Trump at loggerheads with Iran, finally a new door in Santa Pola, cooking old and new dishes, Noelia the girl who chose euthanasia, the clocks went forward and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 29th March, 2026

Coffee in the sun yesterday

Good morning all.

It's been an up and down week and I really look forward to a break. I can't wait for our trip to Seville and Doñana in May and to Yorkshire later that month. 

This week marks a month since the USA and Israel attacked Iran.  Israel is also bombing the Lebanon and threatens to turn it into another Gaza.  Both countries had high hopes of annihilating both the regime and the country's military and nuclear power. But Iran has proved a difficult rival and has attacked back mercilessly. The main issue now is the blockade of the Hormuz Strait where 20% of oil tankers sail through. As they can't, the price of oil has gone up globally affecting the stock market and our pockets. Both Trump and the Iranians ramped up threats and then Trump went TACO (Trump always chickens out) again. He ceased the threats and instead turned to negotiating. He must have been worried his objectives were not being met and worse, for him, that the war is increasingly unpopular with his voters. He presented a 15 point peace plan which has been met with scorn by the Iranian government whoever they are as we don't know at the moment. The US may be claiming to winding down the attacks but the conflict has spread to include Yemen. Yemen's Houthi rebels entered the war on Friday by launching missiles at Israeli military bases. This is where we are at the moment, Trump at loggerheads with Iran.  But at least diplomacy is being tried again. 

Life was quiet in comparison at home. Last Sunday I couldn't be bothered to cook so we went out for a curry to India Gate. To think we actually did visit India Gate in Delhi on our anniversary trip in 2008, quite a while back. In the afternoon we went to visit Suzy who was happy to see us. What a joyous moment. We have been going all week, taking turns with Oli. 

Monday was a quiet day too. The workmen came to finish the floor downstairs which after all the fuss looks quite good now. Eladio had to be there with them so I did the weekly shop on my own. I can't wait for Suzy to be back for us to do it together.

I must have been thinking about our Yorkshire trip that day, as prompted by a reel on Instagram, I learned that my beloved Betty's cafes now let you book a table. Betty's is famous for its queues. There and then I booked a table for us when we are staying at the Midland for the first part of our trip. I booked at the Ilkley branch and I already know what I will be ordering. Yes, Afternoon tea. Eladio, no doubt, will go for their excellent fish and chips. Once in Bradford we shall also being having a meal at the Kashmir but I don't think I have to book. In my day, in the early 70's it was the very first curry house that opened in that most Asian of cities in the UK, Bradford. I went many times and remember being served my lamb Korma with chapatis and no cutlery. My brother George would go for the Vindaloo (the strongest) washed down with jugs and jugs of water. Both Betty's and the Kashmir are at the top of my list of things to do in Yorkshire. 

It was on Monday that Trump announced a ceasefire of sorts - but only on Iranian power plants. His aim of course was to calm the markets and for the price of  oil to go down. It did for a while and some people got rich in the process. Others got poorer. 

In the afternoon Oli came with me to the hospital. It's very comforting going with her. I love to see how the girls are so close and support each other. I gave her an Easter basket for the kids so that they can do an Easter Egg hunt in Montrondo where they are going today. Later I heard she didn't give it to them as they would not have eaten their dinner, hahaha. This was it.

An Easter basket for Juliet and Elliot to take to Montrondo today

If you are wondering why I included Carr's crackers, it's because they love them. Me too and with butter and not cheese as you all know I hate the latter. 

Tuesday dawned and it was a sunny day. In fact it has been sunny all week although there is a chill in the air. We went on our walk which did us both a lot of good. I love to see the signs of spring with so many wild flowers blossoming and the grass growing higher and higher. I do love this time of year when nature works its magic after winter. 

In the afternoon Eladio went with Oli to the hospital and I stayed at home as she is only allowed 2 visitors. That gave me the opportunity to Facetime with my dear friend Amanda who I will be seeing again soon. I love our chats. We are such a comfort to each other. 

On Wednesday, Eladio must have felt inspired as he got out the lawnmower to tackle the grass. I wish he would get a gardener to do it but he insists, although now he does it over two days. I caught him on camera to share in today's blog post. 

Eladio mowing the lawn

While he was mowing the lawn I got news from the lady who cleans and looks after our flat in Santa Pola that the new door was finally properly in place. The previous carpenter had not only done a bad job with door but also with the floor.  The new worker, a friend of Gina's, also added a door handle, a knob and a peephole. This is the photo I have of it. 

Finally a new door in Santa Pola

It's a huge improvement on the original door. We began the whole process back in November and it's been a bit of a nightmare. Happily it is now over.

Wednesday was a big day for social media when a Los Angeles jury found Meta (owner of Facebook, Instagram and Whatsapp) and Google guilty of designing platforms that are addictive and harmful to children. This is the first of 10.000 similar lawsuits which could change the way platforms are designed. At least I hope so. Tik Tok and Snap, equally guilty, settled out of court. Kaley, the accuser, started using these platforms when she was just 6 and ended up using them for 16 hours a day. Her lawyer claimed this had caused her "body dysmorphia, depression and suicidal thoughts". She has been awarded 6 million dollars for damages. If the other lawsuits go the same way, these monstrous companies will have to rethink their designs. Kaley's lawyers claimed the main culprits were the infinite scrolling, auto play and constant notifications. I'm glad the likes of Instagram have got their comeuppance. I myself use social media a lot but I don't do infinite scrolling and have all notifications turned off. I use it for what I want and one of the uses is coming across new recipes to cook for the family and to keep me occupied. Cooking is always a lovely distraction when it is not a chore. 

The kids were coming for dinner that night after my visit with Olivia to see Suzy and I wanted to make them something they love. They love my "perushki" - little meat pies of Russian origin. So I went out to  buy  the ingredients. I made the filling (fried onions and mince meat with a bit or rice)  and Tana made them in the afternoon.

On Thursday I cooked again. I made potato salad for dinner on Friday when Oli and family would be coming again. As you know it is a family favourite and the recipe is one my Russian grandfather got from a Swiss recipe book probably a 100 years ago. My ingredients are: potatoes, carrots, peas, spring onion, chopped boiled eggs, prawns and home made mayonnaise. Voilá this was the one I made this week.

My potato salad

I also made a new pasta dish I found on Instagram. It's basically pasta nests cooked in the same pan as tomatoes, onions, spinach and in my case I added ham. Instead of cheese I used cream. It was delicious and I shall be making it again. It's very easy to make and takes just 10 minutes. 

A new pasta dish I got from Instagram. 

A lot of women were cooking around the world while I was but one woman wasn't and that was the mother of Noelia. Noelia was a 25 year old Spanish girl who on Thursday at 6 pm lost her life in a hospital in Barcelona by euthanasia which she herself had petitioned for.  Her story is not a pretty one. As a young girl she was put under state care and there she was group raped. A while later she tried to commit suicide and ended up paraplegic and with lifelong pain she said she could no longer suffer. On the other hand she was diagnosed with OCD and borderline personality disorder. Her father with whom she had a difficult relationship, fought her decision to end her life arguing she did not have the mental capacity to take such a decision at her age. Did she I wonder? She gave an interview to Antena 3 TV which was broadcast this week and  which I watched from beginning to end. It was chilling. When I saw her smiling with her mother looking at photos of her as a child, I couldn't help feeling that society has failed her and she could have been saved.  The case has rocked the nation. It is so shocking that a 25 year girl wants to end her life and for those reasons. This is Noelia during the interview, God bless her. God bless her mother too and all her family.

