Iran war; fragile ceasefires, peace talks continue but a feud between Trump and the Pope, Discovering the AI assistant Claude, precious family moments, time with our grandchildren, and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 19th May, 2026

Suzy with Juliet on Thursday this week - we had precious family time I shall cherish. 

Hi and top of the morning to you all. So what have I got to tell you this week?

On the world front, the war with Iran is into its 7th week and into the 2nd week of the ceasefire while peace talks continue. The Iranians announced the Strait of Hormuz would open but Trump replied  not until they have a peace plan. Oil prices dipped for a while but not for long. On the bright side there is now a 2 week ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanon. Both ceasefires are very fragile and I can only hope peace is reached soon, otherwise the world economy will go south. 

Remember when last week Trump warned "a whole civilization would die" referring to Iran?  That is when the new American Pope, Leo XIV put the cat among the pigeons when he criticised Trump for his words and actions. So far, the former Robert Prevost has been quite low key when it comes to politics which is why this spate is so significant. Don't forget the man has a following of 1.4 billion Catholics - that's a lot. The Pope got more vocal when the Defence Secretary Hegseth called the conflict a Christian mission and a holy war. The Pope has also criticised Trump's immigration policy referring to the terrible actions of ICE. Last Sunday, Trump, using his own social media platform "Truth Social" (haha) called the Pope weak on crime, terrible for foreign policy and not to get involved in politics. Leo XIV on his arrival this week to Africa said he has no fear of the Trump government and will continue to speak out loudly against war. Good for him I say. Coincidentally or not, that very day, Trump posted an AI generated picture of himself as Jesus healing a bedridden man This is it and it is appalling. 

The AI generated picture of Trump looking like Jesus

It was later taken down with Trump claiming he thought he was supposed to be looking like a doctor. The man is deranged. I read an article this week in the The Times entitled "Trump team scrambles to keep up with unshackled Truth Social after dark". From it I gather he hardly sleeps and spends his nights publishing deranged posts and his social media team cannot shackle the man.  The man needs shackling and soon.

We, on the other hand, had a quiet day last Sunday. We went for our walk and had a coffee and I had a "porra" - sort of thick churro. When I complained it was small, dry and hard, we were treated to our whole order. There is a saying in Spanish which I love and which applies to our getting our coffee and churros free - it is "el que no llora, no mama".  It means literally that a baby that doesn't cry doesn't suckle.  AI translates that as "the squeaky wheel gets the grease"; not a saying I have heard of but I like it. Others are  "a shy bairn gets no sweets" (Scottish) or "closed mouths don't get fed" which I think translates a lot better. I do love sayings and the origins of words. I must have inherited that from my father. 

The highlight of Sunday was my weekly Facetime call with Amanda. She is my therapy. I told her about my dream - the one with the corrupt Spanish politician in my bed who also takes sleeping tablets  that morphed into my seeing and touching my 103 and 104 year old parents at our old house at 6 Heaton Grove. A friend suggested I get ChatGPT to interpret it for me and I did. Later I tried a new AI assistant.  Called Claude it is the best so far.  I am also very happy with  Handled, the assistant that posts this blog for me. You can talk to Claude like a person and it answers back with questions. My daughter Oli told me people are using AI as a psychologist. The more I use AI for questions, the more I understand how helpful it can be. It is a whole new world and one I am embracing. Claude gave me its interpretation: "the marital bed is one of the most intimate spaces imaginable. It represents trust, privacy and your closest relationship. Having a figure like Abalos (someone corrupt) reflects a feeling that something unwanted has invaded your private life"..... It goes on to say about my parents who are impossibly alive "this is the emotional heart of the dream" and that I reached out because what I really need now is an emotional anchor for stability and get life back as it was before without all my worries. I totally get it. Have you tried Claude? I have used it all week now, including asking it to help with programming trips. If only it had been available when we did our road trip to Armenia. What an amazing help it is. 

Now on to Monday. That day we woke up to the news that that nasty far right dictator like leader in Hungary, Viktor Orban, who has been in power for 16 years,  the friend and ally of both Trump and Putin and traitor to the EU, was ousted out in the general elections in Hungary last Sunday. What good news and we need good news, don't we?

