A poisoned birthday present: sciatica, the Oscar goes to Parasite, "One woman's story", Storm Ciara batters UK, Elliot goes shopping, Mobile World Congress cancelled by fear of Coronavirus, what is love? St. Valentine's dinner and other stories.

Sunday 16th February

With my Valentine of 40 years celebrating love on Friday 14th 

Good morning all. I trust your week has been a good one. In this blog post you can read all about mine. Like the joke about the "curate's egg", mine has been good in parts. 

Last Sunday was the day after my birthday for which I want to thank those of you who sent greetings. I was once again overwhelmed by messages from so many people. They made me feel loved and happy and as I said last week, I couldn't have asked for more. 

But last Sunday brought a poisoned belated birthday present in the form of an acute bout of sciatica. I have a back problem called spondylolisthesis, a degenerative condition which has been worsened by ongoing arthritis.  Basically this means that there has been slippage of a vertebra onto another. Nature often heals this and it did in my case and now both vertebrae have joined . But the condition leads to a deformity of the spine and compression of the nerve roots which in turn leads to bouts of sciatica: a trapped nerve. The space between some of the vertebrae has widened which also causes sciatica. My groin and lumbar area  had been giving me problems over the last few weeks with pain shooting down my right leg and numbing it. I had such a bad night  that I decided to go to A&E that morning. I had expected long waiting at the hospital (Montepríncipe) but everything was very fast. I saw a young Venezuelan specialist doctor in traumatology who spotted the condition immediately. Of note we spoke about his country and he didn't have swear words strong enough to show his feelings about the current regime and "dictator" Maduro. He sent me for an X-ray where again I hardly had to wait and within 10 minutes I was back in his surgery with the verdict. He confirmed my back condition saying it was "severe" and that I also had scoliosis which I already knew.  I didn't like that word "severe".  He prescribed a very strong pain killer- "tramadol", which is in fact an opioid as well as paracetamol. He also prescribed 10 sessions of physiotherapy to make my spine stronger. His advice was to swim but I'm no good at crawl so will ask the physiotherapist what sport I can do instead. I was devastated to hear that walking is not good for me, especially a continuous hour long walk. He said that instead I could do short 15 minute walks but for a week I had to take it easy and rest.

So rest I did as much as I could. We had to do some emergency food shopping on our way back from the hospital and chemist if we were going to have a decent lunch. I took my first Tramadol pill and soon I was feeling woosy but the pain began to remit thank goodness. Thus I was able to make lunch with the help of Zena. The girls were away so it was just my father, Eladio and I for Sunday lunch.

I rested afterwards feeling the woosy effects of the pain killer which felt weird but at least the pain had lessened. There would be no walk that afternoon of course but I did have my cup of tea or should I say decaf tea because that's what I always have. I was pleasantly surprised to find Oli, Miguel and Elliot were in her room. They had come back as Miguel's car was here and he would be leaving for Valencia for a two week work stint there with TVE. It was lovely to see our adorable, cheerful, smiley and chubby grandson. As soon as he sees us, he gurgles with delight and I suppose we do too. I love the fact that the little chap is happy to let anyone hold him. Here he is with his grandfather, wearing by the way, one of the lovely outfits Katty, our cousin, had sent him from New Zealand. He has been spoiled for presents from my side of the family and friends.

Grandfather and grandson together on Sunday

Elliot certainly took my mind off the pain although sadly I couldn't pick him up as he now weighs over 8 kilos and one thing I must not do with my condition is lift anything heavy. But that didn't mean I couldn't hold him on my lap and sing to him or play which is what I did for the short time he was with us on Sunday.

Suzy was back too and we spent some quality time together before all four of them left; Miguel for Valencia and Oli, Suzy and Elliot for their flat. They did some "free shopping" at home that night, taking a lot of what we had bought as emergency food shopping in the morning:-( We had dinner alone with the news and enjoyed a prawn, mango and avocado salad before going up to bed extremely early. It is Suzy, our nutrition expert who pointed out to us that we have dinner too late which is not good for our digestion. So instead of having dinner at 8.30 or so we are now having it at 7.30. We always go straight up to our room afterwards which has now got even earlier than before. We watched more news - the spread of coronavirus was on the agenda as was the terrible story of a young Thai soldier who went on a killing spree at a shopping centre in Bangkok last weekend killing 29 people. How dreadful!

The news was also about the Oscars which would take place later that night. We wouldn't be watching though as it was on in the early hours of the morning. I do remember watching the Oscars as a teenager in Bradford and finding it far too long. We wondered who the winners would be and wouldn't find out until Monday morning.

Meanwhile we watched an interview with the imprisoned Catalan independence leader, Oriol Junqueras, who is the de facto influence on how the new government was to be formed, with the help of abstention from his party, the ERC. I was a bit disappointed with the programme which seemed more like a promotion of his party and politics than anything else. Far more exciting was watching the last episode and a half of "Vivir sin permiso" on Netflix.

Monday came and with it the news of the winners of this years' Oscars. The overall winner was the South Korean film, "Parasite" which won best film, best foreign film, best director and best original screenplay.  Wow, we shall really have to go and see it. It is the first time a foreign film has ever won the best picture award, not just best foreign film. Spain had high hopes for Almodovar's "Pain and Glory" but it was not to be.  Bong Joon, the director, could not believe what was happening and last Sunday will no doubt be the best moment ever in his lifetime.

Bong Joon and his team celebrating Parasite's awards

The British film 1917 which both Eladio and I really want to watch, got three consolation awards; best photography, best sound and best visual effects. You can see the whole list of winners in this link.

My sciatica left me a bit out of action on Monday as it did on Tuesday. The pain had receded quite a lot but it was the tablets that made me feel woozy and void of my usual energy. I followed my doctor's advice and took things easily. That morning saw me tidying out my walk in wardrobe and organising all my scarves and jumpers. What a mess when I began and how good it looked when I finished.

If I was to take it easy, that could include reading quietly. I was dying to start on Maria Britnieva's book "One woman's story" which I had read when I was about 15, so many moons again. You will remember from last week's blog post that Mary Britnieva was "Aunty Mary" in my life and the person who welcomed my mother in London when she arrived at the end of WW2. The book is available on internet from an American library, thus I read it on my iPad quietly in the lounge. Aunty Mary was  a member of the Anglo Russian gentry at the outbreak of WW1.

Aunty Mary in England after escaping from revolutionary Russia

Her father was  British and her mother Russian.  In 1914 she joined an elite group of Red Cross nurses (Sisters of Mercy) who served at the front mostly in Poland. Her story of her part in WW1 is fascinating. She then married the head doctor, Alexander (Sasha) Britnev and tells the story of how their life began in turbulent revolutionary Russia.  Interestingly, his father was a doctor to the late Tsar Nicholas II. I had thought she had escaped like many Russians but she and her husband stayed on, living in hunger struck Petrograd (Soviet's new name for St. Petersburg). Her tales of trying to survive there are horrifying. In those years of shortage and terror from the communists, she gave birth to two children, Tsapis (Vladimir) and Mary who was to become an actress. She herself became so ill that her life was in danger and her husband urged her to go to England where her parents had sought refuge. Just getting out of Russia in those times was an unimaginable feat and she had to leave her husband behind. Later she would go back to see him after he was imprisoned by the soviets for being one of the "intelligentsia"   and accused of being a spy for the British. It makes for heavy reading and I couldn't put it down.  It's also a marvelous portrait of Russia during the beginning of the rule of the communists. If you are interested, this is the link. Frankly I couldn't put it down.