Noelia the girl who chose euthanasia over life, aged just 25 and with her mother. 

Noelia said that a family's happiness should not supersede that of a daughter. Is she right? As a mother I would probably want to have died with her. RIP Noelia. You will not be forgotten. 

When I went to visit Suzy with Eladio in the afternoon, I didn't tell her this story but I did tell her about my cooking. She was drooling over my potato salad. I suggested we go to Honest Greens when she is discharged. She loves that place and I do too. 

Of note that day, Rachel, my Dutch guest and her son, Alex - both live in Milan - left for Easter just after Alex had finished his Dentistry exams. They were here for nearly 2 weeks and I loved talking to Rachel. I said to Eladio that if she lived her, I'm sure we would be friends. Just as they were leaving, Lydia, a 25 year old student from Algeria, arrived for 6 nights. She is a lovely girl and I wish she was staying for longer. Come to think of it I think she is our first guest from that North African country. I asked her what Algeria is like. Her answer was that it's great but she wanted more opportunities. Lydia told me that in her country, half the women think more freely and don't wear a veil and the other half are very traditional. She does not wear a veil and is extremely beautiful.

Friday was a bit uphill for me when I learned Suzy wouldn't be discharged until at least next Wednesday. I had to renew the sick leave note to be sent to her employer which was quite stressful but I managed, finally.  Her boss, Lara, was very kind and understanding and said not to worry.  Later I had a video call with my friends Kathy and Phil who are so lovely.

In the afternoon Oli and I went to see Suzy. I took her my father's book so she could look at the photos and feel our love. We came back just before the kids arrived and thank you Tana for preparing the dinner. I made ham and avocado sandwiches to add to the table to be eaten with the potato salad and more perushki. What a lovely family dinner. If only Suzy had been with us. The kids didn't eat much so I gave Olivia a doggy back for later.

Saturday dawned and I slept just under 6h thankfully.  Segundo, our Peruvian gynecologist, who has been here for 3 weeks, left. He was very happy with his stay and we were very happy with him as a guest. That morning we had to take Eladio's PC for a hardware part to be replaced and which had come from China. We then did some shopping for ingredients for new recipes I had found on Instagram and wanted to make for lunch. But before going home we went for a coffee and some churros which we had in the sun. This week's feature photo is of me in that moment. I always learned from my father that it is the small moments of joy that bring happiness. How right he is.

I came home to make a new pasta dish. This one is made with tomatoes, onion, garlic and spinach to which I added cream and ham bits. I didn't take a photo as it is very similar to the other pasta dish I made earlier in the week. I did take a photo of the flaky pastry apple tarts I tried to make from another recipe I found on Instagram. I have to say they tasted better than they look. These were them.

My attempt at flaky pastry apple tarts

Yesterday Eladio went with Olivia to see Suzy so I was free to write this week's blog post. I was happy to hear from Olivia that Suzy was fine and that they had a lovely and relaxing conversation together. I shall be going again today and every day until she is discharged and we can bring her back to her loving home.

Yesterday too the clocks went forward to Daylight saving time or whatever it is called. I love it when the days are longer or rather it is light until later. It takes some time to get used to as we are robbed of an hour. I honestly wish we could stay on Daylight saving time and not have to change the clock twice a year. I just don't think it is necessary.

Today is Sunday and we have no plans. Oli and the family are off to Montrondo where they can look forward to a rain free Easter. The kids will have a grand time with their little cousins, just as our daughters did when they were children. I hope they have a great time and look forward to seeing lots of photos. 

That's it from me this week. Not much news really and a week of up and downs. I look forward to better times. Life does tend to throw things at you that you don't expect and you just have to grin and bear it and carry on. I will try.

All the best, Masha.

The war with Iran continues, Trump has his eyes on Cuba, time with Elliot and Juliet, an old photo turned into a video with AI - scary and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 22nd March, 2026

Not a very happy face this week

Good morning all. 

It has been a stressful week as you will read. On the world scene, the war with Iran continues into its third week and is not looking good. Trump can see no way of unblocking the Strait of Hormuz to let ships sail which in turn decreases the amount of oil for the world. I honestly think Trump has bitten off more than he can chew and that this will turn into another war of attrition. Did he really need to attack Iran together with Israel?  Now he is talking of boots on the ground, Israel is bombing gas infrastructure and any leader they can find and Iran in turn is bombing energy infrastructure in the Gulf states and US bases. The UK, meanwhile, has given permission to the US to use British military bases for strikes against Iranian missile sites and to protect international shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Thankfully, so far no country has agreed to help Trump in that task directly. Why would they? It's not their war and it would be sending naval personnel straight to their death. This morning I read he has now threatened Iran with obliterating Iran's power plants if the Strait of Hormuz is not opened within the next 48 hours. Would he really do that?

Life continued somewhat peacefully on the home front for the first half of the week. Last Sunday we had guests leaving and changing rooms which kept Tana busy. We would not be able to run this little business without her. We went on our walk in the sun and had churros which sort of defeated the object and we did that again today as you will read later. 

We had Olivia and the kids for dinner which is always a bit like feeding time at the zoo at their age, hahahaha. She needed our help this week as Miguel was sent to work in Valencia covering the "Fallas" festival. If you haven't heard of it, it's a huge festival that displays and then burns giant sculptures called "fallas" (also ninots). The fiesta goes on for a full week and if you like crowds and loud bangers then it might be your thing. It is not mine. 

Monday came and it was another sunny day. The workers supposed to be replacing the ground floor parquet came to inspect it and informed us they would come back to do the work on Wednesday. They also said the job would be finished in one day. It wasn't. By Friday they hadn't finished which had me worried stiff about guests coming and I had to change everyone's rooms. Hopefully they will finish the job tomorrow. 

While they came to inspect the floor, Eladio went off to renew his driving licence which involves a test of eyesight and dexterity. Once you get to 80 they only renew it yearly. I have to do mine next February and it will only be for 2 years. For everyone else under 65 the renewal is for 10 years. So I call this age discrimination.  We were both worried he might not pass owing to the macula degeneration he suffers but I am very happy to announce that he did pass. I dread the moment his licence is not renewed. He would be housebound and reliant on me to go anywhere. Not fair.

The highlight of Monday was my weekly Facetime call with my dear friend Amanda. We discussed our upcoming trips together and family news. We also expressed our frustration with Trump's warmongering. He drives us bonkers. He is now threatening Cuba. He went as far as to say it would be a "great honour to take Cuba". 