We didn't do much that day. Our usual really including another trip to the garden centre to get more plants and flowers for the garden and related stuff. Eladio is doing a great job as a gardener and I am very grateful. It's the weather for planting he says and the weather has been wonderful with higher temperatures and sun every day. I love this time of year. We also stopped at Carrefour to get some ingredients for me to make coleslaw which we all love and a fattening pasta dish with prawns we had for lunch. I am enjoying cooking these days. It's a great relaxation tool and very satisfying when the people around the table enjoy the food you have made and tell you so. 

Tuesday came and I spent a lot of it outlining a programme for our upcoming trip to Seville to include Jerez and then the Parador in Mazagón in Huelva  to visit the Doñana national park with our friends Andy and Amanda.  I have done everything now, booked the accommodation, got all the tickets, even booked tables at certain restaurants and then I got Claude and Handled AI platforms to transform it into a spectacular brochure like programme with photos and links. Of the tow I preferred the one generated by Handled. It looks marvelous. Maybe I would have done well working in the travel industry. I forged my skill at making travel programmes long ago when I worked for a Spanish arms exporter, Defex. All my bosses would travel the world to the most exotic places, mostly poor and wanting Spanish "defence material". I learned so much geography when I had to plan their trips to places like Tegucigalpa. Mostly I learned a lot of African geography. Awful products they sold but I honed many admin skills which I later improved on  in the telecom corporate world. I once had a boss at Motorola in the early 90's  who told me I was disorganised. His words spurred me on to become the most organised person in the office. Comments like that can make or break you. I was determined to prove him wrong and I did. Years later he was in the public when I was awarded prize for best Communications Director in the sector. In my acceptance speech I gave thanks to him for helping me in my career. So there you are. 

This week we have spent a lot of time with our grandchildren, Elliot (6) and Juliet (4). We had to pick them up that afternoon, take Elliot to athletics and Juliet to the park. We later convened at home for a wonderful and peaceful (for once) dinner al fresco. I took some photos of what I consider were precious family moments I must treasure. I have chosen the photo of Suzy with Juliet for this week's feature photo and here are two more.

Oli with Juliet

Elliot showing me his latest drawing. He is so good at drawing I have to say

On Wednesday we woke up to another leak in the house, leak number 5 after the one in the entrance of the house, two on the ground floor and one in my study. We had to find the source and of course ring the insurance people who must hate us by now. Bottom line, the leak has been fixed and the carpenter has to repair the kitchen sink cupboard. Sometimes it feels as if the house is falling to pieces. It is so expensive to maintain. Thus our little Airbnb business comes in handy. We couldn't live here without it. It may appear weird that we rent rooms in our own home but it's not that weird when you get used to it. In any case, the house is so enormous, often we hardly see our guests. On the plus side too we get to make new friends and meet people from all over the world. 

It was on Wednesday that I succumbed to temptation and with the excuse of our family barbecue today for lunch, I ordered the most amazing cake from my favourite Spanish patisserie, Balbisiana. Founded by a friend of a friend, the owner called Paula who left her job to make and sell cakes, has gone from strength to strength. She first opened a shop in the very upmarket street, Velázquez in Madrid and now has many of them even at the airport and delight of delights, she opened one in nearby Pozuelo. This is the wonderful cake I have ordered. It was created for Mothers' Day here which is not today but who needs a reason to buy a cake I thought? The thing is I couldn't resist it, hahaha. 

The cake I will be picking up this morning from Balbisiana for our family lunch today.

In the morning while Eladio waited for the insurance people to send a plumber, I went out to do the food shopping on my own. Of course I made time for coffee at Alverán and while there I crossed the road to look in  small Chinese owned boutique and bought a beautiful blue and white embroidered blouse. Retail therapy is always perks me up.

Thursday came and I was delighted that Olivia let me know 5 minutes before that she would be live on TV at 08.06 am.  She hardly ever lets me know as she is usually too busy but when she does, it is a joy to see her live on TV. This was her on Thursday reporting on another political corruption case - there are so many in this country.  

Olivia reporting live on TVE this week. 

I spent part of that day watching Dr. Zhivago. What a wonderful film. They don't make them like that anymore. Today's so-called blockbusters, leave me feeling cold. Oh how I loved the Russianess of it. Pasternak's novel is loosely biographical. I remember my mother telling me they visited the Nobel Prize winner's grave  in Moscow and were taken there by the head of the Russian literary society who told her it was he who prevented Boris Pasternak from travelling to Oslo for the prize and who banned the book.  Interestingly so, he also told her he regretted it but had no choice at the time. I wish I could remember his name. 