We had the pleasure of the girls' and Elliot's company for lunch as we would do for most of this week as Miguel is working in Valencia. Little Elliot who is actually huge for his age always brightens up the atmosphere at home, putting a smile on all our faces. I think he is going to be a very sociable little boy. While we eat, he now sits up in his pram on his own and at some stage begs to be picked up hahahaha.

Life was quiet at home but a storm was battling across northern Europe, Storm Ciara, which battered much of my home country, including my beloved Yorkshire. Flights were cancelled and delayed as were ferries and trains.  Whole towns like Hebden Bridge were completely flooded and havoc was a general description for much of the country with hurricane like winds as strong as 100 miles per hour! We had storm Gloria not so long ago in Spain and now it was the north of Europe's turn. If this isn't due to climate change then tell me what it is?

A car in Brentwood that sunk into a sort of pot hole caused by the storm this week. Imagine!

Storm Ciara had not made its way to Spain although some of its effects could be felt on the north coast, but not in the centre. On the contrary, in Madrid that day the sun shone and it was quite mild. It would have been perfect weather for our walk but that was not to be because of my sciatica. Damn it!

Dinner was another family affair and I got Lucy to make us a tasty Spanish tortilla - thank you Lucy. Later we watched the news in our room and then started on a new series; Season 3 of Broadchurch. I'm afraid, though, that owing to my strong painkillers, I fell asleep.

Tuesday came and it was not a good day as you will read. The news again this week has been dominated by the threat and spread of the coronavirus. Many big companies attending the Mobile World Congress at the end of this month in Barcelona, the biggest mobile fair in the world, announced they were pulling out. First it was LG then the domino effect started and at the time of writing more than 40 companies had cancelled their attendance. LG started the domino effect and soon after other big companies followed suit, such as Ericsson, Amazon, AT&T, Cisco, Facebook, Intel, NTT Docomo and Sony. There were rumours all week that with such a diminished presence from the big guns, the fair may well be cancelled or delayed. Gosh that was big news in many ways. It shows us just how seriously companies are taking the virus but it also means a huge loss in economic terms for the fair which has been held year after year in the Spanish city since it moved from Cannes. I know what I am talking about as I have attended it personally for many years from when it was first held in Barcelona in 2006 until 2017. Here is  a photo of myself outside the enormous premises of the "Fira" the last time I went. 

The last time I was at the MWC - February 2017

I can only imagine what a bold and difficult decision it must be for a company to pull out.  More than 100.000 delegates attend from 200 countries and about 2.400 companies have a stand, contributing big money to the city in terms of accommodation, transport, events, etc as well as providing lots of lucrative and temporary employment. According to El Pais, the estimated loss from cancellations could be up to 500 million euros! The cost of a stand is 1.200 euros per square metre, so just do the maths to see what companies like Facebook or Ericsson who had reserved 600 and 1200 square metres would have paid and won't get their money back. So, yeah a big decision to make and bad news for the city of Barcelona. It wasn't until the next day that the final nail on the coffin hit the world's biggest mobile event when the GSMA, the organisers, finally announced its cancellation. 

That day our cupboards were bare and it was time to do our weekly shopping at Mercadona. We came home with provisions from two huge trolleys, enough, I hoped to last us all week. This week we had to feed 6 people nearly every day, so no wonder we needed so much. 

The day was going well until after lunch when my sciatica got worse. I thought it had got better but it took a turn for the worse that afternoon and had me in pain until late that night. It was Murphy's law that after the sciatica pain receded it was replaced by a migraine which I couldn't shake off until the next morning and it was still lingering even after my first coffee.  I discovered later, after looking at the patient leaflet, that the tramadol painkiller I was taking for sciatica can provoke a headache. I never took it again.

Wednesday came and it was 12th February, what would have been my dear brother George's 65th birthday. He is forever in my heart but I always remember him specially on his birthday and the date of his leaving us, 15th May. What can I say that I haven't said before? I always feel guilty that my blue eyed, blonde, 6ft tall and talented brother got all the bad luck in life while I got all the good luck. Life is not fair. Life took him too early, at the age of 46 thanks to a very aggressive melanoma - skin cancer. We had lost my mother just over a year before he died (2001) and today only my father and I are left. Oh how different and more joyful our lives would be if they hadn't gone. Oh how we miss them. 

George and I with our father - Ruskington (Lincolnshire) 1961

I love the photo of us with our father when we were small, both of us trustingly holding his hand. We couldn't have had a better father or mother and I am privileged that my father is still with me. I don't ever want to lose him. No doubt, like me, he too would have been thinking about George on his birthday.

I was soon joined by our new guest, Fernando, who had arrived the day before but had been welcomed by Eladio as I was k.o. because of my sciatica when he came. He had breakfast with me and we chatted a bit. He was a bit nervous as that day he was starting a new job in the IT department of the Santander bank world HQ near where we live. I imagine he was excited too as it's probably a good job for an IT expert. He came for three days and still has to look for permanent accommodation for himself and his wife, so no doubt he will be staying again. 

He left to get ready for his first day with his new job and I carried on with my breakfast and reading the headlines on my iPad and phone. The big news in Spain was the approval from Parliament to go ahead with a new law allowing euthanasia. Wow that was pretty big news. However, the law if passed, won't come into effect until the summer. If the law passes, Spain would be only the seventh country to legalise euthanasia.  The others are Canada, Belgium, Holland, Colombia, Luxembourg, Switzerland, parts of Australia and some states in the USA.

Like me, most people are divided on the subject but I do think people should have a choice if their circumstances require such a decision, a decision to take their own lives. But I ask myself doesn't euthanasia already exist when people are "sedated" when they are at the last stage of cancer? I have seen it happen both with my father in law and with my dear friend Fátima. Isn't sedation a form of euthanasia? It is isn't it? But then again I imagine it is used to avoid the terrible pain and suffering that diseases like cancer can cause when the patient is at the end of his or her life. I imagine too that sedation comes from an overdose of morphine. Oh gosh, what a horrible thought. I just hope that none of us ever have to face that moment. God bless anyone who has to. Life can be most unfair and is a lottery. When the photo of George and I was taken in 1961 and we were children, we lived in bliss with no idea how life would pan out for us or that George would only live until he was 46. 

Wednesday came and I spent the day with the girls. In the morning I went with Oli and little Elliot to El Corté Inglés, Spain's big department store. We had a few errands to do and as we walked around the shop, Elliot sat up in his pram taking in everything. He seemed to love shopping and seeing all the colourful things around him. I told Oli that he takes after his father who, unusually for a man, loves shops. Here he is in the baby department where Oli was buying some accessory for his pram. 

Elliot who went shopping on Wednesday and enjoyed the outing

While we had a coffee at Starbucks, Elliot enjoyed his feed. I have to say he behaved perfectly during out shopping expedition in the morning and in the afternoon. I told you; he likes shops hahahahaha.

