My birthday, an interview in Brighton, a red letter day for Suzy, a reunion in Brussels, remembering George, a day in Bruges and other stories.

Sunday 14^th February 2016

Breakfast on my birthday on Monday, surrounded by my presents. 

Hi everyone, well what a wonderful week it has been.  It began with a bang, my birthday being on Monday.  But as I left off last Sunday morning, let me start with Sunday 7^th Feb.

We had a lovely family lunch.  That morning I cooked a sort of coq au vin, making up the recipe as I went along.  The proof is in the pudding or so they say and as the family ate it all and complimented me, I knew it was a success.  Oh how I love cooking when I have plenty of time on my hands.  It’s so rewarding and therapeutic. 

That afternoon I had a long chat on the phone with Suzy.  She was full of news and seems to have turned the corner towards a more positive outlook. Life has not been easy for her in London but it seems now that all her efforts may soon be pulling off or so I hope.  She has been having interviews with a successful food supplement firm and is the process is down to the last 2 candidates and she was to have the last interview on Monday in Brighton, that lovely seaside town outside London, famous for its pier and pavilion.

She and Gabor have finally found new tenants for their room in their flat in South Bermondsey.  They have parted amicably and Suzy and three friends, including Anita, Oli’s Uni friend, were planning to move into a house together. They found one in Camden town in North London and were waiting for the ok from the landlords on Monday. I was hoping my birthday would bring luck to Suzy both for the house and for the job.

And Monday 8^th came and it was my 59^th birthday, the last year of my 50s.  I will be 60 next year.  How did the time pass?  How can I be this old?  But I am and don’t feel 59.  In fact I feel splendid and on top of the world. I really do think it's true that the new 50's are the old 40's and in my case the new 60's are the old 50's as when women my age when I was a child looked positively ancient.  Today women look after themselves better and look much younger, thanks mostly to the way they dress and die their hair, as opposed to leaving it grey.  In my case I am surrounded by young people at work and of course have two beautiful young daughters who help make me stay young, or at least young looking.  It's a compliment to me every time my girls want to borrow my clothes!

The day started as tradition dictates in this house with a family breakfast with Eladio, my Father and Oli who was thankfully starting late that morning.  In the photo illustrating this post I am with Pippa opening my presents.

They were lovely ones; the pearls and perfume I bought myself from Eladio and my Father and a hamper of The Body Shop mango scented set which I love. There were also two cards, one from the family and one from Jacky who I hope will be reading this.

My present from Oli and Miguel duly placed on one of my bathroom shelves.

It was just after breakfast that we received a message from Suzy to say they had got the house. Monday was soon turning into a great day for my darling daughter. The good news is that she will be moving to a nicer area, will be sharing with friends and above all will have her own room.  I’m so happy for her.  Oli and I can’t wait to go and stay after they move in on the 20^th of this month.

I looked it up on google maps and this is what one of the houses on their street looks like, very London I must say.  It’s nice they will have the whole house to themselves, including a terrace as well as 2 full bathrooms, a bit of a luxury for houses for rent in the British capital but then it’s been fully refurbished, so that’s why there is probably more than one bathroom. 

The street in Camden where Suzy will be moving to on 20th February

As Oli still had some time before she had to go into work, the three of us with the three dogs went for our walk which I would repeat a bit later that morning before lunch.

Lunch was homemade fish and chips, a family favourite.  I made the fish with beer batter and it was delicious.  Of course there was a cake afterwards, another favourite of mine, fruit, chocolate and cream from Alveran, a nice bakery in Boadilla.  Here I am just before my Father and Eladio sang Happy Birthday.

The birthday cake moment after lunch

Meanwhile Suzy was in Brighton for her last interview with the fish oil supplement company, Bare Biology which she thought had gone quite well. We would only know the outcome the next day.  She decided to make a day of it and enjoy Brighton and went to the pier of course as well as the famous streets, North Street and the Lanes (thanks Lorraine for reminding us of the street names on the go via whatsapp while she was thereJ)  Here she is by the pier where it was extremely windy as Lorraine had warned.

Suzy in blustery Brighton where she went for her interview on Monday, my birthday

That night as birthday tradition in this family again dictates, we went out to dinner.  Oli joined us and we chose to go to La Txitxarerría where Oli and I devoured this amazing piece of steak with delicious chips.  Eladio, as usual chose fish. 

Steak and chips for my birthday dinner at La Txitxarerría with Oli and Eladio 

All in all it was a super birthday, quiet but nice.  Next year I promise I will do something big to celebrate my 60^th.  I should add my thanks here to so many friends who sent me birthday greetings mostly on facebook, whatsapp and by email.  I got one lone phone call which shows how much we have changed in the way we communicate around birthdays.  It was from my dear friend Julio and very much appreciated.  As I answered his call at breakfast, Eladio commented I would be in need of a secretary that day.  He made me laugh out loud, hahahaha.  But no I read them all and personally answered as many as I could; there were more than 200!!!  And I was very touched by them all. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Tuesday came and it was cold and blustery on my walk.  I fasted all day as I would on Wednesday too before leaving for Brussels on Thursday. My morning was brightened up by the post which brought Suzy’s card and present with it.  Thanks darling so much.

Suzy's card and present arrived on Tuesday 

Tuesday was a blustery and cold day; poor Pippa was nearly blown over by the strong wind.  It was not the best day of the week as I had a migraine in the afternoon and had to cancel the meeting with my PR team that afternoon.  It was Pancake Tuesday (mardi gras / carnival) but I was passing on pancakes that night owing to my fasting.  I think neither Eladio nor Olivia even realized. 