I am sure Eladio's cousins, Lecinia and Rosa who live in Havana are appalled. They are, as most of the population is, fierce supporters of the Cuban communist regime. Lecinia and Rosa are the daughters of Roche whose father Constante was Eladio's grandmother's brother. Constante left Montrondo in around 1920 and never returned. Roche and Rosa have been to Spain but Lecinia, a retired dentist, has never been here.. Now that she no longer has to care for her elderly parents, she is free to come. Both sisters have a Spanish passport so that is not the issue. I just wonder if and when she comes, what she will think of how we live in Spain compared to Cuba. It will be a huge cultural shock. When Roche came he refused to visit the centre of Madrid, only wanting to see Montrondo and whatever he saw here he refused to let it interfere with his deep rooted communist beliefs. Rosa tells me no oil has entered Cuba since Venezuela fell. She blames Trump and the US but is blinkered when it comes to recognising that they live under a dictatorship and maybe Cuba's situation is the fault of the their longstanding revolution which has only led to poverty.  I will always remember our visit to Cuba in January 2017 to attend Miguel and Claudia's wedding. While we were there we visited Roche's home and met Lecinia for the first time. Here are the two sisters in a photo I took of them at the wedding of my nephew Miguel.

Eladio's Cuban cousins Lecinia and Rosa, photo taken at my nephew Miguel's wedding to a Cuban girl in Havana in January 2017, 9 years ago. 

If life in Cuba looked very difficult in 2017 I dread to think what it is like today. Shortages doesn't even begin to describe the dire situation of the country, so near yet so far from the USA:

Tuesday dawned and it was another sunny day. I knew something was up with Suzy although she masks it very well. We had to look after the kids in the afternoon, pick them up from school and take Elliot to athletics. We took Juliet to the park afterwards and were later joined by Oli who had picked up Elliot after her French lessons which she takes so seriously.  Here is a quick photo I took of Juliet about to go on the zip line. There were no zip lines when I was young and I wonder if I would have been as daring as Juliet when I was 4. She shows a lot of courage.

Juliet at the park on Tuesday afternoon getting on the zip line. 

They stayed for dinner and it was during dinner that Miguel sent me a video version of the photo on my Whatsapp profile. It's a lovely photo of the girls when they were about 6 and 7 or 7 and 8. They used to love their evening bottle of milk and would drink it sitting on the kitchen top. Let me share it with you.

An old photo of the girls.

And here is the video that Miguel, my son-in-law, turned it into using Artificial Intelligence. 

The video made with AI

It's quite scary really as these days it is nearly impossible to know what is original and what is fake. In any case I did find it a lot of fun and watched it over and over again. When the girls were drinking their milk with Ginger our cat next to them, none of us could envisage such a thing as Artificial Intelligence. I use AI mode on Google for nearly everything these days and if I am not satisfied with the result I tell the robot what I need; be that summarise the text, send me the links, a photo, etc. It is quite incredible. At the same time AI is not infallible and still makes mistakes. So I have to watch out and be discerning. Soon it will probably be perfect. As my friend who invented the AI robot, Handled, who posts this blog here, says, if I wanted Handled to actually write my blog, it could. But I don't want that do I? Not me but many others do I am sure. Scary as I say.

Wednesday dawned. Just as the floor men came, Suzy had such a crisis, even she agreed I should ring the emergency services which is what I did. She has been in hospital since then and doesn't want to see us, yet. We are beside ourselves but I won't go into any detail as it's not fair to her. I was worried too she would lose her job so I did all I could to get a sick note sent to her employers who have been very understanding. Hopefully next week she will be more stable and able to come home. Meanwhile we are destroyed but trying to muddle on.

I don't know how I did it but I managed to make dinner for the kids that night but even they couldn't cheer me up.

Thursday 19th March was Father's Day in Spain but poor Eladio didn't get to celebrate it. We were not in the mood. The floor hadn't been finished and I had guests coming which put my nerves on edge. 

Once again in the afternoon we had to pick up the kids, take Elliot to athletics after which we went to the park again, the best place for them to be. Eladio had to leave an hour later to pick Elliot up as Oli was otherwise engaged that night as an Emcee for a United Nations World Tourism Organisation event in the city. She was not in the mood of course but had to do it. Thus we had the kids until very late that night. They ate well and then we bathed them and bath time went on forever so as to kill the time. We dressed them in old pyjamas  which are now too small and then deposited them on our bed. I put Peppa Pig on so they wouldn't play up. Elliot was asleep by the time his mother came but she later told me Juliet was full of beans and up until past 11 pm. Oh what energy she has.

Friday was uphill too. I had a constant lump in my throat which I still have. But I cannot break down. What good would that do? Yet how can I be happy when my daughter is angry, isolated, lonely and depressed? I can't. But I have to carry on just the way my father used to and my mother. In the afternoon we went to see her during visiting hours. I knew she didn't want to see us but we had to be there. We came home with a heavy heart and to add insult to injury got lost on the way.

Saturday 21st March marked the first day of spring. On our walk I suggested to Eladio we go and have chocolate and churros to improve my mood at least. Later Oli and the kids joined us which made it fun. Here is little Elliot drawing while his  grandfather who he still calls Booboo (sometimes), looks on. 

Elliot drawing while Eladio looks on at the cafe yesterday

It was quite a pick me up to have their company. Oli was going out to lunch and leaving the kids with her babysitter, Sophie. We walked home quietly and enjoyed lunch on our own served to us by dear Tana.

Once again we went to see Suzy in the afternoon and once again we came back without seeing her. She will come round I am sure but it will take time. My heart goes out to her.

It was lovely to talk to Phil and Kath, our friends from Yorkshire, in the early evening. They have just come back from a wonderful trip to Costa Rica. It must be beautiful but is not somewhere I want to go as I once had to bail Suzy out. We had a lovely heart to heart. It's at times like this that one needs friends. Thank you Kathy and Phil. 

And today is Sunday and we have no plans. Even if we had we can't go anywhere at the moment. The sun will be out again today which always brightens my mood. 

So my friends, that's it for this week. Not a good one. Life is full of ups and downs and I should be used to it by now, I suppose. 

Anyway, cheers till next week,

Masha

War with Iran gets out of hand, oil prices soar, renovations on the ground floor, making Moroccan pastilla pie, the pains of installing a new door in Santa Pola, Eladio gets a new phone, and other stories of the week.

 Sunday 15th March, 2026

Elevenses one day this week at Manacor. Coffee in the sunshine is my kind of happiness.

Good morning all. 

While the world has gone mad we have had a quiet week with our own little headaches and ups and downs but really no complaints. 

Last Sunday was quiet. I spent most of the morning cooking for our weekly family lunch and I'm sorry to say I took no photos. The kids will be coming today for dinner so I must remember to capture them on camera - in the hope that one day in the future when I am long gone, they will read my blog with nostalgia. 

That day Segundo, a doctor and gynecologist, from Peru came to stay for 3 weeks. He is a charming man but we have not mentioned women's matters, hahahaha. 