Very kindly, Suzy picked up the kids that afternoon. She took Elliot to athletics and brought Juliet home who played quietly on the kitchen patio. Later Oli came with Elliot and we had perushki (Russian meat pies)  for dinner made by dear Tana, our Paraguayan home help, bless her. She made us all happy. They looked like this before we pounced on them.

Tana's perushki which we had for dinner with the kids on Thursday

The kids behaved and ate well and dinner on Thursday with them was more precious family time. Oli had just bathed them and they were in their pyjamas when they wandered into the garden with Eladio. The sprinklers were on and they got soaked which proved hilarious and very enjoyable for them. I wish I had taken a picture. 

Friday dawned and we went out to have coffee and pay a traffic fine at the bank  - Eladio accumulates a lot of them. Oh but good news this week. He got his renewed driving licence which I thought would be valid for only a year but it is valid for 5. Thank the heavens. Google got it wrong this time. 

I made chicken Korma curry for lunch which we had with Tana's marvelous rice. There was not much time for a siesta that afternoon as we had to pick the kids up from school and be with them till Oli returned at 10pm. She has her job for which she gets up for at 5 every morning, she goes to her French classes twice a week and on top of that does the odd emcee job. This week also saw her teaching classes on corporate presentations to a group of students doing a master in TV presenting from 3 to 9 pm.  I don't how she does it. 

We took them to the park and them came home for dinner. We then let them run wild in the garden and get wet again from the irrigation system. Then it was bath time which they enjoy- To keep them occupied afterwards we put them on our bed (with Pippa) and put something on Netflix. It was difficult for them to agree on what to watch. Elliot wanted to watch Stranger Things which I did not allow and Juliet wanted to watch Peppa Pig which Elliot didn't. In the end they watched Gringe and Charlie and the Chocolate factory until their mother finally came to take them home. Here they are on our bed.

The kids in their pyjamas on our bed with Pippa on Friday night

We were exhausted when they left but had had some quality time with our grandchildren, bless them. 

I didn't sleep well that night and woke up too early on Saturday morning. Of note that morning I applied for Eladio's ETA visa for the UK for when we got at the end of May. Oh bloody Brexit has caused this. I did it on the Government app and if you have to do it, this is the link where it directs you to download the app called UK ETA . If you use any other website, they are going to charge a lot more. The real cost is 23 euros I think. I know of someone who got it from somewhere else and paid 120 euros. There are such scammers out there.  It was approved 10 minutes letter by some AI machine, I suppose.  Bloody Brexit again. 

We went out for coffee again and to Carrefour (again), this time to get ingredients for today's barbecue, the first of the season. There is not much else to tell about yesterday and today is just beginning. Now that I have come to the end of my tales for this week, let me wish you all a great Sunday. Cheers till next time,

Masha.

Trump threatens "a whole civilization will die tonight" then announces a fragile ceasefire with Iran, Easter lunch with Suzy and Eladio, Artemis II mission to the moon and back, good news from Airbnb and other stories of the week.

 Madrid, Sunday 12th April, 2026

Sunday roast outdoors for Easter lunch 

Good morning again friends and readers. 

It is now day 43 or 44 of the war against Iran and though I never thought it would happen, this week a 2 week ceasefire was announced. It came after the madman Trump threatened that a whole civilization would die, on his own social media site. This is his crazy post which  will no doubt go down in history for many reasons; one of them being his insanity as a President of the USA.

Donald Trump's threat to Iran this week

One of this main aims was for Iran to open the Hormoz Strait for sea traffic through which about 20% of the world's oil passes through. Not happy about that Trump even interrupted the peace on Easter Day to publish a post full of expletives. These were his words: "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day, and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like it!!! Open the Fuckin' Strait, you crazy bastards, or you'll be living in Hell - JUST WATCH! Praise be to Allah. President DONALD J. TRUMP". 