If Tuesday was not a good day, Tuesday night was the best moment of the week.  It was when we heard from Suzy that she had got the job as Sales Representative for Bare Biology.  We were so pleased for her.  In the end it probably all boiled down to her wonderful personality; i.e. getting the house and the job but I like to think my birthday brought her a bit of luck.  Bare Biology is a unique supplement company set up by Melanie Lawson in Brighton which sells the best Omega 3 fish oil product called Lion Heart which is even sold at Liberty in London. It is just starting but doing extremely well.  The food supplement industry is getting bigger and bigger and I wish both Bare Biology and my darling Suzy the very best of luck. 

Bare Biology's Lion Heart Omega 3 fish oil

I love their website, but was especially impacted by the owner’s blog and the article on the day in her life as a mother of 3 small kids and an entrepreneur.  Oli and I read it and it had us in stitches.  If you have a moment, enjoy the read here.

Wednesday was a quiet day.  It was windy and cold on my walks but thankfully it didn't rain.  It was so windy that when I went to the hairdressers for a blow dry for Brussels I had to put a headscarf on to protect my hairdo.  I wasn't sure how long it would last in Belgium as rain was forecast.

Finally Thursday came, the day of our flight to Brussels.  We would be staying with Sandra, my great friend from Nottingham University and her American boyfriend Jeffer. Actually we would be sleeping at her Mother, Magda's flat, which is in the same block as Sandra's. Adele, our other bosom friend from Nottingham, would be coming on Friday with her French psychiatrist husband Bernard. The last time the 6 of us were together was at our home in Madrid in May 2014 so there was lots to catch up on.  It was going to be a fabulous 3 days away from home with our friends.

We were up at 5, left the house at 6, drove to the car park at my office and from there took a taxi to the airport.  Our flight was leaving at 08.50 and arriving in Brussels at 11.50 where dear Sandra would be picking us up.

It was sunny when we arrived and as soon as we exited the airport there was my darling friend Sandra who I can only describe as my soul sister.  We are so alike.  If possible she is even more bubbly than me and the most fun person to be with.  She just bursts with personality and charisma.  She remarked that even if it had been 1.5 years since we had seen each other, it didn't feel like that and she was right.  We just carried on from where we had left off.  It's always like that with her.

Sandra, my soul sister.  She's so special.

She drove us to her home in Fort Jaco, a leafy suburb of Brussels.  Up we went to her delightful and comfy flat where Jeffer her partner and Barney their new dog greeted us. It was our first meeting with little Barney and he is also lots of fun; a true lap dog like Pippa.

Little Barney.

A year ago Sandra's Mother, Magda came to live here from London and lives in the flat one floor below her daughter.  Eladio and I were to be staying with Magda in her equally beautiful flat in an ensuite bedroom with a balcony which was very comfortable.  It was good to see in what good form Magda is at the age of 90; amazing.  She was very welcoming and we found her making shepherd's pie for dinner that night.  It is a privilege to know Magda who is originally from Hungary and a Jewess who survived the Holocaust being hidden with her Mother by a local woman.  There are not many survivors like her left, so it's always very special to meet her.



Our friends Adele and Bernard were not arriving until Friday so the plan for Thursday was lunch and shopping at the recently opened M+S on the Waterloo Boulevard, one of Brussel's swankiest avenues. Indeed it was.  Lunch was good but the fish and chips Eladio and I had were not as good as those served in the UK; although I wasn't complaining. It was just great to be there.

Sandra and Eladio - lunch at M+S on the day of our arrival.

I wanted to shop; Eladio was more reluctant. He cannot understand my fixation with M+S.  However I was able to persuade him to try some jeans on and buy them.  He was then sent out for a walk on the Waterloo Boulevard and we had one hour to shop till we dropped hahaha. And indeed we did, including a trolley loaded with stuff from the food store, some to consume here and some to take home; e.g. battenberg cake, my favourite.



We came home to a cup of tea with Magda after which Eladio and I rested, or rather I unpacked, set up my pc and dealt with all my emails.



Dinner was at 8 at Sandra's.  The table was beautifully laid and we sat down to a delicious and enjoyable dinner together; friends catching up and enjoying being together.

Sitting down to dinner at Sandra's flat on Thursday night.

I think the wine and Belgian chocolates finished us off, me at least and by 9.30 both Eladio and I were ready for bed.  It had been a long day and we were very tired and Friday would be another intensive day when our other friends arrived.



Friday 12th was also my dear brother George's birthday, a date I can never forget.  He would have been in his element with us in Brussels as he spoke English, French and Spanish. He also spoke good German and could get by in Russian.  The other day Eladio commented how lucky I was to be bilingual.  I thought about it and replied that actually I was nothing compared to George or my parents, who spoke many more than I did. I still regret my Mother never having taught us Russian and I also regret never having learned French properly.  I can understand a lot of it and get by too but it's not good enough.  In any case when the 6 of us are together we always speak English, although of course there are odd incursions into both French and Spanish.  What I do love about our group though is the mix of nationalities and languages; Hungarian, Italian, French, English and Spanish. Both George and I were brought up on a totally multi cultured childhood and I think I have passed this on to my girls who love it too.