Monday came and Iran, not cowered by Trump and Netanyahu's war on their country, appointed Mojatba Khameini, son of Ali Khameini, who was assassinated by Israeli forces, the new Supreme Leader. Many of their family were  killed including both their wives. If Trump hoped to replace Ali Khameini with a more liberal leader, he lost his chance as he hinted they were all dead now. Some of the more liberal choices died  in the assassination of 40 top officials. Mojatba who vows to continue his father's work and is blamed for the killing of 30.000 of his own people in recent protests, is a sitting duck right now. Apparently he was injured in the blasts and has not been seen since his appointment. So he must be in hiding. If Trump had hoped to change the regime, this choice must now come as a blow to his administration.

Life continued as normal at home. That  morning we did the weekly shop and took the bike we lend to guests to have the wheels changed. We had time to treat ourselves to chocolate and  churros which seems to be turning into a weekly tradition. What a lovely tradition. Here is Eladio enjoying his chocolate and churros.

Chocolate and Churros in Boadilla del Monte on Monday - what a lovely pleasure

We watched the news as we do every day and follow every moment of what is happening in the Middle East. That day saw Trump saying the war would end soon which helped the oil index go down a bit but not for long. For most of the week it is around 100 dollars a barrel. He threatened to hit Iran 20 times harder if it stopped the flow of oil through the Straits of Hormus. Both things have happened. 20% of the world's oil passes through those straits. His MAGA fans are not too happy either as he promised no wars so he keeps saying the war will be over soon. Reality is we have no idea when it will end. Things are not going well for the attackers. They miscalculated Iran's response and maybe did not factor in the threat of closing the Straits of Hormus or the continuation of the Ayotollah regime. I think the war is getting out of hand. In the first week of war  alone it cost 11 billion dollars. So at over a billion dollars a day, even the mighty USA economy will be affected. The thing is this affects the whole world, putting prices up on everything that is powered in some way by oil, including the food basket and airline tickets. It hits the ordinary person. Last week if we paid about 1.5 euros a litre of petrol, today that has gone up to 2 euros and will continue to soar. It has also affected 16 countries who are being attacked by Iran in the region. We have even learned this week that Putin is the hidden hand behind Iran which doesn't surprise me. Even worse, Trump went and lifted oil sanctions so Russia can sell its oil again. Thus Russia is the winner in this war. Makes me sick.

Tuesday was a bit of an upheaval. The insurance people were coming to put down a new floor on the ground floor. They didn't finish the job as they found some damp which later turned out to be condensation. Hopefully they will finish the job tomorrow. Meanwhile the place looks ghastly and is a bit embarrassing vs a vs our guests. Thankfully the rooms themselves don't have to be renovated.

Renovations on the ground floor this week. Hopefully they will lay down the new floor tomorrow. 

We had more work going on at home when a firm came to clean the guttering. We had no idea until clumps of grass kept falling that they needed cleaning. The man who did the job and went up on to the roof told me there was a veritable garden growing in the guttering. Oh dear. 

The man on top of the roof cleaning the guttering

There is always so much to do to maintain a house and I like to think we keep a tight ship to quote my friend Nurse Crane from Call the Midwife. It's like running a small company and you can't let things run down. So we are constantly on the move. It's a bore but keeps us busy. 

I left everyone to it and went out to get some ingredients to make a Moroccan flaky chicken pie - a very famous dish from that North African country called "pastilla"  and one I love. The excuse was I had lots or cold chicken in the fridge. Suzy helped me make it but actually it is quite easy. I  used a recipe from YouTube but there are many on the internet. And voila, this was the result when we had already dug into it

For those not in the know, I copied this description from Google: "Moroccan Chicken Pastilla is a traditional, festive savoury sweet pie featuring layers of thin crispy pastry (phyllo) filled with shredded chicken, a spiced onion and egg mixure and toasted ground almonds. It combines savoury meat with aromatic spices like cinnamon and saffron topped with a dusting of icing sugar". I was really very proud of the result and we had it two days running. I froze a piece for Oli who loves it too and is coming today. Now I know how to make pastilla we shall be including it in our repertoire of meals at home. 

I told Amanda about it in our weekly Facetime call and next time they come I shall make it. Talking to my friend is always the highlight of the week.

On Wednesday the rain went finally and we had a sunny day which was perfect for our walk. Of note that day I bought tickets to see the show How Horses Dance at the Real Escuela Andaluza de arte equestre (the Royal school of equestrian art) which is world famous and rivals with the Spanish school of riding in Vienna. The academy is in Jerez, the sherry capital, which we shall visit in May with Andy and Amanda. Wonderful!

That day I was also dealing with installing the new door to the flat in Santa Pola. I had contracted and paid a carpenter back in November and the door arrived on 15th February but Mauricio kept putting off the job. I had no other option than to find another carpenter. I did but he didn't do a great job. We also needed a locksmith and work went on for two days. This was the old door and below the new door.

Our very old and crumbling door

The new door

However, the carpenter had a problem with the floor which now looks like this and is rather depressing. 

This needs to be fixed

This has to be fixed and the door also needs a doorknob, a handle and a peep hole. Installing a new door is a whole new world for me and one I am not familiar with. It will all be fixed but meanwhile is a pain.

Thursday came and brought something exciting, a new  mobile phone for Eladio. He always seems to inherit my old phones or Olivia's and was struggling with a 5 year old Samsung Galaxy S20. So last week we ordered him a brand new Samsung Galaxy S26. Thus he is the member of the family with the most up to date phone and that makes me happy for him. We took it to a local phone shop to have everything transferred from the old phone. I had to do the rest and it took a few days. It always does. Here is is happily showing me his new phone, bless him.

Eladio happy with his new phone

We signed up for a swap contract whereby you pay a renting fee per month and every two years you get a new phone. Sounds good. I'm glad for my husband. I just hope that with his new phone he will answer  it when I call or message him, hahaha.

It was that day that a photo emerged of three bad men together from the Epstein files which must have been released that day. It is of the former Prince Andrew and former British Ambassador to the US, Mandelson in bathrobes with the infamous paedophile. For the records this is it.

Three bad men, former Prince Andrew and Peter Mandelson in bathrobes with the paedophile Jeffrey Eptstein. 

They thoroughly disgust me. 

Friday was another sunny day and I had slept well that night which is unusual for me. We went on our walk then to the bank to to get a code for the app in Eladio's phone. From there we went to Gran Plaza 2 shopping centre to get him a new case and other accessories. 

That day lots of guests arrived, thankfully many of them repeat guests who I leave the keys for and don't have to greet. The house is full this weekend but you wouldn't notice. It's lovely to have my Dutch guest Rachel here again with her son. She lives in Milan and has come to cook for him while he does his exams. Isn't that sweet?

Saturday dawned and the main news again was the war with Iran. I just hope it won't go on for years and end up like Iraq or Afghanistan or Ukraine. While the worlds' eyes are on Iran no one is thinking about Ukraine and Putin can do what he wants. The world needs rid of people like Putin and Trump. As I said last week, we need women to rule the world. We really do.

Today is Sunday and the only plan we have  today is dinner at home with Oli and the kids while Miguel has been sent to Valencia for the week. We shall go on our walk, I shall have my mid morning coffee and I will rustle up something for lunch and not much more. I wish someone could transport me to some lovely beach with good weather and no worries about doors, floors, guests, shopping etc. I need a break from routine. We all do.

