Our new Volkswagen T-Roc unveiled, a dream come true for Elliot and Juliet, flying to Paris and going up the Eiffel Tower. Coming alive in my beloved Yorkshire, staying at the Midland Hotel in Bradford, former wool capital of the world and the city of my youth, visit to Saltaire, my parents grave, the story of 6 Heaton Grove, my house for many years, lunch at Betty's in Ilkley and other stories of the week.

The Midland Hotel, Bradford, West Yorkshire, Sunday 31st May 2026.

Eladio and I yesterday walking in Lister Park near our old house 6 Heaton Grove on Manningham Lane. 

Good morning friends and readers.

Well here I am in Bradford, the town of my youth where I lived from 1964 until I left for Spain to live with  Eladio in 1981. I hated Bradford as a child. It was a very industrial, dark and ugly place except for a few saving graces such as the iconic Town Hall, the Cathedral, St. George's Hall and The Wool Exchange.  However, the county itself, Yorkshire, is known as "God's own country" and that it is if you visit the countryside; the famous Dales but also the Moors. Bradford may be ugly and it still is today but some of the surrounding towns are fabulous such as Ilkley or Harrogate and if you go further afield, York, once the county capital.This is a trip down memory lane as I haven't been back since November 2021 which is too long. My soul needs to go back to its roots.

But let me start at the beginning, to Last Sunday. It was 24th May and my school friend Kathy's birthday. It was also pay day as my pension is always paid on 24th, whatever day of the week it falls on. I always look forward to the 24th of the month and reflect on how much I deserve a maximum pension after working so hard for 40 years. 

It was a quiet day. Suzy was at work and we went out for a coffee. It was that day we realised they had removed the dustbin from our street which was right across the road from our house. Slowly we realised that all the dustbins had been removed and replaced with new ones which means we can finally recycle. However, we also saw that there are very few of them. The nearest ones to our house are about 750m away which means we have to take our rubbish  by car. That has to be sorted and soon. 

I got an under priced offer that day, the second one since publishing the property in Asturias. This one was from a Dutchman who seemed keen on the house but no way were we going to accept his offer. We are in no rush and there is always time to put the price down; but not for the moment. And, if we don't get the asking price or near it, we shall probably halt the sale until prices increase even more in a few years time.  On the bright side many local agencies are interested and have taken their own photos and published the house. I rather like this one  published on Friday. 

It was such a hot day as every day has been this week. The UK had a heatwave too this week but unfortunately we only caught the end of it and can look forward to mild temperatures but quite a lot of rain too. 

Oli came in the early evening after her birthday weekend away and picking up the kids. She came to clean the car as poor Elliot had been sick in it. Both Juliet and Elliot and later Miguel must have picked up a virus. I only hoped they would all be alright for their much awaited trip to Paris on Wednesday. It was the children's first time on an airplane which must have been very exciting for them. I remember my first was to Munich to stay with Aunty Masha when I was about 7 and have never forgotten it. 

Monday came and oh my it was busy. It started with a visit to the Inland Revenue people to get Eladio's new digital certificate. That turned out to be a flop and I have to get a new appointment now before we have to give in the final figures for this year's tax returns by the end of June. I hope we make it.

Tana did the rooms of all the weekend guests and left everything ready for the new ones coming. She does a sterling job. I made a lovely chicken and rice concoction after which I had a siesta. I didn't expect to sleep but I did and was late for the appointment with my psychologist. It was my second session and I ended up crying when I told her about the death of my Aunty Gloria and all her family on a plane which crashed at Rijeka airport in 1971. I suppose a psychologist's couch is the place to cry.  I was late too for my 5 pm mammogram and eco mammagram at the Quirón Hospital in Pozuelo. But it was ok. Even more ok was the fact that the doctor who did the ultra sound scan had already seen the results of the mammogram and pronounced my boobs as fine. He also gave me his verdict after the scan and again it was good news. How comforting it was to get the results immediately. I was impressed. I came home to tell my family that my boobs were good for another year. That is no joke as my mother died of breast cancer.

I came home too to find Suzy with the kids as Oli had gone to the hairdresser and Miguel had an upset stomach. We would see them again on Tuesday night for a final dinner together before both our trips and to christen the new car, hahaha. 

We had a very late arrival of  new guests that night, Mustafa and his wife who live in Stockholm. The latest check in time is 9pm and they obviously didn't read that or ignored it and arrived after 11pm. They were accompanied by a large Turkish family who live in the area. All was good until Mustafa messaged me to say there was no water and he was cross. What could I do at nearly midnight? Thankfully it came back nearly immediately. We then had to help him with the air con which frankly is not needed here at night yet, if you sleep with your windows open like we do. I had the feeling these guests who are new to Airbnb may prove troublesome but I hoped not.

Tuesday came and after about 4 hours sleep I was up at 6.15. After my coffee and a couple of fags I got down to making a salmorejo cold soup for that night's dinner. My Kenwood is playing up and Eladio had to help me.

Tuesday was the day we were picking up the new car, a Volkswagen T-Rok. After the war when my father was stationed in Germany, helping the country back on its feet and chasing Nazis, he drove a Volkswagen which must have been a Beetle. He never ever drove again but liked the experience. In  letters to his sister Gloria he referred to it as "the people's car" which is exactly what Volkswagen means - Volks (volks, think folk)  is people and wagen (wagon, think car) is car. Nice bit of trivia for you. He never could he have imagined just how sophisticated cars would become. 

