumstances force them.  They somehow get to Greece and from there human traffickers bring them illegally in appalling conditions to Western Europe where their main destination is either Germany or the UK – we have seen similar scenes in Calais and of course the island of Lampedusa in Italy or Melilla in Spanish Africa.  The rich world shuts their frontiers to them or sends them back but they keep coming and risk their lives to do so.  What the rich world often forgets is that their countries were often made up of immigrants (take the US as the big example) who now turn their backs on these people.  I always relate to the plight of refugees as my Mother’s whole family fled Russia during the Russian revolution and became refugees themselves.  When the Second World War finished my own Mother could not return to her host country Bulgaria which had become communist, thus never seeing her Father again.  She took a train to London and arrived as a refugee despite her aristocratic background.  She was penniless and in order to become a legal resident had to work cleaning people’s houses or cleaning in hospitals for 2 years before she was able to take a job with the BBC as a radio commentator for the BBC World Service for its Bulgarian programme.  Her brothers and sisters were scattered around the world living and starting a life in Canada, New York, Paris and Munich.  The difference is that then the frontiers were open to them and they didn’t have to get to these places illegally like the poor refugees who died last week in a cramped lorry in Austria.

The lorry where the 7 1 dead refugees were found in Austria this week

On Friday both girls joined me on my walk in the morning and we took all three dogs. It was Suzy’s first walk since her operation and I could see she has recovered very well.  I suppose her age is in her favour.  The photo illustrating this week’s post is a selfie of us and the dogs.

I had a conference call that morning and a lot of issues of guests for our summer party to deal with.  In the afternoon Suzy and I went to do the proper weekly food shopping and she was amazed at the amount I buy and spend.  The explanation is that there are five of us living here permanently plus 3 dogs and a cat.  We get through a lot of fruit and I think I must be the green grocer’s best customer or so he tells me. We bought a bit more than usual as the girls were having guests for dinner that night.  Nacho who had worked for Suzy in London and Juli who is a sort of surrogate son or brother were both coming.  We had a lovely meal which included my now very popular open Swedish prawn sandwich, humus and meat and tuna pies.  We had such a great time we all forgot to take photos.

I was having a truly girly week enjoying the girls’ company but by Saturday I was missing Eladio.  He is never away from home.  If anyone is away it is me and the feeling is a bit strange.  I asked him for a photo outside the new house in Montrondo for this week’s post and here it is. He is very happy there working with his brother José Antonio but now he is ready to come home which won’t be until next Tuesday I am afraid.

Eladio outside our house in Montrondo yesterday

On Saturday morning I went for a walk with Olivia.  She took this great shot of me with the three dogs together just before we left.

With all 3 dogs about to go on our walk with Olivia yesterday

Suzy preferred to stay behind with Juli who doesn’t like walks and of all the things they could have chosen to do they decided upon table tennis.  They were still playing when we got back. Here is a photo of the two of them.

Suzy with Juli yesterday playing table tennis.

After a lovely lunch together, I spent the afternoon reading by the pool.  Suzy had another guest, this time a girl called Monica who had lived with her at their awful digs in Whitechapel.  I was waiting for my great friend Fátima to come too but she was late as always.  We were going out to dinner on our own.  We chose De María, an Argentinian restaurant in Majadahonda.  We were there until way past midnight.  It was great catching up with my oldest Spanish friend who worked with me both at Motorola and Nokia where she still works.  She is also my neighbour but we don’t see much of each other as we are both so busy.  Her daughter has just left to spend a year in the US, so I do hope she will have more time on her hands for more girly dinners or time together. 

When I got home I suddenly remembered that last night there would be a super moon.  It’s the first of three happening this year. Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy last night and I didn’t get a good shot on my camera.

Yesterday's super moon somewhere in the world

And today is Sunday and I am back to the beginning of this post which I started this morning by the pool with the girls.  I left off writing till they went and I am now sitting under the covered terrace whilst a thunderstorm is in the making.  Today the temperature reached 36ºc, so I hope the rain brings the temperatures down over the next few days.

Today is 30^th August, the end of the Spanish August holiday as most people here take their holiday this month.  It will be back to work for most people tomorrow.  I am already back to work but taking it in my stride and working peacefully from home.  I am going to be very busy for the next three weeks working on our big summer party. Wish me luck that all goes well.  It usually does but all events have their hitches.

So I will leave you now, publish this, print off a copy for my father and then read a bit until it is time for diner, alone this time. 

I wish you all a good week ahead,

Cheers till next time

Masha

Suzy’s last day at home, goodbye Cilla Black, to Montrondo with Pippa, habemus internet, some progress on the house, walks and more walks, shopping in the village as well as other stories.