Trump thinks he has won the war - the Iranians do too - yet thanks to the attack on 28th February, the Iranians found their greatest weapon, the closing of this strait which was open before.So, I ask myself, what on earth has Trump achieved with his war on Iran? Mostly the wrath of the Ayotollahs, no regime change and the closing of the strait and of course destruction and death at a very high cost.  Today as I write, trilateral talks are being held in Pakistan, of all places, with Iran and the USA to try to come to some sort of peace agreement. Meanwhile, the ceasefire has proved very fragile. The Israelis have completely ignored it and continue to bomb the Lebanon. I feel for the people of Lebanon. If peace is reached, I just wonder at the end of the day what the USA will have got out of this useless war. Trump himself will not come out of it unscathed. Once again he is being referred to as TACO (Trump always chickens out). Back home his popularity rate is down to 33%. So even the MAGA (Make America great again) movement is beginning to fall out of love with him. He has to go and may that be soon. Let's hope that this time next week I will be able to record a proper peace agreement. If it's anything like the one with Gaza then it will be another loss for Trump. 

At home this week we lived in peace and harmony and Easter day this year was a happy celebration. It was last Sunday and Suzy was home so it would be the three of us for lunch. Oli and family were still in Montrondo and came back the next day. It was a beautiful day and before starting on lunch we went for our walk. We needed it for all the food we were to eat. I made a delicious roast lamb with all the trimmings and this meal on Easter Day was the highlight of our week. We had it outside as you can appreciate from this week's feature photo of Eladio and Suzy on the patio outside our kitchen. Here is a close up of the meal which included roast lamb, roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, green beans and peas, home made gravy and mint sauce. Wow what a scrumptious meal it was.

Roast Lamb and Yorkshire pudding (and all the trimmings) for our lunch on Easter Day last Sunday

We had no room left but I still got out the 2 Easter eggs I had bought at the British supermarket, Quicksave in Gran Alacant. One was by Bounty and the other, my favourite, Aero mint chocolate. These were them.

Our Easter eggs on Sunday

It was that afternoon that Claudia and her daughter Grecia arrived. From Mexico they have stayed a whole week and left this morning. Grecia was here to do a week's course at the University nearby and her mother had come along to join her. They are now off to Lisbon and hopefully will be back in July. We had lots of fun conversations and I love to spot the differences in Castillian and Mexican Spanish. They kept using the word "mande" instead of "perdón". They asked for an "abanico" instead of a "ventilador"  in their "recámara" rather than in their "habitación". They call cars "carros" instead of "coches" and the fridge a "refri" instead of "nevera". When things are good they exclaim it is "padre" (father) rather than "guay". Lindo, not used much in Spain can mean cute, pretty, sweet or anything positive. An Argentinian guest who came yesterday, Victoria, will use different vocab too and I have noticed her always saying "de diez" instead of excellent. Diez being 10 means ten out of ten I suppose. A good one. I often learn new things from my guests.

Monday was another beautiful day, here, not in Iran. The highlight of the day was my weekly FaceTime call with Amanda with whom I will soon be reunited in Seville. 

The highlight for NASA was the Lunar Flyby that day to its far side by the Artemis II mission which left the Kennedy Space Centre on 1st April. It is an historic flight as it marks the first time astronauts have left the Earth's orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. I honestly wonder why we have had to wait more than 50 years for that to happen. The crew of 4 apparently flew further into space than any other astronaut before them. They did not land on the moon in 2026 yet they did in 1969. I am no space expert so don't feel the excitement as much as I did at the time. Apparently this is a test mission for future lunar landings or bases there and according to Trump maybe one day to Mars. That I think will take another century. Photos were published of the moon from about 4000 km away and honestly I didn't find them fascinating. I just see a grey surface with craters. I'm sure there is more to it than that. One photo though did make an impact and it was of a jar of Nutella flying around with the lack of gravity. Did you see that one? 

Nutella's moment of fame during the Artemis II mission to the moon this week. 

I later read it was probably sponsored by Nutella but Nasa said it wasn't What great advertising for them. They took immediate advantage and I did like their social media response: "Honoured to have travelled further than any spread in history. Taking spreading smiles to new heights". 

The astronauts returned to earth on Friday in a thankfully successful "splash down" somewhere near San Diego. I bet the crew of 4 have a tale or two to tell. It must have been very exciting for them. 

Tuesday came and out we went to get petrol at a 10% discount further away than usual and thanks to my Carrefour loyalty card. These days petrol costs the earth so we have to watch the pennies, don't we? We also went to get more flowers for the garden and came home to have lunch with Suzy. 