We were home on time for a family lunch and were out again in the afternoon. This time we accompanied Suzy on an errand to Madrid. Later we went to Gran Plaza 2 (huge shopping centre in Majadahonda). Suzy, my vegan daughter, wanted to get me natural herbal medicine for my sciatica but when she showed me two little bottles of ginger or whatever, I balked at the price of 50 euros, preferring ibuprofen from over the counter at the chemist hahahhaaha. 

Suzy at the health shop which she loves so much

It was as we were driving home that we got the live news that the GSMA association had confirmed cancelling the Mobile World Congress after a new flood of cancellations from the likes of Nokia, Vodafone, Orange, McAfee, etc. all because of their supposed fear of the spread of the coranavirus. But come on, there were only 2 cases in Spain, one in the Canaries and they guy is now over it and one in the Balearic Islands. It's not as if Spain's health system, one of the best in the world, couldn't cope with a few more. However, with the flood of cancellations from more than 40 companies including most of the big guns,  I suppose the organisers had no option. They were hoping for the Spanish government to declare a health emergency which they would need to claim insurance and a lot of insurance at that. Now they are hoping to claim it because of "force majeure". What force majeure I ask, surely not the virus? The companies who had pulled out voluntarily would not get their money back but those who haven't will have to be reimbursed and that is a lot of money. One of the main reasons for not cancelling earlier was then basically economic and not health related. It's always down to money isn't it? I felt divided at the decision. While the cancellation announcement came, other big fairs and exhibitions were taking place around the world, so why cancel the MWC? Is it because there are more Chinese delegates there I wondered but I doubt it, as a similar fair was taking place in Holland this week with 80.000 delegates.  I have a funny feeling there is more to this than meets the eye. Some have suggested this a reflection or outcome of the US China "trade war" or even a backlash from those affected by the so-called "Google tax". I also wonder, does this now mean that because of the threat of coronavirus, all big international fairs, exhibitions, shows, etc will be cancelled or is it just the MWC?  I feel sorry, not for the big companies who can afford the loss, but for all those small companies and suppliers who will now be left in legal limbo and have a lot to lose, not to mention the businesses in Barcelona. I doubt the hotels will worry though as they will still be paid for accommodation booked as that is a prerequisite when reserving a hotel room in Barcelona for the MWC, No, they will just have lots of empty rooms at the end of the month which no doubt they will offer for a cheaper rate. In any case it is a disaster for the Spanish economy and for the sector in general. 

We were glad to get home and all in need of a rest, especially little Elliot although he had behaved perfectly.  The evening panned out as normal and we were soon in bed watching TV. Our choice was the film about Van Gogh, the old one with Kirk Douglas, but I'm afraid I soon fell asleep. I fell asleep feeling thankful my dreadful headache was over.

I woke up nearly pain free on Thursday morning but felt a lack of energy all day and a bit down in the dumps. I think I was suffering from the lack of endorphins that I get from my walks. Oh, how I missed them. I went to the hairdresser that morning because I needed to get my roots seen to and my hair cut. For me going to the hairdresser is a pain and an ordeal whereas most women love it. Not me, I'm afraid. I think I was overcharged that day and came home in a bad mood which is unusual for me. I tried to snap out of it by making lunch with Oli and Elliot watching us from his pram and asking for attention every now and again. It's not easy to perform domestic duties when he is around hahahhaa.

Everyone did their own thing in the afternoon. Eladio did the most important job, that of pruning the trees and bushes in the garden. I was horrified to see him climbing up them on his steep ladder. I think he sometimes thinks he is 35 and not 75. Oli told us later that she learned while visiting Spain's national paraplegic hospital for a TV report, that 75% of accidents happen in the home. Thankfully he finished the task that day. Meanwhile, I tried to watch more of Season 3 of Broadchurch while keeping Elliot entertained - mission impossible hahahahhahaa. The girls went off to their house and by then it was time for a quiet dinner with my husband and no guests in sight.

I found it difficult to sleep that night so while Eladio was in slumberland, I switched the  "box" on again and resumed watching Broadchurch until quite late or least until after 2 in the morning. Then damn, I was awake at 5.30 after just 3 hours sleep but forced myself to stay in bed until 7 am.

Friday 14th was St. Valentine's Day and I had dinner out with Eladio to look forward to. As if I didn't know it was the day that celebrates love, Facebook reminded me by posting me a photo of Eladio and I, 3 years ago. I love the picture. Thanks FB.

Celebrating St. Valentine's with Eladio 3 years ago.

I often marvel how we are still in love after all these years. We met in the summer of 1980 - so 40 years ago!  But what is love? How would you describe it? Someone told me the other day that the three pillars of love in a relationship are: affection, respect and trust. Well our relationship is full of these three so maybe they are part of the reason we are still happily married. I would add another value which for me is important: admiration,  I always admire how cultured my husband is. Also vital to our relationship, at least, is independence and giving each other space.  I think if we lived in a tiny little flat I would feel a bit claustrophobic as I need my space (both physical and non physical) and independence, at times, as most people do. According to this expert on love and I think I can agree, the main ingredients apart from the three main pillars, affection, respect and trust, are: equality, loyalty, passion, care and help, connectivity, empathy, communication, admiration (I said that one), freedom, understanding, project for the future, self esteem and sincerity.  It has always been difficult to describe love. So, no, it's not just passion.  It is all these ingredients. Do you agree?

Defining love

One could also add patience and striving to keep the flame alight. Eladio is the patient one in our relationship. Another ingredient in ours at least, is the avoidance of argument and confrontation. Neither of us like confrontation. But we do strive to keep the flame alive or alight. One of the ways we do that is going away together or out to dinner on Fridays.  Being St. Valentines and the romantic I am, at least, we always go out to dinner to celebrate the day of love  on St. Valentines. Other women get flowers or couples give each other presents. We don't - although I would love the odd bunch of roses (haha).

Valentine's Day was the highlight of rather a dismal week, weather and health wise I have to say. It was cold, grey and cloudy in the morning but the sun came out in the afternoon. I disobeyed my doctor's orders and we went on our walk with Pippa.

I came back to ready the green room for a new and sudden guest. I had thought that maybe this weekend would be the only weekend in, I think 2 years, that we haven't had a guest so I was glad to get a surprise reservation in the morning. It came from a repeat guest. We get lots of them; this time a young student from the Canary Islands coming for her Master's degree classes at the nearby UEM.

I finished watching Broadchurch Season 3 which I can highly recommend if you like the two detectives, the main characters, and I do. Then it was time to get ready to go out. I wore a trusted black and white striped Zara dress I wear occasionally and we drove to the restaurant I had chosen for our Valentine's dinner date; Tinglado, perhaps the nearest to where we live and one we both like. I got my red rose there as all the tables were decorated with them as well as with rose petals. I must say they looked splendid. I later sneaked ours of the restaurant and it's now in a glass in our bathroom (naughty).