Sunday 9^th August 2105

My "office" in Montrondo.  Habemus internet finally

Good morning all.

Here I am writing from my new “office” in Montrondo on the last day of our visit here.  I am officially on holiday now, although I am, as always, on duty and still working as my job entails being available and working whether I am on holiday or not.  This week I have been making preparations for our summer party in El Rocío in September; mostly getting on board all our suppliers who will be sponsoring the event.

But let me start from last Sunday.  It was Suzy’s last day at home and we all wanted to make the most of it.  She was returning to London that night to go back to work until she will be coming again in the middle of August for her operation.  She has been a lot on my mind this week as you can imagine.  The worst part of course is the waiting.

Suzy spent the day relaxed and enjoying her home surrounded by family, dogs and friends. Here is a photo of her in the pool with Elsa who now finally likes the water.

Suzy enjoying the pool with Elsa last Sunday

We were joined by the girls’ friends Juli and later Copi who came for lunch with her boyfriend Miguel.  I made home-made pizzas for all; making sure Suzy’s was suitably vegan.  Suzy and Oli have been Copi’s friend since they met at St. Michael’s school when they were 4 and 3 respectively.  We moved into our old house in Rio Tajo in 1988 and the girls joined the school in November.  On their first day there just after they had been registered, Suzy saw Copi in the distance and said “who is that little black girl over there?  I want to be her friend”. And so they became friends and have remained so ever since.  Copi is part of our extended family and she is always there when we need her and vice versa.  Here are the two girls together last Sunday afternoon which we all spent by the pool before Suzy had to pack and leave.

Copi and Suzy friends forever

Eladio and I took Suzy to the airport.  Her plane was leaving at 9.45pm but was delayed.  Poor tired Suzy did not get home to her flat in South Bermondsey until past 2 in the morning.  Here she is in the security queue as I waved goodbye.

Suzy at Barajas airport last Sunday night

It was on Sunday evening that I read that Cilla Black, the English celebrity singer and comedian of my youth, died aged 72 in her home in Estepona near Málaga.  What a young age to die.  I must say that I remember her very fondly.  R.I.P. Cilla Black you will be remembered by all my generation in England.

Goodbye Cilla Black

On Monday, loaded with food, we left at 09.30 with Pippa for Montrondo where we would meet up with most of Eladio’s family who had missed us for the annual gathering on Saturday. We were to make up for that by spending 6 whole days with them in the village.  As usual we made a pit stop at Rueda for the traditional plate of ham and lomo accompanied by the best white wine in the world.  Here is a collage of the two of us enjoying the moment.

Pit stop at Rueda on Monday morning.

The family house we are rebuilding was supposed to be ready by August 1^st but that didn’t happen.  The builders started on it in May 2014 and there is still quite a lot to be done.  Part of the floor boarding had been laid and it had been painted.  The window shutters were in place but the staircase and doors were still missing as were a lot of other smaller details.  I reckon we won’t be moving in until the autumn.  In any case it is looking good especially from the outside.  The outside is practically ready and looks great.  I am especially happy with the front porch and terrace and the terrace at the back.

The house from the front.

The house from the back

We were welcomed by everyone and enjoyed a delicious plate of lentils at Pili’s house next door to ours.  In the afternoon Eladio and José Antonio assembled the rest of the Ikea tables and chairs we had bought for the terraces.  Here is a photo of both of them at work.

Eladio and Primo assembling the chairs and tables.

The claw foot bath tub is in place too but I don’t know when I will have the luxury of using it.  It does look good doesn’t it on the black and white tiles?

The bathtub in our bedroom in the new house in Montrondo. 

What didn’t look good was the internet and land line installation.  It had been installed a week or so ago and I was looking forward to using it as soon as we arrived but that didn’t happen.  As hard as Eladio, Juan and I tried there just seemed to be no signal.  We then had to call Telefónica and as usual only got to talk to a machine.  I was very disappointed as I need internet for my job and have to be connected always.  That is one of the reasons I can never stay in Montrondo for more than a couple of days.

Walks were very much part of our stay this week.  Soon we entered into the recent habit of some of the family members.  They all went for a walk to Murias and back in the evening after dinner when it was getting dark and in the morning at 8 am sharp I would join Toño, Dolores, Primo and Adela for the same walk.  We were always accompanied by Pippa and Nuba.

Dolores, Toño and Adela on our morning walk to Murias and back

Little Pippa on one of my walks

On Tuesday we spent a lazy day together or at least I did as I had no internet to be able to work.  That day I made chicken korma curry for lunch at Pili’s house which we all polished off with gusto.  It was this week that I enjoyed time with my great nieces Diana aged 4 and Lidia aged 2.  They are a delight and a lot of fun, especially Lidia.  The hardest part is understanding what she says.  One of my favourite expressions of hers is “hasta huevo” which she says instead of “hasta luego”. 

