A new President for France, Yoigo's last summer party, Suzy home for a wedding, off to Hong Kong and other stories.

Hong Kong Monday 15th May 2017

It's more than amazing to be in Hong Kong

Hi everyone,

Well what a busy week it has been. The amazing thing this week is that I am publishing this post from Hong Kong. What an exotic destination it is, but more about it later as, as always, I have to start from where I left off; last Sunday. 

7th May was Mothers' Day in Spain; not that we have ever really celebrated it. I just wasn't brought up by my own Russian mother to do so in England or anywhere. It seems to get bigger every year and I did get nice messages from both girls. 

Sunday was the day our Colombian Airbnb guests, Paola, her husband Juan and other members of their family, left us to continue on their Spanish and European journey. I look forward to seeing them on television on Monday 22nd May in Oli's now "old" programme, "Mi Cámara y Yo". That will be such a lark. 

Goodbye Paola and Juan, our lovely Colombian Airbnb guests

It was a beautiful sunny day and Eladio and I went for a walk with all three dogs. Here I am holding little Pippa surrounded by fields covered in wild flowers. 

Eladio mowed the lawn that morning. You can spot him in the distance in this photo I took last Sunday.

Our garden - Eladio mowed it last Sunday

But the most important thing about last Sunday was the result of the second round of Presidential elections in France. Of course we all know by now that Emmanuel Macron, the ex socialist minister and now leader of his own party, beat Marine Le Pen, the ultra right wing candidate. Thank goodness for that was the general feeling. He will be youngest French president ever and his wife, Brigitte, possibly the oldest First Lady. I love their story by the way and the example they set of a younger man married to an older woman, his ex school teacher. 

A new President and First Lady for France

All I can say is Vive la France and Vive la Démocratie as well as Long Live the European Union. For the moment it is saved, thanks to Macron.  

Monday was busy. I had to get ready for our new Airbnb guests. Sira, her husband Vicente, daughter Paula, sister Raquel and her one year old baby were arriving that afternoon. They were coming from Victoria and were not to be tourists. Sadly they were taking their one year old baby to be operated on at the nearby hospital to have her adenoids removed and tonsils operated on. I tried to make their rooms as welcoming as possible, putting flowers and fruit in for them. 

No sooner had they arrived, then I was off, dressed up to the nines. I was going to a very special party. The ex CEO and my late boss at Yoigo, Eduardo T. who was also made redundant like most of the management team, was hosting a goodbye party for all the Yoigo staff and many of our partners. In a way he created the last Yoigo summer party. This hit a nostalgic chord with us all but especially for me as it was I who created a fantastic summer party for the staff every year. Of course, since Másmovil bought "us", they scrapped this lovely tradition as well as many others. I dressed in pink for the occasion wearing a lovely imitation Custo t-shirt I had bought in Shanghai on a Nokia press trip there in 2004. I had never been able to wear it as it was far too small. Well, not now it isn't. Eladio loved my outfit and just as I was leaving he took photos of me. Isn't that romantic?

Dressed in pink for what would be the last Yoigo summer party

Eduardo had recreated a Yoigo summer party at his own amazing house in La Moraleja, one of Madrid's most exclusive area. QuintaEsencia, our or my events agency had helped plan it. Just everyone was there and it felt like being at one of our summer parties but it was of course the last one. It was so nostalgic but wonderful to be together again on Eduardo's lawn. I shall not forget that incredible Yoigo reunion which was themed in Spanish "aquellos marivollosos años" (those wonderful years) and wonderful years they were. It's such a pity they are now in the past. The reunion made us all realise that as a group of people, we were much more than just a company, we were a team of very special people who did a very special thing together; create from scratch a brand new mobile phone operator, the coolest in the market. 

Yoigo's "last" summer party. Thanks Eduardo. 

Monday was a new start for Olivia who has just joined Telemadrid's "Madrileños por el Mundo". That night, while I was at the party, her very last programme was being broadcast. It was all about the different markets, flea markets and car boot sales that exist in Madrid and which you can see here. 

A still photo of Oli during the last programme she made for Mi Cámara y Yo which was broadcast last Monday

She will be travelling one week every month with the new programme. My Father was tickled pink to hear that her first destination will be Norway. Tomorrow, Tuesday, she will be travelling to Stavanger and Bergen and visiting the beautiful Fjords. Her trip will also coincide with the National Day of Norway which my Father knew is on 17th May. You see he was there in WW2, lived there after the War and studied Norwegian as part of his German and Scandinavian languages degree at Cambridge University and of course, loves Norway. 

