Pedro Sánchez to say on as Spain's PM, preparing for this year's road trip, time with our grandchildren, remembering my father on 1st May and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Saturday 4th May 2024

With Pippa this week - isn't she lovely? (looks like I'm wearing makeup - something I hardly ever do. I'm not.  It's a tan from just one walk on the beach in Santa Pola last week). She is going to miss us while we are away. 

Top of the morning to you all. 

Today is the day, the day of the beginning of this year's road trip. That is why I am publishing this week's blog post on a Saturday, the day we set off as when I write next week from Italy I want to do so  on a clean slate.

I don't have anything exciting to tell this week, but let me share my week with you. Last Sunday was Suzy's 40th birthday which we celebrated with her the Friday before in Santa Pola. I do hope she had some company that day; such a significant date.

Eladio and I were pretty much alone that day when a lot of our guests left. One group caused a bit of trouble with their set of keys. For some unknown reason they joined the garage door keys to their key ring and left the garage locked. When we came back from shopping we couldn't fathom what had happened to the keys and couldn't get into the garage.   It was only the next day that we realised where they were and thankfully that was before the locksmith came to change the lock! 

We had an outdoor barbecue but cheated by using an electric grill for our lamb chops - my favourite. I then spent the afternoon binge watching The Asunta Case on Netflix. I mentioned that last week I think, so won't go into details. But what a good series it is. 

Monday came, the day, Spain's PM, Pedro Sánchez was to announce whether he was staying on as President or quitting, after his wife is to be investigated over corruption claims. If you remember, last week he published a letter on Twitter saying he needed to time to mull over whether to quit or stay on. He then promptly quit his duties for 5 days until his reappearance this week.  He claimed it was because he was being bullied by the right wing. He had the whole of the country on tenterhooks: would he, wouldn't he? He even went to see the King to give him his decision and then appeared on TV with graphic media only and no questions allowed - not very democratic.

Spain's theatrical PM who can't stand the pressure from the opposition. 

He did so at 11 am after saying it would be at 12. I genuinely had hoped he would quit but deep down knew he wouldn't. If you are  a PM you have to be able to put up with pressure and it's not as if he hasn't made similar claims about other party members. So after about 10 minutes of waffling, he finally said " I will continue". He claimed it was thanks to street support in demonstrations last weekend ´- of about 15.000 people, only. Oh come on Pedro, enough of your political ploys to show you are a victim. In my opinion his real problem is not the claims about his wife, but his near inability to govern without the support of the extreme independent groups in Catalonia and the Basque Country. As my daughter,Olivia, commented this week, "the real President is Puigdemont" who needs no introduction. is the de facto PM. His party only rules because of a week coalition with the worst sort of allies. The right wing party, the PP, may have won the election on votes but will never muster enough support to govern. Thus it looks like Pedro (the handsome - some call him) will be around for a long time. Honestly, he could have spared us the theatrics. 

I was glad when the whole farce was over and got on with domestic tasks such as dead heading the roses - my main contribution to the garden which is looking splendid at this time of year. Eladio caught me on camera and I don't look too good as I am wearing an apron as I was also cooking. But at least it is authentic.

Dead heading the roses this week

We then went out to have coffee with our friends Roberto and Mari Carmen but I'm afraid we were far too engrossed catching up on our lives to think about taking photos. We met at Alveran in Boadilla. My dear friend Mari Carmen brought me some sleeping pills to last our trip - so handy to have a friend who is a chemist at times. Thank you my friend. We chatted for well over an hour, until the cafe nearly shut. Hopefully we can meet up after our road trip and catch up again. Was good to see them both.

We came home to find our Green Card had arrived - handy for Albania and Turkey. We also got out insurance for the trip. This week was all about preparations. I made loads of lists: food to take, utensils, shopping to do, packing list, etc. I cannot organise anything without writing lists. I learned to do them when I worked for Motorola back in the 90's. My boss there once told me I was very disorganised. Wow, that was one big wake up call and, to prove him wrong,  I soon became one of the most organised people in the company. 

On Tuesday we went to pick up the Mini, without which there would be no road trip. It had a few scratches removed and the parking camera mended. The car was looking lovely. It felt like driving a new one as I left the garage. From there we went to Ikea to buy some soup plates. Once at Ikea you always buy things which were not on your mind. I love that store. But I was a bit disappointed with their food shop as they were out of smoked salmon and the delicious sauce for their famed meat balls, the ones they once found fecal traces in (uggh). 

I had new guests arriving that day, Tracy and her son Finn from Australia and Sylvie from France, here to see her son at the local Uni. I loved both women and hope they will be back. Again this week our house seemed like the United Nations. 

I had  more house related issues to deal with that day. As if the garage key issue wasn't enough, suddenly the video intercom stopped working. That was at about 2pm. To find a technician I resorted to our neighbourhood whatsapp chat. It's very useful to find all sorts of workmen. One of of neighbours on the chat wrote telling me he had a company specialisiing in video intercoms (and other stuff).By 3 pm, 2 men arrived who fixed it in a matter of minutes and then charged me a paltry fee. Thank you so much Gonzalo (the neighbour). Life in our big house is full of little obstacles; like stones on a path you have to circumnavigate. In short, there is always something to deal with. 

Only then could I continue preparations for our trip. I had booked our first night in Huesca and then two nights in Carcassonne. From there we travel to Italy via Aix-en-Provence. That afternoon I found a suitable place in Aix.  I have now booked the first 7 nights. After that, we shall see. Up till now I have mostly used Booking, rather than Airbnb, or have booked directly with the establishment. 

Wednesday was 1st May. It's Labour Day for most people and a holiday here. But for me, 1st May is my father's birthday.  He loved birthdays and I got that from him. You all know my devotion to and reverence for my father, Charles Courtenay Lloyd b. Amington Staffordshire 1st May 1919, d. in my house in Madrid on 8th November 2021, aged 102. He lived his last 16 years with us and never a cross word was exchanged. You have  probably  read many times how well that was celebrated, with a card from the Queen and a card from the King of Norway. You will know, also, that I wrote a book about his life. Never have I been so proud as on his 100th birthday when I gave him the book which he read countless times.  Here is a link to a video of some of the photos of that fabulous day. 

With my father on his 100th birthday. What a wonderful day

God bless you Daddy. I will always miss you but even more so on this week. 

I didn't have much time to mull over his birthday as Olivia was bringing the children for us to look after for a few hours as they didn't have school that day. They were in high spirits as we left in the car for Alverán for coffee for me and mini croissants for them. But we had to turn back as Tracy's son had got stuck in their bathroom. Eladio came to the rescue which was not difficult as all Finn had to do was turn the lock off the inside door. That reminded me of when as a child in Sutton-on-Sea, I got locked in the bathroom. My father had to call the firemen who put up a ladder to get me down. I must have been about 5. I mentioned my adventure to Elliot as we driving home to help the boy and he thought it was a grand idea to call the firemen. Thankfully, that wasn't necessary, hahahaha.