Chilling out - my mother-in-law, Pili and my grand nieces.  Trebol Pili's dalmation is also in the pic

As if we hadn’t eaten enough for lunch that night we made egg and chips for dinner, Eladio’s overall favourite meal in the evenings in Montrondo.  When I posted this picture on Facebook I got a lot of comments from English friends who seem to think this is just a typical English dish.  Well, actually, it’s also a typical Spanish dish; the only difference being that it is fried in olive oil here which in my mind is much healthier.  Here is my plate haha.

Egg and chips in Montrondo

It was on Tuesday that Miguel, Oli’s boyfriend, sent me a photo of Olivia reporting live on TV for Telemadrid.  On Monday a block of flats fell down in Carabanchel, a working class area outside the city.  It collapsed after cracks appeared.  Thankfully no one was hurt but of course they all lost their homes. Here is the photo of Olivia reporting on this awful incident. 

Oli reporting in Madrid this week on the broken block of flats in Carabanchel

On Wednesday after our early morning walk and hearty breakfast the Telefonica man came and believe it or not within a few minutes the line was working.  The fault, according to him, lay with our electrician.  I didn’t care whose fault it was I was just happy to be connected to the world.  Here is the moment internet finally came to our house in Montrondo and I immediately posted on Facebook “habemus internet in Montrondo” quite a milestone for us.

The moment we finally got internet in Montrondo

I immediately set up my “office” on the terrace outside what will be the kitchen one day.  The photo illustrating this week’s post above is of me sitting at my desk.  I didn’t realise I had an apron on when the photo was taken but I didn’t mind at all as it sums me up as the multi task woman I am.  In fact at that very moment the fabada I was making was bubbling on the hob in Pili’s kitchen. Fabada is an Asturian bean soup, delicious food for country air.  I was finally able to catch up with my work and felt a lot less guilty afterwards.

That afternoon as I was spending time with Adela, Pili, my mother-in-law and my grand nieces, the carpenters were continuing to lay the floors.  They also laid most of the staircase but unfortunately haven’t been back since.  On the bright side I must say it looks good.  Most of the family came to see it afterwards and I captured them all on camera.

The family posing by our new but partially laid staircase.  Notice the omnipresent Trebol, Pili's dalmation

Thanks to internet that very day I got a whatsapp text from Suzy to let us know she had booked her flight on 17^th August.  The next day I got a phone call from the hospital to confirm she would be admitted on 18^th August at 7 am.  Waiting for the operation is the worst part of it so far. 

On Thursday after the walk and breakfast I went to Adela and Primo’s house to ask for potatoes and a courgette from their kitchen garden. This is the basket I carried home from “Los Palacios” where they live to “El Campo” where we live.  Pili later made a vegetable cream soup out of them.

A courgette and potatoes from Primo's kitchen garden

It was on Thursday thanks to internet that Eladio and I were able to make the hefty bank transfer to Ikea for all the furniture we have ordered there including the kitchen.  Hopefully within a month it will all be here and assembled by Ikea too.

I worked that day again from my “new office”, most of the time spent on the logos of all our different sponsors for the summer party. Here they are.

The suppliers who are sponsoring this year's summer party in El Rocío

That afternoon I did some shopping in Montrondo.  You will probably wonder how as there is no shop or bar here.  Well it’s done on wheels.  It was from the fish van that I bought delicious fresh fish (merluza – hake) in the street.  Here is a photo of some of the women queueing up to buy more fish.  The local women asked how I was going to cook it, presuming I was going to bake it in the oven.  It was rather difficult for them to understand I would be making traditional British fish and chips the next day for lunch.  I did, by the way, and it was delicious.

Buying fresh fish in Montrondo this week

Later that evening the grocery van arrived and I asked all the people in the queue to pose for this photo. It’s rather a quaint way of shopping isn’t it.  But that’s how it’s done in Montrondo.

Shopping for groceries in Montrondo

Friday morning was another glorious morning and again Pippa, Nuba, Adela, Primo, Toño, Dolores and I enjoyed our walk to Murias and back. Roberto, Adela’s son and the eldest of the cousins, was much more ambitious than us and that morning he left the village to go running up the mountains all the way to the top of the highest peak, “El Tambarón” which is 2.099 metres high.  It was amazing that he ran the 17km there and back, half of it uphill in just under 3 hours. As he was telling us about it I took a photo of him and Eladio together.  They are very similar in looks aren’t they even though there is a 30 year age gap?