On Tuesday I worked hard on the PR part of the Hong Kong project for my customer, Genaker, the Nokia Spain R+D spin-off, founded by my ex-colleague Miquel T. That's the reason I am in Hong Kong, to help them with their participation in the biggest exhibition of their sector (professional mobile communications aka walkie-talkies) here this week called Critical Communications World.

I took a break, as I usually do, at around midday and joined Eladio for a cup of coffee and some fruit. We had it on the patio outside our study where my husband had recently installed some of the porch furniture which we used to have at 6 Heaton Grove where my parents lived in Bradford, West Yorkshire.

Fruit and coffee time with Eladio and Pippa on Tuesday morning at home

That day I had a lunch engagement with two ex Yoigo colleagues, Maria and Sonia who had also been made redundant. However they were given worse leaving conditions than I was which is totally unfair. In a way I was lucky as the members of the management team and a couple of others were paid what was our due. That is not what is happening to the other staff being made redundant now and makes me ashamed of the company that bought Yoigo. In any case, we had a great lunch at La Txitxarrería in Pozuelo talking mostly about the past. I also got lots of snippets of the latest gossip. Thanks girls and I look forward to seeing you again soon.

With my ex Yoigo colleagues at lunch last Tuesday

That night Real Madrid lost (1-2) to Atlético de Madrid, city rivals, in the second leg of the Champions League semi-final. However, on aggregate, they got through to the final where they will meet Juventus in Cardiff on Saturday 3rd June. For Real Madrid it will be their 15th final and if they win, their 12th European Cup title. They are the team with most trophies in this competition. However, Juventus will surely be the "hungrier" team. I remember being in Amsterdam at the Ajax Arena when Madrid beat Juventus in what I think was their 7th Cup. May the best team win is all I can say although of course I shall be backing "los blancos". I have to add though that I felt sorry for Atlético on Tuesday as they have gone far many times in the Champions League only to be beaten by their "bête noire" Real Madrid. Annoyingly we couldn't watch it on TV as these days most important football matches can only be seen on pay per view TV:-( 

On Wednesday I was up early as usual. I had lots of errands to do that morning. On one of them in Majadahonda, I bought some very fashionable silver shoes at H+M at the Centro Oeste shopping centre.

My new silver shoes

In the afternoon I was to hold my last mentoring session with Lola who is head of corporate marketing and communications at an American health equipment multinational. I do hope she has found the sessions useful. I have certainly enjoyed passing on my experience to her.  

Thursday came and at about 2.30 pm Suzy would be arriving for a long weekend. She was coming for Tere's wedding, a member of their group of friends they call "La Manada". It was to be a two day affair, from Friday evening to Sunday morning. She had Thursday afternoon and Friday morning free and we would be going to León for her to pay her respects to her Aunt Pili after her husband passed away very recently. Suzy was gutted not to be able to attend the funeral and was determined to visit her Aunt as soon as she could. 

I was up early with lots of things to do before she came. There was time for a rainy walk wtih Eladio and the dogs. I then came home for some last minute work on the Hong Kong project. I also checked in online and importantly got aisle seats for the long flights. I also bought tickets to Paris for a wedding and cousin reunion I will be attending in August. That's going to be great. I really am a long term planner hahaha. Before I left for the airport, I said goodbye to our lovely Airbnb guests. Thankfully their baby's operation was a success. 

I set off to the airport in pouring rain. Suzy's flight was late and we didn't leave the airport until past 3.30. I had prepared sandwiches for us both which we ate on the way. It was super to be with Suzy again. She drove my Mini and enjoyed it. We went rather fast and got to León at 18.40 or so and I hope there will not be any speeding fines coming soon. Pili was on the street outside her house to meet us and we, the 3 of us, hugged so much it hurt. It was a strange sensation to be in her house without my brother-in-law. Soon other members of the family came and later we went for a walk to take Trebol the dalmation around the block.

Suzy in León on Thursday

My sister-in-law had prepared an excellent dinner of tortilla and potato salad with lots of side dishes. We ate until we were full, then spent quality family time together until it was time to go to bed.

On Friday morning I was up at 6 and was soon joined by Pili for a cup of coffee before she had to leave for work at 7.15. After breakfast, Suzy and I left for Madrid, once more in the pouring rain, at about 9.30. We stopped for a coffee at Rueda on the way but not for wine or ham. I had a splitting headache. 