Anyway, back to our stay in Brussels.  On Friday morning I was up early, had a cup of coffee at Magda's lovely flat and wrote my blog. This week I wouldn't be able to write it on Sunday, so instead I wrote a bit each morning so it would be ready for publishing on Sunday from Belgium.

The view from Magda's terrace

Magda's open space flat, very similar to Sandra's.

 Eladio and I went down to Sandra's flat at around 8.30 and enjoyed a super breakfast with them.  Then it was time for a walk with Sandra, Jeffer and little Barney in the forest in Fort Jaco.  It was a great morning, crisp, sunny and no rain,  The weather forecast men got it wrong. There was rain forecast for the entire weekend, but on Thursday and Friday it was dry.

The walk in the forest on Friday morning.

Soon it was time for Sandra and I to go and pick up Adele and Bernard who would be arriving by train from Orleans where they live, changing trains in Paris where they would take the high speed train to Brussels which takes just 1.15h.  We picked them up at 11.30 and it was a joy to see and greet them.  We hugged as if it had been 10 years and not 2 since we saw them last. As with Sandra, we picked up with Adele just as if it had been yesterday.  They were smiling and in great form, looking forward to being together just as we were.



We went back to the flat for more greetings, as well as our traditional exchange of presents too!  Then we were off again. This time we took the bus into Brussels.

On the bus together. I couldn't remember the last time I had been on one.

As you can see in the photo Barney came with us.  Dogs here are allowed on public transport and into shops and restaurants too.  Spain is far less friendly about dogs in public places. The other day I was delighted to read that the new left wing Mayoress of Madrid had announced dogs would be allowed on the metro.  Hurrah I thought.  Then I read the small print.  Yes, they are allowed on but not at peak times.  Then, they have to be muzzled and are allowed only in the last carriage which I thought was pathetic.



Our destination was the area of Chatlaine.  It's a market area but it wasn't on when we went.  Adele and Bernard, being the museum types, visited the Horta house and museum whilst the rest of us walked the streets. Jeffer commented he had been there 5 times!   No way were we visiting the usual sites such as the Grande Place, although Eladio told me secretly he would have loved to.  There are some nice shops in Chatlaine and I bought 2 lovely scarves for Oli and I.  We met again at a splendid cafe which also sells home ware called Lulu.  Here we enjoyed coffee and tea and sundry cakes.

Coffee and cake at Lulu in Chatlaine.

Then it was time to go back as Sandra had to pick up her Mother from the Bridge club.  We also had to purchase the ingredients Magda would need to make us Hungarian goulash for Saturday night.



We were having an Indian take away for dinner from an Indian catering company that serves the very typical Indian tiffin lunch boxes. But before we sat down to dinner, there was time for an aperitif. Eladio took this photo of us enjoying some champagne Adele and Bernard had brought from Brussels to celebrate our reunion.

Aperitif time before our Indian dinner on Friday night.

The guys wanted a picture of the 3 girls together and here is one of the results. It's amazing to think we have now known each other for 40 years and that are friendship is still going so strong. That's the great thing about school and university, the life long friends you make.  I do just wish we lived closer and saw each other more often as I consider them among my closest friends.

Sandra left, me and Adele right.  Friends since our University days at Nottingham where we graduated in 1980.

Soon Jeffer who is very domestic, had the table laid with all the tiffin boxes laid out and we all got excited when we saw the array of amazing dishes.

Our Indian tiffin lunch box dinner on Friday night at Sandra's

It actually looked better than it tasted but even so we ate most of it.  The best thing was our being together. The M+S strawberry trifle I had bought for dessert was also disappointing.  Only Adele, Eladio and I were trifle fans and this was not up to M+S standard. The jelly hadn't set, there was not much fruit and I never found the finger biscuits inside hahaha.



Eladio and I went to bed early and were disappointed we could not watch Netflix outside Spain. Instead I continued with the book I started recently.  It's called Whiteout and is Ken Follett's latest.

On Saturday we were going to Bruges.  Eladio was really keen to go and so was I. Bruges, the medieval city of bridges is the capital and largest city of West Flanders and is a bit like a miniature Amsterdam with its canals and bridges.  It is called Bruges in English and French,  Brugge in Flemish and Brujas in Spanish. We set off in 2 cars and arrived at around midday. It was bitterly cold and unfortunately began to rain just as we arrived. We had to park the two cars which wasn't easy and met up in the beautiful Grand Place.  It seems all big Belgian towns have one.

Eladio in the Grand Place of Bruges on Saturday with the horse and carriages behind him.

The Grand Place is best known for its belfry tower, as is Bruges really and it can be seen from most view points in the city.

The Belfry in the Grand Place

But it was the lovely coloured Dutch type houses that caught my attention.  They can be seen on most of the biscuit tins on sale in Belgium.  Here I am below in front of the pretty houses.

Me, very warmly dressed up, by the pretty coloured houses in the Grand Place in Bruges

After the Grand Place our destination was the church of Our Lady to see the Madonna and child (pietà) statue by Michael Angelo.  We walked through pretty streets bustling with tourists from all over the world and went past numerous canals and walked over some of the countless bridges to get there.

Sandra and I by one of the countless bridges overlooking the canal in Bruges

We soon got to the church of Our Lady and went in to see the work of art by Michael Angelo created in 1504.  I thought we were looking for a painting but it turned out to be a statue.  This particular statue made by Italian marble from Carrara was originally destined for the Cathedral in Sienna but it was bought by the Flemish family of Mouscron and brought to Bruges.  It is one of the very few works by the Italian master to be found outside Italy.