Suzy came with us to the very sleek show room. We were not expecting what came next. Begoña, the lady who sold us the T-Roc took us through to a place where we saw our car covered in a black cloth. Before we had time to catch our breath. she was unveiling it as if we were in a car show. Wow. Here is a photo and a video of that particular moment which made us all very happy.

Our new car about to be unveiled

We have had lots of cars, some of them second hand, some of them my marvelous company cars - the Volvo, a few BMWs and my first company car was an Alfa Romeo. However, we have only ever bought three new cars of our own; the Lancia when the girls were small and my Mini when I left Yoigo. The new VW is our 3rd new car and it was Begoña who made it exciting with the unveiling moment.

She then went on to give us a thorough lesson as this car is very sophisticated. It does all sorts of things but what I like best is the digital dashboard which is like a great big tablet. The car goes a bit crazy when we change users but I am sorting that. Just look. 

The digital dashboard called Carplay and it is something to play with, hahaha. 

Suzy drove the Mini home and Eladio and I drove to the nearby Carrefour to get some salmon for dinner. He loved driving it and I took a photo of him after parking which it does effortlessly.

Eladio happy with his new car which he would take to bed with him if he could hahaha. 

Tuesday was a happy day all round.  I Facetimed with Amanda in the afternoon by the pool after which Suzy and I prepared a family dinner. Oli and family were coming as we won't see them until we get back from England. Even though we didn't have Tana to help, we put on a wonderful spread. Here is a photo of that happy dinner which was supposed to be the christening of the new car but who wanted to break a bottle of champagne on it? No one.

A happy family dinner before our departures and on the day we got the new car

On Wednesday morning Oli and family were up early to go the airport. She kept sending me photos of the different stages of their departure and once on the plane. The kids were excited of course. It will be something they will remember always. Here are some of the pics as I  followed their trip to Paris with great interest. 

Happy moments for Elliot and Juliet on their first flight ever which  was to Paris this week.

Oli was happy to be there to practice her French and Elliot wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. But when I asked my daughter if they had tickets,they didn't as they hadn't got round to it and were hoping to be able to go up  by queuing. I was really happy to hear that they only had to queue for 30 minutes. Here are some very good photos taken by Miguel who knows what he is doing because he is a professional cameraman. 

A dream come true for Elliot and Juliet flying to Paris and going up the Eiffel Tower

Meanwhile, I had to get ready for our own trip and started packing early in the morning. I also went to the nail salon for a manicure in the morning and to the hairdressers in the afternoon. I had to look good for England.

Thursday was D Day, the day of our departure and Suzy drove us to the airport in the new car which she will be enjoying in our absence. Our flight to Manchester was smooth where we were picked up by Ali in a pre-booked taxi. He drove us to The Midland Hotel in Bradford over the M62 and we had a great conversation. 

I have talked to so many people since I stepped on English soil and I feel as though I have come alive and out of hibernation after living in our quiet bubble at home with very little social interaction except with the family and guests. I am so happy to be in Yorkshire I want to talk to everyone. I remember my Russian born mother who never lived in the country she was conceived in telling me her experience of visiting it when the Iron Curtain fell. What made her most happy was to hear her native language spoken by everyone. I think that is what has happened to me this week. 

I have greeted and spoken to beggars (and even given one a cigarette), a blind man, Asian children in elaborate clothes, a man who had come to a Vampire event at the French Ballroom in our hotel, The Midland,  a Welsh worker with an Irish accent who has a house in Spain, several Pakistani taxi drivers, a young couple with a beautiful garden in Saltaire, an Italian waitress at the old Harry Ramsdens in Guiseley who studied Spanish at Milan University and even a man on a bus from Shipley who recognised me from my blog and told me my father had been his teacher at Bradford Grammar School! I have conversed with a couple from Ilkley who have a chocolate mini dachshund like Pippa called Sisi after the Empress,  to a Peruvian girl, Celia, who is a chef and whose partner is from Bradford and speaks perfect Spanish. I also had the privilege of greeting a group of beautiful Asian women dressed up for a wedding in the lift at the hotel. And on the train from Ilkley back to Bradford, we bumped into a Spanish girl called Susana from Madrid who was the ticket inspector. I just loved talking to everyone in English and as you see, in Spanish too, in my beloved Yorkshire. I have come alive.  

Cecilia Tupac Yupanqui, a Peruvian chef living in Yorkshire who I met at her food stall in Ilkley yesterday together with her English partner from Bradford.

Susana the ticket inspector from Móstoles in Madrid who we met on the train coming back from Ilkley yesterday

A beautiful group of Asian people dressed for a wedding who I met in the lift at our hotel, the slowest in the world that I know of, hahaha. 

Now back to our programme.