Meanwhile back in Madrid, Eladio had taken Norah our beagle to the vet as she seemed so sad lately and had been throwing up a lot. Unfortunately the diagnosis was leishmaniasis, a rather dreaded and incurable virus that occurs in dogs. Poor Norah. Thankfully it is not life threatening. We are now waiting to see what type it is so that the vets can decide on the treatment. 

We were home on time for lunch and for Suzy to see her Father and Grandfather. I was so tired. The trip to León and back had made its mark on me and my head still throbbed. Even so I had to do the food shopping to leave the family with enough provisions during my absence in Hong Kong. 

Eladio drove me to the airport at around 8 for me to catch the first of two flights to Hong Kong. The first was to Dubai, leaving at 22.05h. On our way I suddenly got an instant booking on Airbnb. 1.5 hours later a young couple from South Korea were coming to spend the night. The next day too a family from Manchester were coming. So I was to leave all the hosting in the hands of Eladio and Lucy. 

The flights to Hong Kong were with Emirates, a great airline I was told and it wasn't bad. I took plenty of healthier food with me; fruit and yoghurt, as I don't like the starchy food served on airplanes. I was lucky that the middle seat was unoccupied as it would be too on the flight from Dubai to HK. Both flights were to last just over 7 hours. On the first leg of the flight I watched Sandeep's "Spectacular Spain" series which has recently been broadcast in the UK and I love it. It is very respectful of the country and shows the British public there is more to Spain than Benidorm!

Watching Spectacular Spain on the Emirates flight

The multimedia "ICE" screen on Emirates was great, similar to the one on Iberia when we flew to Havana in December. The series had me riveted until I fell asleep with the help of a glass of wine and two sleeping tablets.  It was to be the next day, Saturday, when I woke up again. 

There was  a 2 hour transit time in Dubai and here I was to meet up with Miquel who had flown from Barcelona. We had breakfast together at Paul, that delicious French patisserie that is quite abundant these days. 

Soon we had to check into our next flight, again with Emirates.

In Dubai with Miquel

If Dubai was 2 hours ahead of Madrid, Hong Kong would be another 5 hours ahead. We were to leave at 10.05 a.m. from Dubai and reach Hong Kong at 10.30 p.m,  nearly bed time, but of course the middle of the afternoon in Madrid for me. I don't know whether I suffered jet lag or not but I was rather muddled about the time of day and still am really. 

The Emirates plane to Hong Kong was far bigger than the one I travelled on to Dubai. It was two stories high and I had a glimpse of the entrance to First Class which looked like a luxury hotel with its wooden staircase. I don't know what Boeing it was but heard it's the biggest passenger plane in the world. It seemed enormous to me.  I tried not to sleep as it was supposedly day time and watched Good Will Hunting on and off as I dozed in between. We arrived on time at the gigantic and bewildering Hong Kong airport. We had to wait ages for our luggage and my over sized parcel containing the images for our booth walls at the exhibition. We were also carrying lots of bottle of Rioja wine for our Spanish food and wine corner on our booth. 

It was warm when we arrived, some 26º late at night and very very humid. 

Our first lesson in Hong Kong was that visa cards are not accepted in taxis, and in many other places too. We got into a very old red taxi with our huge suitcases on the way to the unknown and feeling shattered.

Getting into the taxi upon our arrival

Our destination was Kowleen, the modern part of Hong Kong and one of the islands. I was learning fast and wished I had had more time to read up more on our destination and what there is to see and do here.

Map of the Hong Kong Islands. We were staying at Koleen

The journey took about 45 minutes and cost 280 HK dollars which is about 33 or 34 euros, quite reasonable. Driving at night, what I saw of Hong Kong seemed like a crazy over populated concrete jungle. Someone had told me to expect a gigantic Asian type of New York and I think that is the best way to describe it. It's like being in a gigantic never ending Pound Land store where there is so much consumerism even I, a shopper lover, am put off by it.  We checked into the BP International Hotel which is actually the HQ of the Hong Kong Scout movement. The hotel is fine if you like modern high raise hotels which I don't. The room is comfortable but on the 15th floor and you can't open the windows. All I can see from my room as I write are sky scrapers and roofs with some mountains in the background. It seems also to be permanently cloudy, a bit like Delhi and I suspect that is because of the pollution. Over 7 million people live cramped together here and it is noisy and crowded and not everyone speaks English. I can hardly understand those who do and in shops where people don't, they thrust their mobile at you for you to write the word or words in English of a product you want and the mobile translates that into Chinese or Cantonese which is what they speak here. It's so funny. People are really kind and helpful and when you look lost they come up and try to help. 

I eventually fell asleep past midnight, although in Spain it was the equivalent of 4 in the afternoon. 