Michael Angelo's Madonna and child in the church of Our Lady in Bruges

From the church we made our way to the restaurant where we would be having lunch.  It was called Zwart Huis (black house in Dutch) and believe it or not it was originally a church. We had a superb lunch and enjoyed the warmth and atmosphere at this unique restaurant.  Here we are in the picture just before we were served the very good food on offer at Zwart Huis.

Lunch in Bruges on Saturday

As the weather was so bad, after lunch we were to put an end to our day in Bruges.  We really had lots more to see but we shall have to come back another time, preferably in the spring or summer. Eladio and I feel in love with Bruges and we know we will be back sometime to see it in its splendor. However before we left, there was one important thing to do and that was to buy Belgian chocolate which was on sale everywhere. There are 60 chocolate shops in Bruges and Sandra told us only 11 of them actually made their own chocolate on site.  Eladio and I wondered into one called La Belgique Gourmande. Sandra said it sold trashy touristy chocolate but it looked great to me.  I felt like a child in a sweet shop, wanting to buy everything.  Here I am below happy to be in a chocolate shop. I bought loads to take back home for my Father, Olivia and Salud.  We had some of it after dinner that night and it didn't taste trashy to me, quite the contrary it was exquisite.

Me in the chocolate shop in Bruges

The  journey back was much longer as the weather was foul. It rained all the way back.  I was dying to get back to Magda's flat for a hot bath and to change into my lounge pyjamas and have a cup of tea. Before dinner, we watched some of the Bollywood film, PK, which was party filmed in Bruges and in which Sandra had a speaking part.  We loved every moment of it.  It's a satire on life and religion and has a wonderfully comical script.

We were to have dinner again at Sandra's flat and at my request Magda made us Hungarian goulash for dinner.  I love goulash and remember having it every day when I was once in Budapest with Eladio many years ago. To have goulash made by a real Hungarian who knows how to make it would be the best possible treat from Magda.  And she is a good cook I can tell you.  Here she is sitting down at the dinner table last night, not looking 90 but more like 80. Thanks Magda, it was delicious. It came accompanied by a cucumber salad with yoghurt.

Magda at dinner last night

Magda's delicious homemade goulash which she made for us for dinner last night

After dinner which was followed by the chocolate we had bought in Bruges and wonderful ice cream, including my favourite flavour, pistachio, we continued watching PK, waiting for Sandra's part to come on. I had seen her part on FB but was looking forward to watching it on the TV together with my friends.  But that was not to be as unfortunately and to my shame I fell asleep, spoiling the party of course.  But it was 10.30 pm and I had been up at 06.30 so hopefully my friends understood.

And today is Sunday, our last day together in Brussels and it is still raining.  Our flight is later this evening so we have nearly a full day left to enjoy our stay with our friends.  I am now writing from Magda's flat, as I have been every morning since we arrived, so as to be able to publish this week's post early and be free to enjoy our last day here. Thus I will leave you now to get on with my day. You will hear all about the end of our stay here in next week's post.

Meanwhile, friends and readers, I hope you have enjoyed this post and I look forward to writing again next week.

Cheers from Brussels
Masha

RIP Terry Wogan, “Men still run the world; I’m not sure it’s going so well”, a radio interview, Pedro Sánchez said yes to the King, lunch at El Bohio of Spanish Masterchef fame and other tales of the week.

Saturday 6^th February 2016

Lunch with my team from QuintaEsencia was the  highlight of the week

 Hi again everyone,

It’s been a quiet week for me at least and there’s not much to tell so this post will probably be shorter than usual.

I left off last Sunday which was the day Terry Wogan who was aged 78 died (1938-2016). If you are from the UK you will know who he is as he was a media national treasure.  He was actually Irish and began his career in TV and radio in the 60’s but worked for the BBC for almost all his career.  I well remember him when I watched TV or listened to the radio as a teenager growing up in Yorkshire.  To refresh my memory, I looked up some of his interviews on You Tube.  I was most interested to see how he dealt with Margaret Thatcher, aka The Iron Lady and laughed out loud at an interview he did with George Best who was drunk at the time.  Unlike with the recent death of David Bowie, my Father certainly remembered Terry Wogan and added that The Daily Telegraph had dedicated 4 pages to his obituary, as opposed to 8 pages for David Bowie!  He had a lovely Irish brogue when he spoke and certainly the Irish “gift of the gab”. He will be sorely missed. RIP Terry Wogan.

Terry Wogan, such a familiar face.  RIP

Talking about TV, “my programme”, i.e. the Undercover Boss series I featured in, was broadcast again that night.  It must have been the 6^th time and once again I received all sorts of messages, some from people who merely wanted to say how much they loved the show and some from people in need.  I have tried to help anyone who has asked for help and have answered each and every one of them.  I’m still a bit shocked at the reaction to the programme.

Me in the Undercover Boss programme which was on again last Sunday night

Monday was my fasting day and as usual I did my two hour long walks in the morning.  The first one is always early in the morning.  I try to escape so that Pippa doesn’t see me but she nearly always does and that makes me feel guilty.  It’s not that I don’t want to take her but she gets a walk later in the day with the other dogs and I think 2 long walks would be a little too strenuous for her short legs and little body.  Here she is looking at me from the top of the stairs.  I can’t resist her. 