We arrived at the once magnificent Midland Hotel which has seen better days but is still the best in town. It was built in 1890 by the Midland Railway and is right next to Forster Square Station. When I lived in Bradford I think I only stepped into this hotel once and only to have a drink at the bar. I was interested to read which famous guests have stayed here.  They include Laurel and Hardy, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones, Sir Winston Churchill, PM Harold Wilson (who was from Huddersfield) as well as nearly all British PMs. The Yorkshire Post has an article online which tells more of the hotel's history: "In the second half of the 19th century Bradford reputedly had more millionaires per square mile than any other place on earth. As the textile boom  created ever increasing wealth, traders from far and wide flocked to the city to do business and many of them stayed at the Midland Hotel. In 1885 work began on a 115 bedroom showpiece hotel in Cheapside, next to the station, and during the golden age of steam  it was the most iconic railway hotel in the north of England. Its fine Victorian interior, which included ornate plaster work and glittering chandeliers in the French Ballroom,  was considered the equal of any in London." Wow. I knew Bradford was rich in the 19th century but not to such an extent. The Bradford today has lost its former glitter unfortunately. The hotel too but I still love it and so does Eladio. You should see the incredible ballrooms.

The Midland  Hotel is also across the road from my mother's branch of Barclay's Bank which I  remember so well from our Saturday morning shopping jaunts in Bradford. She would get cash from the bank before credit cards and holes in the wall existed and we would usually make a beeline for  C&A and then for a coffee at the Akropolis. 

Our room is small and pokey and miles from the lift but it is comfortable enough. I bet The Beatles, etc had a whole floor. 

Eladio outside the Midland Hotel just after we arrived

Bradford improves with good weather. So as soon as we were ready, we jauntered out into the sunshine to explore the city of my youth. 

It has changed a lot and most of the centre is now pedestrian precinct. We walked right past the beautiful Wool Exchange where my mother used to go to the flea market every week. 

The beautiful Wool Exchange in Bradford. 

Today it houses the most beautiful Waterstones in the UK. Right ahead is the ornate Town Hall which my mother always loved for its Venetian Gothic style. It was designed by architects Lockwood and Mawson and built in 1870 during the heyday of the Industrial Revolution when Bradford was the wool capital of the world. 

Bradford Town Hall 

The square it stands on is now called Centenary Square and is quite beautiful with all its fountains. I took a video with the atmosphere created by kids enjoying the water. This is it.

Bradford is probably the most ethnically diverse area in the UK. According to the 2021 City census there are 309.000 white British people and 236.000 people from other ethnic groups. Pakistanis make up the largest group with a population at the time of 140.000. When I was at St. Barnabas Primary School in the 60's I remember the first Indian boy in our school. At the time I suppose Bradford attracted Asian immigrants because of the wool industry which was practically over by then. But they stayed on and sometimes you are not sure whether you are in Islamabad or in Yorkshire. What a combination; those  incredible Victorian buildings built with magnificent Yorkshire stone and then shops selling Asian clothes and everything else in between. All the shops I knew are now gone. Today they are replaced with lots of awful Poundlands; no M&S, no Rawson Market nor Brown and Muffs. Times have changed but there is something about the city that is nostalgic for me. After all, I spent my youth here. We walked up and down streets which were really only familiar for their names: Kirkgate, Darley Street or Ive Gate. I do remember them being very steep. In the video I mention The Alhambra. Amazingly, Bradford does have one and of course it got its name from the Moorish castle in Granada.I remember going to a pantomime there and to see a Georgian ballet as a child and my mother hosting the dancers. On our way to dinner that night,  Eladio took this photo of me with the Alhambra in the  background, another of the city's iconic buildings.

In front of the Alhambra in Bradford

When we got tired, we walked back to the hotel for a rest. But soon we were hungry as the last food we had eaten were sandwiches at about noon. Bradford is the curry capital of the UK and we wanted a curry for dinner. I usually go to the Kashmir, the curry house of my youth but AI said the best in town was The International on Morley Street. It may have the fame these days but it's not a patch on the Kash as we used to call it. 

Bradford is the curry capital of the UK

We couldn't even eat half of what you see in the picture but of course couldn't take a doggy bag back to the hotel.  On the way home,  I offered Eladio a hair cut in this barber shop on Morley Street hahaha.

An exotic barber shop in Bradford

I slept quite well that night and we woke up to a new day, the first whole day of our trip to Yorkshire. Friday was ours for the choosing. It started with breakfast at the Midland and my husband enjoyed a "full English". 

Before walking out into the city, I showed Eladio the tiled walkway from the car park to the lobby. It has remained the same since the hotel was built and to quote my friend Joanne, is "atmospheric from the Victorian railway age". Indeed it is.

The old walkway into the hotel from the station is the same as when it was built in 1890

We had spied a signpost pointing to "Little Germany". I knew of its existence but had never visited it. Little Germany is a historic Bradford district with grand 19th-century Victorian Yorkshire stone wool warehouses. It was built by German textile merchants who transformed the area into a global textile trading hub after which Bradford became the wool capital of the world. Nearly all the houses on Heaton Grove where we lived were inhabited by rich German wool merchants, many of them of Jewish origin. Thus we were keen to visit this unique place. Here are some pictures of Little Germany which looks like time has stood still and has been used for film locations.

Little Germany in Bradford

My trainers were not comfortable so we went into The Broadway shopping centre on our way back where I got some soft and light, white Sketchers. I also got a couple of tops at H&M.