Uncle Eladio with his look alike nephew Roberto - there is a 30 year age difference

Eladio exercised too that day but he didn’t do it running up the mountains.  He preferred to stay here and that day and yesterday too he chopped wood all day; wood from the remains of the old house.  Here he is enjoying the exercise.

Eladio happily chopping wood in Montrondo

Friday was by far the coolest day of the week.  It has been lovely weather with nice temperatures which is a great escape from the extreme heat of Madrid. To give you an idea in the mornings and evenings here it got as low as 6ºc.  The highest temperature on Friday was probably about 21ºc.

That afternoon Eladio and I went to visit Lourdes and Agustin.  Agustin is about a year younger than my husband and they went to school here in Montrondo together.  His school friend is a very positive man despite his kidney disease which means he has to have dialysis every day at home.  Lourdes looks after him lovingly.  Whilst we were there they showed us the room where he connects to the kidney machine and on the wall there was a photo of their wedding day.  Lourdes explained that she was only 15 when she married Agustin who was 32 at the time.  She told me that both their families thought she was too young to get married but that she knew then as she knows now that the only man she ever wanted in her life was him and that he thought the same about her. I thought that was a beautiful love story. They are such a happy couple and their house is always full of people who come to visit them as Agustin is pretty much home bound. She plies all her guests with amazing home-made fare such as her delicious strawberry ice cream or strawberry liquor made from her home grown strawberries.

It was on Saturday morning that I saw a photo of Mario on Facebook, Pili’s son, who has just left Spain for Nice on an Erasmus.  He will also be playing in the Nice handball team as a semi-professional.  I think he couldn’t have chosen a better place in France to go to.  The Cote d’Azur is a magical place.  I wish him lots of luck.  So far he is having a grand time.

Mario at the end on the right with his handball team mates in Nice this week

Pippa is enjoying her time in Montrondo but I do wish she would stop barking at everything and everyone.  She has too much character. She is also a bit of a magpie and prefers Nuba’s or Trebol’s bed and their food to hers. Here she is yesterday taking a nap in Nuba’s bed.  She is so cheeky.

Pippa the magpie on Nuba's bed in Montrondo

Yesterday was the annual village lunch which we attended for the first time.  It was for 170 people and the party got going when the music started and people began to dance.  I don’t dance as I have no rhythm at all unfortunately.  In Montrondo everyone loves to dance; mostly to old fashioned music. It’s also curious to see here how it’s very natural for women to dance together as some of them do in this picture including my two sisters-in-law.

Women dancing together in Montrondo yesterday

There was a marquee for the lunch which unfortunately for the organizers turned out to be a bit of a flop which was the fault of the caterers and not the organizers. Here you can see most of the people sitting down to lunch which wasn’t served until nearly 4 in the afternoon.

The village lunch yesterday

Meanwhile in London, Suzy was also sitting down to a meal.  But it was a barbecue with some of her friends including Chati.  I was glad to see her enjoying herself before coming home for the operation on 18t August.

Suzy at the bbq yesterday in London with Chati and friends

The party in Montrondo continued on into the evening but Eladio, Toño, Dolores and I preferred to go on what would be my second walk to Murias that day.  Later Eladio and I enjoyed a dish of “pelmeni” before retiring to bed at the early hour of 10pm.  We are not the party people you may think we are which is a bit of a contradiction as part of my job is Director of Events.   

And today is Sunday. As we had gone to bed so early I was awake at 06.50.  Instead of waiting until 8 a.m. to go on the walk with my in-laws, I decided to hit the road alone with Pippa and Nuba.  We went my favourite way, on the old path to Murias which I far prefer. 

A selfie on this morning's walk

When we got to the half way point which is called “La Peña de Dios” (God’s rock), both dogs amazingly posed for me by the rock. It’s a great photo isn’t it?

Pippa on God's rock and Nuba below

It is our last day here but we shall stay for lunch.  After publishing this post I shall be going to nearby Senra with Dolores for a cup of coffee. 

Tomorrow will be Monday and it will be nice to be at home again and to see the dogs, Elsa and Norah who will have missed us.  It will be nice too to see Olivia and my Father.  Salud, our home-help will be glad we are back which will mean she can take her two days off.  I’m not sure what we will be up to once we are home. We may stay a couple of days and then hit the road again, this time to our apartment in Santa Pola for a few days on the beach.  If we do, we must meet up with Jacky my friend who lives nearby and who has promised to take me to the British cash and carry in Torrevieja where I will be able to stock up on crumpets and other English fare I cannot buy in the shops in Spain.

Meanwhile I wish you all a great week.

Cheers till next time

Masha