Only then could we enjoy the children who made friends at the cafe, having fun feeding the awful sparrows. Oh, how I hate birds at cafés. But Juliet and Elliot love them. On the way home we stopped at a park at their insistence. And here they are on a giant swing being pushed by Eladio.

With the children in the park on Wednesday, 1st May

Olivia was home before us and then it was all hands on deck to serve lunch. Thankfully I had made a chickpea stew (cocido) early in the morning; ever popular with the family.

We eventually went up for our quite time - siesta for Eladio and more trip preparations for me. That afternoon I booked three nights at an Agroturismo farm near La Spezia and not far from Cinque Terre. That is one of my prime destinations on the Italian part of our road trip.

Entertainment that night was a wonderful Ukrainian  film called Carol of the Bells on Prime Video. Set in Poland during WW2 it tells the life of 3 families, one Orthodox Ukrainian, one Polish catholic and one Jewish. It was just up our street. First they had to endure an invasion by the Russians, then the Nazis and finally the communist take over. It is a tale of three families united by war. 

Thursday 2nd was a holiday in Madrid. My guests asked me why. It commemorates an uprising by the people of Madrid against Napoleon's invasion of Spain in 1808; part of the Peninsula War.  It was made famous forever after by Francisco Goya in his famous painting of the same name and which can be seen at the Prado museum.

We were to do our big shop before leaving so I wasn't happy to find Mercadona closed. Thus I had to resort to being fed by the French at Carrefour - that is just a joke. We managed a walk though that day, my only one this week. 

At around 2 pm, Oli left us with the kids again until 5 pm. 3 whole hours alone can be a challenge but they behaved quite well. They even let me have a cup of tea with Sylvie - a delightful and very cosmopolitan Parisian. Eladio and I took it in turns to keep them occupied and while they were on the swings I sat outside on the kitchen terrace smoking with Mohammad, my guest from Iraq who is like a son to me. He even calls me Mummy. Pippa was with me as always and he took some delightful photos of her and me, including the one I have chosen for this week's feature photo. He took a lovely close up of Pippa too which I must share here. She is the apple of my, as I'm sure you already know.

Dear Pippa - a lovely photo of her taken by Mohammad.

 I always love my chats with Mohammad. They are so enriching.

At 5.15, Miguel was here to pick up the children. By half past I was out again and on my way to Boadilla for my nail appointment. I was having a manicure and my eyebrows and eyelashes dyed dark brown as they are so blonde. I quite enjoyed the session and want to thank Natalia for a job well done.

I was home just on time to make our dinner, a simple meal of prawns in garlic with avocado as well as a yoghurt and delicious giant blueberries. Love them.

I didn't sleep too well that night and was woken up at around 6.20 on Friday morning by my Australian guest. She needed to take her son's girlfriend home by car and another guest's car was blocking hers. What on earth could I do without waking up the other guest. Both of them should have parked in parallel instead of one behind the other. I could only suggest she got a Uber which she did. We then sat down outside on the kitchen patio having a good long chat over a coffee and got to know each other. Lovely woman if only she hadn't woken me up so damn early. 

Friday was to be very busy. I had to do more shopping - at Mercadona and then had a hairdresser appointment. I hadn't been for 2 months and was looking a bit like a witch. It did mean though that I now had lots of time to complete all my last minute tasks  with enough time for a coffee in between. Eladio was starving when I got home so we had lunch early at around 1.30. Spanish lunch times are a lot later as you probably know. 

I then spent a good hour and a half packing our one medium sized suitcase - one side for each. Last year we took two and packed far too many clothes. This year I have been strict. Of course, my side is a lot fuller hahahahaha.

By then I had "reisefieber", that wonderful German word for butterflies in your stomach when you are about to travel. It's a word I learned from my mother as a child. We were very much the traveling family but always did it on the cheap, taking trains all round Europe, even the coach or  in my Aunty Masha's battered cars. One day I shall have to write a book called "Travels with my Aunt". My dear mother, who was born in Rome, when their family escaped Russia in 1920, would be delighted to know we will be visiting Italy, the country of her dreams. My father always preferred the German and Nordic countries and took her on honeymoon to Holland in December. She was not impressed. She got her revenge, though, when she bought a ramshackle house in an obscure village in the mountains in South East Spain (Callosa de Ensarría) in 1972. Then they both grew to love the country and language and they are the reason I ended up studying Spanish and, in the long run, marrying a native, my dear husband Eladio. 

I had a little rest afterwards and settled down to the last episode of Season 13 of Call the Midwife. Eladio went off to his appointment with the traumatologist because of his sciatica, which, by the way, thanks to the miracle injection and some strong medicine, is a lot better.  He came back with a proper diagnosis after the doctor interpreted his MRI. He has a slightly slipped disk on the last vertebra; the tail bone. He was prescribed anti inflammatory tablets and told to try not to sit for over an hour or go for walks longer than an hour. The not sitting for longer than an hour isn't very compatible with driving all round Europe. That means we shall be stopping every now again. No worries, as we shall travel at a leisurely pace.

At around 7, I started laying the table for dinner on the terrace. Olivia and family were coming for a last family dinner before we set off today. They came bearing roses as tomorrow is Mothers' Day in Spain. They are from Olivia my dear daughter but were given to me by sweet Elliot. Thank you darling. 

Olivia's Mothers' Day roses to me on the table last night

I laid the table and made the salad, etc but they came bringing the dinner ingredients; gourmet hamburgers which I made on the electric grill outside. We had a great meal and it was lovely of them to come and  see us off and bring all the food, including a vintage bottle of wine, the remains of which are coming with us today to Huesca.

We will miss them while we are away but no doubt we shall recharge our batteries and disconnect and come back eager to be home and to see our grandchildren again. Meanwhile, they wished us boy voyage.

Last night we were in bed late and saw part of Pearl Harbour which was on the TV - love that film and the music - but my mind wasn't on it. It was on our journey beginning this Saturday morning.  Thus, once again, I slept far too little. But who cares? I'm still full of beans with lots of energy and raring to go.

If all goes well, next week I shall be writing from La Spezia in Liguria. Wow!

All that remains now is to sign off and wish you all a great weekend. 

So ciao for now and arrivederci,

Masha

Got our international driving licences, to Santa Pola to see Suzy, Pedro Sánchez threatens to resign as Spain's PM, time with our daughter who turns 40 today and other stories of the week.