Our dinner table on Valentine's Day

We hardly had to look at the menu as both of us have our favourites. Eladio went for fish and chips (not enough batter for me and very few chips) and artichokes and foie for me. The dessert, meringue and raspberry and chocolate mousse, was divine. We had our photo taken by our waitress. I always think waiters and waitresses should have a course in photography as they notoriously take bad and often blurry photos. She had to do a few retakes until I was satisfied. I was angling for the feature photo for this week's post and even though it's not a great photo it will have to do. I far prefer the one Oli took of us three years ago. But she wasn't there to take it on Friday night.  We ate well and toasted to many more Valentine's dinners and wedding anniversaries. It's amazing to think Eladio has been "my Valentine" since we first met in the summer of 1980 - 40 years ago - and that our love is still going strong. Love always needs stoking, so celebrating Valentine's Day is always important. We loved our dinner date at Tinglado.

We came home to find a quiet house. Our guest from the Canaries was in her room  but I wouldn't see her until this morning. Oli and little Elliot came home around midnight but I was too sleepy to greet them and after watching a rather silly old film on TV, I soon fell asleep. I was worried the glass and a half of Rioja I had drunk would give me a headache and it did, but thankfully, not a big one.

Saturday came and I think it was the first or second morning of this week without fog. I can't wait for spring and the good weather to come. The sun shined, brightening my spirits. Elliot too cheered me up as he does every morning he is here. He is so friendly and cheerful, especially first thing in the morning. Saturday was quiet with not much to report. Oli had invited her Uni friend, Anita, for lunch and I was happy to see her again since she recovered from cancer - Hodgkin's disease - and looking much the better. She was the picture of health and happiness. I was glad to hear too that her career in marketing has taken off in the right direction and, as always, she was a pleasure to host. When we last saw Anita, her hair was only beginning to grow. Now it has grown stronger and is curly which she is quite pleased about. She was pleased too to see little Elliot again and as with everyone, he was happy to be held and cuddled by her. Here they are together. What a lovely sight.

Elliot and Anita yesterday

I had to rustle up a decent meal at short notice as I hadn't expected the girls or their friends. So out came my trusted "bitki" (Russian hamburgers or sort of:)) from the deep freeze. I served them with loads of veg which is the custom in our house. Lucy also made lentils so there was plenty of choice.  The girls later went for a long walk with the baby and we slept a short siesta, taking our walk later. Because of the good weather there were many more people than usual. On bad days, it is often just us. The girls left soon after and it was just Eladio and I for a frugal dinner together before TV time in bed on our great big flat screened new smart TV. Last night we watched a lovely talent show, "Prodigios" (prodigy child or children). I'm not a great fan of talent shows but I like this one as it mostly classical with three categories, singing, instruments and dancing (not too keen on the dancing). That had us up till very late and so again I switched off way past midnight and was awake this morning at 5 damned thirty in the morning.

Feeling wide awake I got up at 6.40 and had the kitchen to myself and the dogs of course. If I am up first it's my job to feed them and it's a bit like feeding time at the zoo as they are so anxious hahahahaha.

Today looks like it will be another lovely sunny day. Not so in the UK where a new storm is blowing; Storm Dennis. Nothing is planned so I am looking forward to a quiet Sunday.

I hope you all have a good Sunday. No doubt many of you will have more exciting plans. If you do, I hope you enjoy them. Today is my dear friend Jacky's birthday and who is the same age as me. Jacky is one of my most faithful readers, so I am happy to send her greetings again in this post. I hope you have a great day my friend. I wish the same for you all.

Now it's time to sign off and get on with the day. Cheers till next Sunday,
Masha.

Our winter break in Santa Pola, Aunty Alika and Aunty Mary, Air Canada emergency landing in Madrid, a visit to Biar, home again, death of doctor who warned about Coranavirus, my birthday and other stories.

With Elliot on my birthday yesterday morning

Good morning all.

How have you all been? Well, I hope. I am feeling great after our winter break in Santa Pola and yesterday's birthday celebrations. I can hardly believe I turned 63 yesterday. But let me rewind to last Sunday.

Last Sunday we spent a quiet day at our little apartment on the Costa Blanca which is a small home away from home with most of the creature comforts we need. It's a great bolt hole to escape the colder weather in Madrid. That day while the highest temperature was 18c in the Spanish capital, it was 25c in Santa Pola. Wow, how lovely to welcome proper sunshine and some warmth on our skins and bodies, especially during the winter. 

One of the funny things I read that day was to do with last Sunday's date: 02/02/2020. According to this article, it was a rare palindrome date and there has not been one like it since, It didn't seem like a normal palindrome to me, but more about it in the article above.

The odd palindrome figure for last Sunday's date

 Over the pond it was also Groundhog day and the Superbowl, neither of which mean anything to me at all although both events were on the news.

Of much more interest to me was the digging out of more news from my mother's past with the help of my friend Andy. When WW2 finished, my mother found herself in Austria working for the French Control Commission and when that job, helping displaced people, ended she had to decide where to go. She could not go home to Sofia as Bulgaria was now in the hands of the Communists. Her parents, older sister, Olga, and younger sister Masha, were stuck there as her father, a priest, decided not to escape communist rule and be loyal to his parishioners. He would live to regret the decision and when they did try to get out it was too late. Thus my mother never saw her father again and only saw her sister Olga when they were both old and in their 70s. After much debate she decided not to follow her brother Sasha and sister Daria to Canada, nor her younger brother, Nicki, to France. No, she wanted to go to England to add English to her string of languages; Russian, Bulgarian, French and German and off she went. I knew something of her time in London as a young woman and refugee fending for herself. In order to get residency, as a refugee, she was obliged to do menial work for 2 years and thus she found herself working as a maid and as a cleaner at the Middlesex hospital. Andy reminded me she had told him that the hospital specialised in "hermaprodites". Knowing my mother, I can imagine that appealing to her sense of humour. After this difficult period she found a job with the BBC as a presenter for their Russian and Bulgarian services.

She arrived at Victoria station in London as a young woman, aged about 25 with not a word of English but quite  a bit of courage. The first thing she did was go to the front of a taxi queue only to be told to go to the back. "Queue" was the first word she learned in English. My mother always talked about an Aunty Mary (not an aunt at all) and an Aunty Alika (a distant cousin on the Lieven side) who were Anglo Russian and Russian and her friends in London, Aunty Mary especially. Both must have helped her a lot but with their connections and position I would love to know why she was so penniless in that period. I also know that nearly every penny she earned she sent back to Bulgaria to her family even skimping on public transport. This helped her to get to know the streets of the metropolis, something she was very proud of. Aunty Mary (Mary Britnieva), of English origin (father English, mother Russian) who married a Russian doctor, was a friend of her Uncle Sasha (mother's brother). It was Aunty Mary  who first welcomed my mother in London. She was born in Russia but escaped to England when the revolution came. I remember my mother having a book written by her: "One Woman's story" where, among other things she tells of her life as a nurse on the Russian front in the 1st World War.  I must have read it when I was about 15 and remember being impressed. Amazingly, this week,  I found the book online which I shall read avidly. This is the link.  Her daughter, also Mary,  who married Lord St. Just, was an Anglo Russian actress - not a very good one - according to my mother. The daughter was also a great friend of Tennessee Williams. That must be why Aunty Mary's house was full of friends from the theatre world. My mother remembers people like Michael Redgrave or John Gielgud coming to tea. I gather Aunty Mary was quite eccentric - well the mixture of Russian and English blood often causes that (my case hahahhaa) - but at the same time a wonderful help and  comfort to my mother in those difficult post war years in London.