Next on the agenda was a short train ride to Saltaire. "Saltaire is a remarkably preserved Victorian model village near Bradford. Built by the wool magnate Sir Titus Salt between 1851 and 1871, it is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its Italianate architecture, Salts Mill, and the David Hockney art collection". I used to live a mile away when in the 60s and 70s it was still a working village and we didn't think anything of it. Today this remarkable model village is now a UNESCO heritage site. Sir Titus Salt built it so that the workers of his wool mill would be happy and healthy. Not only did he give them housing, he created a whole village with churches, a hospital, a library, a theatre, a park and anything they needed except for pubs as he was a teatotaller. Here are some photos.

Saltaire model village revisited

We have been there on many occasions and this time wanted to visit Robert's Park an oasis in the village in between the Leeds Liverpool Canal and the River Aire. I was gagging for a coffee and spotted a delightful place called The Boathouse and we didn't move from there enjoying the views, a rest and my coffee.

Relaxing in Roberts' Park in Saltaire. 

While we were in Saltaire, Oliva and family continued their visit to Paris. On Thursday they had been to Euro Disney and that day they saw more of beautiful Paris, the area round the Louvre and of course the Arc de Triomphe. Here are two great photos of they kids by the inverted Pyramid. 

Great photos of the kids by the inverted Pyramid next to the Louvre in Paris on Friday

Miguel sent me this one of Oli, Elliot and Juliet by the Arc de Triomphe where we had been last August, under a year ago. Isn't Paris wonderful?

Oli and the kids in Paris on Friday

Back to Yorkshire now. Our plans for Friday  apart from going to Saltaire, were to visit   my parents' grave in Charlestown Cemetery on Baildon Road and then go to Guiseley for fish and chips at the Wetherby Whale which used to be Harry Ramsdens and a place I went to often when I lived in the area. 

We took the train from Saltaire to Shipley where we bought flowers for the grave. On the Otley bus to the cemetery which no one seemed to know where it was, a man about my age approached me saying he recognised me from my blog!!  Called Ian and I am afraid I didn't catch his surname, he gobsmacked me when he said my father had been his French teacher at Bradford Grammar School in the 60's. He was my age and I only wish I had had more time to talk to him. What an amazing moment. I gave him a warm handshake and we got off the bus to cross the road to the cemetery. 

I knew the way very well to my parents' grave and was happy to see that Geraldine's flowers were still there. I added mine and Eladio helped and at that moment an awful thing happened which totally spoiled the visit and took away all the emotion. We both stepped in dog sh** right in front of the grave; me in my new white sneakers as well. We spent all the time we could rubbing the filth off our soles in the grass. Only then could we take a photo of the grave. I think it is the only time I haven't cried visiting my parents' tombstone. Here is the picture.

Visiting my parents' grave at Charlestown Cemetery in Baildon on Friday

No doubt my mother would have laughed. She once bought some plastic sh** which she placed on the steps of our porch which my father then tried to remove with a shovel. She loved the word and would often say "it's shitty. could be shittier". 

Next on the programme was a ride to Guisely to one of my old haunts, Harry Ramsdens famous fish and chip shop, now run by the Wetherby Whale and full of oldies like us, hahaha. There were no buses for an hour so we got an Uber, of course. We were soon at our destination, White Cross in Guiseley and I asked Eladio to take a photo for old times sake. This is it.

Wetherby Whale, formerly Harry Ramsdens fish and chip shop opened in 1928. 

We met the Italian waitress there who had studied Spanish. When she came to our table, she asked shyly whether my husband was Italian. She was nearly right and we all agreed he looks Latin and not British. Wait till my English friends see him in white jeans and a light pink shirt haha. British men used to dress elegantly but like Bradford that is on the decline. I prefer the way Italian and Spanish men dress. The Italian girl called Rosella remarked I looked Spanish too by the way I was dressed and said Eladio and I had the same body language. I suppose we do after being together for 46 years!  And here is the moment Eladio I were served huge portions of haddock and chips with mushy peas which we couldn't finish.

Our first fish and chip moment at White Cross Guisley in the former Harry Ramsdens, now the Wetherby Whale and nowhere near as good.

Eladio spoiled that moment too when he got ketchup on his pristine pink shirt which had to be washed too, along with our shoes, when we returned to the hotel. 

In any case, we enjoyed our meal after which we walked to the train station and caught the train back to Bradford to have our Spanish siesta. We eventually left the hotel at around 8.45 pm and made our way to the new Darley Street Market for some food, only to find it about to close. Of course, the English eat far earlier and we are used to eating later. The manager, Scott, a local chap with a Yorkshire mother and father who came from Hong Kong in the 60's to join the wool trade, helped us find somewhere else to eat and we had a fine conversation too. In the end we had dinner at the hotel in The Brasserie which was cheap and cheerful. I am sure The Beatles and Winston Churchill were fed better back in the day.

I slept ok that night. Saturday dawned and I decided it was the perfect day to visit our old house on 6 Heaton Grove after which we would take the train to Ilkley where I had booked a table for lunch at my beloved Betty's tearooms in that very post Yorkshire town. Betty's is synonymous with charm, warmth, elegance and divine food in a traditional and refined setting. It's just so English in a good way yet it was founded by a Swiss man in 1919, the year my father was born. He was called Frederick Belmont and you can read his story here. 