 As I was travelling and sleeping, the girls were at Tere's wedding in Rascafría near the mountains outside Madrid. I have yet to hear about it but I did see some photos. What I can't wait to see is the video of Suzy singing at the wedding; You've got a friend in me. 

The girls at the wedding with some of their friends in Rascafría this last weekend

I woke up on Sunday at about 8.45 local time, totally shattered and disorientated by this gigantic city spread around various islands. It is overwhelming, even for the seasoned traveler I consider myself to be. 

Breakfast was the usual international hotel stuff although with a leaning towards Chinese cuisine which I did not fancy in the morning. At breakfast I read the news and saw that Portugal had won the Eurovision song contest the night before and that, unsurprisingly Spain had come last hahaha.  

I had come for work and that's what we did yesterday morning. Miquel and I had lots of shopping to do, but not for stuff from here, but for our stand. We had to go to Ikea and supermarkets to buy all sorts of things. Miquel, who is a good navigator, led me to the metro where our first adventure began. We had to find out how it worked. We eventually bought an "Octupus" card, like the Oyster card in London. We took the tube at Jordan Station near our hotel and I must say the Metro here is pretty modern and clean although the stations are gigantic and you end up walking miles. Our destination was a mega store fittingly called Megabox where we found Ikea on levels 3 and 4. And here we are with our purchases which we would carry on a practical Ikea trolley we bought too.

Our first task in Hong Kong - shopping at Ikea

We still had more stuff to get such as a screw driver, paper cups, etc and these we found with difficulty at Aeon, but we found them. From Megabox we took a taxi back to our hotel to leave our heavy purchases there.

So, at about 2.30 or so local time we were free to explore Hong Kong. We took the metro again, this time to the Central station on Hong Kong Island. It was so big we didn’t’ know which exit to take but finally went for one of them, the one leading to the Bank of China tower.

The Bank of China tower (I think)

We came out to heat and lots of people camped all over the place picnicking. We were told by a group of Filipinos that it was a sort of passive demonstration of immigrant workers, women from the Philippines and  Indonesia on their one day off a week.

The camping demonstration

We asked the Filipinos where we could have lunch and they directed us to a nice place called Can-teen where of course we had a Chinese lunch. We were starving and it tasted delicious.

Lunch at Can-Teen

The Filipinos had also recommended us taking one of the old trams which would take us by the main sights of the city or rather all along the main street. A local told us the trams were over a hundred year old and they were a pretty sight to see.

The old double decker trams

We did so using our octopus card which is very useful. The views from the tram were always the same, lots of people and lots of sky scrapers. When we got tired of the same view from the top, we got off and walked our way back looking for the sea. We found it and enjoyed a long trek by a promenade with views of Kowleen. The photo illustrating this week’s post is of me there basking in the novelty of being in Hong Kong and by the sea.

The cloudy view of Kowleen Island from Hong Kong Island

We carried on walking and our next destination was the highest hotel and bar in the world, the Ozone bar at the top of the Ritz Carlton. Many people had recommended it to me. Again we went by metro and at the Kowleen station made our way to the luxury hotel. I was bowled over when we got there and that was from the views of Hong Kong by night from Kowleen. It reminded me of Shanghai.

The view of Hong Kong Island from Kowleen Island

I’m not a one for bars, even top floor bars, but the Ozone was amazing. We sat on the closed terrace of the 118^th floor and drank gin and tonic and a margarita. It felt just so special.

We wanted to walk back but it was impossible as there was too much building going on. Instead, we took a taxi to the Harbour district near our hotel. I wanted the famous HK dumplings but the place we had been recommended was closed as it was about 10pm. So we just walked along the street deciding where to have dinner. There was only really Chinese, Italian or Korean to choose from. We went for Chinese and had a lovely dinner for 150 HK dollars, the equivalent of about 17 euros. I had fried noodles with beef!  It’s all quite cheap here.

We were back at our hotel and I went to bed past midnight feeling exhausted. I was also exhausted by the sheer hugeness of everything. It’s all so mega and the consumerism is so hyper I am actually put off by it. I have been told to go to all sorts of markets, the Stanley Market, the Jade market, the bird and flower market, etc and there are markets everywhere. The place feels like a mixture of Bond Street with the luxury brands and Pound Land with not much in between. In the end, all I want to do is turn my head away. And that’s funny coming from someone like me who likes to shop. But, no, not in Hong Kong. It’s just too much.

And today is Monday and the anniversary of the passing away of my dear brother George. He was a great traveler and it would have been great to be with him here.