Irresistible little Pippa, our eternal puppy.

I read a lot of news during the week. I get most of my information from Twitter, from Facebook and from online media: The Times, The Daily Telegraph, El País, El Confidencial.  Many articles catch my attention, but perhaps the one that made me stop and think most this week was an article about Gender Parity.  I am not a feminist but I am not stupid either and know that women are still not equal to men in this world. It hasn’t often bothered me but it hasn’t been easy either to reach the position I am in today, especially in a country like Spain.  So when my friend Sandra posted an article entitled “Gender parity quotes from Davos” I was interested to see what could possibly be said in favour of women in that male dominated elite forum.  The best ones came from women and they were women at the top like Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF.  She said:  “We’ve heard a lot about the Internet of Things – I think we need an Internet of Women.” I thought that was really touché.  Then Justine Greening, the UK Development Secretary put it even more clearly by saying:  “No country can truly develop if half its population is left behind.” My favourite, however, comes from the COO of Facebook the rather famous Sheryl Sandberg.  She couldn’t have put it better: “Men still run the world; I’m not sure it’s going so well”. She made me seriously think that if women did rule the world it would be a much better place. Is that feminism or realism? The latter I think.  Sorry men if you do not agree.

So well said.  It made me think.

I’m very good at keeping up with the news, but not so good at keeping up with what Suzy is doing in London.  I even did that via Facebook this week (what a terrible Mother I am at times!).  Yes I found out from there that my eldest daughter Suzy had dinner that night with Lorena, one of her close friends from St. Michael’s school when the girls were small and who lived in our neighbourhood.  I well remember Lorena and her younger brother Alejandro playing with the girls and coming to their birthday parties.  We became quite close with their parents too.  She was a beautiful girl and still is judging by the photo she posted having dinner with Suzy that night.  I would have loved to listen to their conversation.  I think Lorena was in London on a work trip.  It seems she travels a lot with her job.  I love the picture of the two girls together, or should I say women as of course they are now grown women but I can still picture them together in my head when they were 5 or 6.  What lovely women they have grown up to be.

Suzy and Lorena having dinner in London this week

Tuesday saw me in Madrid in the morning for a radio interview with my boss. It was to be with a new radio station, Radio Internacional but with a veteran journalist.  It was very curious that their offices are in Calle Orense 68 which is where I started my first ever job in Spain with the arms exporter Defex.  It felt funny going back there nearly 35 years later.  The interview went well.  I didn’t expect to speak but I was offered the microphone at one stage and was quite happy to talk live about my job and role as a communications director.  Talking in public has become very easy for me ever since I did the filming for the Undercover Boss programme. That was the best “speaking in public” training I could have ever have had.

The live radio interview on Tuesday this week

The small talk after the interview was all about Spanish politics, or more to the point about what government we will have as right now it is in a vacuum after the stalemate general election results on 20^th December last. It was that night that Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the PSOE(socialist) party said yes to the King to try to form a government after Mariano Rajoy, head of the right wing PP party and acting PM, said no because of lack of support.  Pedro Sánchez may have committed political suicide because he lacks support too.  It’s obvious he said yes because he desperately wants the position otherwise it makes no mathematical sense. There will either be a left wing or right wing coalition or new elections and not one of these 3 options is the most possible outcome of the political situation today.  I really don’t know what is going to happen and neither does the rest of Spain and the situation is very frustrating.  To tell the truth I am sick and tired of the news of the negotiations of the various parties and am losing interest fast.

The King with Pedro Sánchez delighted to be nominated to try and form a government.

There is not much to tell you about Wednesday.  I would rather it hadn’t happened as I had a headache most of the day.

Thursday was a better day, perhaps the highlight of the week although the headache lingered.  I was up at 06.24h, far too early but it gave me more hours in the day and I was able to pack more in.  I had a lunch date that day with the team from my events agency, QuintaEsencia. On the way there I stopped at El Corte Inglés to get my birthday presents from Eladio and my Father.  You probably think that’s a bit odd, having to buy my own birthday presents but I can tell you that after all these years, it’s the only guarantee I get something I really want haha.  So I splashed out on a pearl necklace and matching earrings and a bottle of Oh Lola perfume by Marc Jacobs, one of my favourites.

Oh Lola by Marc Jacobs, one of my favourite perfumes

I had also bought myself something online from M+S, a lovely jumper.  When I showed the photo to Olivia, her answer was “stripes again? I wonder why I am so fond of stripes.  She liked it though, so no doubt we will be sharing it hahaha.

My birthday present to me from M+S online

Lunch was not just at any restaurant but at El Bohío in Illescas Toledo, some 45 minutes from Madrid which has become famous in Spain as it is owned and run by the more famous and popular jurist of the Spanish edition of Masterchef, Pepe Rodríguez.  I had long wanted to try it out and my team did too so we booked a table for Thursday.  From the outside it doesn’t look at all alluring or anything special.

El Bohio from the outside. It doesn't look anything special but it was wonderful

However inside is another story.  The restaurant has humble origins and was owned by Pepe’s family.  He has respected their traditional style of cooking but offers haut cuisine, or should I say “alta cocina” as these days Spanish gastronomy has surpassed the French much to their chagrin.  The photo illustrating this week’s post is of the team and I at the table we were given in the “bodega” where all the wonderful wine they serve is kept.  The restaurant offers 3 menus at very reasonable prices for the high standard of the cooking.  We went for the winter menu and were impressed from the start.  I have compiled a collage of the food we ate which you can see below.