Aunty Mary as a young nurse on the Russian front during WW1

He also found the mysterious Aunty Alika who figured too during that period of my mother's life. She must have been a friend of Aunty Mary's. My mother always talked about Alika Studd being the wife of the Lord Mayor of London and of having tea at Mansion House. I wanted to know more about her too and Andy found out for me that she was actually an Auntie or rather a distant cousin.

Aunty Alika

Through Andy's research I found out she was born Alexandra Pavlovna, Princess Lieven (1879-1974), so a distant cousin.  How she ended up in London I can only guess. The interesting thing is that she married an Englishman, the cricketer Sir John Edward Kynaston Studd. She was 45 at the time and he was 20 years older! He was the Lord Mayor of London in 1939. I remember my mother telling me that Aunty Alika dressed her in better clothes for tea at Mansion House. I can only imagine my poor mother who never had any dress sense allowing her to do so and finding the situation rather funny.

So, there you have it, more interesting facts about my mother's past. I wonder now why my mother didn't keep up with the two "aunts" after she married my father and formed our family. Maybe she did and I just didn't know about it. 

Andy's findings last Sunday were most interesting and vital to the writing of my mother's book. There is so much we are finding out, it goes on and on and I wonder when I shall actually begin to write. What an amazing past I am unraveling.

My mother who loved the sea and sunshine, would have enjoyed last Sunday when we went down to the beach. However, we were in for a shock to find it nearly completely destroyed by the effects of the recent Storm Gloria which battered the South East of Spain and much of its coast. We couldn't believe the heaps and heaps of dry seaweed instead of clean sand. The width of the beach had narrowed to a quarter of what it was. It was depressing to look at. Here you can see what the beach looks like in a photo I took of Eladio. We wondered how on earth the local authorities were going to be able to deal with that and restore the beach to its former glory at least in time for the Easter season.

Eladio on the destroyed beach

It was pretty difficult walking along the shore but walk along it we did; me in bare feet. We reached the end where people were fishing and I sat on "our rock" to contemplate the horizon and views of the sea and nearby island of Tabarca. That is another  of my favourite places to be. Of course Pippa joined me. As you already know; where I go, she goes and I wouldn't have it any other way.

On my rock on "our beach" last Sunday

It was lovely to be in short sleeves in the warm weather and to breathe in the sea air. It was not so nice to walk on the ugly dry seaweed but we still enjoyed our walk.

We came home to make our lunch, a simple meal of gazpacho and bitki (Russian hamburgers) with artichokes, my favourite vegetable. The rest of the day was spent lazily, watching the news and reading. The sun had gone to the other side of our building in the afternoon so I sat on the terrace, kindle in hand, with a blanket to cover me, enjoying the Churchill biography I am currently reading.

We didn't venture out again and later after supper watched the news, No doubt Aunty Mary, Aunty Alika and my mother would have been horrified to hear about the terrorist attack in Streatham, South London that day. A Muslim fanatic armed with a kitchen knife attacked passsersby randomly, injuring three people until the police caught up with him and shot him dead.  There was no terrorism in England in the 40s and 50s and I'm sure my Mother and her "aunts" would have been horrified at news like this on the streets of London they were so familiar with.

Later we watched a  new programme conducted by a journalist I always like, Jordi Evole. It's about people in prison, famous and not famous and I know I am going to enjoy it. My mother, a past fan of "Prison Break" and who was once in prison herself in Vienna at the hands of the Gestapo, would have been interested too. There was a programme about Brexit afterwards, but being sick of the subject which depresses me, I suggested we continue with our series, "You cannot hide" (Note puedes esconder). We binge watched it on my iPad plus until we nearly finished the series and it was late and time to go to bed.

I woke up at 7.25 (not bad) on Monday morning. It was to be another glorious sunny day.  We decided to drive to the nearest town, Santa Pola. I say our flat is there but in actual fact we are on a cliff about 5km away. We parked at the end of the promenade near the port and walked, basking in the sun towards the centre admiring the boats on our way. We decided on coffee in the main square for old times sake - we do like our traditions - and had it at a little café called Juande. Here I am enjoying the moment.

Enjoying a coffee in the sun in Santa Pola on Monday morning

We couldn't believe how warm it was considering it was the beginning of February. As I have said many times here, the weather in Spain is one of the things I most like about this country. Some of my countrymen must agree as there were plenty of them sitting around and reading tabloids. Eladio commented it was the perfect place to retire to. I'm not sure I want to retire here but I certainly want to spend more time here when the time comes.

Before walking to the sea front, I had to buy some mosquito bite relief cream and a battery for my watch. I was plagued by the "*astards" in October when we last came but didn't expect any in the winter. The pharmacist said there were plenty around. Oh damn them, they always target me.

Our walk on the sea front with Pippa was very enjoyable. When we first bought our apartment in 1999, the year my mother died, we looked at some on the beach front which we actually could have afforded. However we didn't want to be in the town centre as it can get very crowded in the summer but also vital for us was a place with a garden of some sort and a pool. Besides, living in a high rise block, in a flat is something I could not contemplate. We only did that once when we lived in Madrid for 4 years after getting married and we both hated it.  I am a house person and would find living in a high rise block stifling and claustrophobic. They remind me of bee hives. You could argue that our apartment here is a flat too. Ah, but the building is only 4 stories high and all of them have a terraces overlooking the gardens and with views of the sea. But we loved our walk along the sea shore. Again, the beach was partially damaged by Storm Gloria. Even so, some people were bathing in the sea as it was such a balmy day. The temperature reached 25ºc. Here is Eladio with Pippa posing for the camera on our walk that day.

Eladio and Pippa by the sea front in Santa Pola on Monday morning.

On our way home we stopped off at a little shop in Arenales to buy some big juicy, non waxed and locally sourced oranges. The lady who sold them at 0.8 cents a kilo told us they were from her orchard in Orihuela. It's high season for oranges at this time of year and they were delicious.

Locally sourced big juicy oranges

We would have them for dessert for days to come. Lunch was in order when we came home after which we watched the news. I later sat on our lovely terrace reading my book and from time to time consulting my mobile. It was at around 5 pm I read that an Air Canada 767 Boeing, destination Ottawa,  with 128 passengers and 5 crew members on board, was circling over Madrid. It had taken off at around 3 pm and suffered the puncture of one of its tyres the remains of which had gone into one of the engines and damaged the undercarriage. The pilot had no other option than to return to Madrid and make an emergency landing. However, in order to do so he had to get rid of much of the fuel. That could be up to 10 tons of fuel which you can't just dump over a city. Thus he had to fly round and round the city and the outskirts for 4 hours. He had enough fuel to get to Canada, so to burn even more he had to rev the engines and witnesses said the noise was horrendous. He also flew really low scaring many who lived in houses below.  As soon as we heard about the incident, we switched on the TV and sat glued to the screen with bated breath until the 767 landed at just after 7 pm.  Our thoughts were with the passengers on board who must have been pretty terrified. Many of them used their mobile phones while flying over the city and were in touch with their loved ones. Many posted photos and comments on the atmosphere on board which was tense but calm.  I'm sure that helped calm both them and their families down. It's the not knowing that is most worrying in a situation like this so thumbs up to the pilot and his team for keeping everyone informed and for letting the passengers use their phones. Thankfully the emergency landing procedure was successful and all was well that ended well. Later the Minister of Transport, praised the efforts of the emergency team's impeccable coordination which was obvious to all who were following the story.