So that my friends, is it for this week. I wish you all well. Cheers for now,

Masha

Military campaign against Iran escalates, Spain says no to war, time with Elliot, prayer session in the Oval Office legitimising war and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 8th March

Coffee in the sun, Eladio and Suzy at Alverán on Monday 

Good morning. 

Today is 8th March and International Women's Day. Good for us. Maybe I should be taking part in demonstrations for more equality for women. Many other women will but I hate crowds. Although the world is not equal and never will be, I am glad at least to be a woman in the West. Things have changed in my lifetime. When I was a girl, a woman needed her husband's authorisation to open a bank account, to apply for a passport and countless other things.  Women generally had to stop working when they married. Divorce was frowned upon and many women lived in loveless and sometimes violent households. The violence has not gone away but women today are a lot better off than they were. That's not saying there isn't room for improvement. This week more than ever I honestly wish women ruled the world. If we did, I wouldn't be writing about the terrible war in the Middle East at the hands of Trump and Netanyahu. Russia would not have invaded Ukraine, the UK would not have left the EU and women would be free in countries like Yemen or Agfghanistan. Imagine. I'm afraid that is all we can do at the moment, imagine. 

Last Sunday was day 2 of the attack on Iran called "Epic Fury" - what violent words and what a violent war it is. Israeli forces killed the President, Khameini and up to 40 top government officials. Together with the USA they are pounding both Iran and Lebanon and Iran, as expected, has retaliated. The war has now affected many Gulf countries, Azerbajan, even Turkey and of course, as we know, Cyprus which is very close to home and part of the EU.

Eladio and I meanwhile, went on our walk and treated ourselves to chocolate con churros. Here is my dear husband partaking in this treat.

A moment of peace and joy - chocolate con churros - with Eladio last Sunday

On Monday the war raged in the Middle East as it has all week. I'm not sure whether the aggressors have eliminated all Iran's nuclear arsenal but their retaliation and the war itself began to affect the rest of the world. Airspace was closed and many people are trapped and unable to come home. Some have managed it traipsing overland to Oman or Saudi Arabia and some have been rescued but many still remain. I had one guest coming from Israel who obviously had to cancel her stay with us. The price of oil and gas went up also immediately as Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz. That will affect transport and thus goods will soon cost more too. Other than eliminating the repressive government and Iran's nuclear project,  there doesn't seem to be a proper plan for what happens next.

Spain's far left PM, Pedro Sánchez, meanwhile prohibited the US from using their bases here for operations against Iran arguing it would violate international law. This infuriated Trump who called Spain all sorts of names and said he would cut off trade with us; except that he can't unless he cuts off trade with the whole of the EU.  He went as far as to say no one could stop the US from using them and I gather they still are. I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I don't like the Iranian repressive regime but I don't like a country with nuclear power ignoring international law by invading another country to remove it of that power.  I hate the Ayotollahs and their repression not only of women, but what will become of the people once the attacks seize and the country lies in ruins? 

Sánchez is not the only European leader who is not popular with Donald Trump. This week he said of UK's Prime Minister, Starmer that he was no Churchill. It was in response to the PM also being reluctant to let the US use its bases in UK territory.  Since then Starmer has let the US use them for defence purposes only. Today I read that the UK was getting two aircraft carriers ready to go to the Middle East if necessary. This also unleashed Trump's fury accusing the UK of seeking to "join wars after we've already won" He added "That's OK Primer Minister Starmer, we don't need them any longer - But we will remember. We don't need people that join wars after we've already won". That was a huge attack on the now not so special relationship.

Life continued as normal where we live and that morning saw us do the weekly shop. We bumped into Suzy and seized the moment to have coffee in the sun together at Alverán. I took a picture which I have chosen as this week's feature photo. Love it.

The highlight of Monday was my weekly Facetime call with Amanda. We have so much to look forward to when we meet in May and June and possibly September too. 

Tuesday came and brought with it normality and routine. Thus we went on our walk and were blessed with sunshine. Unfortunately the rain came on Wednesday and it robbed us of future walks. It was on Tuesday that our friend Phil sent me a random photo that came up on his phone. It was of Eladio and I walking in the sun in Altea last September arm in arm. It is not a pretty close up and in fact we have our backs to the camera  but it is a lovely photo that sums up our companionship and love. This is it. 

A lovely photo from Phil of Eladio and I with our backs to the camera in Altea walking in the sun last September. 

Of note that day I made chicken Korma for lunch with naans I had bought at Quicksave in Santa Pola and went to my hairdresser to have my roots died and my hair cut, all for a paltry 17 euros. That night we watched a film called Los Domingos. About a 17 year old girl who wants to become a cloistered nun against her family's will, it won the Spanish film awards, The Goyas, last week.  I generally love films about nuns but I was a bit disappointed. It lacked oomph. 

Wednesday dawned and that day  Pedro Sánchez addressed the Congress after the debacle with Trump over the use of their joint bases in Spain.  His main message was "No to war" (no a la guerra). He added that Spain would not be complicit in actions against the country's values out of fear of reprisals (from Trump). That unleashed more fury from the US President who I suspect is loving the power he has to invoke war on Iran. He said Spain was a loser, a terrible country and very hostile to NATO. He can't get over the fact that Spain is the only country which has refused to pay 5% of its GDP towards the North Atlantic Alliance. It remains at 2%. Meanwhile, France's Premiere, Macron organised a European response to defend Cyprus where a UK military base had been under attack from Iran. All the big countries in Europe, the UK included, joined in but not Spain. That gave me mixed feelings too. 

It was on Wednesday that we had the pleasure of the company of our 6 year old grandson, Elliot in the afternoon after school. Miguel was taking Juliet our granddaughter to a birthday party  so he came alone. I don't think we have ever had to babysit for him alone, except when his sister was born. I gave him his afternoon tea, a sandwich and almonds and some special chocolate biscuits and then he told us he had to do his homework, bless him. I had to leave for a routine doctor's appointment but caught him on camera about to start his homework. He really behaved so well when he came this week. 

Elliot doing his homework at our house this week

I later heard Suzy whisked him off to her room where she helped him do it. He then did lots of drawing sitting at her desk quietly. Olivia was delighted to hear he had behaved himself, hahaha. 

If on Wednesday Pedro Sánchez had said no to war and no to the US using its military bases in Spain. on Thursday the Spanish government announced it was sending its flagship frigate, Cristóbal Colón, to bolster the Frence led flotilla to Cyprus. He was immediately accused of going back on his word. Who knows what went on there behind the scenes?

Eladio and I went to Primark of all places while all this was going on. I wanted  to get him new jeans to replace a pair he had stained with some glue he had used to stick tiles together and which are now ruined. While out, I had coffee at Starbucks with a croissant (divine) and from there we drove to a local telephony shop to order Eladio a new phone. He has been using my Samsung Galaxy S20 which is now dying on him and is in desperate need of a new one. I am pleased to announce he is going to be the proud owner of the Korean firm's latest model, the S26. He deserves it. 