 Home again, Madrid, 28th April, 2024

With my daughter Suzy who turns 40 today!

Dear friends and readers,

This week has seen us travel to Santa Pola and back. Suzy wanted us to be with her to celebrate her upcoming birthday but wants to spend the day by herself. That's a little sad but at least we got to see her and she received us lovingly. Happy birthday darling.

Last Sunday saw us receive Oli and the kids for lunch on one of the only days this year we didn't have any new guests. Even Mohammad was away (in Portugal). It was a beautiful sunny day and a good time was had by all.

On Monday we had decided to go to the DGT (HQ of the Spanish traffic authorities) to get our international driving licences, like we did a year ago. We were never asked for it last year but we have to have it just in case for countries such as Albania, Macedonia or Montenegro. We can no longer take our Volvo which runs on diesel into the city, so we took the metro. It turned out to be a wasted morning as when we got there we were told that pensioner hours are from 8 to 11. Damn it I thought but then I reminded Eladio that for us time is not normally a problem as we are retired. I shall never forget when travelling in India, asking our driver what time we should meet him. His answer was "time is not a problem here M'am". We always remember those words. So we just traipsed back home on the metro which is free for pensioners (hahaha).

I spent the time on the Metro googling Italian verbs and vocabulary and even lessons I might attend. This is all for our upcoming trip where we shall spend at least a third of our time in Italy. I tried Duolingo but soon realised it is total rubbish and an insult to language learning; at least to me. I did a course of Italian in 1980, after graduating in Spanish and Portuguese but I didn't take it very seriously. I really wish now that I had. However, I know some of the basics and feel very inspired. The new version of Ripley (set in Italy in the 50's or 60's) has inspired me too. We are really looking forward to the Italian part of our trip. I later spent the afternoon on more itinerary planning in France and Italy and this week saw me book accommodation in both Huesca and Carcassonne. Of course I have also looked at places in Aix-en-Provence, Liguria, Tuscay, Umbria and Puglia but will book them nearer the time. I am mostly using Airbnb and Booking but also Agroturismo in Italy which looks splendid.

On Tuesday we were up at the crack of dawn to get to the DGT on time. We were ushered in and were soon seeing a clerk who quite efficiently issued us with the coveted documents. I wonder how many people of our age apply for an international driving licence to rove all round Europe and beyond in their car? Not many, I imagine. And here we are holding them in our hands once we got outside. Hurray I thought!

Happy to get this year's international driving licences. Europe here we come in our Mini again. 

Soon after we were home, the painters arrived. We needed lots of railings, lamp posts and ceilings of some of the terraces painted and had asked for different estimates. Eladio used to do this job which I suspect he hasn't done for quite a few years and I didn't like looking at crumbling ceilings or rusty railings. Thus I was delighted to see the work begin. I even took some photos to record the moment.

Outdoor painting going on this week

Wednesday came, the day we were leaving for Santa Pola so we wouldn't see the job finished and could only hope it was well done. We left around 10.30 intending to have lunch on the way. We chose a new place and were a bit put out that the whole process took well over an hour. Time may not be a problem for retired people as I mentioned above, but I was a bit annoyed as it made us arrive later than planned. Suzy was there to greet us and help us with the luggage including three big supermarket bags with provisions for our stay and for her to consume. It was lovely to see her. This time our stay was incident free - sigh of relief.

It was just before we sat down to dinner that I read the bombshell news that hit Spain that day. Pedro Sánchez, Spain's indefatigable and unpredictable President, published a personal letter on X threatening to resign after what he calls a smear campaign against his wife from the right wing parties.  This comes right after a Madrid judge began a preliminary investigation into whether his wife, Begoña Gómez, had used government connections and peddling to influence business deals. In the very long letter he says all accusations against his wife are false and that he is taking time off to decide whether to continue or to resign. At the end of the letter he writes that he will call a press conference, tomorrow, Monday to announce his decision.

Bombshell news in Spain this week

This is so unprecedented in politics it has left most people speechless. Some say he is playing the victim, others are on his side and some think this is just a political ploy to help win the regional elections in Catalonia but I can't see why. In my mind, if his wife is completely innocent, then he has no need to resign. Why all the theatrics? If Spanish politics are already so polarised, this bombshell news is now the only item on the news of any weight. Will he or won't he? We will know on Monday. Spain is waiting with baited breath. 

Despite the news we still enjoyed pre-dinner drinks on the terrace with pistachios. We had the wine in the lovely vintage wine glasses I got at the local Sunday car boot sale a while back. They are so pretty.

I really slept well that night, for the first time in ages and woke feeling refreshed.  That day the company we have contracted for solar power were installing the solar panels on our roof at home and I know we should have been there but Suzy wanted us here. As with the painters, we hoped they would do a good job. 

Thursday morning was spent outside. We went to have a coffee by the beach. It was so lovely to be back. Then Suzy persuaded us to go for a walk on the beach, not that we needed much persuasion. But first for some photos on the promenade - with Pippa, of course.  I chose one of them for this week's feature photo - Suzy and I together which doesn't happen often. I like it. People say Suzy looks a lot like me although we don't see it. Do you think so? Ah, and here is one of Eladio and I which I particularly like. I always think my husband is "drop dead gorgeous", an expression the late Lady Diana used to use:-)

By the beach on Thursday morning 

Well, he is. 

The walk on the beach in the sun was glorious. Here are father and daughter posing for me as we set off.

Father and daughter on the beach

At the end of the beach there are some rocks and there is one particular rock we always sit on when we get there. I call it "our rock" and I told Suzy it is one of my favourite places in the world. It is. From there you can see our apartment on the cliffs above and on the horizon the island of Tabarca. So we had to have yet another photo there care of Suzy. 

On our rock - one of my favourite places in the world

 I came back with a sun kissed face or so Eladio told me and I wasn't planning on sun bathing. On our way home we stopped at an ubiquitous Chinese shop, a bit like a very large Poundland, to get some things Suzy needed: a yoga mat, candles, incense, a frying pan, etc. I then quickly nipped into the English charity shop next door and tried on some shorts. It was quite unusual that the ones I tried on in the patio outside were all too big! 

Lunch was  a family affair at home and the afternoon was spent quietly. 

Friday was our last day with Suzy and the day we would celebrate her birthday which is actually today. We offered to take her out to lunch but she preferred to have our meals at home- She also wanted to make her own cake. We did go out with her but only to the ubiquitous Mercadona to get the ingredients and some more provisions. While she made the cake and our lunch, we drove down to the beach to the same cafeteria as the day before for that morning's coffee. Called La Milla, it's on the seafront and makes an excellent cappuccino. Facebook reminded me that one year ago that day, we were having coffee in St. Mark's Square in Venice. Soon we will be in Italy again and I will be able to have as many cappuccinos as I want, haha. We then ambled along the palm tree lined "explanada" with its harlequin  type tiles and spoke mostly about the bombshell political news in Spain. Here is a photo of Eladio on that walk. 