I had a bit of a scare from Airbnb after lunch. There have been so many new regulations to comply with after recent and stringent renting laws on online platforms in Spain that it has been a nightmare. Many people who didn't comply or didn't know how to comply are being kicked off the platform and that is what I feared that day. Thankfully, it was quite the opposite. A lady called Estafania rang from Airbnb just to confirm that all my listings were in complete compliance. I nearly fell off my seat in surprise as it is not often anyone rings to say you are doing something good. Just in case, I asked her send me the confirmation in writing and she did. I am recording it here as it the result of a lot of painstaking bureaucratic work on my part which I understand some people would just not be able to do.

Positive confirmation from Airbnb

It came just a day after an email from the company to tell me I was Superhost, once again. To think I began this journey just over 8 years ago and have now been a Super host for the same amount of time; in their words in "35 straight quarters".

Superhost for 35 quarters = 8.75 years

During that journey I have had some wonderful guests (and not so wonderful guests). This week my top guest was Marco Antonio, also from Mexico. He is a digital nomad and swam in our pool even though the water was freezing. He also used our bike for getting around. And this was his review. Maybe I should have replied "está padre"!

Marco Antonio's review

Reviews like this make it all worthwhile. 

On Wednesday the world woke up to a ceasefire with Iran rather than the apocalypse that Trump had threatened and the world heaved a sigh of relief. Oil prices went down but as the ceasefire was broken over and over again and the Hormuz strait still closed, the oil prices went up again. 

We did the food shopping that day which I secretly enjoy for want of any trips from home. We have been grounded since my birthday in February and I am itching to travel again. My time will come, no doubt. I managed to sleep during my siesta and had a nightmare. A famous corrupt Spanish politician, José Luis Abalos, who was in the dock this week, was in our bed in my nightmare. I wondered why he was next to me and not Eladio. We were both awake and he told me he also needed sleeping tablets, like me. My dream morphed to the appearance of my parents, aged 102 and 104. I touched them and it seemed so real. I woke up feeling a little upset as you can imagine. Some of my dreams are very vivid.

Thursday came and after our walk I did some cooking. I made a chicken based dish I  got from Instagram and we all loved it. I also made coleslaw and apple and amaretto cherry crumble which was divine. We only finished it yesterday.  We had pleasant grandparent duties in the afternoon when we went to pick up Elliot and Juliet from school and take our grandson to his athletics class. Normally we would have taken Juliet to the park but I had to go to the health centre.Thankfully, she fell asleep and only woke up when we got home. Soon we were joined by Oli and Elliot and had a wonderful family dinner together. It was good to see my grandchildren again. They cheered me up.

It was on Thursday that, out of the blue, that DJ Trump's wife, the Slovenian Melania Trump made a surprise announcement. It was to tell the world she was not introduced to her husband by the late Jeffrey Epstein. Why on earth did she do that? To quell rumours? She has now put her husband back in the Epstein picture. One day I hope he gets his comeuppance for that. 

Friday came and I spent quality time with Suzy when we went to have a coffee at Alverán, our happy place. Eladio had gone to see an eye specialist about his macular degeneration which he came back to tell us was at the halfway stage. Not good but could be worse. Suzy and I then walked to our local nail bar for her to make an appointment. She also went to the hairdressers this week. It's good to see her doing these lovely feminine things and taking care of herself as best she can. In the afternoon she spent time with Oli and Juliet and the three of them came home and surprised me with their visit. Juliet was asleep (again) so I had quality time with both my daughters. I wish I had taken a picture. Friday was a good day, a day I could breathe and feel fleetingly happy. Thus I had a better night's sleep.

Yesterday was Saturday and a quiet day. Suzy went back to work which she was longing to do. Eladio and I went for our walk and I came home to make our lunch. The three of us enjoyed lots of leftovers. 

Today is Sunday and promises to be another quiet day. We have no plans so will follow  what must seem to you our very boring routine. 

And that's it from me for this week. Cheers to you all,

Masha. 

War with Iran enters its sixth week, Palm Sunday, Oli and family in Montrondo for Easter, gardening, Artemis II test flight to the moon, cooking more Instagram recipes, our wedding vows remembered and other stories of the week.

 Easter Day. Madrid, Sunday 5th April, 2026

Pistachio and wine time by the pool on Friday evening

Good morning everyone and Happy Easter. It  is Easter day and  as always I shall make a roast meal. I am happy to tell you we will be joined by Suzy who was discharged from hospital yesterday. That is the best news I have this week.