But first to our old house.  We took the Baildon bus across the road from The Midland and got off at Lister Park, the lung of Bradford, which we wanted to visit first. It is opposite my father's old school, Bradford Grammar which you could hardly see because of the lush trees at this time of year. We wandered into the park of my youth built by Sir. Titus Salt's great rival, Lord Masham, aka Sir Samuel Cunliffe Lister. Both were wool merchant millionaires but with different views. Salt was a philanthropist and Sutcliffe a slave driver.  The park is magnificent with a small lake I once ice skated on. It also has tennis courts where we used to play as a family, a huge play ground, a band stand, the Cartwright Hall Museum and art gallery , a botanical garden and in my day a Lido where I learned to swim. We walked round the lake full of ducks and a young Pakistani couple took some photos of us. They were very sweet and thanks to them I have a photo of the two of us which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. It was a happy moment of which there have been many this week, especially since our arrival here.

By the lake in Lister Park yesterday next to the statue of Peter Pan

We left the park via the Norman Arch entrance by Emm Lane and stopped just before at the huge statue of Sir. Titus Salt which I used to climb up on to sit on his knees, not knowing much about him when I was a child. It is rather ironic that Sutcliffe  should have a statue of his enemy in what was once his land.  Apparently, it was previously outside the Town Hall but got in the way of traffic and replaced in Lister Park. Whoever decided this, did not know his history. 

Eladio by the statue of Sir. Titus Salt, enemy of Sutcliffe Lister, at the entrance to the park  by Emm Lane 

From there we walked along Manningham Lane past one of our old pubs, The Turf, which is now an Asian restaurant. We soon came to Heaton Grove and I had to have a photo of the name of the street.

Our street

I knew the houses on this street had been occupied by rich German wool merchants and asked AI for more information. "The houses  built in the Manningham and Frizinghall area were highly desirable serene suburbs that became the residential hotspots for prosperous German textile familes such as Julius Delius, the father of the composer Frederick". AI even described the  house, "6 Heaton Grove.  "It is one of the largest properties on the grove. Built across four floors including a basement area designed for Victorian kitchen, it was built to accommodate a wealthy merchant family".  I think we inherited a house as it was originally built including the bathroom fixtures like the wonderful bathtub. I looked it up and AI describes it thus: "proper 1870's merchant's bath was typically an incredibly heavy, deep cast-iron roll-top but resting an ornate lion claw feet. That was exactly how the bathtub was. I was about 7 when I accompanied my mother to see the house and the Groppers, an elderly Jewish German couple who sold it to us,  wanted me to see how big the bath was.  This bath figured heavily in our lives. My mother would lie luxuriously in it while smoking and tossing the cigarette butts to the back of the bath. My father had one bath a week and it was always on a Sunday. It was like that in those days haha. I only wish that when my father sold the house in 2005 that we had transported it to Spain. But I am digressing. 

We reached the house which, like the hotel and the city has now lost its luster. I was gutted to see the new owners, a Pakistani family who has now bought the whole street, had torn down the beautiful stained glass Victorian garden house I used to love. Even the wooden gate was gone and the original sash windows.  No doubt the beautiful bath tub was similarly discarded as well as all the Victorian sinks in the bedrooms which, silly them, would be museum pieces today. Thus I have a particularly sad look on my face in the photos we took yesterday outside what was my home for many years.

Our old house on 6 Heaton Grove with so much history including my own, but now sadly in decline. 

After that rather nostalgic and sad visit, we set off on foot to Frizinghall train station to catch the train to Ilkley. We walked the same route I used to walk as a teenager on a Friday evening to the Black Swan pub we used to call The Mucky Duck. That, sadly, too, has gone and is now a curry house! But no one can take away the memories.

We stopped on the way in Shipley as the train was not for another hour and that was good for me as I got a sudden booking from a Danish family who will be staying at our apartment in Santa Pola for a week from tomorrow and I had to sort out their check in.  I really hope all goes well and I don't have to deal with something going wrong there while enjoying Yorkshire.

Soon we were in pretty Ilkley. In the sunshine it resembled life in Spain; people on the streets and sitting on cafe terraces drinking and eating. We got there at midday and had 2 hours to kill until our 2 pm reservation at Betty's. So we walked along the main street looking into shops; some of them charity shops and then on to the Riverside Park which  we always love

Riverside Park in Ilkley by the River Wharfe

When the time came, we walked along Brook Street again towards The Grove where Betty's is. Ilkley is famous for its Moor where my father used to take us when we were children and which I secretly hated climbing. He used to call me his "little Moors' girl" but I wasn't. Sorry Daddy. He adored Betty's too and would have loved our meal there yesterday. Eladio went for their fish and chips. Would you believe he often removes the batter and hardly touches the chips? He must be the only person in England to do so and I always find it funny.  I had already made up my mind I would be ordering afternoon tea. I shouldn't have but I could not resist the temptation. Here are two great photos of me, smiling and happy to be where I was with the man I love and drinking tea with sandwiches, a scone and little fondant cakes. Divine.