On our walk by the sea on Friday

We came home to the smell of a cake baking and lunch nearly ready. Thank you Suzy. The afternoon was quiet and for once I managed an hour's siesta. Suzy was out in Alicante and had taken the car. So that was our moment to start a new series on Netflix. Called The Asunta Case.  It is the story of the death of a Chinese girl, Asunta aged 12  in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, which gripped the nation. Asunta  was adopted by Rosario Porta and her husband Alfonso Basterra. They were a well off middle class family - she was  a journalist and he was a lawyer and their life seemed idyllic until the day Asunta went missing. Her parents were soon charged with her death through an overdose of sleeping tablets and smothering. No one has ever understood the motive. The mother later committed suicide in prison and the father is still incarcerated. I remember Olivia being sent to report on the case and her interviewing the family lawyer about the sleeping tablets. It truly was a case that shocked the country and something we will never forget; a but like the Moors' murders in England when I was a child. But did they really do it? I have my doubts although the evidence is there, albeit circumstantial. 

Suzy was back on time to prepare her pre-birthday dinner with us. It started with wine and pistachios on the terrace when we gave her her card and present. I can hardly believe my daughter is 40. I remember it as if it were yesterday when I squeezed her out of my body and how when she was handed to me I felt like the happiest woman in the world. The present was the latest version of my father's book which I actually had to order on Amazon.co.uk. She wanted it and said it was the right time to read it. I think I know why. I had to have photos to remember the occasion like the one below. I love it when my daughter is happy. 

Celebrating Suzy's birthday on Friday

Dinner was splendid: prawns with garlic, fresh asparagus, avocado and sweet potato pure. The pièce de resistance was her cake made with chocolate and almonds which we loved. 

Birthday cake moment with Suzy on Friday

Of course we sang Happy Birthday and she blew our the candle. Later I spent quality time with her on the terrace while Eladio "played the piano" - how he describes doing the washing up (hahaha).  It was a long time since we had had a normal and relaxed mother and daughter tête à tête.

We were up early on Saturday and ready to go at 9.30 which is very early for us. Suzy saw us off and I wondered when we would see her next; perhaps in July after our road trip.

The journey was smooth and as we left so early, we were home on time for lunch. Tana had made it and all we had to do was sit down and consume it. We were very hungry. There were supposedly 9 guests in the house but I didn't see any until this morning. We later retired to our quarters to unpack - well me as I am always the one to pack and unpack. I also had a hot shower and washed my hair which was in dire need of a haircut. I conked out on our luxurious and enormous bed but couldn't sleep. Instead I turned to Netflix to watch more about the Asunta case.

And today is Sunday. The sun is shining but rain threatens. I can hardly believe that in one week's time we will be off on our travels. 

So let me leave you now to get on with the day until next Sunday.

Cheers for now,

Masha

Hottest day of the year so far, waiting for Israel to respond to Iranian attack, flowers in bloom, fun at the park with our grandchildren, dinner at McDonalds (of all places), World Press photo of the year comes from Gaza and other stories of the week.

Madrid, Sunday, 21st April, 2024.

By one of the wonderful mock orange blossom bushes in our garden with Pippa

Good morning everyone, this warm Sunday in April. 

 

Last Sunday was the warmest day of the year so far in Spain where temperatures soared and I mean soared,  not 20ºc but 30ºc which is utterly abnormal for April. This can only be a harbinger for an even warmer summer to come. I nearly used the word "augur" from the Spanish "augurar" (herald) then looked up synonyms and came across this very fashionable word "harbinger". This was not part of my vocabulary when I left England in 1981 or at least it wasn't used in my family.  For any Spaniards reading this and unfamiliar with the word, it is pronounced "haa.buhn.juh".  There are many more relatively new words and expressions that have crept into modern speech in the UK since I came to live in Spain that I only hear in films or read in books but I take notice, I do. 

The heatwave followed a long period or rain which has helped the water shortage situation in Spain and our garden is a testament to it. I was pleased as punch to see some of our beautiful roses blooming this week like these.

 

Beautiful roses in our garden. 

 

As I admired them, I noticed that the mock orange blossom bushes were in bloom too which thrilled me as it smells divine. I had to have another photo to share with you.

 

Our beautiful fragrant mock orange blossom which began to bloom this week

It comes by various names such as celindo and its botanical name is Philadelphus coronarius. New guests this week would have this lovely blossom for flowers in their rooms. 

 

Later in the week, Eladio took one of Pippa and I next to the celindo bush which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. It was a happy moment.

We also admired all the wild flowers on our walk that day. The flora has grown so much and at times it feels we are walking through a veritable jungle of bluebells, giant daisies and now poppies. Oh, how I love poppies.

I came home to make roast lamb for both of us. Before I put it in the oven I took a look at the label and saw the words "sacrificed in Spain". That made me feel guilty as it's true. Although I adore animals, I am not becoming a vegetarian, so in fashion these days too. 

The news of course that day was the aftermath of the mostly failed drone and missile attack on Israel at the hands of the government of Tehran. All this week, the world has watched to see how Israel would retaliate. A lot of pressure was put upon Netanyahu to be measured in his response. David Cameron, now head of Foreign affairs along with his German counterpart paid a visit but whatever they or Biden the US President may have said, fell on deaf ears. The Israeli PM said Israel would make its own decision. Come Thursday, the IDF did launch a very minor attack but on a strategic area of Iran in Isfahan, a military and nuclear power centre. Israel did not claim ownership of the attack and Iran played it down (amazing). The BBC said of the move: "So a limited operation seems to have carried a powerful warning  - that Israel has the intelligence and assets to strike at will at Iran's beating heart". That could be so  but I'm not sure that means  it's game over. I doubt it.

The other hot topic this week has been the so-called hush money trial of former President (and a dangerous clown) Donald Trump. It has taken more than a week to find  12 just men and women, i.e. a non biased jury.  That could not have  been easy as who is not biased in favour or against Trump?  Time will tell but I predict he will be let off scot-free and will probably become the next POTUS. God save the world.

As to Ukraine, where another war is waging and less interest is being shown after 2 years of stalemate, I was pleased to read this morning's news: "US House approves crucial 61 billion dollar war aid for Ukraine". 

Monday saw us take the Mini to the garage to be repaired after a man bumped into the back of it at a zebra crossing 2 months ago. Once it's ready, we shall be able to take off on our road trip, whoopee. 