Not such good news is the fact that the war with Iran has entered its 6th week and it is pretty much stale mate at the moment. 2 US aircraft were shot down by the Iranians and one of the pilots is missing in Iran. Attacks intensified on Iranian infrastructure and the economic crisis has worsened, as has the humanitarian crisis. What seemed an easy war to win for the Israelis and the USA is turning out not to be as easy as Trump thought. He is furious that his partners from NATO are not helping out and threatens to leave the Alliance but who, by now, believes his threats?

Our lives continued in peace for which I am thankful. Last week was Palm Sunday, the day the clocks went forward. I  would have slept an extra hour if one of my guests hadn't rung me at 7 am, the old 6 am. I did not need that. I didn't really notice it was Palm Sunday but certainly remember it from my childhood. I loved getting a palm leaf in the shape of a cross at the church in Ruskington, in Lincolnshire, where we lived when I was little. Eladio reminded me of our once being in Reñaka in Chile on Palm Sunday. On the Pacific Ocean, Reñaka is near Viña del Mar where we ventured by car from Santiago in about 2003. We got given the most beautiful woven palm cross we kept for a long time. Wow what a trip. I was there on business for Nokia and Eladio came out and we spent Easter there. Being in the Southern Hemisphere, on the other side of the Equator, it was autumn then while it was spring in Spain. The things we remember. I remember another Palm Sunday with Eladio and my father in Granada in 2008 where we got to see "La Boriquilla" (little donkey) procession. It represents the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on a donkey. None of that would be possible today in Jerusalem. With the excuse of the war, many Christian celebrations have been completely scaled down. Jesus would not be happy and I am not either. 

A  very little baby was born last Sunday. Oscar Archie, grandson of my great friends Kathy and Phil was born 2 months early while his parents were on holiday in that lovely hotel, Gleneagles where I have fond memories of trips to Scotland with Motorola. Their daughter in law gave birth in Dundee and thus their grandson is Scottish, hence the names he has been given. I heard from Kathy they would be transferred to their hometown in Manchester but could never have imagined they would be taken by helicopter. What an amazing gesture. Finally my friends met little Oscar on Saturday. I am very happy for them all. I know my Yorkshire friends will be tickled pink to have a Scottish grandson. Hi there Oscar, welcome to the world. 

It was on Sunday that Olivia and family drove to Montrondo to stay at our lovely house there in my husband's village for the Easter holiday. They have been very lucky with the weather and the kids have had a grand time with their cousins, firstly Luna and Camilo and then some of the others. We got sent various photos during the week which I want to share. I especially love the one of the kids hanging round the bread van which comes every other day and is quite an event for people who live in the city.

Olivia and family in Montrondo this week

Monday came and Eladio and I went to buy new flowers for the garden to replace the dead geraniums which surround the pool. We also got a couple of rose plants and lots of different types of soil and fertilizers. My husband is a good gardener when he puts his mind to it. 

Tuesday was a quiet day with not much to report.  I had a bad night but that is not news. That afternoon we visited Suzy as we have every day since she was admitted to hospital. 

Wednesday was 1st April and in England it was All Fools' Day and turned out to be a pretty complicated day for me. It started off well. Eladio did the gardening, mostly planting the new flowers. Here he is about to start. In the background you can spot Tana who I think was cleaning the outdoor loo.

Eladio the gardener

I was happy that morning to receive our new toaster, a beautiful red Smeg to replace our Russel Hobbs which literally set on fire last week. This is it next to the Smeg kettle. I am in love with that brand and I am not usually a person who is interested in brands.

Our new Smeg toaster - red of course. Love it

I did the shopping alone while Eladio tended to the garden. It was while we were having lunch I got calls from Santa Pola to tell me the gas wasn't working so our guests there could not cook. At more or less the same time our new guests in El Cuetu were also complaining the house wasn't clean enough and to get rid of a clothes horse with clothes in the garage. I had to deal with everything while more or less standing up to have my lunch. At that moment I felt like giving up hosting and selling those houses. By the end of the day everything was sorted but what a headache. It turned out too that the party of 6 in El Cuetu was actually a party of 8 people as seen by my sweet cleaner Andrea who suspected the complaints were to try and get a refund. Oh the lengths some people go to. I am now dreading this guest's review on Booking. As a host, you are a slave to guest reviews and have to bend over backwards for all of them to be happy. Wednesday was my "dies horribilis". 