Pouring and drinking tea as it should be done at Betty's

My divine Afternoon Tea

Despite being on Mounjaro, I was nearly able to eat it all but would not have dinner. No way. If I lived in Ilkley I would probably not be able to fit into their front door,hahah. Once we had enjoyed our amazing experience, we walked out into the sunshine and lovely atmosphere in the street. This is the cafe from the outside.

Betty's from the outside

There was lots going on especially across the street where a band was playing 60's music and old fogies like us were sitting and watching. Others were queuing up at the ice cream van or buying things from market stalls. That is where we met the lovely Peruvian chef and her Bradford husband. 

We had about an hour to kill until our train was leaving. That's easy in Ilkley as I love the shops. I took Eladio into one  I thought was attractive called SeaSalt which is from Cornwall. Would you believe we both tried on striped tops and used the same changing room as only one was available? I got two Breton like striped tops and Eladio a lovely light blue and white striped polo shirt. I do love stripes, don't I hahaha? When we had finished our enjoyable shopping, it was time to catch the train back to Bradford. That was where we encountered the young woman from Madrid who was the ticket inspector. We have had some lovely encounters this week and there are more to come. So watch this space. 

Once back at our hotel and in our pokey but comfortable little room I downloaded all my photos and began the long job of writing today's blog post. I have had so much to tell and I hope I haven't bored you with all the detail. 

Today is Sunday and we have our next encounter this morning. It is with my dear friend Joanne a teacher of French and Spanish from Lancashire who is passionate about the Bronte family, very active with the association and very knowledgeable too.  She was my Airbnb guest in January 2019 and we soon became fast friends. Dear Joanne helped me a lot with my father's book and we have remained in contact ever since. The last time I saw her was here in Bradford when she came to my father's funeral with her daughter Elisa. And, by the way, they stayed at The Midland too. Joanne is one of the founders or starters of the project to turn the original Bronte home where the children were born into a museum a bit like the Parsonage in Haworth. It is in Thornton in Bradford.  Called the Bronte Birthplace, she will be our guide today in English and in Spanish and we shall be having lunch together. Isn't that wonderful? Wonderful too is that tomorrow we shall be going to stay with our great friends, Kathy and Phil at their beautiful Victorian Yorkshire home outside Keighley. I have so much to look forward to and want to savour every moment of my time in God's own country. 

You will hear all about it in next week's post. So cheers till then from me, so happy to be "home".

Masha

A busy week at home, the heat has come, Spain's former PM Zapatero under investigation, taking care of Elliot and Juliet, Oli's birthday and other stories of the week

 Madrid, Sunday 24th May, 2026

A snapshot from Oli's birthday dinner at home on Friday

Good morning again friends and readers. What a hot and busy week it has been.  The heat came with a vengeance and looks like it is here to stay.  Madrid and most of Spain have been sweltering with temperatures over 30ºc. I love the good weather but not extreme heat.

I have been busy trying to get everything under my belt frantically before we go away to Yorkshire this Thursday so as to be stress free there. To think I will be writing from Bradford in the UK next Sunday rather thrills me. I haven't been back for 4 years and have so much planned for our 2 weeks in my beloved Yorkshire.  

There were no walks for me this week owing to my painful knee which flared up in Doñana and I have to save it for England.

Last Sunday  was a quiet day and I spent a lot of it searching for invoices and filling out a spreadsheet to give to our accountant for this year's tax returns. It is a huge job that has taken me about 10 days but I am happy to say I,or we, because Eladio did his bit, have now finished our part of the work. Now it's up to Carmen. 

Regional elections took place that day in Andalusia where we had just been. By the evening we knew that the right wing party already ruling, the PP, was to win again but will need the support of the far right party Vox. The PSOE, the socialist party in government, lost its 4th regional election so far this year and things are not looking good for the PM Pedro Sánchez loved so much outside Spain but a lot less here. His wife and brother are under investigation for various fraud charges, his numbers 2, 3 and 4 in the government are in prison awaiting sentences for corruption - kickbacks for contracts. And to top it all, the former socialist PM, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was indicted this week for very serious crimes. That was the biggest news of the week. He has been charged with influence peddling, criminal organisation,  money laundering and document forgery.  Zapatero was the defacto  international political mediator in Venezuela. He was supposed to help the country, do things like help political prisoners be released. Instead, he milked the system getting commission for the sale of oil, and in the meantime making the country even poorer. I am glad that he will have his comeuppance. He is the first ever Spanish President ever to be sent to trial. Yet still Sánchez hangs on to power and supports him.  The big question is whether he will be fall in the end too. He has to. Frankly I would like to see both Zapatero and Sánchez behind prison walls. Spain is a great country, the second most visited in the world but corruption always rears its ugly head here in any government that comes to power. The saying that power corrupts is so true. The international media is full of how well Spain's economy is going. It may well be so on paper but not for very many people who cannot live on the minimum wage, just over 1000 euros a month. Housing is our biggest problem after corruption. However, as I always say, Spain works. Things function but I do hate its bureaucracy and always have. I will be coming to that later as it affected me directly this week.

Monday came. We didn't do much apart from going out for a lovely coffee in the shade of course.  The highlight was my weekly Facetime call that afternoon with Amanda who I will be seeing again soon in Yorkshire this time. 