It  has been raining all day so I am stuck in my room. We can’t mount the stand until tomorrow thus I have the day to myself but as it’s raining I haven’t been out yet. But now it’s time to do so.

You will hear more about my adventures in Hong Kong next week.

Cheers till then everyone, Masha

PS here is the link more photos of my trip to Hong Kong

Last day in the Cotswolds, goodbye London, home again, The Duke of Edinburgh retires, TV cameras came to film the house and our Airbnb guests and other tales of the week.

Sunday 7th May

The girls in the yellow fields (rapeseed) in The Cotswolds on our last day there.

Hi again everyone.

How was your week? I hope it was as good as mine.

On Monday May 1st my Father turned 98. It was the first time in many years that the girls and I were not with him. I had hoped for a photo from Eladio with the presents I got him or the cake I ordered but it was not to be. I was happy to hear he had a good birthday despite our absence. And long may he live. He really is in great shape for his age and is well looked after. I was also glad to hear that he had been well looked after while we were away and that he is happy with Lucy, our new carer and home help. We are very happy with her too. She is so cheerful and willing, I like her so much.

1st May was a holiday in England, as in most of the world. For Suzy, Oli and I it started with breakfast at our little Airbnb cottage in Woodmancote, our last one there.  We were leaving for London that day but not before seeing a bit more of The Cotswolds. Our first stop was in what are now famous rapeseed yellow fields for the girls and I, on our way to Bibury. That is the photo I have chosen to illustrate this week's blog, like the one of me in a similar field in last week's blog. The girls, giggling away, imitated me as I took a video of them which you can see here. We kept repeating: "it's all yellow" and laughing our heads off. We did a selfie too to remember the moment.

A selfie with the girls in the yellow fields 

Our first destination was the small but enchanting village of Bibury, famous for the Arlington Row of medieval Cotswolds stone cottages. We read that it is one of the most photographed scenes in Britain. It certainly was worth seeing.

Arlington Row in Bibury

The girls outside the famous cottages.

Bibury is beautiful in the same way that Castle Combe, Lacock, Bourton on the Water and many of the other villages we had seen. I loved these cottages, but the house opposite the river where we parked is the one I really fell in love with. It's a complete picture postcard and I envy anyone living there.

The cottage I fell in love with in Bibury

What I didn't envy in Bibury were the hordes of Japanese or Chinese. They seem to have a "thing" about The Cotswolds and I have read that they have built a replica village in China. I do hope they haven't yet discovered The Yorkshire Dales; probably not as you can't "do" Yorkshire in a one day tour from London hahaha. 

We walked by the river, enjoying the views and the swans and their delightful cygnets, unfortunately being fed by the tourists. Arlington Row cottages are on a small island called Rack Isle. The whole place seemed like something out of a fairy tale, like the scene by the wooden bridge where I took yet another photo of the girls.

The girls on Rack Island in beautiful Bibury. 

From Bibury we drove to  Cirencester, our last destination and the "capital" of The Cotswolds. There was a lot going on because it was May Day. We walked into the town from the proverbial pay and display car park which I hate because you don't know how long you are going to stay, yet have to pay beforehand and can only do so with coins. It was a short walk to the market square which was beautiful.

Approaching Market Square in Cirencester

There were bands playing and people sitting on hay stacks which gave a very farmer like atmosphere to the town. 

People sitting on hay stacks in Market Square in Cirencester on May 1st.

Some people were dressed for the occasion too, like this chap who was happy to have his photo taken hahaha.

May Day in Cirencester

There was an open air market too but what most attracted Suzy and I was a fund raising activity organised by students from the Royal Agricultural University for charities such as Mind.  One of the students had his head stuck in what looked like some sort of medieval torture device and for 1 pound you could throw 3 wet sponges at him. Thankfully it wasn't a cold day but of course he was soaked. Oli took a video of Suzy and I having fun throwing the sponge hahah. You can see the video she took of me here, during which, you might like to know, I got a kiss from the wet student and the one she took of Suzy here. At the end of our antics we had to have a photo with the wet "tortured" young student. He didn't seem to mind at all bless him.

Suzy and I with the wet "tortured" student

After that bit of fun, we explored the streets of the pretty town. 

A pretty street in Cirencester

We had lunch at a pub called The Bear. Service was a bit slow, the food was ok, but I must say meals out in England are much more expensive than here. The meal at The Bear marked the end of our trip to The Cotswolds, as we left after lunch for London. There was to be much traffic and it rained on and off the whole time. We stopped just once for a cup of tea and a visit to a "public convenience" and I realised that what used to be "motorway cafés" have now turned into sophisticated but not very attractive shopping centres where, if you want, you can even spend your time gambling. We didn't. 