The spectacular lunch at El Bohio

I particularly liked the “bola de cocido”, literally “ball of stew”, not to mention the desserts.  I would love to take Eladio there one day but I think he doesn’t appreciate such creative cooking and prefers a standard 2 or 3 course meal rather than many plates of small delicacies.  Maybe Keith and Lorraine would like to go when they next come …. If not I know Olivia and Miguel would love to go. 

It was a mistake to drink El Bohio’s delicious wine with the dinner as the lingering headache only got worse that evening and night.  In fact it has only really gone away today. 

Friday was the weekly shopping day.  Thankfully these days Eladio comes with me.  It’s quite a major chore as there are 5/6 of us living in this house, not to mention the 3 dogs and 1 cat.  So off we went with my meticulous lists to purchase what the household would need until our return from Brussels next Sunday.  I came back to do some cooking; the filling for a batch of pirushki (little Russian meat pies) to freeze and potato salad which we would eat at the weekend.

Being Friday night we went out to dinner. Ginos seemed so simple and plain compared to El Bohio but Eladio and I were happy enough to eat there. It’s cozy, near home and the food is always good enough, but of course a far cry from the restaurant I went to on Thursday.

Yesterday Saturday, I made myself stay in bed until 7.15.  I packed a lot into the morning.  After my first walk I filled the pirushki and froze them.  Then I made lamb casserole for lunch which is always a favourite.  This is what it looked like just before it was served.

Saturday's lamb casserole

When the lunch was ready, Eladio and I went to order my birthday cake from Alveran, a lovely little cake shop in Boadilla.  We also had a coffee together.  I actually also had a delicious fruit pie (naughty naughty).  Later I would work some of it off on my second walk of the day, this time with Eladio and the dogs. Oli and Miguel preferred to go running and did nearly 10km in the parkland just outside Boadilla. 

Miguel and Oli on their run yesterday in Boadilla

The rest of Saturday was quiet.  Eladio and I binge watched more of Homeland after lunch until nearly 6 o’clock when it was time to give my Father his afternoon cup of tea.  Pippa joined us as you can see in the photo below.

Eladio settling down to binge watch Homeland yesterday after lunch with Pippa at his feet

We hardly ever go out on a Saturday night, preferring to stay in for dinner and watch TV afterwards.  Last night we had my pirushki with potato salad!

My homemade potato salad and pirushki

We finished watching Season 3 of Homeland and of course were devastated with the outcome, although I knew what was coming.  Netflix worked erratically on the TV so we ended up watching it on my iPad Pro for the first time.  Season 4 is not available yet, so our next series will be The Honourable Woman.  I have seen it too but don’t mind watching it again and I know Eladio will love it.  And this morning I pre-ordered a dvd of the new BBC series of War and Peace. Can’t wait to watch that.

I can't wait to see the new BBC series of War and Peace.

And today is Sunday and it’s Carnival.  Facebook wants to know whether I will be celebrating – how creepy can you get?  Well, no I won’t as it’s just not my thing.  Instead I will go for my walks, have lunch with the family and generally spend a quiet Sunday.

Next week will be fun.  Monday is my birthday (an awful day for a birthday to fall on) and I will be the grand old age of 59.  Still in the 50’s thank goodness.  Next year when I turn 60 I shall have a big party and I am even thinking of taking a trip with Eladio to the Florida Keys. Now that will be something to look forward to.  On Thursday we will be off to Brussels for a long weekend with my best friends from Nottingham University, Sandra and Adele and their partners, Jeffer and Bernard. We will be a big mix of nationalities; British, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish and French.  Our common language is English spattered with some French and Spanish.  The weekend promises to be great.  But of course you will hear all about our trip there next week.

Meanwhile I shall sign off now, publish this and get on with my quiet sunny Sunday with the family.

I wish you all a great week ahead,

Cheers till next time

Masha

Sunrise walks, a family outing with my Father, poor Pippa, covered nude statues at the Vatican for Iranian PM, figure skater Javier Fernández does Spain proud, press breakfast for results’ day, a girly afternoon shopping in Madrid, Laura and Maya came to visit and other stories.

Sunday 31st January 2016

It was all smiles at the Yoigo press conference on Friday morning

Hi again everyone. 

It’s another sunny Sunday, the last in January. It’s been a busy and good week so let me tell you about it. 

Last Sunday I was up at 06.40.  I seem to be waking up earlier and earlier these days.  It means I have more hours in the day and now I go for my first walk of the day straight after my quiet breakfast with the dogs.  Thus all my early morning walks these last few weeks have been at sunrise and I must say it’s a privilege to witness such a beautiful sky in the morning whilst power walking and listening to music.  Today, being Sunday, I chose my list of favourite hymns which always takes me straight back to school assembly. 

Sunrise on Monday morning on my walk

My fitbit goes with me everywhere and the statistics it shows motivate me to do at least 20.000 steps each day, some 13 or 14km!  Here is the badge to prove that I have done 20.000 or more on at least 117 times. 

One of my Fitbit badges

The old adage of “red sky at night shepherds’ delight, red sky in the morning shepherds’ warning”, was wrong, at least last Sunday.  Whilst there was a snow blizzard in the US on the East Coast, called Jason, the fifth worst, since records began, here we had sunshine with temperatures reaching 20c.  My friend Fátima’s niece, Gloria, who lives and works in New York described the storm very well when she published this photo saying it was like something out of the film The Day after tomorrow. 