Eladio had been suffering with lumbago or sciatica for over a month now and neither of the osteopaths he had seen had helped the pain recede. So there was nothing for it but to drag him to A&E where he saw a traumatologist more or less immediately. He came out with a big smile on his face as the doctor had given him a steroid injection, 5 minutes after which the pain disappeared, like magic. I read it could last up to months; so great. He was prescribed the strongest of drugs including Diazapam 5mg - used to be called Valium. He only took one of them "diclofenac" (Voltaren in Spain). He was also given an appointment for an MRI this very week and a follow up appointment on 3rd May. That was very efficient and above all he is now out of pain and back in business. Hurray

I spent the afternoon watching the film Golda  - about Golda Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur war between Israel, Egypt and Syria - the latter invaded Israel. I was about 15 at the time and remember it quite clearly. Golda Meir was a big figure in politics in my youth so I was eager to see Helen Mirren play her. Golda Meir, born in Ukraine, btw, was plain ugly and Dame Helen Mirren is quite the opposite. This is what Meir looks like in the film and what she looked like in real life in the 70's.

Helen Mirren as Gold Meir in the photo on the left 

You wouldn't have known it was Mirren not just because of the heavy make up and prosthetics but the accent as Meir's English was learned in America. As to the content of the film it was rather too focused on one short period but it did make me wonder what Mrs. Meir would have done today in Netanyahu's shoes. Who knows?

I then began rather hesitatingly to watch the new version of Patricia Highsmith's the Talented Mr. Ripley, called simply "Ripley". I had not seen the 1999 film and was a bit averse to seeing a film made so recently in black and white but it had me captivated.  The script and plot are amazing as are the settings - Italy in 1961. There is a lot of dialogue in Italian which I love as I understand quite a lot. Spanish of course helps but I did once do a year of Italian in 1980 - a long time ago I know but I loved it. It's very Hitchcock too; just full of suspense and delicious detail which has you on the edge of your seat during all 8 episodes. In a nutshell, Tom Ripley Ripley, a total conman and psychopath,  is hired by a millionaire to travel to Italy to convince his son, Richard Greenleaf, to come home. Thereby begins a tale of deception, identity fraud and murder. It had me riveted all week and Eladio too. It is set in the small town of Atrani on the Amalfi coast near Naples, then moves to San Remo, Rome, Palermo and Venice - divine. I have heard that Atrani is now on the tourist map thanks just to this film - thus we shall avoid Atrani (also has far too many steps). As a foretaste, here is the official trailer. If you haven't seen it and want to, it's available on Netflix. 

Tuesday was productive. It started well for me when Suzy called me. That's news because she never does. She actually made a video call and we spoke and she was calm and in a good mood. That made me happy. We shall be visiting her next week on the occasion of her 40th birthday on 28th April (gosh). That's next Sunday. 

That day, my dear school friend, Geraldine, sent me photos of my parent's grave at Charlestown  Cemetery in Baildon, West Yorkshire. Very sweetly and once again, she had placed flowers on them while visiting her own parent's graves at the same cemetery. It is nice to think they are together. 

Yellow roses on my parent's grave.  Thank you Geraldine.

It's quite a coincidence too that Geraldine chose yellow roses, a bit like the ones in our garden which bloomed this week. Thank you my friend. As I commented to her, I haven't been back to Yorkshire for nearly 2 years now and it's about time I went back. When I do, I will be taking flowers myself to Mummy and Daddy's grave. Bless them. 

Back to my largely humdrum but peaceful life. We followed our normal routine of the morning - walk and coffee and in the afternoon we were on grandparent duty. We were to go to the park and then feed the children their dinner while Olivia attended her Tuesday afternoon French lessons. We had fun with them as evidenced by this picture for instance.

Fun at the park

It's the park they always go to after school, very near to it and where all their classmates seem to go as well which makes it such fun for them. Then I had the bright idea, inspired by my friend, Kathy, to take them to McDonalds for dinner. Now, I hate McDonalds - maybe not hate, but hardly ever go there - not my thing. But kids love it and it would be something special for them. It also meant I didn't have to worry about Oli's far too sophisticated kitchen equipment. There is a special McDonalds park right by it which Elliot made a beeline for. Great, I thought, the more time out in the open the better and less chance of them fighting, poor mites. As I expected, they loved the experience of eating out with their grandparents. I had now idea how to order - all so sophisticated these days. But thankfully I could order face to face and didn't have to confront a machine.  I got them a "Happy meal" for just 4 euros each that included 4 nuggets  which they ate, chips they hardly touched and ice cream they adored. It was washed down with orange juice, not coca cola. There will be a time and place for that when they are older. Here they are enjoying the moment with their grandfather.

Dinner at McDonalds

I took photos and a video to record the moment which I published on my YouTube channel and which you can see here. 

A very important thing happened while at McDonalds which I think I should share here. When Eladio had his fall a while back, a doctor at A&E said she thought she saw something fishy in his brain scan; in her words "the beginnings of dementia". God that scared me. But the radiologist's report was fine, no sign of anything sinister. However, to get another opinion we got an appointment with a neurologist and we gave him the report with the CT scan on a CD. He couldn't read it but said he would see it at home and ring Eladio. His phone call came when we were at McDonalds. He agreed with the radiologist, Eladio's brain is fine. Damn the Argentinian doctor who put the fear of God in us. 

Time passed quickly and soon Oli was there to pick them up. She took a  photo which is not great, but it's of the 4 of us having fun this week. 

At McDonalds with our grandchildren, Juliet and Elliot on Tuesday (we went again on Thursday too)

We  told our daughter about the outcome of the phone call and she was delighted and said it was a cause for celebration. It is. I should mention we did not eat any of this greasy American fare, but went home to have a more healthy dinner. 

Wednesday saw as at the DIY centre called LM (French Leroy Merlin), a place my husband loves and which I hate. He wanted more piping for his irrigation system - mainly for the roses, and I wanted to get some wood planks to replace the old ones on my parents porch chairs which I so love as we brought them from Heaton Grove. 

The afternoon saw me reading on the terrace by the swimming pool. What a lovely reading corner it is too. This is the view from the wicker sofa.

My reading corner this week. Spot Pippa.

That day I was reading the very addictive book, "The Housemaid" by Freida McFadden. It's a domestic thriller with some great characters and part of a trilogy. I was so hooked I am now on book two, The Housemaid's Secret. 

We were probably watching the Ripley series that night as Real Madrid played their return game against Manchester City - the Champions League QF.  I had no hopes for RM who drew with Pep Guardiola's squad at the Bernabeu 3-3. But oh my God, they did it again and got through to Semi Finals. I read on Thursday morning that they had won on a penalty shoot out. They now meet Bayern Munich, their arch rival.