We were back at Suzy's flat in Haggerston early in the evening and there was even time for a long walk before dinner. Oh gosh, eating again. We ate far too much on our trip to England. This time we were joined by Suzy's flat mate Anita,who had returned from a visit to Spain for a hen party. Anita's English boyfriend, Simon was there too. I don't remember what we ate but I do remember what we drank, that delicious Swedish cider I told you about last week, "Rekorderlig", the passion fruit variety which is my favourite. 

Thankfully I had some internet at Suzy's flat, always having to use her hot spot. That night I got another Airbnb booking and it was for the next day. I had to tell Eladio and Lucy that Sandra, a 20 year old girl from Navarra, was coming to stay for 4 nights. Unbelievably she was coming to attend a drone pilot course which she needs as a photographer! Eladio and Lucy would have to welcome her instead of me. 

Tuesday 2nd May which was also a holiday in Madrid, was our last day in London. It turned out to be a topsy turvy day. Suzy was supposed to be going to Ipswich where she would be starting her new job on the Wednesday. However her accommodation at the Hospital there hadn't been sorted out. In fact as I write now, it still hasn't been sorted out and she has had to resort to Airbnb. You can't imagine the bureaucracy and the requirements involved to get a miserly 300 pound a week room with the Hospital. Suzy needed all sorts of references and even a guarantor. I offered of course, as her mother, but was turned down because I don't live in the UK. How insular can you get?  So I had to ask my dear friend Kathryn who was travelling in France and both Suzy and I were shocked to hear that she has to fill out some ghastly form with all sorts of financial personal details. Sorry Kath and thank you at the same time.

So, no, Suzy didn't get to go to Ipswich on Tuesday, although we packed her suitcase in her hired car, thinking we would go with her and return by train. In the end all our plans were scrapped and Suzy would go on Wednesday and start work on Thursday. So what did we do with the extra time on our hands you may ask? Well, shopping of course. Yes, we went to Westfield Shopping Centre at Stratford, that overwhelming place but the one with all the shops.  Oli wanted to buy lingerie at M+S where I had already been. We had lunch at a place Suzy and I had been to before; Bumpkin where, guess what, Oli and I had fish and chips for the 3rd and last time. Oli said they were the best. I think Poppies was the best. Maybe you can judge too from the photo below.

Fish and chips at Bumpkin at Westfield Shopping Centre

It was to be our last lunch together.

Suzy and Oli at Bumpkin where we had lunch on Tuesday

Before heading home, we stopped at Lindex, my favourite Swedish fashion store which I first got to know in Finland when I worked for Nokia. Here I made a beeline for their Holly and Whyte collection which I love. Here also, Oli and I who have similar tastes, had a field day buying t-shirts and other garments. I bought a pair of cream chinos, a pink cardigan, a white long sleeved t-shirt and a white and yellow striped top too. There were other things I wanted but they didn't have my size which, believe it or not, at least at Lindex, is an XS or an S. So, guess what? When I got back home, I ordered them and soon some more striped t-shirts will be arriving as well as a navy cardigan. All in all, this will be my new Lindex collection which you can see in the collage below.  Love Lindex, it rocks!

My new clothes bought at Lindex in London and ordered online too. 

We could shop no more so left to go home after raiding Lindex hahaha. I had some free time so went to visit my ex Nottingham University friend, Gill who lives nearby in a fantastic house. We had a great chat over a cup of tea. We caught up on our lives since we last saw each other in August but also spoke about our views on Brexit and Teresa May. For both of us she is a bit like Margaret Thatcher. 

I had to leave on time to have dinner with the girls (food again) but this time it would be at Suzy's flat. We had run out of stuff so walked to the Tesco Express next to Haggerston Station. Again I don't remember what we ate but yes, we had the Rekorderlig cider again hahaha.  It was to be a girls' night only with Suzy, Oli, Anita and the 3rd flat mate, Chati, who returned from Spain just as we sat down to dinner. It felt a bit like being a student, eating from the sofa with the girls and in a way I was missing our luxury house, my husband and of course dear Pippa.  That night, my last, I was to sleep literally on the floor on Suzy's Ikea fouton type mattress. That felt like being a student again hahaha. It was the home comforts I was missing I suppose although it was lovely to be with the girls. As we were having dinner, Real Madrid were playing Atlético de Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final. Poor Atlético has never won and RM has done so at least 11 times  so it was only fair the former won. I felt for my neighbour, Julio, an ardent Atlético fan, when they didn't, after Ronaldo's hat trick and a final score of 3-0. But they still have a chance in the second leg. Let's see. 