While I was having these little issues, the spacecraft, Artemis II took off for the moon. It is not actually going to land on the moon but is a test flight. From 1969 to 1972, a total of 12 Americans have actually set foot on the moon. I only remember Apollo 11 in July 1969 and will never forget when Armstrong stepped on the surface of the moon and said those words "one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". I wonder why no one else has stepped on the moon since 1972? So, for today's generation Artemis II must be very exciting but far less so than the Apollo 11's mission was for my generation. I was 12 at the time and remember watching the crucial moments while my mother stayed up all night glued to the "telly". The next day I was going camping with the girl guides.  I read that this 4 crew mission is a test flight to ensure the spacecraft and launch system are safe for future moon landings. They will not land but will have amazing views. The distance from the Kennedy Space centre to the Moon is about 385.000 kilometres. Their speed varies from several thousand kilometres per hour. To leave the earth's orbit and reach the moon they will travel at nearly 40.000 km per hour!!! I just wonder how they wash themselves or change clothes or maybe they don't. Hopefully the mission will go well. 

Thursday was a much better day for me and thankfully problem free. I went out shopping to get the ingredients for 2 recipes I had seen on Instagram. The first one was a chicken based recipe which I think might be from the Middle East but I am not sure. This is the link I used and this was the dish that I served. 

A new chicken based recipe

The ingredients are chicken, onions, cherry tomatoes, spinach, veg stock and cream to which I added almonds. We had it with Tana's amazing rice. 

My second dish was another apple dessert and again from Instagram. This is the link and this is my result.

A new type of apple tart I made this week. 

I made such a large tart I gave some of it to my guests. When I was with Suzy in the afternoon I told her about my cooking and trying out new recipes. She will be helping me next time, now that she is back. Isn't that great?

Friday of course was Good Friday. It was the first time in many years I hadn't stocked up on hot cross buns or made any. I used to but couldn't be bothered this year. Instead, I raided the deep freeze for a packet of crumpets I had bought at Quicksave in February. Oh how I love crumpets with lots of butter. I naughtily added some Golden Lyle Syrup. I don't like honey but I love syrups. We finally went for a walk that morning and oh how you notice spring is here. Everything is so green and lots of flowers are blooming. I love this time of year. 

We had leftovers for lunch and just afterwards our new guest Dan arrived. He is from Romania and has been traveling round Europe in his own car, a splendid BMW. Our other guests are from Brazil but live in Sacramento. They are here to see their son who is living at a football academy very near us. They have been before and are a pleasant couple. In the afternoon we went for the last time to visit Suzy. It has been tiring but more so for her of course. We came home and as the weather was so lovely and it was light outside, I suggested we have a glass of wine and pistachios by the pool, a tradition of ours in the good weather. It was a wonderful way to wind down after a difficult week. I got Eladio to take a photo of me for this blog, for lack of another one, with his new Samsung S26 and I have chosen it as this week's feature photo. It was a happy moment together with my wonderful husband with whom I could never envisage being without. Thank you Eladio for the good times and being there for me during the bad times. It is our unity that keeps us going. Writing that reminds me of our wedding vows which we have both kept since we got married on 21st August 1983. We used the text from the Common Book of Prayer. These were: "'I, (), take thee, (name), to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth". I remember we did them in English or maybe I did mine in Spanish and Eladio his in English. He had trouble saying "thereto I plight thee my troth" which had me in tears and the wedding had to stop until I was able to compose myself. Again, the things one remembers. 

Saturday came, the day was Suzy was being discharged. Poor girl, she hadn't seen the light of day since being admitted on 18th March. It was a lovely day and I had my morning coffee by the pool while Eladio got out all the outdoor furniture. I had to take a picture. This is it.

The pool looking good and so lovely to sit by in this good weather

I made our lunch before leaving for the hospital. It was for the last time and so good to see Suzy come out. We rushed home and she was greeted warmly by little Pippa. Tana is off this Easter weekend and our guests were out so we had the house and garden to ourselves. Lunch was eaten outside at Suzy's request. 

The day ended with the three of us having wine and pistachios by the pool. Another pleasant end to the day. Today is Easter Sunday and as I said at the beginning I shall be making a roast meal - lamb and all the trimmings; my favourite. You will hear all about it next week.

Meanwhile, let me wish you all a Happy Easter. Until next Sunday, cheers

Masha.

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