At breakfast that morning,  Oli warned me in advance that she would be doing a live report at 8.20. So of course, there I was watching her live. She had a hot topic to cover. The play director, Ramón Paso, had been accused of sexual abuse and one of his plays was suspended when some of the main actors refused to take part. All these horrible men in the theatre and cinema world now being shown up for who they are. Hate these stories but love watching my daughter live on TV. Here is a shot I took from my iPad.

Olivia reporting live this week

The World Press photo awards were announced on Thursday and I was keen to see the winner. It had to be from Gaza didn't it? This is it and it says a thousand words, it really does.

The winning photo by Palestinian photographer for Reuters, Mohammed Salem. 

In the picture a Palestinian woman, Inas Abu Maamar, is  hugging the dead body of her five-year-old nephew Saly who was killed by an Israeli bomb on October 17th 2023.  Salem came across the two at a hospital and is quoted by WPP as saying "it was a powerful and a sad moment and I felt the picture sums up the broader sense of what was happening in the Gaza Strip".  I totally agree. Also with both their bodies and faces covered, they appear anonymous and could represent any of the victims of this terrible war.  Since the Hamas attacks, more than 34.000 Palestinians have died.  Saly was just one of them but for me he represents them all What a powerful photo!

That afternoon while we looked after our grandchildren in the park again, I thought how fortunate Elliot and Juliet and all their friends are compared to children like Saly killed by a bomb. 

As we watched them play we recalled the times when we would take our own children to a park, over 30 years ago. In 30 years time or so, Olivia will be the grandmother taking our place in accordance with how the cycle of life works. I hope that both Juliet and Elliot in 30  or 60 years  time will remember too their fun times with their grandparents at the park and at McDonalds. 

We took them there again on Thursday and a grand time was had at the theme park. Here are some photos from there.

Fun at the McDonalds park on Thursday

The kids enjoyed their meal again and Olivia picked them up after her class. She has told us she won't need our services anymore until the autumn.  We came home starving. I had resisted a burger or chips; Eladio too. I didn't sleep very well that night as I haven't most nights this week. 

On Friday I work up feeling tired. The house was full of guests again but all were very discreet and I only bumped into Leticia and Jorge, both very pleasant people. Jorge is Argentinian but his parents are Italian and his mother from Liguria so he was full of tips for our trip. Grazie. 

At 11.45 I had my second appointment with the psychologist. She wanted to work on my "guilt"complex. However, that had me thinking this week. I don't really feel guilty at all. What I really needed from Caterina were tools to manage the volatile situation we are having to live with vs a vs our older daughter. Thus we talked about how to manage it. It all boils down to acceptance and recognising we are already doing as much as we can and cannot control the situation.  She says I have to live my life and I will, although she is always in my thoughts. I showed the psychologist some of her videos which disturb me so much and Carina recommended I don't focus too much on them. She also told me to go off on our road trip, disconnect and enjoy it without feeling worried or guilty. I certainly am taking her advice on that. So I came back more or less with a diagnosis I had already guessed myself but it was good to get a  professional  opinion. Carina told me she thought I was a very strong woman which I suppose is true. Thank you Carina for these two sessions although  I will not be going back as I can't learn much more.

That night we finished Ripley and I am missing it. Thus I have turned to the 1999 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's wonderful book, The Talented Mr. Ripley. It stars Mat Daemon as Tom Ripley and the gorgeous Jude Law as Richard (Dickie) Greenleaf. I wondered how the two would compare. 

Saturday dawned and I got a message from Oliva to meet her and the kids for coffee. We did so after our lovely walk.  We met at Alverán where they devoured the "vigilantes" (a type of croissant) while I just had my cappuccino. I can't wait to have the real thing in Italy.

Ah, Italy. It is very much in our thoughts this week. Our initial itinerary, leaving on 4th May is Madrid, Huesca, Carcassonne, Albi, Aix-en-Provence, Portofino, La Spezzia and Cinque Terre, then on to La Toscana to see Florence, Siena, Pisa, San Giminiano, etc. From there we drive to Naples via Umbria - maybe Perugia. In the Naples area, Eladio is keen to see Pompey and Ercolano. Me too but I also want to see Sorento and Salerno, possibly Capri and even part of the Amalfi coast. From Naples we shall make our way to Puglia where we plan to stay at least 5 nights. We were going to take the ferry from Bari to Greece but have now decided we shall take it to Durres on the Albanian coast. On Monday we shall go to the DGT HQ to get our international driving licences which we shall definitely need in Albania and maybe other countries too.  We were not once asked for it on our road trip to Armenia last year but I'm not taking any chances.

We came home to make a quasi barbecue using an electric grill to cook some delicious lamb chops I got for lunch. We had them with gazpacho and more of my coconut yoghurts hahahahha. The rest of the day was very quiet. For entertainment that night, we finished watching  Held for Ransom It is the story of the kidnapping of Danish photo journalist, Daniel Rye, in Syria. He later became a cell mate and friend of James Foley. Neither the US or Danish governments would pay for their ransom - unlike their French, Spanish and Polish counterparts. However, Rye's family, somehow come up with the 2 million euros needed to free their son who spent over a year in the hands of fanatical ISIS members. Well worth watching I have to say but very harrowing.

And today is Sunday and it is one year ago today that we left for our first road trip - all the way to Armenia. This is us setting off, a photo to remember. 

We set off on our road trip to Armenia one year ago today. What an adventure

Today we are not going anywhere but will be at home to receive Oli and the kids for lunch. Apart from that, nothing else is planned.

I have come to the end of the tales of this week and shall sign off now to get on with the day.

Cheers to you all,

Masha

Direct attack by Iran on Israel, a warm and quiet week, finally got on the scales, the total eclipse, too many yoghurts, planning the Italian part of our road trip, Oli live on TV, Olé Juliet, visit to a psychologist and other tales of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday, 14th April, 2024

Bit of self pampering at my nail bar this week

Good morning everyone. 

It has been a warm and quiet week but not without its ups and downs. Most importantly I finally got on the scales - the first time in over a year - and I visited a psychologist for myself. That's not something most people would tell the world but I think it's an important milestone in my life so I'm sharing it. 

On the world scene, Ramadan finished this week and the after fasting festival, Eid began. For those Palestinians returning to the South of Gaza where the IDF has pulled out, it was a return to devastation on the same level as Aleppo in Syria. Soon Israel will invade Rafeh and the war continues. 

There was  talk all week of an attack on Israel by Iran after the former bombed the Iranian Embassy in Damascus. I honestly never thought Iran would dare, just as I thought Russia would never invade Ukraine. How naive I am. It happened last night. Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles on Israeli territory; something it has never done before.  They were nearly all thwarted by the IDF with a lot of help from the US, the UK and other countries including Jordan with all that that means for the Hashemite Kingdom. Israel largely came away unscathed. But it was pretty frightening. I just wonder how Israel will respond. Will Israel now directly bomb Iran? I honestly hope not. I just hope that Iran has learned it can't beat Israel with "ironclad" support from the US and other allies including my own country.  