Tuesday was busy. Most of this week I have been on the phone to estate agencies about the sale of the house in Asturias. I went out in the morning to do a quick shop and brought the food home for lunch and then went out again. I went to Centro Oeste shopping centre to get Oli's present. She wanted a summer hat from Bimba y Lola. From there I drove to the local private hospital, Quirón, in Pozuelo for a follow up appointment with my urogynecologist, who operated on me last October. She did an MOT on my down belows and gave me a 10 out of 10. I am so glad I had the op and so grateful to her for doing such a good job. I really am a new woman, down there at least, hahaha. I think we sort of like each other and she told me I was fun and that I always brighten up her day. I asked whether she has watched Call the Midwife but no, hahaha.  On my way home I filled up the tank of the Mini, the only car we had this week for the three of us which was a bit of a bind until Miguel lent us his spare  Golf on Friday.  I am happy to announce our new VW T-Roc will be ready this Tuesday at noon. Eladio said he would take it to bed with him if he could get it up the stairs.He is more excited about it than I am. The Volvo was towed away that day to the scrap heap and my husband felt emotional about it. I didn't. I loved it when I got it as my Nokia car but at 24 years old it felt like driving a dinosaur. 

We were joined for dinner by Jesús, a young Mexican guest who was very friendly. We spoke a lot about Mexico and the problems it has and whether he had felt any racism in Spain. That's a difficult topic I suppose. But on the whole Spain is one of the least racist countries I know and mostly the Latin Americans blend in very well, not so much the North Africans probably because of religion or that's what my husband thinks. 

We went to bed that night eager to watch the news as that was the day Zapatero was charged. More and more information is coming out of his wrongdoings. I think the USA has had a lot to do with his being charged after taking over the country. They must have found out about his oil commissions and money laundering and liaised with the Spanish police. The main charge in Spain is of his help to bail out a dubious aling airline, Plus Ultra for which he supposedly received 1 million euros in commission. No doubt he slept very badly that night. He is apparently entrenched in his luxurious house on the outskirts of Madrid. He must have thought he was untouchable but he is not and didn't hide his tracks very well, using burner phones. Any one who uses a burner phone is suspicious  I think. 

On Wednesday we had a meeting with our bank about the potential sale of the house in Asturias and what to do with the money. More importantly, how to avoid paying very hefty taxes to Sanchez' government; more than 50.000 euros!  There is a way out for those over 70 which will be me in February. Some sort of lifelong fund which you can draw the interest from monthly without touching the capital. It was something we have to investigate and we will probably need a lawyer. We then went for a coffee to muse over the information and then onto Majadahonda, a rich town nearby to take my dear mother's turquoise engagement ring to be mended as one of the stones has broken and a tiny diamond is missing. It means so much to me I have to have it mended. 

We had lunch outside and then I had two calls from more estate agencies and a sudden same day booking for my father's room which Jesús  had left in the morning. Fran came a while later and we ushered him in. He is a specialist in mending cars that have been affected by hail of all things and comes from Jaén in the south where it probably never hails. In his sector he seems important. More importantly for Eladio, he knows a lot about cars and of course they talked about my husband's new toy, the T-Roc, hahah.

Oli and the kids came unexpectedly and I was probably a bit tired and overwhelmed with so much on my plate I was not the best of hosts. Sorry Oli.  I had a very bad night after that. 

Thursday dawned and that day we overcame a very big obstacle, one we have to face once a month but I can't go into that here. Thankfully, this time it went more smoothly. 

Thursday was the day Spain's Supreme Court annulled the new and awful registry of holiday homes whereby they have to have a NURA number from the Land Registry offices of their area and renew it every year. This is on top of having a regional tourist licence. Remember what I went through not only last year to get the numbers and this year to renew them? It took ages, was painful, complicated and an awful waste of time, not to mention the cost. I was furious  with Spanish bureaucracy that day. Honestly, all that work for nothing. Those who didn't obtain the number or renew it were kicked off Airbnb and Booking.  Who is going to compensate us for this? Damn the bloody system that aims to make it more and more difficult to host. But then don't they want the tourists to come? They blame Airbnb for the shortage of houses to rent but that isn't the reason for the shortage. The real reason is the squatters. People fear renting their houses long term because of squatters so they have turned to Airbnb and such which is getting more complicated. All this government has to do to improve the availability of rental houses is to stop the squatters instead of giving them rights. I would never rent out to someone long term after the Felipe Turover affair. Who would? The news made my blood boil.

We had our siesta and I am afraid to say I woke up just as we were supposed to be picking up the kids from school and taking Elliot to Athletics. I hardly ever sleep during the siesta so what happened was most unusual. What woke me up was a nightmare. My father had returned to life but in two people and in his dying state. I was trying to call for help and my voice wouldn't work. All I could see was him being taken away on a stretcher smiling at me. I woke up crying. We were only 10 minutes late but got into trouble of course. We took Elliot to the gym and then Juliet to the park after which Eladio had to go and get Elliot and bring him back - school rounds - we seem to be going back in time. It was hot at the park so we didn't spend long there and brought our grandchildren home. They behaved very well, after several warnings, hahaha. They had their dinner and their bath after which they were allowed to watch Peppa Pig - Juliet on my iPad on my desk and Elliot Mario Brothers on Netflix from my bed. Here are the little minxes.