Friday dawned and I was happy to get a photo of Juliet ready for school that Olivia sent me. She was wearing a lovely M&S Christmas jumper I had bought her when I was in Devon last November.

Juliet wearing the lovely M&S jumper I bought her in Devon last November

In the photo  she looks so sweet butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. But that is only when she wants to. I heard  this week that she had called her gym teacher "fat".  Oh dear.

On Friday it rained and we only went out on routine errands. It was that day that more of the Epstein files were released. In them there are documents pertaining to an interview with a woman who accused both Trump and Epstein of raping her when she was 12 or 13. She described both ghastly men referring to girls as "untainted" and "young meat". Trump continues to get away with it and many say the Iran military operation is a good smokescreen to do so.  

Nothing surprises us about this ghastly man but he did surprise some when he appeared that day in photos and videos in a praying session in his office, the Oval Office.

Trump in a praying session in the Oval Office this week

The pastors there were asking God to protect the American military and to give Trump wisdom. I find that so contradictory - war being blessed by the church and Trump having pastors' hands laid on him as if he were some sort of modern day saint. He is an evil and dangerous man who is destroying the world as we know it. One thing he does need, of course, is wisdom but he is lacking in that and many other departments. 

Frighteningly Trump has now set his eyes on Cuba saying it comes next. He has used the term "friendly takeover"  calling Cuba a failing nation, even cancer, in its last moments of life. Well, no wonder, his measures have pushed the Caribbean Island to its limits with virtually no oil imports since the Venezuela takeover. When will this lunatic stop?

Thankfully I had other things on my mind that day. Oli and family were coming for dinner and that is always an event. This time the kids behaved a bit better, hahaha. I was lucky to have Tana make the dinner so I could spend time with my family and it was a happy time. Elliot was happy too as that night he was going to have his first sleepover, spending the night at his friend Adrian's. No doubt he will be telling me all about it when he comes for lunch today. They are all coming today and this time I don't have Tana but we will manage as we always have.

Saturday came. One piece of news I read that morning I found outrageous and ridiculous. The Spanish Treasury will be taxing newly weds on their wedding presents. Really? This won't work. The Spaniards are too picaresque and will of course just give cash - usually 150 euros per head, instead of making a bank transfer. 

We set off on our walk but soon had to come home because of the rain. As we returned I was thinking how un English I have become as Brits walk come rain or shine or they used to at least. 

Of note yesterday I booked our 4X4 guided tour of the Doñana National Park for when we go in May. It will be lovely in May I'm sure.

Last night things escalated to a next level in Iran when Israel began bombarding oil refineries. This came after Trump  said Iran would be "very hard hit". Where will this end and how? Honestly is this war worth it?

Today is Sunday and I have come to the end of my tales for this week. I will be busy cooking lasagne and another pasta dish for our family lunch today so must sign off now if I am to get anything done this morning.

Cheers then to you all. Have a great day and week,

Masha

Olivia's last day in London, 45 years after coup in Spain files declassified and ex King Juan Carlos exonerated, trip to Yorkshire all sorted thanks to IA, some retail therapy, US and Israel attack Iran and kill Ayatollah Ali Khameini as well as other stories of the week.,

 Madrid, 1st March, 2026

Happy with my new jeans and striped top after a bit of retail therapy this week

Good morning all. 

I am reeling from Saturday morning's news of the attack by the US and Israel on Iran. It's called Operation Epic Fury and concentrates on disarming Iran and killing off its leaders.  We all knew it was coming but maybe not so quickly. That is definitely this week's main news and my heart goes out to the suffering population. This week also marks the 4th anniversary of Russia's invasion of Ukraine with no sign of peace. Peace is what we want and what I had this week because I am lucky enough to live in Western Europe. 

Last Sunday the main news was still the arrest of the former Prince Andrew and Olivia was still in London to cover the story for Spanish TVE.  That morning she did 3 live reports for "Corazón".  I was very proud of her and know she was so busy doing live reports non stop for 3 days for various programmes she hardly had time to breathe. This is her and her Argentinian camerawoman outside Buckingham Palace around this time last Sunday.

Olivia reporting live from Buckingham Palace on her last day in London

I was not surprised when she said she was coming home that day as the bombshell news had died down at least for the moment. It is of course an ongoing investigation and part of the Epstein files saga and in the UK it is big news but in Spain for the moment it has died down. So my daughter came home. She was so busy she couldn't do any shopping but got her taxi driver to stop at M&S on the way to the airport to get me some goodies - walnut whips and butter mints. Bless her. 

Only then could she enjoy a bit of London - shopping at the airport. 

We had a lovely day and enjoyed our walk in the sun. The weather has been marvelous this week and we are so glad to see the end of the rain. Meanwhile in Florida, 21 year old Austin Tucker tried to drive through one of the gates of Trump's residence called Mar a Lago. He was armed and carrying fuel so his intentions were not good. When confronted by Secret Service agents he apparently raised his shot gun so they opened fire and he was killed immediately. Only he knows what was going on in his head. His parents must be devastated. No peace now for them.

Monday came, 23rd February and was the 45th anniversary of the failed coup in Spain in 1981. Known forever after as "23F", I well remember watching it on TV in Bradford to see how it unfolded when Colonel Antonio Tejero and other civil guards stormed the Parliament. It was a frightening time for Spain with its fledgling democracy shortly after the death of Franco. Some of the military were not keen on democracy and had hoped the young King Juan Carlos I would be on their side. Some in fact thought he was in the know and behind the coup. I had met my future husband in 1980 and remember trying to ring him desperately and not getting through. Happily the coup failed and most people attributed its failure to the efforts of the young King who today lives in self imposed exile in Abu Dhabi. He left in 2020 after financial and personal scandals threatened the reputation of his son King Felipe. It seems they are now rather estranged.  Only 2 days later the anniversary coincided with the declassification of many of the documents related to the coup. We didn't expect to learn much more but one thing came out very clearly. The king was against the coup and did all he could to thwart it. In a way he was exonerated of any mystery surrounding his involvement. Now there is talk of him possibly coming back to Spain. We will see as and in order to live here he would have to declare all his assets and pay taxes. It is a sad ending for the 88 year old monarch who saved democracy for Spain. It will be sad too if he dies alone outside his country. But it may come to that. 

In the UK the big news that day was the arrest of Peter Mandelson, former Labour Minister and UK Ambassador to the UK. It was of course because of his links with Epstein. Like Andrew, he was arrested on suspicion of passing on confidential information from the UK government. This week also saw Hilary and Bill Clinton answering questions about their links to the paedophile. I don't think Hilary had anything to do with him but her husband, the former President of the US appears in many photos with young girls and Epstein. Of course he says he never knew anything. He is lying through his teeth as is Donald Trump.

On the home front we did the weekly shop and it was a happy day for me. On Monday I got the final ok from the local land property office for the rooms I rent here. That was after submitting the dreaded new form filling through a complicated app called N2 which gave me nightmares. They are now over until next year. 