The war drums are also sounding in Europe while the Russia Ukraine war continues and seems to be at stalemate. If Ukraine does not win, other countries could also be a target for Putin. Not a good state of affairs but while the Israeli war continues, people tend to forget about Ukraine. 

I am so lucky to live where I do. It's like being in a bubble, a haven of peace, in comparison. That doesn't mean to say my life is perfect. Is any life or any family perfect, I ask myself? Probably not. 

Life in our bubble last Sunday was slightly interrupted when Olivia arrived unexpectedly with the children who were playing up. She was not feeling well and went to A&E while we looked after and fed them. Here is a lovely picture of the two of them kissing.

Elliot kissing his sister

But peace did not last long. Soon they were fighting.  We had to separate them on various occasions and in the end Eladio had to smack Elliot. That's not the done thing these days but I'll tell you what, it stopped the fighting there and then. Thankfully their parents arrived soon after. It was Miguel's birthday, one year short of 50. They left us to go and get his cake from Alverán and we retreated to our quarters for some quiet time. 

It was on Monday that I finally got on the scales since I started my semi diet on 8th January. It was the first time since February last year. I was pleased to see that my weight, although still high, was reasonable - i.e around 10 stone and under 70kg. It spurred me on to continue with my healthy eating. 

During our walk on Sunday, Eladio asked me about "my book", the one about our road trip to Armenia. Truth to tell, I had left it unfinished. That too spurred me on, but to do the back cover. All I have to do now is edit one of the annexes (accommodation) and then take it to print. As to uploading it to Amazon.es, I will need help and must contact the publisher who did my father's book. 

Right after that I went for an appointment at my nail bar - De Uñas in Boadilla, run by some lovely and beautiful Colombian women. They do a great job. I don't like the hairdressers but love having a manicure. My hands may look old with more wrinkles and age spots, but my nails look perfect. I got Tatiana to take pictures, one of which I have chosen for this week's feature photo. Here is one of my nails, for those interested.

A bit of self pampering - had my nails done on Monday

Of course I chose red - again. Red nails and red lips are my trademark, even if I am wearing pink as I was in the picture. I just don't see myself with grey or yellow nails, colours Oli often chooses. Red is my colour and always has been. 

In the afternoon I skyped with Amanda and we got up to speed after Easter. It's always so therapeutic talking to her. We have been friends for 56 years and are very close. Bless her. I always look forward to our calls which started during lock down in the pandemic. To think that was 4 years ago and now we don't even think about Covid, or hardly at all. But what a big thing in our lives that was. 

A very big thing that day or night was the total eclipse seen in Mexico and North America. There is always a sort of craziness that surrounds an eclipse. Personally, I don't find them particularly interesting although they must be for scientists. Suzy is very much into eclipses and their dangers. She urged us to stock up with provisions which, of course, we didn't.  I grabbed these photos from The Times to add to this post and to have a graphic souvenir of the total eclipse, so talked about this week.

The total eclipse this week, somewhere in America

I read that over a million people headed to the Niagara Falls where they were supposed to get a good view. I would have paid not to go as I hate crowds. In Spain it could only be seen partially from Galicia in the north and in the Canary Islands, clouds permitting. 

Tuesday saw us at a garden centre called Verdecora to get some new geraniums to replace those did not survive the winter. Later Eladio planted them and I took a picture from inside.

Newly planted geraniums

They surround the pool partially and always make it look so much more attractive.

On our way home we stopped for coffee at Manacor where we bumped into our friends, George and Amanda, ex guests of ours from China. It's always lovely to see them  thriving in Spain after leaving China to give their daughter a better education. They are not golden visa residents, as many of their countrymen are. I mention this as our socialist President Pedro Sánchez, .announced that day, that he was going to do away with them. In exchange for buying property over half a million euros, non EU citizens are entitled to three years residency. The main beneficiaries of this are from China, Russia and Latin America, as well as the UK. This golden visa has been criticised as being a visa for rich people and also for making it difficult for locals to buy a house in what they call "tensioned" areas - mostly Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Alicante. Recently both Portugal and Ireland did away with their golden visas. 15% of the housing market is owned by golden visa holders which doesn't seem much to me but that could go grow. I wonder what the percentage of foreigners own property in London which has been sometimes referred to as Londongrad! 

Anyway, back to my mundane life. Before going home we went to pick up my flared white jeans which I had had taken in. I couldn't believe they were still too big for me when I tried them on at home.

Just as we were entering the drive, a lorry was removing the broken ping pong table which had been such a hit with our guests, mostly those from China. 

Good bye ping pong table

We once had a Chinese table tennis champion come to stay and I remember him playing rather marvelously. Well, it's gone now. 

Once home, Eladio went to plant the geraniums and fill patches in the grass with seeds and fertiliser as well as apply weed killer to some of the cracks on the paving around the house.  I went upstairs to try on the trousers. While at it, I tried on lots of old summer clothes which I am happy to announce now nearly all fit. That gave me a high which I needed as I don't get many highs these days.

I had a quiet afternoon but Eladio's siesta was cut short as he had an appointment with a recommended osteopath as his sciatica still hasn't gone away. I think it helped but I also think it is a question of time. Poor Eladio, never knew what pain was till he got sciatica. I, on the other hand, am used to it with all my headaches, etc. 

Wednesday started with a walk - we have been on many this week. It was interrupted though, constantly with beeps from messages from Alcampo (Auchan). I had ordered some Alvalle gazpacho and Nestle Yaos coconut Greek Yoghurts as I couldn't find either item in any supermarket. I thought I had bought 4 packets of yoghurts for the price of 3 but had no idea that each packet contained 12 yoghurts and not 4. Thus when I got home I found the fridge chock a block with 48 yoghurts which expire on 28th of this month. Just look

A fridge too full of yoghurts

One of these a day has been my evening treat as I adore coconut in any form and especially these ones. But what am I going to do with them all? I have given some to my guests but coconut flavoured yoghurts are not to everyone's taste are they? Someone told me you can eat yoghurts up to 3 weeks pasty their expiry date, so now Eladio will be having one every day too and Tana. Silly me is all I can conclude. 

Of course I offered some to Mohammad, my Iraqi guest. At the same time I mentioned it was the end of Ramadan - it was on Tuesday. I knew there was something I should say that is related to the Eid feast after the fasting. He told me it was and it is "Eid Mubarak"- Mubarak meaning blessed. I only knew the name from the former President of Egypt. Now I know what to say to Muslims when Ramadan ends and you do too, if you didn't already. 