A bit of screen time for Juliet and Elliot when we had to babysat for them on Thursday

When Miguel came for them and before going to bed ourselves, I checked in for our Ryanair flights to Manchester this Thursday. Previously and thanks to bloody Brexit, I had got Eladio his ETA visa for the UK and had to find it. I filled everything out only to realise there were only boarding passes for me. Eladio was to be given his at checkout. I later read that after Brexit and the new visa, this is common practice. Why can't life be easier?

Friday was 22nd May and my younger daughter, Olivia's 41st birthday. How can that be? I was up early to make her cake, my version of a Victoria Sandwich cake. I made the sponge and with a little bit of help from AI, it came out fluffier which is what I had aimed for. Later Suzy helped me with the filling - jam, strawberries and cream and the icing. A while after I decorated it with more fruit. I had found some lovely candles at a Chinese shop - the cheapo ones that are everywhere in Spain and where you can get everything including the kitchen sink. This was the result.

The cake I made for Olivia's birthday on Friday

Thursday was my Mounjaro day, the day of my second injection. I was over the moon to see I had lost 1.5kg in just one week.

We went out first for a coffee at Alverán. From there we went to do the biggest shopping we have done in a while. I wanted to leave loads of provisions for Tana and Suzy. We staggered into the kitchen with all the bags. Talking about bags, my lovely cross over Uniqlo  shoulder bag arrived  that afternoon which I shall be using all summer. It's perfect for travelling too and I love white in the summer because it goes with everything. This is it.

My new bag from Uniqlo for the summer. 

While Eladio and Suzy went to get Miguel's Golf at his brother's house on the other side of Madrid, I started on the preparations for Oli's birthday dinner which, of course, was to be fish in beer batter with chips and my version of mushy peas. They included mint from Tana's herb and strawberry garden or rather a few pots by the pool. 

It was very hot but just cool enough to eat outside at 9 pm. Before we tucked in, Tana took a photo of us which I want to share here.

Official birthday photo - dinner on Friday night

We actually had a lovely time and both kids behaved although poor Juliet was sick a couple of times , probably from too many sweets at the park. Thankfully, she was ok yesterday. Here is a video Miguel took and some more photos.  I have chosen the one of Suzy with Oli and the kids as this week's feature photo. 

A video and some photos of Oli's birthday dinner on Friday 

Owing to Mounjaro I couldn't eat much but enjoyed the dinner.  I slept really badly that night but was up super early as usual the next day. That was Saturday and we had to take care of the kids all day as Oli and Suzy's friends were taking Oli away for a surprise night away which was no longer a surprise as Miguel had let the cat out of the bag. Being the weekend, Suzy couldn't go which upset me. Honestly, couldn't their friends have taken her somewhere nearer so Suzy could join them in the afternoon, or even better, organise a way to celebrate the birthday to include her sister? Sorry, just saying. 

Oli arrived with the kids around 10.30 and then she went. We took them out in the Mini with little Pippa to Centro Oeste where they have little electric cars kids can drive. This is them with Eladio just as  we got to the centre.

Arriving at Centro Oeste shopping centre in Majadahonda with the kids and Pippa. 

They were delighted with their cars and it was great to see what good drivers they are, avoiding people and having a grand time.

The kids had a grand time on their cars at Centro Oeste yesterday

Before continuing, I had a coffee and the kids had a donut and a biscuit. As usual, my frugal husband had nothing. From there we drove to a lovely park - Parque Miguel Angel Blanco - in Boadilla near their house but it was a bit hot again so we soon came home. 

We gave them their lunch and then tried to have a siesta. Juliet went with Suzy and Elliot with us. They behaved but were soon bored of adults trying to sleep so we took them downstairs and offered them the chance to swim in the pool. They had all the paraphernalia we never had for our kids but were still reluctant to go in the water which was cold. Eladio got out a huge inflatable lilo in the shape of a unicorn which they loved but didn't manage to get into haha. Here is a photo of that moment.

Pool time yesterday with the kids

They ended up hitting each other so we offered a distraction, sandwiches in the kitchen. Elliot loved his avocado and salmon sandwich and Juliet preferred milk and biscuits. They then spent time drawing until Miguel, their father arrived. That was when grandparent duty was over. We had some very good moments. Tana commented that the kids behave a lot better when their parents aren't there, hahaha.

Only then did I have time to start writing this week's post which meant I missed the news in bed with Eladio, something I hate to miss, even if I already know what the news is and it's never good is. Iran, Ukraine and Gaza  continue to lack any peace treaty and we are now reading a lot about what is going on in Cuba or what  Trump's intentions may be. Not good. However last night he announced that a peace deal with Iran is imminent. I'm not sure I believe him.

But today is another day. It is Sunday and we have no plans, no appointments and no tasks to perform. So no doubt it will be a quiet day which I definitely need after so much stress this week. 

Next week I will be writing from the Midland Hotel in Bradford. No one goes to Bradford for tourism; me neither but  some of my roots are there as I lived at 6 Heaton Grove on Manningham Lane from the age of 8 or 9 until I left for Spain in 1981 aged 24, if you don't include my time at Nottingham University. Once again, it will a trip down memory lane.

Cheers then to you all until next week,

Masha