Funnily enough I slept well on Suzy's floor and was up at 6 am British time with a small headache. That was obviously due to the over eating and over drinking of the Swedish cider. I desperately needed to get home to start detoxing. We spent the morning chilling out, packing etc and Oli and I left at about 11.45 to get the 15.30 Ryan Air flight from Stansted. It was a ghastly journey really. Air travel is not what it used to be. We finally got to Stansted which had just been evacuated after someone smoked in the loo, bringing in the fire brigade. Aren't the British a little too exaggerated? When I checked in after queuing for quite a while, I was in for a shock when I was told I hadn't paid to check in my 20 kilo suitcase for the return flight. I then had to queue up at Customer Care for about 30 minutes, with the clock ticking against us, and had to pay 45 pounds for the suitcase. Oli commented Ryan Air wasn't the low cost airline it claims to be if that's what they charge for luggage. They also charge over 40 pounds if you don't come with a printed boarding pass!  I hate low cost flying for their nasty tricks of making more money out of vulnerable passengers. This delayed our trip enormously and we still had to face security which had enormous queues and made me feel as if I were part of a herd of cattle. As I say, flying is not what it used to be. I wonder when will air companies begin to think of passengers as customers and treat us better. I just hate flying these days. At the end of security we really had to rush to the departure gate, grabbing a sandwich on our way. We were starving as it was 3 o'clock (4 in Spain) and had to eat it whilst queuing to board the packed plane. We hardly had enough fingers on our hands to eat the sandwich, hold our passports and boarding passes and carry our thick coats, my pc, our handbags and Oli's cabin luggage which, thankfully, was not removed from us to be put on hold as happens often. Finally we were on board and I felt exhausted and as if I had just done an obstacle race. Thankfully the plane caught up on lost time and we arrived in Madrid on time at 19.05. We came home to 25ºC in contrast to the rain and wind in England and how happy I was to be back in Madrid. London can be very stressful and flying is too, as I have just described.

It was lovely to come back to warm weather in Madrid on Wednesday evening

Oli had to leave me to go to work, poor thing. She had to finish editing her last programme with Mi Cámara y Yo, before starting with Madrileños por el Mundo next Monday. Eladio came to get me and it was wonderful to see him. It was wonderful also to arrive home, to our peaceful family haven, to greet my Father, Lucy and the dogs. Pippa was ecstatic to see me as usual. How lovely to sleep with her and Eladio that night in our big comfortable bed; no more mattresses on the floor hahaha. 

Before dinner, I unpacked. What I most wanted to unpack was the Emma Bridgewater pottery I had bought at Bourton on the Water. It had been wrapped in bubble paper and I had hand carried it, worrying it might break in my suitcase. Well, the nasty journey took its toll and one of the mugs was cracked which upset me a bit.

The Emma Bridgewater mugs I bought in England

However, I soon remedied that by ordering more the next day. You see, I have a collection which is now getting a bit old and there are lots of cracked mugs and plates and was adding to it with the lovely new patterns called Wallflower and Rose and Bee. I can't wait for my order to arrive. 

Eladio and I had a quiet dinner together and I got to meet Sandra, our new Airbnb guest who was charming. That night we watched another episode of Designated Successor on Netflix soon after which I fell asleep in our wonderful big bed with Eladio and little Pippa. 

On Thursday, the big news in the UK was the announcement from Buckingham Palace that the Duke of Edinburgh would be retiring aged nearly 96, from his public engagements after the summer. Recently he had dubbed himself as "the world's most experienced plaque-unveiler". We will miss his wit and fun loving character although he is also known for being rather intimidating. My Mother used to love him. I'm not sure whether I do or not, but it can't have been easy adapting to become the Queen's husband. He is around my Father's age who retired more than 38 years ago, so probably it was high time Prince Philip retired too. The Queen, though, will carry on and on. She is 91 and I don't think she really can carry on for that much longer although of course she will be helped by the younger members of what the Royal family call "The Firm".  I wish him a happy retirement. 

Prince Philip, "the world's most experienced plaque-unvieler" to retire aged nearly 96.