The Air Canada Boeing 767 after its emergency landing on Tuesday evening at Madrid airport

Everyone was relieved, especially the airport authorities. It had been a complicated day for Madrid Barajas airport not just because of the Air Canada flight but also because in the morning a private drone had caused chaos and the delay of many flights. Not a good day for flying from Madrid I have to conclude.

It was amazing to watch the whole story live on TV, especially the landing. So thumbs too to modern technology for that. Later thanks to technology -  my iPad, hotspot wifi sharing and video streaming - we finished the series "You cannot hide" (we loved it) and started watching season 2 of "Vivir sin permiso" (Unauthorised living) which would keep us entertained all week.

Tuesday came and I was up again at 7.30 am. I had several whatsapp messages but the one I liked best was from Olivia of little Elliot and his father. He has such an impish look on his face doesn't he? No doubt he will be quite a character.

Father and son - little Elliot with an impish look on his face. 

It was on Tuesday that we decided to visit the small town of Biar about an hour's drive north of Santa Pola. It is on several lists of the prettiest villages in the province of Alicante and is famous for its castle. We also had another motive to visit Biar. I have a friend or rather ex colleague who lives there, Isabel. She once worked for my PR agency, Burson Marsteller, when I was the Communications Director of Motorola more than 20 years ago. Not so long after that she upped and left the corporate life of Madrid to restore an old house belonging to a family member on the outskirts of Biar and turn it into a "rural" hotel. So our visit would not only be visiting Biar but also a reunion with Isabel who I remember very fondly as one of the best Accoùnt Managers of all the PR agencies that worked for me.

Biar is a small village with some 3.600 inhabitants, very much inland and in the mountains which on Tuesday were populated with almond trees in flower making a very pretty site. Many many towns in Alicante have castles from the era of the Moors and the Reconquering of Spain. There are some 200 castles built either by the Arab leaders of Christian monarchs. The castle in Biar was built by the Arabs in the 12th century and was an important part of the town's defence until the famous King Jaume I of Aragon conquered it after a six month siege. The castle was also key in the wars between Castille and Aragon in the 14th and 15th century. As we approached the small town we could see how it dominates the landscape as it stands majestically on the top of the hill.

The castle of Biar from afar

The castle close up

Biar is known for its pottery, oil and its name has something to do with bees so no doubt honey too. We didn't find any oil but before going I had looked up where to buy pottery. The pottery shop (Cerámica Maestre) is on the outskirts and that's where we went first.

The pottery shop outside Biar

Eladio and I have a big collection of salad sized bowls which we have sourced during many of our travels and in Biar we bought yet another one to grace our home. We also bought a special plate for turning over omelettes, vital for making a good tortilla. This was for Olivia and Miguel.

From Cerámica Maestre we drove into the old town which was not easy as many of the little roads leading into the centre were cut off. We managed however to park near the main square, Plaza de la Constitución. Here we had a coffee at a bar and restaurant, La Fasana, recommended to us by Isabel.

Plaza de la Constitución - Bar Fasana is just to the right.

It was nearly 1 pm by then and the barman told us wrongly that the castle closed at 1, so we drank our coffee quickly and rushed out to walk up the steep hill to the castle. The lady at the door told us later that it actually closes at 1.45, so there was no need for the rush. It was a very steep climb to the castle and an even steeper climb up the old stone steps to the top of the tower, but well worth it as the views were amazing. The entrance ticket was just 1 euro each. At first the lady said "no pets" but when we persuaded her by saying that we would hold Pippa in our arms, she relented. In any case the steps were so steep Pippa with her little legs would not have been able to climb them hahahaha.

View from the castle

Here she is with Eladio at the top, not that she could see much hahaha.

Eladio and Pippa at the top of the castle

It was a glorious sunny day as you can see from the photos and we wore clad in short sleeves most of the time. In Santa Pola mercury reached 28c that day although the temperatures would plummet on Wednesday.

When we had had our fill of the views, we walked down the old stone steps with great care - I am a bit clumsy and have a tendency to fall hahahhaa - and enjoyed the views of the castle on our way down. Eladio took a few photos and here is one I quite like of myself.

Outside the castle of Biar

We walked down some steep and charming streets to reach the centre of the town again, all of them well kempt and adorned with lots of flowers and plants.

Eladio and Pippa walking down a pretty street from the castle with Pippa

We reached the main square again which is dominated by the church, The Church of Our Lady. No pets were allowed of course so we took turns to go in. Built in the 15th and 16th century it was like a mini cathedral inside.

The church of Our Lady in Biar

When it was my turn to go in, I nearly missed the jewel of the crown of the church. Thanks to a local man who was visiting too, I got to see the restored Chapel of Communion and oh what a jewel. The man was a great guide and explained all there was to know about both the church and the chapel. Later I went outside to get Eladio to come in and see it too as he had missed it - we had to tie Pippa to a post outside.

The impressive chapel of communion in the church of Biar

The church itself is of late gothic style but the chapel, built later, is of a style known in Spain as "churrigueresco" which is very very ornate. It is late Baroque but a very Spanish version of it. I could have stayed all morning listening to our impromptu guide explaining all the symbolism of its art. We found it magnificent. However, we heard from him that these days very few people go to church, as is typical now in Spain and in many parts of the world. He said there were only about 30 regular parishioners.

Thanking our guide for his time and explanations we continued our visit of this pretty little village or town. We walked along the main street, Calle Mayor, passing numerous steep and pretty streets until we reached the Paseo del Plátano (banana walk if you want hahaha). The "plátano" tree has nothing to do with bananas though and is similar to the London Plane. From here we went in search of a restaurant called Serreta again recommended to us by Isabel. We had a so-so menu of the day but enough to survive on. Later we killed time before heading to see my friend and by chance came across another landmark of Biar, a 250 year old "plátano" tree that gives its name to the street. It is not only 250 years old, it is the largest of its kind in the whole of the region of Valencia and is apparently one of the main meeting points of the village. Being winter of course it wasn't at its best and no doubt looks magnificent in spring. I had to have a photo of that too and Eladio  kindly posed.

The 250 year old "plátano" tree a symbol of Biar

We weren't due to meet my friend until 4 pm so had about half an hour to kill  and after visiting the park by the tree above, we ambled back to the main square and sat by the church on an old wall soaking in the sun.

The hotel (Mas Fontanelles) is about 4km outside the village and we drove along fields populated with more pretty almond trees in flower, We soon found it as there were plenty of signs for it and it's on the main road. We pulled up just outside the very impressive looking old house which was built 200 years ago by Isabel's family.

The Mas Fontanelles hotel owned by my friend Isabel

We loved it as soon as we saw it. Isabel opened the door for us and it was quite a shock to see a friend I hadn't seen for 20 years. She is now 57 and I am 63 and a lot has happened to us both in between. Thus there was much to catch up on. She showed us around the magnificent installations and what a big place it is. The house itself measures about 1000 square metres, has 9 beautiful bedrooms and is located in 8.000 m2 of grounds. After 20 years running quite a successful family business, Isabel and her Italian husband, Roberto, are now thinking of taking another path in life and thus the hotel is on sale. If you are interested it costs around 900k euros!