Something sad happened on Wednesday. Chispi, my dear friend Fátima's dog died. I heard the news from her sister Gloria who looked after her when Fátima died or probably when her daughter no longer could because of her studies and travels. I knew I had a photo somewhere of the two of us with our darling dogs, Pippa and Chispi and here it is. 

With Fátima and Chispi - in our garden in the summer of 2018 about. 

RIP both of you. That was sad to hear and I don't like sad news. 

Thursday dawned and it was another brilliant, warm and sunny day which we took advantage of with a morning walk once again. We walked to the churros cafe in El Bosque where we discussed our road trip. Both of us want to go but worry that the situation with Suzy may not permit it. On the other hand, we have to live. 

Thus that afternoon saw me with my PC, Google Maps and a printed map of Europe plotting our route from Madrid to Italy and then by ferry from Brindisi to Greece. I asked my dear friend Sandra who is half Italian for tips, etc and we ended up having a lovely video call with useful information and places to stay and visit gleaned from her. Thank you my friend. I even booked our first night at a lovely looking place near Fuenterrabia not far from San Sebastian. I had hoped to stay in Biarritz but couldn't find anywhere. Our first destination in France will be Carcassonne and Albi in France. In Italy our main destinations will be Cinque Terre near La Spezia which we didn't get to see last time and Tuscany including Florence, Pisa and other beauty spots in the area. From there we want to go to Naples, more than anything to see Pompey. We had thought of driving to Sicily after that but it seems a bit much, so will probably head from Naples to Puglia where we can get a ferry to Greece but also visit this delightful area. What part of Italy is not delightful I ask myself. We both love Italy and I really hope this trip comes true. 

We spoke about the itinerary over dinner during which I was delighted to hear from Eladio that he loves the coconut yoghurt (hahaha). We then spent nearly an hour calibrating our Samsung watches so we can measure our blood pressure. You have to do it every three months and it's one big bore. I kept getting a message saying "weak signal". I looked it up on Google of course and most people's replies were to switch off and on the watches which we did. Finally we got them working. Technology can be a challenge. The good news is that we both have a normal blood pressure. It's not that I am particularly worried about it, it's just that I want all the smart watch features to work properly, if you get my meaning. 

That night I watched a very pleasant film called The Boys in the Boat - it's a true story about the US rowing team at the 1936 Olympics  in Berlin and how they got to be classified. I thought it was  a tremendous story. Eladio thought it was too "American" (hahaha).

On Friday I was quietly having my breakfast when I got a message from Oli that she would be live on TVE1 shortly. She hardly ever warns me in advance so I grabbed my chance. She was reporting on the former Queen of Spain's health. Queen Sofia was in hospital with a urine infection - not the most riveting story but it always give me a high when I see Olivia live on TV, even after all these years. I took a photo to share with you and also a video which you can see here. 

Olivia live on TV this week

Because Olivia has to be at work before 6 am, she didn't see her daughter dressed up in her Flamenco outfit for school that day. But Miguel sent pictures. 

Juliet in her flamenco outfit on Friday

She is wearing the flamenco dress and shoes to match (with a heel) that I bought at a market in Santa Pola in October. It gave me a thrill to see her I have to say. I was later told she wore those "high heeled" shoes all day, bless her. I wondered what the occasion was. It appears her school was celebrating the 4th April Seville fair, of all things. Olé Juliet then. You look gorgeous.

Soon I had to turn to figures when my new accountant rang. She is working on our 2023 tax returns. Thankfully she seems to know what she is doing. 

At 11.45 I had an appointment with a psychologist in Boadilla that Olivia had recommended. That was quite a big deal for me. I had thought I could cope, I am  a strong woman but I just don't sleep and seem sad most of the time although I try to enjoy life as much as possible. It all boils down to my worry about my older daughter. My expectations were not that high as I don't come from a generation that has much faith in psychologists. However, I thought that at least getting it off my chest would help. It did. As I expected I did all the talking with Carina asking the questions. I came away with some conclusions from her. 1) I feel a lot of blame, 2) I feel sad 3) I am grieving, 4) I must look after myself (in order to be able to look after her) and 5) - a difficult one, I am not wholly responsible for another person even if she is my daughter and 6) I am already doing as much as I can. It was overall  a successful session even if it doesn't solve our huge problem. The idea is to get help on how to manage it. So, it was a good experience on the whole and I will be going again next Friday. I came back feeling good, or better although the grief and sadness are still there. But, I know now, we have to live. 

So live I will, I thought as we made our way to the park to see our grandchildren with their parents that afternoon. Except that they were not there but at home. So we went to visit them there. It was lovely to see them. Elliot is now doing judo and wore his kimono for us and showed us a few positions or whatever they are called. One of them looked like a plain somersault but good for him to be able to do one aged 4. Unfortunately Juliet who is going through the terrible twos had a big tantrum for no real reason. We had never seen her like that and were at our wits' end. Poor Oli, what she has to put with we both said as we drove home to our sanctity of peace and quiet at home. Being a parent of toddlers is the most challenging part of ones' life. Things will get much better as they grown older, of course and years later we hardly remember the early days which may seem to go past slowly but actually fly past. 

We were in bed early and started watching some French series on Netflix but I soon fell asleep. I couldn't believe what my watch told me on Saturday morning. I had slept for 7 hours and 45 minutes without consciously waking up. I can only attribute that to my session with the  psychologist unless it was a flash in the pan. Time will tell. In any case I felt so rested. I really needed that sleep.

As usual we went for our walk and then for a coffee after which we did the weekly shop at Mercadona. Just as we were unpacking it, Oli and family arrived. They had come to pick up something and ended up staying for lunch. There were no tantrums and we had quite a peaceful meal which I was able to conjure up quite quickly what with leftovers and new provisions. 

They left shortly after lunch to go and have a coffee while, hopefully, the kids would sleep. I didn't need any sleep and continued with our road trip itinerary, a few more episodes of Call the Midwife - my evasion tactic which always calms me down. I also wrote most of this post yesterday until it was time for dinner - outside again. We have had nearly all our meals outside this week owing to the fabulous weather. 

Dinner was "salmorejo" - that lovely variety of gazpacho that hails from Córdoba - and of course dessert was a coconut yoghurt hahahahhaha.

We watched a good Spanish thriller about the war in Iraq in 2004 on RTVE called "Invasor". We then turned to a documentary about arms dealers in wake of the Ukraine invasion which had us up till very late. 

Today is Sunday and ours for the taking. The sun is shining and I have to look on the bright side of life. I will, I promise. 

Cheers my friends until next week,

Masha