That morning, I was up early with lots of things to do. Back to my home routine and determined to lose any weight I had put on during my trip to the UK, I went on my early morning walk. Later in the day I got another Airbnb booking; this time from 2 Danish brothers who are coming later in the  month to take part in a drone race in Boadilla del Monte. More drone guests, how droll! Our guests do come for all sorts of reasons. I have some South Africans and Brits coming at the end of the month to attend the Crossfit games in Madrid, for example. They must be great fans of the strenuous sport, the sport that only the very fittest in the world can ever win or so I read.

On Friday morning my usual routine was interrupted as I had an appointment at 9.30 am at the Labour Exchange; at least my 5th till now.  I had to give in yet another document for my self employed status and I will have to go back as the document issued by the Social Security people here is incorrect with the wrong pension base. What a palava! I hate going to the place and am always attended by the same rather unprofessional and unsympathetic junior civil servant. To make things worse, despite the sat nav on my new Mini, I got completely lost on the way back home. Just as I arrived home, Sandra, our 20 year old Airbnb guest was leaving. She will be coming back though, to take exams for her drone pilot course and we look forward to seeing her.

No sooner had she left then Lucy and I got into action to get her room and the other rooms, ready for our next set of guests. 6 Colombians were arriving that night. We would find out later that Paola, a lawyer and her husband, Juan, a book seller and historian, together with Paola's brother Reinaldo and 3 of his sons who live in Canada, were taking a trip round Spain and Europe. Today as I write, they leave for Paris. The house and rooms had to look extra clean and pretty as TV cameras were coming too. They were coming from Oli's old programme, Mi Cámara y Yo, with the new reporter, Paloma, who replaces her and her favourite cameraman, Hugo. They were doing a report on alternative accommodation in Madrid. 

Soon everything was ready for the guests and the TV programme. I had lovingly cut roses from the gardens for all the rooms, placed a jug of water and glasses, as well as  plate of fresh fruit in each of them. I also added a lovely picture of Arlington Row to the Green Room that I had bought in Bibury. This is what the "green room" looked like.

The green room ready for our Colombian guests

When everything was in order, off I went to do the weekly food shopping. Once home, I found the time to do some work for my Catalan customers for the exhibition they will be attending in Hong Kong in a couple of weeks. Believe it or not this time next week I shall be with them. I will be flying out on Friday 12th. 

I also managed an afternoon walk with Lucy, then came home to make home made vegetable soup and some steamed artichokes (all good for the detox diet). Soon I had to get ready for the TV cameras. For the occasion I wore my new Lindex chinos and a blue and white striped top. I also had to put makeup on for the first time in ages, in fact since the Bell's palsy and my right eyelid is still droopy. I hope  it's not permanent. Unfortunately when Paloma and Hugo came, it was cold and raining and getting a little dark. Thus the outside of the house and the pool which is not yet ready for the summer, would not look as good as I hoped on TV. We had a grand time together. They interviewed me with little Pippa in my arms most of the time, showing them the house, the rooms and explaining my little Airbnb business which, of course, I have started  since I lost my job in January. They loved the house. Paloma said it was like a museum. Well, she's probably right.

We had finished my part of the filming just before the guests arrived at 9pm and I suddenly remembered to have a photo taken of the occasion, to send to Olivia, who could not be there on Friday as she had left for Valencia to stay with her boyfriend Miguel this weekend. 

With Paloma, the reporter from Mi Cámara y Yo who came to film our house on Friday

I have to say I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience as I suppose I am quite used to TV cameras by now, because of my previous jobs but also because of my appearance in the Spanish version of Undercover Boss.  My guests arrived on time. Their arrival and taking of the rooms was filmed by Hugo and Paloma and they were interviewed on camera. I must say I thought they were all very good at it, being quite cultured and very educated people. They are delightful guests.

That night we had dinner at 10pm and went to bed quite exhausted after the day's exertions. I can't wait to see the programme which I think will be aired on 21st May, the day I will be travelling back from Hong Kong. 

Saturday was quiet. I was up early as usual while the Colombians and the rest of the house slept. They were going to visit Madrid and I gave them all sorts of advice for their day. Meanwhile back home, I went for the first walk of the day with Eladio and the dogs, after which I went out on several errands. The rest of the day was spent peacefully. 

And today is Sunday 7th May and will go down in history for being the day the French vote between the right wing Marine Le Pen and the new ex socialist leader, the youngest ever candidate, Emmanuel Macron. I imagine he will win but I might be wrong as I was wrong both about Brexit and Trump winning in the UK and the US. 

I am at the end of the tales of this week. All that remains for me to say is happy Sunday everyone and hope you all have a great week. Mine is going to be busy but of course you will hear about it next week, from Hong Kong of all places.

Cheers till next time,
Masha