It was a happy day too as I sorted our upcoming trip to Yorkshire and I did it all using Handled, my new virtual assistant who I only have to message on Whatsapp. It managed our flight bookings and taxi from Manchester. I was excited to tell Amanda about it that afternoon in our weekly Facetime call. We are going for just over weeks at the end of May and will be staying all over the place. Our first call of port will be the Midland Hotel in Bradford where funnily enough I have always wanted to stay. Then, courtesy of Phil and Kath we will be staying a few days with them after which we shall be staying with friends. One of the highlights will be 2 nights at The Fell Hotel in Burnsall for a BGS reunion. We shall be 5 couples having a blast I am sure. 

Our peaceful day ended when Oli and family came for dinner. It was great to see her again and lovely to receive my goodies from M&S but oh dear both kids had a meltdown. It didn't come at the right time as it coincided with the arrival of a young French guest. But they are kids so what can I do. It felt like the Mad Hatters' tea party hahaha. I felt sorry for Oli. She looked deadbeat after flying back from London. 

On Tuesday morning she had to be looking good and smart as she reported live on a story about a member of the far right party VOX. José Ortega Smith, one of the founding members, who has been axed but he refuses to do. The British Royal family and the Spanish VOX party seem to be two of her specialist topics. Here is a quick still photo I took while watching her live. 

Olivia live on TV on Tuesday morning

I am sure she would have preferred to report on the 4th anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine which fell on Tuesday this week. It just about made front page news. We are all tired of this war of attrition but I don't see any peace treaty soon. None of the talks have led anywhere. I am sorry for the Ukrainian people. Slave Ukraini!

It was such a lovely day that we had lunch outside on the kitchen terrace which we did most of this week. What a joy. For the occasion I made a sort of hake menièure which we all loved. This was the recipe. 

Wednesday was the day of the declassification of the 23F coup files. It was also coincidentally the day its main protagonist, Colonel Antonio Tejero, died aged 94. He lived to the day the files were finally published. Here he is in his prime when he stormed the Parliament.

The main protagonist of the Spanish coup on 23rd February 1981, Colonel Antonio Tejero died this Wednesday.

Thursday came. I had an appointment to do a bone density scan. I knew from the one I did two years ago that I had a bit of osteopenia but wasn't sure how much. This time they gave me the results as I walked out. I have a bit in the femur of my left leg but I suppose this is age related.  I then drove to Centro Oeste for a bit of retail therapy. I had actually gone to pick up a bracelet but forgot. Instead I had a coffee, bought some clothes and some food at Carrefour. I was delighted with my new tops, a pink jumper and a dark blue one from Zara and a blue and white striped top from Carrefour. I am wearing it in this week's feature photo. Oh I do love my stripes don't I?

Friday came and as if we didn't have enough wars in the world, another one was declared between Pakistan and Afghanistan. I felt very sorry for those living in Kabul as if they don't already have enough problems. These neighbouring countries are fighting  over disputed territory among other issues. 

Ironically, my granddaughter Juliet was taking part in a Peace Race that day at school. She has no idea what it's like for little girls or girls or women in Afghanistan who cannot even go to school poor things. Here she is, such a happy little soul bless her.

Juliet taking part in a peace race at school this week

While Eladio painted the wall on the drive, I went again to Centro Oeste for more retail shopping, something women in Afghanistan can't do either. I actually went to get the gold bracelet one Eladio bought me years ago and which I treasure but I also enjoyed more retail therapy. This time I got two pairs of jeans from H&M. Not for the Mummy or flared jeans. The only ones that flatter me are the skinny high waist ones. 

I came home to make a delicious dish of pasta with prawns for lunch which I shall be repeating. I made it up myself. The ingredients were garlic, spinach, prawns and fresh pasta with a dash of paprika and cream. 

It was yesterday, Saturday,  that we woke up to the news that Israel had attacked Teheran in coordination with the USA. Honestly we don't want another war. The attack has been imminent because Donald Trump who has the biggest nuclear arsenal in the world doesn't want Iran to have nuclear power. I don't either but I don't like his method.  I want to see the end of this ruthless regime run by the Ayatollhas but I want to see a peaceful change. The son of the late Sha of Persia who was no democrat himself, is reaching out to Iranians to take back their country. But how with no boots on the ground? Of course Iran is retaliating and has sent sent missiles to Israel and tried to bomb US bases in the Middle East so there is no peace here in sight either. Late that night Israel and Trump reported the supreme leader Ayatollah Al Khameimi dead and a while later Iranian officials confirmed it. This will be the major news for the coming weeks and I feel for the poor Iranians who have suffered for decades. I only wish them well. 

We had a peaceful day of course and enjoyed the goof weather and again I thank my lucky stars I don't live in Kabul, Kiev or Teheran. It's lovely to live in Spain, although I do miss England at times, especially Yorkshire.

Today is Sunday and I shall leave you now to publish this latest post, hopefully on my new site, thanks to Handled. So cheers, peace and love to you all.

Masha. 

Discovering "Handled" my AI assistant, pancakes for Shrove Tuesday, former Prince Andrew arrested, Olivia sent to London to report on the bombshell news for TVE and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 22nd February 2026.

Olivia reporting  on  Friday morning from Buckingham Palace on the news of the arrest of former Prince Andrew. What an honour for her. 

Good morning everyone. How has your week been? I am still reeling from the news of former Prince Andrew's arrest. For me as a Brit and a general fan of the Royal family I am shocked but at the same time I know he had it coming. He has to be held to account. For now he was arrested for possible misconduct in public office but I want to see him held to account for charges of abuse of underage women. I am hoping it will come to that. For the record he is the first royal to be arrested since 1647 when Charles I was taken prisoner after his defeat in the English Civil War. And we all know how that ended.  It was the most damaging day for the Royal family since then and possibly even worse than the death of Diana and the 1936 abdication because it undermines the institution I so revered itself. How can the Royal family survive this I ask myself? In a recent poll 50% of people believe there won't be a monarchy in 50 years time. Gosh.

Before I continue, let me rewind to last Sunday.

It was on Sunday that I discovered Handled. It is an AI assistant that lives on Whatsapp or Telegram so slightly different from Chat GPT. It has been trained to do tasks which are more time consuming or difficult for us. I tried it out and got it to convert a word document to a fully working spreadsheet in a matter of seconds. I then asked if it could rehouse my blog from Google's Blogspot  to somewhere more slick and I have been working with it all week. The result is amazing. Whether we like it or not, AI is here. If you want to try it and at the moment it is still a pilot project, use my referral link here. Basically you talk to Handled on Whatsapp as if you were talking to anyone. It's fascinating to do so. And it's safe as it has been designed by a Swedish friend, Peter who used to head up IT at Yoigo where I worked and I can vouch for him. I had hoped to launch it today but it is taking a bit more time than I expected. Hopefully it will be ready next week. So watch this space. 

In between talking to my very polite new friend on Whatsapp, other things happened that day. It was a sunny day and we went for our walk which was a joy. The rain seems to have gone for the moment and Spanish weather is back to what it should be. Oli and family came for lunch and I had some quality time with my grandchildren, especially Juliet. At one stage she hugged me and told me she loved me. I was very touched. I also played dominoes with them both. When they left we had a late siesta which I spent watching more of Call the Midwife which never fails to please.