New York - the Jason blizzard - like a scene out of The Day after Tomorrow

Meanwhile it was a glorious day in Madrid so we decided on the spur of the moment to take my Father and the dogs for a walk in the parkland just outside Boadilla del Monte.  It was a challenge getting everyone into two cars but we made it and it was well worth it. It seemed the whole of Boadilla had had the same idea and there were people running, walking and cycling, many in their shirt sleeves.

My Father last Sunday morning with Eladio by the palace in Boadilla

The walk, past the palace and playing fields is very pleasant with many paths to choose from and lots of flora and fauna to interest my Father who had a grand time.  After about an 8km walk, we went to have a drink before lunch at a bar opposite the palace with the exhausted dogs at our feet. 

Drinks in the sun after our walk in Boadilla last Sunday

We were home late and lunch was late, but it would have been a crime not to take advantage of such a wonderful warm and sunny day.  We must do it again soon.  It was such a pity Suzy wasn’t with us. 

I haven’t written much about her recently in my blog and that’s because, ashamedly, I hadn’t spoken to her on the phone since she left Madrid on 29^th December.  Thankfully we did so last Sunday and even skyped.  It was great to see her whilst we talked.

Skyping with Suzy last weekend

However, as usual the signal was not strong and the image began to get very pixeled so we rang her on the phone in the end.  She is full of news about moving house and interviews for various jobs. I do wish her lots of luck.  Love you darling.

On Monday morning, believe it or not, there was an earthquake in Mellila (Spanish enclave in North Africa) which was felt all along the coast of Andalusia, including Málaga.  Thankfully no one was killed but there was lots of damage to buildings in Mellila itself. 

On Monday I fasted, had time to go the hairdresser and also went to an important meeting at Yoigo in the late afternoon on our strategy for communicating the financial results for quarter 4 and full year 2015.  I was to be busy all week on preparations for the press conference we would hold on Friday, the day of the results.

Tuesday was an anxious day for me.  Poor Pippa was to be spayed that day.  We had come to the decision that we will not have puppies from her and that it’s better for her health in the long run to be spayed and of course to avoid the nuisance that being on heat brings with it.  I was to take her to the vet early in the morning on an empty stomach.  I felt like a criminal when I took her.  I was told her operation would be early and they would ring to say how it went.  I didn’t hear anything until around 2pm and was cross when I realized that she must have been alone, frightened and hungry in a cage for so many hours.  We picked her up at 8.30pm and she was thrilled to see us. She seemed as fit as a fiddle and had only 2 stitches on the incision.  Thankfully she didn’t have to wear a “lampshade” and she’s been pretty good about not licking the stiches.  We have been giving her the medication of course but I witnessed no suffering of any kind.  Amazingly she went on our 4km walk the very next day.

 

Whilst Pippa was at the vet, life went on at home where I worked quietly with Eladio at his desk next to me.  I say quietly until a plumber came to investigate damp on the ground floor on the passage outside our office.  Boy did he make a noise breaking the floor boards trying to find out where the damp comes from.  Here is the hole he made.

The hole in the floor boards on the ground floor!

He wasn’t sure what caused the damp but has told us the whole floor will have to be lifted which is a major problem.  I just hope they find the cause soon and also hope the insurance policy covers the repair work necessary.  I am keeping my fingers crossed. In a house like this all sorts of things can go wrong.  At the moment we have two issues, the ground floor and the swimming pool. The main drain has a leak and the pool has lost all the water.  It will need repainting too.  Both jobs are Eladio’s domain and of course are worrying him at the moment.

Whilst the hole was being drilled I tried out some new headphones, for two purposes, to drown out the noise but also to try them out. They were the headphones we would be giving out at the press conference; some colourful Bluetooth ones made by Energy Sistem (BT1). It took me a while to figure out how to pair them but once they were working I was very pleased with the quality.  I now use them on my walks.  It’s so much nicer to wear cordless headphones I must say.

New headphones

Meanwhile in The Vatican the Iranian Prime Minister, Hassan Rouhani, was visiting the Pope.  The visit came after agreements with the US to halter the Iranian race for nuclear weapons.  Sanctions were lifted, Iran will now be able to export oil and the Prime Minister is making visits to Italy and France.  There was an uproar when the world heard that The Vatican had covered any nude statues the Iranian premiere may see on his visit. 

Prime Minister Hassan Rouhani and the covered up nude statues at The Vatican!

A cousin of mine said it would have been better to blindfold him. I personally think it is outrageous because if a western leader went to Iran there would be no concessions there for him or her.  Funnily enough we later found out the request had not come from the Iranian government.  Even so.  His next visit was to France where the French Government would not bend at excluding wine from the menu.  So in the end they had afternoon tea instead of a state dinner!! 

That afternoon Olivia was doing a TV report in the village called Robledo de Chavela, not very far from where we live. Believe it or not this is a deep space communications complex belonging to the NASA.  Here you have Oli dressed in a space suit!!  We really must go there one day to visit the space museum.

Oli dressed up as an astronaut at the space station in Robledo de Chavela which belongs to the NASA

Wednesday morning was foggy so I went for my walk a little later.  We then took Pippa to a big pet shop called Petuluki in Majadahonda to buy her a jumper which was supposed to cover her wound.  In the end we bought this pretty red one which she seems to love and we do too.