We spent a lovely two hours or so at this quaint hotel in the middle of nowhere yet in beautiful surroundings. Sitting in her great big lounge with the fire on, we reminisced on the Motorola days. Isabel reminded me of our press trip to Scotland when we stayed at the amazing Gleneagles hotel and of a trip to Mallorca for a cycling race. What fun times. We could have talked until midnight but we had to leave before it got dark. We also had to have a photo together and Eladio obliged.

Isabel and I 20 years later

We said our goodbyes and Isabel and I vowed to keep in touch. We certainly will, I know, as it was lovely to see her again.

The drive back was quick and uneventful and soon we were in our apartment making dinner. Again we watched our latest series on my iPad until it was time for bed.

I woke up at 7.45 on Wednesday morning after a really good night's sleep. No doubt the sun and mountain air of Biar had done me the world of good. The weather had changed as per the forecast and that day the temperatures dropped by 10º and rain threatened. Eladio suggested we go home and that's what we did. We didn't have much cleaning to do as we had left the apartment in a very good condition on our last visit. Thus at about 11.15 we were set to go, except that I had one last thing to do and that was to visit the English supermarket across the way called Quicksave. There I bought some decaf tea for me and lots of things for my father: Yorkshire tea, Imperial Leather soap, lots of biscuits including classic "jammy dodgers" as well as some of his favourite sweets - bounty bar, turkish delight, milky way, galaxy chocolate, etc. Ah and then I spotted some Cadbury chocolate creme eggs and couldn't resist getting some for Suzy and I as we both adore them. I planned to eat one on my birthday and the other on Easter Day.

The roads were quiet, it was sunny and by 2.15 we were just 125km from Madrid when we stopped off for lunch at a place we have been before; Mesón San José in a village called Zafra de Záncara. There we had a splendid meal which was a little expensive but worth it. We were home by 5ish to greet my father, Lucy and of course the other dogs. My father was delighted with his bounty of chocolate, etc and after thanking me, immediately asked me for "my blog". He meant he wanted a printed copy of last Sunday's. He is my number one reader and fan and I instantly obliged.

While Lucy was unpacking all the food, etc including my Nespresso machine (won't go anywhere without it), I unpacked our clothes and my pillow which I take everywhere too.  With the job finished I saw just what lovely weather it was outside and decided to go on my walk. Eladio refrained. No doubt he was tired after all the driving. I thanked him for his chauffering efforts and set off with Pippa wearing my headphones and listening to one of my favourite play lists on Spotify. It was about 15ºc and sunny so no need for a coat. We were home by about 7ish which gave me some time to read (my Churchill biography) and also get one of the rooms ready or rather supervise its readiness (thanks Lucy) before our new guests arrived. Gelia and Manuel from Barcelona who had been here in October arrived at around 8 pm. It felt like seeing old friends again. They had come to see their son who lives and works nearby at the Santander bank world HQ.

It was lovely to have dinner on our own in the kitchen watching the news on my iPad. We were shocked to see another plane making an emergency landing, or rather a skidded landing in bad weather. A plane run by a budget airline, Pegasus, had crashed on landing in Turkey. The aircraft split into three. Miraculously there were only 3 fatalities but a lot of people injured. The big news that day of course was the non impeachment of the one and only D. Trump. But that was expected of course. Coronavirus continued to dominate the headlines with increasing numbers of those dying and those infected and the spread of the virus abroad. That day we heard how the Tokyo Olympic games may be affected as well as the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in a few week's time where of course many many Chinese people and companies participate. The South Korean giant, LG, has already pulled out. All the Chinese companies taking part will put their employees into quarantine for two weeks both before and after the event.

It was good to continue watching our latest series (Sin permiso para vivir) on Neftlix on our great big TV screen rather than on my iPad.

I woke up on Thursday at about 7 - not bad. I had the kitchen to myself with the dogs of course which is a moment in the day I always treasure. I spent most of the morning on research for my mother's book - all very enlightening but I wasn't doing what I should have been doing which is correcting the tape transcriptions.

All in all Thursday was a quiet day except for the acting world. That day saw the news of the death of Kirk Douglas, aged 103, of Spartacus fame. Of course, he is also the father of Michael Douglas. I have to say I loved that film which is eternal.

The news in Spain was of the much awaited meeting between the Spanish PM, Pedro Sánchez and the head of the Catalán government, Quim Torra whose presidency is a bit questioned after he lost his local parliamentary status. It was supposed to be the beginning of talks and dialogue but any success will be conditioned by Torra's demands for a referendum. So our Catalan issue continues. Ever since I have lived in Spain and that's a while ago now - since 1981 - the Catalan independence issue has dominated politics in this country and will no doubt continue to do so. It's our Brexit and like Brexit it divides society.

It was cold on our walk that afternoon but at least the sun came out. Suzy joined us as she did for dinner too. That night we binge watched 3 whole episodes of our series. Eladio says we waste our time. I say I like to be entertained and have any worries taken off my mind. Thus we didn't hear our latest guest arrive.

Friday came, the eve of my birthday and it was a quiet day. I spent most of the day correcting the transcriptions of my mother's tapes and I am embarrassed to say I only finished tape 1 which has 19 pages. I now have to continue with 11 more transcriptions which is going to take me ages. Of great interest that day was a link Andy came up with that describes the life of my mother's family at their "Spasskoye" estate in Voskrosenk (about an hour from Moscow). From it,  I learned more about the lives of my mother's Aunt Masha and Uncle Petr; her father's sister and brother. In this article from a local newspaper, Masha is remembered for her "beauty, her cheerful disposition, for her willfulness. They remembered that she loved to offer food to peasants such as sweets on trays". In notes on my mother's family, my mother recounts how as a young girl at her first ball, her pearl necklace snapped and broke with all the pearls falling everywhere. She was so embarrassed she said that not to worry they would be swept up the next morning! Imagine!

The Lieven family home in Voskrosenk 

I knew that "Aunty Masha" had married a famous Russian violinist, Julius Conus, but had no idea about the story of her marriage. It turns out he taught the three children music and how to play the violin. Well,  Masha ,who was 20 or so years younger, fell in love with their tutor but of course, being a princess, their love could have no future and besides he was already married and had two children. Masha eloped, something very daring in those times. She took her horse and in front of her servant told him "take the horse, I'm not coming back". Thankfully I read that over time her mother, my great grandmother, Alexandra Petrovna Lieven née Visilichikova, forgave her daughter and built her a spacious wooden house near the Spasskoe estate called the Dubki estate. Under the soviets it was burned down.

Aunty Masha who married Julius Conus and her mother, my great grandmother, in Paris in exile years later

I read a bit about Julius Conus and found out he was actually French born, hence his surname. I also read he studied the violin at the Moscow Conservatory receiving a gold medal in 1888. Interestingly too, he studied composition along with Tchaikovsky!