Monday came and we did the weekly shop. The highlight of the day was my Facetime call with Amanda. Joy of joys apart from them coming to Spain in May, we shall meet in June in Yorkshire for a friends' reunion in the Dales. A wonderful thing to look forward to.

Tuesday came and it was Shrove Tuesday, often called Pancake Day. In France it is Mardi Gras and in Spain Martes de Carnaval. Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday when Lent starts and pancakes were eaten for people to fill up on food before fasting. It's not a tradition I brought my girls up on but I decided I would make pancakes that day. Miguel is back to work after breaking his arm so we had to pick the kids up from school, take Elliot to athletics and Juliet back to our place. Oli picked up Elliot on her way back from her French lessons and by then Tana and I were in the throes of frying the pancakes. I used a different recipe to my usual and they turned out a bit thick, rather like American pancakes but were just as delicious. 

Pancakes for Shrove Tuesday

The choice of fillings, all sweet of course, included nutella, strawberries, whipped cream, honey, Golden Lyle syrup and jam. Delicious. I made too many and froze the rest which we ate for the next two or three days haha. The kids loved them. 

Of note that day, workers came to change the floor of the annex to our bedroom where I have my study and which we call the gallery. There was a leak from the radiator which luckily our insurance company covered. In the end they painted the whole room including the ceiling, put in new floor boards and skirting boards too. Wonderful.

The gallery repainted and with a new floor. Looking lovely

On Wednesday I made "Cocido", always a favourite in this house and practical as all leftovers can be turned into soups or puree. 

I was happy that day to get notifications from the Santa Pola Land Registry Office with a certificate that I had successfully fulfilled the stupid new requirements for an annual form filling exercise which would stump most people. I was a bit worried about the SP Registry Office so was delighted to get the go ahead. I also have it for El Cuetu and am waiting for the notifications for the rooms I rent in this house. What a palaver. Bloody nightmare more like. 

Thursday came and brought with it the bombshell news of the arrest by Thames Valley Police of Andrew Mountbatten Windsor from his new home, Wood House, on the Sandringham Estate. It happened on his 66th birthday. What a way to celebrate it! It was my friend Kathy who alerted me to the news. I was astonished but also happy that justice was prevailing. He was taken  to Aylesham Police station where he would have been photographed and finger printed. His brother the King issued a statement saying the law must take its course. It was good to see that he was being treated the same as any British citizen despite being a Royal, albeit without a title anymore. He was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office which refers to the period he was the UK trade envoy. The misconduct is related to the Esptein case because in the trove of documents recently released there were emails from Andrew to his pedophile friend where he passed on confidential information from the British government. That would make him a traitor. We all waited with baited breath to see how the day would develop. 

I was a fan of the late Queen but not so much of her son Andrew who has been in the press for years ever since Virginia Guiffre accused him of raping her when she was 17. She is not here now to witness his comeuppance. All I can hope for is that he will also be charged with abuse of women. I think there is enough evidence to put Andrew away for a long time.

Meanwhile, at Oli's news room at RTVE, she was asked to travel to London that very day to cover the story and expect to be in London for at least a week. What an honour. She was worried about leaving the kids as Miguel is now back at work. I told her we would take care of them and to go and do her job. For once RTVE were using her not just for her skills as a TV reporter but also for her English.

But then it was my task to brief her on the case. It almost feels as if I have been with her the whole time. There was one worry before she left. She has a Spanish passport and an expired British one. So would she need the new ETA visa? She had no idea when I asked her. Thus she had to get one and thankfully it arrived an hour or so before leaving. Good God I hate Brexit. 

While she was on her way to London, we picked the kids up again from school and took Elliot to athletics and brought Juliet home. Then Eladio had to go and pick up Elliot again. We didn't mind at all. We just wanted to help Oli.

Picking up the kids from school

Of course they got pancakes again. Oh dear!

 Meanwhile, Andrew was released from the police station probably around the time Oli was landing in London. One lucky journalist, Phil Noble, from Manchester who works for Reuters, got the shot of the day. His photo of former Prince Andrew slouching in the back of the police car with a frightened look on his face will go down in history. This is it if you haven't already seen it.

Former Prince Andrew leaving the police station.

He has been released under investigation (RUI). That actually means the police have all the time in the world to carry out their investigations. This week saw them searching Wood Farm and the Royal Lodge and now they will be talking to his staff from his time as the British Trade Envoy. I honestly hope they dig deep.

Friday came and I was up early and on time to proudly watch my daughter report live from Buckingham Palace on the Andrew case. She was on and off all morning and I later heard she didn't even have time for lunch. This week's feature photo had to be of my daughter reporting from Buck House. Here is another and a video of one of her reports. 

Olivia live from London

She was nowhere near Sandringham where the disgraced man was but Buckingham Palace is the symbol of the Royal Family. 

We went for a walk and decided to have chocolate and churros at the local cafe which. It was such a lovely sunny day. Here I am about to enjoy mine.

Coffee and a "porra" for me and chocolate and churros for Eladio on Friday morning.

We were free until we had to pick the kids up again but at least we didn't have to take Elliot to athletics. It was such a sunny afternoon we took them to the park. On our way we later regretted buying them too many sweets hahaha. 

Here they are at the park.

The kids at the park on Friday

I have to admit I was on my phone the whole time with Handled and with Peter so feel bad I didn't help Eladio. It was difficult to make them come home. Juliet had to be taken away screaming. Once again we gave them pancakes although we did offer soup, ham and cheese. Their father came for them at around 8.15 and I think they went to Carls Jr for hamburgers, bless them.

Saturday came and I thought Oli would have  a lovely free weekend in London but not so. Other programmes wanted her to report for them. We watched her live on TVE 24h which is actually where she began her career. Later she had to prepare  a report for a weekly news programme called Informe Semanal for which she asked me for more help. She had me asking all my British friends how they had reacted to Andrew's arrest. They all said the same, he is not above the law but they were sorry for the Royal family.  Thank you Amanda, Geraldine and Kathy.

Oli was happy to be in London and said she had a sweet camerawoman who is from Argentina with her who they must have hired locally. Here is a picture of them together.

Oli enjoying reporting from London

I only hope she has some time to go to an M+S food store to get me some things, hopefully creme eggs and butter mints. Let's see. 

Our day was very quiet in comparison. How I would have loved to be with my daughter in England. But I am enjoying her stay vicariously.

We went for another walk in the sun. My highlight yesterday was a long Facetime call with Kathy and Phil who, hopefully, we shall be seeing in England and in Spain in June. 

The day ended with a quiet dinner with Suzy and then to bed. I was excited to watch her on Informe Semanal where she did a piece on Andrew and his wrong doings and quoted my friends. I taped it and you can see it on my YouTube channel here. 

Reporting last night for Informe Semanal

We look forward to seeing her again today, this time on a programme called "Corazón".

Today is Sunday and it will be a quiet day. We have had a full house of guests this weekend but I have hardly seen them.

Here's hoping today is another sunny day and wishing you all the best.

Cheers till next week, Masha.