Pippa with her new red jumper. She looks very smart

Then it was time for a coffee and we dared to take her with us to Centro Oeste; not sure whether she would be allowed in.  Later we heard you can take dogs only if you are carrying them.  Well it’s easy to carry little Pippa as she only weighs 4.2kg!  Here is Eladio having coffee with our little darling sitting on his lap.

Eladio with Pippa - coffee time at Centro Oeste

It was on Wednesday that the Spanish figure skater, Javier Fernández, from Madrid won the European Championships for the 4th year in a row.  You can see how pleased he is in this photo; positively radiant.  I was very proud of him for Spain; yet another Spanish sports person doing well in the world.  It’s not very usual for Spaniards to excel at ice skating and Javier Fernández had to go and live in Canada if he wanted to progress to the level he is at now.  Funnily enough he used to train at the little ice rink in Majadahonda.

Javier Fernández, the Spanish figure skater who garnered his 4th European championship in Stockholm this week. 

Friday was my big day.  It was results day and we had our press breakfast.  We held it at a lovely café in Madrid called El Perro y la Galleta where, by the way, dogs are allowed.  I couldn’t take Pippa though as she was still recovering from her operation.  I’m not sure whether she would have behaved either.  The photo illustrating this week’s blog is of me by the photo-call at the café before the press conference started. I was happy with how everything had been executed.  Bravo for my events agency QuintaEsencia, as usual.

The Yoigo press breakfast on Friday at El Perro y la Galleta in Madrid 

We had a full turnout.  As the results were good, sales were up and our outlook in the sector quite rosy, we were to get some great headlines.  By lunchtime we had counted 215 online clippings.  There will be more by Monday.  I came home relieved and happy that everything had gone well. It’s funny how I still doubt myself after all these years. Maybe that’s what keeps me on my toes.

That night Eladio and I went out to dinner to celebrate to La Txitxarrería.  We love that place, the meat is amazing and I always enjoy the good Basque or is it Asturian cider they serve.

Saturday was another sunny day. On my first walk I caught the sun coming up and I felt like singing that very British hymn that all children learn at school or at least they did when I went to school in England; “Morning has broken”.

The sun coming up on my early morning walk on Saturday

I got a lot in that morning, including making a full lunch of meat loaf with mashed potatoes with carrot, salad and fruit as well as my second walk of the day, this time with Eladio.

The day before Olivia had done a TV report on Spain’s swankiest street, Calle Serrano in Madrid. A green quilted feather jacket caught her fancy in the sales at Roberto Verino a Spanish designer and she had asked the shop assistant she interviewed there to keep it for her until Saturday.  Thus I got asked to go shopping with her after lunch that day. I was all for it.  Not only did she get the green jacket, she also got a lovely poncho type garment and an elegant red dress.  Here we are leaving the shop with Oli’s purchases.

Oli and I outside Roberto Verino yesterday afternoon in Calle Serrano.

Oli’s bosom friend Ana (Anita) joined us as we were leaving, so the afternoon was fast becoming a girly shopping outing in Madrid.

Oli with Anita at Platea yesterday afternoon

From Roberto Verino we walked a few steps to Zara’s flagship store.  There I nearly bought a pink coat but was put off by the very long queue and the price which I thought was far too high for Zara. 

From Zara we walked to Platea, that lovely gastronomic centre opposite the Colon square.  Here I bought some delicious pie to take home for dinner  My sister-in-law Dolores was to join us at Platea and soon we were sitting down to coffee and cakes at a super little cake shop called Mama Framboise. 

With Dolores, Oli and Anita at Mama Framboise yesterday afternoon

We left Madrid at sunset, happy with our afternoon out shopping.  We were home in a jiffy as the roads are hardly ever congested at the weekends.  Dinner was at home and Ana joined us.  Wow was the Platea pie good as were the Christmas ham and wine we are still consuming. 

And today is Sunday. I’ve now done my two walks and had lunch.  At midday, Oli and Suzy’s friend Laura from their scout days came to visit with her 6 month old baby Maya.  It was amazing to see one of the girls’ childhood friends with a baby.  Both Mother and baby were looking super.  Laura is such a natural relaxed mother, unlike the obsessive ones that seem to abound so much these days.  She had no worries about the dogs and no problems of her baby's photo being on my blog or her facebook which also seems to be the norm with fussy new mothers these days. Oli was so happy to see Laura with her baby, she cried with joy.  I nearly did too.  

Olivia with little Maya and Laura.  Lovely picture, lovely moment.

Maya behaved beautifully and didn’t cry once. She just smiled and did baby faces and was very interested in the dogs.  Pippa, as usual, barked too much. Thankfully she later calmed down.  Hopefully we will be seeing them again soon in Barcelona where Laura lives.  The baby visit got us talking about Oli having a baby. She seemed to be surprised I wanted to be a grandmother.  There is nothing I want more.  I sigh here as she is in no hurry although thankfully I know she does want to be a Mother but just doesn't know when. 

Now I have come to the end of this week’s tales.  As you have read it has been busy but happy.  Next week will be less stressful and who knows what awaits us all.

So I will love you and leave you to get on with your day whilst I publish this.  Later I will be watching the end of Downton Abbey.  I have now re-watched nearly the whole series and soon will be missing Mr. Carson, Lord Grantham, Lady Mary and co. 

That’s it for now.  Cheers until next week

Masha.