Julius Conus, the Franco Russian violinist and composer and my great uncle

So I spent most of the day immersed in research for my mother's book. At lunch time I asked my father if he remembered "Aunty Mary" and he said "oh yes, Mary Britnieva". He told me how he and Mummy spent quite a lot of time in London after their wedding and that they went to her house in Brompton on several occasions. His memory is all there.

Of note we went for our much needed walk of the day and joy of joys the sun was out.  We went quite late enjoying the light until sunset which is now at about 7 pm. In most parts of Europe sunset is much earlier. One of the things I love most about Spain are the long hours of sunlight.

Sunset on our walk on Thursday

Dinner was a quiet affair and we didn't go out even though it was Friday night as the next day we would spend most of my birthday eating hahahahaa. As to the news, it was again dominated by the spread of the coronavirus. That day, the Swedish telecoms equipment giant, Ericsson,  announced its withdrawal from the Mobile World Congress to take place in Barcelona at the end of this month. That is big coming from perhaps the largest participant at the fair, the biggest of its kind in the industry. Wow! I can only imagine how hard it must have been to take that decision but the decision was taken because the Swedish company cannot not guarantee the health of its employees or guests to their gigantic stand. Will that create a domino effect I wonder? Well, maybe and it comes after the decision of the South Korean firm LG who also announced pulling out this week. I have attended the MWC for many years and I know for a fact that a large majority of delegates and visitors come from China, so there you are. On Friday I felt a little guilty about discrimination towards the Chinese myself when I cancelled a reservation at an Asian Chinese restaurant where we had planned to celebrate my birthday on Saturday night. Both Eladio and Suzy warned me not to go there, especially with little Elliot. Perhaps the decision was a little radical and it wasn't mine.

On the subject of the Coranavirus, it was on Friday that we heard the young Chinese Doctor, Li Wenliang had died of the virus. He was the first person to detect the virus many weeks before it became official and was punished for "spreading rumours" and told to stop making false comments.  The Chinese government most obviously were trying to keep the epidemic a secret. If only they had listened to him and taken action immediately. If they had, no doubt the spread of the virus could have been largely stopped. If we are being told that the mortality rate is similar to common flu and the symptoms too, I am wondering how a young and healthy man died of it. Does that mean it is more deadly than we are being told? In very controlled China vs a vs public opinion, the normally hesitant population has shown its fury at the reaction of their government to this very brave doctor.  That perhaps is the only good news to come out of this sad story.

The young Chinese Doctor, Li Wenliang, who died yesterday was the first person to detect the virus. 

That night 3 new guests arrived and a little later Oli, Miguel and little Elliot too. They were coming so as to be here for my birthday breakfast the next day. I hadn't seen my grandson for a week and it was amazing to see how he had grown since. He now weighs over 8 kilos! Earlier in the day Oli sent us  a photo of him in more new clothes. Here he is wearing denims - how sweet is that? - and a new puffer or quilted waistcoat. I love how Oli dresses him; always so smart and fashionable hahahaha.

Smart little Elliot in his new puffer waistcoat and his jeans and boots 

When they came we were watching one of the last episodes of "Vivir sin permiso" (Living without authorisation) and did so until way past midnight. I slept fitfully and was awake far too early. Similar to when I was a child, I think it was because I was a little excited about it being my birthday the next day. We love birthdays in our house and always celebrate them together with cards, a cake, presents and family meals. That's just what we did on Saturday when I turned 63 ("core blimey")

Saturday 8th February finally came and I turned 63. How can that be true? I don't feel 63 but of course I am.  My commiseration is that I feel good for my age and who wouldn't feel good with the life I have where I couldn't ask for more? I would be greedy if I did. On my birthday I was surrounded by those I love most, my beautiful family: my father, Eladio, my darling girls, little Elliot and his father Miguel. They were with me all day and made it extra special as did all the messages that kept coming through all day long.

I was busying myself laying the table for breakfast when in came little Elliot carrying a great big balloon with the words "wonderful grandma". It melted my heart and I had to hold my darling grandson for a picture of the moment.

Elliot's present to me

I wondered where Oli had got the balloon in English. It transpired, that once again my friend Joanne who was once one of my Airbnb guest, was the culprit. Dear Joanne has sent us so many beautiful things for so many of our special occasions that it is overwhelming. Earlier this month she had been in touch with Oli about the balloon which she sent especially from England for my birthday. She also sent a "card from Elliot" and even asked my daughter what my preference was vs a vs my name as a grandmother which is "grandma". Most people call their grandmothers "granny" so no doubt it wasn't easy to find a balloon with the word grandma. Thank you so much my dear. I was really touched.

Breakfast was wonderful and I was touched again by my lovely presents; small gold stud earrings from Eladio and my father, a much needed coffee and water flask from Suzy and a huge set of thick white towels from Zara Home from Oli and Miguel.

But the day had just begun and was going to get even better. The birthday menu for lunch was one of our favourite meals; fish and chips with mushy peas. Lucy made the crispy chips and I did the beer battered fish and the peas. It was all much appreciated by everyone. We hardly ever have chips, not to mention fish in batter, so it was a real treat.

Fish and chips was my chosen meal for our birthday lunch

The piece de resistance though was of course the cake. It always is on birthdays at our house and in the last few years we always go for a fruity one covered in white chocolate made by the local cake shop, Alverán. This is it.

My birthday cake

And here I am about to blow out the candles. I tried to change the numbers from 63 to 36 but didn't have much luck. The flowers, by the way, were from Zena, my father's trusted Ukrainian carer.

The cake moment

We had to stagger away from the table after such a copious but delicious lunch and all went to have a siesta. Poor Suzy didn't have a room to go to as hers was occupied by guests. Thus she went to the TV lounge and was later joined by Pippa.

Suzy and Pippa having a siesta

My birthday was all about food; how greedy we are. If were to face dinner out that night we were all in need of a brisk walk so out we went together at around 6 pm when it was still light.

I had booked a table at Casa Iván, one of our local favourites. It's also the restaurant where we had the farewell dinners for my great friend Fátima (RIP) with her ex Motorola and ex Nokia colleagues. I hadn't been back since and would remember her throughout the night. Her sister, Gloria, rang to say happy birthday that morning and told me just how much she misses her beloved sister. I too miss my beloved friend. This will be my first birthday without her in many years. Julio, Fátima and I (the 3 musketeers) always celebrated our birthdays with a lunch out together and an exchange of presents. I shall miss that beautiful tradition.

I turned my mind to more positive thinking and enjoyed the meal although little Elliot played up a bit hahaha. We all took it in turns to hold and entertain him. None of us was very hungry so we just had a first course, or rather we shared 5 first courses between us and 2 desserts. It was all accompanied by a lovely bottle of Rioja wine called "Letargo" which means lethargy in English hahaha but it didn't leave me lethargic!

All good things come to an end and we got up and left the restaurant at around 11 pm all going our separate ways. Suzy was going to see her friend Mónica and Oli and Miguel were going back to their flat. All in all it had been a wonderful day and a wonderful birthday. As I said above, what else can I ask for?

Today will be a quiet day without the girls and little Elliot but we shall see them again tomorrow night I think.

Who knows what the week will bring? Good things to all of us I hope.

On that note, I shall leave you now and get on with the day. Cheers till next week,
Masha